December 2000 Guide

Thanks to You!

As is our custom, we are enclosing a donation envelope with this Guide for
you to use. Please let us know if you wish to remain on our mailing list; we
hope you will include a donation as well.

All donations made to IBMC are tax deductible. It costs us 40 cents for
every Monthly Guide that we mail out, so your donations will help us with
our printing and mailing costs. In January we will send out letters telling
you how much you donated in 2000 for you to use in your tax preparation.

The basic suggested donation is $25; $30 will get you the Monthly Guide sent
to you first class, assuring that you will always receive it on time. If you
are interested in a more committed relationship, consider becoming a member.
Member-ship is $20 a month or $200 for the year, and will give you a 10%
discount on items from the Sunday Shop, as well as 30% on retreats, seminars
and classes taught by IBMC monks.

This year we rebuilt the bell tower except for reshingling the roof,
installed a new fish pond, painted the Zendo building, imstalled carpeting
going up the stairs in three of our buildings, as well as some plumbing
projects. But we still need to paint our other buildings, do termiting and
some repiping.

We particularly ask that you make an extra donation at this time to help us
with the many projects we want to finish this year. For every $200
membership we will send you a tee-shirt: either the Baby Buddha, or the
lotus. For every $300 donation, we will send you a sweatshirt of the lotus
design. If you are low on cash, devote a day to help us with our painting or
gardening. All help is gratefully received. We hope you view the Center as
yours and we welcome all suggestions you have to make on any aspect of our
program. Also, when you come to the Zendo, please fill out our
questionnaire.

Meditation, Tea & Sweets End Old Year and Bring in the New
Having a Samadhi mind as we face the new year is the best way to ring it in.
It is a pleasure to end the year and begin the new one with a mind that is
clear and peaceful, rather than frenetic. Meditation begins at 9 pm, and you
are welcome to join at any time. (Please enter the Zendo quietly so that you
do not disturb others who are already meditating.) We will intermittently
sit and walk in meditation until midnight. At that time we will go in to the
garden and take turns ringing the garden bell 108 times. Finally, we will
enjoy tea, cookies, sweets and each other’s company. Please join us and
bring a sweet or snack to share.

IBMC Updating its mail list

IBMC is currently updating its mail list, so be sure to let us know that you
want to remain on it. If we do not receive word from you by January 10, you
will be dropped. We hope that you will call us or nr=etter yet, send in the
envelope . When you send us the envelope we hope that you will also include
a donation to help us to care for the Center and to continue our programs.
So, mail us the envelope today!

Bodhi Day Retreat

Our Bodhi Weekend Retreat will be just a one day retreat this year:
Saturday, Decenber 2. If you are interested, call the Center office and sign
up no later than November 30. The fee will be only $40 and will include a
delicious vegetarian lunch and dinner. The retreat will begin at 9 am and
end at 8 pm and will consist of alternating periods of sitting and walking.
.
Zen Seminar for Non-Buddhists

A Zen workshop for non-Buddhists, will be conducted by Rev. Sakya Bodhi on
Saturday, December 9, 2000, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm for English speakers
and on Saturday, December 16, for Vietnamese speakers. A vegetarian lunch
will be served. The fee for the workshop, including lunch, is $25. A check
must be sent to IBMC (attn: Rev. Sakya Bodhi) no later than Dec 4. Topics
covered will be the Purpose and Benefit of Meditation, Meditation in a Busy
Life, How Meditation can Enrich Your Own Beliefs, and Self Healing Process
By Meditation. Personal interviews are available. For further information
call Rev. Sakya Bodhi at 213 387-9264.


