Ordination in Thailand

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
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martinfrank
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by martinfrank »

Thank you, Ven. Appicchato, for your kind advice to the monk-to-be.

I believe it would be best for the monk-to-be to travel to Thailand and visit a few monasteries and see for himself where he is welcome and where he will find friendly monk-brothers who will help him tie his robe and tell him what to do and what not to do.

Maybe it would be good advice not to travel to Thailand during the Rains Retreat (vassa) from 2 AUG to 30 OCT 2014 as most monasteries will be full and busy. After the Rains Retreat the monasteries will return to normal and resident monks will have more time to talk to visitors.

Once the monk-to-be has found a wat where he feels welcome, visa problems can be sorted out. To start with an invitation letter seems risky to me because the monk-to-be may be stuck with a monastery and a teacher where he doesn't feel at ease.

There are more than three thousand wats in Thailand. Trying to find the best wat in Thailand is like trying to find the best taxi in Bangkok. The official place to start for foreign monk candidates is Section 5 of Wat Mahathat in Bangkok. But why start in Bangkok? Why not in Hatyai?

Monks in South Thailand generally welcome foreign Buddhists and are relaxed and helpful. Phra Kroo Aphicharto at Wat Bo Pradoo (T. Watjant, A. Sathingphra, J. Songkhla) is a modern young teacher and head of a small monastery. He is very kind and speaks English well. He is a good ordination guide. In the area there are several monasteries with serious, intelligent young monks.
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thaijeppe
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by thaijeppe »

Maybe it would be good advice not to travel to Thailand during the Rains Retreat (vassa) from 2 AUG to 30 OCT 2014 as most monasteries will be full and busy. After the Rains Retreat the monasteries will return to normal and resident monks will have more time to talk to visitors.

Just to get the right dates Vassa 2014 is 12 of july to 8 October

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appicchato
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by appicchato »

There are more than three thousand wats in Thailand.
Thirty plus thousand is a bit more accurate...
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gavesako
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by gavesako »

INTO THE DHAMMA: The Journey of a Novice Monk

After coming to Wat Marp Jan for many years, Wen Jie from Singapore decides to give ordination a go. He finds it's not as easy as he first thought.
Forest monastery of Ajahn Chah tradition in Rayong -- Wat Marp Jan วัดมาบจันทร์

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txvtird_W4k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

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samseva
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by samseva »

gavesako wrote:INTO THE DHAMMA: The Journey of a Novice Monk

After coming to Wat Marp Jan for many years, Wen Jie from Singapore decides to give ordination a go. He finds it's not as easy as he first thought.
Forest monastery of Ajahn Chah tradition in Rayong -- Wat Marp Jan วัดมาบจันทร์

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txvtird_W4k
Thank you, Ven. Gavesako.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by Dhammanando »

I've just received news of a new regulation for foreign nationals wishing to ordain in Thailand. They are now required to bring a copy of their police record in their native country and submit it to their upajjhāya before ordaining. As I haven't yet seen a copy of the regulation I don't know whether it requires that the candidate have a completely clean record or merely that it be free of serious crimes.
Rūpehi bhikkhave arūpā santatarā.
Arūpehi nirodho santataro ti.


“Bhikkhus, the formless is more peaceful than the form realms.
Cessation is more peaceful than the formless realms.”
(Santatarasutta, Iti 73)
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samseva
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by samseva »

Dhammanando wrote:I've just received news of a new regulation for foreign nationals wishing to ordain in Thailand. They are now required to bring a copy of their police record in their native country and submit it to their upajjhāya before ordaining. As I haven't yet seen a copy of the regulation I don't know whether it requires that the candidate have a completely clean record or merely that it be free of serious crimes.
Before reading, I was scared that it would be bad news, but that is actually really good news. :smile: It means there are some positive changes taking place in the Thai sangha.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by Dhammanando »

samseva wrote:Before reading, I was scared that it would be bad news, but that is actually really good news. :smile: It means there are some positive changes taking place in the Thai sangha.

Well, not really. The last good state-instituted sangha reforms were in Thaksin’s day. The latest is actually a national security measure. It seems the Thai authorities have received an intelligence report that some Muslims have entered the Kingdom with the aim of carrying out terrorist attacks on Russian tourists in Pattaya. There’s a concern that they may try to disguise themselves as monks and the new regulation is the junta’s response to this.
Suspects.jpg
Suspects.jpg (25.66 KiB) Viewed 31259 times
Rūpehi bhikkhave arūpā santatarā.
Arūpehi nirodho santataro ti.


