The Expat Who Started "Monk For A Month" In Thailand Now Does 'Muslim For A Month'

[george]

EXPAT LIFE

The expat who can help you try being 'Muslim for a month'

Ben Bowler is an Irish-Australian expat who lives in Northern Thailand.

From there, he runs a series of “religous immersion tours”, designed to

let participants experience what life is like for the followers of other faiths.

'I value religion, and think secular culture could learn a lot from ancient tradtions' says Ben Bowler, pictured right, in Thailand

Ben, what led you to move from Australia to Thailand?

My wife and I were quite settled in Melbourne – just about to get a mortgage, and do the whole suburban thing. Then, at a conference in Sydney, an opportunity came up to do some voluntary work in Thailand with refugees who had fled over the Burmese border. So at the very last moment we changed direction. Once in Thailand, we learnt so much about what the Burmese people have suffered, and the help they needed, that we decided to stay here.

Your "day job" is running an NGO for Burmese refugees, I believe?

Yes: we set up Blood Foundation shortly after we arrived in Thailand. It concentrates on running facilities for refugees in the Fang area on the Burmese/Thai border. There’s over 80,000 of these refugees in the Fang area alone, all at various stages of legality. Because their education level is often very low, we decided to focus particularly on education projects. So we run schools for children, and adult learning classes in the evening, that sort of thing.

Tell me a little about the “religous immersion experiences” you run on the side of your work for Blood Foundation. The first one you established, "Monk for a Month", sounds pretty interesting

Yes – "Monk for a Month" is about spending a while in a Buddist temple in Thailand. It’s quite common for Thai men to do this, so we thought it would be great if we could open the experience to foreigners.

Hypothetically, anyone could walk up to a temple and ask for teaching, but there's a lot of difficulties involved in foreigners doing that, like understanding the language and knowing to behave. What we do is facilitate for people so they get the most they can out of it.

Some people might be surprised to hear that the monks are so keen to have what are essentially tourists spending time in their temple.

They like it. It’s a good way to get the message of Buddhism out there, in an authentic setting. And there's never more than two or three people on the programme at a time.

You also offer a "Muslim for a Month" programme, in Istanbul. That sounds pretty timely.

We like to think that "Muslim for a Month" facilitates more understanding of a religion which gets a lot of bad press. There’s a huge difference in the public perception of of Buddhism, for example, and Islam – Islam is thorny, while Buddhism is warm and fuzzy. The best way to overcome fear is to face it. We hope people come out of the experience with more understanding and even a bit of inspiration.

You’ve faced some criticism in the past for what people say is “selling” or making money out of religion. What do you say to these people?

I’m not open to that kind of criticism. We charge around £600 for a 28-day "Monk for a Month" package, but the stay in the temple is absolutely free. What we’re charging for is facilitating the experience: picking them up from the airport, taking them to Tesco when they need to go, and sightseeing trips to places like the Golden Triangle which are incorporated.

And it’s a social enterprise. We don’t think “How can we make money off Buddhism or Islam?". The One Blood Travel programmes support the basic running of our Blood Foundation, in the hope that one day donations can go directly to the people who need the money, not just on the charity's offices and cars. Besides, we like to think it's very authentic, not just some Disneyworld experience.

You’re clearly very interested in religion, and the idea of learning from other people's cultures and beliefs. Where did this interest come from? Are you religous yourself?

I don’t want to be public about my own beliefs, but I value religion, and think secular culture could learn a lot from ancient traditions. I think there's a bit of a spiritual vacuum at the moment – I look around at countries like the UK and Australia which are so secular, where all the structures of religion are crumbled and decayed, but where people still yearn for answers to the big questions, like who we are. I’d hope these packages are a good start.

Gandhi famously said "I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew.“ At the end of the day, humanity is a big crazy family, and it’s all our heritage.

For more information about the programmes, visit www.muslimforamonth.com and www.fangvalley.com

-- The Guardian 2011-06-08

[ScubaBuddha]

Good idea. Looking forward to his next project. "Infidel for a day."

[arrowsdawdle]

Good idea. Looking forward to his next project. "Infidel for a day."

Can farangs get work permits to book and operate tours and accommodations for tourists?

[DiamondKing]

Good idea. Looking forward to his next project. "Infidel for a day."

Do we get to blow stuff up and use automatic weapons

Im in

Sorry coudnt resist

and for those that are about to bash me its tongue in cheek humor tasteless yes but still funny

DK

[newbie001]

this makes me want to vomit.

