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May Guide 2002
Starting
in June 2002 IBMC will have a new address:
www.IBMC.info
108 Bows Ceremony
The 108 Bows ceremony, which honors the 88 known Buddhas of different
time periods, will be led by Sr. Abhaya Hanasi on May 5 from 10:00
to 10:30
Mother’s Day Celebration
On Sunday, May 12, IBMC will honor mothers during Sunday service.
Our vice abbot, Ven. Havanpola Shanti, will be speaking that day
on the Buddha’s comments on mothers. We invite you to bring
a photograph of your mother, whether living or dead, to place
on the altar for this ceremony. Following the service, we will
hold a garden luncheon. Please bring a vegetarian dish or drinks
to share that day.
Marking the Sima
At the retreat on Friday, May 17, Ven. Karuna will lead us in
marking the sima, or temple boundaries, within which monks’
training is going to take place. This ceremony is performed only
once a year and is believed to protect the monastics and their
temple during the training period. The ceremony will begin at
6:30 that Friday. Vaishaka Retreat to be May 17-19
IBMC will be holding its annual celebratory retreat to mark the
triple blessed day of Sakyamuni (His birth, enlightenment and
death days all occured on the full moon day of May) with a weekend
retreat. A weekend is only the beginning to deepening the state
of samadhi, or one-pointed concentration, that allows us to have
insights into our true nature. The process of meditation is to
watch, see, accept and let go. If we spend time on the zafu every
day, changes will occur in our life. And when you spend three
days in meditation, the process will speed up. This year the IBMC
monks will lead the retreat.
The focus of this retreat is sitting and walking meditation, Mornings
begin at 5:30 am with our daily practice of chanting the Veneration
of the 88 Buddhas, zazen and chanting the daily service. We will
do about ten hours of meditation on Saturday, interspersed with
talks, study and Zen work and we retire by 10 pm.
Please call the IBMC office before May 10 to let us know that
you will be attending. Fee for this retreat is $100, $75 if you
are a full member. Rooms are available and you will be expected
to stay at the Center for the entire retreat. Work exchange is
available for those for whom cash is tight right now. Please wear
comfortable clothing and bring your bedding and other personal
items. Food is vegetarian, although there are ample amounts of
it.
Participate in the 3 month training... Dwelling in Peace
An-Cu (Ango in Japanese) literally means "dwelling in peace"
and refers to a tradition honored in every Buddhist country in
the world since the time of the Buddha. It is also known as three-month
training, summer intensive or rainy season retreat.
All year long, monks travel from place to place or are available
at their monasteries to teach and counsel laypeople and novices.
For three months of the year, these monastics retreat into their
own practice, to study and meditate, to enhance their understanding.
This tradition began because of the compassion of the Buddha.
In India, during the rainy season, the constant moisture brings
out all the various kinds of insects, lizards and other small
animals. It becomes impossible to travel anywhere without killing
some sentient being traveling across the path under one's feet.
So Sakyamuni told the monks to take advantage of this time to
stay inside and to intensify their own practice, studying and
meditating, thereby benefitting all concerned.
Participate in Three-Month Training
Three-month training is required for monks who are novices working
toward further ordination or who are fully ordained and wish to
advance in dharma age. However, it is also a good opportunity
for lay practitioners to intensify their practice. It is a limited
amount of time, and everyone can decide just how much more time
and effort they can commit to. And, because the program at IBMC
is intensified, there are more opportunities to join in. The meditative
energy in the zendo becomes stronger, making it easier to practice.
The community effort is reinforcing.
The opening ceremony for our three-month summer training is done
to invite the Dharma Protectors to come to the four corners of
the monastery grounds. Since the monks stay in the compound during
this time, the Dharma Protectors come and stay with them to protect
them. They also protect the monastery itself. These four strong
Dharma Protectors can help create a spiritual atmosphere which
brings peace and safety t o our neighborhood.
