Occupation: Monastic, Part One

In the past, the world was less crowded and the pace of life was slower. Monastics withdrew from the life of a householder to live a more reclusive life. They renounced a life in which family and work responsibilities, and earning a livelihood were of prime concern. They did so to be able to dedicate their lives to progressing more rapidly along the path to awakening.

To become a monastic, the individual needed to be sure family responsibilities would be met in the future. For example, if the parents were elderly, the future monastic needed to arrange for their support. They might have asked siblings, neighbors, or friends if they would be able to help. Family responsibilities well taken care of, the person could leave home and begin to follow the occupation of a monastic.

Depending on the tradition, there would be different kinds of work for the monastic to do. The work usually entailed cleaning, maintenance, and sometimes farming and cooking. When finished with their daily work, the monastics would practice and learn. Different traditions and masters would have their students do these in varying proportions.

Contact with the outside world was limited. Monasteries and nunneries were often located in forests and on mountains and, thus, not readily accessible. This inaccessibility provided more time for the monastics to do their work, practice, and study.

In China, for example, it was traditional for new monastics to spend most of their time working. After a few years, they would be able to spend eight hours a day in study and eight hours in cultivation. Spending sixteen hours a day on study and cultivation, and having limited contact with the outside world, left them with little time for wandering thoughts. In this way, they could advance in their practice fairly quickly.

So monastic's lives, which were very busy, were somewhat removed from society.