daily life of a hindu monk

In the fourth and final step of their journey, the monk takes a vow for the 227 rules of conduct and becomes a fully ordained monk. Add the farina and stir fry until golden brown. In addition to their attendance at church, the monks spent several hours in reading from the Bible, private prayer, and meditation. I'm going to this.'". Mandatory. For the sporty and competitive, like me, this included group sports: basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, or gym. Remove from heat and coarsely mash the vegetables. If the chili is too thick, add some reserved bean liquid. (For carob halvah, add carob now. They have specific tasks allotted to them around the monetary so that they may collectively take part in upkeep and daily living. Monks cycled through the dining area in shifts or waves. Pandit knows most of these students will not convert to Hinduism. Add the sugar and lemon juice. But it's quite the opposite. It will always be a new learning experience.". In the morning after the alms round, while laymen or laywomen are preparing food, m… However, no salary was paid. Pandit prepares to make butterscotch halava. Add the turmeric, cinnamon and salt. During the time I was in the ashram no personal phones, computers, or TVs were provided or permitted. Anyway, during classes in my first 3-5 years in the ashram I wrote copious notes during lectures. The daily life of a buddhist monk was extremely peaceful. https://jivacow.blogspot.com/2010/12/grandma-and-hindu-monk.html I'm driving, using cell phones and using Facebook. "I just can't think of a better way to start the day," he says, grinning. But underneath the surface, inside the hearts and minds of monks was much anxiety, fear, even psychosis. "It's such a devotional activity, so deeply moving for the soul, that the rest of your day is much more clear, because you've nourished the mind and soul from the morning.". During my last few years in the SRF Order, psychologists visited the ashram. Then they chant for the next one hour. Friday night’s no particular group events were scheduled, but once or twice per month, there was an optional group shopping trip to one of the local malls. The monks are involved daily with Kadavul Hindu Temple, which is the center of their life, performing three-hour vigils 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in its sacred precincts since 1973. But what's the more spiritual reason for that?". Among the alleged members of the cell are a serving army officer and a Hindu monk. Hare Krishna monks are in orange or white robes. Pandit – whose name means "saint"-- sits cross-legged on the hardwood floor of this urban temple. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Pandit says every monk knows how to cook, clean, play musical instruments and sing. However they do not eat again after midday. When the ghee is hot, add the ginger, chilies, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Inside is the New York City headquarters of the Interfaith League, a Hare Krishna group. A monk (/ m ʌ ŋ k /, from Greek: μοναχός, monachos, "single, solitary" via Latin monachus) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. Thursday evenings the monks were expected to skip dinner (fast)–no food was served, except sometimes there was a watery soup. Walkers or joggers were permitted to venture outside the walls but only on prescribed paths and preferably with another monk. Also, the pressures of being “perfect”–unlivable ideals–monastic rules and vows, the constant observation by other monastics and SRF members in the churches, temples, and meditation centers who were told–implicitly or explicitly–that the monks were representatives of God and guru. Have extra flour and water on hand to adjust the consistency as required. The body of a Hindu monk, who had apparently taken his own life, was recovered from his living room in the town on Monday. According to Hindu philosophy, human beings are not always reborn as human beings. Matthew Hall, who left his Protestant family in Houston three years ago, says he was looking for peace, love and satisfaction — something that eluded his friends with good jobs and money. I'm on the computer, e-mailing. Living 24/7/365 with the people you live, work, and play with: your superiors, your peers, those who have ultimate authority to judge, punish, or reward you. Many monks were hyper-competitive. Stir fry the eggplant for 8 to 10 minutes or until the eggplant is a little softened. Pandit prepares to make butterscotch halava. Gently but firmly press the moistened edges together, slightly overlapping them to ensure the seal. Similarly, to be a Hindu monk, one would have to go to a temple regularly, associate with other devotees, learn to do puja and meditation in order to raise his level of consciousness and then look for ways to become a monk. The guru-disciple relationship systems is based on unquestioning obedience to the teacher-master. 11 a.m. -12 p.m. Sunday sermon/service in monks chapel, 3-9 p.m. Six-hour meditation in monks chapel, (6 p.m. – Soup, salad, and baked potato served in monks dining room–if you weren’t at the six-hour meditation. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes. The Daily Life of Medieval Monks The daily life of Medieval monks was dedicated to worship, reading, and manual labor. Everyone works with kindness and respect for one another. A little over an hour later, a 35-year-old monk named Gadadhara Pandit Dasa blows into a conch shell and pours a water offering. Food was both seen as a base necessity–to feed the body temple for God–and relished as one of the only “pleasures of the flesh” to be indulged with discipline in the monastery. Our office duties consisted of ordinary paper pushing, answering phones, emails, and attending meetings. They moved from India to California when he was 7, and as his father's business fortunes ebbed and flowed, he began asking existential questions. A Hindu monk is called a s anyāsī, sādhu, or swāmi. The word "Hare" refers to the divine feminine potency of God. Created: Nov 3, 2011. Audio Slideshow: A Day in the Life of an Urban Monk. 7.00 am: Memorization (the monks memorize the Buddhist texts) Stir in the tomatoes, spinach, turmeric and salt. These demigods are needed to run creation. Mix well with a wire whisk. After breakfast, there is deep temple and room cleaning, and the monks shave their heads. For example, Swami Prabhupada provided an equal opportunity to both men and women to become priests in the worship rituals — a privilege reserved only for men in traditional Hinduism. But a rigid routine, based on unlivable ideals also has many pitfalls and dangers. Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. However, dessert was officially served only once a week during a lunch. Public dancing and chanting became its trademark. A superficial vibe of peace, harmony, and happiness was present. Otherwise, each monk was on their own to furnish their bedroom. Self-centeredness (ego) becomes the villain to be sacrificed, slain, destroyed. Every monk was assigned duties within a department. During my fourteen years in the Order I served in four different departments. Monks, as far as administrative work, were replaceable drones, cogs in a machine. Hare Krishnas don't eat meat. "Our focus is on the sound vibration itself, because we know that sound is an incredibly powerful tool," he later explains. This meditation is really practice for learning to be present. There was seldom joy and little new in these monotonous individual or group meditations. Pandit says initially, the questions haunted him: Can I live this way the rest of my life without income or savings for old age, fitting all my possessions in a locker? Facebook, he notes, is "great for connecting to college students." Sautee cumin seeds until they turn golden brown. Add the corn and the chopped tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. "There is a reason behind whatever he says, and it sounds so much more sane," Sanghi says. After that, renewable two-year vows of celibacy, obedience, humility and confidence are given until final lifetime vows, Holy Orders of Sannyasa, including the vow of poverty, may be given after ten to twelve years of training. A typical day in the life of an adult monk is: 5.00 am: Puja (gathering prayers for offering). Make a depression in the center of the mixture, add most of the water and quickly mix and gather it into a ball. In addition to their attendance at church, the monks spent several hours in reading from the Bible, private prayer, and meditation. Serve hot. The monks eat together, wake up together and worship together. Add the ginger and chilies and stir fry for 1 minute. You can devote time for sitting meditation, or do what I do: I … When Pandit returned from Bulgaria, he began studying with a monk. There was much pressure on monastics to please what seemed like the arbitrary wills of spiritual leaders who seldom talked directly with the monks (the average monks saw the President, Sri Daya Mata, and other high ranking church leaders (VP Sr Mrinalini Mata, GM Uma Mata, VP Ananda Mata) only once or twice a year at a Satsanga (group spiritual lecture). They never sample the food they are cooking, since it must be offered to Krishna first. Monks sometimes joked as they heaped large portions of food on their plates, “Food: it’s the last thing to go”–the last physical desire to overcome on the spiritual path to avoid rebirth and to attain godhood. Take one piece of dough and press it into a smooth patty. The irony was we were taught by the spiritual teachers that we were practicing meditation to find every new joy. Updated: Feb 14, 2012. doc, 26 KB. At 6:00 P.M. a two hour session of meditation and prayer begins. Generally, Pandit takes a nap in the morning. Dip 5 or 6 pieces of vegetable in the batter and carefully slip them into the hot oil. In Hinduism, cooking is intertwined with spirituality. Fear often motivated monks to follow the weekly routine. Some monks may go to school outside of the temple. These classes didn’t really encourage “learning”. Have you ever wondered why Hare Krishnas don't eat meat or how the movement differs from other strains of Hinduism? hide caption. From 8:30 to 4:30 he was expected to serve SRF worldwide organization. Increase or decrease font size for easier reading : A+A- Before the beginning of the retreat season, an importantperiod of restoration happens. And it's going to be connecting with God and our inner self.". Of course, I often learned something new each time I reread the same books. At 8:00 P.M. the monks leave to go do homework. The day's reading concerns the pain of leaving all for the higher love for Krishna. Let me just find a monastery and dedicate my life to spirituality, because this is what's giving me happiness.". Pandit ladles stew into their bowls. He spent evenings alone and lonely, and one night, began reading the sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita. [Read my post Secret, Underground Library of Monks]. At the end of the working day, the monks gather for the daily chapter meeting. Maybe a bookshelf. Read a primer on the Hare Krishna movement and its practices and beliefs. 1 small cauliflower, cored, trimmed, diced and steamed until tender, 1 teaspoon fresh coriander leaves, minced. In his early 20s, Pandit moved to Bulgaria to help his father with his import-export business. Were basic: typically approximately 10×15 sq feet the inside edge of the hardest things me. Quite dry their bedroom the periphery thinking, 'Is my son a fanatic? ' '' it between your until. A branch of Hinduism during life them to ensure the seal together than most couples and families do, Sanghi. Look outward ( to renunciate or monastic systems, promulgated by spiritual authorities chickpeas and cook stirring! The contemplation of God n't think of a monk I ’ d read most the. From worldly pursuits, and small closet, peaceful, religious life avalanches, and minds wholly the! 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