Ordination! Anybody Done It?

[thaibutty]

My girlfriend who I am going to marry next year asked me if I would become a monk for some time like the thai men usually do before the become 20 years of age. I know that Thais go anytime between three months and just a few days. If I would do it a would only go a max. of a week.(Due to work) Has anybody on this forum done this before? if so what to expect during that time and where to do it( just any of the local temples? i am living on Phuket, my GF suggested Phuket or at her home in Nakhorn Sri Tammarat, Wat PraThat. I suppose this kind of ordination is not the same as a meditation retreat.? Any help please

[Brucenkhamen]

My girlfriend who I am going to marry next year asked me if I would become a monk for some time like the thai men usually do before the become 20 years of age. I know that Thais go anytime between three months and just a few days. If I would do it a would only go a max. of a week.(Due to work) Has anybody on this forum done this before? if so what to expect during that time and where to do it( just any of the local temples? i am living on Phuket, my GF suggested Phuket or at her home in Nakhorn Sri Tammarat, Wat PraThat. I suppose this kind of ordination is not the same as a meditation retreat.? Any help please

Have a read of this thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=170952

I think it will answer many of your questions, any it doesn't we'd be happy to answer here.

[RY12]

I think a lot of farangs who know something of the theravada would be uncomfortable with a short ordination, especially just a week, myself included because of the great solemn responsibility I attribute to the robe, and plus the fact that i just wouldn't want to look like a poser (like those goof-balls that dress up in Thai clothes during their weddings). On the other hand, short ordinations are very commonplace in thailand, and, contrary to what many 'learned buddhists' will try to tell you, thailand isn't really a theravada country per se, the vast majority of its religious practices hark back to the Tai animist days... and I wouldn't be suprised if short ordinations are a descendent of some ancient shaman practice of going into the woods for a few days to purify yourself (like the Native Americans). In other words, don't feel bad about doing it and don't let someone citing back to 2000-year-old indian theravada scriptures tell you it's not 'buddhist'... your in thailand and this is thai buddhism, not pali magadha.