Can One Make Offerings to a Monk Who Has Broken the Precepts?

All sentient beings may be given offerings, including monks who have broken the precepts. Even offering to cats, dogs, fish, and birds yields a hundredfold merit—how much more so offering to human beings? A monk who has broken the precepts is, first, a human being; second, a monk; third, one who has broken the precepts—so offering to him still yields a thousandfold merit. Monks even make food offerings to ghosts and spirits; how much more should laypeople make offerings to monks who have broken the precepts? No matter how badly a monk has broken the precepts, he still has more merit and virtue than animals and hungry ghosts, and the merit gained from offering to him far exceeds the merit gained from offering to animals and hungry ghosts. Everyone may make offerings, without exception, including extremely evil people such as Hitler; however, providing tools and funds for an evil person to commit evil deeds makes one complicit in the evil person's crimes, whereas providing basic food, drink, and clothing is no problem.

The influence of one's environment must not be overlooked

The constraining and permeating power of the environment is immense. At times, a person's power of wholesome karma, power of merit, and power of wisdom are insufficient to counteract and break free from environmental influences; one may still be unconsciously and quietly influenced and permeated without being aware of it, and as a result become assimilated. If it is wholesome dharma that one is assimilated into, that is fine; but if one is assimilated into unwholesome dharma, the defilements and afflictions of ignorance in one's own mind increase, binding one even more tightly in the obstructions of karma within the ocean of saṃsāra and karma. Therefore, the environment in which a person lives is very important.

Environments in the secular world are generally defiled, with very few being pure, because sentient beings' afflictive habits are very heavy, almost deeply entrenched, manifesting greed, hatred, and delusion at all times. Environments within the Buddhist community are mixed, containing both defilement and purity, but defilement accounts for a far higher proportion than purity and has somewhat greater influence. Many people cannot discern whether the environment they are in is predominantly defiled or predominantly pure; they only look at surface appearances. Some people, after taking up Buddhism, follow groups with heavy afflictive defilement and are greatly influenced by them—the more they practice, the heavier their afflictions become, and they themselves remain unaware of it. Practicing Buddhism this way is very dangerous. If sentient beings have mild afflictions, they can transcend external things, remain unaffected, and still maintain their original aspiration in practicing Buddhism; what is to be feared is a Buddhist environment heavy with defilement and great in influence, which most easily causes people to lose their awakening and vigilance, and thus unknowingly engage in defiled karma along with it.