The First Thing I Learned As A Monk
Summary
TLDRIn 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
🧘 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Monk
💡Breathing
💡Stress
💡Emotion
💡Aura
💡Root
💡Symptoms
💡Monastic Life
💡Teaching
💡Life Management
💡Prioritization
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]
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