I greatly spiritually enjoyed my time as a Buddhist Monk. This was done in gratitude to my beloved wife, who comes from a devoted Buddhist background, and my son, Tiger.
In Buddhism, every young man becomes a monk for a period of time. As we do in the Sun Dance, they dedicate their sacrifice to uplift others.
I entered the Temple purposefully on August 28, 2024, my son Tiger’s birthday, in thanksgiving to Suthida, Tiger, and their Thai relatives for all the beauty and love they have bestowed on my life!
The first part of the ceremony, when becoming a monk, entering the Temple, is having your head shaved, including your eyebrows. You have to let go of the outer world so you can do your best to address the mental and emotional challenges within.
We began our daily prayers and meditation at 5 AM. After that, almost all the monks went out with bowls to receive whatever food gifts the community had for us that day. After we gathered the food, we ate and did our service within the monastery.
We ate again at about 11:00 AM, and then, from noon until sunrise the next morning, we could only drink liquids. It was truly intermittent fasting.
We also had an evening chant and meditation each day. And then there were Sacred Days where we would sit in a Ceremony, including chanting and meditation for four hours or more.
