Young, Scottish and an aspiration of living with monks.

[DestinedTravel]

I'll tell you a bit about myself before so you can understand why I want to do this.
I'm 19, Born in Scotland, never lived anywhere in my whole life. Always loved travelling, I've travelled china for 1 month before with my dad, was a mindblowing trip, so mindblowing at the age of 12 I didn't appreciate and understand what I was given throughout life and how different the culture is. I'm currently studying at university, had so many hopes for university, but everything has left me hanging and let me down.
From this the idea of "escaping" into thialand for my time off of university and stay if i really want to.

So this is my idea so far, I've been looking online and getting advice from my family of what to do. I've had a look to see if there was any way of contacting a temple, more specificly buddhist monks to see if I would be able to stay and live as a buddhist monk for 2 months.
There's only one website I can find but it is offering this at astronomical prices that well I just don't have.
Another idea of mine is to get a plane to thailand, have a map with all of the temples and simply walk upto them, ask if I could live as a monk.


Has anybody else embraced the buddhist monk lifestyle and lived with monks for a certain amount of time. How did you go about this? And do you have any advice for me?

Thanks,
Connor

[Gaccha]

When I was an Investment banker in Tokyo, one of the Directors (a big boy) was a 29 year old genius. He was a nice guy and a good boss. But what I remember most about him was that for one year he was a monk in the harsh Japanese-style of monkhood. I think it made him a better person. He wrote about it but I can't find it.

I'm telling you this, because others will mock your idea, or tell you to get a good education first. But many of them are from the Boomer generation, where constant hardwork did lead to a reward. Your generation has to find other ways of getting the best from life. Doing the monk thing may change your perspective on life, change your character, and... look great on your CV.

Go for it.

(and I should point out: I am Scottish and kind of young)

Edited December 2, 2013 by Gaccha

[DestinedTravel]

When I was an Investment banker in Tokyo, one of the Directors (a big boy) was a 29 year old genius. He was a nice guy and a good boss. But what I remember most about him was that for one year he was a monk in the harsh Japanese-style of monkhood. I think it made him a better person. He wrote about it but I can't find it.

I'm telling you this, because others will mock your idea, or tell you to get a good education first. But many of them are from the Boomer generation, where constant hardwork did lead to a reward. Your generation has to find other ways of getting the best from life. Doing the monk thing may change your perspective on life, change your character, and... look great on your CV.

Go for it.

(and I should point out: I am Scottish and kind of young)

Thankyou for your kind reply.

It's nice to hear from another Scottish person understanding why I'm doing this. I'm primarily doing this for myself and to get myself back on track with my life. To learn to apprecaite life it's self and just live outside of my own little bubble.

Do you have any idea how this director went about contacting these monks and such?

Thanks again

[Gaccha]

When I was an Investment banker in Tokyo, one of the Directors (a big boy) was a 29 year old genius. He was a nice guy and a good boss. But what I remember most about him was that for one year he was a monk in the harsh Japanese-style of monkhood. I think it made him a better person. He wrote about it but I can't find it.

I'm telling you this, because others will mock your idea, or tell you to get a good education first. But many of them are from the Boomer generation, where constant hardwork did lead to a reward. Your generation has to find other ways of getting the best from life. Doing the monk thing may change your perspective on life, change your character, and... look great on your CV.

Go for it.

(and I should point out: I am Scottish and kind of young)

Thankyou for your kind reply.

It's nice to hear from another Scottish person understanding why I'm doing this. I'm primarily doing this for myself and to get myself back on track with my life. To learn to apprecaite life it's self and just live outside of my own little bubble.

Do you have any idea how this director went about contacting these monks and such?

Thanks again

I have no idea. But the tradition in Japan is to simply turn up at the door of the monastery. They then refuse entry. You then knock again.... and they again refuse. Days go by, where the potential monk begs to enter the harsh life of the monkhood. If he has the stamina eventually he is let in.

In Thailand, it is much easier. You just book (probably over the internet) a place at a foreigner-friendly temple and turn up. A few members at this site can recommend places.

I prefer the purity of the Japanese Buddhism over the ghosts/amulets/monsters of Thai Buddhism. But everyone to their own.

[harrry]

Check in google meditation nakorn si thamarat and you will find an excellent meditation course in a monestry. THey only ask a very minimal donation for food. There is a foreigner giving talks every day. Not commercial and should give you a good insight into what going further may mean. If you are serious go for it if not forget it.

