October 18, 201015 yr Bangkok’s blogging British monk Phra Pandit has let go of material desires while remaining connected to the modern world, inspiring many other Westerners to follow suit The image of saffron-clad monks wandering Bangkok’s streets on their early-morning alms rounds is a familiar one. But one aspect of this long tradition that still causes a double-take is when one of those monks is obviously not Thai, or even Asian. Slowly, they are becoming a more common sight here. Phra Pandit Bhikkhu, a Brit who was ordained as a Theravada monk in 1996, is one of the most visible Westerners in Thai Buddhist circles. “Growing up, I found that I didn’t really like people, and didn’t get much from society in general,” he says. “When I was younger I read a book about a monk who lived in a cave whose best friend was a snake that lived under his bed. All he did was meditate and had nothing to do with the world, and I thought that’s great; that’s me,” he laughs. Theravada Buddhism, the sect most popular in Thailand, focuses on wise reflection, meditation and the belief that one of the main causes of human suffering is craving, or the desire to amass wealth. “The more you give up, the more freedom you have,” says Phra Pandit. Full story.
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