--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you become a monk because it's an easy…" description: "\"If you become a monk because it's an easy life, because you're going to be fed, and sheltered and people will respect you, then that is not a very meri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png" --- # If you become a monk because it's an easy life, because… ![“If you become a monk because it's an easy life, because you're going to be fed, and sheltered and people will respect you, then that is not a very meritorious motivation.” quote by Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png) > “If you become a monk because it's an easy life, because you're going to be fed, and sheltered and people will respect you, then that is not a very meritorious motivation.” [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Motivation matters more than comfort; seeking respect and ease lacks true spiritual merit **In simple terms:** Seeking respect and comfort isn’t true merit Key Takeaway Choose genuine purpose over easy rewards Themes spirituality motivation ethics Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - choosing monastic life - career change - personal growth - seeking authenticity Key Concepts merit intention renunciation Questions to Reflect On - What deeper purpose drives your choices? - How do you differentiate true calling from convenience? A Different Perspective Motivation based on comfort can still lead to complacency ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Easy life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-life/) [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monk/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [There is a basic problem that a lot of Western monks and nuns become ordained without really understanding or appreciating what the monastic life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/there-is-a-basic-problem-that-a-lot-of-western-monks-and-nuns-become/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I think it's a meritorious action to become a monk, provided that your motivation is pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-think-it-s-a-meritorious-action-to-become-a-monk-provided-that-your/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [If you see young tulkus when they're with other little monks, it's like in a Broadway show or something where the main character is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-see-young-tulkus-when-they-re-with-other-little-monks-it-s/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Traditionally, women didn't have much a role in Buddhism. The books were all written by monks, for other monks. So the general view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/traditionally-women-didn-t-have-much-a-role-in-buddhism-the-books/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Your ancestors dragged these black people from their homes by force; and in the white man's quest for wealth and an easy life they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/your-ancestors-dragged-these-black-people-from-their-homes-by-force/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“The beaches at Malibu are neither white nor as wide as the beach at Carmel. The hills are scrubby and barren, infested with bikers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-beaches-at-malibu-are-neither-white-nor-as-wide-as-the-beach-at/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [O, do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/o-do-not-pray-for-easy-lives-pray-to-be-stronger-men-do-not-pray-for/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [“You've seed how things goes in the world o' men. You've knowed men to be low-down and mean. You've seed ol' Death at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-kinnan-rawlings/you-ve-seed-how-things-goes-in-the-world-o-men-you-ve-knowed-men-to/) [Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-kinnan-rawlings/) > [DO not PRAY for an EASY LIFE...PRAY for the strength to endure different ONE..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-pray-for-an-easy-life-pray-for-the-strength-to-endure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't pray for an easy Life, pray for strength to endure a difficult one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-pray-for-an-easy-life-pray-for-strength-to-endure-a-difficult/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't pray for an easy life, pray to be a stronger man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/don-t-pray-for-an-easy-life-pray-to-be-a-stronger-man/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Greatness is not a flower of easy life, but it grows in the adversity of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/greatness-is-not-a-flower-of-easy-life-but-it-grows-in-the-adversity/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [The easy part of life is finding someone to love you. The hard part of life is finding some to love you back!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-easy-part-of-life-is-finding-someone-to-love-you-the-hard-part-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't pray an easy life but pray for your strength in difficulties...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianette-carbito/don-t-pray-an-easy-life-but-pray-for-your-strength-in-difficulties/) [Marianette Carbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianette-carbito/) > [I didn't want to be gay. I wanted to be... I wanted an easy life. And you know what? I am gay, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/i-didn-t-want-to-be-gay-i-wanted-to-be-i-wanted-an-easy-life-and-you/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) ## More by Tenzin Palmo > [All of us are playing roles, and there's nothing wrong with playing roles because we have to live in this world - the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/all-of-us-are-playing-roles-and-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-playing/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-really-don-t-know-what-i-could-teach-and-don-t-really-plan-to-teach/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [For any practice to work, the mind which is meditating on the object must merge. Often they are facing each other. One has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/for-any-practice-to-work-the-mind-which-is-meditating-on-the-object/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I've often said that the seventh paramita should be a sense of humor, so we don't take ourselves too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-ve-often-said-that-the-seventh-paramita-should-be-a-sense-of-humor/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [If you take the time to study how to be a doctor and how to use your scalpel and your medicine, then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-take-the-time-to-study-how-to-be-a-doctor-and-how-to-use-your/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [If we want to be musicians, dancers or sportspeople, we can download a certain amount and watch DVDs and read books, but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-we-want-to-be-musicians-dancers-or-sportspeople-we-can-download-a/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Realization is wonderful, but you have to expand it until there's not a single defilement left in the mind and the mind is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/realization-is-wonderful-but-you-have-to-expand-it-until-there-s-not/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [It's not a matter of how much you know or can define, or how many millions of mantras or thousands of prostrations you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/it-s-not-a-matter-of-how-much-you-know-or-can-define-or-how-many/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [We have compassion because of the incredible pain and suffering which we as unenlightened beings cause to ourselves and all others through our ignorance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/we-have-compassion-because-of-the-incredible-pain-and-suffering-which/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [When I look back I can think that of course I've been lazy and haven't practiced as much as I could have and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/when-i-look-back-i-can-think-that-of-course-i-ve-been-lazy-and-haven/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [We do have the precious opportunity of this human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/we-do-have-the-precious-opportunity-of-this-human-life/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I think the problem with Western students is they're very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-think-the-problem-with-western-students-is-they-re-very-ambitious/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Explore all 242 Tenzin Palmo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) ## More Easy quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. 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The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [People think that the Club World Cup is an easy competition, but it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keylor-navas/people-think-that-the-club-world-cup-is-an-easy-competition-but-it-s/) [Keylor Navas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keylor-navas/) > [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Sometimes life can suck and not be fair ,but we have to deal with it,because we feel we cant do anything but,we can.We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-can-suck-and-not-be-fair-but-we-have-to-deal-with-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I don't know why, but I'm an easy target. And I don't do anything to dispel it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-mcginley/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-an-easy-target-and-i-don-t-do-anything-to/) [Ted McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-mcginley/) > [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." 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Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) Browse all 14,306 Easy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you become a monk because it's an easy life, because you're going to be fed, and sheltered and people will respect you, then that is not a very meritorious motivation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tenzin Palmo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-easy-life-because-you-re-going/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Easy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-easy-life-because-you-re-going/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/tenzin-palmo-1431_easy_if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-eas_2158408.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you become a monk because it's an easy life, because you're going to be fed, and sheltered and people…” — Tenzin Palmo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tenzin Palmo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you become a monk because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-easy-life-because-you-re-going/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-become-a-monk-because-it-s-an-easy-life-because-you-re-going/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```