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Who wants to be a monk?
footiam
Veteran
I have always heard this question: Who wants to be a millionaire? Now, I wonder who wants to be a monk? And what kind of monk would you be? Perhaps, there ought to be some special characteristics in a monk. You'd notwant to have a grim, boring monk perhaps!
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Comments
I want to become a monk and will leave my current life soon. But to me becoming a monk is not about thinking in terms of what kind of monk you want to be, or developing certain desired characteristics. To me that's the way 'lay life' thinks: of becoming, changing into some desired person. But to be a monk is more about being in the present and even being allowed to 'not be'. Not to have to be some specific person. Not to have to hide behind some picture others should have of you.
On top of that I don't really need to be a monk to practice the dharma.
If I don't have a pressing need for robes and don't see myself as cut out to take them, I have no desire to waste my time.
If I was to become a monk I would like to be just like Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I want to drink good scotch, smoke kind bud, and screw my brains loose with a lot of different women .................. and be the most realized MF'er in the monastery. OM BWA HA HA HO SVAHA
For me the greatest deeds of good, peace and tranquility that can be found are hidden in ordinary life.
Being what you really are, monk or layman, is the difference between being awake and snoozing in a practice.
I too have never wanted to be a monk, but I would LOVE a week to myself to live in silence with no technology around to interfere.
In metta,
Raven
Is this a great country, or what???
Seriously though.....there's something to be said for retreat practice.
"I don't know."
Which is pretty much my take. I spend quite a bit of time with people who were students of CTR. His eccentricities are no big secret nor are they glossed over with apology. But you take those lifestyle issues with CTR, and then bring his teachings, recorded in print, audio and video, into the discussion you are presented with a paradox. You have someone, who on one hand, exemplifies pretty much everything we, today, are told to avoid, but if you look at his teaching with a mind unbiased by opinion of the man, you see a certain genius in presenting the Dharma. CTR is an enigma.
So how do you reconcile this? I'm not sure you can. I think the best you can do is to decide for yourself if you want to work with CTRs teachings or not, and move on from there.
And dude, you're kind of a lightweight, aren't ya? :rolleyes:
Thanks.
to read about Buddha and they will tell you that Buddha spoke
numerous times about his previous lives and the previous lives of other
people during his time.
for reference, look at writings of ajahn brahm, thanissaro and bikkhu bodhi.
that there is a 50-50 divide between buddhist monks who
believe in reincarnation and those who dont.
no, there isnt the ratio is 99% of monks believe in reincarnation
and maybe 1% dont believe in reincarnation. reincarnation in buddhism is not
the same as hinduism bcos hindus believe in a permanent soul.
and to confuse matters further, there are people who argue
that buddha taught rebirth not reincarnation.
what exactly is rebirth?
reincarnation means you have previous lives and future lives.
it means you reap the fruits of your actions in this life and future lives.
Buddha taught reincarnation whether you like it or not.
and apparently , there are many outspoken people here who prefer
that he did not.
Hell, even a week in solitary retreat can be a real game-changer for practice in the longer term.
And you're right, you don't have to "meditate" all the time. The retreat center I go to asks that retreatnts take part in chores like cleaning up after meals, routine cleaning on the building, maintenence, etc. You can also go for walks on the grounds, sit in the library and read, take part in the various group practices proscribed by the abbot (Chenrezig, Tara, Medicine Buddha, etc) or have a pleasant chat with one of the resident monastics.
Just being in an environment condusive to practice is a practice in and of itself.
It's a wonderfull experience that I think all serious practitioners should undertake.
Rebirth is reincarnation without the soul but with a stream of consciousness.
The nature of any job is often only the manner in which you practice it.
Going on retreat or taking temp robes is a great way to practice. Retreat is as far as I get. I am attached to my hair, technology, comforts and freedom. Fancy dress and too much sangha does not appeal, just too much compassion, no real suffering worth mentioning and looking weird. However they are super heroes in theory, so gotta love their efforts . . .
:wave:
When you make a claim, back it up. That's your duty to provide links. Standard procedure. It's not up to others to verify your statements and claims. It's up to you.
Waiting.......
People make "claims" on this board all the time and are not required to offer citation.
Like this. @TheEccentric made a unsupported claim right there and nobody's asking him for chapter and verse.
:eek2:
he discusses rebirth widely, and it's widely known and accepted. @jll stated he spoke of reincarnation, which is less accurate.
Or so I think.
in my short 35 years of life I've experienced more stuff then most people in their 70s. I've experienced the life and death of multiple people( I know some 50 year olds who still have grandparents alive.. amazing). I've been married, cared for a sick wife and then she died. I've been around the globe to places like Peru and New Zealand(matter of fact I had a goal of setting foot on all 7 continents). I've done stuff like take a helicopter ride to the top of a mountain glacier, sky dived, was a political leader and activist. Now I do crazy endurance events.
what i've come to find through my practice is that its all striving.. when I look back at everything I've done, it pales in comparison(for me) to the little amazing progress i've made in my practice. There is nothing really left for me in this world that would want to keep me in the lay life, I'm ready to live a life of practice, discipline, and eventually service to others through action and dhamma teaching.
whether thats how I feel 10 years from now, who knows? life is a beautiful mysterious thing.
Maybe as I age I'll find the idea of a monastic life appeals more. Or maybe not. I can certainly see the appeal in retreats though they're not a realistic option for me just now.
I like what @invincible_summer is saying and I agree. Someone who has lived a good chuck of lay life(for instance myself, by the time I'm fully ordained I would of lived half a human life(38 years, life expectancy is what 74?) as a lay person who experienced much. it makes renouncing more meaningful and the teaching more potent and understandable to lay persons.
I had a therapist for a number of years, he was the second one, the first was a guy who you could tell counseled from his degree, he didn't help me. My second therapist, who I now consider a friend, is a man who was a viet nam vet, lost his first wife to cancer, was a biker, drug distributer, alcoholic, drug user, who is now in his 60s a well respected and saught after psychologist who is an expert witness for the state. THAT man not only counseled from books, but also from life experience, a huge difference.
now you take someone who was a monk since age 11, granted they still have experienced life, but quite a different life in many respects from the average lay person. A monk who has "been there" I think holds more sway for the most part, at least to me.
And @Jayantha, that's exactly what I meant! Thanks for elaborating.
I also think that for those of us who haven't grown up with a certain faith tradition (in the West, it may be Hinduism or Buddhism; the East, possibly Christianity), "converting" and even ordaining in that "foreign" tradition speaks to the depth of faith that that individual has.