The 4 Most Interesting Experiences I Had as a Buddhist Monk In Thailand

At least one of these will surprise you.

Me in the white attire of the Pah Khao (ผ้าขาว). Pha Khao literally means white cloth.

In 2016 I spent 5 months ordained as a Buddhist monk in the northeast of Thailand.

These are the most interesting experiences I had during my time there.

1. The lifestyle was easier than I thought

Lay people waiting outside of the monastery to donate food. Photo by Wat Pah Nanachat

The monastery I chose was a part of the Thai Forest tradition — the strictest in the world.

Without going through all the 227 precepts of the full Buddhist monastic code (other traditions only follow 5 to 8), the following points will give you an idea of how it was:

• Wake up at 4 AM
• Walk 3 miles (5 km) barefoot every morning to collect alms
• Only eat once daily
• Meditate a minimum of 3 hours per day
• Maintain the monastery grounds, including toilets that are distributed throughout the forest, infested with mosquitos and huge aggressive ants
• No TV, phones, computers, or internet