Considering The Monks Life

Considerin

g¢ Becoming a Monk? - Page |1

Depabhasadhamma

Considering.Becoming.a.Mork?

So, let’s chat a bit. Becoming a monk means
that you will enter what is known in the Pali texts
as becoming an anagarika'. This means that you
are willingly asking to become a homeless one.
This does not mean that you will live on the street.
You will likely reside in a monastery or a temple
residence for monks. Before getting into the nitty-
gritty of becoming a monk, let’s visit some other,
equally important aspects.

Why do People Seek the Contemplative Life?

Initially, aside from being drawn to monastic
life, usually, and particularly in the West, one hears
the Dhamma (the truth of the Buddha’s
teachings), and develops what is known as
saddha?. Saddha is the Pali word for having
conviction; being convinced. This conviction
develops from hearing the words of the Buddha,
the Tathagata, which means “the one thus gone.”
One who possesses (samannagata?) this saddha
(conviction), begins to consider, reflect and
contemplate (patisaficikkhati#) that the world and
life as a householder is inconvenient and an
obstruction (sambadho®) to completely practicing
the Dhamma. Thus, the desire to renounce the
householder’s life gains strength and importance.

The more the Dhamma and contemplation of the
monastic life increases the more one desires
pabbaja® (going forth and taking up the monastic
life).

Everyone has different reasons for seeking
the contemplative life. Why is the life of a monk
called “contemplative?” Shedding your
attachments to the world as a monk means that
you will live a life of contemplation. This
contemplation is mostly grounded in meditation
and learning the teachings of the Buddha. You will
learn how to meditate skillfully and in doing so
you will learn how to fully understand the
meaning of the Four Noble Truths” and how they
apply to your own life.

Your contemplative experience will allow you
to one day, not only live the Dhamma, but teach it
to others as well. The more you contemplate and
meditate, the more you will learn and understand
from personal experience, the same as the Buddha
did. It was from his direct experience, and his
intense contemplation that the Buddha was able to
experience complete liberation from suffering
becoming an enlightened being (Nibbana).

1 Anagarika: homeless | http://dictionary.tamilcube.com/pali-dictionary.aspx

2 Saddha: meaning Uc& ; convinced ; believing

3 Samannagatta: meaning THAMTC ; endowed with ; possessed of

4 Patisaficikkhati: meaning Ufeasrratct ; To agree with oneself , to consider , revolve a matter in the mind

5 Sambadho : meaning areal ; Pressure , crowding , difficulty , obstruction

6 Pabbaja,from pabbajanta: meaning UST ; (pr .p . of pabbajati) going forth; becoming a monk; leaving household life
7 Four Noble Truths, A Study Guide: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/truths.html

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My Own Experience Becoming
Depabhasadhamma

Before this happens, you must examine your
reasons for seeking the contemplative life. I, of
course, cannot address others’ reasons for seeking
the monastic life, but I can tell you what my
reasons were. Now, before I do so, I must explain
that I am not as yet an ordained monk. I have
however, taken the first ten precepts in a Zen
monastery with a teacher, who was also my
preceptor.

But, I feel it is necessary to start at the
beginning. For in this way, you will be able to
realize the facets of my life and how they led me
to the realization that the Buddha’s teachings are
the most important teachings any human being
could pursue, and should pursue.

From childhood, my background was
steeped in the teachings of several branches of the
Christian church. I began with Congregationalism
in a small New England town. I then decided on
undertaking Catholicism. I entered my first
Catholic seminary when I was quite young and
switched Catholic Orders several times.
Eventually, as a young man, I decided that the
Protestant Baptist ministry was my so-called
calling. Throughout many years I attended a

Depabhasadhamma

Pentecostal church and finally, in my early 30’s, I
became a baptized Jehovah’s Witness.

There are several ways of considering why I
seemed to be searching, as was the case, but at the
seat of it all, the fulcrum point, the center, was my
longing to understand myself and the World. I
could not reason to myself that there was a
purpose to life. Regardless of all of the various
World religions that I had become a part of, none
were able to satisfy my most basic questions: Why
do people get sick and die? Why is there so much
suffering in the World? What is the purpose of
life? How can one be truly happy?

