shiny shaved heads

[seadog]

Today on the teleovision the Dali Lama was speaking at a press club luncheon. While studying the Dali Lama and his aide (also a monk) who helps him with English, I couldn't help but notice how shiny both their heads were.I'am not talking just a bit of gleam from the lights but full on crystal ball shiny.

This got me thinking about hair or the lack of it.Why is it Buddahist monks shave their heads and daoist monks are often pictured with long hair?

[林愛偉]

Today on the teleovision the Dali Lama was speaking at a press club luncheon. While studying the Dali Lama and his aide (also a monk) who helps him with English, I couldn't help but notice how shiny both their heads were.I'am not talking just a bit of gleam from the lights but full on crystal ball shiny.

This got me thinking about hair or the lack of it.Why is it Buddahist monks shave their heads and daoist monks are often pictured with long hair?

 

 

Overall, its a form of renouncing Form itself. That which is sought to be maintained, one renounces it, and takes the humble appearance. The baldness is to relieve one of ego, yet many Buddhist monks still hold onto views of self.

The long hair in Daoist cultivation is to symbolize, one - a mature, man of virtue; two - well cultivated in the "Fine Arts" as we call it. Buddhists don't regard hair for any symbol. "Fine Arts" being cultivation of body, mind, qi and attaining high levels of cultivation within it through virtue and moral. The arts would be around body cultivation, mind cultivation and energetic cultivation, eventually seeing no separation of them...eventually, yet even Daoists cling to the body too much, and get stuck in forms.

 

Plus, no hair, or having shaved one's head is also a sign of not bearing marks, no attachments. For some people, at a certain time in their cultivation, one response form high virtue and moral and wisdom is that the hair falls out all on its own in one shot. Not to be confused with occasional balding...all in one shot due to cultivation.

I've met some Daoisits with no hair. Long hair in the past was a symbol, but now its no longer seen as one. The proof is in the pudding so to say, so many old Daoists are bald, or just have short hair. Also hair was a sign of Yin and no hair, Yang. Lots of hair concealed the Yang. But its all dependant on the mind of the cultivator at all times. Some get stuck on marks, forms.

 

Also, not every Buddhist keeps a bald head, and no beared. Most Buddhas appear with a head of short hair... all depending on how the cultivator can conceive of them.

 

Peace and Blessings,

Lin

[beancurdturtle]

The arts would be around body cultivation, mind cultivation and energetic cultivation, eventually seeing no separation of them...eventually, yet even Daoists cling to the body too much, and get stuck in forms.

My silly Buddhist friend. Your writing exposes the dualism of your Buddhist teaching.

 

This Daoist with a close shorn head might say, "Buddhists are attached to the symbolism of a shaved head to prove their detachment from being human." But of course I would only be partially correct, be engaging in a sweeping generalization, and defining Buddhism based on my Philosophical Daoist perspective - all of which are perhaps a bit misleading.

 

This Daoist has short hair because it simplifies life - it symbolizes nothing.

 

By the way. Your summary of the factual, style choice symbolism of the reasons for shorn and un-shorn hair is well appreciated. I always enjoy your knowledge and perspectives.

[林愛偉]

My silly Buddhist friend. Your writing exposes the dualism of your Buddhist teaching.

 

This Daoist with a close shorn head might say, "Buddhists are attached to the symbolism of a shaved head to prove their detachment from being human." But of course I would only be partially correct, be engaging in a sweeping generalization, and defining Buddhism based on my Philosophical Daoist perspective - all of which are perhaps a bit misleading.

 

This Daoist has short hair because it simplifies life - it symbolizes nothing.

 

By the way. Your summary of the factual, style choice symbolism of the reasons for shorn and un-shorn hair is well appreciated. I always enjoy your knowledge and perspectives.

 

 

 

Peace and Blessings Brother. Long time no see!

[beancurdturtle]

Peace and Blessings Brother. Long time no see!

Haha!

 

You're awesome brother. You know I'm poking a little fun at you to make a minor point.

 

Be well and content,

[Ian]

On meditation retreats, I've often found myself wanting to cut my hair or wash it more than usual.

On enquiring, I was told that if you're managing to release a certain amount of stuck stuff, it can often cling to your hair as it goes, which is one reason why monks used to shave.

 

Who knows?

[三江源]

"hair free, and flowing in the wind" says Ken Cohen, in one of his guided meditations or is it one of the stances he teaches, or both...

 

the image of the daoist with free hair blowing in the wind is part of the barefoot daoist image, quite different than that of the monk.

[三江源]

One of the exercises I loved from Eric Yudelove's book Taoist Yoga was one in which you withdraw the surplus energy of the body, from where it is stored in the hair. Hair Breathing.

 

head hair stores surplus energies of the heart.

