Preparing for Ordination – The Formation of Good HabitsPreparing for Ordination – The Formation of Good Habits

For a while now I have kept my hair quite short, so short that I would joke that I knew it was time for a haircut when I would have to dry my hair after a shower, i.e. there was enough hair to hold water. At CUUPs Full Moon ritual Saturday night I explained to someone that, as I understood it, I would now shave my head every full moon and new moon.
After I arrived home, I realized that the full moon would be in two days. Therefore, I decided that, although I would not shave my head until after my ordination, I would start making the full moon and the new moon my “haircut days.” Of course, there is so little time until my ordination that it wouldn't be long enough for a habit to really be formed. Nevertheless, I believe it would be most appropriate for me to start what will eventually be my habit.
Actually this decision has less to do with the formation of this specific habit, but more to do with forming the habit of following the rules that will guide me as a monk. As I have written before, the samayas that a monk observes take the place of all the little decisions which make up our daily lives. We don't have to waste time, energy, and thought on things that ultimately don't matter. Of course, we are spared the karmic consequences that some of our choices would carry, but we are also freed to attend to the things that truly matter. However, I must remember that the issue in question in this specific decision is merely a haircut, not something of particularly lasting repercussions.