Monk Tim is a 56-year-old celebrity from Canada. A previous jazz singer and former radio host of the Canadian broadcasting corporation who hosted a jazz radio show for over 10 years, decided to dedicate the rest of his life to the “pursuit of life’s worth and learn more about well-being and positive psychology.”
He was always open to Buddhism and when social and political unrest occurred, he began to look for a way out. Regarding his darkest moment, he reports during “Black lives matter and stop Asian hate, the politics in America and Canada. It was a tsunami of challenging thoughts. I found myself getting wrapped up in this ongoing journey of doom scrolling on the internet. I got very sick.”
The experience triggered memories of severe bullying he faced as a child with subsequent post-traumatic stress. “I was self-medicating with alcohol and all sorts of different things. My life became miserable and my family’s life became miserable because of it as well. I eventually turned to Buddhism. I have always had a fascination with Buddhism specifically.”
Venerable Tim has been meditating for about 5 years on and off. He began seeing online videos from a teaching monk in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. “It really captivated me. Oh, that’s really interesting. There’s a program where you can go somewhere and get first-hand knowledge from people who know how to deal with suffering.” He kept thinking about it and got the chance to attend after covid and the program opened up again.
Regarding the MONK LIFE PROJECT ordination program, he states, “It is the best gift I’ve ever given to myself. Coming here I was like a kid waiting for Christmas. Once I got here the experience has been unlike any experience in my entire life. It’s not just that there is a program for international ordination, but the fact that it is so well thought out. The teacher monks and the staff are so kind and so Sabai. Sabai Sabai. This is a word that I had never heard before. But it’s now going to be a part of my vocabulary for the rest of my life. This is the first step of a new chapter.”
He comments on his fellow monk brothers. “We formed really wonderful lifelong connections. We’ve only been together for 10-11 days but it’s tremendous to get that feeling. And how universal friendship is. And I’m the oldest I’m 56. They’re in the 20s or 30s but it doesn’t matter. We’re pals. We’re here to support each other. To help each other learn. And laugh. The amount of laughter everywhere is amazing. Everyone’s laughing at something. It’s hard to describe. As I was speaking with Luang Pi River the other day. The thing that surprises me the most is that I can turn to any corner and there’s another set of smiling eyes. These are men. Men being kind to one another, and easygoing and laid back. How rare is that?”
He ends with stating, “The meditation and the understanding of the dhamma is really opening my eyes to more kindness for myself and loving kindness for others.” He has learned to live more in the present moment.
During the hair clipping and ordination ceremony he experienced tears of joy and release as he stated the proclamation to begin his new life as a monk. After the ceremony was finished, he sat relaxingly in a chair and poignantly stated “the search is over.”