Some Suggestions For Intensifying Your Practice
We encourage you to intensify your practice during this three
months. If you meditate once a week, try for twice. If you meditate
20 minutes a day, make it 25 minutes. Come to Sunday services
more often.
Become a vegetarian for three months. Mahayana monks are traditionally
vegetarian. This reflects the practice of ahimsa or not harming.
As we know now, animal protein, especially in the amounts most
Americans eat is not healthy. However, if you have never been
a vegetarian before, be sure you are replacing the meat in your
diet with vegetable protein such as tofu or beans and rice. Some
people eat eggs and dairy products. If you have any health problems,
please check with your doctor before making this decision. Also,
it may be better to cut back on meat gradually so your body can
adjust.
Start off each day with taking refuge and reciting the precepts.
When you wake in the morning, say "I take refuge in the Buddha,
I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha."
This means that we go to these three jewels for guidance. When
you do this, think of what each of them means. The Buddha, of
course, is the teacher, a human being who became awakened. As
we are all human beings and all have the same nature, Buddha nature,
we too have the potential to become awakened. The Dharma refers
to the teachings, what the Buddha discovered and then taught,
what others who have followed the path have shared; it also refers
to what we learn from living in the world. The Sangha is the community
of practitioners, the monks as well as others who follow the Buddha's
way. Together we learn and support each other's practice.
Repeat the five basic precepts accepted by all Buddhist practitioners.
"I vow not to take life. I vow not to take what is not given
to me. I vow not to indulge in improper sexual acts. I vow not
to speak that which is harmful. I vow not to become intoxicated."
Think of how these vows fit into your life. It will help you to
see your daily actions more clearly. If you do not keep the precepts
100%, it is not a problem. The important thing is to become more
and more conscious about the effect our actions have on ourselves
and others.
The Advanced Class
This class, taught by Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma, is open to laypeople
who have been practicing and studying for at least a year. It
is a part of the summer training program, so class members are
at various levels of understanding, including fully-ordained Monks,
novice Monks, Dharma Teachers, Novice Dharma Teachers, eight-precept
laypeople and others. Contact IBMC for more information on course
topics and schedule.
May Events
Sunday Talks
5/5 “No Self” in the West
11am Rev. Vajra Karuna
5/12 Mothers As Buddhas
11am Ven. Havanpola Shanti
5/19 Don't Know
11am Rev. Jñana Vajra
5/26 How to Deepen Our Practice in Daily Life
11am Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma
Classes at IBMC
Mon- Monks’ Training Class
7 pm Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma
Wed- Applied Buddhism
7pm Rev. Kusala Ratna Karuna
Thurs- Elementary Pali
6pm Ven. Havanpola Shanti
Fri- Certificate Course in Buddhist Studies
6pm Dr. Warnisuriya
tba Elementary Sanskrit
Dr. Warnisuriya
Special Events
5/ 5 108 Bows Ceremony
10am Sr. Hanasi Karuna
5/12 Mother’s day Ceremony, Ven. Shanti
11am Garden luncheon, 12:30
5/13 Marking the Sima
6:30pm Ven. Karuna Dharma
Meditation times
Tuesday and Thursday mornings 6:30-7:00 am
Wed evening: 7-9 pm, led by Rev. Kusala
Friday, 7:30-9 pm, led by Rev. Kusala
IIBMC web page is found at: www.IBMC.info (New Address, starting
in June)
IBMC’s email: IBMC@IBMC.info (starting in June)
Ven. Karuna’s email: Karunadh@earthlink.net
Ven.Karuna’s web page: www.karunadharma.org
Ven. Shanti’s email: Hshanti@earthlink.net
Rev. Kusala’s email: Kusala@kusala.org
Rev. Kusala’s web sites: http://www.kusala.org / http://www.Urbandharma.org
Rev. Vajra’s email: Madmonk88@aol.com
Rev. Jñana’s email: Lsipe@usc.ed
Rev. Maitridasi’s email: Dharmagal@aol.com
Bro. Sunya’s email: Heartlandzen@Yahoo.co
Bro. Ksanti and Bro.Sraddha’s email: VictorTom@aol.com
Sr. Hanasi’s email: Hasanakaruna@aol.com
Bro. Sangha Mitra’s email: Djhollen@ix.netcom.com
Colllege of Buddhist Studies web site: http://www.Kusala.org/ratanasara/college.html
CBS email:Hshanti@earthlink.net
Further Thoughts on Fear
by Rev. Jñana Karuna Vajra
Today’s dharma
talk is a bit unusual in that it is on the same general topic
as a talk given by Rev. Karuna only two weeks ago. Two weeks ago
I had not decided on the topic of this talk. After Rev. Karuna’s
presentation I was still undecided about what to talk about, but
the more I thought about her remarks the more it occurred to me
that I would like to delve a bit deeper into the subject of fear
as well. While I may touch on some of the same ground covered
by Rev. Karuna I believe I may, with the help of selected authors,
be able to bring some new perspectives to the topic as well.
