Thinking of moving to Tibet for a year or so....

[tangledweb16]

Anyone else here done anything like this? I've been thinking about it for the better part of a year, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through with it. I'm fully prepared to sell my MacBook and iPhone, as well as everything else of significant value I have, just to get enough immediate cash for the plane ticket and for living expenses.

I've read that if you pay, many monasteries will take you in. Does anyone know how much this will cost? I've searched, but there isn't much on the subject. This will not be a vacation. I'm going to live as they do, preferably somewhere remote. What's the current exchange rate? How much money, ballpark figure, do you think I'll need?

And suggestions welcome. Thanks,

 

[Gray-Wolf]

I would recommend forgetting the idea. You need a true commitment to undertake some thing like this. You walk away from job, home and family to do this, you had better think it through long and hard.

 

[BoyBach]

Have you considered volunteering?

 

[Doctor Q]

What's the reason you're considering this, tangledweb16? What do you want to accomplish or experience? Is there something you want to avoid or get away from?

 

[Delta608]

Anyone else here done anything like this? I've been thinking about it for the better part of a year, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through with it. I'm fully prepared to sell my MacBook and iPhone, as well as everything else of significant value I have, just to get enough immediate cash for the plane ticket and for living expenses.

I've read that if you pay, many monasteries will take you in. Does anyone know how much this will cost? I've searched, but there isn't much on the subject. This will not be a vacation. I'm going to live as they do, preferably somewhere remote. What's the current exchange rate? How much money, ballpark figure, do you think I'll need?

And suggestions welcome. Thanks,

How exactly would you convince the Chinese to give you a visa...??

 

[Abstract]

^^^True.

Also, sounds like a "phase". The monks in these monasteries have a lifelong commitment to this sort of thing. They're not doing it for life experience, or because it was romanticized in films. Your talk regarding finances makes it sound like one of those paid life experience tours, like building wells in Tanzania, or infrastructure development in Guatemala.

I have 2 friends from Tibet, and I say forget this idea. And if you somehow found your way there to do this (and you probably wouldn't), I would suggest that you don't tell them how you had to sell your MacBook and iPhone to get the money to afford it.
.

 

[iBlue]

Sounds to me like you may have done a lot of thinking and not enough researching the idea. I had a long reply to this all typed up a couple days ago and decided against posting it.

I'm curious, why Tibet or why only Tibet? If you want to do a pilgrimage type thing why not do a broader southeast asian one? Plenty of buddhist monasteries and experiences to come by in Thailand, Nepal, India and elsewhere with a lot less conflict. (and your chances of getting in are better. no way are you getting a visa to tibet for a year)

I can tell you now that most of the people I've known or have known of who have gone through such travels usually don't get what they expect to out of it. If you do it, you need to learn A LOT more and go with a very open mind.