<p>-For monks, having to be bald helps weed out those who are too committed to sensual desire and are not ready to be a monastic.</p>

<p>-Having no hair is one less thing to cling to.</p>

<p>-Being bald means less parasites and less potential harm to the parasites.</p>

<p>-No hair is easier to handle and clean.</p>

<p>-Being bald can help one identity with Buddhism and other Buddhists or truth seekers.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-11T13:54:04.543Z
It's hilariously ironic your profile picture. :D
Med
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-12T02:06:15.497Z
@Ahmed You ever hear of peladophobia?
Lowbrow
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-04T18:41:36.773Z
2017-06-04T18:41:36.773Z
Lowbrow
<p>It helps to identify you socially as a monk (as does the uniform clothing), so that people know when they see you, "that person can be identified as a monk".</p>

<p>At the same time it helps to alter, remove or hide your personal identity, e.g. as a person with an individual appearance such as hair color and hair style.</p>

<p>I suppose another practical benefit is that it's also clean and cool (an opposite extreme, for some non-Buddhist sramanas, was to not touch or cut their hair at all, so that it became long and matted).</p>

<p>So far as I know the practice pre-dates Buddhism: <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html" rel="noreferrer">MN 26 says</a>,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>So, at a later time, while still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life — and while my parents, unwilling, were crying with tears streaming down their faces — I shaved off my hair &amp; beard, put on the ochre robe and went forth from the home life into homelessness.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-02T16:48:15.173Z
2017-06-02T16:48:15.173Z
ChrisW
<p>Monks are bald because as I read somewhere that when person is bald he looks unattractive and so no one else attract towards it. So what are other benefits to being bald either for monks or layman? </p>

<culture>
What are benefits of being bald?
# What are benefits of being bald?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-02)

Monks are bald because as I read somewhere that when person is bald he looks unattractive and so no one else attract towards it. So what are other benefits to being bald either for monks or layman?

**Tags:** culture


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-06-02. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

It helps to identify you socially as a monk (as does the uniform clothing), so that people know when they see you, "that person can be identified as a monk".

At the same time it helps to alter, remove or hide your personal identity, e.g. as a person with an individual appearance such as hair color and hair style.

I suppose another practical benefit is that it's also clean and cool (an opposite extreme, for some non-Buddhist sramanas, was to not touch or cut their hair at all, so that it became long and matted).

So far as I know the practice pre-dates Buddhism: [MN 26 says](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html),

> So, at a later time, while still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life — and while my parents, unwilling, were crying with tears streaming down their faces — I shaved off my hair & beard, put on the ochre robe and went forth from the home life into homelessness.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2017-06-04. Score: 3

-For monks, having to be bald helps weed out those who are too committed to sensual desire and are not ready to be a monastic.

-Having no hair is one less thing to cling to.

-Being bald means less parasites and less potential harm to the parasites.

-No hair is easier to handle and clean.

-Being bald can help one identity with Buddhism and other Buddhists or truth seekers.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: It's hilariously ironic your profile picture. :D  
> **username_1**: @Ahmed You ever hear of peladophobia?  

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