Novice Monk Book Review

As I ride the bus to language school each morning, I don't only see adult monks walking around receiving their daily alms, but I see boys. Wishing to learn more about their lives, I found this book. The author, a Buddhist monk from London living in Thailand, shares the lives of twelve novice monks.

All of these boys mentioned in this book, began their lives as novice monks because they were from poor farming families in the North with little money. Very sad and horrifying pasts led them in desperation to their only choice, to become a novice monk. Many others also got in it because it made their parents happy and gave their parents merit with the spirits if they were novice monks.

Peter, the author, has seen so many novices have to ordain as monks when they reach the ordination decision age of twenty because otherwise there's no choice for them. He does not want the monks to make this decision out of desperation but because they desire to live this life. He began a foundation to raise money for boys so they could disrobe as novice monks and pursue education beyond their normal means. Interesting how poverty leads many girls in this country into prostitution and boys into monkhood.