Leaving out the specifics, one day I happen
to be receiving treatment in a Physical Therapist’s
office. There was something playing in the
background; a woman talking about something. At
first, I didn’t pay any attention. Then, something
she said resonated with me and I began to pay
attention. I thought that the things this woman
was talking about made perfect sense. When the
doctor returned, I asked what it was that I was
listening to. He replied that the woman was an
American Buddhist nun by the name of Pema
Chodron’.

Being the person that I am, I was not about
to let this moment slip away. I could not help
feeling energized. My curiosity, as it is said, got
hold of me. After leaving the doctor’s office, I
stopped at a Border’s Book store and sought out
anything written by Pema Chodron. Her books
and audio tapes, particularly the one titled,
“Getting Unstuck®,” were real eye-openers for me.
I could not learn enough. The more I learned the
more intense the idea kept tugging at my thinking:
“What have I been doing all this time? Why hadn’t
I discovered the teachings of the Buddha before
now?” Needless to say, there were many reasons
why I had never contemplated the teachings of
the Buddha. Most of the Christian World religions
I had immersed myself in, convinced me that
Buddhism was idol worship, and this was the
devil’s work”.

§ Pema Chodron: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pema_Chodron
° Getting Unstuck, by Pema Chodron: https://youtu.be/2rql2mA5HoA?t=5
10 Christianity and Buddhism: Opinion: http://www.jesusisprecious.org/false_religion/buddhism/demonic_religion.htm

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |3

I must divert a bit at this point. My formal
educational background, aside from Christianity,
was in ancient history and law. Upon approaching
the history of the Buddha and his teachings, I was
able to piece together certain historical facts of
time periods and cultures that had likely been
instrumental in forming the Christian doctrines.
The most influential, by far, was the culture of
ancient Egypt. I discovered that the elements of
the Christian Ten Commandments were in fact
already written down by the ancient Egyptians
some 3,000 years before the biblical version was
written; nearly word for word". Also, that the
Christian immaculate conception was modeled
after the Egyptian immaculate conception of
Osiris”.

Aside from these things, the teachings of the
Buddha made sense. | initially found them to be
clear, simple and logical. I discovered that most, if
not all, of the things I had been taught about
religions like Buddhism, were completely false. In
my estimation, there were no elements of the
teachings of the Buddha that, in a strict
ontological sense, qualified the teachings of the

Buddha to be a religion in the worldview meaning.

Moreover, the teachings answered my most
basic and fervent questions. I realized that the
man, Siddhartha Gautama (sid-har-tha gow-tah-
mah) entertained the very same questions that I
myself sought answers to. I also learned that what
the Buddha taught was not some dogma or
doctrine passed down from previous generations
of aesthetics or clergy, but were derived from his
own direct experience. I learned that he was not a
god nor did his followers consider him to be such.
There was no deity worship and moreover, the
purpose of his teachings were squarely focused on
the individual person; the individual practitioner;
me! There were no commandments to which I
must adhere, and if I did not, I would live in fear
of being judged by an Omniscient being as
undeserving of happiness.

Depabhasadhamma

Of immense importance and consequence
for me, was the Buddha’s teaching of kamma" and
how I could, right here, right now, affect the
nature of, not only my present life, but a future
existence; another human life following the one I
was living. Knowing as I do the results of decades
of research in Quantum Physics, it was logical that
the energy contained within the human stream of
consciousness, the same as any other type of
energy in the Universe, was impervious to
destruction’. That my own continuous stream of
consciousness is created by my own actions and
intentions (kamma), made perfect scientific sense.

As time marched on, immersing in to study
of the Dhamma (teachings of the Buddha), I
began to truly understand myself. I began to
realize that there was a reason why I found no real
joy or happiness in the trappings of the World.
Material possessions did not provide me with the
happiness that the World believes it does. I found
that much of my life was insignificant with regard
to pursuing the things the World considers to be
success.

