give up the monks, Doc the evil one

[daodejing]

It IS normal to kill living creatures. You kill every day unless you're starving yourself. And to starve yourself is to slowly kill you. Most fresh vegetables are alive and respirating when you cut them and cook them. Thats what it means for plant matter to be fresh. Even if you never kill animals and eat a vegan diet, you are killing every day. Death is life and life is death, we are constantly being born and dying on a cellular level. Taking life to further your own life is natural, the key is to do so with respect for life, and not to cause undue suffering. Thats my two cents. My goal is not to avoid killing, but to have respect for the sacred act I am committing every time I prepare and consume life. To welcome it back to the cycle and honor its sacrifice.

But then again, I've already decided monastic life wasn't right for me. So here's a bit more advice.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always inneffectiveness, concerning all acts of initiative (and creation). There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

No, its normal to avoid all drugs, killing, etc. I know i'm killing every living creatures. But the rule to dont take life is not to avoid killing everything, its to know you'll kill some living creatures but you its not what you want. Like you said, have respect for the killed creatures.

[xing_jian108]

You don't have to chase a chicken around a rip it's head off in order to have chicken dinner. You can buy it at the store. You didn't kill it. You didn't see it get killed. So it's no problem that way. Anyone can avoid killing an animal for food. That's what the store is for.

A mi tuo Fo
-Xing Jian

[Fa Hui]

Even buying the chicken still supports its' murder.

You will NEVER be able to live all 250 rules. Most monks (even the more seasoned ones) cannot live all 250 rules. And that's not the point, they are training in life, not so much rules but guidelines.

In Buddhism there is a kind of attachment that we try to let go off called Clinging to Rites and Rituals. This type of attachment is very natural with all human beings. We all are forced to follow certain rules, whether they are set up by ourselves, our family, our society, our religion, etc. We all tend to follow these unless we deem them unnecessary or we just don't plain like them.

Really, there are no rules or guidelines in life. But since those without any kind of wisdom or intelligence tend to go a-wall, we set these down to avoid complete chaotic anarchy. Buddhism takes one thing as the basis for all it's precepts (whether lay or monastic) and that is to minimize as much suffering as possible. I think people tend not to see this one important point. If you are causing unnecessary suffering to anything at all, then you are in violation. We need to really look at things from this view point, because when we are getting anal with the rules and causing people problems then what's the point of practicing?

I like DDJ suggestion, most monasteries/temples today will allow you to stay for a certain time. It's how they maintain themselves. There are plenty of places all around and it shouldn't be that hard for you. I don't know where you are so I can't tell you where you should go.

BTW, westerners as far as I'm concerned would not last in the monastic conditions of China very long, and from what i also hear the gov't won't let you either.

Peace.

[arhat]

chen you are absolutely talking out your ass.

as others have suggested go and spend some time in a retreat.

as of right now you are holding on to a fantasy.

[xing_jian108]

Arhat, you're almost to 1,000 posts! Party or what? What's the tradition if there is one? Have many people gotten that?

[zachsan]

wait, i... i'm still confused. are drugs and alcohol supposed to be normal or not?

[arhat]

well xing...

the tradition is that once you break a grand, you get a bird to sit on your avatar's horn...it's a god thing...

[doc]

Oh oh.

Arhat's reaching a thousand. A first. What shall we call him? "russbo.com god" just doesn't do it...

[zachsan]

on that same note, doc, you're reaching 6666. fascinating.

it must be a proud moment when you can get away with saying something like "it's a god thing..."

[doc]

Hey, I reached post count 6666.

Does that make me the super anti-Christ or something neat like that? I WANT a new title.

The Dark Lord has spoken.

[shaolinstylee]

Oh, lord.... more status'

Doc, you are well on your way now.

[arhat]

The Dark Lord.

I like that.

You should add it to your sig tag...lol...you're sig tag is getting longer than your posts, heh heh heh...

[doc]

Docvader. The Dark Lord. From the deepest, dankest, disgusting detritus of New York.

Brooklyn.

Fitting.

Not appropriate for my sig tag though. I can't contribute to that. That's reserved for other's opinions of me, lol.

[shaolinstylee]

I just feel honored to get a quote in there...