Of course he is not open to that kind of criticism because that is exactly what he is doing. If however, he donates at least half of that money to the temple then it might be understandable. But 30,000 baht to facilitate something that is free to anyone and not hard to do is offensive.

Luckily this was printed in English not Thai. I think that he would be arrested quite quickly, because this kind of tour is illegal in this country. Check with your police. There are very strict regulations on Buddhism and profiteering from it.

[RusticCharm]

Can someone please explain to me why on Earth would someone in their right mind be interested in becoming a Muslim for a month?

I don't get it, I just don't get it.

Edited June 8, 2011 by RusticCharm

[hgvneil]

Can someone please explain to me why on Earth would someone in their right mind be interested in becoming a Muslim for a month?

I don't get it, I just don't get it.

Its not that hard to get is it ? The exact kind of person who would want to be a buddist for a month,and for the same reason.

[softgeorge]

Is he Irish or an Aussie. What side of the fence does he sit for international rules?

[harrry]

A profiteering good deeds person...just what Thailand has too many of.

[softgeorge]

Can someone please explain to me why on Earth would someone in their right mind be interested in becoming a Muslim for a month?

I don't get it, I just don't get it.

I thought once a muslim always a muslim. If a muslim converts to another faith then it is a huge insult and could be stoned to death. How is he going to be a muslim for just one month?What is going to happen if he turns his back on Islam and decides to become a Hindu for a month. Guess it is the old saying Mad dogs and Irishmen.

Edited June 8, 2011 by softgeorge

[DP25]

You’ve faced some criticism in the past for what people say is “selling” or making money out of religion. What do you say to these people?

I’m not open to that kind of criticism. We charge around £600 for a 28-day "Monk for a Month" package, but the stay in the temple is absolutely free. What we’re charging for is facilitating the experience: picking them up from the airport, taking them to Tesco when they need to go, and sightseeing trips to places like the Golden Triangle which are incorporated.

Of course he's not open to criticism, 30,000 baht to be picked up from the airport, taken on a tour or two, and driven to Tesco is a fantastic deal!

[harrry]

You’ve faced some criticism in the past for what people say is “selling” or making money out of religion. What do you say to these people?

I’m not open to that kind of criticism. We charge around £600 for a 28-day "Monk for a Month" package, but the stay in the temple is absolutely free. What we’re charging for is facilitating the experience: picking them up from the airport, taking them to Tesco when they need to go, and sightseeing trips to places like the Golden Triangle which are incorporated.

Of course he's not open to criticism, 30,000 baht to be picked up from the airport, taken on a tour or two, and driven to Tesco is a fantastic deal!

I hope the person doing this is a licenced tour guide,

[geriatrickid]

I wonder what the reception of some tourists will be to the offer of ciccumcision for the males? As an NGO, perhaps this chap is getting a discount from the NGO group providing the service in his area? I don't see some of the Europeans getting too excited over that prospect. Mind you the Australian professor that's running his clinical trial has been snipping at a furious pace, so maybe he can sneak the boys in.

Will men be allowed the option of a temporary marriage with a couple new girls for the sake of compliance with the rules pertaining to sex outside of marriage? And of the women, do they get a burqa and a discount coupon at the shack that rips out the clitoris and labia? I don't think they will have an easy time observing halal where they are going. It's pork for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[lungmi]

Charge ..... for everything in religion. Highest perversion. Money making machine at the nauseous level.

[meom]

Can someone please explain to me why on Earth would someone in their right mind be interested in becoming a Muslim for a month?

I don't get it, I just don't get it.

Its not that hard to get is it ? The exact kind of person who would want to be a buddist for a month,and for the same reason.

Makes you wonder if he got circumsized for a month.

[johna]

I wonder what the reception of some tourists will be to the offer of ciccumcision for the males? As an NGO, perhaps this chap is getting a discount from the NGO group providing the service in his area? I don't see some of the Europeans getting too excited over that prospect. Mind you the Australian professor that's running his clinical trial has been snipping at a furious pace, so maybe he can sneak the boys in.

Will men be allowed the option of a temporary marriage with a couple new girls for the sake of compliance with the rules pertaining to sex outside of marriage? And of the women, do they get a burqa and a discount coupon at the shack that rips out the clitoris and labia? I don't think they will have an easy time observing halal where they are going. It's pork for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That's a very offensive post, as for circumcision, I'm sure you are aware this is practiced by other faiths.