In my early fifties, I had already pursued
several different careers, such as becoming the
CEO of a California Corporation; a next as senior
software engineer at a tech company in San
Mateo, California, then as the Director of Internet
Technology for a branch of Lawrence Livermore
Labs in Sacramento, California; next after this as
the Chief Technology Officer for a manufacturing
company in Los Angeles, California; in between all
of this becoming the owner of an Italian
restaurant in San Francisco, California. Most
people were shocked and absolutely aghast at my
desire to simply chuck it all and seek the
contemplative life as a Zen monk.

4 Egyptian Origin of the Ten Commandments: http://www.trinicenter.com/kwame/2009/1812.htm | https://jamaica-

gleaner.com/article/news/20171126/religion-culture-ten-commandments-myth

2 Gerald Massey, “Ancient Egypt-The Light of the World”:

https:/ /archive.org/details/AncientEgyptTheLightOfTheWorldvolume1/page/n4/mode/1up
3 Kamma, A Study Guide: https: //www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/kamma.html

4 Law of Thermodynamics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |4

Yet, at the age of fifty-six years old, I had
gained enough knowledge of the Dhamma and
decided to pursue the contemplative life. Upon
doing so, I have never before experienced such
relief, zeal, determination and peace of mind.

Was my decision based on my desire to
escape the responsibilities of the World? In part,
being honest, yes. The World had been distasteful
to me for a very, very long time. However,
becoming a monk would not absolve me of
responsibility. There were 227 new responsibilities
that I would have to observe and practice.

I understood what I would be giving up; my
home, many, many material possessions, and my
own privacy. I understood that I would have to
live in a communal setting with other monks. I
understood that there were particular habits that I
would have to end, and not only stop doing them,
but stop thinking about them. Becoming a monk
means not only a change of lifestyle but a change
of thinking.

Overall, whenever I examined the reasons
for seeking the monastic life, I could only find that
there were no reasons why I shouldn’t. The World
certainly held no value to me with regard to
personal gain. I truly felt as though there was
nothing to leave behind. All of my hard-earned
accomplishments did nothing to quell the desire
to know the questions I had considered in my
childhood.

Learning the Dhamma indicated to me that
there was nothing in this world that could provide
me with the most precious of all gifts; peace of
mind; having a feeling of wholesomeness; of an
accomplishment that would go far-far beyond
anything I could receive from the World. For me,
the reasons “for” seeking a contemplative life, far
outweigh the reasons not to. Aside from all the
logical reasons, the one tantamount reason was
that I would avail myself for the helping of others
to find happiness, purpose, and understanding of
their own lives.

Depabhasadhamma

As it happened, before formally committing
myself, my elderly mother became quite ill. She
was alone, without any support. She had suffered
a stroke, and lost much of her faculties, such as
normal speech, and continence issues. At the time,
I could not abandon my mother without any care.
Buddha taught that one must respect their
parents, particularly when a parent is in physical
distress. I moved my mother into my home and
took are of her daily needs, which were many.
This prevented me from fulfilling my desire for
seeking the contemplative life at that time. Some
might disagree, but I could not leave my mother
to the isolation of a nursing home. I knew my
mother would likely pass away soon, but while I
still had the capacity, I wanted to help her to live
her remaining time with some dignity. Of course,
my mother eventually passed away in September
of 2020.

However, I still face one large and looming
problem for entering a monastery. I was born with
a genetic spinal disorder known as Ankylosing
Spondylitis's, which is a severe musculoskeletal
disease that effects walking, sitting, and
movement, along with vision and repercussions
regarding the heart.

Although receiving medical attention for this
condition, there is no cure, and the prognosis is
not good. Recently (August 2021), after having a
series of MRI scans of my cervical vertebra, a
serious condition was discovered. Several of the
cervical vertebra have developed what is known as
foraminal stenosis. A radiologist’s report stated
that the foraminal stenosis'® in several of the
cetvical discs is severe, others were labeled as
moderate. This means that the foramen openings,
located beside the spinal processes, where nerves
are distributed throughout the limbs, are in danger
of being occluded or obstructed. A cutting off or
pinching of these nerves, at these locations, causes
severe limbic limitations of movement, and
eventually, if untreated, complete paralysis.

