Can Monks jog or do any kind of workout? Or is it recommended not to because they don’t eat after noon so working out would drain a lot of energy?
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Yes, can.
You’ll be surprised at how much exercise some monks I know can do. And how little food he eats.
Anyway, there’s this thing which is that only initally changing into higher active lifestyle does the energy requirement increase, but after a while, it a lot more energy goes to maintain the muscles.
Weight lifting, rowing maybe more suitable compared to jogging. Tai chi is cool too.
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I have been doing knee lifts on a regular basis. It works for me and does not impact the body. I try to do between 400 and 600. Alms and sweeping is also exercise. But you need to get the heart going. I think this exercise works well, and I practice chanting while i’m doing them. I have a small digital ring counter. It works. (they cost $1 or $2).
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That’s interesting, Venerable Sir. I like the monk lifestyle even more now. So far my understanding is the monk life is so much better than the lay life because it’s possible to exercise and study the Dhamma just like lay people but monks have more free time and they can also meditate full-time in a forest, and there are way less duties than the lay life. The lay life is also much stressful compared to the monk life.
Monks can do exercises as long as they do not contradict the principle of wise reflection (yoniso manasikara): ‘neva davāya, na madāya, na maṇḍanāya, na vibhūsanāya, yāvadeva imassa kāyassa ṭhitiyā yāpanāya, vihiṃsūparatiyā, brahmacariyānuggahāya’ [not for sport, gaming, joy or decoration, but merely to support the body in order to prevent discomfort and maintain our holy life]. Newly ordained monks don’t have much time because of their duties, and it depends on the monastery and the teacher, but mostly they don’t have much time for themselves because they need to prove that they are good enough to become a bhikkhu in the future.
but, yeah monkhood is the best envireonment to develop the path
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