Opening

There were a couple topics I was thinking of writing about before I go, but I was thinking that it would be a lot of fun if I could instead just listen to what you have to say, and if you have any questions, try to answer them to the best of my ability. You can leave something below in the comment section or write me an email at jingoro@casa-z.org

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Q: Wow, John; are you really serious about this?
Yes, I am. ;-)

Q: Is the Buddhist monastery for free to live? Do you have to pay a certain amount?
As far as I know, almost all (or all) Buddhist monasteries offer their teachings free of charge including housing. This includes the one I am planning to study at.

Q: Are you open to going home if it isn't a positive experience for you?
Part of the spending time at Abhayagiri is that I can't just spend an indefinite amount of time there. I have to apply, spend a short time, then leave and re-apply for longer periods of time. Then repeat. It's only after doing this on multiple occasions where both the community and myself feel comfortable, and that there is room for me, that I would be allowed to spend very long periods of time there.

So regardless of whether it's positive or negative, I will be going home from time to time.

Q: Are you afraid of what you will encounter as you enter the stillness?
I don't feel particularly afraid or anything. In fact, there's a lot of interest and optimism in what may come to be. It's unclear of what there will be, but isn't that the same for everybody?

About this blog...

As you may have heard, I am planning to live and study at a Buddhist monastery for some indefinite amount of time starting mid-October, 2012.

I will be quitting my job of 5 years, giving away or selling most of my belongings, and staying as a lay resident at what most likely will be a monastery in northern California. I am going with the intention of being a lay resident and exploring the possibility monastic life. At this moment, it's not clear to me whether or not I will become a monk, or just spend a significant amount of time studying as a lay resident.

Over the last year or so, I have been talking to many of my family and friends about my intentions. Thankfully, almost everybody I spoke with expressed a lot of enthusiasm and support. Many of them were also really curious and wanted to know what life would be like for me. After reflecting on this, I decided to write a blog about my upcoming experiences. So this post is the first of several entries detailing my experiences over the coming months (or years).

I will also be writing a few introductory entries to give readers, especially those who I have not spoken with in a long time, some background on my motivations and interests for doing this.

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Until then...