[Buddha-l] The *** Problem, Revisited

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Op 03-10-10 17:00, R B Basham schreef:
> Bangkok, Thailand -- Buddhists in Thailand are usually proud of their
> faith - that the form of Buddhism they believe in, as one of the three
> cardinal national institutes, is the purest and most orthodox school of
> Buddhism directly passed down from the time of Lord Buddha over 2,500
> years ago. It is also the land where Buddhist monks are following the
> strictest interpretation of monastic rules.
>    
They are not the only ones.
> Therefore, the logic behind Buddhist donations is not for the purpose of
> purity of the mind, but to have the highest yield from their donation.
> Psychologically, the paternalist attitude of the lay Buddhists towards
> their monks is born of the instinctive protection of their own spiritual
> investment. Some psychoanalysts have taken further steps in analysing
> that the paternalistic nature of lay Buddhists develops from the
> "baby-like" innocent faces of monks: monks have to shave their heads
> regularly and this tradition has made their faces look like babies', an
> image which stirs the maternal instincts of lay women. This theory not
> only explains why the majority of attendants of monks and monasteries
> are women and not men, but also the maternalistic attitude of Thai women
> towards monks.
> ...
>    
Well, we can prove this scientifically by having half of the monks 
wearing diapers while going around for alms. They should collect more if 
the hypothesis is right.

erik