Why do monks shave their heads?

Anyone who becomes a monk must shave his hair, which is called tonsure in Buddhism. Buddhism believes that the world is illusory and life is painful. Only by cutting off all troubles and practicing Buddhism can we get eternal happiness. So it's all shaved off.

Shaving hair is a ritual for Buddhist monks to shave their hair and be ordained. Buddhism believes that shaving one's hair and becoming a monk is a precept and a cause of life and death, hence the name. Don Gu Kuang's Monument to the West Temple of Tiger Hill: "I'm afraid of the seven senses." ... at the beginning of the dragon, I shaved my hair at the age of eight, and I could see all the meetings and learn from the world. "The Book of the Old Tang Dynasty Gao Zuji": "Lovers avoid corvee, shave their hair and become monks.

Extended data

It is said that it originated in the Yuan Dynasty, when a monk named Zhide was revered by Yuan Shizu. When he preached the precepts, he stipulated that every ordained person should burn incense on his head, with the novice monk burning three sticks of incense and the monk burning twelve sticks of incense as a lifelong vow. Such a small invention was later quietly spread and passed down from generation to generation. This is of course a bad habit that hurts the body, and it is also a small local product of Buddhist culture in Han Dynasty.

In the 5th century BC, Prince Gautama Siddharta left home to practice in a Sakyamuni tribe on the Nepalese-Indian border. Seven years later, he realized that he had become a Buddha and began to teach and recruit disciples in the Ganges valley. Buddhism believes that the world is illusory and life is painful. Only by cutting off all troubles and practicing Buddhism can we get eternal happiness. When Buddha Sakyamuni first told Ye Jia and five other people, he personally shaved their hair and accepted them as disciples.

A monk's haircut has three meanings. First of all, according to Buddhism, hair represents countless troubles and wrong habits in the world. Cutting off hair is equivalent to getting rid of troubles and wrong habits; Second, cutting off the hair is equivalent to removing the pride and neglect of the world; Get rid of all troubles and practice wholeheartedly. In ancient China, people regarded hair as very important, thinking that it was obtained from parents, so it was necessary to protect hair and not damage it, otherwise it would be disrespectful to parents.

Buddhism demands that these unnecessary family concerns be cut off; The third is to distinguish other sects in India. At that time, India was full of sects. But when people see a man with a shaved head, they know that he is a Buddhist. Later, shaving became a ceremony to join Buddhism.

When Buddhism was first introduced to China, other rituals had not yet developed, so you can shave your hair and put on coarse clothes like cassock to become a monk.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-tonsure (monk tonsure ceremony)