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A Monk in High Heels

Several Mahayana orders accept female practitioners as monks, instead of using the normal title of "nun", and they are considered equal to male ascetics in all respects. The Bhikkhus are only allowed 4 items other than their robes: In Vajrayana Buddhism, monkhood is part of the system of 'vows of individual liberation'; these vows are taken in order to develop one's own personal ethical discipline.

The monks and nuns form the ordinary sangha. As for the Vajrayana vows of individual liberation, there are four steps: The next step is to enter the monastic way of life Tib. After that, one can become a 'novice' Pali samanera , Tib. This term 'gelong' Tib. Chinese Buddhist monks have been traditionally and stereotypically linked with the practice of the Chinese martial arts or Kung fu , and monks are frequently important characters in martial arts films.


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This association is focused around the Shaolin Monastery. The Buddhist monk Bodhidharma , traditionally credited as the founder of Zen Buddhism in China, is also claimed to have introduced Kalaripayattu which later evolved into Kung Fu to the country. This latter claim has however been a source of much controversy see Bodhidharma, the martial arts, and the disputed India connection One more feature about the Chinese Buddhist monks is that they practice the burning marks on their scalp, finger or part of the skin on their anterior side of the forearm with incense as a sign of ordination.

In Thailand and Burma , it is common for boys to spend some time living as a monk in a monastery. Most stay for only a few years and then leave, but a number continue on in the ascetic life for the rest of their lives. In Mongolia during the s, there were about , monks, including children, who made up about one-third of the male population, [6] many of whom were killed in the purges of Choibalsan.

One of the most intense forms of Asceticism can be found in Jainism , one of the world's oldest religions. Jainism encourages fasting, yoga practices, meditation in difficult postures, and other austerities. For this, a soul has to be without attachment or self-indulgence. This can be achieved only by the monks and nuns who take five great vows: Most of the austerities and ascetic practices can be traced back to Vardhaman Mahavira , the twenty-fourth "fordmaker" or Tirthankara.

The Acaranga Sutra , or Book of Good Conduct, is a sacred book within Jainism that discusses the ascetic code of conduct. Other texts that provide insight into conduct of ascetics include Yogashastra by Acharya Hemachandra and Niyamasara by Acharya Kundakunda. Full Jain monk in either Svetambara or Digambara tradition [8] can belong to one of these ranks:.

These three are mentioned is the three lines of the Namokar Mantra. In the Digambara tradition, a junior monk can be a:. The Svetambar Terapanthi sect has a new rank of junior monks who are called samana. The nuns are called Aryikas in Digambar tradition and Sadhvi in the Svetambar tradition. As per the Jain vows, the monks and nuns renounce all relations and possessions.

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Jain ascetics practice complete non-violence. Ahimsa is the first and foremost vow of a Jain ascetic. They do not hurt any living being, be it an insect or a human. They carry a special broom to sweep away any insects that may cross their path. Some Jain monks wear a cloth over the mouth to prevent accidental harm to airborne germs and insects.

A Monk in High Heels by Brenda A. Keller

They also do not use electricity as it involves violence. Furthermore, they do not use any devices or machines. As they are without possession and attachment, they travel from city to city, often crossing forests and deserts, and always barefoot. Jain ascetics do not stay in a single place for more than two months to prevent themselves from becoming attached to any location.

However, during four months of monsoon rainy season known as chaturmaas, they continue to stay in a single place to avoid killing the life forms that thrive during the rains. Jain monks and nuns practice complete celibacy. They do not touch or share a sitting platform with a person of opposite sex. Jain ascetics follow a strict vegetarian diet without root vegetables. Shvetambara monks do not cook food but solicit alms from householders.

Digambara monks have only a single meal a day.

A Monk in High Heels

Neither group will beg for food, but a Jain ascetic may accept a meal from a householder, provided that the latter is pure of mind and body and offers the food of his own volition and in the prescribed manner. During such an encounter, the monk remains standing and eats only a measured amount.

Fasts last for a day or longer, up to a month. Some monks avoid or limit medicine or hospitalization due to their careful attention to body. Other austerities include meditation in seated or standing posture near river banks in the cold wind, or meditation atop hills and mountains, especially at noon when the sun is at its fiercest. Such austerities are undertaken according to the physical and mental limits of the individual ascetic.

Jain ascetics are almost completely without possessions. Some Jains Shvetambara monks and nuns own only unstitched white robes an upper and lower garment and a bowl used for eating and collecting alms. Male Digambara monks do not wear any clothes and carry nothing with them except a soft broom made of shed peacock feathers pinchi and eat from their hands.

They sleep on the floor without blankets and sit on special wooden platforms. Every day is spent either in study of scriptures or meditation or teaching to lay people. They stand aloof from worldly matters. Many Jain ascetics take a final vow of Santhara or Sallekhana i. This is done when death is imminent or when a monk feels that he is unable to adhere to his vows on account of advanced age or terminal disease. Quotes on ascetic practices from the Akaranga Sutra as Hermann Jacobi translated it: A monk or a nun wandering from village to village should look forward for four cubits, and seeing animals they should move on by walking on his toes or heels or the sides of his feet.

If there be some bypath, they should choose it, and not go straight on; then they may circumspectly wander from village to village. I shall become a Sramana who owns no house, no property, no sons, no cattle, who eats what others give him; I shall commit no sinful action; Master, I renounce to accept anything that has not been given.

Madhvaacharya Madhvacharya , the Dwaita philosopher, established ashta matha Eight Monasteries.

He appointed a monk called swamiji or swamigalu in local parlance for each matha or monastery who has the right to worship Madhvacharya's murti of Lord Krishna by rotation. Each matha's swamiji gets a chance to worship after fourteen years. This ritual is called Paryaya and has been used also outside his sampradaya , e. They are a common sight in many places around the world. Their appearance—simple saffron dhoti , shaved head with sikha , Tulasi neckbeads and tilaka markings—and social customs sadhana date back many thousands of years to the Vedic era with its varnasrama society.

This social scheme includes both monastic and lay stages meant for various persons in various stages of life as per their characteristics guna and work karma. ISKCON started as a predominantly monastic group but nowadays the majority of members live as lay persons. Many of them, however, spent some time as monks.

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New persons joining ISKCON as full-time members living in its centers first undergo a three-month Bhakta training, which includes learning the basics of brahmacari monastic life. After that they can decide if they prefer to continue as monks or as married Grihasthas. Sannyasa , a life of full dedication to spiritual pursuits, is the highest stage of life in the varnasrama society. It is permanent and one cannot give it up. A Sannyasi is given the title Swami.

Older grihastha with grown-up children are traditionally expected to accept vanaprastha celibate retired life. The role of monastic orders in Indian and now also Western society has to some extent been adapted over the years in accordance with ever-changing social structures. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This is the latest accepted revision , reviewed on 17 December For other uses, see Monk disambiguation. For other uses, see Monks disambiguation. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. April Learn how and when to remove this template message. Degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. International Society for Krishna Consciousness. OED Online, 3rd edn. Library of Congress Country Studies. An Ethnography of a Jain Ascetic Community. At 18, he made his first purchase: An internship with a makeup artist led to a job.

Back home, his parents surprised him by being supportive of his career choice. But he felt that something was missing. But he persevered, returning to the U. In New York, he wore makeup and jewelry, worked as a makeup artist and was open about his attraction to men. But a senior monk brushed aside his concerns, pointing out that Japanese monks often wear nonreligious clothing outside the temple and have second jobs. And he was uninterested in his sexuality. He acknowledges that his work as a makeup artist, with its focus on outward appearance, might seem at odds with a religion that prioritizes the inner self.

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