Long term buddhism practice and study

itamar

Hello everyone,

I am 25 years old Psychology student from Israel, and I am seriously considering taking few years off between the degrees to fully devote myself to Buddhism.

I wonder if it is possible to join a monastery, or to practice Buddhism fully in other ways, in places like Himachal Pradesh or Ladakh. Would It be necessary to learn Hindi or Tibetan first?
Could I get longer visa for this matter?

Is the idea acceptable at all for a westerner?

I'd love to hear more from people here that know a thing or two about the issue.

dzibead

I assume, from the geographical areas you mention, that it's Tibetan Buddhism you are interested in.

It's not so easy for a Westerner just to pop into a real monastery (as opposed to some kind of "dharma center" geared toward Western practitioners of Buddhism) and take up the study of Buddhism. Take a look at this thread, where someone asked a similar question: Monastery stay?

Ordinary monasteries aren't really set up to take visiting Westerners into the monastic community as students. For one thing, in order to function and engage in serious study you would have to be able to speak Tibetan (or Ladahki if you were in Ladakh) at a higher level of competence than "tourist Tibetan" or "tourist Ladakhi" and you'd also have to be able to read/recite Sanskrit.

You also would not be granted a longer visa just to stay in a monastery and study Buddhism. You would be limited getting to a tourist visa, which means you couldn't stay in India for more than 180 days at a time, because you wouldn't meet the criteria for getting a student visa. Here are the requirements for a student visa: "Multiple-entry visas are given to bona fide students to pursue regular studies at recognized institutions in India. A letter confirming admission from such an institution along with evidence of financial arrangements for stay in India should accompany the application."

An ordinary monastery does not constitute the the kind of educational institution for which one could get a student visa. However,you if you were able to enroll in someplace like the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics or the Sarah College for Higher Tibetan Studies in Dharamsala (http://www.ibdindia.org/), or the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (http://www.fpmt.org/education/programs.asp), you could probably get a student visa, but these are pretty heavy-duty courses of study.

Shorter-term courses in Buddhism are available from places like the following:

http://www.palyul.org/eng_centers.htm
http://www.studyabroaddirectory.com/...m/listing/1339
http://www.pacificvillage.org/villag...himalayasef06/

machadinha

Fully agree with Dzibead's take, was thinking she would answer really. There exists something like a visa to pursue religious studies or a monastic life though, is that right? Can't find the specifications in a jiffy. Probably irrelevant in cases like these anyway, I imagine you'd need to be damn serious about it and have all the relevant references and invitations and so on.

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itamar

Thanks a lot,
This is a good point to start from.

dzibead

No, there's no religious studies visa, but there is a "missionary" visa, which is probably what you're thinking of. It doesn't apply to what itamar would like to do, though, and they aren't favored or easy to get anyway.

DDee

Tushita has sell regarded courses, and being in Mcleod Ganj / Dharamsala, there are plenty of resources for further study, such as the Library (LTWA)...

http://www.tushita.info/
http://www.ltwa.net/

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atala

If you would wish to avoid any language and/or visa troubles you could stay, study and practice at Lumbini in one of the monasteries there, Mahayana or Theravada or both. In Nepal you can stay 150 days in one calendar year, which means you could stay continuously from August of one year, to May of the following year, then say go six months to India and one month somewhere else, and the subsequent year again 150 days in Nepal and so on.

machadinha

Hm, no, it's still mysterious to me: I'm almost certain I've heard there are ways for serious religious followers to stay there long-term in e.g. a temple or monastery, and not through either a missionary or student's visa.

All I can think of in the meantime is I think Thailand has such an arrangement for serious practitioners of Buddhism, maybe I have the two mixed up.

Anyway like you said: It's inconsequential to the question at hand.

atala

There is a type of visa for religious practitioners of well-known organizations in India, and i have known people who have stayed there with their families for a long time. It is probably a kind of entry visa that one gets with an affidavit of an organization. I do not know any details about this though.

In Thailand one can get a staying permit for upto ten years if one ordains as a Buddhist monk or nun with an officially recognized monastic tradition.

