When I think of Western ordination, I only think of the Ajahn Chah tradition because it is highly disciplined.

If you are European, it may be convenient to be a novice & take ordination in Europe, so you can undertake the transition in a familiar language & possibly a less challenging environment.

However, once you settle into the life of a bhikkhu (say after two or three years), I think living the Holy Life in Asia is more advantageous because you will live in what is historically a Buddhist society & culture; which is based in the relationship between monks & laypeople and the cultural norms of both benefaction & social morality.

The strongest impressions I had when I lived in Thailand was the traditional culture.

To the contrary, in my opinion, what has become "Western Buddhism", particularly in the USA, has little relationship to the original Buddhism.

When I think of Western ordination, I only think of the Ajahn Chah tradition because it is highly disciplined.

If you are European, it may be convenient to be a novice & take ordination in Europe, so you can undertake the transition in a familiar language & possibly a less challenging environment.

However, once you settle into the life of a bhikkhu (say after two or three years), I think living the Holy Life in Asia is more advantageous because you will live in what is historically a Buddhist society & culture; which is based in the relationship between monks & laypeople and the cultural norms of both benefaction & social morality.

The strongest impressions I had when I lived in Thailand was the traditional culture.

To the contrary, in my opinion, what has become "Western Buddhism", particularly in the USA, has little relationship to orthodox Buddhism.

When I think of Western ordination, I only think of the Ajahn Chah tradition because it is highly disciplined.

If you are European, it may be convenient to be a novice & take ordination in Europe, so you can undertake the transition in a familiar language & possibly a less challenging environment.

However, once you settle into the life of a bhikkhu (say after two or three years), I think living the Holy Life in Asia is more advantageous because you will live in what is historically a Buddhist society & culture; which is based in the relationship between monks & laypeople and the cultural norms of both benefaction & social morality.

The strongest impressions I had when I lived in Thailand was the traditional culture.

To the contrary, what has become "Western Buddhism" (an amoral psychotherapeutic tradition), particularly in the USA, has little relationship to real Buddhism.

When I think of Western ordination, I only think of the Ajahn Chah tradition because it is highly disciplined.

If you are European, it may be convenient to be a novice & take ordination in Europe, so you can undertake the transition in a familiar language & possibly a less challenging environment.

However, once you settle into the life of a bhikkhu (say after two or three years), I think living the Holy Life in Asia is more advantageous because you will live in what is historically a Buddhist society & culture; which is based in the relationship between monks & laypeople and the cultural norms of both benefaction & social morality.

The strongest impressions I had when I lived in Thailand was the traditional culture.

To the contrary, in my opinion, what has become "Western Buddhism", particularly in the USA, has little relationship to the original Buddhism.