David Bowie: The Hunky Dory Monk
David Bowie almost became a Buddhist monk after studying the religion in the late '60s before finding rock stardom.
Eastern religions were a fascination for pop and rock stars in the 1960s.
The Beatles were a well-documented example, especially their trip to India in 1968 to get involved with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who founded the Transcendental Meditation movement.
However, the most surprising pop star getting deep into Eastern religion was David Bowie.
The Ashes To Ashes singer began to train as a Buddhist monk at The Samye Ling monastery, founded in 1967 and located in a peaceful valley on the banks of the river Esk in Scotland.
Although Bowie - who trained in the late '60s - quit just months before his ordination, his interest in Buddhism remained with him throughout his life and work.
When once asked about his personal views on spirituality and religion, Bowie - who, in 1993, released his 19th studio album The Buddha of Suburbia - said: "I have always followed some of the tenets of Buddhism, especially the one about change. What came from my Buddhist bumblings is that change is our river. I keep coming back to that, and it means an awful lot to me.”
This fascinating fact - and Bowie's engagement with all kinds of religions and spirituality - is explored in great detail in a new book by Peter Ormerod; David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God, published by Bloomsbury on January 15.
Meanwhile, Bowie’s iconic anthem Heroes has seen a huge surge in popularity followingHeroesonclusion of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season, with streaming numbers soaring by almost 500 per cent in the days after the finale aired.
Industry data collected by Luminate shows that the 1977 single - which had been averaging roughly 94,000 daily streams over the past five months - experienced a dramatic spike as 2026 began.
On New Year’s Day (01.01.26), Heroes achieved 342,000 plays, climbing to 456,000 oHeroesary 2 and reaching 470,000 on January 3.
