Yes, none of that stiff upper lip understatement here... No Sir!
Mike
Why would a monastery keep the meditation hall locked?
Re: Why would a monastery keep the meditation hall locked?
Let's break in and find outJames the Giant wrote:Why would a monastery keep their meditation hall locked?
Life is preparing for Death
Re: Why would a monastery keep the meditation hall locked?
gavesako wrote:Not all monasteries in the West follow this tradition of burying the sima stones, in England it was done simply and unceremoniously just by placing them around.
Hi Bhante
Might you have been thinking of the Chithurst sima, as recorded here -
http://www.amaravati.org/documents/citt ... first.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: Why would a monastery keep the meditation hall locked?
Hi JamesJames the Giant wrote: Now I'm curious as to why the bhikkhus didn't just say that. There seems to be, amongst some bhikkhus, a reluctance to explain some things, even when asked directly why. I wonder if that's some vinaya rule or something.
Ben is probably correct about the language gulf.
Alternatively, it might have stemmed from the monks' recognition of a cultural gulf. For some Thai monastics, the sima does not merely demarcate the space for Sangha business/acts. It is also viewed as demarcating "sacred" space, especially if rattan and stone spheres were involved in the creation of the sima.
Perhaps they did not want to give this culturally-loaded explanation in a non-Thai setting?
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Re: Why would a monastery keep the meditation hall locked?
Greetings,
Metta,
Retro.
Maybe there's a deva in there they don't want you to disturb.James the Giant wrote:I asked two of the bhikkhus why; the senior bhikkhu said because there are a lot of criminals in the area, (in the rural Yarra valley?), and the other bhikkhu shrugged and changed the subject. It seemed like there was some subtext I was unaware of... not sure what it could be.
Metta,
Retro.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."