Guest Speaker for December

We are having a guest speaker on December 24, Ms. Chutima Vicharatavintara,
who will speak on My Experiences in Social Work. Chutima has been a friend
of IBMC for 13 years and lived at the Center for two years following her
ordination as a srama-nerika.Ven. Karuna first met her in 1987 at Dharma
Vijaya Bud-dhist Vihara. She mentioned casually that our residential
community needed a new refrigerator, but we were having difficulty in
locating one that we could afford. She replied, “Oh, Bhante, I have the one
for you. A friend of mine has to return to Bangkok after just a year and is
looking to sell their appliances. Whenever you need something, let me know.
There are always people moving back to Thailand.” At that time Ven. Karuna
thought it was just luck, but discovered later her role in within the
community. Everyone that she met was a friend.

A little later a monk friend said he was going to give ordination to a young
Thai woman, a lawyer and a community activist, greatly devoted to Buddhism.
The prospective nun was Chutima. She would become the first Thai woman to
receive full ordination as a Buddhist nun (from a country that did not allow
threse ordinations). Chutima became ordained as a novice and moved into our
temple, continued her social service work, teaching and publishing booklets
in Thai.

When an emergency occurred in her family in Bangkok, she returned home to
help her deeply indebted parents, returning to civilian life and work. In a
few years she returned with a husband and two children. Instead of using
her law degree to help indigent families as she had in Thailand, she fell
into social work here in Los Angeles, still carrying on her greatest desire:
to help those who need help the most.

Today she works for the Thai Community Development Center. In her position
there, as she helps poor Thais gain access to health care, she frequently
aids in translating when they are dealing with American authorities, often
drives them to health clinics and hospitals, and even goes into the delivery
rooms with women who have no family members present.

As an active advocate helping the needy in the Thai community, the Thai
consular in L.A. frequently calls upon her when in need.They asked her to
become a foster parent for an, undernourished, developmentally behind young
boy who had been used as a pawn for some Thais trying to get into the U.S.
illegally. Nobody knew his age or his real parents. He was simply called
“Gott.” Chutima added him to her own family of four, and began to care for
him. It is the usual case that Chutima’s family has an added child or two
living with them, while they are trying to sort out the family difficulties.

Gott however became a bigger problem than originally expected. He tested HIV
positive upon a health screening. Chutima then set out to learn all she
could about this disease. His father had died of AIDS, his mother was
infected and incapable of rearing him. They located his grandparents in the
hopes that they could take custody of him. In the meantime Chutima had
learned that young children infected with HIV have a good chance of
surviving if treated properly. So, she began her fight to get him all the
aid he needs, contrasting with the grandparents, who “want to take him back
to Thailand to die.”

Chutima has been back and forth to the hospital at 3 am when the boy runs
fevers, and into the courts several times, fighting to keep him in the U,S.,
the only chance for his survival, she believes. Chutima does heroic work
every day, saying that it is just something that needs to be done. In this
particular case she has risked her personal career, her reputation and her
family in her fight to keep Gott in the U.S., facing down the Thai
government and its people, who do not understand why she fights so
tenaciously to keep the boy in the States.

When Chuttima sees a problem she just goes to work to solve it, no matter
what the stakes are. This attitude puts extreme pressure on her family at
times, but she still keeps working for what she believes in. For her there
can be no possibility for failure.

We hope that you will hear Chutima talk about her experiences on Sunday,
December 24.

IBMC 30th Anniversary Party

IBMC’s 30th anniversary party held at Hsi Lai Temple turned out to be a big
success on October 28. Besides a delicious vegetarian feast, there was a
jazz band and a fire eater who entertained us with his astonishing feats.

The Center honored several people, including the work that the monks
provide, our greatest volunteers, David Hollen (Sangha Mitra) and Kathy
Whyte (Sr. Abhaya Hanasi), and the Hoang family who provides us weekly with
fresh fruit for the altar. Amrit Kaur, our rersidential manager was also
honored. The volunteers, Amrit and Rev. Shanti received gag gifts to help
them in their work.

