What is the purpose of monks and nuns and what are they supposed to do?
I purposed an order (rules) of monks and nuns, and it was to provide an environment in which spiritual development (meditation ect.) would be easier. The community provide monks and nuns with their basic needs - food, clothing, shelter, and medicine - so they can devote their time to the study and practice of Buddhism. The ordered and simple lifestyle of the monastery is very useful to achieve a good inner peace and meditation. In return, monks and nuns are expected to share what they know with the community and act as an example of how the good Buddhist should live. In actual practice this basic mission has sometimes been extended far beyond what I originally planned and today monks and nuns sometimes act as schoolteachers, social workers, artists, doctors, even politicians. Some have argued that taking such roles is all right if it helps promote Buddhism. Others point out that by doing such things monks and nuns too easily get carried away in worldly problems and forget the purpose they went to the monastery in the first place.
Do you have to be a monk or a nun to become enlightened?
Of course not. Some of my most clever disciples were normal men and women. Some were spiritually developed enough to instruct the monks. In Buddhism the level of one's understanding is the most important thing and that has nothing to do with whether they wear a yellow robe or blue jeans, or whether they live in a monastery or a home. Some might find the monastery, with all its advantages and disadvantages to be the best environment in which to spiritually grow. Others may find the home, with all its joys and sorrows, to be the best. Everyone is different.
I have heard that there are no more Buddhist nuns. Is this true?
I founded the purpose of nuns in my lifetime and for five or six hundred years nuns played an important role in the spread and development of Buddhism. But for reasons that are not clear nuns never got the same respect and consequently never got the same support, as monks and in India and South-east Asia the nuns died out. However in Taiwan, Korea and Japan the purpose of nuns was still in mind. Today in Sri Lanka and Thailand steps are being taken to reintroduce the purpose of nuns from Taiwan although some traditionalists are not very enthusiastic about this. However, in keeping with the My original intentions, it is only right that women as well as men have the opportunity to live the religious Buddhist life and benefit from it.
Becoming a monk is all very well but what would happen if every Buddhists became a monk?
One could ask the same thing about any vocation. "Becoming a dentist is all very well but what would happen if everyone became a dentist? There'd be no teachers, no cooks, no taxi drivers." "Becoming a teacher is all very well but what would happen if everyone became a teacher? There'd be no dentists, etc. " The Buddha did not suggest that everyone should become a monk or nun and indeed that is never going to happen. However, there will always be people who are attracted to the life that I lead, the life of simplicity and understanding. And like dentists and teachers every person has special skills and knowledge that can be helpful to the community in which they live.
Do Monks just meditate inside the Monastery?
The Monks don’t just meditate inside a monastery they also chant scriptures and read sacred scriptures. They do whatever would help them in the search for enlightenment.
Do Monks get new robes?
Yes. Monks get new robes every rainy season. This might seem a lot but Monks don’t really do messy jobs that make clothes go dirty. In fact Buddhist Monks are spotlessly clean.
Thank you Prince Gautama for being with us today. From What I have just heard Buddhist Monks and Nuns really devote their whole life towards Buddhism. The fact that they are not getting paid to be a Buddhists monk makes me think that they are devoting their whole life for Buddhism not pretending they are. Because Buddhist Monks and Nuns don’t get paid so there is no point pretending you are a Buddhist monks or nuns because the people that pretend they are religious normally do it for money or power (as in leadership ect.). No money or power is gained while being a Buddhist monk or nun only knowledge is gained.
Have you ever wondered what Monks and Nuns do inside a Monastery? Well the right answer is obviously meditate, but what is it? Find out in this episode of “Every Day with a Buddhist”. Today we are interviewing one of the leading Buddhist Meditation masters the Dalai Lama.
Excuse me Precious King it is a pleasure having you here.
Thanks, I enjoy being on your show tonight.
Firstly, what is meditation?
Meditation is way of changing how the mind works. The Pali word for meditation is 'bhavana' which means 'to make grow' or 'to develop'.
Is meditation important?
Yes, it is. No matter how much we may wish to be good, if we cannot change the desires that make us act the way we do, changing it will be difficult. For example, a person may realise that he is impatient with his wife and he may promise himself, "From now on I am not going to be so impatient" But an hour later he may be shouting at his wife simply because, not being aware of himself, impatience come back to him without him knowing it. Meditation helps to develop the awareness and the energy needed to transform our bad habits patterns.
I have heard that meditation can be dangerous. Is this true?
To live, we need salt. But if you were to eat a kilogram of salt ;it would kill you. Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental health and well-being but if you practise in stupid ways it could cause problems. Some people have problems like depression ect. . They think meditation is an instant cure for their problem. They start meditating and sometimes their problem gets worse. Other people do to much for themselves, they take up meditation and instead of going gradually, step by step, they meditate with too much energy for too long and soon they are exhausted. Some people go to one teacher and do his meditation technique for a while, then they read something in a book and decide to try that technique, then a week later a famous meditation teacher visits town and so they decide to use some of his ideas into their practise and before long they are hopelessly confused. Jumping from one meditation technique to another is a mistake. But if you don’t have any severe mental problems and you take up meditation and practise sensibly it is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
How many types of meditation are there?
The Buddha taught many different types of meditation, each designed for a particular problem. But the two most common and useful types of meditation are Mindfulness of Breathing (anapana sati) and Loving-kindness Meditation (metta bhavana).
How long should I meditate for?
It is good to do meditation for 15 minutes every day for a week and then extend the time by 5 minutes each week until you are meditating for 45 minutes. After a few weeks of regular daily meditation you will start to notice that your concentration gets better, there are less thoughts, and you have moments of real peace and stillness.
Do I need a teacher to teach me meditation?
A teacher is not absolutely necessary but personal guidance from someone who is familiar with mediation is certainly helpful. Unfortunately, some monks and laymen set themselves up as meditation teachers when they simply don’t know what they are doing. Try to pick a teacher who has a good reputation, a person who you know and one who knows the Buddha’s teachings.
Thank you Precious King for being with us today. From what I have just heard about meditations, I will start practising it right away. I mean it doesn’t harm you and it doesn’t really waste your time and it is better than sitting and watching TV because watching TV is sometimes a waste of time but Meditating is helping your mind. You never know I might start meditating and then I’ll probably start making very good interviews and RS homeworks. I don’t see how meditation could harm you but the expert said it. So I think it could be dangerous but how I don’t know. Also how does meditation help you reach enlightenment? Does meditation help you solve maths equations as well or is meditation just like reading you can’t solve a maths equation by reading but it may help you solve it. And how could there be different types of meditation. How could you practise different types of meditation? Has each one got its own way of freeing your mind from desires? Meditation seems a bit mysterious, it is a bit like magic, you meditate and suddenly you find enlightement.
