Why not more Farms and Soup kitchens for Buddhist dharma centers and monastics?
Why are so many dharma centers seemingly obsessed with money instead, like asking money for courses and lessons?
Would farming be against the "assumed" original Buddhist traditional teachings and Upaya rules? "(eg Southern/Theravadan traditions)?
Could the reasons be afraid of harming insects, or spoiling other people to encourage more beggars, or breaking the "monetary" fabric of society?
Is alms-bowl begging for the only sanctioned method of gathering food for the monks, approved by Shakyamuni Buddha?
Most importantly: is it easy to get an apprenticeship from Buddhist monks who supports organic farming? Any in Canada?
Why I think so:
In North America, I have personally experienced several IT office jobs layoffs before, during several "economy downturns" and recessions and corporate restructuring. So I have totally lost faith in money and traditional big corporations. Very unstable with little job security, and full of strife & stress & interpersonal conflicts, with little direct benefit to the masses of people.
If this thinking is extrapolated, as more people loses faith in the the current economic structure, then one way to ensure continued survival of the human race is through food security.
So I think one of the most perfect lifestyle would akin a organic-farmer Buddhist-monk totally self dependent with no fear about sustenance, and able to help alleviate the famine suffering of the world, while minimizing harm done any to the world.
(For starter, I am only talking about mostly-vegetarian farms, with no animal livestock bred for meat, to avoid conflict with the first precept about taking lives).
One of my imagined worst case scenarios is the economy in shambles for the poor majority, with elimination of the middle class and massive income inequality (eg. the top rich 1% vs the bottom 99%) caused by massive corporate and government greed: eg. imposing more unreasonable fees and taxes for many aspect of the masses daily lives, especially in cities.
Then one of the strongest way for the poor masses to fight back, is to totally renounce money, then go back to the old historical roots of farming and soup kitchens.
I think the only real materialistic need that the Buddhist monks would need from the laypeople communities are just: food/alms and clean water, as sustenance. They already have temples/houses for adequate shelter, and simple robes for their clothes.
Many well-respected monks easily able to live to age 90's and beyond with simple right livelihood. So they must already know the secrets to the long-life, living well, and self-medicare.
Some other websites with seemingly real life examples that supports Buddhist monastics farming:
http://www.agrowingculture.org/beyond-p ... t-farming/
- Beyond Production: a story of Buddhist farming
https://www.workaway.info/000000000143-en.html
- Volunteering in a Buddhist Monastery- Fujian, South China
viewtopic.php?f=110&t=14671&start=280
- Re: Backyard Gardening at dharmawheel.net
Monks' monastery growing, while same is planned in Brudenell for nuns
https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/loca ... uns-58558/
All of the farming done in the monastery and in the surrounding area is organic.
Is Venerable Phrakhu Sangkom Thanapanyo Khunsuri a Theravada-style monk who supports farming?https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/ecolo ... -thailand/
Phrakhu Sangkom Thanapanyo Khunsuri, a prominent ecology monk based in Chiang Mai, developed an alternative farming school through his temple in Chonburi called the Maab-Euang Meditation Center for Sufficiency Economy.
It yes, then this would totally contradict my previously assumed (and possibly wrong) view that orthodox Thervada tradition would only supports alms bowl begging!
Enlighten me please, oh wise monks!