Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
KumarS
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by KumarS »

Zom wrote:I would not recommend becoming a monk before establishing a solid foundation for that in lay-life. Being a monk is not a fun, but a hard work and serious task. While disrobing is called by the Buddha "a death in the Discipline of the Noble Ones". Very few people stay in robes for all their life. Perhaps only 5% of those who's got ordination. All others "are dead".
You mean that it is better not to have ordained at all than to ordain and then disrobe?
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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

It's always good to ordain. It forces you to look deeper into your selfview, habits and accumulated patterns. If one disrobes - well... one has learnt something for sure, and years later maybe one wants to go back - this time better equipt with a clearer picturer of what one is encountering there. In the end one who leads the householders life is just trading one suffering for a new suffering. So don't expect bliss and easy living. It really is hard work, but benefitial - and if it's just for a week. :anjali:
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

On Topic WPN:

I found two talks by ven. Ajahn Achalo he gave at Nanachat in 2013/2014 and they might be of interest for postulants :console:
"How I survived 18 years of monastic life - talk given to the monks at Wat Pah Nanachat (August 2013)"
"Sincere, Committed Practice , Wat Pah Nanachat (Jan 2014) "

http://www.peacebeyondsuffering.org/new-talks.html

or they can be found on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032yw3-I9io
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

https://www.youtube.com/user/Repeataarrr
jameswang
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by jameswang »

I personally think we shouldn't become monks with the intention of disrobing later. Seems to trivialize ordination. Anyway, I think WPN requires one to stay for quite some time before the abbot would consider one for ordination.
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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

jameswang wrote:I personally think we shouldn't become monks with the intention of disrobing later. Seems to trivialize ordination. Anyway, I think WPN requires one to stay for quite some time before the abbot would consider one for ordination.
I don't think anyone suggested this - ordaining to disrobe later. But sometimes that happens. Things change :)
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

https://www.youtube.com/user/Repeataarrr
jameswang
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by jameswang »

Sokehi wrote:I don't think anyone suggested this - ordaining to disrobe later. But sometimes that happens. Things change :)
OIC. Sorry. I misunderstood what you said. I agree with you.
I was thinking of people who do that temporary monkhood thing.
walkart
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by walkart »

Hello,
What is the most difficult while you train at WPN?
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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

It depends where your attachments are. Food, physical comfort, being loved, the need to feel important, getting things your way... many of these things you need to give up either fully or partially. Basically you have to die. You are like a stick that has been in water for many years, you will need to dry up - to quote Ajahn Chah - and that is unpleasant sometimes.
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

https://www.youtube.com/user/Repeataarrr
walkart
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by walkart »

Sokehi wrote:It depends where your attachments are. Food, physical comfort, being loved, the need to feel important, getting things your way... many of these things you need to give up either fully or partially. Basically you have to die. You are like a stick that has been in water for many years, you will need to dry up - to quote Ajahn Chah - and that is unpleasant sometimes.
I fear about physical pain that i could not tolerate.
If i don't mistake there is no cushions for meditation and pillow for the head. Sleeping and meditation on the hard floor is somethink that can be trained, but it must be difficult for the neck and head to sleep without any pillow or somethink to put under your head. What you can say about physical difficulties?

Thank you for information!
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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

walkart wrote:
I fear about physical pain that i could not tolerate.
If i don't mistake there is no cushions for meditation and pillow for the head. Sleeping and meditation on the hard floor is somethink that can be trained, but it must be difficult for the neck and head to sleep without any pillow or somethink to put under your head. What you can say about physical difficulties?

Thank you for information!
My experience from Nanachat is 12 years old and I stayed for around 3 months as an Pahkow. So keep this in mind, my information is quite old as is my experience, things might have changed. Plus I guess any information given by anyone who stayed as short as I did is pretty much incomplete. :)

But I'm happy to share what I have to tell you from my time back then:

- I didn't have a pillow but I used my backpack to lift my head a bit of the ground
- we were allowed to use meditation cushions. I remember sitting at around 5 pm at the outer sala and get some cushions out of a cupboard for the others. But I learned there to be able to sit without a cushion. Today I sometimes use a cushion, sometimes I don't. During Dhamma talks or informal gatherings we didn't use cushions but just squatted down on the floor. After a while I got used to it and it isn't that bad.
- when I arrived there it was december so at night time it was quite cold. the worst of physical hardships I had to endure there was to be cold all night. Some Kutis are quite windy so to speak. I was granted a piece of styrofoam or something from a friendly samanera, this I did put under my hips to keep them a bit more protected from the cold breeze

Everything else seemed to be just fine and I'm not critical about the hardships at all. There is a lesson to be found in such things :)

I hope that helps a bit. If in doubt it might be a good idea to write a letter to the current guest monk of WPN to get clarification on the things you are the most interested in. Mettacittena.
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

https://www.youtube.com/user/Repeataarrr
walkart
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by walkart »

Thank you very much for sharing !
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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

walkart wrote:Thank you very much for sharing !
You are welcome friend I wish you all the best. Stay strong :heart:
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

https://www.youtube.com/user/Repeataarrr
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Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

I was there for a while over thirty years ago.
  1. The poisonous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes are not really a problem — they help to keep you mindful. Use a flash light when walking in the dark. Don't enter an enclosed space like a toilet unmindfully.
  2. The physical work and long walks are not a problem for young men — it is a healthy life-style, but if you have health issues or are over thirty-five it might be a problem.
  3. It can be cold in the Winter months (about 10°C) as the huts are raised off the ground and are well ventilated.
  4. The hardest part is probably staying up all night on full moon and new moon nights.
  5. Eating only once a day can be tough, especially when doing a lot of physical labour, but the diet of mostly sticky rice is not a problem — the food was adequate while I was there. I don't suppose it's any worse now.
  6. Walking for alms bare-foot on stony paths takes some getting accustomed to.
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Italy230
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Italy230 »

What do people mean when they say you only learn vinaya at wat nanachat

I would like to hear criticisms of nanachat tradition so i can understand it better. Any welcome
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Sokehi
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Re: Ordination at Wat Pah Nanachat

Post by Sokehi »

Italy230 wrote:What do people mean when they say you only learn vinaya at wat nanachat

I would like to hear criticisms of nanachat tradition so i can understand it better. Any welcome
Do you mean that people say:
1) you can learn the Vinaya only at Nanachat and nowhere else, or
2) the only thing one can learn at Nanachat is Vinaya?

In either case both I think is wrong and over simplification. Plus I don't think that there is a "Nanachat" tradition per se. It is a branch monastery of Wat Pah Pong and part of this tradition, the "Ajahn Chah Lineage". So to learn about this tradition - seeing you come from Italy - it might be the best to go and have a look what Wat Santacittarama (http://santacittarama.altervista.org/welcome.htm). No need to travel to Thailand or to waste time in the Internet ;)

The best way to learn about this place is to visit it. I don't think one really knows what Wat Pah Nanachat is all about by staying there for a couple of days, months or maybe even years though. :anjali:
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

https://www.youtube.com/user/Repeataarrr
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