5 Ankylosing Spondylitis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankylosing_spondylitis

‘6 Cervical Foraminal Stenosis: https://med.virginia.edu/neurosurgery/setvices/spine-surgery /cetvical-stenosis/

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |5

Knowing that I have such a severe medical
condition that will only worsen as time passes, I
have a great concern of being a complete burden
on any monastic community. Considering that I
am sixty-five years old at present, and that my
medical condition has worsened with age, I don’t
consider that making such a decision is prudent
nor thoughtful to place such a burden on a
monastic community. It would be one thing to
enter a monastery while still young and gradually
deteriorate whilst there, but to enter a monastery
at my age, and in my worsened medical condition,
is not a burden that I wish to hand off to any
monastery. There is always my next life, and how I
live my life now, in accordance with the teachings
of the Buddha, I have no doubt whatsoever that I
will have a favorable rebirth. So, for now, I must
practice patience and equanimity and do what I
can to teach others my own direct experiences
with practicing the Dhamma.

However, if you are young, and in relatively
good health, and are seriously considering the
contemplative life, then by all means, waste no
time with formalizing your desire to become a
monk. Go and talk to a teacher at a monastery or
temple. If there is no monastery or temple in your
atea, do some research and find one that is
accepting new monastics. Making the decision
now, while you are still able, will be the most
important decision you have ever made in your
life.

The First Step - Making Your Decision

Approaching your decision to become a
monk, as it was in my own case, I did not have
this feeling of intense holiness that I experienced
when pursuing Christian monastic life. There was
no sense that I would be pleasing to the Buddha if
I became a monk. There was no one to impress.
This was a decision based on knowledge, and a
feeling of compassion for those who know
nothing of the Buddha’s teachings. With regard to
giving up the World; renouncing life in this World,
I understood that I would still have to live in this
World and be aware of all of its events of
suffering, but I could look at the World in a
dispassionate way with knowledge and
understanding of the Dhamma as my guide.

Depabhasadhamma

Following are some of the reasons ordained
monks have given for the reason they sought
contemplative life of a monk.

“You're asking about reasons (for deciding to become
a monk)? You say that like I had some kind of choice in
the matter. I could no more have avoided becoming a
Buddbist monk than I could stop myself from breathing.
Sure, I can hold my breath for a while, but at a certain
point, my body overrides my brain and says ‘We're done
with this silly exercise, time to breathe again! -Anonymous

But if you insist on some type of reason, I'd have to
say it was because of claustrophobia. I looked around at the
world, and felt hemmed in by three dimensions and the
Limited possibilities I was aware of: When somebody showed
me an alternative, I was irrevocably committed, before I had
the slightest idea what I was committed to.” -Anonymous

From Ajahn Brahmali:

“It is only now, after being a monk for almost 25 years,
that I can say that I truly do believe that these teachings are
the answer to the meaning of life. The Dhamma is the
answer to our deepest yearnings for fulfilment and
completion. It all comes together in the teachings of the
Buddha. Now I really do think, ‘What else would I want
to do with my life?” But that’s now, after 25 years! If I'm
going to be honest with myself, it wasn’t like that when I
started out. Sometimes, we project the present into the past;
we think that the way things are now is the way they were
then. But actually, they weren't like that at all. So, I
started to think a bit more deeply about how it all started
out.

It was in Japan that I read my first book on

Buddhism. It was one of those missionary books, the kind
you find on the bedside table in your hotel room. Usually
it’s the Bible, but this was Japan, so there was a Buddhist
book instead. The book included some of the fundamental
teachings of Buddhism, such as the Four Noble Truths and
the Noble Eightfold Path. Somehow these teachings seemed
familiar to me; they interested me somehow.

I don’t know when or where, I don’t know what
gender, but I'm quite sure I was a Buddhist monastic
somewhere. If this is indeed the case, the consequences are
quite interesting. It means that rather than freely choosing
to become a Buddhist monk, I was just following a habit
from the past. It’s not that I was special or smart or
particularly wise; instead I was just carrying on, doing the

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |6

same that I had in the past. This takes away so much of
the ego. It takes so much of the “me” out of the picture. It
stops me from thinking that I am special or unusual for
becoming a monk in this life. Instead, we are all just
following ancient predispositions.

