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Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:34 am
by tigerh98
Which country its possible/best to become a buddhist monk?Nepal Or Taiwan
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:41 am
by Huseng
If you come to Nepal expect zero support from anyone, Asian or western. Monks here are often treated as welfare cases. Reverence is ford rinpoches and abbots, not ordinary monks. Western monks usually struggle in India and Nepal.
You'll need to have some source of income or a sponsor ready.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 10:01 am
by tigerh98
What do u mean by expect zero suport in nepal and the u need sponsor so being/becomeing a buddhist monk in nepal is extreme hard?how did u came to nepal and become a monk? Explain
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 10:13 am
by Huseng
Meaning you will receive little to no money from anyone.
Westerners want to get close to Tibetan teachers, not westerners in Nepal.
The locals usually seem to think westerners are all rich and don't need any support.
A westerner won't be perceived as having magical powers like the high rinpoches, so nobody will pay you for a puja or blessing.
In India and Nepal most monasteries can provide you with rice and a room, but not much else. You're usually left to pay for your own visas. A tourist visa in Nepal, good for five months is US$45/month, and you need to leave or get some other visa after five months. India is much the same with tourist visas good for six months, though you can leave and immediately return.
I am not living in Nepal really. I'm just visiting and doing a few things here for some folks.
In any case, I had a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies plus work experience (translation, teaching English and a few other things) before becoming a monk in India, so I can often offer something of use to places I stay.
If you've got no qualifications most monasteries don't want another mouth to feed. As a westerner you're already a problem for them (visas and so on), and nobody expects you to stay for long (most westerners can't take Asia for more than a few years, to say nothing of visa issues). Western monks without an education or other skills are a waste of resources because you're not even expected to do pujas really (they got young monks who do all that already, and they cost a lot less).
Unless you got money or some realistic plan, don't expect to be monk in India or Nepal.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 11:51 am
by Alfredo
In Nepal, the main form of Buddhism is Tibetan Buddhism. In Taiwan, the main form of Buddhism is Chinese Buddhism (although there are also Tibetan Buddhist groups around, just as there are in the West.)
Would you be interested in becoming a monk in Thailand? Of course this would be yet another type of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism. If you are interested, you might ask for information at our sister board,
http://www.dhammawheel.com (note spelling)
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 12:02 pm
by KonchokZoepa
or maybe Myanmar ( burma )
i hear that they are very much meditation oriented there.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 4:02 pm
by tigerh98
Vote plz
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 4:06 pm
by tigerh98
Indra so in nepal its a waste of time trying to become a monk?but if i choose to live in taiwan forever to live as a buddhist monk is there problem with the permanent visa?
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 4:09 pm
by KonchokZoepa
personally i think you should read a little bit about different traditions of buddhism and not just jump straight on to some country and tradition you know nothing about..
its good to know what is
theravada
mahayana
vajrayana
and understand they difference and approaches. and then choose what suits you best and then at some point think about monasteries and countries of the tradition that you feel most connected with.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:16 pm
by tigerh98
Are these traditions Theravara Mahayana Vajrayana Tibetan Chinese Chan Zen
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:31 pm
by Alfredo
Is it a waste of time to go to Nepal? Realistically, you will be able to visit Nepal for a few months at a time. It's a great country for tourism, if you've got enough money for a plane ticket etc. A few foreigners manage to live there long-term, but what needed skills will you bring to the table?
In Taiwan, you can apply for permanent residency after living there--either three or five years, I forget which. For all your living-in-Taiwan questions, see
http://www.forumosa.com
Yes, those are the names of some Buddhist traditions. Read some books, and if you can manage it, visit some different kinds of temples in your area to see which you prefer. Just google "Buddhist temple" and the name of your city.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 10:36 pm
by tigerh98
So what skills do i need or do to get a permanent visa for nepal just curious
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 11:33 pm
by Huseng
tigerh98 wrote:Indra so in nepal its a waste of time trying to become a monk?but if i choose to live in taiwan forever to live as a buddhist monk is there problem with the permanent visa?
You should get an education first.
If you wanted to become a monk, study at Buddhist college and acquire useful skills (like translations). It is tough work though and requires many years of commitment.
In Nepal there's this option for an undergraduate degree:
http://www.ryi.org/
In Taiwan you would need to get a comparable education, which is perhaps easier to obtain as you can study Buddhism for free in several places, but you would need to learn Chinese to a considerable degree. Again, that takes many years of commitment. Also, becoming a monk a Chinese tradition requires a degree of obedience and self-sacrifice that few westerners can manage.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:36 am
by tigerh98
Well i dont know what tradition i want and what your saying if i dont graduate high school i cant become a monk 8o this cant be true?
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 1:22 am
by Son of Buddha
Have you considered Soto Zen in Japan?
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 1:40 am
by Son of Buddha
By the way..... Your only 15 or 16 yrs old your going to have to wait till your of age to even travel to any of these countries.
But what you can be doing right now is getting more informed on all the traditions and different sects.
Then set up an actual goal or plan for your future as a Monk.
(1) first consider this what braches of Buddhism are actively trying to spread their lineages in America?
(2)how many of these lineages already have their first wave or second wave of western monk/teachers?
(3)if you look for lineages that are actively trying to grow in the west then the fact you are a westerner becomes a advantage.
Like Korean Kwan um Zen has a large amount of western monks, look at Soto Zen you have alot of promenent western monks.
Look for monastic lineages that are actually looking for you back.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 1:51 am
by DGA
Indrajala wrote:tigerh98 wrote:Indra so in nepal its a waste of time trying to become a monk?but if i choose to live in taiwan forever to live as a buddhist monk is there problem with the permanent visa?
You should get an education first.
If you wanted to become a monk, study at Buddhist college and acquire useful skills (like translations). It is tough work though and requires many years of commitment.
And to do this, you need to finish high school.
Son of Buddha wrote:Have you considered Soto Zen in Japan?
To do this, you need to learn Japanese. Get started in high school. If that's not possible, then it'll have to be in college. To get to college... you need to finish high school.
If your current high school is not meeting your needs, then try to transfer to a different one. If that's not possible, tell your teachers and your counselor. This is because you must finish high school and probably college in order to pursue your dream of practicing science as a Buddhist monk.
It would help if you learned something about Buddhism before making such a commitment to it. Does your school have a library? Go there and read the books about Buddhism. If you really have an interest in science, you would do well to read about science too.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 2:04 am
by tigerh98
Im not going learn japanese im going learn mandarin chinese its not my dream to become a monk its a goal/a must do! I can learn more about buddhism on the internet in a library not a school library
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:39 am
by Huseng
tigerh98 wrote:Well i dont know what tradition i want and what your saying if i dont graduate high school i cant become a monk 8o this cant be true?
In today's world monasteries outside of the third world don't want welfare cases. You need to be able to contribute something if they are going to invest a lot of time and money into you, especially as a foreigner. Most places don't need monks in the kitchen as there are plenty of volunteers for such tasks. Monks in East Asian countries now are fewer than before and act as representatives and key members of the clergy.
In Nepal and India youth without much education or skills become monks, but your nationality disqualifies you from receiving such benefits.
So, if you are intent on finding a Chinese tradition, you must first get an education, learn Chinese and make a lot of connections wherever you are.
Re: Nepal Or Taiwan
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:52 am
by tigerh98
If im going become a monk in another country ittl be in taiwan 8) thx for compassion