You can see photos of the party on Rev. Kusala’s page on the internet at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/revkusala

December Events

Sunday Talks

12/3 The Five Skandhas
11 am Rev. Kusala Ratna Karuna

12/10 The Importance of the Zen Lineage
11 am Rev. Vajra Karuna

12/17 Miracles in Buddhism
11 am Bro. Jñana Karuna Vajra

12/24 My Experiences in Buddhist Social Work
11 am Chutima Vicharatavintara

12/31 A Morning of Chanting and Meditation
11 am Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma


Classes at IBMC

Classes of the College of Buddhist Studies are on vacation this month and
will begin again in January.

The following classes continue.

Mon Zen Study Group
7-9 pm Rev. Sakya Bodhi

Wed Meditation and Discussion Group
7-9 pm Rev. Kusala Ratna Karuna

Fri Sitting Meditation Group
7:30 Rev. Kusala Ratna Karuna

Sat Zen Study Group
7-9 pm Rev. Sakya Bodhi

Special Events

12/2 Bodhi Day Retreat
9-8 IBMC monks

12/3 108 Bows Ceremony
9 am Rev. Thich Tam-Tue

12/9 Zen Retreat for Non-Buddhists
8:30-4:30 Rev. Sakya Bodhi

12/16 Zen Retreat for Vietnamese Speakers
9:30-4:30 Rev. Sakya Bodhi

12/31 Meditation to end the year
9 pm-midnight IBMC monks

Meditation times:

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7-8 am
Mon, Wed, Sat evenings from 7-9 pm
Fri evenings from 7:30-9 pm


IBMC web page is found at:
InternationalBuddhistMeditationCtr.org
You can email us at:
IBMC@InternationalBuddhistMeditationCtr.org
Rev. Karuna’s email address is:
Karunadh@earthlink.net
Karuna’s web page is:
www. home.earthlink.net/~karunadh.
Rev. Kusala’s email: Kusala@kusala.org
Rev. Kusala’s web page: www.kusala.org
Rev. Shanti’s email: Hshanti@earthlink.net
Rev. Prabuddhi: Prabuddhi@yahoo.com
Rev. Vajra’s email: Madmonk88@aol.com


Who Is Buddhism Intended for?
Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma

There are as many reasons why people turn to Buddhism as there are people
who have come to value it. But I think that in general it is because they
hurt somehow: either physically, emotionally or spiritually. It is when we
find life to be hurtful that we go seeking. People who are comfortable and
happy are satisfied with life and generally do not go seeking for something.

This is why the Buddha left home, seeking the answers to why people suffer.
He had seen the four signs of illness, age and death, followed by an ascetic
with a smile. He realized that this man was truly happy in spite of the
suffering around him. And he was determined to find the answers also.

Since that time Buddhism has attracted thousands of Americans to give them
answers that their own religions could not or did not provide. How did you
come to Buddhism? I came because I felt something lacking in my life, in
spite of my comfortable life style. And also my personal life was messed up
The Meditation Center has always accepted anybody seeking. We do not ask,
“Why do you come?” We do not care what your race, national background or
culture is. We do not care what your age or gender are, your sexual
preference, your religious background, or even your politics. All you need
is to have an interest.

IBMC has never discriminated in any way regarding people who attend. All you
need is to want to learn something of Buddhism. I am sure that this has
turned some people off. But I am happy that we do not discriminate in any
way. Whether you are white, black, red, brown or yellow (if there are such
colors), whether you are male or female, old or young, straight or gay, we
will welcome you. If this openness disturbs you, I Ask why? If you are a
true follower of the Buddha, you should not be disturbed.

That is why we are involved in our prison program. After all, who suffers
more than prisoners? I spend several hours each day corresponding with them,
teaching Buddhism, sending them literature, answering their qauestions and
trying to straighten out their misconceptions. Many of the men write because
they want to find peace, to find order, to straighten out their chaotic
lives, perhaps to even seek for forgiveness or acceptance for their past
doings. Some are in on drug charges, or gang banging; others for more
serious crimes such as rape or murder, Some are on death row. But they all
are suffering. I can say that this prison work is among the most rewarding
I’ve ever done.