But let’s come back to the main point of this little
essay. The most interesting result of contemplating why I
became a monk was realizing how little of our lives is
determined by us. What matters most is not how we steer
our lives, but our conditioning from the past, a past often
deeply buried in lives that are no longer accessible to us.

We are acting out our ancient habits, ike a program
written long ago but being played out again and again. In
fact, this is nothing other than the process of moving on in
samsara, that seemingly endless cycle of birth and death.

You compare the Buddba’s teachings with your own
experience of life. On that basis you gain a degree of
confidence in the Buddba’s words. You then look at the
teachings in greater detail and combine that with further
practice. Gradually you start to see that these teachings are
actually the escape from the trap. All this running around,
getting nowhere, until eventually you come across the
marvelous teachings of the Buddha. There is no need to
look any further. The word of the Buddha contains the
answer to the very meaning of life. That’s why I am a
Buddbist monk.”

Your Decision is made: What You Can Expect

In general, what can be expected is that you
will approach a monastery and most likely arrange
to speak with the head monk, teacher, or
monastery abbot. If such agrees, the senior monk
will then likely explain that the decision to
renounce the world in order to become a
monastic, is a serious decision. A senior monk
knows that monastic life does not suit everyone.
Monastic life means that you are not only isolated
from the world with regard to those things you
have become accustomed to in your life, but you
will live communally with other monks, some fully
ordained with a lot of experience, and other
students (samaneras), such as yourself.

Depabhasadhamma

Novice monks are bound by many precepts,
known as the Patimokkha'* (pah-tee-mohk-kah)
rules. Full ordination as a monk means the taking
and accepting of a total of 227 vows". Initially, a
novice monk will take the first ten precepts,
known as the dasa sila (dah-sah see-lah), which are
directly taken from the original Pali texts as set out
by the Buddha, and these are:

1. Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam
samadiyami: I undertake the precept to refrain
from destroying living creatures.

2. Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam
samadiyami: I undertake the precept to refrain
from taking that which is not given.

3. Abrahmacariya veramani sikkhapadam
samadiyami: I undertake the precept to refrain
from sexual activity.

4. Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami:
I undertake the precept to refrain from
incorrect speech.

5. Suramerayamajja pamadatthana veramani
sikkhapadam samadiyami: I undertake the
precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks
and drugs which lead to carelessness.

6. Vikalabhojana veramani sikkhapadam
samadiyami: I undertake the precept to refrain
from eating at the forbidden time (Le., after
noon).

7. Nacca-gita-vadita-visuka-dassana veramani
sikkhapadam samadiyami:I undertake the
precept to refrain from dancing, singing,
music, going to see entertainments.

8. Mala-gandha-vilepana-dharana-mandana-
vibhusanatthana veramani sikkhapadam
samadiyami: I undertake the precept to refrain
from wearing garlands, using perfumes, and
beautifying the body with cosmetics.

7 Ajahn Bramali: Fad] Text: “Why I am a Buddhist Monk: How a young Norwegian engineer became a renunciant
https://bswa.ore/bswp/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Why-I-am-a-Buddhist-Monk.pdf
18 Introduction to the Patimokkha: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/sv/bhikkhu-pati-intro.html

19 Pull 227 vows of Theravada monk: https://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=227_bhikkhu_precepts

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |7

9. Uccasayana-mahasayana veramani
sikkhapadam samadiyami: I undertake the
precept to refrain from lying on a high or
luxurious sleeping place.

10. Jatarupa-rajata-patiggahana veramani
sikkhapadam samadiyami: I undertake the
precept to refrain from accepting gold and
silver (money), which renounces the pleasures
and activities of worldly life.

Ordination as a monk is accomplished
through a series of steps. At each point, either the
monastery or the person aspiring to ordination
may decide that the process should go no further.
Due to this, it is important for those who have
decided to begin the process, not to cut-off all of
their worldly ties. Do not sell off all of your
belongings, at least until you are close to the step
of novice ordination. Sometimes a monastery may
have an age requirement, some have none. But
those monasteries that do, the age range is
generally between 25 to 35 years.

