why not just becoming a monk ?

[Michael569]

Because that is selfish. You can be endlessly loving and enlightenment and still be sharing your talents with the world. I mean....what else are you gonna do with your life? 

[How to be wise]

1 hour ago, mandyjw said:

I know a celibate Buddhist monk who had a fling and now has a child he won't even meet.

That’s why religious men and hermits/monks are told to stay away from women. A child is going to permanently disrupt his life of solitude.

[mandyjw]

28 minutes ago, How to be wise said:

That’s why religious men and hermits/monks are told to stay away from women. A child is going to permanently disrupt his life of solitude.

No, it's not, because he has the choice of abandoning it, and that's the choice he made.

[allislove]

@confused Imagine the world of full of monks, so boring... I'd prefer the world of hot witches  

[Darodos]

2 hours ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

 

The only solution to this problem is awakening, you are coming at this from a seekers POV. 

You don't need to keep any ideas / concepts constantly going round in your head at all, you don't need to repeat to yourself that you're God at all times. 

Whether they are aware of it or not, everyone is the Absolute / God etc, awakening is simply realizing this (and many other things ofc!) and then abiding as this in all areas of life. 

Eventually what happens, is it is like you are meditating 24/7 and are simply conscious of your true nature no matter what you are doing, whether it's formally meditating or studying. 

Also, don't think enlightenment is all that matters in life, if we didn't have all other subjects we wouldn't have developed so much as a species over the last few centuries, in fact awakening can help improve all areas of human life. 

If you want to go and be a monk, do it, nobody is stopping you, maybe it is what you need. 

But, what people are pointing out is you don't NEED to be a Monk to awaken, and in fact life is often the greatest spiritual teacher of all! 

THIS +1

It is easy to constantly be at peace meditating for hours in the Himalayas all day, how about being at peace with 2 screaming kids & running on 4 hours sleep, now that would be impressive. 

IMO there's still a place for Monkhood and Monasteries, but the days of leaving society to awaken are over, sure if you need to do it for a while, but more than ever we need awakened beings to permeate all areas of society to help transform society in a loving way, and make the world as a whole a more conscious place. 

That isn't gonna happen my meditating in a cave all day, not saying there isn't a place for Monks, but if all awakened beings fucked off to the forests, who's going to run society? The unconscious people!

Thank you, spitting some great wisdom right there!

[How to be wise]

25 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

No, it's not, because he has the choice of abandoning it, and that's the choice he made.

Even if he physically abandons it, he can never forget about it. His inner attention will be divided because he will always wonder if this will affect him in the future. 
 

If the mother can’t survive alone, he will be forced to come out of his isolation. And then there is the issue of a child growing up without a father, which could happen because a stepfather is not guaranteed. He will feel guilty about any psychological problems the child develops because of his absence. 
 

For a man, a child carries an enormous amount of karma. Even if he can physically continue isolation, his inner world will forever be disrupted, because the future is uncertain. 
 

When a man looks at a woman, he will feel attracted. That’s why priests and holy men say that you should always look away from a woman, and never speak to her. For a hermit, she has the potential of ruining his life.

 

In most religions, women are seen as a distraction and dangerous temptation for men. Although largely delusional, this is the small kernel of truth in it.

 

 

[mandyjw]

@How to be wise So many separations and divisions. Adam was such a tool. "God I'm lonely." he whined. So God makes Eve. Then that bitch gives him an apple from the wrong tree. Suffering from thereon out. All her fault of course. Temptation. 

So the monk says, "I'll just hack this problematic setup, I'll be alone and I'll be happy about it, goddamn it. 

 

[mandyjw]

28 minutes ago, How to be wise said:

In most religions, women are seen as a distraction and dangerous temptation for men. Although largely delusional, this is the small kernel of truth in it.

She has the power to completely destroy him, ruin his life and all his delusions about how holy and enlightened he is. Then he'd have to face what he actually is.  

 

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by mandyjw

[How to be wise]

37 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

She has the power to completely destroy him, ruin his life and all his delusions about how holy and enlightened he is. Then he'd have to face what he actually is.  

 

 

Or ruin his chance of getting enlightened.

Remember he didn’t isolate himself because he’s enlightened, he isolated himself because he wants to be enlightened. Some people can only do that through isolation. 
 

Although, that Buddhist monk from earlier is to blame as well. If I were him, I would’ve had a condom somewhere in the house in anticipation of such a moment. Monkhood 101.

[mandyjw]

@How to be wise

 

[mandyjw]

Is life a distraction from enlightenment or is the search for enlightenment a distraction from life?  Of maybe there's no life without enlightenment and no enlightenment without life and therefore, no conflict?

Edited September 11, 2020 by mandyjw

[How to be wise]

2 hours ago, mandyjw said:

Is life a distraction from enlightenment or is the search for enlightenment a distraction from life?  Of maybe there's no life without enlightenment and no enlightenment without life and therefore, no conflict?

Life can easily be a distraction from enlightenment. Just look at everyone else.

[mandyjw]

21 minutes ago, How to be wise said:

Life can easily be a distraction from enlightenment. Just look at everyone else.

There aren't any unenlightened people unless I look for them, so I must be creating them that way myself, right? I mean enlightenment isn't an objective fact that can be pointed to, so unenlightenment must be just as unreal. 

[Consilience]

10 hours ago, electroBeam said:

What if the point of life isn't about the destination but about the journey?

You already are infinite awareness and CHOSE to divide yourself into what you are now. You really think that division isn't sacred?

+1

[How to be wise]

1 hour ago, mandyjw said:

There aren't any unenlightened people unless I look for them, so I must be creating them that way myself, right? I mean enlightenment isn't an objective fact that can be pointed to, so unenlightenment must be just as unreal. 

You’re mixing absolute and relative truth. Right now we are speaking in the domain of relative truth. Almost all people are unenlightened, because they have been distracted by worldly pleasures. 

[How to be wise]

@mandyjw The act of not being around women is practiced in both Christianity and Islam. Although largely unnecessary, it’s not 100% nonsense.

 

[mandyjw]

1 hour ago, How to be wise said:

You’re mixing absolute and relative truth. Right now we are speaking in the domain of relative truth. Almost all people are unenlightened, because they have been distracted by worldly pleasures. 

Why are worldly pleasures the distraction? Why not pick on worldly pains instead? 

@How to be wise Yep, I'm well aware of it in Christianity. Sooo many awkward scenarios. It actually works out quite terribly. Imagine being treated as if your very presence and bodily form is inherently evil and tempting. It's like taking what normal people call sexual tension and making it exponentially worse, all the time with everyone.

What you resist persists. 

[Michael569]

On 11/09/2020 at 4:45 PM, allislove said:

Imagine the world of full of monks, so boring... I'd prefer the world of hot witches  

+1

[karl47]

my friend became a nun, at first I did not understand her and condemned her choice, but then I realized that it was important for her and supported her.
 

Edited September 19, 2020 by karl47

[Romer02]

On 9/11/2020 at 2:13 AM, max duewel said:

affect others around you by doing.

This work with Leo really fucks with people who are in your social group its crazy! I do see them changing in either positive or negative ways based on my behavior. I suppose everyone does this to everyone anyways.