The preparation of each of my dharma talks is a learning experience
for me, and fear is a subject that I wanted to think and learn
about further. This interest was heightened all the more due to
the fact that my previous talk had been on Buddhism and anger.
As is the case with anger, fear can be a very powerful and destructive
emotion if it is not handled carefully. These two potentially
negative, and frequently related, forces provide challenges for
everyone, but they can provide especially difficult challenges
for those of us who are Buddhists.
Fear has many aspects but none is more fundamental than the fact
that it is absolutely natural. Each of us is genetically encoded
to experience fear. Our ability, along with those of other life
forms, to have some form of aversive reaction to external threats
has helped contribute to our survival as a biological species
over the millennia. Fear is an evolved survival mechanism, especially
useful in moments of crisis. Fear need not be the enemy, it is
nature’s protector; it only becomes troublesome when it oversteps
its bounds. Or perhaps that is better stated as when we allow
it to overstep its bounds. It is pretty easy to recognize that
we, as humans, make that allowance almost all the time.
As I have thought about this subject the past couple of weeks
I have come to divide fear into two principle types, which I call
mundane fear and profound fear, both types being intrinsic to
each of us. The distinction between the two types is purely arbitrary
on my part, as characteristics of one type inevitably blend together
with characteristics of the other type. The distinction, however,
also helps separate the lesser issues surounding fear from the
larger issues.
Mundane fears are fears of substantive worldly phenomena and relatively
ordinary transactions. When we engage in social conversation about
our fears we most likely are talking about our mundane fears,
as the existence of them is familiar to everyone. These fears
may remain with us from childhood, or they may evolve and change
within us, as we grow older. I am referring to fears, one or more
of which may be shared by anyone, such as fear of heights, of
flying, of falling, of speaking in public, of public embarrassment,
of making the acquaintance of strangers, or of giving your first
dharma talk, etc.There are also more particularized forms of mundane
fears, such as fear of drowning, of high speeds, of a particular
color or sound, of specific animals, plants or foods, or even
a fear of clowns. Carried to an extreme, some people can be incapacitated
or severely limited in their social functioning by certain fears,
such as a fear of germs, of open spaces, of using technologies,
etc.
Simply because a fear fits into my classification of mundane does
not mean that it cannot be extremely significant to its possessor,
however absurd and unjustified it may appear to someone else.
If and when an individual is inclined to address a fear it will
much more likely be a mundane fear than a profound one. One reason
that profound fears are profound is that they are so difficult
to grasp and understand and so are much less likely to be addressed
and instead are avoided. While we are interested in both types
of fear, it is profound fear that attracts most of our attention
this morning.
