[Buddha-l] How to become a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka?

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Wed, 2010-01-20 at 11:34 -0800, Knut Heidelberg wrote:

> Want to become a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka.
> That is all I know.
> Someone please guide me :-) 

>From Norway to go to India and turn left. Cross some water. That will
get you to Sri Lanka.

A friend of mine from Sri Lanka told me that when he decided to become a
monk, he went to a monastery and stated his intentions. The abbot said
"That is a very good thing," and sent him away. My friend realized he
had not made much progress toward his goal, so he went back to discuss
his plan in more detail. The monk said "Trying skipping your evening
meal for six months," and sent him away. The next time we went back, the
abbot invited him to try out the monastic life for six months or so as a
lay person. About four years after my friend stated his intentions, he
was finally given a set of robes and invited to be a samanera.

In my friend's case, the caution was probably seen as necessary because
he was in his 30s and had been married and raised children. It had been
the experience of the abbot that when men get much beyond the age of 17,
they rarely stick it out as monks.

Richard