I have included a letter I received recently from a prisoner, which will
explain why this work is so important.

Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma:

I would like to thank you very much for answering my letter to you asking
for literature about Buddhism. The two Booklets that you sent me, “Concepts
of Buddhism by American Disciples: and “Zen Buddhism:Awareness in Action” I
found to be very good and I have learned quite a lot from them.
Let me start by telling you a little about myself. As you know I am
incarcerated at this time. I was born a Roman Catholic in 11-11-55 and I
have been incarcerated since 8-10-1990 and hope to be out in the next two
years. When I first became incarcerated I knew that I had to do something
different to change my life from the path thatI was on. So I began to study
the Bible with an open mind and I began to see all the pain and suffering,
wars and killing that God had instructed the Israelites to inflict upon
others that did not believe what they did. Then, on the other hand, he said,
“Thou shalt not kill.” Needless to say I became very confused and
disenchanted with the Christian belief. So I started to search through other
religions and found that there is some wisdom in all faiths, but you have to
search through them to find true wisdom. I have ascertained that most
religions are basically a philosophy to live a civilized and morally correct
life.
I have studied Wicca and found that in their belief all life is sacred.
“Do what you will, but harm none,” and “Whatever you do, good or bad, will
come back threefold on you.” Also, their belief in reincarnation is very
similar to Buddhism. I have read several books on past life regression, and
I have come to believe strongly in reincarnation. The difference is that
I’ve read about rein-carnation is that you get reincarnated only into human
form. What I have read about Buddhism puts a whole new light on
reincar-nation for me.
So this is what has brought me to your doorstep, so to speak. I am still
in search for a path for my life to take. Buddhism may or may not be what
I’m looking for. I may be on an endless quest because I look at everything
with too much an open mind. I don’t watch TV or play games, most of the time
I read. I prefer to read something that I can learn from. The booklets and
the Monthly Guides that you were so kind to send me I found to be very good
and I am very much interested in reading more. I would like to read, study,
learn and understand the fundamental truths and doctrines of Buddhism. And I
also have many questions and I do not know of anyone or place that I am able
to turn to and ask about Buddhism.
If you know of anyone that I am able to correspond with that would be able
to help me I would be very gratetful. I would be interested in receiving
more Guides and any literature that you can send me.
Thank you very much.

If you are interested in writing a prisoner, please either email me at
Karunadh@earthlink.net or call me at the office.

Report on The 6th Western
Monastic Buddhist Conference
By: Ven. Tenzin Kacho

Assisted by: Sister Jitindriya, Rev. Kusala, Rev. Meido, Ajahn Pasanno, Ven.
Heng Sure and Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo

Reverend Master Eko Little and the monks at Shasta Abbey hosted the 6th
conference of western Buddhist monastics for the third consecutive time. It
took place from Friday October 20 to Monday, October 23, 2000 in Mt. Shasta,
California. This was the largest gathering ever with greater diversity and
there was representation from the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Tibetan
and Vietnamese traditions. There were four abbots among the twenty-six
participants. Some persons had been ordained well over two decades and the
newest monastic was ordained just months ago. The conference theme was The
Four Messengers; the sights Prince Siddhartha saw when he explored the world
outside the palace gates; revealing the signs of aging, sickness, death and
the spiritual seeker. We used this as a presentation focus in our life as
monastics.

Most guests arrived at the Abbey on Friday evening to the welcome
introduction and opening by Rev. Master Eko, Abbot of Shasta Abbey (Japanese
Soto Zen tradition) and Ajahn Pasanno, co-Abbot of Abhayagiri Monastery
(Thai tradition). Everyone was invited to attend the evening vespers service
and meditation with the resident monastics. And in the early mornings many
attended the morning services and meditation in the Meditation and Ceremony
Halls. The services at Shasta Abbey are sung in English, set to western
Gregorian chant melodic style by the late Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett who
established Shasta Abbey in 1970. The services are uniquely beautiful and
many participants looked forward to returning to the Abbey for these
services.

