eu.stefan

So today is my first day of studying Thai. I will have to do it by myself, with the help of internet sites. I am beginning to learn the alphabet first, and have learned the first 6 consonants - from Ko Kai to Ngo Ngu. I have lots of difficulties with the tones though. I use www.learningthai.com and Wikipedia for the alphabet. Any other suggestions welcome!

How much time will it take me to learn how to speak well enough to understand and be understood if I study all day?

Thanks!

PS: By the way, I am a good language learner, already speak English (fluently) and Greek (good), with my mother tongue - Bulgarian.

I went to a Buddhist forum which I frequent and asked where was the cheapest place in Thailand to ordain as a monk and so far I got one response from a monk who recommends Wat Pah Nanachat (WPN) in northeast Thailand. This is a monastary in the Thai forest tradition. They tend to stay with the original teachings of the Buddha which is probably why you can have the simple ordination as originally taught by the Buddha...I think. Anyway I found that at a Buddhist forum called E-Sangha...you might google for them and if you go there the Theravada Forum is probably the one you would want to look at and make further inqueries......also....here is the link for Wat Pah Nanachat:

http://www.watpahnanachat.org/

If you are interested you should contact them as soon as possible as there are arrangements that must be made to stay there and they can also probably give you good personal advice about your wishes to ordain......they speak English there (and Thai too!!).

Chownah

Chownah, thank you so much for your help! Sorry for the late reply.

I am actually a member of E-sangha since April. I asked the Ven. Dhammanando and he replied to my queries, so I am now more in the know of what and how things are. Obviously I will need to get a job and work for a few months before going to Thailand.

Thanks again!

$1000 to ordain is too much for me. Are you sure about this? I figured out that I will have enough for my airplane ticket, visa, and travel in Thailand. I will keep asking around, including monks, but I hope the price for being ordained is as low as possible - actually, I thought it was free!

Much thanks for the e-mail, I'm certainly going to contact him.

What a relief knowing I won't have to pay it. Well, what if no one decides to sponsor me? What if I don't have the money to make a donation?

My parents have been divorced since I was two. I have no contact with my father. My mother has given me her permission. But she won't give me money. I am currently making a web site (I'm a web designer) so I hope I will earn enough to pay everything that's needed. I calculated 1300 Euro all in all. I currently have 990 Euro.

Thanks again for the invaluable information you are all giving me.

A well known temple can cost between 10000-20000 baht for ordination.

Could the price be higher? It seems like a lot of money to me - 20 000 baht = 420 Euro

Where can I find a list of English-speaking monasteries?

Thank you all for the replies!

Currently I have 990 Euro in my bank account. My family may hopefully support me with more. The visa costs 50 Euro, the plane ticket: between 600 and 1600 Euro. I may have to work to earn more money, if all this proves costly...

sabaijai and MarkBKK, thanks for providing me with the contact links. I will check them out.

How much money will I need for the ordination and the whole stay at the monastery? I thought it was all free?

I have to list all the things and work according to this plan.

1. Visa:

- letter from monastery or 500 Euro or invitation from a Thai Instittution/Company

- the visa costs 25 or 50 Euro depending on whether it's Non-Immigrant or Tourist Visa

2. Airplane Ticket:

- One Way: 600 Euro

- Round Trip: 1100-1600 Euro

3. Thailand expenses:

- Ordination Ceremony: ??? Euro

- Monastery expenses: ??? Euro

- Travel in thailand: ??? Euro

4. Second visa: from Malaysia or Cambodia.

- price: ??? Euro

I think that's all that's needed.

There are no Thai temples in Bulgaria. Also, I don't have a Credit Card. I have read enough about Thai Buddhism, or so I think. I am a Tharavadin, of course.

So far, I know of two monasteries that converse in English ( I don't speak Thai): Wat Prathat Doi Suthep and Wat Pah Nanachat. Are there any others?

Thanks again for your so very helpful responses and advice!

A problem again. It seems like they want a return ticket to issue a Tourist visa. This ticket costs more than I can afford.

So, I have to stick with the Non-Immigrant visa (which allows One-Way Tickets). Which means that I have to obtain a letter from a Monastery and an Invitation from a Thai Institution...

I am going to make a suggestion.

Are you allowed to come to Thailand as a tourist on a visa on arrival at the airport - or do Bulgarians have to get visa before they leave for Thailand?

If you are entitled to a 30 or 15 day visa on arrival then that is what you should do.

Then, as soon as you are ordained (which shouldn't take long - because I used to be a Thai Budhist Monk myself) ask your Ajarn (your Buddhist monk Superior to issue you with your Monk ID bokk - known as "Yellow Pages" because it is a little yellow book), and with this and a supporting letter from him, go and get a visa extension.

You will not be exempt from visas as a monk, but you will get your visa extended as long as you stay a monk, although I think you may still have to leave and do a few return trips (I am not sure about that - visa rules are changing alot at the moment).

The point I am making is you should get on the visa ladder in Thailand if you can, and not try and complete all this in your own country - alot easier if you are here in Thailand.

I wish you all the best in monkhood.

Tim

Thanks for your reply!

Yes, Bulgarians have to get visa before leaving for Thailand, not at the airport.

Thanks for the suggestion - I will certainly do what you say - get the Tourist visa, and then extend it. You were most helpful to me!

Note: We're pinning this existing thread to the top of the Buddhism subforum so that anyone with experience in obtaining Thai visas for the purpose of ordaining as a monk in Thailand can find the information more easily.

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Hello!

I am 18 years old, from Bulgaria (Europe). I want to ordain in Thailand as a Buddhist monk in the coming months.

Today I called the Thai Consulate in Bulgaria for information on my visa and they told me that I need to get a letter from the monastery I want to ordain at, and an invitation from a Thai "Institution".

So there is the problem. I want to travel around Thailand first and choose a monastery that I like, not choose one just from looking at their web site for example - you know what I mean. But then I wouldn't have the "letter" to show to the Embassy. And also, I don't know a single Tai person, let alone an "Institution". How am I to get an invitation from one?

Is it possible to get around this? For example, can I apply not for a "Non-Immigrant" Buddhist Visa, but for a "Tourist" visa? And when I'm there, go to a neighbouring country like Malaysia and get a NI visa. Is this possible? What will they want me to have? Would I need an invitation again? Do I have to show money? If so, how much?

Thank you very much for any info you can provide me with!

Kop koon krap!