AnthonyMichaelAngelo - 27 September 2010 04:27 PM
Fully decked out in the attire, waiting online waiting to pay, wearing a pink blue-tooth headset on his right ear. This was in a Honolulu, HI venue that is.
For someone who claims the physical world is an illusion, teaches non-attachment and the such similar things, wouldn’t these types of material objects seem worthless/needless for someone who has achieved ‘monk status’?
You have not said anything to indicate what sect this person was in, if indeed this was actually a monk (I have seen an insane person dressing as a monk, though his behavior very quickly indicated that he was not). Might have even been a Hare Krishna, for that matter.
Some monks do use modern technology; some have and maintain websites and blogs on the internet was well.
The idea or claim that “the physical world is an illusion” is not a Buddhist tenet, i.e., it was not taught or proclaimed by the man we call “the Buddha”. I am aware that some folks who call themselves Buddhist proclaim this, but that is a product of the influence of other worldviews, probably Advaita Vedanta and Hinduism. The tibetan religions are rather notorious, particularly, for making this claim, but they represent probably the poorest assimilation of the Buddha’s teachings into any culture, poor enough to justify not recognizing them as being actually “Buddhist”.
Monks who strictly follow the Buddha’s instructions for monks (the Vinaya) would not be in line at Wal-Mart, as they are not allowed to touch money. There are some who do, probably many, but there are very few Buddhist monks (limited mostly to the Theravada Thai Forest tradition) who strictly follow the Vinaya anymore.
If the person you saw was a Zen priest rather than a monk, he might even be married and have children.
I recall some sect making the news after giving in and allowing their monks to watch the World Cup a few years ago, under the stipulation that they were forbidden to enjoy the game. Kinda silly, I thought….
