The First Thing I Learned As A Monk

Summary

In this reflective narrative, the speaker recounts their first day as a monk, highlighting the profound lesson of breath control taught to young novices. The monk's teacher emphasizes that breath is the constant through life's changes, and learning to manage it is key to navigating emotions and life's challenges. This principle extends to various fields like sports and music, where breath is crucial. The story illustrates the wisdom of addressing life's issues at their root, rather than merely treating symptoms, a lesson deeply ingrained in monastic life.

Takeaways

• 🧘 The first lesson taught in the Hmong school is learning how to breathe, emphasizing the importance of breath throughout life.
• 🌬 Breath is the constant element from birth to death, remaining unchanged while everything else in life changes.
• 💭 Emotions are closely tied to changes in breathing, with each feeling altering the breath pattern.
• 🧘‍♂️ Learning to manage breath is equated to learning to navigate any situation in life, highlighting the control over emotions and reactions.
• 🎓 The script suggests that traditional teachings prioritize understanding the root of things rather than just treating symptoms.
• 🏆 Athletes and musicians are trained in breathing techniques to excel in high-pressure situations, indicating the universal application of breath control.
• 🎼 Breath control is particularly important for singers and wind instrument players to reach high notes, showcasing its role in performance.
• 📚 The speaker's experience as a monk reveals a deep learning about addressing life's challenges at their root cause rather than superficially.
• 🌱 The principle of addressing the root is compared to cutting down a tree by its roots rather than trimming its leaves, emphasizing long-lasting solutions.
• 🕊️ The script advocates for a deeper approach to life, suggesting that while it may take longer, it leads to more enduring outcomes.
• 💡 The story of the monk and the children serves as a metaphor for the value of foundational learning and the profound impact of understanding the basics of life.

Q & A

What was the speaker's first impression of the monk school?

The speaker felt out of place, having just shaved their head and wearing robes, and was intrigued by the teaching of a monk to a group of young monks.

What was the first lesson taught to the five-year-old monks at the monk school?

The first lesson taught was learning how to breathe, emphasizing the importance of breath throughout life.

Why is learning to breathe considered the first and most important lesson at the monk school?

Breathing is considered the only constant from birth to death, and it changes with every emotion, making it a tool to navigate and manage life's situations.

How does the monk's teaching on breathing relate to other disciplines like sports or music?

Athletes, musicians, and singers, especially those who play wind instruments, are trained in breathing techniques to excel in high-pressure situations, highlighting the universal application of breath control.

What did the speaker realize about the general approach to dealing with stress in everyday life?

The speaker realized that most people deal with stress at a symptomatic level, such as taking a stress pill or relaxing, rather than addressing the root cause.

What is the main principle the speaker learned from living as a monk?

The main principle is to always address the root of the problem rather than just the symptoms, which may take longer but leads to a more lasting solution.

How does the speaker describe the difference between addressing the root cause versus the symptoms?

Addressing the root cause takes longer but lasts longer, whereas addressing the symptoms provides quick relief that is temporary and often requires repeated intervention.

What is the significance of the speaker's observation about emotions and breathing?

The observation signifies that every emotion is experienced with a change in breath, indicating that breath control can be a powerful tool for emotional regulation.

What did the speaker discover about the teaching methods of the monk school compared to conventional schools?

The speaker discovered that the monk school prioritizes teaching foundational life skills, such as breath control, over conventional academic subjects like the alphabet and numbers.

How does the speaker's experience at the monk school contrast with their previous life in London?

The speaker's experience in London was likely more conventional and less focused on introspective practices, making the teachings at the monk school a stark contrast and a profound learning experience.

What is the 'deep principle' the speaker refers to that was taught during their time as a monk?

The 'deep principle' refers to the practice of addressing the root of problems and emotions, such as learning to control one's breath, to achieve a more profound and lasting change in life.

Outlines

00:00

🧘 First Day as a Monk: The Lesson of Breathing

The narrator recounts their first day at a monastery, feeling out of place with their shaved head and robes. They observe a monk teaching a group of young monks and eavesdrop on a lesson about the importance of breathing. The teaching monk explains that breath is the constant from birth to death, and its control can navigate life's emotions and situations. This lesson is a profound revelation for the narrator, who realizes the significance of addressing life's challenges at their root, not just the symptoms. The story emphasizes the wisdom gained from the monastic practice of focusing on foundational elements rather than superficial issues.

Keywords

💡Monk

A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism by living apart from the world in a monastery. In the script, the narrator is a new monk who has just begun his journey in a monastic life, which is a central theme of the video. The term is used to describe the narrator's new identity and the lessons he learns from the teachings of the monastic community.

💡Breathing

Breathing is the process of taking in air and expelling it, which is essential for life. In the video, it is highlighted as the first lesson taught in the Hmong school, symbolizing the importance of breath in controlling emotions and navigating life's situations. The script emphasizes that breath is the only constant from birth to death and is a tool for managing stress and emotions.

💡Stress

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. The script uses stress as an example of an emotion that affects one's breath and can be managed through learning to control breathing. It is part of the broader message that understanding and controlling one's breath can lead to better emotional regulation.

💡Emotion

Emotion refers to any conscious mental reaction such as anger, fear, sadness, or joy to a specific event or circumstance. The video script mentions that every emotion is experienced with a change in breath, suggesting that emotional states are closely tied to breathing patterns and can be influenced by learning to manage one's breath.