In Sri Lanka one can stay indefinitely if staying with a well known Buddhist monastery, be it as a lay-person or as a monk or nun. One just needs a confirmation letter of the monastery's headmonk plus an affidavit of the regional head-monk, and a confirmation of it all by the Department of Buddhist Affairs. Sri Lanka is still the most liberal country to allow this sort of indefinite stay for serious practitioners in Buddhism. Fakes are discouraged though, and some people do get a hard time once in a while, since the present government is in the mood to get rid of as many foreigners as possible. Even for serious practitioners it is worthwile to stay with well-connected monasteries.

machadinha

Yes; trying to be a "fake" in this field would seem very hard to me anyway. Let no one entertain any illusions about using this as a backdoor. Unless you seriously intend to spend the next 25 years of your life sweeping the monastery grounds, I guess.

And if at all possible in the Indian context, then, which would so far seem doubtful to say the least.

Sama

that's good to know about Sri Lanka, thanks. the monk whom I sit with is Sri Lankan Theravadan. he has always told me that if I want to stay in Sri Lanka, just let him know and I can stay as long as I want to in his home monastery in Kandy.

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atala

Just for the record: Buddhist ordination is not for life-time, but it is a kind of training available to anyone for as long as they chose themselves. In Thailand and Burma it is common to ordain for just a few weeks or even just days, in Sri Lanka, however, while it is also possible, it is looked down upon somewhat (on locals that is) if someone ordains and then disrobes.

But the disrobing process is very easy. One just has to say to another monk, and assure that one is not joking and that one is in sound mind, that one puts down the robe, and then one is a layperson again, and can ordain again later if one so wishes. (Reordaining after breaking one's vows, esp of celibacy, without official renunciation of the robe, however, is not possible ever again in this life-time.)

The situation for lay-people in Sri Lanka is quite agreeable still, in terms of getting a visa to stay long term.

A good place to visit and stay is for instance Nilambe above Kandy, which is not a monastery but a retreat place where they do and teach yoga plus meditation. The place is beautifully situated in an old tea-estate on top of a mountain. Anyone, female or male, could easily go there and stay there for a year or two, or just for a few months or weeks or whatever they choose (without having to be Buddhist too. Theravadins are not so particular about expression of faith since it is about a mental training and developing deeper understanding of oneself, rather than a ritual religion.) cost: 400 Lankan Rupees = less than US$ 4 per day.

This is a site dedicated to the founder of the Nilambe center, an outstanding lay person, known overseas as well. http://www.godwin-home-page.net/

http://nilambe.org/practical.html

Another good place for lay meditators, a more formal very large monastery spreading out over hills and forests, is Na Uyana (near Melsiripur, about one bus-hour from Kurunegala towards northern direction ). It is a monastery in the Burmese Pa Auk school which is very popular and getting much lay-support, because the monastic life is very strict there. One advantage with them is that they are so nicely connected that you do not even have to worry about having to go to Colombo to get your visa sorted out, the monastery does that for you. (only for males, but there is an adjoining monastery in the same tradition for women next door). For free.

A third place I can recommend is Venerable Pemasiri's Meditation Center in Kanduboda (near Delgoda), not far from Colombo. He is a famous and unconventional teacher with lots of experience in many different schools of meditation (over 50 years), and very accessible for daily talks. Some Europeans stay there, some ordained, others as lay-people for shorter or longer terms, men and women are welcome, and get their own little house, a kuti, to stay. For free.

A famous, very knowledgeable teacher of the Buddha's discourses is Venerable K. Nanananda of Devalagama, near Kegala, on the road between Colombo and Kandy, before the steep rise towards Kandy. He is a former lecturer of Pali and Buddhist Studies at the University of Peradeniya, Kandy. Speaks excellent English. Lives a renounced live in his cave-room in his monastery in the hills. Very worthwhile to visit, fun to talk to. One could stay in his monastery too, as a layperson, for free.

Some of his books online: http://www.beyondthenet.net/calm/clm_main1.asp

Effectively, it is possible to go to any monastery (Na Uyana for instance has more than 100 sub-branches at all kinds of locations) and after getting the approval of the headmonk, get one's visa extended.

Another way to study Buddhism is possible at Peradeniya University (near Kandy, always nice climate), where one could stay at Peradeniya University Vihara on campus for free, and get a B.A. or an M.A., or just a diploma. The headmonk there is also professor at the University and is very kind and helpful to foreign visitors (as well as local ones).

http://www.arts.pdn.ac.lk/pali/staff.htm

machadinha

That's excellent info, thanks. One day... who knows, indeed

grikoo

Atala- Thanks very much for all that info. It sounds very inviting.