Summer 2027 · Four temples across Europe
Trade your phone for saffron robes. Spend two to three weeks living as a Theravada Buddhist monk, and come home with a calm that stays.
Summer 2027
Four ordinations, one summer. Pick the dates and language that fit your life. Each program builds to its ordination day, when you receive the saffron robes in front of family and friends.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya Belgium
Lede, Belgium
12 to 30 June19 days
Wat Phra Dhammakaya Sjælland
Denmark
5 to 18 July14 days
Wat Phra Dhammakaya Bavaria
Königsbrunn, Germany
1 to 15 August15 days
Wat Phra Dhammakaya London
Woking, United Kingdom
15 to 29 August15 days
What you will experience
For a few weeks you live exactly as a monk does, with the same robes, the same rules and the same daily rhythm that has been handed down for over 2,500 years.
Shave your head, dress in white and be given the saffron robes in a ceremony your family can be part of.
Sit every day alongside experienced monks and take home a practice that keeps working long after the robes come off.
Set out in the early morning with your alms bowl, eat in mindful silence and discover how little you really need.
Learn what the Buddha taught from monks who make it clear, practical and relevant to modern life.
In their own words
“Since arriving here I meditate every day with the monks. Their teaching and the practice have helped me gain more control over myself, more inner peace, more happiness, and greater mindfulness.”
MartinBerlin, Germany. Ordained at 27Read the full story“I used to carry a lot of anger. The teachings and the daily life as a monk have helped me become a better person and more peaceful every day.”
EnevaldNorway. Ordained at 60Read the full story“It almost felt like a bitesize university degree on Buddhism. My daily meditation practice has helped me to quiet the loud inner voice.”
JayUnited KingdomRead the full story“It's much more than a normal retreat I would say, and that's why I'm here again.”
HeikoReturning participantRead the full storyGet to know us
Why were we born? What is our purpose in life? What did the Buddha teach? In these videos our monks share why they chose to ordain, what the ceremony involves and how meditation brings inner peace.
In a world that moves too fast, this is your invitation to pause: join people from around the world in Belgium to live simply, practice mindfulness, and discover the wisdom of the Theravada tradition for yourself.
It begins with handing over everything you own, learning to chant in Pali, shaving your head before your family, and circling the chapel to become a monk.
Still young enough to start a career or a family, learn why choosing neither and why ordaining brings more freedom to help others, not less.
Step inside a Thai temple for every stage of the ordination ceremony, the head shaving, the procession in white, the saffron robes offered by parents, and the chanted vote that welcomes a new monk into the community.
From a student fascinated by a teaching that puts the mind first, to temple volunteer, to a life in robes. One monk shares the journey and why there has never been a moment of regret.
Only a tenth of our thoughts live in the present moment; the rest spin through a past we can't change and a future that may never arrive. Meditation is how you step out of the tornado and into the calm at its center.
Is this for you?
The training is built for people who were not raised in the tradition. Curiosity and an open mind are enough to begin.