Higher Ordination: 24. May 2020
Ordination preparation period: Jan – Apr 2020
During the ordination preparation period, a Vinaya course provides applicants for ordination an overview of the monks’ rules, so that there are no surprises after ordination. Applicants also learn to sew their own robes, make brooms, and familiarize themselves with Pāli pronunciation, which is important for the ordination ceremony itself. Applicants aspiring for ordination in April 2020, must therefore arrive at SBS latest by the end of December 2019 (earlier is better).
“A householder or householder’s son or one born in some other clan hears this Dhamma. He then acquires faith in the Tathāgata and considers thus: ‘Household life is crowded and dusty; life gone forth is wide open. It is not easy, while living at home, to lead the spiritual life that is utterly perfect and pure as a polished conch shell. Suppose I shave off my hair and beard, put on ochre robes, and go forth from the household life into homelessness.’ On a later occasion, having abandoned a small or a large fortune, having abandoned a small or a large circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, puts on ochre robes, and goes forth from the household life into homelessness.” (AN 4.198)