Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

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Grigoris
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by Grigoris »

Aryjna wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:17 pm This is not really on topic, but I have always wondered how the Shaolin justified spending their lives studying martial arts while being Buddhist monks. Doesn't seem to make much sense.
Why? I am a Buddhist (not a monk) and practice and teach martial arts.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Aryjna
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by Aryjna »

Grigoris wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:54 pm
Aryjna wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 7:17 pm This is not really on topic, but I have always wondered how the Shaolin justified spending their lives studying martial arts while being Buddhist monks. Doesn't seem to make much sense.
Why? I am a Buddhist (not a monk) and practice and teach martial arts.
Monks are supposed to be dedicating all their time to studying and practicing dharma, not 80% martial arts and 20% dharma.
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Grigoris
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by Grigoris »

Aryjna wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:23 pmMonks are supposed to be dedicating all their time to studying and practicing dharma, not 80% martial arts and 20% dharma.
viewtopic.php?f=110&t=14588#p195150
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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Aryjna
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by Aryjna »

Grigoris wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:28 pm
Aryjna wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:23 pmMonks are supposed to be dedicating all their time to studying and practicing dharma, not 80% martial arts and 20% dharma.
viewtopic.php?f=110&t=14588#p195150
At some point there were real Shaolin monks living there and doing the same thing apparently.
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Grigoris
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by Grigoris »

Aryjna wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:34 pmAt some point there were real Shaolin monks living there and doing the same thing apparently.
Apparently.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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Aryjna
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by Aryjna »

Grigoris wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:35 pm
Aryjna wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:34 pmAt some point there were real Shaolin monks living there and doing the same thing apparently.
Apparently.
:D It seems to be true based on some generic sources like wikipedia, but I've never seen any mention of how they justified this in the first place.
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Re: Shaolin Monks diet - what is it?

Post by humble.student »

The root of the confusion in due to the fact that many of the so-called "martial monks" are not fully ordained monks at all, leaving aside the 'pretend monks' who travel and do martial arts demos in robes, the majority are laypeople who receive 5, or 8 precepts, and who maintain the other monastic regulations only while on monastic grounds, (i.e. vegetarianism and celibacy). Outside the temple, and it is a different story.

That said, as far as I know, those who take the whole thing seriously [i.e. Buddhism and martial arts] do not go about sporting the robes if they are not monastics, except perhaps for competitions or demos, that sort of thing.
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