As a beginner, one thing I found weird about Buddhist practice was bowing toward monastics and priests (whether married or lay clergy). Since young, I never bowed to anyone. Instinctively, a streak of ego in me refused to bend the knee to mortals. In my mind, I thought, “He’s just a man. Why should I bow to him, let alone do a full prostration?”

Imagine my awkwardness when I attended a Dharma camp and everyone started bowing or prostrating to the monks. I held back and just watched. Besides shaving their heads and wearing unusual robes, monks and nuns are ordinary human beings like you and me, aren’t they? That was what held me back.

However, I learned something during a Dharma lesson that helped change my perspective, and the practice of bowing to monastics (as representatives of the Buddha’s order) became natural to me.

While bowing and prostration help cultivate humility, it is equally important to understand why Buddhists bow to monks and nuns in the first place. When we bow or prostrate to a monastic, we are expressing respect and humility toward an ideal, rather than just the person.

Understanding this is crucial because it shapes the ideals we hold high in life. It is part of right effort to condition and reprogram our minds.

First, the human beings with special appearances (shaven heads and robes) represent that ideal. To put it simply, they are symbols, not much different from the Buddha statues we bow to. This is especially true when we do not know the monks or nuns personally well enough to form an informed opinion about them.

The Buddha defined the specific qualities that make a monk or nun worthy of respect, but those technical guidelines can be difficult to remember. Instead, I focus on the core qualities I honor and feel humbled by:

• Renunciation: The Buddhist śramaṇa movement is rooted in giving up the luxury and comfort of household life. It is a life of austerity.
• Dedication to Nirvana: Since I cannot do this myself, I admire, respect, and feel humbled by anyone who dedicates their entire life to attaining Nirvana.
• Following the Buddha’s Footsteps: Leaving family, friends, and home to train for Nirvana mirrors the path of the Buddha. Anyone who follows that path deserves my respect.
• Strict Discipline: The life of the Buddha and his monastics is highly disciplined. It is an austere livelihood—living like beggars, yet dignified by spiritual purpose and restraint in every aspect of life, from eating and sleeping to sitting, standing, and walking, guided by more than 250 rules.
• Serious Daily Practice: Time is not wasted in idleness. Days start at 4:00 AM and rest only at night, with every waking hour spent meditating, training the mind, studying the Dharma, and living virtuously to achieve Nirvana.
• Overcoming Afflictions: They actively work to stop greed, aversion, and delusion in their minds, following the Buddha’s example to benefit people and society once they attain realization.
• Cultivating Virtues: They develop qualities I lack, such as kindness, compassion, consideration, humbleness, and peacefulness.

The Sangha is a group of people who uphold what the Buddha taught and how he lived. Because of that, I want to support their mission and revere their focus on enlightenment. Buddhists do not worship supernatural beings, as even heavenly devas are still stuck in saṁsāra (and can even be reborn as animals). Therefore, it is wrong to honor someone simply because he or she appears to be psychic or have supernatural powers. Buddha taught us to only honor good qualities.

When a person wears monastic robes, shaves their head, and presents themselves as a Buddhist monastic, they hold themselves to those lofty standards. When I bow or prostrate before them, I am expressing personal humility in reverence of those qualities—much like bowing to a wooden statue of the Buddha.

Unlike a wooden statue, however, a monastic still needs to be fed, clothed, housed, and healed. That is where laypeople come into the picture, willingly parting with hard-earned money to support that ideal and mission.

Wearing robes or shaving one’s head does not automatically make someone holy. Without genuine qualities, such individuals are merely scammers. Anyone can put on a Buddhist robe and shave their head, but that alone does not deserve my financial support or reverence.

Dealing with Scammers in the Monastery

Scammers have existed since the Buddha’s time. They pretend to be good Buddhist monks and nuns by shaving their heads and wearing robes, seeking free meals and lodging while idling away their time or pursuing personal hobbies instead of mind training. Some even exploit people’s ignorance by pushing fake doctrines, encouraging superstitions, or selling religious trinkets and services—practices the Buddha categorized as lowly.

Unfortunately, many people lack this awareness. Naturally, when scammers are caught and their misbehavior is widely reported in the news, we feel a deep sense of embarrassment and betrayal. It hurts to realize that the sincere reverence and hard-earned money we offered with a pure heart were manipulated by someone wearing holy robes as a disguise.

Yet, it is important to remember that not all monastics are scammers.

Ask yourself: did you intentionally support a fraud? If your intention was to honor the Buddha’s path and support genuine spiritual practice, your merit and sincerity remain untainted by their deception.

Just as you would still support an orphanage or charity even if someone embezzled funds from a past organization—because you believe in the cause itself—we continue to support monks and nuns genuinely committed to the path.

That said, if you notice excessive luxury, massive accumulated funds, large empty buildings, or waste within an organization, it is wise to look closer. A healthy dose of discernment ensures your generosity protects the living tradition of the Buddha rather than funding a scammer’s lifestyle built on your good faith.

May all be well and happy.