Initially, some common steps you can expect
to follow are:

After your application for residency and
being accepted, you will need to complete a
minimum six months to one-year as a novice
(samanera). In the Theravada tradition, an aspirant
for ordination presents themselves at a monastety,
have their head shaved, and take the Eight
Precepts, sometimes referred to as the Anagaraka
precepts. Then you will spend about a year as an
anagarika (homeless one) wearing white robes and
assisting the monks whilst also learning the basics
of the monastic life. After these initial steps you
can then request what is called the pabbaja.

Second Step — Going Forth (Pabbaja)

The significance of the “Going Forth”
(pabbaja) step is the same as the Buddha. This is
why the Buddha is called the “Tathagata,” which
means “one who has gone forth” and has through
his own efforts awakened to the truth of reality.

Depabhasadhamma

The Buddha described these truths in his
very first teaching, known as the
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta”*, which is the
sutta setting the wheel of truth in motion.
Everything the Buddha would teach for the forty-
five years of his teaching career was taught in the
context of this first teaching.

One who has gone forth is one who has left
the sense-pleasures and sense-distractions of the
world behind. When the Buddha left his father’s
palace, leaving behind his wife and infant son, he
had thus “gone forth” in a very literal physical
sense. In doing so, he left behind any political
power he may have had, all of his possessions, and
all of his responsibilities of family in order to seek
understanding, knowing that all of these things
were distractions to learning the truth of the
nature of reality.

Going forth, was a common, socially
acceptable and practical occurrence among
spiritual seekers during the time of the Buddha,
who lived among other spiritual seekers in the
Jain, Brahmin and Hindu traditions. Wandering
and seeking was a tradition that was supported by
those who remained “attached” to the world, and
its responsibilities and distractions. Wandering
ascetics and spiritual teachers, exchanged their
teaching and knowledge for food and clothing.
Knowledge that was gained from these teachers
was considered of great benefit.

This is less practical and socially accepted
today. Support of the monastic communities,
particularly in the West today, is lacking in many
respects. This is due to the fact that there is not as
much value placed on developing one’s spiritual
life than developing one’s economic life. Many
people do not understand the needs of monastic
communities.

However, just as it was in the Buddha’s time,
the desire to develop understanding of the
Buddha’s teachings has endured, intact for 2,600
years. The Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha
are still available in the same form when the
Buddha first presented it. Many people, although
desiring the monastic life, are not able to leave the
householder life behind.

20 Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |8

But, for those that embrace the authentic
Dhamma, as taught by monastics, develop an
insight that signals in them a whole-hearted desire
to practice as a monastic.

The Pabbaja Sutta?! describes going forth.
Dhamma practice on the monastic level develops
the experience of leaving the world behind while
continuing to live in this mental/physical world.
As a monastic you will lose attachment to the
world and go forth into the open air of
dispassionate mindfulness known as equanimity.

If, after a period of residency your desire to
ordain continues to be strong, and your teacher
agrees, you can request to take the Anagaraka
precepts, which is the first stage toward monastic
life. At this stage the student will wear the white
robe. The Anagarika precepts are the same as
those followed by all residents when they stay at
the monastery.

If your teacher agrees, and is willing to
consider you as a candidate for ordination, he will
specify a waiting period before you may take
novice vows. This period varies from person to
person and in some instances the monastery, but
is usually six months to a year. During this time
period you must remain in residence at the
monastery, participating fully in the life of the
monastery including full work responsibilities,
retreats, and Pali and sutta studies. When the head
monk determines that you are ready, you will be
given the novice ordination.

At the end of a year you can choose to take
the Going Forth (Pabbaja) as a novice monk
(samanera). In this ceremony you will take Ten
Precepts, which are your novice monastic vows.
After a year as a novice you will have the
opportunity to partake in the Higher Ordination
(Upasampada) of a fully ordained monk. While
this series of events entails a minimum of a few
years, it can take longer, depending on your own
progress and efforts. Upon successful completion
of your time as a novice (usually one year) you will
be eligible for full ordination.