[pdwarf1]

I wish you the best of luck in achieving your goal. It is a noble thing to do to find oneself at such a young age.

[Rumblecat]

You should maybe contact Monk for a Month- it's an organisation based in Thailand. Although the website seems mainly to be talking about buddhist retreats in India at the moment, it's worth dropping them a line. They've got a Facebook page as well.

http://monkforamonth.com/

I've heard Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai allows people to come and stay (room, board) for just a donation at the end of the visit.

There's good list of places here- http://www.sawadee.com/thailand/meditation/ - provides a good list of temples with descriptions of what to expect and contact details, website info.

Again I don't know for sure how accurate this is personally because I'm a spiritually empty Scotsman but I wish you all the best

Edited December 2, 2013 by Rumblecat

[rgs2001uk]

There's only one website I can find but it is offering this at astronomical prices that well I just don't have.

Excellent, please provide a link.

walk upto them, ask if I could live as a monk.

Poot pasat thai ben mai?

Try here,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagyu_Samy%C3%A9_Ling_Monastery_and_Tibetan_Centre

Which path do you wish to follow?

I know its not what you want to hear, my wife is Thai, her version and your version of Bhuddism probably mean two different things.

Read up on Santi Asoke to be going on with, never mind a certain temple just north of Bkk.

Edited December 2, 2013 by rgs2001uk

[Riley'sLife]

I'd say it is perfectly feasible to live at a Temple for a couple of months in Thailand. I have lost count of the number of times I have been invited to stay at a Temple in my travels.

I certainly would not arrange this through any commercial organisation - waste of money. Maybe people don't appreciate how easy it is to stay at a Temple. Thais do it all the time. There are usually several non-local Thais staying at our local village Temple at any one time.

For a couple of months ... no problem. Just get a Visa and arrive.

However, there is a difference between staying at a Temple living among monks, and becoming a monk. Not knowing Thai language you would struggle to become a monk.

But, I stress, there is absolutely no need to pay more than a very small amount for your "keep".

PM me. If you're serious I could fix it. No charge.

[pramaprow]

http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/region.php?region_id=7

http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/country.php?country_id=53

[fabianfred]

We have a Scottish monk at our temple... Graham Ross

https://www.facebook.com/TempleStayThailand

http://www.templeretreatthailand.com/

[Para]

I was ordained for just over a year disrobe on January.

PM me if you want to chat.

[hellodolly]

No matter what you do it will be an experience that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

congratulations on your decision and I am sure that several of the posts will more than help you.

[bender92]

You should be Buddhist because you want to, not because it is a convenient way to travel. Get a job and save your money.

[Commander Tamson]

Lots of good advice, links and offers of personal help here. Go for it!

But if you've never lived outside of the UK before, better prepare yourself mentally for the challenge you're about to undertake. It'll be no walk in the park!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[bankei]

I've been a monk in Thailand. I would suggest you get to know some Thai people and they can assist you with an intro to a temple. Start learning the Pali chanting for the ordination proceedure now as this is not easy.

Also it is very expensive to ordain in Thailand - you may expect it to be free, but far from it. You should budget on 30,000B for a temple outside of bangkok.

BTW, you must be 20 to become a monk. You may have to wait or become a novice.

Bankei

[MantisMan]

"Has anybody else embraced the buddhist monk lifestyle and lived with monks for a certain amount of time. How did you go about this? And do you have any advice for me?"

I did this for a week in Japan long ago and it was one of the most memorable moments in my life.

But I have to warn you, there is nothing easy about this life style.

Wait until you have to get up at 4am and meditate for a few hours, then go off and perform duties given to you like cleaning toilets, then meditating again, then eating breakfast in complete silence in an ultra traditional method ( at least in Japanese Buddhism ) then do walking meditation around the monetary, then eat lunch in complete silence.

Then meditate again, then prepare for dinner, eat in silence in the "5 bowl method" (google it).

Meditate again. Bed before 11pm.

Oh, there maybe on day of going out begging in the local shopping area.

We begged for money, but you are not allowed to touch it. There is a special pocketed apron for that.

Very humbling experience for a middle-class L.A Calif boy who has never begged in his life (except for the wife to give it up!).

If you get a chance, ask them to teach you how to ring the bell and ask if you can be responsible for that during your stay. Same beat here as in Japan. Found that interesting.

Enjoy!

