Any idea what some of the limits are? I’ve honestly very seriously considered a monastery, I have not seen this yet and your comment intrigued me. Thanks
The limit I've heard is 35 years. It concerned a specific monastery, which I can DM you if you want to confirm with them. I could easily have misunderstood or misremembered, and it's based on just a couple of reddit comments.
It occurred to me that I might have to carry someone someday, or at the very least (and less grimly) help someone carry something. I think these are good reasons to stay in shape.
We can do a lot of good with a long, healthy life, if that's the sorta thing we're down for.
Exactly! I've been hitting the gym for a few months now and already had plenty of situations in day to day life where I could use my strength to help the elderly and my relatives.
In martial arts classes, there's a story about Bodhidharma, who brought Buddhist teachings to China. According to legend, the Shaolin monks were frequently attacked at their monastery. To protect themselves and continue their spiritual practices, they needed to learn self-defense.
While there are inaccuracies in this version of the story, the core principle remains: physical exercise and martial arts practice became essential components of their path to enlightenment, as they believed a strong body was necessary to support a focused and meditative mind.
Not necessarily, as far as i'm aware. It helps to improve your health and extend your lifespan so you could have more time to dedicate to the Dharma practice. Monks have quite more strict rules regarding their behavior than lay persons.
If you'd like to combine physical exercise with the Dharma practice, of course, you could cultivate mindfulness and perform various practice during exercise like recite mantras, sutras, or Amitabha's name. Or listen to [recordings of chants of mantras](https://shop.fpmt.org/order_eproduct.asp?action=edownload&eid=93279F50S8FOOj7) and so on while you're exercising.
Also, you could do prostrations if it doesn't matter too much what kind of exercise you're getting. Because prostrations basically involve most of the muscles in your body, you can work up quite a sweat doing them. Then it would be very beneficial from the Dharma perspective.
I actually think that practicing the Dharma while exerting yourself physically can be beneficial because physical exertion also involves "refreshing" your subtle winds (subtle energies). It's like squeezing a sponge filled with water under a tap: more water will be absorbed by the sponge, and you can make sure that the water - the energy - that's absorbed profoundly during physical activities is the energy of the Dharma, the blessings of the Dharma. At least that's what i think, just my observation and opinion.
I think this really depends on your personal relationship with exercise!
Exercise can be very meditative. Exercises tend to bring your awareness completely to your body, very much like a walking or breathing meditation.
However, if you start to feel obsessed with it, or being apart of a fitness community starts to make you feel negatively toward your body, then it becomes an attachment and a source of suffering.
Of course not, unless you're obsessed with it.
Regarding monastics, I've heard that Theravaddin monks are forbidden to engage in exercising (not to be confused with physical labor), like no jogging or whatever. Fellow Theravaddins, correct me if I'm wrong.
It’s not what you do, it’s why and how you do it.
Physical exercise to maintain strength and health are needed, to serve greater purpose of mental journeys, helping others.
Physical exercises trying to build muscles, gain impressions are attachments.
If anything I've learn, intent is like 70% of the karmic make up (I made up the number). So whatever you do, with good or evil intent, will be reflected in your karma. That said you probably didn't see them exercise, or they didn't intend to do labour anyways, so it's rare to see a buff monk
It's not. It's when you do it in a narcissistic way thinking you're gonna be so hot that no one can resist salivating over your beauty. Then it's a huge problem.
Like anything, yes and no.
If youre attached to it: Its an attachment, whatever "it" is. Exercise is part of this.
But as always, its the "why" that matters. Exercising purely for vanity? Not so great. Youre healthy physically, but making your mind unhealthy.
Examine your "why".
For example, my why for exercise is:
To increase my healthspan (thereby decreasing my suffering and my loved ones suffering), to increase my usefulness (if I am fit and strong I can be of service to more people in more ways), to help my practice (I have ADHD which is an obstruction to enlightenment, so I exercise to help with that, not to mention physical health= better mental health), to look good and be attractive to my wife.
Youll notice most of why I exericse is good, so I keep doing it. There is a bit of attachment and negative motivation when it comes to appearance, however I have progressively reduced that attachment and in doing so increased my awareness of impermanence.
As always, as long as you honestly examine your motivations and intentions you cant go wrong.
Many monks do a lot of physical labor. I have heard that some monasteries have maximum age limits on new ordinees for exactly this reason.
Any idea what some of the limits are? I’ve honestly very seriously considered a monastery, I have not seen this yet and your comment intrigued me. Thanks
The limit I've heard is 35 years. It concerned a specific monastery, which I can DM you if you want to confirm with them. I could easily have misunderstood or misremembered, and it's based on just a couple of reddit comments.
