Belief and Reason

It has been around one week since I've been here, and it's really got me thinking.
I'm not yet ready to give up some luxuries such as a pillow and maybe an inch of cushioning for me bed. I don't find my self incredibly materialistic except when it comes to the beauty counter, okay so maybe on some things. This life that I lived in for a week was very very confusing and yet understanding.

PROS AND CONS:
To the weastern eyes these people may seem a little institutionlized, but in reality if you compare there life to some villagers especially women, you would see how nice this really is. The morning wake ups are a pain but as all things become a routine, this is also the same. The days are long and hard and you sleep well, but to sacrafice the night life, i'm not yet ready.

The women and men here wear a blue outfit that says that they are within the community and are also following the 5 precepts. Some things are never true good to be true. As I was reading the material on what it means to be in the community i found that some of it was a bit hippocritical. In the material there are a lof of harsh words that differentiate the main stream monk like to the Asoke monk life. One of the first precepts is to have a neutral mind and to not take favors or dislikes about anything. They compare a lot about the 2 and very confidently display how they are slightly superiour of the two.

Another one of hte precepts is to not have passion about eating, you must always be neutral. Yet they are leading a protest about the government and are very passionate about this whole ordeal.

Shoes:

In the material ot also states that main stream monks wear shoes and that Budda never wore shoes, but budda also never lived in dirty ass bangkok were this is dog shit all over the place, and not to mention swear water streaming by. I hail the mainstream monks for being idealists and tending to simple hygene.

Bowing down to Monks.
I being a hot headed person that thinks of everyone has equal find this practice a little strange. When you see a monk on the street within the commiunity you need to get down on your knees and bow down to them. Monks also always sit above you, and you have to sit in a manner that does not offent them, ie always have feet facing away from them. That i can handle but just because they gave up there life to live a very simple way does not by any means mean that they are more superior beings than me. They are just as human as I am, and if i don't read my dharma book all day and sleep in a little place does not mean that i'm not as important. They are treated almost godly here and i feel that confuses the reality of the fact that they are just flesh and blood, and they take shits, and also like to eat sticky rice and mango.

I'm not going to state all my points, but it is something to consider, even if you are being a traditionalist, this world is always changing and you can't live as though you were still in the beautiful medows of heavely lush fields in the 9th century BC. People tend to relate there lives to what it was like 20 years ago, but 20 years ago was a long time and this is now.

I spoke to a monk when i first arrived to the temple and she said live your life in the present and think about your future, but live in the present. I find this very ironic now, since becoming a monk is the ultimate heiarchy in achieving reincarnation as a human in your next life. Yet becoming a monk you give up the excitment that this world has to offer such as good mexican food and traveling to see what is near and far. To be living in the present you have to allow yourself to feel the world and not to restrict what it has to offer. I'm sure if Buddha had PS2 and had a Singha beer in his hand on a hot day he also would say 'This world I live in is bang ass fun".
And then he would go to a gay bar with karoke and sing Maddonna songs(really really badly), which is what i did last night, and it was a jolly good time i say!