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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8cd30001A blog featuring the work and work life of NHPR's interns and fellows.

5 Reasons Why Monks Are Awesome

byourself_4 via flickr Creative Commons

What's cooler than being cool? Ice cold... monastic beer. Yes, beer brewed by monks. There is a relatively high possibility that monks (yes, monks) are cooler than you. And I'm not sorry, because they do some pretty darn awesome stuff. Here are 5 reasons why monks are  way awesome:

  1. Trappist Beer. Apparently it's pretty darn good.                            
  2. Shaolin Martial Arts. "Used correctly, Qi can make any part of the body as hard as steel." Whoa.           
  3. Tibetan Meditative Temperature Control. "Monks were able to increase their skin temperature in environments of 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit."
  4. Shaolin Soccer. This movie. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to play soccer!"
  5. Nudity. Digamabara monks do not wear clothes. 'Nuff said. (without being NSFW).

For more on the awesomeness of monks, listen to Virginia Prescott's interview with Andrew Jotischky, professor of medieval history at Lancaster University. He is the author of A Hermit’s Cookbook: Monks, Food, and Fasting in the Middle Ages.

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