Depabhasadhamma
Preparing for Monastic Life

In Western countries, where Buddhist
monasteries and monasticism are relatively new,
you may have to arrange for a family member to
make some purchases for you while you are in the
monastery. This is not always the case as most
monasteries accepting novices are established.
However, small or new monasteries may not have
all of the necessary items you will need, such as
personal items such as shavers, soap, deodorant,
toothpaste, and certain clothing items such as
shoes.

If your income, savings or other financial
holdings are substantial or substantial enough to
provide yourself with necessities, you may want to
discuss this with a senior monk. In my own case, I
would have been able to give money to my
monastery abbot to hold and use for my own
necessities if there is no family member or other
person who could do this for you.

If you have no such financial means, and you
currently work for your income, you may want to
arrange to decrease yout living expenditures in
order to save some money for basic necessities
while you are in the monastery. Of course, this
may not be necessary as I mentioned, some
monasteries are already prepared for this and have
good support from the lay community.

Monks generally rise early in the morning
and begin their monastic duties before breakfast.
Each monastery has different schedules. But, it is
a good idea before entering the monastery that
you begin practicing a monk’s schedule. This
means that you rise early in the morning, eat your
breakfast and lunch. Most Theravada monasteries
follow the Vinaya rules, therefore you will not eat
anything after noon-time, until the following day’s
breakfast.

It is also a good idea to immerse yourself in a
regular meditation schedule. This means
meditating a few times a day, and if possible,
reading vatious Dhamma texts. This can be done
easily on the Internet. You will not have to
purchase books.

21 Pabbaja Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.3.01.than.html

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page |9
fo) oO oO

One of the best resources on the Internet is a
Theravada site known as Access to Insight”.
There are others, but in my own experience, I
have found this to be a nearly inexhaustible source
for learning the original Pali texts of the Buddha’s
teachings in the English language.

Also, it is a good practice to prepare by
thinking about giving up your worldly possessions.
Not right away. If you have advanced to the point
of taking your novice vows, this is a good time to
consider this. Monks live as mendicants, meaning
they possess only what is required for a very
simple quality of life, nothing more. You'll be
provided with clothing, sundries, and other items
you need to stay comfortable from day to day.
However, generally, electronic devices, computers,
laptops, cell phones, as-well-as expensive clothes
ot shoes, and anything that could be considered a
luxury item is not allowed. Monks are not allowed
to possess items that could inspire emotions like
greed, envy or possessiveness.

Contemplation of the fact that your monastic
and lay community will become your new family.
Once you join a monastery, your life will be
devoted to your community, known as a sangha.
Your days will be spent in service of others, and
your focus will be on those who need yout help.
You will have little contact with your family, and
will be encouraged to think of your new sangha
community as your new family.

Before pursuing ordination, you may want to
discuss this with your family and let them know
what is to come. Some monasteries don't accept
candidates who are married or have other strong
relationship ties. Single people are more able to
devote themselves to the teachings of the Buddha,
since they don't have outside forces pulling their
attention away.

It is VERY important that you make yourself
ready to take a vow of chastity. Monks do not
engage in sexual behavior of any kind. In some
cases, male and female monks (or nuns) are not
allowed to communicate with one another about
matters that aren't related to the Dhamma. It is
wise to practice chastity before becoming
ordained so that you can find out whether you're

Depabhasadhamma

suited to a chaste life. The idea is that the energy
you'd normally put into sex is directed to matters
greater than the self.

Decide what kind of commitment you want
to make. In some traditions, ordination is meant
to be a lifelong commitment. However, there are
other traditions in which it's perfectly fine to
pursue ordination for a limited number of months
or years. In Tibet, for example, many men
complete two or three-month ordinations to
develop their spiritual identities before eventually
getting married or pursuing careers. So, make sure
the monastery you're interested in joining offers
the level of commitment you want. If you're not
sure, it's possible to do a two or three-month
ordination, then pursue a longer-term ordination
later. In the Theravada tradition, there are no
temporary ordinations. One either commits ot
they do not.

