Monks are forbidden to divine either good fortune or future tragedy by observing heavenly omens, thereby deceiving both the tennō and the people. They are also forbidden to possess and study military tracts; to commit murder, rape, robbery or other crimes; and to feign enlightenment.
The precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication.
It was meant to ensure that their thoughts did not become entangled in the preoccupations of the world outside the cloister, thereby distracting them from their lives of prayerful contemplation and quest for spiritual salvation – the core purpose of the monastic life.
“In this culture, people like to give a hug in friendship, but monks don't do that.
“There are no restrictions for the monks to use cell phones, but in the Buddha sanctuary there was no modern technology,” he said. “When the world develops, monks also have to adapt to society and modern world. But the thing is, when they adapt to the changing world, they should not change their main principles.
They spend a lot of their time devoting themselves to their religious practices, such as prayer, mass, reflection, or meditation. In their free time, they will often exercise, cook, forage, or do various tasks around the monastery.
The monks go on alms round in the morning and the only other activities of the day are morning chores, breakfast, and the main meal. At 7:00 pm, the community gathers for pūjā, meditation, the taking of the precepts by the laity and a Dhamma talk.
Monks, for example, are not allowed to get married nor have children. They leave their family forever and get a new family in the monastery.
Admittedly, the five precepts that lay Buddhists agree to follow say that one should refrain from drinking alcohol and it is also one of the basic rules that novices and fully ordained monks are responsible for following.
He does not follow the rules of the monastery which say that monks should not hunt, be reckless, nor leave the monastery. Instead,they should study and perform manual labor. The Monk ignores these rules.
The situation among monks is somewhat more relaxed. One abbot (M3-1) explained that: any monk can go and talk with whomever he wants, but not wherever or in whatever way.
Accordingly in the different Buddhist texts, advice has been given to get rid of all kinds of evils or sins. It has been said that greed (lobha), attraction (rāga), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha) are the sources of all kinds of evil acts [2].
Shaolin monks can perform seemingly impossible feats of mental and physical prowess. They poke holes into trees with their fingers, they bang their bare heads against stone walls and knock their heads together to harden their skulls. They knife-scrape their stomachs to strengthen their core area.
Do the monks need food items other than the meal? (“allowables”) In the Theravada Tradition, monks are allowed to consume “tonics” or what are also called “allowables” in the afternoon/evening/early morning to stave off weakness or illness. These include things like cheese, butter, dark chocolate, etc..
Between praying up to seven times a day and working a medieval monk got little sleep. They averaged approximately five hours sleep between evening prayers and the 2am church service, and then snatched another half an hour before being up at 4am for more prayer.
“Do monks get days off and vacations?” This is a very common question that most people ask us as monks. Monks in simple vows are allowed one week of vacation and monks in final (solemn) vows are allowed two weeks vacation every year.
Restrictive diet
Traditionally, those alms are calorie-rich foods, either processed or homemade – with the Buddhist faithful wanting to offer something of high value and taste. The monks are also forbidden from eating anything after 12 p.m., having only one or two meals a day between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.
The ranks of male and female monastics are the same, and women “have this 'chutzpah' because when the tradition was introduced in Japan in the sixth century, women were the first to be fully ordained, Arai said. In Tibetan Buddhism, nuns have achieved many of the privileges historically reserved for monks.
4.00 am - The monks wake up and meditate for one hour, followed by one hour of chanting. 6.00 am - The monks walk barefoot around the neighbourhood while the local people make merit by offering them food. 8.00 am - Returning to the temple, the monks sit together to eat breakfast.
Thinking like a monk means adopting simple, selfless and meaningful actions towards everything you do daily (no matter how small or insignificant it may seem). It is about focusing on what matters most and being content with the little things in life rather than being caught up in material desires, anxieties and fears.
Buddhist monks and nuns are completely reliant on the lay community to provide them with the material things they need to survive. In warmer Buddhist countries, monks will walk around their local village at mealtimes in what's called an 'alms round', holding a bowl for locals to put food into.
NO TOUCHING
Do not touch people you meet and shaking hands is considered bad manners. Also, do not touch monks ever.
In the Buddhist tradition, a monk's vow of silence is a way to practice proper speech. Monks feel that they would avoid saying something negative by avoiding revealing anything that comes to mind. For them, speaking with silence is a way to practice nonviolence.