Monks Average Meditation Routine

[DCM]

Hi, what would a monks in, say a forest, average daily meditation routine be, i.e.;
1. How long would an average session last.
2. How many sessions would he do a day.
3. What would be the topic of each meditation session, samahdi, loving-kindness, investigation of phenomena, etc.
4. What would be his aim for each session.

Thankyou.

[form]

Hi, what would a monks in, say a forest, average daily meditation routine be, i.e.;
1. How long would an average session last.
2. How many sessions would he do a day.
3. What would be the topic of each meditation session, samahdi, loving-kindness, investigation of phenomena, etc.
4. What would be his aim for each session.

Thankyou.

You can try do some dry run at home.

I would think many sessions a day. Most likely and frequent subject will be breathing with a few others as supporting.
Goal is to gain jhanas and come out of it to attain insights.

[DCM]

Hi Form, thanks for the reply, can you explain how they attain insights after coming out of Jhana please?

[Zom]

Hi, what would a monks in, say a forest, average daily meditation routine be, i.e.;

Depends on a monk. For most - there is no meditation routine at all.

[form]

Hi, what would a monks in, say a forest, average daily meditation routine be, i.e.;

Depends on a monk. For most - there is no meditation routine at all.

That is a sad state for Theravada.

[Garrib]

Is that really true though? I assume most monastics at least practice meditation a little bit every day. I mean, even most lay people (at least in the West) seem to practice quite a bit.

[SarathW]

I am not sure what the routine of average forest monk or city monk.
My assumption is for any Buddhist monk he meditates all day.
He meditates even walking, sleeping urinating of defecating.

[WindDancer]

DCM, thanks for the question. As a lay practitioner who has considered becoming a monastic, I have had similar questions. I have little personal knowledge; however, I have listened to many Dharma teachers, some of them monks and others lay teachers in the West. In Theravada Buddhist areas of the world, some monks do not meditate at all or meditate very little. These monks tend to other duties, such as performing services and care for the lay community, teaching or caring for children, participating in ceremonies or holidays or tending to the upkeep and functioning of the buildings, grounds and daily needs in the monastery. I have heard that some monks meditate regularly on a daily basis, and they have more intense practice during specific times of the year, such as during the rains retreat.

I have heard that some lay practitioners in the West maintain a more dedicated meditation practice than some of the Theravada monastics in other areas of the world; however, there seems to be a debate whether the practitioners in the West might miss out on the benefits of renunciation and other practices of living a monastic life.

I eagerly welcome any confirmation or rebuttal of what I have learned from others. I am interested in learning from experienced teachers so I can model my daily practice in ways which will bear good results.

Thanks,

WindDancer

[Dhammanando]

1. How long would an average session last.

2. How many sessions would he do a day.

If the monk were a very earnest one, then bhāvanā would consist in just one session per day, lasting from the time he woke up until the time he fell asleep.

• ‘Come, bhikkhu, be devoted to wakefulness. During the day, while walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states. In the first watch of the night, while walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states. In the middle watch of the night you should lie down on the right side in the lion’s pose with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and fully aware, after noting in your mind the time for rising. After rising, in the third watch of the night, while walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states.’

3. What would be the topic of each meditation session, samahdi, loving-kindness, investigation of phenomena, etc.

It would vary according to what obstructive states he was purifying himself of.

4. What would be his aim for each session.

See above.

[pyluyten]

i know in some theravada temple in england, they wake up at 6. something like half on hour later, a first *sitting* session, & i think it was for 1.30h . Obviously practice is supposed not to last after sitting but this is different. then the temple is cleaned a bit (yep almost every day). there was another quick sitting on the morning, then the meal.

after the meal there is room to read, walk. more cleaning. then in the afternoon more sitting.
i do not know the full schedule, but it gives you an idea : maybe 4 or 5 hour sittings, but depending on the monk it could be rather more or rather less. very few talking, still a bit. Lot of "work" : cleaning and various stuff. A bit of reading but not that much.

they also have retreats

[Zom]

In Theravada Buddhist areas of the world, some monks do not meditate at all or meditate very little. These monks tend to other duties, such as performing services and care for the lay community, teaching or caring for children, participating in ceremonies or holidays or tending to the upkeep and functioning of the buildings, grounds and daily needs in the monastery.

I have heard that some lay practitioners in the West maintain a more dedicated meditation practice than some of the Theravada monastics in other areas of the world

You should question why they don't meditate at all or meditate very little. And the right answer here is not that they are "lazy" or "bad" or something. Most of people are just not spiritually ready to meditate, even if they are monks (monkhood itself doesn't make one a spiritually advanced person). That's why they try, but then give up.

[DCM]

I should have been more specific, I was asking about formal meditation, walking or sitting. Thanks for all the insightful answers. How realistic is it for a lay person with a family, 9-5 job, kids and other commitment to really attain any level of Samahdi? Maybe I'm not ready to meditate.

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I should concentrate on sila, read the Suttas and try and get Right View, as this may be something realistic for a lay person like myself with a family. Maybe going on retreat will help me bring some peace, but I realise how difficult it is to attain any level of Samahdi with all the distractions i face, and that Liberation is likely out reach in this life.

