WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.800 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:02.800 --> 00:00:04.700 align:middle line:90%
- My name is Manapo.

00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:06.140 align:middle line:90%
Manapo Bhikkhu.

00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:07.450 align:middle line:90%
And I am a Buddhist monk.

00:00:07.450 --> 00:00:15.320 align:middle line:90%


00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:19.580 align:middle line:84%
A bhikkhu is a fully
ordained Buddhist monk.

00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:24.230 align:middle line:84%
The word literally means
one who depends on alms.

00:00:24.230 --> 00:00:30.654 align:middle line:84%
Not these kinds of arms, but
alms as in gifts of food.

00:00:30.654 --> 00:00:31.610 align:middle line:90%
[BELL CHIME]

00:00:31.610 --> 00:00:34.850 align:middle line:84%
Typical day will begin
at half past five.

00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:38.340 align:middle line:84%
So a bell, a big bell will
be rung at half past five.

00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:42.120 align:middle line:84%
And then hopefully
everybody gets up.

00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:46.340 align:middle line:84%
And then at 6:00 am, there
is what we call morning puja.

00:00:46.340 --> 00:00:51.200 align:middle line:84%
And that is an hour of chanting
followed by meditation.

00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:52.661 align:middle line:90%
[CHANTING]

00:00:52.661 --> 00:01:04.360 align:middle line:90%


00:01:04.360 --> 00:01:06.280 align:middle line:84%
Buddhist meditation
is a combination

00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:08.440 align:middle line:90%
of samatha and vipassana.

00:01:08.440 --> 00:01:11.500 align:middle line:84%
Samatha means calming,
stilling the mind,

00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:14.575 align:middle line:84%
making it peaceful and,
most importantly, clear.

00:01:14.575 --> 00:01:17.400 align:middle line:90%


00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:20.050 align:middle line:90%
Vipassana means insight.

00:01:20.050 --> 00:01:21.570 align:middle line:84%
And this is the
goal of Buddhism.

00:01:21.570 --> 00:01:24.240 align:middle line:84%
So we are developing
a concentrated mind

00:01:24.240 --> 00:01:31.390 align:middle line:84%
that is able to see things
clearly and then let go.

00:01:31.390 --> 00:01:34.570 align:middle line:84%
Then at half past
seven, we have chores.

00:01:34.570 --> 00:01:36.100 align:middle line:90%
And these go on for an hour.

00:01:36.100 --> 00:01:38.720 align:middle line:84%
An important part of
the monastic discipline

00:01:38.720 --> 00:01:41.665 align:middle line:84%
is looking after the
place in which you live.

00:01:41.665 --> 00:01:44.210 align:middle line:84%
You would usually find
monasteries to be very clean

00:01:44.210 --> 00:01:45.750 align:middle line:90%
and well-kept places.

00:01:45.750 --> 00:01:48.950 align:middle line:90%


00:01:48.950 --> 00:01:51.410 align:middle line:84%
Then at about half
past eight I will

00:01:51.410 --> 00:01:53.960 align:middle line:90%
have a period of personal time.

00:01:53.960 --> 00:01:56.700 align:middle line:90%


00:01:56.700 --> 00:02:00.870 align:middle line:84%
Enlightenment is when we fully
understand the Four Noble

00:02:00.870 --> 00:02:02.300 align:middle line:90%
Truths.

00:02:02.300 --> 00:02:05.360 align:middle line:84%
The First Noble Truth is that
this ordinary life of ours

00:02:05.360 --> 00:02:08.940 align:middle line:90%
involves suffering.

00:02:08.940 --> 00:02:12.540 align:middle line:84%
The Second Noble Truth is
that our suffering is caused

00:02:12.540 --> 00:02:16.116 align:middle line:90%
by our craving and our desires.

00:02:16.116 --> 00:02:19.440 align:middle line:84%
The Third Noble Truth is
that this suffering can be

00:02:19.440 --> 00:02:22.485 align:middle line:90%
ended by letting go of craving.

00:02:22.485 --> 00:02:26.220 align:middle line:84%
And the Fourth Noble Truth
is the Noble Eightfold Path,

00:02:26.220 --> 00:02:28.140 align:middle line:84%
the Buddha's
teachings, which lead

00:02:28.140 --> 00:02:30.076 align:middle line:90%
to the ending of suffering.

00:02:30.076 --> 00:02:34.050 align:middle line:90%


00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:37.210 align:middle line:84%
Then at 11:00 we eat
our one meal of the day.

00:02:37.210 --> 00:02:40.060 align:middle line:84%
And we have to eat
that before 12:00.

00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:42.460 align:middle line:90%
And that is a ceremony.

00:02:42.460 --> 00:02:46.550 align:middle line:84%
So we monks have to
formally receive the food.

