Guest guest Posted July 16, 2001 Report Share Posted July 16, 2001 Dear Wim: Thanks for you sharing of you Trapist experiences. Was Thomas Merton in your group? How many hour did you pray of mediate per day? Also, about the Chocolate. My wife bought her other daughter a T shirt which said. "Give me your chololate and nobody gets hurt". Love, Alton , "Wim Borsboom" <wim@a...> wrote: > Dear Alton, > > You wrote: > > In the mean time my beloved wife came back from Kawai > > after she met the Cambodian Prince and Princess. > > I would love to visit Cambodia... it is my spiritual home land... just > today I wore that classical male dress called Jong Krabaen (Yes, I am > still just a kid!) > http://www.design.in.th/children/frame.html?/children/eng15.html > > > I asked myself how to cook mung beans and make them taste OK > > When I was a Trappist monk (Order of Cisterciencers of Strict > Observance, OCSO, which also meant: no talk, lots of kneeling and > prostrations, praying, singing, manual labour, hard study and..... self > flagellation, ha!) so, when I was this young shaven monk, every evening > we used to eat beans. The midday meal was always dinner. Except for the > abbot, prior and sub-prior (who had deserts and meat regularly), the > monks were eating vegetarian style... but for strictly traditional > (medieval) reasons. With Christmas and Easter there would be fish or > chicken and a cigar which were always donated by our benefactors. > Back to the beans, they were either (we grew them ourselves) brown > kidney beans, green or gray peas (called cappucijners). The servers > (rotating younger monks) would come by our oaken tables (bowl, mug, > wooden spoon, wooden fork, some quite medieval, no knife.) with a big > pot and we would ladle the beans into our bowls. Other servers would > then come by with freshly sliced and pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, > lettuce, chicory (wit lof), carrots or whatever fresh vegetables there > were in season. There was always a large chunk of gouda cheese as well > as butter, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. We would mix all that up, > mash it or not and eat it while listening to readings from contemporary > science, psychology or politico / economic news magazine articles as we > had no radio or TV reception (except for our secretary monk). During > midday meals there were readings from, sometimes rather old fashioned or > sometimes rather daringly modern, philosophical, spiritual or religious > writings. > Back to the beans. The beans would either be chewed or not, strictly > depending on how many teeth each individual monk had left. Every winter, > us young monks had to pump out the septic tank and distribute, it > seemed, tons of, unchewed beans over the fields on which we later grew > cabbages, brussels sprouts, corn or grain crops or hay grass. > > Anyway, amongst other things, it taught me to always mash my beans and > chew them very well... > > This type of evening meal was so good that since (and that is now 35 > years) my wife, myself and regularly our guests still eat beans this way > twice a week or so. We make sure that everyone chews their beans well as > we have a septic tank. > > By the way Buddhist monasteries always had and most still have a similar > mix of vegetarian / omnivorous eating customs... rank very often still > being the distinguishing factor. > As far as drinking goes, us Trappist monks made and drank our Trappist > beer, the Buddhist monks very often still have their rice wine or barley > beer, Benedictine monks have their Benedictine liquor and the > "Karthuisers" (almost extinct) had their Chartreuse. > We should keep in mind that up to the age of boiling and chlorination of > drinking water, the only safe drinkable liquid was fermented grain > liquid as it was the only drinkable liquid that one did not get sick > of... and stayed happy with... to say the least... > By the way... better not to drink of course... > Since I am one of those lucky humans who has a steady inner supply of > ambrosia dripping down the back of his throat, I can be so blissful as > not to yearn external gratification... Uhhh, that is except for beans... > and chocolate but... hey... that is made from... fermented cacao > beans... I just read that in "The complete Book of Chocolate. > > Love and full of beans, Wim > (including coffee beans) > > PS. > Solid, liquid, vapour, plasma, ether... > Could that be the medieval alchemical process behind the transmutation > of earthly beans into heavenly bliss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2001 Report Share Posted July 16, 2001 Dear Alton, Thomas Merton indeed was a Trappist monk. He was in a monastery named Gethsemane (in NY state?) He had quite a few privileges being a writer... he did talk, he did travel. Trappists meditate on average up to 3 hours a day, sing the psalms up to about 4 hours a day, formal prayer about 1 hour, work or study up to 4 hours a day, sleep 4 to 6 hours, 1 hour siesta, meals up to 1 hour... Peeling potatoes, milking cows, collecting eggs, cutting wood, cleaning onions, picking fruit, preparing vegetables for sale on the open market about 1 hour a day. It all varies. I had a studio (sculpting) in the monastery's basement. I was allowed to go to an art college once a week, everybody had some personal privilege. Love, Wim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2001 Report Share Posted July 16, 2001 Hey Wim, What did you learn, or kinda take with you, from this way of life? If it isn't too personal, what led up to your leaving? Merton was in Kentucky. It was some years before the Abbot decided, actually ordered, Merton to write more or less full time, rather than do the usual physical labor. Also, it was only towards the end of his life that he travelled, in connection with conferences with Buddhists, etc. Merton kept requesting to live as a hermit, but it was denied him. he also fell in love with a woman once, but decided in the end to stay a monk. His biography is a great read. Love you, Gloria - Wim Borsboom Monday, July 16, 2001 2:35 PM Re: Beans (was Re:Rubber) Dear Alton,Thomas Merton indeed was a Trappist monk. He was in a monastery namedGethsemane (in NY state?)He had quite a few privileges being a writer... he did talk, he didtravel.Trappists meditate on average up to 3 hours a day, sing the psalms up toabout 4 hours a day, formal prayer about 1 hour, work or study up to 4hours a day, sleep 4 to 6 hours, 1 hour siesta, meals up to 1 hour...Peeling potatoes, milking cows, collecting eggs, cutting wood, cleaningonions, picking fruit, preparing vegetables for sale on the open marketabout 1 hour a day. It all varies.I had a studio (sculpting) in the monastery's basement. I was allowed togo to an art college once a week, everybody had some personal privilege.Love, Wim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2001 Report Share Posted July 17, 2001 Since I am one of those lucky humans who has a steady inner supply of ambrosia dripping down the back of his throat, I can be so blissful as not to yearn external gratification... Uhhh, that is except for beans... and chocolate but... hey... that is made from... fermented cacao beans... I just read that in "The complete Book of Chocolate. Hello Wim, your post on your life as a monk was very interesting, as all your stories are, do tell us more about this ambrosia... and chocolate )) With Delight @`--,--Lynette--,--`@ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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