Planning your summer vacation? Sure a trip to the lake or the mountains might be relaxing, but how about a trip to Thailand to become a resident monk? A news web site called Global Post reports on a different type of getaway where you can shed your hair, worldly desires and about $700 from your wallet to live in a temple.
Some call this a novel way to find the Middle Way, others think it is exploitative of the Buddhist belief system. Whatever you decide, it is a modest hit for this Northern Thai monastery which was hatched by an Australian and the Temple's head Abbott, Phra Aphisit Pingchaiyawat.
They have a website and are a big hit on Facebook. My opinion? Although I don't think monasteries should turn their place into a tourist trap, I think, with some restraints, it can offer a unique opportunity for the serious minded to to see what life is like while wearing crimson robes.
The downside? Trying to explain to your boss when you return to work why you have no hair or eyebrows.
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