Ordain for a short period in the west

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
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DreBay
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:18 pm

Ordain for a short period in the west

Post by DreBay »

Hi

I wondered if anybody know if there's any monasteries in the west of America that ordain people for a short time?
I'm currently living in Vancouver BC so i'm looking for a monastery in BC Canada or California USA.

I was thinking about being a monk for a month :smile:
Like one who picks and chooses flowers, a man who has his mind attached to sensual pleasures is carried away by death, just as a great flood sweeps away a sleeping village - Dhammapada 47
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TheNoBSBuddhist
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Location: Loch Lomond, via the High AND Low road....

Re: Ordain for a short period in the west

Post by TheNoBSBuddhist »

The better challenge would be to live like a monk without ordaining...

Doing it for a month would probably be an extreme inconvenience to the monastery.

You would do better to go on an extended retreat or shorten the period.
Ordaining is not something that, in the west, can be jumped in and out of at a whim.
:namaste:

You will not be punished FOR your 'emotions'; you will be punished BY your 'emotions'.



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Pay attention, simplify, and (Meditation instruction in a nutshell) "Mind - the Gap."
‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
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mikenz66
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Re: Ordain for a short period in the west

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi DreBay,

Short-term ordination is standard in Thailand, and is quite common in Thai monasteries in the West (and proabably some of the other SE Asian monasteries, such as Lao and Cambodian...). However, as a non-Thai (I presume, otherwise you wouldn't be asking this!), you'd probably need to hang out for a while to show that you had a serious involvement. My abbot often jokes when I ask to stay for a retreat: "You ordaining?" :tongue: Perhaps one day...

Ordination is not a "trouble" for such a monastery. It's part of the social engagement with the community.

Of course, unless you are involved in the community, it would probably be more sensible to just do a retreat for a few weeks, unless there is some special reason you'd like to do a temporary ordination.

:anjali:
Mike
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