What do you have the most difficulty letting go of?

[Kerome]

I’ve tried to do a thought experiment, because I was curious... it went like this: what if I lived like a Thai Forest Buddhist monk? I’d live in the forest in Thailand, and I’d have no possessions other than a robe, a mosquito net, and an alms bowl. I’d have to let go of all my possessions, money, family, home, friends. It would all be gone, given away, left behind, in order to live a holy life.

So what does it teach you, thinking about this? It shows you what you are most attached to, what you have difficulty letting go of. For me, I have a strong connection with home and safety. That is a thing that causes me a shock to let go of, my safe environment, my cave.

If you think of losing everything and going to live a wandering monk’s life, what would you have the most difficulty letting go of?

 

[burt tomato]

I would struggle to live in a forest in Thailand. It would be hot and humid, and I would feel uncomfortable. I would not last more than an hour.

If I was to do this, I would need to do it in a cooler environment in a civilised monastery.

 

[Kerome]

I would struggle to live in a forest in Thailand. It would be hot and humid, and I would feel uncomfortable. I would not last more than an hour.

If I was to do this, I would need to do it in a cooler environment in a civilised monastery.

That’s allowed, lol. The purpose of doing it — in your thoughts only — is to get some impression of what things in your life you are attached to, what you’d find it difficult to leave behind.

Although I suppose with a monastery there is a difficulty with becoming attached to one’s room, the place where you sleep. You still have a “safe place” to retreat to, which the forest monks manage to give up as well. I think it’s very impressive, what they do.

 

[Fairy Lucretia]

mummy x

 

[exyz]

I'll go for the cooler place with a room near Burt,

This is interesting as about ten years ago we lost everything in a fire at a storage unit when we were moving house, and I mean everything, furniture, clothes,.... except a little box which we had with passports and vital documents. It made us both really unwell at the time, as we felt our lives had been wiped out.

There are some little people it would break my heart to leave. But if we are not talking about people then...

Sentimental things with no value, like: a picture of my granddad swinging me when I was about five, and an Our Lady of Lourdes medal that belonged to my grandmother. ( that were in the saved little box)

I would miss the comfort of them, and the love across the years they remind me of.

I've never really owned jewellery or stuff like that.....

 

[Kerome]

Yeah I can recognise that, a feeling of physical unwellness when faced with losing things. It’s interesting how we sometimes don’t even notice how attached we are to the things around us until we lose them. Sorry that you had to go through that exyz when it wasn’t your choice.

My stepmother once had a house fire in which she lost nearly everything, that was a very traumatic event for her.

 

[NWiddi]

Does the monastery have WiFi?

 

[Helena1]

music, I don't think I could live without that.

 

[burt tomato]

I quite fancy the idea of being a monk in Malta or somewhere. Where it is quite warm but cool in the monastery.

 

[Helena1]

I quite fancy the idea of being a monk in Malta or somewhere. Where it is quite warm but cool in the monastery.

Why?
...

 

[burt tomato]

Why?
...

Because I miss the sunny weather not it has got cooler. Where would you be a monk then?

 

[static void]

me too i cannot live without music, but as a child i learned to build all sorts of musical instruments from what i could find in nature, so here's a loophole.
if i were to live that type of life i probably wouldn't last very long on my own, because if i stopped taking my medication, knowing myself, i would probably relapse, so i'd probably be forced to go back to society and get a job to pay for the meds, or i could die.
some people can live like this, i don't know how they do it, to each their own.

 

[Parayana]

My computer and my GF, I plan to be a Forest monk in my next life if my Karma is up to it.

 

[Kerome]

I just came across the Pansu Sutta: Dust on accesstoinsight.com, and in it the Buddha says that the vast majority of people dying in the human realm have a next life in the hell realm, or animal realm, or realm of the hungry ghosts. Not sure if I believe in those things...

 

[Parayana]

I'm open minded about rebirth if it happens it happens but I'm trying these days to be more concerned with my practice in the here and now as Ajahn Sumedho says about rebirth - I simply don't know.

Still if it does happen I'd like to be a Forest monk.