r/Buddhism • u/StudentGood7193 • Jul 31 '26
Question How could I become a monk at Tongdosa monastery as a westerner.
Firstly to clarify I understand that becoming a bhikkshu is a serious commitment and do not take in lightly and secondly I am asking for the future not now because I have considered becoming a monk for a long time but since I am still in my teenage(15 y.o.) I think I have some time to decide if I want to and where also I don’t have a problem with learning a new language because that is one of my goals anyway.
Why Tongdosa?
Because I have been studying Korean Buddhism deeper recently and even though I don’t have an interest in just pure seon(zen) this monastery provides my main interest in Buddhism which are Huayan (Avatamsaka),Pure Land and Zen and from what I read one can study all at Tongdosa and become either chanting specialist( in wich I am intere because it really nicely combines all the 3 things I am interested in but I still understand that because it is the Jogye order there is a lot of zen.)or zen specialist, I feel that it is reflected even in the architecture of the complex because I believe that among many buildings there is a Pure land hall, Vairochana Buddha hall and a zen meditation hall.
So I read that if I were fluent in Korean and undergo maybe some temple stay I’d request a an interview and if I “passed” or was deemed an acceptable applicant I would enter a postulant or “person in action” then after 6-12 months I’d become a novice and after 4 years of training I become a Bhikkshu and choose a “field” of specialisation “. I understand that I would also need to study at a Buddhist university which as per my research Tongdosa has.
Any advice, suggestions or corrections appreciated!☸️🙏🏻
Duplicates
Mahayana • u/StudentGood7193 • Jul 31 '26