One of the suttas that I studied before taking
my vows was the Samafifaphala Sutta: The Fruits
of the Contemplative Life3. However, prior to
taking my vows in the Mahayana Zen tradition, I
was instructed by my teacher to study the
autobiography of Xu Yun, a Chinese Zen Master,
known as “The Empty Cloud.” Additionally, I was
instructed to study the following: the Surangama
Sutra, the Brahma Net Sutra; the Great Stages of
the Path to Enlightenment, known as the Lam
Rim Chen Mo; the Abhidharma Kosa Bhasyam;
the Mahaparinirvana Sutra; the Avatamsaka Sutra;
the Treasury of Knowledge of Buddhist Ethics;
Nagatjuna’s Perfection of Wisdom; the
Visuddhimagega by Bhikkhu Nanamoli, the Lucid
Exposition of the Middle Way; and lastly
Nargarjuna’s Six Perfections by Arya Nargarjuna.
These will not be required study in the Theravada
tradition.

After completing my initial monastic vows, I
was given a Dharma name by the senior monk. In
the Mahayana traditions, dharma names are given
to both monastics and lay persons. However, in
the Theravada tradition, dhamma names are only
given to monastics.

22 Access to Insight: https://www.accesstoinsight.ore/index.html
g P g g

23 Samannaphala Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html

Considering Becoming a Monk? - Page | 10

Dhamma names are considered aspirational,
rather than descriptive. In the Theravada tradition,
Dhamma names are given in the Pali language,
and is chosen by the monastic’s teacher or
monasteries senior monk in which one is
otdained. A monastic does not select their own
name.

In my own case, my original Dharma name
that I received by the senior monk is Thich Minh
Dang. According to the seminal work: "Buddhist
Literature: A Proposed Scheme of Classification
and Cataloguing of Works on Buddhism-Modeled
on The Buddhist Collection at Van Hanh
University Library, 1964-1999, written by the
Venerable Dr. Thich Nhu Minh, its chief
librarian, Sanskrit scholar and current abbot of the
oldest Vietnamese temple in the United States,
writes:

"Regarding Buddhist names in Vietnamese
tradition; because all monastics take the word
“Thich”, a shorten form of “Thich Ca” which
means “Sakya’’, as their surname to indicate that
they are “sons of Sakyamuni the Buddha”, and
belong to the same family clan named “Thich”, we
have to honor this practice. That is to accept
“Thich” as a surname and record as such in the
cataloguing process." The meaning of my Zen
Dharma name is “illuminate lamp.”

Eventually, after I switched traditions from
Zen (Mahayana) to the Theravada tradition, I was
assigned a Pali Dhamma name by a fully ordained
Theravada monk, which essentially has the same
meaning as my Zen Dharma name, which is
Dipobhasadhamma or Depabhasadhamma. In the
Pali language this refers to a lamp cau ; dipa), a
light (STMT ; obhasa); light, (UA) ; illuminating
the Dhamma (truth). This Pali name has
essentially the same meaning as the Zen
Vietnamese (Mahayana) name Thich Minh Dang.

Where Do You Stand?

It is not necessary that you are completely
educated in the Dhamma; the teachings of the
Buddha. However, upon approaching a
monastery, you must have at least a cursory
knowledge and understanding of the Buddha’s
teachings. Also, you must be able to express a

Depabhasadhamma

clear reason why you seek the contemplative life
of a monk.

Before making this commitment, realize that
your days of going to rock concerts or dance clubs
is over. No more Louis Vuitton, no more bank
accounts or credit cards. Seriously consider giving
away or selling all of your possessions; your car,
that great euitar or keyboard you wanted so badly.
How about all those mementos, such as gifts from
friends and family. No more sex, of any kind.
And, from the moment you take your novice
vows toward finalizing your intention to take the
vows of full ordination, all you will need are the
very basics; a bowl from which to beg, a few
robes, shoes or sandals, personal items such as
shavers, deodorants or soap, and so on.

Still you are wanting nothing more than to
commit the rest of your life to being a monk.
Then what is it that you are waiting for. Go and
find a monastery! Talk to monks who have some
experience and who are ordained. Talk to an
experienced teacher. If it is your heartfelt
intention to pursue this life, then you will find a
way.

J wish you the very best!

-Depabhasadbamma