Even though I admire his determination to cut it off, the monk in this story obviously did not find the root of the problem, which is getting rid of either (a) his dirty thoughts (after watching too much p*rn), or (b) his urine after waking up in the morning Punishing your little brother for your own "sins" is definitely not the way to go. You'll still get an erection no matter what (despite without the penis) because the ill thoughts are still with you This monk doesn't understand the spirit of meditating and should be ashamed of himself for doing this http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_life_thailand_monk Buddhist monk cuts off penis and renounces refix Wed Nov 22, 6:23 AM ET BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai Buddhist monk cut off his penis with a machete because he had an erection during meditation and declined to have it reattached, saying he had renounced all earthly cares, a doctor and a newspaper said on Wednesday. The 35-year-old monk, whose name was withheld for privacy reasons, allowed medical staff at Maharaj hospital, 780 km (480 miles) south of Bangkok to dress his wound, but refused reattachment, hospital chief Prawing Euanontouch said. "We cleaned up the wound, gave him some stitches, but he declined to have it reattached because he said had abandoned everything," Prawing told Reuters by telephone. Prawing declined to comment on the monk's erection, which Bangkok-based Kom Chad Luk tabloid reported on its Web site.
Wouldn't mutilation be considered a sin? Or how about taking away the gift of being able create a life in this world responsibly? While I understand a monk takes a vow of chastity in refraining from wordly temptations such as sex, I still don't see the logic in mutilating yourself and being ok with it. Plus its not like sex is an evil act. It can be a beautiful thing regardless of the intent to procreate as long as its done responsibly.
i want to see the look on his face when he has a full bladder...lol...and he probably just had his morning glory during meditation...big whoop...it wasnt like he was thinking sexually about his idol...
I hear ya. . . I thought the . .uhm .. .accomplishment was in the resisting temptation not in the 'not having' temptation Better to not eat the cake that is there than to just not have the cake available Rocket River while the results are the same [the cake not eaten] . . it is different
There is no sin in Buddhism. Two monks were at the edge of a river they wished to cross when a woman approached them. She said that she probably wouldn't be able to cross on her own and would appreciate some help. The younger of the monks remained silent and let the more established practitioner speak - he said that yes, he could carry her across. He did so without much fanfare and bid her farewell on the other side of the river. Then the younger monk exploded. The older monk had been defiled by touching her! He'd renounced sex and yet had his hands all over that woman! That went directly against his vows! The older monk calmly replied: "I put her down a long time ago. Why are you still carrying her?" If you define yourself by the negation of something, you are still its slave.
Man... This guy is going to be pissed at me. I plan on living carefree until I'm on my deathbed. Then I will renounce all sins and go to the front of the line. I guess I'm more awesome than most.
Exactly! I think the problem is that most of you are looking at this as a matter of avoiding sin or retribution over sin. My own guess on the matter was that the monk sees this as the monk reognizes that he has made a vow of chastity and as such there is no need for him to have erections and to do so is problematic. Therefore why not remove the cause of the problem, his penis. It is extreme but in is in the similar to the idea of renouncing material possessions.
As bizarre as this story sounds, I always admire these monks for their conviction. Still odd, though. lol.
That is the reason why I put the quotes around the word sin, since I wasn't able to find another word to describe the "ill thoughts" that were still on the monk's mind
One of the problems is the terminology used. My understanding of "sin" is that it is an offense to God and is manifested through guilt. It also seems to me that in Judeo-Christian thought it is recognized that all humans since Adam are sinful by nature and that sin is something to be overcome but also that Christianity is about redeeming sin through asking for forgiveness. In a situation like this from a Christian viewpoint this might seem strange for the monk to cut off his penis because if he feels he has sinned that is part of human nature and it is for him to ask for forgiveness from God for that sin rather than mutilate himself. Further from the Judeo-Christian viewpoint the body is a temple and since we are made in God's image it is wrong for us to mutilate ourselves. So the action of self-inflicted mutilation further compounds the sin. Buddhism doesn't consider there to be actions that are offensive to a deity but as actions that are right and wrong and those actions have repercussions both to oneself and the universe as a whole. One can do actions that make one feel guilty or bad but those aren't going to offend a higher power. Also there is no forgiveness or absolution from a higher power in regard to actions. You are responsible for your own actions and the karmic repercussions that happen. In this case the monk believes his vow of chastity is right and that his penis is an impediment to that vow. So why not remove the impediment as it serves no other purpose than for sex which he has foresworn. Extreme but understandable.
Huh? Whether it offends God or it offends the universe. What's the distinction?? There have been Christians who have done this very thing...taking the quote from Christ about cutting off your own hand if it causes you to stumble quite literally. The Christian would see it as impediment to his vow, as well. There are Christians who have taken vows to avoid sex as well. Sorry..but I see no distinction here.
From a strictly Buddhist perspective there is no offense to God or to the Universe. The monk isn't acting out of a sense of correcting or avoiding an offense but to make it easier to fulfill his vow. I will emphasize that is my own guess of the Monk's motivations based upon my understanding. Further I am not saying Buddhism is right and Christianity is wrong which I get sense that you are reading in my post. They are different though. My post is addressing the use of the term "sin" which is Judeo-Christian and I don't think fits Buddhist thought anymore than Karma exactly translates to Judeo-Christian thought.
There is no offense in budhism. There are no absolute sins. There are only truths that budhists descover through introspection and meditations. I guess that is why many christians don't understand it. Budhism is the means and not the destination and isn't a religion as most people define it. It's more a philosophy that people made into a religion. Budhism is about enlightment through the objectivity you gain by giving up all things you desire. Its about eliminating the destractions of the material world so you can see the world more clearly.
Admire the conviction. Plus, he was just doing what he thought was right Unfortunately, what he thought was right was painful.. and stupid These things happen to everyone.
