Difference Between Monks Now Days and Monks in the Past
From my perspective, when we compare the lives styles of the monks in early period and modern society, it’s very clear to understand or get the image on Buddhist monks. When Buddhism emerged or discovered by the Buddha, It was so pure and were strict or in other words it was practiced exactly the ways the Buddha said or taught. During the Buddha’s time, we use to see monks going to forest and other secluded places to settle down to meditate for the cultivation of oneself and get rid of cycle of Re-birth (Sansara). There are many good examples of Buddha’s disciples who became arahants.
Arahant is the word that we can translate into English as ‘Worthy-One’, produced by the Buddhas, or in other words if there is no Buddha, then there is no Arahant and Buddhas teach disciples and then Disciples becoming Arahants under the instructions of the any Buddhas. There are many kinds of Buddhas. The last Buddha was Gotama the Buddha of the Sakyan Clan. A good Example like Sariputta, Moggallana, Ananda, Maha Kassapa, Upali and many others disciples of the Buddha who became the anrahants under the instructions of the Buddha. In the History of Buddhism when we read about Buddhism, we came across many such disciples getting liberated and have great fames that were capable of becoming arahants or sotapanna. In the contemporary time of the Buddha, He also faced many problems with his disciples or followers. With his great compassion (Karuna), he directed them in the right way. When he directed he did not use kinds of Psychic powers to maintain his followers. When he preached he used many ways or Medias so that his followers could understand what he taught easily. From my understanding in the Modern world or Buddhism nowadays, we rarely hear that there is an Aranhant. Why don’t we have many Arahant as we used to have during the Buddha’s time? There could be many reasons such as not putting Buddhism into real Practices, or Buddhist monks nowadays don’t practiced as earlier monks during the Buddha’s time, Monks could be lazy, Buddhism has changed slightly, Well~ some parts of Buddhism is changed already.
Today, we see some countries have mixed up with Buddhism and culture. We can’t exactly say that Buddhism is destroyed as it was not recorded from the very beginning. Well, it was recoded in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Buddhist rehearsals soon after the demise of the Buddha. One good reason with early and modern Buddhist monks is involved in Modern Technology. This is very important to note that Modern World is based on Technology and when we look back, early monks did not have technology such as computer, mobile, ipad, and internet and so on. But almost everything is controlled by technologies in today. Modern time’s monks are using computers and internet to benefit one-self and others. Some Buddhist people might misunderstand why a monk who has abandoned lives why need to keep contacts with computers and internets. Lets say, monks who are studying, teachers are using computer to teach. Some monks are using internet to learn from online, to make friends and Finally Teach the people Online easily.
So, we don’t see too many monks who are going to forest and meditate as early monks and also not seen any Arahants in the Modern time. I could say that monks in the past has pure teaching and practiced well but nowadays is changed and have more clinging to Modern Technologies, As a result impurity in monks and not same as Buddhist monks as earlier.