00:02:46.550 --> 00:02:48.570 align:middle line:84%
So we don't just go
and help ourselves,

00:02:48.570 --> 00:02:51.650 align:middle line:90%
it's all given to us.

00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:54.430 align:middle line:84%
I've been a Buddhist
monk for almost 17 years.

00:02:54.430 --> 00:02:58.030 align:middle line:84%
And I haven't had any money
during that time, not even

00:02:58.030 --> 00:02:58.960 align:middle line:90%
a penny.

00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:01.930 align:middle line:84%
So that means that
we are completely

00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:05.100 align:middle line:84%
dependent upon the
generosity of others.

00:03:05.100 --> 00:03:08.010 align:middle line:90%


00:03:08.010 --> 00:03:11.550 align:middle line:84%
As a monk, being dependent
on what people give to me,

00:03:11.550 --> 00:03:15.190 align:middle line:84%
I am grateful for
whatever food is offered.

00:03:15.190 --> 00:03:18.390 align:middle line:84%
However, I choose
to be a vegetarian.

00:03:18.390 --> 00:03:20.340 align:middle line:84%
A central teaching
in Buddhism is

00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:24.720 align:middle line:84%
compassion wishing all living
beings to be free of suffering.

00:03:24.720 --> 00:03:27.960 align:middle line:84%
In the process of
producing meat,

00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:30.090 align:middle line:84%
there is obviously
an enormous amount

00:03:30.090 --> 00:03:32.200 align:middle line:84%
of suffering in
the animal world.

00:03:32.200 --> 00:03:38.530 align:middle line:84%
And so we want to help animals
by stopping eating meat.

00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:41.140 align:middle line:84%
As a Buddhist monk, I don't
have many possessions.

00:03:41.140 --> 00:03:43.420 align:middle line:84%
There are eight basic
requisites which

00:03:43.420 --> 00:03:48.530 align:middle line:84%
we are supposed to have
which includes-- three robes.

00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:51.220 align:middle line:90%
There is the alms bowl.

00:03:51.220 --> 00:03:53.520 align:middle line:90%
There is a water filter.

00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:59.800 align:middle line:84%
A razor, a belt, and
a needle and thread.

00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:04.150 align:middle line:90%


00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:06.280 align:middle line:84%
Buddhist monks'
robes are usually

00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:09.010 align:middle line:90%
yellow or orange or brown.

00:04:09.010 --> 00:04:13.840 align:middle line:84%
And in ancient India, yellow
was the colour of renunciation.

00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.660 align:middle line:84%
The word renunciation
means to leave behind.

00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:20.200 align:middle line:84%
So when we wear
this yellow robe,

00:04:20.200 --> 00:04:23.260 align:middle line:84%
it's the same colour as a
leaf that's about to fall from

00:04:23.260 --> 00:04:23.950 align:middle line:90%
a tree.

00:04:23.950 --> 00:04:28.090 align:middle line:84%
It signifies that we have left
behind the so-called ordinary

00:04:28.090 --> 00:04:30.710 align:middle line:90%
life, the rat race.

00:04:30.710 --> 00:04:35.170 align:middle line:84%
So we leave behind our
money, our wealth, our family

00:04:35.170 --> 00:04:37.780 align:middle line:90%
and relationships.

00:04:37.780 --> 00:04:43.060 align:middle line:84%
We also leave behind our
hair and our normal clothes.

00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:46.090 align:middle line:84%
I shave my head for the same
reason that I wear the robe.

00:04:46.090 --> 00:04:48.960 align:middle line:84%
So it's another symbol
of renunciation.

00:04:48.960 --> 00:04:53.020 align:middle line:84%
Hair is often closely
connected with vanity.

00:04:53.020 --> 00:04:55.030 align:middle line:84%
People spend an
awful lot of time

00:04:55.030 --> 00:04:57.610 align:middle line:84%
on their hair and
their appearance.

00:04:57.610 --> 00:04:59.950 align:middle line:84%
By shaving off our
hair, we're saying

00:04:59.950 --> 00:05:04.810 align:middle line:84%
that physical appearance
and beauty are not important

00:05:04.810 --> 00:05:07.720 align:middle line:84%
when it comes to the
pursuit of real happiness.

00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:10.340 align:middle line:90%


00:05:10.340 --> 00:05:13.940 align:middle line:84%
On the day that I
became a novice monk,

00:05:13.940 --> 00:05:16.530 align:middle line:90%
I was given the name Manapo.

00:05:16.530 --> 00:05:18.270 align:middle line:90%
Manapo is a Pali word.

00:05:18.270 --> 00:05:22.550 align:middle line:84%
So Pali is the language of
the ancient Buddhist texts.

00:05:22.550 --> 00:05:25.440 align:middle line:90%
It means "the likable one".

