Promising ang future ni Dom Petch, 22, bilang celebrity sa Thailand.
Nakagawa na siya ng mga pelikula at TV series. Isa rin siyang in-demand model.
Pero sa kabila ng kasikatan, tinalikuran lahat ito ni Dom at pinili ang buhay ng isang monk o monghe.
Ang tunay na pangalan ni Dom ay Dom Petchthamrongchai, isang Australian-Thai. Isinilang siya sa Melbourne, Australia at nag-aral sa Newton Business School sa Bangkok.
Una siyang sumabak sa The Face Men Thailand Season 2, isang reality-based male model search noong 2018.
Sinundan ito ng celebrity boxing reality show na 10 Fight 10 (2019), kung saan nanalo siya.
Kalaunan, naging artista siya sa Thailand at nagkaroon ng international modeling commitments.
Pero ginulat ni Dom ang kanyang supporters nang ianunsiyo niya noong April 2025—matapos ipagdiwang ang kanyang 22nd birthday—na na-ordain na siya bilang monk.
Ginawa niya ang announcement via Instagram at walang binanggit kung kailan siya lalabas.
May maiksi siyang paliwanag kung bakit pinili niya ang secluded life ng isang monk.
“[A]s you can see, I’m currently learning the ways of a monk. It has been a very valuable experience and yet I’m still not quite sure when exactly I’ll leave the monk hood life as I’m doing my best to stay as long as I can.
“I know one thing for sure is that the longer I stay the more I will learn, and the more I understand, the more powerful my tools are.”
Read: Chai Tanawan: Physics teacher finds success in Silvanas business
THAI ACTOR ON WHAT DROVE HIM TO CHOOSE MONKHOOD
Sa isang recent interview, ikinuwento ni Dom kung gaano siya ka-busy sa kanyang showbiz career bago siya maging monk.
“Before I became a monk, I used to be a model and an actor. I’ve done many movies, a lot of runways, international modeling in New York, TV shows…” paliwanag niya sa Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Subalit sa kabila ng tinatamasang kasikatan, nawalan daw ng balanse ang buhay ni Dom.
Pag-amin niya, “With all that chaos, I decided I kinda wanted take a step back and reflect on everything and become a monk.”
Pinag-aralan ni Dom ang mga turo ni Buddha, ang monastic discipline, at meditasyon.
Habang ang mga kasing-edad ni Dom ay nagsasaya sa buhay, siya naman ay naghahanap ng mas malalim na kahulugan ng buhay.
Malinaw rin sa kanyang sagot na ayaw niyang ikulong ang sarili sa buhay showbiz.
“For me, to sacrifice my younger years to just become a monk is like getting a headstart in life, because if I talk about the entertainment industry, it’s not like a 9-to-5 [job]. Sometimes you gotta stay up all night just to do one scene…”
Hindi raw nakabuti sa kanya ang showbiz.
Pag-amin niya, “I sort of cultivated a very unhealthy lifestyle. I used to be a very chaotic person and I thought, ‘This is it, if I become a monk, maybe I could find some answers that would enrich me to really understand what your purpose is in this world and what your goals are.’”
Sa pagiging monk, natuto raw si Dom ng mahahalagang aral, tulad ng pagbibigay ng “loving kindness to everyone.”
Kung magiging mabuti raw sa iba, ito ay babalik sa iyo.
“I encourage everyone to give positive energy, not just giving [others], but giving yourself positive energy.”
Kung nanaisin daw ng tao ay puwede niyang piliing maging positibo.
“[I]t will be very, very beneficial and that is what happened, and I’m very happy,” sabi ni Dom.
Nagkaroon daw ng linaw ang buhay ni Dom.
“Now I know what my goals are, it’s just a matter of action,” sabi niya.
Read: Woman extorts PHP503M from monks; uses sex videos for blackmail