{"id":669,"date":"2009-06-01T09:01:26","date_gmt":"2009-06-01T09:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/treeleafzen\/2009\/06\/hair-1.html"},"modified":"2009-06-01T09:01:26","modified_gmt":"2009-06-01T09:01:26","slug":"hair-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/treeleafzen\/2009\/06\/hair-1.html","title":{"rendered":"Hair & the Buddhist ‘Monk’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some folks have written recently to ask,<\/p>\n

Hey, Jundo! What’s with all the hair & the beard? I thought Zen monks are supposed to shave?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Well, many Zen teachers of old had hair and\/or beards …<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>… and even recent Ch’an monks … and Western women (though usually not the beards) …
 \"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

… Master Dogen had a five-o’clock shadow some days …<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>
… and Zen immortals … and Bodhidharma (with an earring, no less) … and even the Bossman, Shakyamuni Buddha, had a gorgeous head of hair …\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Even in Southeast Asian traditions, where things are rather strict, the Rules state …<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hair of the head.<\/b> The hair of the head should not be worn long. It should be shaved at least every two months or when the hair has grown to a length of two fingerbreadths — whichever occurs first, says the Commentary. In Thailand there is the custom that all bhikkhus shave their heads on the same day, the day before the full moon, so that the Community can present a uniform appearance. Although this is not obligatory, a bhikkhu who does not follow the custom tends to stand out from his fellows …<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Beard.<\/b> The beard should not be grown long, although — unlike the hair of the head — there is no explicit maximum length, unless the two month\/two fingerbreadth rule is meant to apply here as well. One may not dress the beard as a goatee, a rectangle, or in any other design. The moustache may not be dressed, e.g., by making its ends stand up. Because there is no prohibition against using scissors to cut the beard, electric razors are clearly allowed in shaving the face.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.accesstoinsight.org\/lib\/authors\/thanissaro\/bmc2\/bmc2.ch01.html<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

Oh, and did I mention the deep philosophical reasons for being hirsute? (I will in a minute).As the song goes (for those old enough to remember) …<\/p>\n

Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the treesGive a home to the fleas in my hair A home for fleas, a hive for bees<\/span> A nest for birds, there ain’t no words<\/span> For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder of my<\/span><\/span><\/span> Hair! (hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair)Flow it, Show it;Long as God can grow it, My Hair!<\/span> <\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\n

\n
.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/object><\/div>\n
(remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells;<\/u><\/div>\n
a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended)<\/u><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

To subscribe to “Treeleaf Zen” click here.<\/a><\/o:p> <\/o:p><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some folks have written recently to ask, Hey, Jundo! What’s with all the hair & the beard? I thought Zen monks are supposed to shave? Well, many Zen teachers of old had hair and\/or beards … … and even recent Ch’an monks … and Western women (though usually not the beards) …  … Master Dogen…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guided-meditation","category-meditation-techniques","category-zen-buddhist-meditation"],"yoast_head":"\nHair & the Buddhist 'Monk' - Treeleaf Zen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/treeleafzen\/2009\/06\/hair-1.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hair & the Buddhist 'Monk' - Treeleaf Zen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some folks have written recently to ask, Hey, Jundo! 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