Jhana4 wrote:Future Bhikkhu wrote:I was interested in hearing why you do not ordain. I know that many of you are well versed and practiced but if you know that life is full of suffering, why do you not strive to end that suffering with the most effective way possible? All opinons are valid.
I enjoy meditation very much and I enjoy reading the suttas very much. I don't think I would become a monk because:
- I'm strongly agnostic about it being possible for someone to actually be an arahant
- I don't believe is some significant parts of Buddhism: rebirth, kamma ( beyond cause and effect ), etc
- I don't want to give up having romantic and sexual relationships with women
- I don't want to give up my independence in being able to earn my own money,take care of myself and make some of my own choices in regards to lifestyle.
It is great to be established in meditation, and to penetrate the truths in the suttas, and it's perfectly understandable where you are with regards to becoming a monk.
Skepticism about becoming an arahant and doubts about rebirth & Kamma(both concepts which often can be easily misunderstood and colored?) are still doubts, and among the 5 hindrances, doubt and lust(sexually) are but 2 of them.
Not that I am advocating blind faith, but more so, I hope that you will find a mentor that will be able to guide you to penetrate those truths, experience them yourself, and remove those doubts as part of 'progress' on the path of Dhamma.
With arahants, there are quite a few distinctions between each of their attainment fruits, and ways of attaining Nibbana. Most common thing they share among all of them thou is their attainment, which is termed the nibbana element with a residue remaining(due to still being alive with 5 aggregates still active).
As with Kamma, there really is not anything more than cause and effect I think. It is more important to observe how our whole 'reality' and world system function in accordance to the cycle of cause and effect.
Could passion be one of the strongest attachment and craving in the sense desire world? From my understanding, 3 realms of existence too, sense desire world, form world, formless worlds. The latter two each corresponding to development in meditation.
Independence or interdependence? =D Contemplate identity view, and Anatta(non-self?)? To choose to ordain is to choose a lifestyle, as you have already chosen yours too. No right or wrong, as to live is to walk the Dhamma path, only 'difference' is walking it more or less consciously?