Living in a Buddhist Monastery and Temple: Staying with Monks for Peace and Compassion in 2023

Last Updated: January 05, 2023

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Are you looking for a moment of peace? Do you want to break free from your daily responsibilities and quotidian lifestyle? If you are looking for a moment of awareness within yourself, then you might want to live for some days in a Buddhist Monastery or Temple.

Staying in a monastery with the monks can be an opportunity to soak yourself into the world of enlightenment. It is possible to actually stay with monks in the Buddhist monasteries or temples. You just have to make some efforts to find the right place and you can then embark into the journey of a lifetime.

Ways of Staying in Buddhist Monasteries or Temples

There are normally two ways of finding a Buddhist monastery or temple where you can live and find peace. One is finding the Buddhist monastery near you and the other is joining a Buddhist Monastery or temple abroad. Here we will explain both processes:

Staying in a Buddhist Monastery Near You

If you want to have just a few days break from your regular life. Many monasteries near you offer the guest rooms with affordable reach and even some of them can provide you accommodation just expecting some donation in return.

Finding the right location and right monastery is the key, if you look properly you will definitely find a monastery near you where you can stay.

Living in Buddhist Monastery Abroad

If you are planning for a longer break of a few weeks. You might want to look for the Buddhist Monasteries abroad as well. There are many majestic monasteries located in Asian countries like Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Indonesia and Bhutan. You can join a stay program in some of the monasteries in these countries.

What Can You Do While Staying in a Buddhist Monastery or Temple?

We definitely go to stay in a monastery to take a break from all our regular activities, but that doesn’t mean we won't be doing anything after we join a Buddhist temple. There are lots of activities that keep us mindful and aware and bring us close to enlightenment:

Join Meditation

One of the major activities that you can do in a Buddhist Monastery is joining a meditation. Some of the monasteries organize the regular meditation classes or retreat inside the monastery premises. However, some monasteries can be only limited to their regular prayers and rituals, but you don’t have to worry, in the surroundings of these monasteries you will always find many meditation retreats centers which you can join for a few hours every day.

Work with the Monks

You can help the monks of the monastery for their different activities and rituals. These activities will keep you occupied and also help you stay free from your regular thoughts. These activities can be both mental and physical exercise for you.

Visit Places and Explore the Buddhist Cultures

Most of the monasteries are located in culturally rich places. In your free time, you can explore around and embark into the world of new culture and new landmarks. Walking around the Buddhist shrines and temples, while talking with the locals about their local cultural and religious values will definitely refresh your soul and will enlighten your mind with real time understanding of Buddhist culture and values.