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Becoming a monk
This is nothing I could do anytime soon, but it's interesting to think about. I know it's a huge decision that drastically influences your life, but do you still live a SOMEWHAT normal life? Like, for one thing do you live on the monastary? And if so you're allowed to leave and stuff right? And can you stay seeing your family a decent amount? And can you have non-monk friends? What about use of the internet? I've always been one to go all in on things, which makes ONE DAY possibly becoming a monk appealing, but I don't think I could do it if it meant giving up everything like family and stuff.
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Being a monk is really no big deal - just be prepared to work a lot harder than you imagine. The main feature of a monastic is that you are a renunciate - that you renounce the ordinary pleasures of the world which might mean giving away your CD collection.
Being ordained very much depends on your motivation. It also depends on your circumstances and the tradition which you follow.
There are many variables.
My best advice is to talk to the local Buddhist centre you attend.
But just to distill you anxiety - there is no need to give up family. However, if you are married with children then there are certain problems - not the least of which is that monastics are celibate.
Hi TheJourney.
Define normal.
OK serously now.Remember I am answering from a Theravadist point of view and some of the posts above have said things vary from tradition to tradition and from temple to temple.This is very true.
Yes I live at the monastary but I am free to go out(I think that is what you mean)However I am not supposed to go into town after midday except in an emergency and with the permission of another monk.
Personally I can not see my family a lot as they live in New Zealand and I live in Malaysia,but I have many monk friends in Thailand who see their families on a regular basis.
I have many lay(non monk)friends and yes as you can see I have internet access.
Again remember that things vary from temple to temple and I know of some that would not allow things like internet access.
I hope this helps you to understand a little more.
Palzang
Palzang my friend.When you go to work do you remain in your robes and what sort of job do you do?
I remember the first time I went to McCleodganj(not sure if spelling is correct)and going to a restaurant run by monks.I will admit to being surprised when a monk gave me my menu and took my order.Great restuarant btw and excellent food,but not sure the monks were cooking
Palzang
I totally agree about if you had to wear your robes to be a monk then you wouldn't be a very good monk.
With metta
As a monk in the Theravada tradition I am required to wear my robes at all times(not when sleeping or showering of course).There is even a rule on how far away I am allowed to be from my robes at anytime.Can't remember how far,will look it up and see.
First, you do a 6 month "training period," where you work from before sunrise till after sundown (I was able to skip this step since I had practiced with the head monk before in the US). It's brutal. They told me less then 15% of the people that start it actually finish the training period. So it's about on par with being a Navy SEAL. once you become a monk, you wake up at 3AM every day for the rest of the time you live at a temple. the only time that isn't true is if you are very sick, but even then, if you've been a monk long enough, you're expected to be there. 8 months out of the year are in retreat. there are two 1 month retreats, and two 3 month retreats. during those retreats, you sit 9 hours a day, every day. when you aren't on retreat, you still sit about 2 1/2-3 hours a day, and 4 1/2-5 hours on sunday. you can miss the schedule voluntarily twice, and the third time, you're out. not welcome back as a monk.
it's a brutal lifestyle choice. I did it for two months and went into deep depression, simply because my bodily clock couldn't adjust to waking up at 3 in the morning (and I was given a break for the first month, being able to wake up at 5 instead of 3, I have a chemical imbalance, and as such, I *need* more sleep than the average person does to the tune for two to three hours). not to mention the fact that during the retreats, unless the head monk lets you, you can't leave the temple.
This is just the Jogye order in Korea. I'd look into specifically what the rules and expectations are for whatever organization you want to be a monk it. But don't expect it to be all that different. Being a buddhist monk is probably the hardest life anyone could chose for themselves. make sure you're aware of what you're getting yourself into
If it is the "hardest life" then it probably isn't the "Middle Way".
"Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting Rolling the Wheel of Truth" (SN 56.11), translated from the Pali by Ñanamoli Thera. Access to Insight, June 14, 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.nymo.html
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikku
I'm sure there are harder. It was perhaps not an appropriate word to use. You get 3 meals a day and a place to live, and are not caught up in physical violence, either from yourself or from others. My point was to show that, compared to comfortable western living, it is a very, very hard life.
Ah, fair enough.