Sadly, I doubt it.
Though I dont have any experience with Buddhist or Hindu monasteries, I have experience with Catholic ones and indirect experience with eastern Orthodox ones. Christian, or Hindu or Buddhist, I am thinking that a monastery is a monastery in regards to the following:
- They offer scheduled retreats for the curious and scheduled "come and see" retreats for prospective monks / nuns. But.... they dont take "drop ins". Drop ins, even sincere ones, who lack the discipline or maturity for monastic life can be very disruptive. Monasteries absolutely need drama free routine.
- They encourage younger prospects to have parental affirmation- not required, but encouraged. They want prospects to write home and allow parental visits. Sure, stricter monasteries may greatly limit visits (2X year), but they are still encouraged and permitted.
- Essentially nobody just joins the monastery. Rather, a prospect makes a series of longer, and longer retreats. In between, they are encouraged to go back to "the world".
- Deviations from the above stand out. For example, an eastern Orthodox monastery group accused of going essentially "no contact" and having pressured recruiting techniques was quickly de-listed as a sponsored group by the official Greek Orthodox diocese.
