/lit/ - Literature

>>11677172
You have to understand, Eastern societies aren't nearly as cynical when it comes to supernatural ideas as the West has become. To a secular, agnostic Western, seeing a bunch of men walking around asking for donations then just sitting in a temple all day might look like a society is just supporting a bunch of "slackers," but to the people supporting these monastics, they genuinely feel like they are benefiting from providing them with alms and so on. Belief in karma / reincarnation is huge. Belief in paranormal and supernatural powers is also widespread.

In my personal opinion, any healthy civilisation requires a segment of society to act as conduits to the transcendent. If you don't want to look at it in spiritual terms, you could look at in in purely psychological terms - having a section of society that devotes themselves to piety, humility, "truth", etc. acts as a powerful psychological signifier that there's more to life than the mundane business of day-to-day reality. It's a place where people who are feeling depressed, confused, angry, betrayed, etc. can go to and find some solace or guidance, knowing that the people offering this advice have a vested interest in the health of the community.

I think it's the reason why even most irreligious Westerners feel a sense of awe and respect when they see a monk (Buddhist, Christian, etc.) walking down the street. They might not personally believe in whatever it is the monk believes in, but just seeing the image of a person who has (hopefully) devoted his life to meditation, calmness, wisdom, compassion, etc. brings about a certain reassuring response in the mind.