💡Aura

An aura is a distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be emitted by a person, thing, or place. In the script, the monk teaching the young monks is described as having a great aura, which signifies his spiritual presence and the impact he has on others, including the narrator.

💡Root

In the context of the video, the root refers to the fundamental cause or source of something, as opposed to its symptoms or superficial aspects. The script emphasizes the importance of addressing the root of problems rather than just the symptoms, which is a key principle in the teachings the narrator receives as a monk.

💡Symptoms

Symptoms are signs or indications of a condition or disorder, often treated as the surface-level manifestations of an issue. The script contrasts symptoms with the root cause, suggesting that treating only the symptoms provides temporary relief but does not offer long-term solutions, unlike addressing the root.

💡Monastic Life

Monastic life refers to a way of living where one renounces secular pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. The video's narrator is embarking on this path, and the lessons he learns about breathing and dealing with life's challenges at a deeper level are part of his monastic education.

💡Teaching

Teaching in the script refers to the imparting of knowledge or skills, especially the spiritual guidance provided by the monk to the young monks and the narrator. It is a central activity in the monastic setting and is highlighted as a means of conveying important life lessons.

💡Life Management

Life management refers to the ability to handle various aspects of one's life effectively. The video script suggests that learning to manage one's breath is a form of life management, as it allows for better control over emotions and responses to different situations.

💡Prioritization

Prioritization is the act of deciding the order of importance of tasks or issues. In the video, the first thing taught to the young monks is breathing, indicating that the monastic education prioritizes fundamental life skills and inner development over superficial knowledge.

Highlights

The first day of monk school involved shaving the head and wearing robes.

Observing a monk teaching 10-year-olds and a separate group of 5-year-olds.

The monk's impressive ability to teach and conduct himself with a great aura.

Eavesdropping on the monk's class to learn about the first lesson taught to the children.

The first lesson at Hmong school is learning how to breathe.

Breathing is taught as the only constant from birth to death.

Emotions are experienced through changes in breath.

Learning to manage breath can help navigate any situation in life.

Research on how athletes, musicians, and singers are trained in breathing techniques.

The importance of breath in high-pressure situations like performing in front of large crowds.

Most people are unaware of how to use breath to positively change their lives.

The lesson on breathing as a priority over superficial symptoms.

Living as a monk involves addressing challenges at their root, not just the symptoms.

The contrast between quick fixes like stress pills and the long-term benefits of addressing the root cause.

The principle of always going to the root for lasting change.

The deep principle learned as a monk: always cut down the root of problems in the heart.

Transcripts

[Music]

so I remember my first day of monk

school I've just shaved my head I'm now

wearing robes I still look like I'm from

London like I can't get away with it

I'm walking around and I noticed this

monk who's teaching this monks 10 years

old and he's teaching a group of five

year old monks right and I seem teaching

he looks like it I don't like wow you

know his ability to like teach these

five dogs and conduct himself and he's

got this great aura about him and so I'm

kind of eavesdropping on his class I

can't obviously go and sit with a bunch

of five-year-olds even though I really

want to because I'm like I feel like a

five-year-old next to that ten year old

and I I went up to myself what are you

doing he said oh well we just taught

their first class ever I said oh cool

and he said well what did you learn in

your first class at school and I said oh

well I learned the alphabet numbers and

I said well what did they learn he said

you want to know what they learned on

their first day of school I said yeah of

course he said the first thing that we

teach them the first thing you learn at

Hmong school is learning how to breathe

I said why he said because we're taught

that the only thing that stays with you

from the month

born to the moment you die is your

breath all your friends family the

country living all of that's gonna

change the only thing that doesn't

change that stays with you from the

nominal born to the moment you die is

your breath and he said notice when you

get stressed what changes your breath

when you get angry what changes your

breath your sad changes who draft when

your happy will changes your breath

every emotion is experienced with the

change of the breath so he said when you

learn how to navigate and manage your

breath you can actually navigate any

situation in life and how is this blown

away I just like wow and then I remember

researching it and noticing how athletes

were taught how to breathe musicians

singers especially those who play wind

instruments we have to reach really high

notes they're all trained how to breathe

because they have to use their breath in

challenging stressful pressure for

situations but as like so all of us

you've got to go onstage in front of

10,000 people you've got to go to a

concert you just lost a deal or a

contract our breath changes in all those

scenarios yet we don't know how to use

our breath to change our life and so for

me that was a huge learning point where

I just thought wow that's what you're

taught the priority is on the root of

things not the leaf or the symptoms and

that's the biggest thing about living as

a month you're not dealing with your

challenges at symptomatic level you're

dealing you were there at root level

right people said are you stressed I'll

just take a stress pill if you're

stressed out just go to get a massage if

you're stressed out just just relax

watch Netflix and chill but all that's

doing is pacifying you escape for that

hour two hours maybe a week but going to

the root of it and learning how to

change your breath then you can manage

any situation in life

and and that principal that's an example

of the principal which is so much deeper

that always go to the route it will take

longer but it will last lock that right

if you go to the route it takes longer

but it lasts longer but if you go for

the symptom you get it quick and it

knows and he never has to you know know

that yeah so that that was the deepest

principle I learned as a monk you always

go to the roof cut down the root of that

lead in your heart

[Music]