THE SELF-PERCEPTION OF BUDDHIST MONKS
I.
IN HONG KONG TODAY
BARTHOLOMEW P. M. TSUI
Chinese University Of Hong Kong
Introduction
The title of this article may be ambiguous. One can imagine that in answer to the question of his self-perception a monk may say that there is no self according to Buddhist teaching and that therefore there cannot be such a thing as self-perception. To a student of religion the term 'self-perception' can be used to imply the value of the monk's activities in the context of the society he lives in. 'Self-perception' means the subjective awareness by the monk of the state of monkhood in relation to the reality around it. As the monk's perception of the world changes so must the state of monkhood be altered in order that its attractiveness be maintained. But does the monk's perception of the world change? Has it not been philosophically determined once for all by earlier writers? The truth is that changes in the secular sphere such as in the economic condition of society, customs, and trends of thought, did, and still do, affect life in the sangha. For example, Ch'an monks made it a point that they ought to cultivate land for their own livelihood. This is in direct contrast to the monks in India where begging is the accepted norm of the ascetical life. It is an integral part of the scheme of things. However, in China, nothing positive can be said of begging. The Chinese monks could not change the cultural opinion around them. In order to make themselves acceptable, they abolished their rule of begging. This is a case where the secular definition of reality has affected life in the sangha.
But 'self-perception' deals with problems larger than what has been described as "the value of the monk's activities in the context of the society he lives in." A change in self-perception ultimately calls for a change in the conception of the religious quest, or at least a different configuration of it. However, a clear perception that such a necessity exists would demand an immense
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THE SELF-PERCEPTION OF BUDDHIST MONKS
I.
IN HONG KONG TODAY
BARTHOLOMEW P. M. TSUI
Chinese University Of Hong Kong
Introduction
The title of this article may be ambiguous. One can imagine that in answer to the question of his self-perception a monk may say that there is no self according to Buddhist teaching and that therefore there cannot be such a thing as self-perception. To a student of religion the term 'self-perception' can be used to imply the value of the monk's activities in the context of the society he lives in. 'Self-perception' means the subjective awareness by the monk of the state of monkhood in relation to the reality around it. As the monk's perception of the world changes so must the state of monkhood be altered in order that its attractiveness be maintained. But does the monk's perception of the world change? Has it not been philosophically determined once for all by earlier writers? The truth is that changes in the secular sphere such as in the economic condition of society, customs, and trends of thought, did, and still do, affect life in the sangha. For example, Ch'an monks made it a point that they ought to cultivate land for their own livelihood. This is in direct contrast to the monks in India where begging is the accepted norm of the ascetical life. It is an integral part of the scheme of things. However, in China, nothing positive can be said of begging. The Chinese monks could not change the cultural opinion around them. In order to make themselves acceptable, they abolished their rule of begging. This is a case where the secular definition of reality has affected life in the sangha.
But 'self-perception' deals with problems larger than what has been described as "the value of the monk's activities in the context of the society he lives in." A change in self-perception ultimately calls for a change in the conception of the religious quest, or at least a different configuration of it. However, a clear perception that such a necessity exists would demand an immense
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