Return to daily life after having lived in retreat as a Buddhist monk

Gelong Thubten, a 37 year old guy from the Home counties, has returned to society after having lived in retreat as a Buddhist monk for four years. He decided to volunteer and to dedicate four years of his life, in order to live shut off from the outside world together with 14 other monks. He has had some rough times though, living apart from his family. On the other hand, this four year period has been most fulfilling for him. Gelong Thubten feels that he can use his experiences as a Buddhist monk in his further life, in order to help other people.

Personal reaction to this topic:
This subject immediately caught my attention, as I am very much interested in Buddhism in general. As a matter of fact, I am taking a Buddhist course myself this summer, in France. Buddhism originates in India but it has spread all over the world. I have been practicing Buddhism for two years now and it gives me a certain inner peace. Also, Buddhists are very focused on world peace which I do admire very much. Buddhism should not be considered a religion, as there is no God that you worship. I think it should be considered a philosophy. I am practicing Nichiren Buddhism by the way, which does not set limitations whatsoever. The organization is called The Sokka Gakkai, which is a Japanese lay organization.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6538999.ece