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Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:07 pm
by Lombardi4
Ultimately, I want to be a monk, for life.

However, (1) I don't have my mother's permission and (2) I don't have a penny to my name.

So, my plan is this. First of all I need money. To earn money, I need a job. The only job I can ever do is make websites. So my plan is to attend web design courses (which I've already paid for (well my mum paid, not me)), then become a web designer - for at least 5 and at most 15 years, earn lots of money, then give all that money to my mum, sort of as a bribe, so that she can allow me to be a monk, and then I can ordain.

I will be attending web design courses in England later this year. I also want to work as a web designer there. And also, if possible, I want to be a monk there.

I used to want to be a monk in Thailand, but there are certain issues with that, i.e. having to learn a new language from scratch, new culture, visas, etc.


My question is, how feasible is it to be a monk in the UK?

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:51 pm
by fivebells
I didn't know you needed money to become a monk, unless you have debts to pay off first.

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:52 pm
by Lombardi4
fivebells wrote:I didn't know you needed money to become a monk, unless you have debts to pay off first.
As far as I know, one has to pay for one's ordination procedure (correct me if I'm wrong). I have no debts.

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:16 pm
by DNS
That is good that you are planning on doing it the correct way with permission. In actual practice I have heard that sometimes monks do ordain without the permission. I think there have been some threads here on that subject and at many places they don't ask for proof that you have permission and some others that don't even ask.

I think it depends upon the monastery; some charge for the ordination procedure and some don't. And some get sponsors to pay for the ordination from the community for those that can't afford it.

I guess it depends on how long you can wait. If you really want to ordain it might be better not to wait. As the saying goes, "life happens." You might get married, have kids, and then it would be very difficult to ordain, if not even impossible.

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:38 pm
by TheNoBSBuddhist
Contact this monastery. it's wonderful. Ask them about the requirements.

http://www.amaravati.org/about_us/

:namaste:

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:52 pm
by Lombardi4
David N. Snyder wrote:That is good that you are planning on doing it the correct way with permission. In actual practice I have heard that sometimes monks do ordain without the permission. I think there have been some threads here on that subject and at many places they don't ask for proof that you have permission and some others that don't even ask.

I think it depends upon the monastery; some charge for the ordination procedure and some don't. And some get sponsors to pay for the ordination from the community for those that can't afford it.

I guess it depends on how long you can wait. If you really want to ordain it might be better not to wait. As the saying goes, "life happens." You might get married, have kids, and then it would be very difficult to ordain, if not even impossible.
Thanks David. My mum has already paid a huge amount of sum for the web design courses, so it wouldn't be a nice thing to ordain right now because of that. Also, I want to experience a working lay life in a country like the UK, at least for a few years. I want to do it the proper way, by having my mum's permission too. And whatever happens, I don't plan on having wife and kids anyway.

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:53 pm
by Lombardi4
TheNoBSBuddhist wrote:Contact this monastery. it's wonderful. Ask them about the requirements.

http://www.amaravati.org/about_us/

:namaste:
Thanks.

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:54 pm
by Chi
I am happy you have a strong intention to be a monk.

Still, life does not happen the way we want it to most of the time. Five (fifteen?!) years is a long time. Everything changes. The mind is fickle. Your mother could die. You could die. We usually think we are preparing for something, some time better in the future, but really, there is no better moment than right now. This is the end. This is it.

Have you ever been on retreats? Long retreats? The lives of many monks, if they are dedicated, are like lifelong retreats (with periods of less intensive meditation, and more work and/or study). Are you sure you are prepared to relinquish all sensual pleasures, keep your eyes downcast most of the day, give up all your hopes and dreams of becoming somebody special, and let go of most, if not all of your hobbies? It sounds like there are still worldly aims in the mind that could hinder one's practice as a monk. Being a monk is not about becoming somebody great. It's about being an ordinary nobody and striving for liberation from craving.

Not having your mother's permission is a valid reason not to ordain. Not having a penny to your name is a rather poor excuse not to ordain. How much is the ordination ceremony?

It takes a mature person to be a monk. If you feel you are mature enough, great. Go for it. If romantic, idealistic thoughts of a monk's life are predominant in the mind, it might be better to practice in daily life and go on a few longer retreats to get a feel for a renunciate's life first.

All the best to you, friend.

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 6:04 pm
by Lombardi4
Thank you Chi. You've given me lots of food for thought there! I think there's lots of truth in everything you've said. :smile:

Re: Ordaining in England. And my plan.

Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 10:46 pm
by Cittasanto
any of the forest Sangha monasteries do training, but there are others outside that one group, such as the forest hermitage which is still Ajahn Chah lineage and part of the WPP group just not FS. and others. while in the UK look around.