[harrry]

Although I am sure at least one poster here will disagree I would say if you want a real monastry to try studying meditation and they ask for more than about $35 a week for food reconsider. You can and maybe should give more as you leave but that way you are sure they are there for real reasons and not using you as a funds source to build an even wealthier monestry.

[sirchai]

You might be interested in taking a further look. I always see them with foreign monks when driving to Ubon Ratchathani from Sisaket.

Always heard good stories about the temple, monks, etc...welcome to a world you'll love.-

And I'm sure you'll like it. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g656472-d2515164-r144908746-Wat_Pah_Nanachat-Ubon_Ratchathani_Ubon_Ratchathani_Province.html

Edited December 4, 2013 by sirchai

[Suradit69]

You should be Buddhist because you want to, not because it is a convenient way to travel. Get a job and save your money.

I'm still pondering the O/P's statement in the first post:

...never lived anywhere in my whole life ...

Followed in short order by"

Has anybody else embraced the buddhist monk lifestyle ...

From this the idea of "escaping" into thialand for my time off of university ...

One wonders if embracing a lifestyle is quite the basis for becoming a monk and also if taking "time off of" university is such a good idea all things considered.

Edited December 4, 2013 by Suradit69

[sirchai]

You should be Buddhist because you want to, not because it is a convenient way to travel. Get a job and save your money.

I'm still pondering the O/P's statement in the first post:

...never lived anywhere in my whole life ...

Followed in short order by"

Has anybody else embraced the buddhist monk lifestyle ...

From this the idea of "escaping" into thialand for my time off of university ...

One wonders if embracing a lifestyle is quite the basis for becoming a monk and also if taking "time off of" university is such a good idea all things considered.

My dog likes bones, I don't. What might be good for you, might not be good for this guy, just let him try.-

Edited December 4, 2013 by sirchai

[sirchai]

P.S. Already mentioned temple is well-known and people speak English and German. Don't know if they speak Scottish. Lol-

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g656472-d2515164-r144908746-Wat_Pah_Nanachat-Ubon_Ratchathani_Ubon_Ratchathani_Province.html

[TheGhostWithin]

You should be Buddhist because you want to, not because it is a convenient way to travel. Get a job and save your money.

Your post is shameful. The OP is looking to "experience" a world which he has not experienced. He is not looking for go go bars or street side bucket bars on KSR. I considered it once but did not go further because money has been my king for too long.

I am now 28 years old, in an incredibly well paid but stressful job, and regret like crazy that I did not do more than "envisage" a different path to finding myself. My life is less than happy and I am anticipating death by any number of stress-related issues at a young age just as I see my older colleagues with all types of cancers, a few with heart attacks, all with weight issues. I have put on 25KG myself since starting 3 years ago.

This thread has reminded me of what I should do the day I decide to walk away from my job and life in NZ, whenever I decide that day will come. And I won't be paying astronomical amounts of money either, not because I am greedy, but because it is against the concepts of all forms of Buddhism. Greed is a no-no in Buddhism.

Good on you young Scotsman. Look into the Ubon/Sisaket thread, I have been through the area and it is currently my favourite part of Thailand.

Edited December 4, 2013 by TheGhostWithin

[Gaccha]

There is an issue here that I didn't raise because I felt it unanswerable.

He cannot know that he needs to know about the World but he obviously feels in his life something is missing, and he defines it as needing 'escape'. That has been read by one commentator as meaning a lazy way out, and the OP has been told to get a job and save.

I feel this is wrong. The OP is searching and his vocabulary is limited by an extraordinarily strained view of the world that exists in the hyper-neoliberalism of the West, and particularly the Anglosphere states.

I might suggest he read. But not Buddhist books, for that will come later. But books about himself. Or, more accurately, the self as constucted by modern life in the West.

May I humbly suggest:

(1) To understand how narrow is life is (and helping to explain his sense of unrest):

Herbert Marcuse One Dimensional Man

Michael Foucault The Birth of Biopolitics

(2) An awe of the World, but seen through the comforting prism of the Western philosphers.

David Hume An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Bryan Magee The Philosophy of Schopenhauer

By then, he'll easily latch on to the need for a Buddhist mentality, after all, Schopenhauer, an author mentioned above, more or less crashed Western ideas into Buddhism. And he can catch the next taxi to Glasgow Airport.

[sustento]

You can learn more about Buddhism and go on retreat without leaving your home country.

http://www.samyeling.org

[jdinasia]

I am probably not the first to say it, but ....

