If military personnel has the opportunity to ordain as a monk, what appropriate topics of the Buddhist teachings should they be taught? What kinds of merit will those who sponsor the ordination ceremony gain?

No matter whether they are in the military or in any other occupation and regardless of the length of the ordination, the objective of ordaining is alike that is the ordained is to train oneself to attain enlightenment.

Listening to my answer, some may be afraid of the end of defilements.  Don’t be afraid because one thing that degraded the innate quality of one’s mind since one was born is defilement or the germ of evil.  It is unlike other diseases, which can be seen through the microscope.  We cannot see the defilement but the symptoms caused by the defilement in one’s mind such as irritability,( which arises at the same time as human’s body).

The Lord Buddha named the germ of evil in the mind as defilement. Once one can eliminate all defilements, one can defeat all sufferings and enter Nirvana.

Thus, at the ordination ceremony, the aspirants have to make a declaration of their objective of ordaining to overcome suffering, which arise from defilements and attain the blissful state of Nirvana.

Once the ordinant realizes the ultimate goal of being a monk, even the short period of staying in the monkshood, the judicious monk teachers should use the ordained’s military basic knowledge to enhance their spiritual wisdom by pointing that soldiers are the strength of the worldly armed force but monks are soldiers of the religious army.

Both occupations share the same code of conduct, Strict discipline is imposed on the army recruits to train them to be valiant, so as to protect the country from invasion.  Meanwhile, the police’s discipline is set for the purpose of keeping the public order as well as, preventing and solving crimes

Similarly, monks are strictly trained under the monastic rules in order to eliminate mental defilements.

The monks who understand monastic rules profoundly and follow their vocation purely will attain the boundless inner freshness without the slightest stress.

Unlike worldly disciplines such as military’s regulations and police’s regimen, the more they practice, the more they suffer from emotional stress.

But if the ordained practices the monastic rules until they become second nature during their ordination, they will later be able to make good use of the rules in their daily duty efficiently without any stress.

Thus, the ordained, for a short period, who come from the military section should particularly be trained under specific monastic rules with the understanding that the military rules are imposed to defeat the external enemy but the monastic rules is set to overcome internal hostility which is a defilement.

The second aspect to consider is monks, the military and policemen have to appreciate the value of respectfulness; otherwise, both the worldly and the religious army can no longer hold out.

Respect for military and police personnel means obedience to the instructions of their superiors and on duty in dealing with crimes and enemies; but for monks it is focused on the respect towards the virtue of the Triple Gem at the cost of their own life.

In addition, respectfulness of monks to the Triple Gems i.e. the Buddha, the Teachings and the Noble Disciplines, is to make an effort to find the virtue of the Buddha, the Teachings and the Noble Disciplines; with the hope that one day in the future they will achieve nobility as well.

From this point of view, if the monk teachers who supervise the ordaining program combine the two types of respectfulness and include them in the training scheme, they will see the similarity in both.
 
Moreover, respectfulness of military, police personnel or monks are based on fortitude.  The slight difference between them is that the fortitude of the military and the police personnel relates to the ability to handle risky duties.  But the strength of monks is stressed on the ability to restrain oneself from all temptations.

 Monks’ fortitude and the military and the police recruits’ bravery shows their good deeds which are different in level.

After all who will gain the most benefit? First the military and the police personnel who ordained as monks, beside obtaining the merit accruing from ordination, will also acquire good characters which will follow into the next existence.  And certainly, the army will have good and capable soldiers serving the country and citizens of the nation will feel at peace.