What is the European Ordination Program?

The European Ordination Program (EOP) has been established by the vision of Luang Por Dhammajayo, the Abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, to introduce Buddhism to the people in The European Union (EU), and others around the world. The program was organized for the first time in 2013 at Wat Phra Dhammakaya Benelux, Belgium. Many participants in The EU from different countries such a England, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Austria, and Switzerland joined the program. When it concluded, all were very satisfied with the program, and some even had the intention to join the same kind of program again the following year.

The European committee, consisting of 29 branches of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in The EU then decided to organise the program every year. Subsequently, more and more participants in The EU have joined the EOP.

The EOP provides the opportunity for all the qualified persons in The EU who have interest in studying the Dhamma of the Buddha, to use the knowledge they learn and practice from the program to benefit their lives with more happiness and prosperity.

In the program, all participants have the opportunity to learn about the Theravada Buddhist monk's life, to train themselves with the Buddhist disciplines and Buddhist cultures, to practice meditation, to study a variety of Buddhist Dhamma topics, and to understand more about the Theravada Buddhist monk's life. The course of study in the program has been continuously well-developed from the beginning up until the present, by becoming more efficient in training those who are not raised as Buddhists, enabling them to learn and apply the teachings in this short period of time after the program is concluded.

We therefore would like to invite all qualified persons for The Theravada-Monk Ordination to join the EOP again this year. Latest news, announcements, and more information about The EOP is available at all EU branches of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, and can also be found on our facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/EOPBenelux.

Registration

Qualifications for those who would like to join the program are:

1. Male between 20-60 years old
2. A person with acceptable good behaviour as observed and can be attested to by their peers
3. A person who lives a simple life, has good health, has no contagious diseases, mental illnesses, or physical impairments.
4. A person who has no drug addictions or criminal records
5. A written consent from a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative is required for those who wish to join The EOP.

Items Required to Join the Program

• 2 sets of white shirts and trousers
• 1 standard white shirt used by The EU Dhammakaya branches ceremonies
• Sweaters
• 1 towel
• Personal necessities such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and a toothbrush
• 1 pair of sandals
• Any required medicine

Items that are not allowed during the Training Program

• No dangerous sharp items that could be considered as weapons
• No cigarettes
• No valuable items
• No mobile phones
• No illegal drugs
• No food
• No music players, CD's, or radios

Thank you for your interest in The EOP and we look forward to your participation

Location

The ordination program takes place at Wat Phra Dhammakaya Benelux, Ronkenburgstraat 25, 9340 Lede, Belgium.

Previous programs

The European ordination program started in 2012 and has been running since.

See all previous programs

Things to do before your arrival

You will need to memorise some text for the ordination ceremony

• Download chanting texts

How do I join?

Click on the registration button below and fill out the form to join the ordination program

Register