I Want To Be A Monk!

[Livinginexile]

Guys & Gals,

My life is all about work. I get up at six, on site 7ish and get home about 6, six days a week.

I am the construction manager for a large multinational M&E company in Bangkok and every single day it's a grind.

Meetings, programs, letters, documents and trying to control 600 workers is a very stressfull job but I guess I'm used to it. It's what I've allways done, I don't know anything else and to tell you the truth I think I would die of boredom if I stop doing what I do. Five years ago I set 2010 as my retirement date, I've acheived what I set out to acheive but it's never enough. For me it seems the more I have the more I think I need. Theres no end to it.

But something happened today. The Mrs took me to this place not far from Bangkok, somewhere between here and Hua Hin. I can't remember the name of the place but it's a tourist place on a canal, very quaint with all these little boats selling food to the tourists.

Anyway we got on this boat that takes you to 5 temples for about 50 bht a person and the Mrs loved it. To tell you the truth I was bored rotten after the first 2 temples but the Mrs loved it. Kneeling and bowing to every shrine and monk she came across and spending a fortune in donations of various sorts.

It was probably at temple number 3 whilst the Mrs was in another shrine paying merit that I roamed around the compound having a look whats going on. I noticed the monks, a lot of them, all with that smug look of happyness that is common to all monks. They all looked genuenly content and happy!

Then I got to thinking this is not a bad life! They wander about the temple all day fully relaxed, a bit of meditation here, a bit of councelling there. Maybe earn an extra bob or two predicting next weeks lotto numbers. Man what a life!

Everyone sits below you, they even prey to you! (I like that bit) and you never ever have to worry about money, food, accomodation again in you life! I can do this, I really could

I actually started to envy them "These guys aint dumb, they get their money for noth'n and their chicks...)"

Oh wait a minute, that's the catch, they're not allowed to have sex, not even a girlfriend right! Surely the boys have a night out once in a while. They don't drink do they? NoT even once every couple of months? Are they allowed to watch football? and what do they wear under that orange bedsheet? I thought about asking these questions to a monk that was dosing on a hammock strung between 2 coconut trees but thought better of it.

Say, does one have to rid oneself of these vices before you joint the temple or you get rid of them after you join? Is it the chicken or the egg?

I asked the Mrs some of these questions driving home and from her silence and slightly offended look I realised I was asking the wrong person.

You know, at that point in time, strolling through the gardens next to the little private zoo in the temple, I really thought I'd found Navana. God I'd love to be a monk but who was that said "I'd never join a club that would have me as a member"? well I guess that would apply to me.

Ah well, I suppose it's back to site for me tomorrow.

Do we have any Farang monks out there? What's it really like being a monk?

Edited April 25, 2010 by Livinginexile

[Loz]

You'd have to ask him...

But I think he'll tell you, "Its a jungle out there..."

[elkangorito]

I suggest that you buy a cheap book, which is called "I come as a brother. A rememberance of illusions."

It's a small book & not expensive. Believe it or not, it may be of great help to you without the need of getting involved in some 'organised religion'.

Other than this, I would recommend any book by Richard Dawkins.

Edited April 25, 2010 by elkangorito

[moe666]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

[Livinginexile]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

I thought it was too good to be true

[Chaimai]

There is certainly something missing from your life.

Other than recommending alcohol, I can't really help.

[NormanW]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi, but my Thai friend told me that all the chanting transcripts are in Thai and Balinese.

So she said I would struggle with the chanting.

Is that right?

You said meditation - is that just sitting there and clearing your mind while sat down?

Thanks.

[Loz]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi, but my Thai friend told me that all the chanting transcripts are in Thai and Balinese.

So she said I would struggle with the chanting.

Is that right?

You said meditation - is that just sitting there and clearing your mind while sat down?

Thanks.

why, you want to spend that much time clearing your bowels as well?

[NormanW]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi, but my Thai friend told me that all the chanting transcripts are in Thai and Balinese.

So she said I would struggle with the chanting.

Is that right?

You said meditation - is that just sitting there and clearing your mind while sat down?

Thanks.

why, you want to spend that much time clearing your bowels as well?

haha.

[Godolphin]

Read a book called Pra Farang by an Englishman who was a Buddhist monk in Thailand for 10 years.

I forget his name but you can get the book in Thailand.

[BlackArtemis]

Up in Fang (above Chiang Mai) there is a temple that caters to Farang who want to be a monk. It IS a paid thing. But they have English translations of the chants and English speaking monks to help teach the doctrine etc etc.

