[usadatronourl]

Ive debated this over and over in my mind, a couple years I go I took my plan into action, without the consent of the local temple were I used to be a monk, I become a non celibate lama, with long hair and jewelery and continued dating my girlfriend, in my avatar picture you can see what I looked like then, well ive got religion again and am restarting my attempt to set an example of a non celibate clergy but this time the difference with real monks is more obvious.

I simply wear monk coloured clothes, shirt, t shirt and pants, right now Im wearing maroon pants, orange t shirt and dark red shirt, a crucifix necklace, three gold and silver rings, and a new watch, i smoke cigarettes, another thing forbidden to lamas and I occassionly play music and or sing, and I have long hair, so im really only keeping 6 of the ten precepts, I strictly observe the 5 precepts and have a close celibate relationship with a woman.

Once you've been a monk in the Thai or southeast asian tradition like I have, I think your called a Bhikku, and you are really supposed to stay a teacher and source of wisdom for young people the rest of your life, I just aim to make that more visible that I am, in reality in some small way I am a guru, not a lama or a monk, but I have taken a lifetime vow in the Mahayana tradition to do this the rest of my life, and sincerely believe my Karma is in jepardy if I go back to my old ways,

I have fought drugs all my life and have only been off them three years, these monk coloured clothes remind me how mortally important it is to keep those 6 precepts and most of the other couple hundred the monks observe. Its working for me, how does it sound to you, i'm really interested to hear.

[DoctorTentonyya]

Hi Lyndon John

Buddhism has many lay teachers, so I do not see what the issue is.

Apart from that, Buddhism is essentially different than Catholicism although Buddhism does contain alot of the same wrong reasons for ordaining.

The wrong reasons I am referring to is ordaining for reasons other than for here & now happiness or Nirvana.

In its pure essence, celibacy is the example that the highest joy (Nirvana) can be found free from sensuality.

I believe this example is so important because it demonstrates real freedom.

But where men or women ordain for a reward in a future life, and then spend their ordained lives battling with sexual urges, then, for me, this is problematic.

But sure, if lay teachers can offer teachings to people then non-celibacy is a good thing.

Kindly

Element

[sterofthemasteool]

Buddhism has a uniform for monks and nuns, a white a black uniform for therevada temple boys, but not a traditional uniform for lay teachers and gurus, i have a dream to establish a precedent for lay teachers being visible as such by wearing monk coloured clothes, i may pass on being the only one, and then I will have still accomplished my goal. as to people praying for future rebirth, i still think this is a valid form of buddhism, just as a lot of christians live not for the here and now but an afterlife in heaven.