How old do you have to be to become a monk?

Thay answers questions on 21 June 2014. Question 1

(Bell)

(IN FRENCH)
At what age can you
become a monk?

How old do you have to be
to become a monk?

How old are you?

(Crowd laughs)

(IN FRENCH)
Five years and nine months.

How old are you?

Five years and nine months.
- Five years and nine months!

A big boy!

(Crowd laughs)

(IN ENGLISH)
I think when a boy or girl
can take care of himself or herself

and does not need
his mother to do that for him

I think they can become a novice monk.

You know the abbott
of the Upper Hamlet, Thay Phap Huu,

he was ordained at the age of 13

Now he has become the abbott
of Plum Village Upper Hamlet!

And Thay started at the age of 16.

And I think ...

Sister...Bang Nghiem...at the age of 12.

Yeah.

So I think you can hope
that at the age of 10

(Crowd laughs)

you can be ordained, hopefully,

if you don't rely too much on your mother

(crowd laughs)

if you can take a shower by yourself,

if you can wash your clothes by yourself,

then you know that it's time for you
to be ordained as a monk.

(Crowd laughs)

And I can tell you

there is a lot of fun when you
become a monk.

(FRENCH)
A lot of fun.

Thank you.

(Crowd laughs)

One more

(Bell)

(Bell)