Customer Reviews

Phra Farang

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't actually buy this book since I'm a Buddhist (born as a Buddhist). A friend of mine had purchased this book when she was in Thailand and I had the chance to read the book. This book is more of an experience of an English Businessman who had taken a spiritual path in Buddhism. Mostly the experiences were culture shock and the mentality difference. This is a great book though. The author has a great sense of humor. If you had ever been to Thailand, you would understand most of the conflicts and the irony of the events - I just had to laugh with the authors comments. This book also gives westerners a blend of western ideas vs Buddhism. If you are expecting to learn some spiritual ideas or teachings of Buddhism, this is not quite the book. This is a book to let others who had never understood what Buddhism actually is, to get a feel of it. I gave this 5 stars since I am looking this from an outsider and I find this to be a soft and humourous method to let people understand Buddhism. There are some good insights and allows you to understand what monks do, what meditation is like, etc. The laughs were already worth buying it!!
Just to let you know, the profit of the book goes to a fund for children who have what it takes to get higher education, but are not financially supported. Since the author lives in a remote village in Thailand, Phra Peter is mostly involved with helping these children to have a brighter future. So, just consider that you are also making a donation when you buy the book.

Phra Peter has taken the time and effort to enlighten us about the inside world of Buddhist monks as they practice in Thailand and England. He shares the outer and some of the inner details of his passage from public personality to respected (and oft times ridiculed) White Foreigner in Orange Robes that keep falling down.

Phra Pannapadipo's exploits, as he makes his way in and out of various circles of influence are both comical and dead serious as fate has presented him with numerous exciting and totally unexpected twists at every corner.

This is also an excellent guide to many aspects of Thai culture as well as thorough documentation of religious practices and theology today in one of Southeast Asia's most exotic countries.

A rare find, any of the author's books is a true gem in the rough to be treasured by seekers of any orientation.

Peter is the middle-aged, successful businessman from England who gives up his accustomed life to dress in a robe, live off alms, and make do without any material comforts as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. And not just for a few weeks, tourist-style, but for life.

Unexpected problems arise. While in a Bangkok temple, Peter feels isolated as the other monks get jealous. A white man in an orange robe being a novelty to abbots and lay people alike, Peter gets invited to ceremonies and blessings an masse. When he learns the other monks, who refuse to speak to him, have nicknamed him "the star monk", he decides to leave.

In a smaller, upcountry temple he finds peace. Monk Peter deepens his studies of Buddhism and his meditation, gradually gaining calm and insight. Self-control, the goal of a purified mind, seems within reach. Then suddenly, when seeing another monk harassing a dog, Peter loses all restraint and physically attacks the other monk - an act of uncontrolled rage he has not experienced since childhood.

Peter also begins having reservations about the way Buddhism is practised - blessing motorbikes and chasing evil spirits away isn't in line with the teachings. And then there is the money-side of things. The reality of the often corrupt, double-faced Thailand, where things are never quite what they seem, is building.

The monks form a strictly regulated hierarchy. If someone de-robes, if only for a few days, he will lose his accumulated seniority. Peter competes in meditation, chanting, and text studies, both with other monks and himself. The respect and gratitude lay people show a monk is addictive. Monk Peter glows in his new, elevated role, but then gets a sense of deja vue. Vanity, he realises, did not stop at the gates of the temple.

Don't you love a book about something way outside your experience that makes you genuinely interested in its experience by rising above any apparent limitations on its subject matter? Hinting at the universals, in other words. This is such a book, and the title tells you what it's about. It'll stay with you for months after you read it. As I was formulating my review of this excellent book in my mind, I happened to read the back cover. I couldn't say it any better myself, so I won't. I'll just quote it.

"At forty-five, successful businessman Peter Robinson gave up his comfortable life in London to ordain as a Buddhist monk in Bangkok. But the new path he had chosen was not always as easy or as straightforward as he hoped it would be. In this truly extraordinary memoir, Phra Peter Pannapadipo describes his ten-year metamorphosis into a practicing Buddhist monk, while being initiated into the intricacies of an unfamiliar Southeast Asian culture. Phra Peter tells his story with compassion, humour and unflinching honesty. It's the story of a 'Phra Farang' - a foreign monk - living and practicing his faith in an exotic and intriguing land."

Phra Peter happens to be a fine author, and I'm going to hunt down some of his other books.

I bought this book in Thailand, and have recommended the book to many of my friends. It is very good, concise and explain Thai Buddhism very well. Phra Peter has the ability to write clearly and explain difficult Buddhist concepts in plain English.

Living very close to the temple in Nakhon Sawan and having the opportunity to visit Phra Peter regularly, I can say that he is not only an incredible writer, but a brilliant person who is always extremely anxious to help others and does so in many ways. He has for the past few years been running a trust fund to help further the education of Thai students, mainly from the funds from his book and also donations from readers. But overall he is an especially cool guy and although he lives an extremely different way of life to many of us, he is just the same in many ways and probably the wittiest person i have ever met.

The book describes the personal journey of a British businessman through his religious training and practice as a monk in Thailand. It is written with modesty and personal insight. It is not a book of "conversion", but one of journey. Phar Peter communicates the essence of Theravada Buddhist tecahing and practice and will capture the attention of those with casual interest in Buddhism, while also having appeal for more devotional readers. The author has established a charitable trust to support the higher education of impoversished Thais, which is briefly mentioned in the book.

I'd heard about this book when I was on Thailand and so purchased it when I got home. If you are curious about what a monk's life is about starting with ordaining, you will get a lot out of this book. Also, great perspective on one man's personal journey. I just wish it were longer.

This book was actually recommended to me by John Burdett, the author of the Bangkok 8 series. I e-mailed him, told him that I would be leaving for Thailand in a few weeks, and asked for literary recommendations. I read the book during my flight and found myself in awe of the farang's accomplishments. I additionally picked up pieces of Thai language and culture that proved valuable during my travels.

I just got done reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. This book should not be mistaken as an introduction to Buddhism since there are already numerous books on the subject but for what it is (more like a memoir). I gave this book 5 stars based on the fact that it is highly "readable" often times funny and straight forward. Living in Thailand myself I can relate with the author on the extreme cultural diffrences between Thais' and "farangs". a great "holiday" book wheather you are sitting on the beach or in your hotel room.