Bhante, might there be another way for a mendicant to live comfortably while staying in a monastic community?”
“There could, Ānanda. It’s when a mendicant is accomplished in their own ethical conduct, but they don’t urge others to be ethical. And they watch themselves, but don’t watch others. And they’re not well-known, but aren’t bothered by that. And they get the four absorptions—blissful meditations in this life that belong to the higher mind—when they want, without trouble or difficulty.
That’s how a mendicant could live comfortably while staying in a monastic community.”