“Bhikkhus, the formless is more peaceful than the form realms.
Cessation is more peaceful than the formless realms.”
(Santatarasutta, Iti 73)
SarathW
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by SarathW »

gavesako wrote:INTO THE DHAMMA: The Journey of a Novice Monk

After coming to Wat Marp Jan for many years, Wen Jie from Singapore decides to give ordination a go. He finds it's not as easy as he first thought.
Forest monastery of Ajahn Chah tradition in Rayong -- Wat Marp Jan วัดมาบจันทร์

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txvtird_W4k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thanks for the video.
What I noticed was monks are engage with continuous chores.
Very little to do with the practice. (Perhaps the practice is the mindfulness of the chores)
I have never seen Sri Lankan monks are doing so much chores.
This is a great example to show that lay people can do the same.
:anjali:
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
robbie77
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by robbie77 »

gavesako wrote:INTO THE DHAMMA: The Journey of a Novice Monk

After coming to Wat Marp Jan for many years, Wen Jie from Singapore decides to give ordination a go. He finds it's not as easy as he first thought.
Forest monastery of Ajahn Chah tradition in Rayong -- Wat Marp Jan วัดมาบจันทร์

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txvtird_W4k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for an interesting video upload. I am curious to know how he managed to ordain in the lineage of Ajahn Chah after, in his own word, "about fifteen minutes." I understood the process of ordination to be much more rigorous in the Ajahn Chah tradition and liked this reality as it weeds out those who ordain on a whim. Any reflections on this anybody?
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gavesako
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by gavesako »

The process can be faster if you go to Wat Marp Jan or another Thai branch monastery rather than to Wat Pah Nanachat. But usually it means that you have to speak Thai already. Then you might skip the long anagarika-samanera stage or just do a few months' stint and be quickly ordained as a bhikkhu (which is the normal way for Thai men to get into robes). The reason is that many just take a temporary ordination and will disrobe again soon. Those who stay on have to learn gradually the things which elsewhere they would pick up as anagarika-samanera.
Bhikkhu Gavesako
Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

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mysterie
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by mysterie »

someone above said that it might be a bad idea for a foreigner to come to thailand looking to ordain during the rains retreat.

i'm planning to get to thailand early june and is this the case? i thought that it was easier to stay at a monastery during rains retreat. would it just mean that i have to stay at one monastery for the 3 month rains retreat? or would i still be able to stay at different monasteries for 20 days - a month during this time?

thanks.
ttliic
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Re: Ordination in Thailand

Post by ttliic »

Where is the best place currently for an foreigner to ordain at a Dhammayut monestary - do people still ordain at Wat Pa Ban Taad?
Shodo Jishin
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Ordain as a monk and still stay vegetarian/vegan?

Post by Shodo Jishin »

Hello,

I would like to ordain in the Theravada tradition in Thailand (I live in Bangkok), but the one thing I would like to continue is living vegan. I heard of one temple, Sunnararam in Kanchanaburi, where as part of their metta practice eat only vegetarian. I can't find a way to contact them though. Does anyone have info on where I could ordain and still be vegan? Or anyone know how I can contact Sunnararam? Thank you.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Ordain as a monk and still stay vegetarian/vegan?

Post by Dhammanando »

Shodo Jishin wrote:Or anyone know how I can contact Sunnararam?
Assuming you mean Sunyataram, this is the address of the wat:

Samnak Pa Sunyataram,
Tambol Prang Phen,
Amphoe Sangkhlaburi,
Kanchanaburi 71240

สำนักป่าสุญญตาราม
ตำบล ปรังเผล
อำเภอ สังขละบุรี
จังหวัด กาญจนบุรี 71240

And its Facebook page:

https://web.facebook.com/สำนักป่าสุญญตา ... 3855305359



I would remark, however, that abstention from meat can be practised at nearly any monastery in Thailand, excepting those of Ajahn Maha Bua and his disciples, where it's expressly prohibited.
Rūpehi bhikkhave arūpā santatarā.
Arūpehi nirodho santataro ti.


“Bhikkhus, the formless is more peaceful than the form realms.
Cessation is more peaceful than the formless realms.”
(Santatarasutta, Iti 73)
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