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I'm very sickened by all the decadence and debauchery in the world. IDK maybe its just the Holden Caulfield in me, clinging to an imaginary innocence, hiding from the real world. And all right, I'm ready to take a live and let live attitude towards this libertine world, not really by choice, but recognition of reality. Holden asks his friend if you have to be catholic to be a monk. And I guess I'm asking to. If anything I hate sexuality more than Caulfield.
I'm not really religious, but I can accept an abstract philosophical notion of God, fairly easily. And I'm happy to recite any creeds.
Of the denominations that have monks, philosophically I'm closest to the Buddhists. At least in the belief that this material world is evil, and that true Nirvana is the end of desires and strivings. The profound pessimism of Buddhism goes further than original sin. But is that real Buddhism, or just the imagination of German philosophers? The fact is culturally, I much more tied into the western intellectual tradition of Athens and Jerusalem, that even Atheists must grapple with. The Protestant sects are all too small to provide stable institutions for monks. And the very puritan work ethic of the prots, that I once admire, I must now reject since I now advocate monkish asceticism over worldly asceticism.
Is this too drastic a reaction to the hedonistic debauchery of college life? Maybe if I worked a job, in the "Real world" for a few years, I'd discover that its crazy to judge all of America, from teen and college life.
Or to be Freudian, am I just using ideology as a defense mechanism to shield myself from the fact that I couldn't get sex even if I wanted to? Well that shield is shattered. And that just makes the monastery more attractive.
I've done research into monastic life. Its very community and collective centered. Rejecting money, power, property, sex, family and individualism. Every hour of your day is planned, mostly spent in prayer with some manual labor. It is a utopia to me, in its values of rejecting sex and greed, although it is far below the modern world in technology and meeting material needs. Although the basics, food, shelter clothing are met.
IDK I'm sort of arguing with myself about this and would really appreciate outside thoughts.
I think your thoughts are way out there. Before you commit to anything so extreme, I'd recommend you have a consultation with a doctor or therapist of some sort. You seem to have negative hang ups about normal parts of life.
Sravasti Abbey in eastern Washington [near the Idaho border] is very beautiful and you can apply to stay there for a month and see if that is what you would like. Visit the link above.
I think that one day when you're in your 80s, reflecting on your life, as your mind is slowly being destroyed by Alzheimer's, you will come to regret this course of thought. Save yourself from the torment of this unfulfilling existence and memories of wasted youth.
I have considered the monastic life from a Christian perspective and sometimes still do.
That being said I think if you see the monastery, even the Buddhist monastery, simply as a utopian withdraw from humanity and its problems you will likely be disappointed. Monks are still human beings with the failings or, if we're meaning Buddhism, tendencies toward unhealthy attachment we all have.
That said maybe it is for you. Still even if that's the case you should actually spend some time in a Buddhist monastery or maybe just talk to Buddhist monks before doing anything. At the very least read more bios of people who experienced the monastic life, find out why they loved or hated it. There's a movie called "Phorpa" or "The Cup" that was a cute movie on a Buddhist monastery. I think there was a Korean movie called "Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall" or something on Buddhist monastic life. This is almost just a long way to say I agree with Kerby. Spend some time and experience it first. If you're in college you're still likely young enough to have time to think on it.
Because at the moment I feel you might be seeing it from a romanticized and idealized place rather than the reality. The reality might be what you want, but you should probably investigate first.
For now, this earth/human society is the way it is--- but that is only temporary...
Please check out this article. It is an introduction that I felt may address some of your thoughts. However, I think you would like the rest of it if you keep digging!
I'm very sickened by all the decadence and debauchery in the world..
If you only see the bad things in the world, then you have issues. Yeah, you should just shut yourself away from it all, because what's the point? If you're that much of a downer, go be alone so you don't bring the people around you down too.
Maybe you and TKramer need to hook up. You guys sound like a blast.
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