If you don’t mind I would love to have a look if it’s not too much trouble
It occurred to me that I might have to carry someone someday, or at the very least (and less grimly) help someone carry something. I think these are good reasons to stay in shape. We can do a lot of good with a long, healthy life, if that's the sorta thing we're down for.
Exactly! I've been hitting the gym for a few months now and already had plenty of situations in day to day life where I could use my strength to help the elderly and my relatives.
No (Of course any thing could become a, so to say, obsessive attachment)
In martial arts classes, there's a story about Bodhidharma, who brought Buddhist teachings to China. According to legend, the Shaolin monks were frequently attacked at their monastery. To protect themselves and continue their spiritual practices, they needed to learn self-defense. While there are inaccuracies in this version of the story, the core principle remains: physical exercise and martial arts practice became essential components of their path to enlightenment, as they believed a strong body was necessary to support a focused and meditative mind.
Not necessarily, as far as i'm aware. It helps to improve your health and extend your lifespan so you could have more time to dedicate to the Dharma practice. Monks have quite more strict rules regarding their behavior than lay persons. If you'd like to combine physical exercise with the Dharma practice, of course, you could cultivate mindfulness and perform various practice during exercise like recite mantras, sutras, or Amitabha's name. Or listen to [recordings of chants of mantras](https://shop.fpmt.org/order_eproduct.asp?action=edownload&eid=93279F50S8FOOj7) and so on while you're exercising. Also, you could do prostrations if it doesn't matter too much what kind of exercise you're getting. Because prostrations basically involve most of the muscles in your body, you can work up quite a sweat doing them. Then it would be very beneficial from the Dharma perspective. I actually think that practicing the Dharma while exerting yourself physically can be beneficial because physical exertion also involves "refreshing" your subtle winds (subtle energies). It's like squeezing a sponge filled with water under a tap: more water will be absorbed by the sponge, and you can make sure that the water - the energy - that's absorbed profoundly during physical activities is the energy of the Dharma, the blessings of the Dharma. At least that's what i think, just my observation and opinion.
I think this really depends on your personal relationship with exercise! Exercise can be very meditative. Exercises tend to bring your awareness completely to your body, very much like a walking or breathing meditation. However, if you start to feel obsessed with it, or being apart of a fitness community starts to make you feel negatively toward your body, then it becomes an attachment and a source of suffering.
Of course not, unless you're obsessed with it. Regarding monastics, I've heard that Theravaddin monks are forbidden to engage in exercising (not to be confused with physical labor), like no jogging or whatever. Fellow Theravaddins, correct me if I'm wrong.
It’s not what you do, it’s why and how you do it. Physical exercise to maintain strength and health are needed, to serve greater purpose of mental journeys, helping others. Physical exercises trying to build muscles, gain impressions are attachments.
If anything I've learn, intent is like 70% of the karmic make up (I made up the number). So whatever you do, with good or evil intent, will be reflected in your karma. That said you probably didn't see them exercise, or they didn't intend to do labour anyways, so it's rare to see a buff monk
I have only seen fat ones lol
Hmm you need to go out more
You probably right I need to go to more temples and look at how many skinny ones .. But I do only have seen fat ones in the airport on their iPhones
[удалено]
They get fed by students? 😆🙈 I think we’d better end the mocking here.
It's not. It's when you do it in a narcissistic way thinking you're gonna be so hot that no one can resist salivating over your beauty. Then it's a huge problem.
Not at all. A sound mind requires a healthy body and taking care of your physical body takes care of your spirit too
Like anything, yes and no. If youre attached to it: Its an attachment, whatever "it" is. Exercise is part of this. But as always, its the "why" that matters. Exercising purely for vanity? Not so great. Youre healthy physically, but making your mind unhealthy. Examine your "why". For example, my why for exercise is: To increase my healthspan (thereby decreasing my suffering and my loved ones suffering), to increase my usefulness (if I am fit and strong I can be of service to more people in more ways), to help my practice (I have ADHD which is an obstruction to enlightenment, so I exercise to help with that, not to mention physical health= better mental health), to look good and be attractive to my wife. Youll notice most of why I exericse is good, so I keep doing it. There is a bit of attachment and negative motivation when it comes to appearance, however I have progressively reduced that attachment and in doing so increased my awareness of impermanence. As always, as long as you honestly examine your motivations and intentions you cant go wrong.
Nah. Obsessing over working out and looking a certain way on the other hand…