I'll never wash a man's feet (Ajahn Sumedho)

Ajahn Sumedho (amaravati.org); edited by Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Famous Jewish convert to Christianity washing Peter's feet (Ford Madox Brown, Tate Gallery)*

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Clean the mind/heart then it will see clearly.

"Another experience I learned from was the custom of washing the feet of the senior monks when they returned from almsround [gathering dana of donated meals].

After they walked barefoot through the villages and rice paddies, their feet would be muddy. There were foot baths outside the dining hall.

Monk Robert Karr Jackman, aka Ven. Sumedho

When Ajahn Chah would come, all the monks -- maybe 20 or 30 of them -- would rush out and wash Ajahn Chah's feet.

When I first saw this I thought, "I'm not going to do that, not me!" Then the next day, 30 monks rushed out as soon as Ajahn Chah appeared and washed his feet. I thought, 'What a stupid thing to be doing, 30 monks washing one man's feet. I'm not going to do that.'

The day after that, the reaction became even more violent... 30 monks rushed out and washed Ajahn Chah's feet and... "That really angers me. I'm fed up with it! I just feel that is the most stupid thing I've ever seen, 30 men going out to wash one man's feet! He probably thinks he deserves it, you know, really building up his ego. He's probably got an enormous ego, having so many people wash his feet every day. I'll never do that!"

Ajahn Sumedho with his teacher Ajahn Chah

I was beginning to build up a strong reaction, an overreaction. I would sit there really feeling miserable and angry. I'd look at the monks, and I'd think, "They all look stupid to me. I don't know what I'm doing here."

But then I started listening, and I thought, "This is really an unpleasant frame of mind to be in. Is it anything to get upset about? They haven't made me do it. It's all right; there's nothing wrong with 30 men washing one man's feet. It's not immoral or bad behavior, and maybe they enjoy it. Maybe they want to do it, maybe it's all right to do that... Maybe I should do it!'

So the next morning, 31 monks ran out and washed Ajahn Chah's feet. There was no problem after that. It felt really good: That nasty thing in me had stopped."

*Jesus washed his disciples' feet?

Did Jesus/Issa meditate?

This famous European painting, now on display at the Tate Gallery, illustrates the biblical story of Jesus Christ washing his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. It has an unusually low viewpoint and compressed space. Critics objected to the picture’s coarseness: It originally depicted Jesus only semi-clad [rather than clad in a disturbingly feminine manner]. This caused an outcry when it was first exhibited and it remained unsold for several years until Ford Madox Brown reworked the figure in [feminine] robes. Brown was never invited to join the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but he was a close associate of the group. Several members modelled for the disciples in this picture, and the critic FG Stephens sat for the role of Christ. (This description is based on the Tate Gallery label, Nov. 2016).