Proposal for folio

Proposal for Folio

Inside the lifestyle as a monk

Since I have moved here to Canberra I have never seen so many monks, and it has me guessing why do they shave their heads? Why do they wear those little sandles as shoes, and wouldn’t their feet get cold in winter wearing only socks?

I am lucky enough to live right next to a place where a group of monks live on one side of me, and on the other there is a Buddhist temple, that is big and fancy and kind of looks a bit Chinese like. Everyday while walking to my bus stop I look at those temples and think to myself, how cool it would be to be able to go inside there and take pictures of it. Unfortunately that place is only open to the public three times a year, so I have been told.

I wonder if these interesting looking people live just like they are portrayed in the movies, where they cannot kill anything living, including grass, or if they sit down in large groups in complete silence while listening to their minds and meditating.

I would love to be able to get a tour around the lifestyle of how and where they live, their culture, beliefs and the meaning behind their temples, and what foods they eat.

A homeless person

Where I come from I am not used to seeing people living on the street's and going searching through the bins looking for food as they cannot afford to buy their own. The vast majority of homeless people I have seen around here are elderly men.

It is a sad sight seeing people like this and it has me wondering, how did they end up like this? Were they once wealthy and successful in their careers and had a great lifestyle, then gradually over time did personal problems occur causing these people into depression and losing everything they ever had, from their working career to their personal affairs, therefore leaving them out on the streets? Or has medication been the source of the problem? All while they have been taking their medication everything has been good, a good career and happy relationships. Then do they decide to stop taking their medicine as they feel normal and believe that they don't need it any more, not realising that their medication is actually working, therefore turning their lives into a downwards spiral losing everything that they have ever had?

I am interested as to what has happened to these poor people and what exactly has caused them to live the way they do now. Also I am curious as to what goes through their minds everyday, when they are just sitting there by themselves on the seats with people walking past them sometimes possibly sniggering at them. Do they think 'what if I had done this, would I be living the way I am now?' or are they happy with their current lifestyle?