Monks, Money, and Morality Quotes

“The entanglements that come with sustaining Buddhist institutions, rather than being a peripheral concern, are actually a central part of the lives of Buddhist specialists and their interactions with the lay public.”
― Christoph Brumann, Monks, Money, and Morality: The Balancing Act of Contemporary Buddhism

“More so even than the followers of other "world religions," devout Buddhists are believed to pay scant attention to economic considerations. They give and receive selflessly, with their virtuosos—the monastic renunciates—owning only a minimum of possessions. Disconnected from the economies within which they operate, they rely instead on the laity's alms, donations, and general goodwill. A spirit of calculation is absent when believers give what they can spare while monks and nuns make do with what they receive, unbound by any sense of obligation. Economic matters are a secondary concern in a religion dedicated to the pursuit of enlightenment and compassion.”
― Christoph Brumann, Monks, Money, and Morality: The Balancing Act of Contemporary Buddhism