I define profound fear as fear dealing with conditions rather
than phenomena and transactions, specifically the fundamental
condi-tions of our existence. These may be fundamental fears about
who we are and why we are. They may also zero in on a fear of
failure, but more significantly on fear of change. If there is
a keystone in the architecture of dukkha it is most likely the
fear of change, in all of its manifestations. Change usually involves
the loss of something, though it can also mean the gaining of
something else. Our focus tends to be on the loss, be it material
possessions, a job, a relationship, a loved one or even the loss
of self (ego). Of course the biggest change and fear is death.
These are certainly not normal topics of casual conversation and
for many people are never the subject of any conversation, and
perhaps not even the subject of serious thought. There is too
much fear surrounding them.
What can we say in a few words about the tremendous challenge
presented by ego or self? A well-developed sense of self is ne-cessary
for successful functioning in society, but that very identity
of “me”, and all that goes with it, leads to a desire
to preserve and protect. Change is welcomed only when it makes
things better for “me”. Otherwise, change runs the risk
of calling into doubt the validity of the self with which one’s
identity is so irrevocably inter-twined. Ego brings with it the
notion of hope. Hope brings with it both joy, which we welcome,
and disappointment, which we fear. This up and down nature of
our existence is a fundamental source of dukkha. And so it will
always be, until one learns that to overcome fear one must overcome
hope.
Trungpa Rinpoche comments in this regard: “Fear, hope, loss,
gain; these are the on-going action of the dream of ego, the self-perpetuating,
self-maintaining structure which is self-deception.” The
self-deception is that the closed world of ego offers us more
than parochial protection while it denies us access to the open-ness
of space in which the I and the other are one. There ceases to
be a reason to fear or to struggle as you just are where you are
as you are, in each moment.
If it is difficult to advance beyond ego to a realm of fearlessness,
how much more difficult it is to truly accept death as a fundamental
part of living. Fear blocks the way to that realization so much
of the time. Sogyal Rinpoche, in The Tibetan Book of Living and
Dying, offers these cogent thoughts on our fear of death:
“Why do we live in such terror of death? Because our instinctive
desire is to live and to go on living, and death is a savage end
to everything we hold familiar.” Perhaps the deepest reason
why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are.
We believe in a personal, unique, and separate identity; but if
we dare to examine it, we find that this identity depends entirely
on an endless collection of things to prop it up: our name, our
“biography”, our partners, family, home, job, friends,
credit cards. It is on their fragile and transient support that
we rely for our security. So when they are all taken away, will
we have any idea of who we really are?
Without our familiar props, we are faced with just ourselves,
a person we do not know, an unnerving stranger with whom we have
been living all the time but we never really wanted to meet. Isn’t
that why we have tried to fill every moment of time with noise
and activity, however boring or trivial, to ensure that we are
never left in silence with this stranger on our own?”
There is no Buddhist formula for dealing with fear, the Sanskrit
and Pali word for which is bhaya. What there is, however, is the
Buddhist practice of seeing and experiencing what is. Fear is,
whether mundane or profound, and there is no reason that we cannot
see and experience it for what it is. Accordingly, the first and
most important step we can take in dealing with fear is to acknowledge
it. As we have already seen, it is fundamental to being human
so we have no reason to feel guilty or inadequate because of its
presence in our lives. Rather we have to realize our fear and
to reconcile ourselves with our fear. Trungpa Rinpoche states,
“the essence of cowardice is not acknowledging the reality
of fear; instead of running away from fear, one must become completely
involved in it and begin to feel the rough and rugged quality
of the emotion.”
We can deal with fear when it spontaneously arises or when we
invite it to arise in sitting meditation. In either case, it is
essential to take a fundamentally noncontentious attitude toward
it. It is not a case of dealing with “my big fear problem”
but rather as “here is fear come to visit.” Once we
take this attitude we can begin to work with fear.
For the next few moments I’d like to follow some thoughts,
in the form of reminders, on approaching fear from the perspective
of Ezra Bayda, a student of Joko Beck, the well known Zen teacher.