If I had different circumstances I would look into it myself, even though I know "we donate a sizable potion to the Wat" could mean 10% of what you pay, the other 10% paying for robes and books, and the other 80% is profit. I think it's called monk for a month or something similar.

[sicktodeathofit]

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi...

How does one become a month in just 2 weeks, is this a riddle?

[Loz]

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi...

How does one become a month in just 2 weeks, is this a riddle?

Easy, you use one of these

[Birdman]

Suan Mokkh, Chumpon, a well known temple and mediation center for foreigners.

http://www.suanmokkh.org/

There are many forms of meditation, e.g. sit at a quiet place and concentrate on the breath only. It is so simple, that it is very difficult in the beginning, because many different thoughts will interrupt your mindfulness. But later you will feel at ease and very comfortable by doing that.

[centrico]

Friend of mine goes to visit two farang Monks regularly in Bangkok. I have been with him a couple of times. They do seem content with their lot but the life is certainly not luxurious. Many monks do have a fair amount of cash but rarely talk about that. I am led to believe they are not 100% welcomed in the fraternity but as I said, they seem happy enough.

They can smoke but are not allowed women or drink. If they have sex, that is another matter entirely that I would not like to speculate on

[Birdman]

To be a sincere monk means avoidance of all worldly activities and amenities the general public enjoys to concentrate exclusively on the development of the mind. This avoidance is expressed by cutting the hair and the eyebrows and partly also by wearing monk's robes.

[NADTATIDA1]

A old aquiantance of mine said that he preferred serving time in the Bangkok hilton than being a monk.the similarities he expressed were quite surprising and sex and corruption was in both instances rife.

A little titbit for you last months Songkran all the locals buy the orange buckets to give as merit to the monks,the shop was selling last years buckets that the monks had sold back to the shop for half price and the same thing will happen next year,so the locals buy the buckets give them to the monks and they sell them back to the shops at a cost every year,nothing like ripping your own friends and villigers eh!!

All in the name of bhudda?

Edited April 26, 2010 by NADTATIDA1

[Richb2004v2]

A old aquiantance of mine said that he preferred serving time in the Bangkok hilton than being a monk.the similarities he expressed were quite surprising and sex and corruption was in both instances rife.

A little titbit for you last months Songkran all the locals buy the orange buckets to give as merit to the monks,the shop was selling last years buckets that the monks had sold back to the shop for half price and the same thing will happen next year,so the locals buy the buckets give them to the monks and they sell them back to the shops at a cost every year,nothing like ripping your own friends and villigers eh!!

All in the name of bhudda?

It has been said that they like to partake in one or two of the recently publicized Catholic extra curricular activities too. I couldn't say if there is any truth to that though.

[billythefish]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi, but my Thai friend told me that all the chanting transcripts are in Thai and Balinese.

So she said I would struggle with the chanting.

Is that right?

You said meditation - is that just sitting there and clearing your mind while sat down?

Thanks.

How clever indeed, to turn 2 weeks into a month! Let us know if you manage it - could double our life spans!

[NormanW]

Go to wat tam wua about an hour outside of Mae Hong Son stay a few days and see if the discipline is for you. Just finished a month there and it is easy but not. Up at five meditate for two hours, give the monks rice eat breakfast, meditate for two hours 8 to 10, 10 to 11 free time give monks food eat lunch 1 to 3 meditate, 3 to 4 free time 4 to 5 sweep grounds, 5 to 6 free time, 6 to 8 meditate, 8 to 10 go to room meditate, 10 to 5 sleep and at 5 am start all over. Only two meals a day no beer no coke no meat. The monks have the same sch. as the students and by the way you sleep on the floor no mattress.

Good luck.

I was going to become a month for 2 weeks at a temple in Chonburi, but my Thai friend told me that all the chanting transcripts are in Thai and Balinese.

So she said I would struggle with the chanting.

Is that right?

You said meditation - is that just sitting there and clearing your mind while sat down?

Thanks.

How clever indeed, to turn 2 weeks into a month! Let us know if you manage it - could double our life spans!

Sorry my mistake.

I want to experience being a monk just as every Thai man does for a short while.

All part of being in the culture as it were.

Have a great day.

[BlackArtemis]

I had been invited by a few to ordain, but I never had the time. I thought quite a bit about it and I can't think of a reason not to. But I would prefer to go off to a small temple away from the crowds. I don't want to walk down a heavily tourist filled street etc.