My impression is that the major theme in becoming a monk is renunciation. You renounce the sense pleasure, greed, anger, money, family, sex, social standing, career, political activity, paying taxes that can be spent on violence, responsibility for the food you buy, any thoughts about saving money for living on after retirement, domestic animals, your and, mosr crucially, your material and ethical independence. I am 100 % sure this daunting task is a key element in attaining Awakening. Whetehr it is impossible for a lay person is a debatable question, but I am sure you would agree it would be very, extremely, unbelievably difficult.
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