[seadog]

Yudelove, ha what a great name.

Cat when you say the hair of the head stores excess heart energy,how so?

My understanding of tcm is that the hair is directly related to kidney essence,perhaps that is why, as we get older the hair becomes thinner.

I haven't cut my hair in over two years.Besides getting in my eyes I like the practical advantages to longer hair.

Keeps the sun off my head when its hot and keeps my head toasty warm when its cold.The cold wind when I'am in the ocean in the winter can't blow into my ears or disturb the back of my neck and head which are sensitve to cold winds.

Also seems to balance out my excessive yang.

Although I believe all of the above to be true, no doubt there may be others who see it as a simple manifestation of a mid life crisis.

[Gerard]

Today on the teleovision the Dali Lama was speaking at a press club luncheon. While studying the Dali Lama and his aide (also a monk) who helps him with English, I couldn't help but notice how shiny both their heads were.I'am not talking just a bit of gleam from the lights but full on crystal ball shiny.

This got me thinking about hair or the lack of it.Why is it Buddahist monks shave their heads and daoist monks are often pictured with long hair?

 

 

I think the underlying reason has got to do with Sheng Xiao (Chinese astrology based on yin & yang movement).

 

Buddhist (south) practice is more fire, hence less hair/bald heads.

 

Taoist (north) practice is more water or wood, hence long hair.

 

That's the way I understand it.

[wudangspirit]

Seadog,

 

Buddhists shave their hair to acknowledge that they have transformed from earthly possessions and mundane wordly things to a life of renouncement and peace.

 

Daoist Priests have long hair because that is a symbol of their immortal life from generations and generations. Their hair comes from their ancestors so out of respect they don't cut it. That is just one point of this. There are other reasons.

 

Native Americans share this same view. You don't cut your family or tribe out of your life and it's your family genes that gave you that hair.

 

Wudangspirit

 

Today on the teleovision the Dali Lama was speaking at a press club luncheon. While studying the Dali Lama and his aide (also a monk) who helps him with English, I couldn't help but notice how shiny both their heads were.I'am not talking just a bit of gleam from the lights but full on crystal ball shiny.

This got me thinking about hair or the lack of it.Why is it Buddahist monks shave their heads and daoist monks are often pictured with long hair?

[4bsolute]

Digging out*

 

The presented hair itself also represents ones stage of inner cultivation. As shortly mentioned in an above post. Hair itself is getting brigher and silkier the more one cultivates body, mind and spirit. Would you call that ego? Very hard to tell. I personally let my hair grow and at the same time do not care for it. I only care for it's health like an extension of my bodies health. And at the same time so much can be instantly seen and understood by looking at hair in perfect condition.

 

How about a simple tool of getting into communication with eachother? You will attract people you would have never attracted before. Surely they will look at it from the very, very outside - and then you will tell them a little story to contemplate upon. And one thing leads to another and they will find themselves on a spiritual journey.

 

One possibilities of many..

[Green Tiger]

Wow, you dusted off an oldie but a goodie. Not so much the content but the contributors. I didn't know wudangspirit was a member.

[GrandmasterP]

In Zen you hear.

 

" X shaved his ( or her) head back in 1976 ( for example)"

 

Whoever performs the head shaving ceremony on the recipient has significance as it identifies and reinforces the lineage 'tradition'.

It can be a token 'shaving' with just a lock of hair snipped depending on the sect and if the person being 'shaved' is bound for ordination or to remain a 'householder'.

Householders tend to keep their hair.

Edited July 10, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[MooNiNite]

I like the tradition of dred locks.

 

Basically the disciple shaves his head, but cannot cut his/her hair until achieving their goal.

 

Many people connect hair with memories, so perhaps having a strong bond with past efforts can help motivate a person to keep going and finish what they started.

[eye_of_the_storm]

hair is a sign of vitality ... long hair healthy

people cut their hair when in physiological/psychological distress / slavery 

[Yasjua]

I have unruly, crazy, tangled hair. I'm also balding pretty quickly, which makes for some awkward hair days.

 

In any case, an old lady friend of mine pointed out recently, "Your hair is getting long. You get crazy when your hair gets long."

 

For whatever reason, it's true. My demeanor changes pretty noticably once my hair is long enough to begin "behaving wildly."

 

I find that people also treat me differently when I shave my head. They'll start calling me "sir" and showing more respect toward me. It's quite strange. But I think I get laid more with more hair, so I have no choice in the matter. I'm very horny.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Yasjua

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Mine's way past my shoulders.

 

As long as God can grow it.

 

...

Edited March 3, 2015 by Captain Mar-Vell

[Astral Monk]

long hair is like an antennae, and nature agrees we should grow it. Even the dead grow hair. It MUST be good for the living!!

 

8)