Saturday morning the first gathering was on the topic of Aging and Rev.
Daishin from Shasta Abbey (Japanese Soto Zen tradition) presented his
experiences of being in the monastery most of his adult life. He spoke of
growing up and aging in the monastery as he has been ordained for twenty-six
years. He started his talk by relating a recent visit to the local bank
where he noticed that no one had gray hair. Was it that everyone was young
or just appearing young? In our American society we deny and defy old age.
We are a culture addicted to youthful appearance.

Surgically and cosmetically we try to sustain youth and push away the reality of age in
the hopes of remaining youthful. Living in a monastery, we do not have to be
compelled to engage in our life and aging in this way. He spoke of enjoying
being older and of the satisfaction of monastic life. Discussion focused on
how the natural process of aging is accepted and appreciated more as we
deepen our practice and study of the Dharma. Reflection and blessing were
held at the beginning and end of every session offered by monastics from
different traditions.

Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo (Tibetan tradition), assistant professor of Theology
and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego, spoke on the topic of
Sickness. She related her personal experiences with sickness while pursuing
her Dharma studies in India and other countries. Some years ago in India,
while viewing land sites for a nunnery, Ven. Lekshe was bitten by a
poisonous viper. She spoke graphically about her three-month hospital ordeal
in India and Mexico, and the difficulties that even seasoned practitioners
may experience when confronted by intense pain and the uncertainties of
serious illness. She described the traditional Tibetan explanation of
illness and its causes, and presented a variety of Buddhist practices that
can be helpful for transforming our attitudes toward illness, coping with
pain, and using the experience of illness as an opportunity for practice.


On Sunday morning two participants shared the topic of Death. Rev. Kusala
(Vietnamese Zen tradition) spoke on the recent passing of his teacher, the
late Ven. Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara, eminent master and scholar from Sri
Lanka. The late venerable monk had founded the American Buddhist Congress,
the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California and numerous other
organizations and schools in the United States and Sri Lanka. He spoke of
the incredible teaching Dr. Ratanasara showed through his acceptance of
approaching death and in mindfully releasing his responsibilities, turning
away from this life and looking in direction of his rebirth. Rev. Kusala
said of Dr. Ratanasara, He taught me the need to turn away from everything
in this lifetime as death approaches and make ready for the next. Dont be
attached, he would say; It only leads to more suffering. Rev. Kusala also
addressed the theme of dealing with grief as monastics.

I, Tenzin Kacho (Tibetan tradition), spoke on a different aspect of Death in
the Death of the Monastic. I prefaced my talk saying that the focus was on
the difficulties and concerns of the western monastics today and presented
some of the encounters and views of lay Buddhists and lay Dharma teachers
toward monastics. Some persons view monasticism as an austere self-centered
practice and monastics as escapists not able to cope in society. Also
mentioned were the comments of the head of a national Buddhist organization
(name was not mentioned) who feels that there are only two jewels left in
Buddhism anymore; that the Sangha has degenerated in Asia and not accepted
in the West. Some persons comment that there is no need for a monastic
Sangha. I also noted that there were no monastic presenters at the 3rd
Annual Buddhism in America Conference held in October 2000 in Colorado.
These views stimulated some fruitful discussion. In general, although
concerned, the participants were optimistic and that we need to continue our
efforts to study, practice and conduct ourselves well. With time, as we
foster Dharma friendships with lay people and participate in Buddhist
gatherings, the presence and value of monastics will naturally come to be
recognized in this country. Excellent training and continued guidance is key
before one takes ordination and especially in the early years of ones life
as a monastic.

