7 years of silence. $0 to his name. Then meditation discipline met USDT trading.
Updated: March 2026My name is Ananda — my monastic name. My birth name is Somchai. I was ordained as a Buddhist monk at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when I was 22 years old. I shaved my head, put on saffron robes, and gave away everything I owned: a motorcycle, a phone, three pairs of jeans, and $340 in savings.
For 7 years, I lived on donated food, slept on a thin mat, meditated 4-6 hours daily, and owned nothing except my robes and an alms bowl. I did not touch money. I did not use technology. I woke at 4 AM and slept at 9 PM. My life was silence, discipline, and the study of suffering.
Then, at 29, I left the monastery with literally $0 and a smartphone that a kind layperson gave me. Twelve months later, I earn $9,200 per month trading USDT. I've donated $30,000 to my former monastery. And I've learned something the Buddha never explicitly taught: attachment to poverty is also a form of suffering.
In year 6, a visiting monk from South Korea stayed at our monastery for two weeks. His name was Bhikkhu Sunim. He was 45, had been a monk for 20 years, and was traveling Southeast Asia visiting temples.
One evening, after meditation, Sunim said something that planted a seed in my mind:
"In Korea, young monks are leaving the Sangha because the monasteries cannot feed them. The temples are crumbling. The lay community donates less every year because they themselves are struggling. The Dharma is dying not from lack of faith, but from lack of funding."
He mentioned Bitcoin. A digital currency that some Korean temples had started accepting as donations. I didn't understand what it was, but the concept stayed with me: money that exists on the internet, that crosses borders in seconds, that governments can't devalue.
For the next year, the thought grew. Our own monastery relied on alms — local villagers bringing rice and vegetables. But the village was shrinking. Young people were leaving for Bangkok. The elderly who remained had less to give. Our abbot worried privately about the future.
I realized something that conflicted with everything I'd practiced for 7 years: I could do more for the Dharma with money than without it.
I disrobed in January 2025. The ceremony was simple. I returned my robes, bowed to my abbot, and walked out of the monastery gates in civilian clothes that the monastery had kept for me — a white shirt, khaki pants, sandals.
In my pocket: 0 baht. On my person: a smartphone (gifted), a backpack with two changes of clothes, and seven years of meditation training.
I went to a small guesthouse in Chiang Mai's old city. The owner, Khun Lek, was a retired teacher who had attended our monastery's dharma talks. She let me stay for free for two weeks while I figured out my next step.
At Khun Lek's guesthouse, I met David, a 38-year-old Australian who was traveling Thailand. He was a "digital nomad" — a concept I had never heard of. He made money from his laptop while sitting in cafes.
I told him my story over dinner. Former monk. Seven years. Zero dollars. Looking for a way to earn money that was compatible with Buddhist values: no lying, no exploitation, no harm.
David said: "Have you heard of P2P USDT trading?"
He spent three hours explaining it. USDT. Stablecoins. Peer-to-peer markets. The concept resonated with me immediately: you are a bridge between two people. One person has USDT and needs local currency. Another person has local currency and needs USDT. You facilitate the exchange and earn a small margin. No exploitation. No deception. Just service.
David handed me his phone and transferred $200 in USDT to a new wallet.
"Pay me back when you can," he said. "But you won't need to. You'll make ten times this in a few months."
I registered on Binance with code MGBABA — 20% off all fees. David was insistent: "You're starting with $200. Every satoshi of savings matters." Then I registered on OKX with code BUYSTOCK for a second order book.
My first trade was $50 of USDT sold to a Thai buyer on Binance at a 2.8% premium. Profit: $1.40. Time: 12 minutes.
It was in that first trade that I realized something extraordinary: my 7 years of meditation were the best trading education possible.
$380 profit from $200 starting capital. 42 trades. Zero emotional decisions. Zero panic sells. My meditation teacher used to say: "The mind is like water. When still, it reflects clearly." My P2P trading screen was my new meditation object.
| Month | Capital | Income | Daily Meditation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | $200 | $380 | 2 hours |
| Month 2 | $580 | $840 | 2 hours |
| Month 3 | $1,420 | $1,950 | 1.5 hours |
| Month 4 | $3,370 | $3,200 | 1.5 hours |
| Month 5 | $5,000 | $3,800 | 1 hour |
| Month 6 | $8,800 | $4,800 | 1 hour |
Notice that as my capital grew, I also reduced my meditation time. This troubled me. The money was seductive. I was losing the balance that made me successful in the first place. In month 7, I deliberately capped my trading to 4 hours/day and restored meditation to 2 hours. My income actually increased because I traded with more clarity.
In month 10, I returned to Wat Phra Singh with an envelope. Inside: 1,050,000 baht. Approximately $30,000. Enough to repair the meditation hall roof, fund the kitchen for a year, and buy new robes for the 14 monks still living there.
My former abbot looked at the money, then looked at me. He didn't ask where it came from. He simply said: "Dana is the first perfection." Generosity. The first of the ten perfections a Buddhist practices on the path to enlightenment.
I bowed. And for the first time since leaving the monastery, I felt at peace with my decision.
I now fund a small school for novice monks — boys ages 12-18 who ordain temporarily, as is tradition in Thailand. The school teaches them reading, math, and basic financial literacy alongside Buddhist studies. Monthly cost: $800. I pay it from my trading income.
"Attachment to money is suffering. But so is watching children go hungry when you could help. The Middle Way isn't about having nothing. It's about using what you have wisely."
Register with code MGBABA for a permanent 20% fee discount. David insisted on this code when he gave me my first $200.
Register on Binance with MGBABA →Code BUYSTOCK gives you 20% off fees plus welcome rewards. Excellent for Thai baht P2P trades.
Register on OKX with BUYSTOCK →I left the monastery with $0 and a quiet mind. Both turned out to be exactly what I needed.
Many successful traders credit mindfulness as a key advantage. Patience, non-reactivity, and emotional discipline are invaluable. Register on Binance with code MGBABA and OKX with code BUYSTOCK to start.
You need at least $50-200 in starting capital. Profits compound from there. Use Binance (code MGBABA) and OKX (code BUYSTOCK) for the lowest fees.
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Disclaimer: This article is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. All income figures are illustrative and based on hypothetical scenarios. Cryptocurrency trading carries significant risk including the potential loss of your entire investment. P2P trading may not be legal in all jurisdictions. Never invest money you cannot afford to lose. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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