Hair and Religion

Hair is an interesting topic in religions. Different religions address it differently.
Hindu renunciants do not bother to care for their physical appearance:
Image result for hindu sadhu
In contrast, Buddhist monastics eliminate the need to care for their physical appearance by shaving off the hair:
Image result for buddhist monk
And then there are the Sikhs, who, like Hindu renunciants and unlike Buddhist monks, do not cut their hair. However, they are to keep their hair neat (with the kanga/comb) and under a turban:
Image result for sikh
For Sikhs, keeping their hair and keeping it neat is a symbol of living within society (vs. the monastic life, where it is typically cut or unkempt).

As far as western religions go. We have Christian monks who also shave their hair (keeping the fringe is called a tonsure):
Image result for christian monk haircut
And orthodox Jews do not cut their beards (similar to Sikhs except the Jews do cut the hair on their heads):
Image result for orthodox jewish hair
Muslim men also often wear a beard, some may also cover their heads like Jews and Sikhs do:
Image result for muslim men hair Related image

With exception of the Hindu renunciant, those who keep their hair (Jews, Muslims, Sikhs) are living their faith in the world (a worldly life). Those who shave off their hair (Buddhist, Jain, and Christian monastics) do so as a symbol of having rejected worldly life.

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