Dear "Cuttlefisher"
Thank you for your comment on my "Can I ask you a personal question?" post.
I am extremely envious that you have a Theravadan Buddhist monk in your family. I can only begin to imagine family dinner conversations.
However, as envious as I may have been, I was actually even more curious about them and pertinent to my blog, why do they indeed shave their heads.
Luckily with the help of the internet I was able to find some explanations that satisfied my need for information. So I figured I would share what I found out, however I can not confirm that this is indeed true. Was that a good disclaimer or what!
So the first theory I uncovered was around vanity. Shaving the head and even eyebrows is to help the monks lose their vanity associated with hair, as vanity is seen as negative and unproductive.
The second theory suggests that head shaving shows the monks' commitment to the holy life, and that they have gone forth into the homeless life to live amongst a community of monks.
The third and final theory I read is that shaving the head is a symbol to show the removal of all attachments and ego. This is somewhat similar to theory one.
So that summarizes the entirety of my research. So dear Cuttlefisher, if you or your Uncle would like to shed any light onto this subject or indeed correct my theories, I would be more than happy to post your words.
I don't think I am able to draw any real parallels to my own condition, and I do have to confess that Buddhism is a subject that I know little about.
Though what is clear, is that I find Buddhism truly fascinating. Therefore, you can expect a future post on this subject. As it happens, I am currently reading a book about calming the mind, that a colleague kindly left on my desk. This came as a result of a corridor conversation about craziness in the workplace. So expect to hear more about the learnings of that book another time.
Thank you Cuttlefisher for your comment, keep them coming,
Yours beautifully,
BBB
Dear BBB,
ReplyDeleteà la 'Allo 'Allo: "It is I LeClerc"!
To try to answer your question, I think my Uncle would say that your second theory is the closest. Before my Uncle disrobed (which is another story), he translated various texts from Pali into English. He also wrote a very readable book entitled "The Bhikkhus' Rules, A Guide for Laypeople"
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/ariyesako/layguide.html
In the book, the topic of head shaving is one of his FAQs:
While "Why do monks shave their heads?"
When the prince who was to become the Buddha left his palace to seek a way beyond aging, sickness and death, it is said that one of the first things that he did was to "shave off his hair and beard and put on the yellow cloth." Buddhist monks always completely shave their head and beard, showing their commitment to the Holy Life (Brahmacariya) of one gone forth into the homeless life. (In India some ascetics tear out their hair, while others never touch it so that it becomes a tangled mass.)
A rule states that a bhikkhu should not allow his hair to grow beyond a certain length or time, so he will shave usually at least once a fortnight or month, sometimes more frequently. To do this he uses his razor, which is also one of his requisites.
'Hair-of-the-head' (kesaa) is one of the five parts of the body mentioned in the ordination ceremony and is used to recollect the true nature of the body. The bhikkhu is also not allowed to dye or pluck out any gray hairs, for they are useful reminders of old-age and impermanence. (Just consider how much time and money is wasted by people trying to make their hair remain beautiful and young-looking.)
...I hope that helps answer your question! As for dinner time conversations, unfortunately, they were very limited. While a monk, my Uncle never sat with us to eat. Instead, once a day, one of us would offer him food, placing it all into his begging bowl. Then he'd retire to a quiet place to eat!
Very nice, thats exactly what I thought. Please read this article too I found very interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://simplecapacity.com/2015/11/native-americans-keep-their-hair-long-its-the-nervous-system/
http://www.existentialbuddhist.com/2011/04/why-do-buddhists-bow/
ReplyDeleteand this too