The consultation about being Buddhist monks is done by the bureau of personnel, the executive office (Tel: 82-43-420-7307). You will enter the program to wait for going into a mountain (Being a Buddhist) after the consultation. The period to wait for going into the mountain depends on each person's patience and competence. It could takes from several months to several years.

You will be a Buddhist monk after finishing ascetic life of 3 years after doing the program to wait for going into the mountain. The academic background of the persons who become Buddhist monks is high school graduates and above and their age is limited to more than or equal to 13 to 45. The persons who become Buddhist monks must be singles. In case of married persons, they must break off conjugal relations by instituting legal proceedings. It's because they must not interrupt asceticism of the persons who become Buddhist monks and must be absorbed in seeking the truth depending on Buddha's law. And in order to practice asceticism, you must stay mentally and physically healthy. Therefore, the persons who have physical problems, ex-convicts, delinquent borrowers, and persons with diseases could be excluded from the objects who go into mountains.

Qualification of the persons who become Buddhist monks are as follows:

㉠ Single persons
㉡ 13 to 45 years old
㉢ Persons without debt
㉣ Persons without crimes
㉤ Consent of parents and a guardian

Being Buddhists is the path that you practice asceticism seeking the constant truth of immortality (不生不滅) escaping from meaningless and finite life of birth, old age, sickness, and death (生老病死) and joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure (喜怒哀樂). This path is endlessly great and respectful but difficult. However, you can finally reach a place of enlightenment if you will make constant efforts doing what's reasonable and with an air of fixed determination and being devout.

The persons who want to be Buddhist monks get to practice asceticism that gets rid of old dirt accumulated meanwhile until the leader of the religious group, the greatest monk of the religious group will allow them to go into mountains in restaurants or farms during the period to wait for it. When the leader of the religious group allows them to go into mountains after going through the program to wait for it, they get to spend ascetic life.

The ascetic program means the course to become Buddhist monks receiving Buddhist initiation ritual (受戒) and Buddhist names (法名). Ascetic life to be Buddhist monks of Tiantai Buddhism is based on 3 years. You will get to learn basic norms of Buddhist life checking if you have no regrets about your chosen path or not and you can practice asceticism with the public in the future.

You will usually practice asceticism including the preparation of Gongyang (Providing with food), cleaning in temples, and farming life during the daytime and get to complete Buddhist prayers rituals and hall education. In hall education, you will learn introduction to Buddhism, Vinaya Pitaka, the Initial Self-discipline, and the Six doors of the Dharma as well as the frontispiece of lotus sutra, the main text of a Buddhist Schools of Tiantai Buddhism. You will devote yourself in asceticism room until 4:00 a.m. after finishing hall education.

After finishing ascetic life of 3 years, the leader of the monastic order will decide whether you will be a Buddhist monk or not through interviews with you. And you will get Buddhist initiation ritual education and receive your Buddhist name (法名), Docheop (Certificate) (度牒), Gyecheop (戒牒), a sacerdotal robe, and the Dharma-jewel from the leader of the monastic order, your teacher, with a Buddhist initiation ceremony.

When you officially become a Buddhist monk of Tiantai Buddhism after finishing the Buddhist initiation ceremony, you will practice asceticism by taking up your duty during the daytime and by chanting Buddhist prayers of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva at night.

When you officially become a Buddhist monk of Tiantai Buddhism after finishing the Buddhist initiation ceremony, you will practice asceticism by taking up your duty during the daytime and by chanting Buddhist prayers of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva at night.

And the period of Summer and Winter Vassa that believers and Buddhist monks practice asceticism together is each one month. Especially, Buddhist monks have the opening ceremony for their Vassa of Tiantai Buddhism after Winter Vassa of one month that believers and Buddhist monks practice asceticism together. In this Vassa for Buddhist monks, they devote themselves to making incantations of Avalokitesvara under the guidance of the leader of the monastic order for about 55 days until the closing ceremony.

Life of Buddhist monks of Tiantai Buddhism is propagation (布敎), asceticism (修行), and salvation (救濟). Tiantai Buddhism ascetics' duty is to find enlightenment and have and practice Bodhisattva's heart (보살심) to save all people showing infinite mercy through asceticism like the ideology to found Guinsa Temple for myriads of people and saving all people.

Seeking Buddha's teachings and the lavish and devoted services for redeeming all the people who suffer from the world are perfection of self and at the same time, practice of mercy.