Ten days after Rabbi Yitzhok Fischer performed religious circumcisions on twins last October, one died of herpes and the other tested positive for the virus, according to a complaint filed by the health department in Manhattan Supreme Court.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6898403/ns/health-kids

[samurai]

I think it is a pretty cool idea

[moe666]

If you want to hang at a wat take the bus from Chiang mai to Mae Hong Song get off at wat tam wua about one hour from mae hong song. The abbott will provide you with a place to stay 2 meals a day and white clothing to wear as a lay person. Will not cost you 30,000baht just a donation, what you can afford

[Ulysses G.]

If you want to hang at a wat take the bus from Chiang mai to Mae Hong Song get off at wat tam wua about one hour from mae hong song. The abbott will provide you with a place to stay 2 meals a day and white clothing to wear as a lay person. Will not cost you 30,000baht just a donation, what you can afford

Thanks, but they would have to pay me.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[samurai]

Can someone please explain to me why on Earth would someone in their right mind be interested in becoming a Muslim for a month?

I don't get it, I just don't get it.

You just don't get it.

[Ulysses G.]

The Muslims would have to pay me a LOT more.

[samurai]

Charge ..... for everything in religion. Highest perversion. Money making machine at the nauseous level.

Selling it as a package tour seems to be a Western concept.

There are of course ways to get it cheaper, but nobody forces the participants to join the program.

[phrachuntawongso]

If you want to hang at a wat take the bus from Chiang mai to Mae Hong Song get off at wat tam wua about one hour from mae hong song. The abbott will provide you with a place to stay 2 meals a day and white clothing to wear as a lay person. Will not cost you 30,000baht just a donation, what you can afford

Just a quick point. If anyone one wishes to come to the temple in question, then they can also jump on a bus from Chiang Mai.

We do not charge anyone for staying here. If people wish to book something through another company and then end up in our temple we will always accept them.

We receive no renumeration from the operator in question, however we do not turn anyone away who wishes to come here and learn about Buddhism and Vipassana Meditation.

With metta,

Phra Greg Chuntawongso

[StreetCowboy]

Is he Irish or an Aussie. What side of the fence does he sit for international rules?

There's no fence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Australian_rules_football_and_Gaelic_football

You can learn more about international rules here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Rules_Football

I don't know which side he plays for, but its worth noting that he is married

SC

[pepi2005]

I don't understand the complaints about someone making a bit of money with religion. In which way exactly is it different from what the abbots of certain temples in Thailand have turned their temples and the religion to?

You know how the saying goes: 'If you want to see many Thai monks at one place, visit Panthip Plaza in Bangkok!'

I have seen plenty of temples in Thailand that make enourmous amounts of money - who could say where all this money is going to? There are so many monks driving big cars when 'out of office', who are drinking, smoking, having girlfriends etc., and I remember my very little surprise when I read about sexual abuse in the papers on various occasions ..

Buddhism in this country - sad enough having to say that - is quite an 'odd' form (I chose this word because I don't need a visit of the increasingly paranoid Culture Ministry) of this philosophy. Unfortunately, it reminds me more and more about the Catholic Church in Western countries.

[risky11]

Charge ..... for everything in religion. Highest perversion. Money making machine at the nauseous level.

Selling it as a package tour seems to be a Western concept.

There are of course ways to get it cheaper, but nobody forces the participants to join the program.

I agree. Some forum members treat profit as a dirty word, but it is not. Profit is the motivation to meet the needs of others. Profit is what enables us to meet our own needs and that of our family. I seek to MAXIMIZE my profit in business, as well as in the way I spend all of my time. Don't you?

As for trying to get this fellow in trouble by bringing up the matter of having a work permit, it seems petty and cruel. What do you PROFIT by getting him in trouble?

[maprao]

Someone correct me if I am wrong. You can not convert for 1 month conversion to that religion is a ONEWAY street. You are not allowed back!

Edited June 9, 2011 by maprao

[fabianfred]

Nobody minds a person making a profit, as long as it is not too much profit, which implies cheating the customer. Profiting from others misfortune is also immoral.

The ideas that 'all's fair in love and war'...and 'to be successful in business it is necessary to cheat the customer' are those of immoral and selfish beings.

[RusticCharm]

Its not that hard to get is it ? The exact kind of person who would want to be a buddist for a month,and for the same reason.

You mean...someone who's a bit of a <deleted>?

What is going to happen if he turns his back on Islam and decides to become a Hindu for a month.

Oh, I guess his 'fellow' muslims will show the same tolerance and understanding that they're well renowned for. At the very least, finding his body a few hundred meters from where his head is.

That's a very offensive post

I knew it was just a matter of time before the 'Oh that's so offensive/racist/sexist/homophobic/Islamophobic...etc" brigade turned up. Edited June 9, 2011 by RusticCharm

[kjhbigv]

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