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Vacuuming

Wisdom23Wisdom23 Veteran
in Buddhism Basics
Why don't Buddhist monks vacuum their monestaries????

No Attachments lol

i know i know it is cheesy but i like to open with a joke.

i was wondering what my fellow buddhists do to act on or think about non attachment.

For me it is simply recognising that nothings lasts so there is no point in clutching at it trying to make it last.

What about you?


Comments

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    Notice what I am thinking and compare to reality. So "I need x to be happy" becomes "I am already happy just in the silence behind awareness."
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Actually, I've been in a number of Thai temples where the monks were, indeed, vacuuming the red carpets.
    Wisdom23karmablues
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    @Wisdom23
    IMO, Meditation is the manifestation of non attachment ( at least as far as I am willing to let it be).
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    i was wondering what my fellow buddhists do to act on or think about non attachment.
    What happens when we are no longer attached to being Buddhist? Being meditators, making 'progress'?
    What happens when not attached to non attachment?
    I better not think about it too much . . . might have to empty the dust bag that passes for a mind . . .
    :wave:
  • misterCopemisterCope PA, USA Veteran
    I'm quite attached to my beard. It's a fine beard and I'm fond of it. Often, I think, "would I shave it off if I had to?" and I cringe inwardly. Then I feel bad because I shouldn't be so attached to something, especially something as silly as a beard. Then I feel bad for feeling bad because I shouldn't let something as trivial as beard-fondness affect me so much.

    It's hard to even imagine letting go of some things.
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    I find when I look at an attachment I am having in a non-judgemental way (hey, I'm a human being, I have attachments, it goes with the territory, don't beat yourself up, etc.....) it actually weakens the attachment.

    Be kind to yourself...
    lobsterJeffrey
  • footiamfootiam Veteran
    Wisdom23 said:

    Why don't Buddhist monks vacuum their monestaries????

    No Attachments lol

    i know i know it is cheesy but i like to open with a joke.

    i was wondering what my fellow buddhists do to act on or think about non attachment.

    For me it is simply recognising that nothings lasts so there is no point in clutching at it trying to make it last.

    What about you?


    I suppose monks have good karma. If there is any vacuuming to be done, the layman will do it and the monks themselves, probably are busy meditating and learning the sutras. And non-attachment probably is just to live life, do what one has to, and to move on and on since time and tides wait for no man. And just like we are born with nothing, we will have to move on with nothing, not even a baggage.
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    vinlyn said:

    Actually, I've been in a number of Thai temples where the monks were, indeed, vacuuming the red carpets.

    A Thai friend of mine sold one of his snakes to a monk the other day lol.. how random is that!? A Buddhist monk bought a snake (with money of course) to keep in the temple.
  • karmablueskarmablues Veteran
    I think it is useful to be mindful of how attachments causes us to suffer. For example, when one suffers such as feeling angry or sad, one can look to see how such suffering is caused by attachment. Usually the initial reaction is to pinpoint to something external as the cause of suffering rather than seeing it as something internal. But with mindfulness it is possible to see that internal factor, ie. the attachment, and when we become conscious of that then I find that the mind in that instant will incline towards letting go. So in short, I think the more we are aware of our attachments and how they cause us to suffer then the easier it becomes to let go of them.
    ThailandTom
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    karmablues said:

    I think it is useful to be mindful of how attachments causes us to suffer. For example, when one suffers such as feeling angry or sad, one can look to see how such suffering is caused by attachment. Usually the initial reaction is to pinpoint to something external as the cause of suffering rather than seeing it as something internal. But with mindfulness it is possible to see that internal factor, ie. the attachment, and when we become conscious of that then I find that the mind in that instant will incline towards letting go. So in short, I think the more we are aware of our attachments and how they cause us to suffer then the easier it becomes to let go of them.

    This reminds me of something Ajahn Sumedho said, he said that he was once at a fete with Ajahn Chah and another monk and he had to sit on a chair for hours literally doing nothing and listening to this load speaker which was pumping out a continual commentary in Thai. He struggled mentally for a while with this, with all the noise going on around him, the chaos and goings on in the fete and blamed his frustration on all of these things. However at one point it clicked, it was his fault he was suffering, he was the one creating these problems in his mind all the while. The external sounds were not the problem, the problem was his attachment he gave to these sounds and activities.
    Jeffreykarmablues
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