Is Blue Cliff Monastery a good place to join?

[Micheal Kush]

Hi I am new to this forum and have been a practicing Buddhist for quite a while now.

However, without dwelling too much on my personal life, i plan to finish college and attend or enter into a monastery to be ordained, so more focus can applied to my meditation. One of my defining characteristics for a monastery is that it is Theravada and I know that Blue Cliff is Zen but its primary goals are more close to mine than other Mahayana schools(well there techniques are more inclined with mine). I wanted to wonder if Blue Cliff is a good monastery to join in and the reason i chose it is because its more close to home and money is limited. If there is any Theravada monasteries that are close please let me know.

Is Blue cliff a monastery in which i can say drastically develops my monkhood or is there others in mind.
Sorry for not elaborating enough.

Best wishes, Mike

[Cittasanto]

Hi,
As it is a Zen Monastery you may wish to enquire about it at Dharma Wheel the Mahayana sister site to this one (link at the bottom of each page).

but it may be helpful if you provide a link to the monasteries site and its location as there may be more than one going by that name.

[Micheal Kush]

Thanks for the information. This is why i ask for any Theravada Monasteries even in America. Well, Blue Cliff is located in New York( I cant the address nor the website due to my lack of recollection plus the fact that Google is down form some reason.

Best Wishes, Mike

[Goofaholix]

If you are planning to spend a long time living at a monastery then close proximity to home should not be your primary criteria, you should choose the place the most closely meets your needs regardless of where in the world.

Being too close to home will likely be a source of distraction.

[Dan74]

Thanks for the information. This is why i ask for any Theravada Monasteries even in America. Well, Blue Cliff is located in New York( I cant the address nor the website due to my lack of recollection plus the fact that Google is down form some reason.

Best Wishes, Mike

I would visit first spend a short stay there before making such a commitment.

Their head teacher is Thich Nhat Hanh, who being who he is, hardly has time to spend there. I have no reservations about Thich Nhat Hanh but he is not really running the place. So the question is who is, and how is it really run?

[Micheal Kush]

I agree with the above posts and the fact that visiting a retreat or just visiting is vital to the criteria of joining. And i'm more than willing to explore other places to see what really fits me. And please if there is any other monasteries that are recommended based on your experience, then please let me know.

Also, i plan to live my whole life in a monastery and if that path doesn't work out to the fullest extent, then a long time is a good substitute.

Best Wishes, Mike

[LonesomeYogurt]

http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/

This site might help you find Theravada monasteries around you. It's a very helpful (but not completely exhaustive) listing.

[reflection]

Have you visited and stayed at monasteries before for a while? I'd do that before making a decision on whether you'll ordain.

After that you can start to find the right place. If money is an issue, you can always work for a while first. Blue Cliff asks for some money to fund your stay, while some other monasteries rely on your own voluntary gifts. But don't let that hold you back, Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition has a lot to offer. Also it is not uncommon for monks to switch teachers/monasteries, so you don't have to pick a place for life. (although it would be ideal of course)

With metta.

[befriend]

the bhavana society is in virginia i think, which is a theravadan monastery.

[Alobha]

If you are planning to spend a long time living at a monastery then close proximity to home should not be your primary criteria, you should choose the place the most closely meets your needs regardless of where in the world.

Being too close to home will likely be a source of distraction.

If you want to do this properly, consider saving up some money to visit some more far-away places. You should decide carefully which place and which teacher is the most suitable for your situation.

I'd advise you to take a look at some of the branch monasteries of Wat Nong Pah Pong in the tradition of Ajahn Chah. Bhikku Samahita's place and Bhikku Pesala's place would surely be worth investigating, too