Monasticism in the 21st Century

In Tibetan Buddhist terms, ordination means having a clear direction and purpose in life and not wasting even one second of this precious human rebirth. Today there are at least 600 Westerners who are ordained monks and nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions of Gelugpa, Sakya, Nyingma and Kagyu.

The first Westerner to be ordained as a Buddhist monk was Robert Thurman, now Professor of Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia University. It was 1964, and the Tibetans had just arrived in India as exiles. "The Tibetans, fascinated and delighted that a 'barbarian' was actively seeking Enlightenment, threw open the doors. The Dalai Lama personally oversaw his studies and checked his spiritual progress," writes Vicki Mackenzie in her new book, Why Buddhism (Allen & Unwin, 2001). But when he returned to the USA, he "found no support for his life as a monk and no way to share with his contemporaries the joy and clarity he had found among the Tibetans in India. He disrobed." However, his strong friendship with the Dalai Lama continues, and he writes widely on Tibetan Buddhism.

Ven. Tenzin Palmo, a British nun in the Drugpa Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, who once spent 12 years in solitary retreat, always advises people to be cautious about rushing into ordination – then confesses to becoming ordained three weeks after meeting her lama. More than thirty years later, she says it is one of the greatest blessings of her life.

This 23-page feature covers not only the life and times of people who are dedicating their lives to the Dharma, but also the experiences of some who disrobed and returned to lay life. Read also about the Christian experience.

This article can be read in its entirety in Mandala