Isn’t it better to work to make society a better place than to leave it in order to become a monk or nun? The monastic order is linked to society at large by a complex web of relationships. It might better be considered as one special part of society rather than a body outside of it altogether. Becoming a monastic does not entail cutting off all ties with the world, but of adopting a new relationship to it. Monastics uphold the integrity of the Buddha’s teachings, preventing them from becoming diluted or distorted. They put the teachings into practice and […]