Tag Archives: pra
How to Become a Thai Monk: First Impressions and Daily Schedule, part 2 Posted by palmisano on Nov 29, 2013
[This article is a continuation of a series of articles on becoming a Thai Buddhist monk.] Reading Books While it wasn’t required of me, I felt I should try to study Buddhist teachings while I’m a monk. I read various literature and watched documentaries on Youtube. The book I really recommend is “Handbook for…
How to Become a Thai Monk: First Impressions and Daily Schedule, part 1 Posted by palmisano on Nov 27, 2013
I had internally imagined what life as a monk would be like long before becoming one. And after becoming one, my expectations were mostly the same. As you read this, keep in mind that monk life in the US is much more comfortable than in Thailand. The rules are a bit different, too, for practical…
How to Become a Thai Monk: Preparation, part 2 Posted by palmisano on Oct 26, 2013
Beyond memorizing the chanting you also should practice kneeling like a monk. While most Thais have no problem with it, the larger heavier framed farang can find it painful. I certainly did. As a monk, you’ll be expected to kneel one to two hours per day. For me, the kneeling position…
How to Become a Thai Monk: Preparation, part 1 Posted by palmisano on Oct 12, 2013
After you’ve qualified and learned the basic rules to becoming a Buddhist monk, you then can be ordained. Ordination isn’t an easy task and can be as complicated and time consuming as preparing for a wedding. Your very first task should be …
How to Become a Thai Monk: 227 Rules, part 4 Posted by palmisano on Oct 6, 2013
Is it ok for a monk to wear shoes? Use a phone? Own an iPhone? Drive a car? Eat steak at Sizzler, use a computer, use Facebook, shake hands with a woman, use money, etc.?
How to Become a Thai Monk: 227 Rules, part 3 Posted by palmisano on Oct 3, 2013
I really tried to be a good monk by reading and following all the rules. But, it turned out many of the rules are really strange and the monks simply ignored/violated them. Let me explain . . .
How to Become a Thai Monk: 227 Rules, part 2 Posted by palmisano on Sep 30, 2013
In my previous posts I talked about the rules to follow before becoming a monk. After becoming a monk there are 227 more rules one must follow, called wenai, which is something like a highly expanded version of the 10 Commandments.