Stiphan wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2017 3:27 pm Hope you learned and gained a lot from your monastic life, James, and that it will be a beneficial learning experience in your lay life!
Would you say being a monk was difficult?
Obviously, sensual pleasures have their lure and it is very difficult not to give in to them. If or when I become a monk I plan to remain a monk for life, and I hope to be able to do that, but I understand that for many it's easy to see the sensual enjoyment of lay life vs the strict asceticism of monastic life as a reason to disrobe, and I'm sure it won't be easy for me either. I, however also see the danger in "ordinary" life and the benefits of renunciation. Remember the gratification, danger and escape teaching.
There is gratification in lay life that you enumerate in your post with many examples - sensual pleasures that give much joy and satisfaction, but then there is the danger as well: old age, sickness, death, the impermanence of all acquisitions, pleasures and joys, the inevitable physical and mental pain; and then there is the escape. People say it's wrong to see monastic life as escape as if it's a mistake to become a monk to escape the dangers I enumerated, but if one is serious about escape from saṃsāra, then monastic life is the way to go, and it involves renunciation of sensual pleasures, albeit difficult. But then you have to weigh in the advantages of that renunciant life. But since I've not been a monk yet, I probably am not entitled to judge anyone who disrobes since I haven't seen it from the inside. This is why I can only wish you the best in lay life and hope it was the experience of a lifetime for you!
binocular wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:01 pmI have to say I saw this coming, because in your posts here, you didn't sound like a monk, there was no authoritative impetus in your words. And "Bhante Lucky"? What was up with that?JamesTheGiant wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2017 9:33 pmOne week ago I disrobed and returned to "normal" life.
I, for one, am not happy when a monk disrobes. Obviously, he has his reasons, and in some ways, it is probably better to disrobe than to pretend or try to be something that he strongly feels he isn't.
Nevertheless, disrobing is a form of betrayal that can cause a crisis of faith for lay people who have relied on that monk to teach them the Dhamma.
I think (novice) monks should live in isolation and not teach lays or publicy present themselves as representatives of the Dhamma until they are sure they want to be monks for the rest of their lives.
Take care.
As two people I know who are thinking about ordination, I will just say don't be too sure of yourselves. Frankly I say anyone who is so sure that they will be a monk for life, is setting themselves up for failure and doesn't understand anicca . While my gut feeling/intuition says I will be a monk for life, life itself has taught me that anytime I thought I had everything figured out, it laughed and flipped everything around on me. So I don't worry too much about how long I'm going to be a monk, and just focus on the important things needed to improve myself.
Regardless if you are a monastic or a lay person, there is still the noble eightfold path, and still your practice. Even though I too feel some sadness at Bhante Baddho's disrobing, since he was technically my first " monk friend/peer" that I kept in contact with, I understand and can identify with nearly everything he listed, and more.
As for the monks life being hard, that depends on how much you are really trying to let go, you can lounge around in the robes and be respected, bowed to, fed, and minister to the laity's needs with some chanting, rituals, and counseling, or you can really go for broke, really do the practice, that is when the difficulty ramps up like mad and your confidence in your ability to do this starts to falter.
When I was in lay life, I thought I had it figured out pretty good, thought I had learned to let go a lot and came far in my practice, but now I realize I didn't really know what it truly meant to let go until I came to live at the monastery, and most likely I still don't (which is even scarier). following the Buddha's path is without a doubt the hardest thing a person can do, ". This state, too, is hard to see: the resolution of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding. ", and I hold nothing against anyone who decides to disrobe, it wouldn't be proper for me to do so since I have no idea how long I may be one myself.
While there are no statistics, at least in Theravada, from all I know regarding disrobing, it seems something close to 80% of people who become monks eventually disrobe, and not even necessarily in the first few years, even at 10, 15, 20+ years in robes. it is much much more common to disrobe then to stay one for life.
And last but not least, do not forget he can ordain 6 more times in this life , the future is uncertain and my friend James I wish you peace, happiness, and contentment in whatever you do, if you ever make it over to America come see me.