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DCO Thailand

Phra Farang
An English Monk in Thailand
Phra Peter Pannapadipo

Peter Robinson had tried to find meaning in his businesses, his material possessions and his relationships but nothing made him feel complete. At the relatively late age of forty, Peter went on a package holiday to Thailand and there, unexpectedly, became fascinated by the feeling of tranquil purpose he found in even the most humble working monasteries. On his return to England he became determined to find out more, and this journey of discovery led to him to his ordination as a Buddhist monk five years later. At his ordination he was given the chaya or religious name of Phra Peter Pannapadipo - light, or lamp, of wisdom. But it was after the ceremony took place that the real metamorphosis occurred. With gentle humour and compassion Phra Peter Paddapadipo writes of his transition from agnostic Westerner to Buddhist monk and the rewards and pitfalls for the Westerner who chooses to follow this path.

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Phra Farang (An English Monk in Thailand) by Phra Peter Pannapadipo

The cover of this 241 page book shows a hand drawn image of Phra Peter in a seated position against a pale yellow background which depicts what this book is about- the story of an English businessman who changes his goal in life from the creation of personal wealth to the strive for personal happiness by ordaining as a Phra (Buddhist Monk) in Thailand.
Phra farang is not a difficult read and no prior knowledge of Buddhism is required as the author adds occasional footnotes to explain certain words or phrases that may not be easily understood by those who have no knowledge of Buddhism. Neither is this book too serious a read as it is written in an entertaining rather than educational manner and kept me enthralled from start to finish.
The book is full of snippets about the daily life of a Thai Buddhist monk which many outsiders have no knowledge off.
This book gets the thumbs up from me and I would recommend it to anyone with a Thai partner as it helped me to comprehend the bond that Thais have with their religion.
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Conrad

I read this book a couple of years ago, and agree with Conrads comments above. An intresting and informative read. Filled in many of the gaps of knowledge I had concerning Buddhism.

I believe the author Peter Pannapadipo (formely Robinson) Helped form the Anglo Thai Foundation, a charity which has been mentioned a few times on this site.

Thanks for the recommendation on this book Danny. I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago and found it fascinating.

As Conrad has said it gives great insight into how Thai's practise Buddhism. I would definately recommend it.

Andrew