Monks - The Daily Life of Buddhist Monks (Color Illustrations and Text)

Author: Chen Chen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Illustrates the life of practicing Buddhism, profound writings on liberation, walks through the monastic world, and amusingly explains the freedom of all beings! "All men are my father, all women are my mother; I am reborn from them in every life. Therefore, all beings in the six paths are my parents. Those who kill and eat them also kill my very body." — The Sutra of the Net of Indra
I first made the decision to become a monk at the Chan Ding Temple in Songjiang, where the abbot was Master Yi Lin. "Daqian," my Dharma name, was given to me by the elderly abbot, Master Yi Lin. At first, I followed the Buddha's teachings completely, living by the principle: "One meal during the day, one night under a tree." — Zhang Daqian's friendship with the old monk was brief; he was actually Master Hongyi Li Shu Tong. However, in the decades that followed, he could not help but often recall a glimpse beyond their artistic exchanges—the resolute determination to sever ties with the mortal world and the depth of his inner serenity and composure, which left him deeply moved upon reflection. When it comes to us "ordinary people" dealing with worldly matters, are there any aspects worth adopting? — Huang Yongyu
Monks, as a special class in society, have always held a mysterious aura for us ordinary people. However, this book depicts the worldly aspects of monastic life with witty prose and detailed illustrations, revealing the simplicity and humanity of their existence. Their modest and minimalist way of life, reflecting the essence of human nature, is undoubtedly worth learning from and emulating.