[Caodemarte]

I should have been more specific, I was asking about formal meditation, walking or sitting. Thanks for all the insightful answers. How realistic is it for a lay person with a family, 9-5 job, kids and other commitment to really attain any level of Samahdi? Maybe I'm not ready to meditate.

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I should concentrate on sila, read the Suttas and try and get Right View, as this may be something realistic for a lay person like myself with a family. Maybe going on retreat will help me bring some peace, but I realise how difficult it is to attain any level of Samahdi with all the distractions i face, and that Liberation is likely out reach in this life.

Recently a Buddhist nun was asked at a meditation meeting for lay people I attended if her life was simpler than a lay person with. Fewer distractions. She laughed and quickly said, "No." You can always find distractions. It is enough if we all try to do the best we can when we can. Take a look at the life story of Dipa Ma or pretty much any famous lay person.

[WindDancer]

I should have been more specific, I was asking about formal meditation, walking or sitting. Thanks for all the insightful answers. How realistic is it for a lay person with a family, 9-5 job, kids and other commitment to really attain any level of Samahdi? Maybe I'm not ready to meditate.

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I should concentrate on sila, read the Suttas and try and get Right View, as this may be something realistic for a lay person like myself with a family. Maybe going on retreat will help me bring some peace, but I realise how difficult it is to attain any level of Samahdi with all the distractions i face, and that Liberation is likely out reach in this life.

DCM, I feel empathy for what you have shared and the questions you have asked. I think these are real life questions that many of us face. How do I live this Path as a lay practitioner? How do I balance practice, with the realities of work and family responsibilities? What are reasonable goals or standards to hold for a healthy spiritual practice? Do I have to become a monk or nun to make reasonable progress, and is this way of life worth it if we are unable to live a monastic life?

I have asked these and other similar questions. I have listened to many Dharma talks and read several books, doing my best to discern what I should do. Here are a few things that seem to make sense to me:

1. I need to see things the way they really are. The truth is that despite my heartfelt desire to possibly ordain and live a monastic life, I do not have the health to do so. I need to practice being content with living the life of a householder who has a chronic illness. Causes and conditions far beyond my understanding and control have created the circumstances in which I live. Now it is up to me to do my best to walk the Path where I find myself.

2. I have heard multiple Dharma teachers suggest that it is just fine to enter the Path of practice from different starting points. A teacher said that some lay practitioners may focus on sila and generosity for several years, developing these as a strong foundation prior to more advanced practice. Others may spend twenty years or more practicing sila and generosity while deeply cultivating the Brahma Viharas: Loving Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity. As people practice this way of being, they naturally drop some of the barriers that might have stood in the way of deeper meditation practice which they explore later in life. Some people in the West focus only on meditation and do not cultivate the other parts of the spiritual life until life's pain and stresses inspire them to do so.

3. Thich Nhat Hanh suggested that we need to be loving and gentle to ourselves. Instead of holding up a standard that creates deep suffering or a standard that is unattainable, we should start by meditating for just a short time. For example, start with 5 minutes, or practice meditating when waiting in the car for the red light to turn green. He suggested that we start with meditating for a length of time which we can commit to maintaining on a daily basis. If it is 5 minutes, fine. That is where we start. If we can meditate consistently most days for 15 minutes, great. Then over time the peace, well being and joy experienced while meditating will naturally move us in the direction of longer more fruitful ways of meditating. Then quite naturally this way of being will spill out into our way of being as we move through daily life.

Here is a little about how I live the Path in my daily life:

I actively practice, sila, generosity, the Bramha Viharas and actively seek how I can help add joy and reduce suffering in the humans and animals in my part of the world. I have a daily formal sitting meditation practice. Currently, 30 to 45 minutes of mindfulness meditation seems to be the sweet spot for me. When I sit for longer periods of time, the pain and stress on my body tends to produce diminishing returns. I have a well developed practice of meditation and being fully present in all my activities. I eagerly listen to Dharma talks. Over the past four years, I have listened to well over 500 hours. Sometimes I fully engage and other times I just let the talks flow over me as I am resting or doing light house work. I read Dharma books and do Sutta study in a practical way. It is far better for me to read a few chapters and then do my best to practice what has been suggested in my daily life, instead of just quickly racing through book after book.

I hope the experience I share helps. Though I live a dedicated life to the Path, I know that I am only a beginner and have much to learn.



WindDancer

[DCM]

Thanks Caodemarte, I've got Dipa's book and have read almost half already. It is a needed break from my Sutta study as im half way through the Digha Nikaya, and feel I needed to break it up with some light, inspiring reading, which this book has provided me, and given me some fresh hope that effort and faith will bring attainments in the future.

WindDancer, what I am missing is bringing mindfulness into my daily life and routine. I do try but I need to be more vigorous in my efforts. I do see parts of my mind that cause me stress and suffering, subtle things like expecting too much in formal meditation, pushing myself too much with study, etc, it just seems paradoxical that because this life is so short and I could die any moment, that it is stressful when I get tired from studying or meditating too much to the point where I just stop for a while, guess I need to be kinder to myself and find a middle ground. I'm confident i will with experience.