On a recent Sunday, dozens of mostly young men went through ritual ordination as novice Buddhist monks at Wat Bowon in Bangkok.
Although most of these monks-to-be make this short-time, spiritual investment for the sake of their parents – to give them merit for their next incarnations – most have their own personal reasons.
Poonnakeat Khamkhanis, 27, plans 15 days of monkhood to develop his mind. Wisarut Phongphanpanya, 20, plans to do one month, as he wants to study Dhamma, the Buddha’s teachings. Nitidon Chotchaimongkol, 25, wants to become a monk to improve his mental state and gain a deeper understanding of Buddhism.
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