A Buddhist monk has no money. Not by injunction, but by choice. He owns a very limited number of things: a robe, a pair of sandals, a rice bowl, a walking stick and a straw mat to sleep on. He spends hours and hours meditating, sitting on the same spot in the shadows of a banyan tree. Nothing can bring him out of his spiritual travel. He's balanced. He's pacifist. He's wise. And if he gets hungry, he walks with his fellow companions down to civilization where the population sees it as their duty and an honour to help by putting rice and vegetables into his rice bowl.
This kind of lifestyle could probably not be lived in the western world, because paradoxically one would most likely starve. Jumping off a way too fast-spinning life, admittedly sounds tempting. I'm not convinced I would be less happy if I gave away everything I had and started a life more in pact with nature.
2 comments:
A couple of years ago I taught a woman who was a Buddhist. She really had a special peace about her.
I guess time and peace of mind and body are two of the values modern humans lack the most.
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