If this is just going to be a couple of months then by all means do it! Do it and learn and grow. However, if you think anywhere inside you that this may be a perm. calling for you then I would suggest holding off and completing a degree. Particularly if you think you may end up in Thailand but not stay robed as your opportunities here as a foreigner with no degree will be extremely limited.

I visited Wat Chai Na in Nakhon Sri Thammarat for a week about a decade ago and loved it.

Phra Daeng was gracious and the group that I was with loved the trip.

http://www.tourismthailand.org/See-and-Do/Sights-and-Attractions-Detail/Wat-Chai-Na-Meditation-Centre--5333

Wat Mahatat in BKK can also sort you out. Section 5 deals with foreigners wanting to take meditation as well as with foreigners wanting to ordain

International Meditation Center and Retreat

Wat Mahathat (Section 5) | Maharat Rd | 02-222-6011 | Contact: venerable Phra Suputh Kosalo

Meditation Class

Walk-in meditation classes are available three times a day | Morning session: 7 – 10 am; Midday session: 1 – 4 pm; Evening session: 6 – 8 pm

Wat Mahathat

[sustento]

If you're interested in Theravada you'll need to cross the border though...

http://foresthermitage.org.uk

[Pompey50]

I see you have received lots of advice here. My advice to you would be to contact a UK monastery, there are a number, some charge (and quite a lot) and others do not. In my view if they charge then don't go. It is not the proper way for monks to charge. In fact they can not even handle money! (When in Thailand if a monk puts his hand out for money I ignore them as they are not permitted to handle money!)

I noticed a number of posters telling you they spent time as monks. I would talk to them!

I am a frequent visitor to Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in West Sussex and last year stayed there for 4 days. It has been in Chithurst since 1979 and is of the Thai forest tradition. It is where monks train in the UK under the tutelage of one of Ajahn Chah's Western disciples. Contact them and arrange to go and stay for 3 days. (this is the maximum they allow for a first visit in case you are not happy with the routine). They do not charge, but a donation is always gratefully received.

This will at least give you a flavour of the life and allow you to talk to people who have done just what you are considering.

When you stay there you join the community and are expected to live according to Buddhist precepts, you rise at 04:30 for morning puja and just generally muck in with the life of the place. You will be expected to do chores, anything from working in the kitchen to mopping floors, gardening etc. If you really like the life then you can talk to them about options.

They usualy have a number of Anagarika at any given time, these are people who are looking at becoming monks and so spend at least a year in white robes whilst training. The next step is Bhikkhu ordanation

They often send monks to Thailand for some of their training, for at least a year or two.

It is possible to go to Wat Nong Pah Pong and stay there. A link I give below will give you details.

Wat Nong Pah Pong (Short: Wat Pah Pong, Thai: วัดหนองป่าพง) is the main monastery of the late Thai Forest Tradition meditation master, the Venerable Ajahn Chah. The monastery sits in Ubon Ratchathani Province, in the district of (Amphoe) Warin Chamrap.

here are some links for you

http://www.cittaviveka.org

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

http://www.watpahnanachat.org

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

here are some Pictures taken over the last couple of years at various events Wesak , Kathina and their annual International Thod pa pa

All I can really sugggest is check it out, write to the Abbot at Chithurst, Ajahn Sucitto. I am sure he would be full of good advice, he has been a monk since the mid 70's and is a highly respected teacher and lecturer. He has written many books on the subject of Buddhism (they are all for free distribution)

Chat to the people on this forum who have been a monk. But please don't get involved in the rip of world of expensive meditation courses or monastery's that will ordain you for a price! Ultimately I wish the the best of luck young man and I hope you find what you are seeking! Maybe see you in Robes at Chithurst one day

It is a great place to visit for anyone interested in Buddhism, they welcome everyone. I often go their just for a day and wander around their 160 Acres of Forest or sit meditation in the Dharma hall. Sunday mornings is a prime time to visit. turn up in time for morning puja and then have lunch with everyone.

Edited December 4, 2013 by Pompey50

[super22k]

Hey,this isnt at trick to avoid Scottish independence,is it?

The thought of thousands of Jocks running away to Thai monastries will send shivers down Alex Salmons spine.

[Sceptict11]

What did you say was being "studied" at university ?

Cannot have been English or ?

Stop dreaming and concentrate on gaining a real education and then a job !