Part of my last week in Thailand was spent at a Buddhist temple. It was an enjoyable, while also an intense experience...mostly because I helped make a roof structure to shelter a group of students who would be studying at the temple for the weekend.
We were able to listen to the monks speak to us and the students, and they discussed the importance of community and love in the world. Using a powerpoint presentation (the monks are surprisingly adept with technology, each having his own laptop and a digital camera to take pictures which are later uploaded on their website), they also talked about not getting distracted in life. In an age with beauty products, rock concerts, and advertisements telling us how to think and live, it can be difficult to understand what is really important. We need to stay focused, pursuing the things that we ourselves know is meaningful. We shouldn't feel as though we have to follow the grain of others. This is our life and we must live it as we see fit.
I also realized, though, that I could never be a Buddhist monk. For one thing, they can only eat twice a day and never after 12pm. In other words, they have a really early breakfast at around 5 and then lunch at 11. After that -- nothing. In other words, I would die.
Like: Buddhist monks each having their own laptop.
ReplyDeleteWho woulda thought