00:05:25.440 --> 00:05:28.170 align:middle line:84%
So whether my teacher
found me likeable

00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:33.050 align:middle line:84%
or whether it's something I need
to work on, I'm not quite sure.

00:05:33.050 --> 00:05:37.220 align:middle line:84%
During the late afternoon,
we have time to ourselves.

00:05:37.220 --> 00:05:39.230 align:middle line:84%
And it will be similar
to the morning period.

00:05:39.230 --> 00:05:42.170 align:middle line:84%
So walking meditation,
sitting meditation,

00:05:42.170 --> 00:05:46.115 align:middle line:84%
perhaps some private study,
reading of Buddhist texts.

00:05:46.115 --> 00:05:49.860 align:middle line:90%


00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:54.080 align:middle line:84%
Walking meditation is very
similar to sitting meditation

00:05:54.080 --> 00:05:57.180 align:middle line:84%
in that we focus
on just one thing.

00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:00.960 align:middle line:84%
So we have a number of paths,
a number of walking paths,

00:06:00.960 --> 00:06:02.250 align:middle line:90%
around the monastery.

00:06:02.250 --> 00:06:04.320 align:middle line:90%
And they're just straight paths.

00:06:04.320 --> 00:06:06.510 align:middle line:90%
And we walk back and forth.

00:06:06.510 --> 00:06:09.990 align:middle line:84%
And as we walk, we
focus very carefully

00:06:09.990 --> 00:06:13.435 align:middle line:84%
on the soles of our feet
touching the ground.

00:06:13.435 --> 00:06:22.590 align:middle line:90%


00:06:22.590 --> 00:06:25.770 align:middle line:90%
As a bhikkhu I am not married.

00:06:25.770 --> 00:06:28.140 align:middle line:84%
I don't have a
girlfriend or a partner.

00:06:28.140 --> 00:06:30.880 align:middle line:84%
And I am not allowed
to get married.

00:06:30.880 --> 00:06:36.560 align:middle line:90%


00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:39.380 align:middle line:84%
So at 8:00 pm we
have evening puja,

00:06:39.380 --> 00:06:43.244 align:middle line:84%
which is more or less
the same as morning puja.

00:06:43.244 --> 00:06:45.035 align:middle line:84%
But the chanting is a
little bit different.

00:06:45.035 --> 00:06:46.715 align:middle line:90%
[CHANTING]

00:06:46.715 --> 00:07:07.990 align:middle line:90%


00:07:07.990 --> 00:07:12.560 align:middle line:84%
After evening puja, we
have personal time again.

00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:17.590 align:middle line:84%
And then I go to bed usually
between 11:00 and 12:00.

00:07:17.590 --> 00:07:22.780 align:middle line:84%
So as a monk, I don't get as
much sleep as most people.

00:07:22.780 --> 00:07:25.270 align:middle line:84%
I do get more than what
the Buddha recommended.

00:07:25.270 --> 00:07:27.250 align:middle line:90%
He recommended four hours.

00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:29.650 align:middle line:84%
And the reason why we
don't need to sleep as much

00:07:29.650 --> 00:07:33.910 align:middle line:84%
is because meditation
practice in part

00:07:33.910 --> 00:07:38.770 align:middle line:84%
fulfils the function of
sleeping and dreaming because it

00:07:38.770 --> 00:07:41.963 align:middle line:90%
can be a very restful activity.

00:07:41.963 --> 00:07:51.630 align:middle line:90%


00:07:51.630 --> 00:07:54.180 align:middle line:84%
The thing I find most
rewarding about being a bhikkhu

00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:57.910 align:middle line:84%
is that it gives
my life a purpose.

00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:01.740 align:middle line:84%
One of the most difficult
things I found about life

00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:07.380 align:middle line:84%
before was the sense
that it had no purpose.

00:08:07.380 --> 00:08:09.630 align:middle line:90%
I realised that I'd been born.

00:08:09.630 --> 00:08:11.190 align:middle line:90%
I was going to live a bit.

00:08:11.190 --> 00:08:12.630 align:middle line:90%
And then I was going to die.

00:08:12.630 --> 00:08:14.640 align:middle line:90%
What's the point in that?

00:08:14.640 --> 00:08:17.760 align:middle line:84%
But as a monk, I've
given my life a purpose.

00:08:17.760 --> 00:08:20.790 align:middle line:84%
And that purpose is to
reach enlightenment,

00:08:20.790 --> 00:08:25.860 align:middle line:84%
which means to free my mind
from all greed, hatred,

00:08:25.860 --> 00:08:27.540 align:middle line:90%
and delusion.

00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:31.520 align:middle line:84%
I might be some way off, but
at least I have a purpose.

00:08:31.520 --> 00:08:34.270 align:middle line:90%
[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:08:34.270 --> 00:08:46.724 align:middle line:90%