RELIGST 1B06 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Buddhacarita

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELIGST 1B06
• Professor: Philippa Carter

Document Summary

Guest speaker - joe larose: monks, money and monasteries. Behold, o monks, this is my advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. Now, try to use a variety of sources, as many as possible to get a picture of how buddhists lived years ago. Early understanding: ideal depictions of the monk"s life: the buddha"s biography. What did the buddha do? gave up possessions, family, inheritance, etc. Wander alone like a rhinoceros: for a sociable person there are allurements; on the heels of allurement, this pain. Seeing allurement"s drawback, wander alone like a rhinoceros: one whose mind is enmeshed in sympathy for friends & companions, neglects the true goal. Seeing this danger in intimacy, wander alone like a rhinoceros. Then, having eaten after his return from the alms-round, he sits down cross-legged, holding his body erect, and concentrates on keeping mindfulness established before him. (cp 114) All tell buddhist monks how to live their life.