Lusty Posted August 22, 2004 Report Share Posted August 22, 2004 How virtuous do Buddhist monks have to be?What are they allowed to do and what aren't they allowed to do? The reason I ask this is because we were wandering around the grounds of a wat a couple of saturday evenings ago and there were two of the older and presumarably more wisened monks standing behind some bushes away from the prying eyes of other monks listening to the Arsenal v Man U charity shield match via a small transistor radio! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrX Posted August 22, 2004 Report Share Posted August 22, 2004 I think this question very interesting though it obvoiusly carries with it the risk of "orange robe bashing" Why has no-one taken it up?( just seen it hasnt been long posted so perhaps this is impatient ..sorry!) I have known (of) orthodox and unorthodox monks..does it depend on the boss of the Wat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 23, 2004 Report Share Posted August 23, 2004 They're only human. I remember my thai language teacher back when i learnt, was a very demure, soft spoken monk, but as we talked about Muay thai, he said he likes to watch it very much. We protested (mildly), saying how can a monk allow himself to watch violence inflicted on others? And he answered: "I know, I should not, but I like it" with a big smile. In my book, that's thai monk: 1, TTM farang: 0. When one understands why a thai monk can watch or listen to boxing or soccer, one's "Thailand 101" course is nearing graduation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrX Posted August 23, 2004 Report Share Posted August 23, 2004 It was a Falang monk in Thailand what brought me here!..but that is another story....in the virtue stakes I venture he was OK, but there was an interesting tension between his social activism ( helping poor kids get an education)..and the seclusion implicit in his condition..His abbot(?) agonised a bit about this and would occasionally tell him to back off from the "world".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Petchburi Pete Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 If I had to judge, I'd say it's ok for a monk to have an interest in Muay Thai ... martial arts, in the purest form, are somewhat spiritual to the Asians. Is pride a sin? ... or a relic of Catholic/Christian guilt? ... only in Western societies, IMO. Just watch some re-runs of David Carradine in action! He was a Shaolin (? sp) priest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 Remins me of sitting in an internet cafe in Nong Khai a few years ago, next to me a young monk (about 25) totally immersed in one of the most violent shoot-them-up spacie games i've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brink15 Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 When I lived in Thailand, one of the reasons I chose the country was to learn more about Buddhism. As a result I sought out monks and ended up having dozens of good conversations about Buddhism as relates Thailand. I'm by no means an expert, but what I found is that, even more than other religions, its holy men are often temps. Guys doing their obligatory 3 months or guys who are escaping from or atoning for other problems. The hardcore guys, who end up as abbots or venerable monks, have a totally different view than the temp in most cases. One of my favorite memories was a conversation with a monk on Koh Tao. At the time he was 'it" on Koh Tao. An older monk in his 50's. As he sat drinking soda and smoking a cigarette we talked about his view of Thai Buddhism. His view was that most Thai Buddhists had no real grasp of true Buddhism. They were too wrapped up in the influences of other beliefs such as Animism. He told me that any monk I saw who was overweight, had a wealth of possessions, or smoked as he did, were not yet ready to move on the path to enlightenment. Desire was the hardest thing to overcome as a monk. Desire for food, sex, or nicotine. Anyway you cut it there was no way to Nirvana without quenching desire. So, in answer to your question, there are probably a small percentage that are truly virtuous (according to strict Buddhist doctrine), but I've met many who are far closer to virtuous than Phra Yantra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sickbuffalo Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 Lusty said:How virtuous do Buddhist monks have to be?What are they allowed to do and what aren't they allowed to do? Virtue means following the 227 rules of the Vinaya. There's nothing in the Vinaya that forbids listening to the radio so they are allowed to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrX Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 But your honour the radio wasnt invented yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 Don't forget it depends on the buddhist sect as well. The main sect here is fairly tollerant, in the village I go to, they are part of a sub sect, only 5% or less, very small, (Not the other sub scet thats about 15% OF bUDDHISTS) oops, caps lock, big fingers! SO - these guys cant eat after noon, only one meal a day, between dawn and noon, no radio, no TV, no smoking, no computers! The main sect we actually had a meeting with yesterday, they are keen to put PC's and internet into temples for education. DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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