How did you become a Buddhist monk? Why?

Answer:

by: Venerable Nicolas Thanissaro

My decision to become a Buddhist monk happened gradually over the space of about ten years - it started with an interest in meditation and continued with the decision to reside in a monastery full-time. The actual becoming a monk happened in a ceremony called an 'ordination' which took only an hour! I became a monk because I feel that meditation and learning about Buddhism is the most important thing in my life - being a monk allows me to spend a lot of time on these two activities (both learning and teaching) without anyone criticising me for it.