TB monasteries that accept westerners for ordination

[KonchokZoepa]

hi, i looked somewhere here in the forum someone posted three links to different monasteries where it is possible to become ordained and i tried to search but i couldnt find the post.

so could anyone with information about different tibetan buddhist monasteries where you can ordain please post the website and the information here in this thread.

thanks.

[conebeckham]

What sort of ordination are you looking for?

Do you have a relationship with a teacher?

[Schrödinger’s Yidam]

hi, i looked somewhere here in the forum someone posted three links to different monasteries where it is possible to become ordained and i tried to search but i couldnt find the post.

"Becoming ordained" means taking the vows of a monk. You don't need a monastery, you just need 3(?) monks to give you your vows, have your robes ready, etc.

If you're looking for a place to stay and be supported, that's another matter altogether.

[KonchokZoepa]

conebeckham im not looking for right now to become a monk per se. but maybe in the future, probly not since i feel that as a lay person you have at least equal if not better chance to develop on the path.

but i am interested in monasteries where you actually can ordain and become a monk and live in the monastery community.

i have teachers but im not in very close contact with them and i know that in the Drikung lineage there is not a single monastery in the western world and becoming a monk in india or somewhere there is basically waste of time and impossible if you dont know the language. and not even to mention that you can become a burden to the community especially in the east.

so thats why im only interested in the western monasteries that are actually more suited for westerneres.

[conebeckham]

You should talk to Lama Tsewang here, I believe he's the best source of info and support for Western monastics.

[KonchokZoepa]

Lama Tsewang? here ? where ?

[Huseng]

If you're looking for a place to stay and be supported, that's another matter altogether.

Even if you find a place that will take you, visa issues often kill long-term plans if you're in India or Nepal.

[KonchokZoepa]

i dont want to consider in ordaining in east in tibetan buddhist tradition since there is the language barrier so huge that i would only be a burden and not in any way beneficial.

[Huseng]

i dont want to consider in ordaining in east in tibetan buddhist tradition since there is the language barrier so huge that i would only be a burden and not in any way beneficial.

In which case your options in the west are severely limited unless your teacher has connections and you are either independently wealthy or have some kind of ongoing support.

As has been discussed elsewhere at length, there isn't much interest in the west when it comes to supporting sangha, perhaps least of all amongst Tibetan Buddhists who can easily make do without sangha.

Other communities, like Theravada and Chinese Buddhism, even in the west will provide for a western monk, though your stated interest is TB, so that rules out alternatives.

[KonchokZoepa]

do you know how it is considered that you even though you would ordain you would do work on the internet like ten hours a week and thus be able to support yourself and the community?

[KonchokZoepa]

and can you list the options that you are aware of.

[Huseng]

do you know how it is considered that you even though you would ordain you would do work on the internet like ten hours a week and thus be able to support yourself and the community?

That would be between you and the powers that be.

Basically don't expect much support as a Tibetan monk. As a westerner you don't even got the exotic appeal or the lamentable refugee status which can attract benefactors.

If someone seriously wanted to become a Tibetan monk, right now the best option would be India or Nepal. The language barrier isn't necessarily a problem depending on where you are.

Just be aware the dropout rate amongst westerners in monastic institutions is rather high no matter the country. If you're a member of a monastery you generally need to surrender your free will to the authorities and do as you're told, no questions asked. If you don't, it creates problems with your fellow residents and will lead to social friction.

I personally think being a kind of apprentice to a master and maybe living with them in residence is preferable to the monastic model, but good luck finding someone willing to do that for you.

[Huseng]

and can you list the options that you are aware of.

Maybe here...

http://www.gampoabbey.org/

[KonchokZoepa]

ive checked this but im not that interested in this particular lineage of teachers. i think its very hard to achieve liberation or enlightenment if you dont practice ngondro or tantra in the community. and no dzogchen or mahamudra either from what i know. that seems to be a mahayana monastery and not so much vajrayana.

[KonchokZoepa]

I personally think being a kind of apprentice to a master and maybe living with them in residence is preferable to the monastic model, but good luck finding someone willing to do that for you.

yes this would be ideal but very very hard to make it come true. i seriously doubt that i dont have the merit for that.

[Huseng]

ive checked this but im not that interested in this particular lineage of teachers. i think its very hard to achieve liberation or enlightenment if you dont practice ngondro or tantra in the community. and no dzogchen or mahamudra either from what i know. that seems to be a mahayana monastery and not so much vajrayana.

You could just as well do your private practice in a Theravada monastery in your room.

If you take an ecumenical approach to Buddhism, then all these issues evaporate. You actually don't need to live amongst Tibetan Buddhists.

I'm in a Tibetan monastery right now in Nepal. A few days ago I left a Theravada temple in Singapore after staying there several months. Before that I was in a Japanese temple. Before that I spent several months in a big Chinese monastery in Taiwan.

I just do my practice in private, behind closed doors and don't talk to anyone about it.

Somehow I manage to get sufficient food, shelter, clothing and money. I try to be flexible. When amongst Theravadins I talk about arhatship, not the bodhisattva path. When amongst Tibetans, I talk about subjects meaningful to them.

It is pretty easy to fit in anywhere if you just go with the flow. Bend like the grass and you'll never snap.

[Schrödinger’s Yidam]

Generally to live in a monastery you have to either have a trust fund or be retired. At Lama Norlha's in New York people are ordained, but they have outside jobs. Rent is cheap, but it is communal living; cleaning, building projects, communal food, kitchen duties, no privacy, etc. Lama Norlha likes building projects so there's always work to be done--and you aren't paid for it. So it definitely isn't the easy way out.

Here in the West I think a better model is Dharma as an avocation. There are triathletes and musicians that have day jobs, yet are able to invest hours a day in their passion. They don't ever plan on making a living doing it, they just do it because they love it. They arrange their personal life to make it a priority. Living near a monastery is helpful in being supportive of such a lifestyle.

[KonchokZoepa]

indrajala nice that it works for you, i think for me i need a bit more stable ground for practice. one place and not change places so often. in the past three years i havent been still for a moment i move to different place or something similar and currently i am also in a temporary place and will have to move back to big city from countryside soon. and when observing this it seems that a peaceful place with supportive environment is the best place to practice and also very important.

Living near a monastery is helpful in being supportive of such a lifestyle.

this is a good point.

[disjointed]

Have to create the positive karma before you can experience the results.

It would be a good idea to start rationing a fraction of your income for supporting monastics now if you want the opportunity to become a monk later. And likewise teach people this same line of reasoning so they are not robbed by their own lack of foresight.

[KonchokZoepa]

yes on FPMT site you can donate food for the monks of the Sera Jey. it is incredibly cheap. its something like 12 dollars equals to months food 3 times a day for one monk.