Ven. Heng Sure, Director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, a branch of the
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (Chinese Chan tradition) spoke on the Samana,
the spiritual seeker and started by having each person share the signs or
triggers that set each of us on to become monastics. This gave people a
chance to express themselves and it was skillful for it allowed everyone an
opportunity to speak. He then presented ways of according with the Dharma
and of the signs and form of the Samana. The evening before he had
translated the Poem in Praise of the Sangha by Qing Dynasty Emperor Shunzhi
(mid 17th century) and read it to us. He shared how the internal signs of
the Samana were the combination of blessings and wisdom; that blessings
without wisdom was like an elephant with a necklace and wisdom without
blessings was like an Arhat (one who has attained liberation) with an empty
bowl. Blessings come from making others happy.

Monday morning Sister Jitindriya from Abhayagiri Monastery (Thai tradition)
presented the Spiritual Friend. She began her talk with the view that the
Four Messengers can be seen as opportunities for awakening; that we do not
usually see them that way, but instead we see them as things to avoid.
Because we do not see suffering (dukkha), as an opportunity to awaken, as a
sign pointing out the truth of the way things are, we continue to wander
aimlessly in samsara. Dukkha is a sign that can lead to liberation if we do
not despair. She suggested that if the Buddha had not awakened to dukkha in
seeing the earlier signs, he might not have seen the Samana, the sign of the
renunciate would not have meant much to him. She quoted from many sources
in the Pali Suttas. As worldly beings we are intoxicated with youth, health,
beauty and life, we do not see their impermanent and unstable nature. The
monk Ratthapala was asked,”Why have you gone forth when you have not
suffered the four kinds of loss?” that is, of health, youth, wealth, and
family. He replied in the manner of a teaching he had heard from the
Buddha: that life is unstable and there is no shelter or protection in any
world. Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant, said that association with good
friends (those who encourage and help us on the Path) constituted half of
the holy life, and the Buddha commented that the whole of holy life is
association with good friends. Good friendship is the forerunner and
necessitates arising of the Noble Eight-Fold Path.

Every session was purposely created with sufficient time for discussion
after the presentations to allow questions, concerns, and dialogue in depth.
It was encouraging to voice and listen to others personal views. Most of us
have very busy lives alone or in monasteries and it is a true joy to spend
some time in engaging conversations and learning about other monastics’
lives. Our gathering truly felt like a conference for and by monastics.
Often topics of discussion at Buddhist gatherings focus more on particular
interests and concerns of laypersons and lay teachers; the purpose of this
conference is to meet and share monastic concerns and to enjoy the company
of others who have gone forth. This fundamentally different orientation
highlights the importance of holding monastic conferences as much as
possible at monasteries. The purity of the Sangharama (monastery), this
time the hospitality we enjoyed at Shasta Abbey, lends a priceless support
to our gathering.

The participants expressed deep appreciation for the rewards of the Sixth
Monastic Conference. Our time together is brief, but precious, as the
program brings together studies, traditions, inspiration and wisdom from
America’s diverse Buddhist cultural traditions. The very fact of our
gathering with six monastic traditions testifies to the gradual deepening of
the Dharma roots in Western soil. The historic significance of our
gathering, the community we create, and the merit and virtue generated when
the Buddhas Sangha gathers in harmony is truly an occasion for rejoicing!

We have set the dates for the 7th Western Monastic Conference for October
19-22, 2001 with the theme tentatively set for Monastic Ordination and
Training. We encourage other western Buddhist monastics to join us next year
and thank the American Buddhist Congress for offering some financial
assistance for travel to this 6th conference.

Bhikshuni Tenzin Kacho is a fourth-generation American of Japanese ancestry.
She was ordained by HH the Dalai Lama in 1985 and received higher ordination
in 1994 by Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma and Ven. Dr. Ratanasara. She held the
post of Executive Secretary for the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern
California and is currently resident teacher at Thubten Shedrup Ling center,
established by Ven. Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
She is the lay Buddhist chaplain at the US Air Force Academy (lay chaplain
as she is not an enlisted serviceperson in the military) and attends Naropa
University in Boulder, Colorado.