When we are faced with the stress and turbulence of fear or other
forms of distress it is helpful to have some clear and concise
reminders to bring us back to reality. The first reminder is to
awaken aspiration. When we do so we remember to practice and when
we do so we see our particular fear or distress as our path. It
is not something to get rid of or to invest in the heavy drama
of “me”, but instead to relate to it as our path to
awakening. The issue is not whether or not we like what is happening,
but to be more awake to what is happening, to learn what we have
to learn to stop holding back our hearts in fear.
The second reminder is to awaken curiosity, asking the practice
question, what is this fear I’m experiencing? This is awakening
the desire to know the truth of the moment through experiencing
the physical reality of our being. In awakening curiosity, we
return over and over again to the bodily experience of the moment,
to the physical “whatness” of our experience, which
is movable, light and workable.
The third reminder in working with fear is to awaken some wider
perspective. One way to broaden our perspective is to see our
difficulties as just another aspect of our conditioning playing
itself out. This helps us to get enough perspective to be able
to enter the fear without being overwhelmed by it.
The fourth reminder is to awaken loving kindness, the ability
to bring nonjudgmental awareness from the heart to the unwanted
aspects of “me”. As Bayda points out, when we soften
our self-judgment with loving kindness, the sense of drama and
heaviness about our fear lightens considerably.
Allow me to quote directly from Ezra Bayda at this point: “Fear
takes us to that point beyond which we think we can’t go.
Breathing into the center of the chest, taking that one breath
directly into the heartspace, opening to the pain that feels like
it is going to do us in, teaches us that it won’t do us in.
We begin to experience the spaciousness of the heart, where our
harshest self-judgments and our darkest moods lighten up. We begin
to understand that awareness heals, and to open to this healing,
one more breath into the heartspace is al l that is required.”
I will end the talk by offering a meditation exercise relating
to fear from Amaro Bhikkhu, co-abbot of a monastery in northern
Cal-ifornia. It helps ti e together much of what has gone before:
“Begin by sitting quietly and focusing the attention as clearly
as possible on the present moment, using a simple tranquil object
to establish equilibrium -- the natural rhythm of the breath is
good for this purpose for most people, moving in the empty space
of the heart.
Once centeredness has been established, deliberately bring to
mind something that will arouse a fear reaction. Any memory, imagined
possibility, or image that triggers the compulsive effect.
Once the seed has been dropped into the mental pool and the consequent
flow of thoughts and images has begun, make a definite and concerted
effort to withdraw the attention from the stories the thoughts
are telling. Bring it instead into the sensation of the physical
body. Where do I feel the fear? What is its texture? Is it hot
or cold? Is it painful? Rigid? Elastic? We are not necessarily
looking for verbal answers to all these questions; rather, we
are trying to find the feeling, accept it completely, and not
add anything to it. “Fear feels like this.” Many find
that fear locates itself primarily in the solar plexus, sitting
like a tightened knot in the belly. Just feel it, know it, open
the heart to it as much as possible. We are not trying to pretend
or force ourselves to like it, but it is here -- right now it
is the way things are.
Let this process run for at least ten minutes, then consciously
let it wind down, not suppressing it, but, as when it is time
for guests to leave, make the hints, and let the event wind down
naturally; reestablish the breath as a focal point, and use the
exhalation to support the fading of the fear-wave.
Once it has come to an end, focus the attention on the feeling
of the breath, moving as before in the empty space of the heart.
Let the heart be clearly conscious that the fear cycle has come
to cessation: it arose out of emptiness, returned to emptiness.
It was florid and impactful in its appearance, but the overarching
quality, now having been seen directly, is its transiency. Now
we know.”
The effect of this practice is to train the heart, so that when
the next wave of fear arises, from whatever quarter, something
in us knows. The intuitive wisdom faculty is awakened and recognizes:
“I know this scenario -- don’t panic -- it looks impressive,
but it is just the fear reaction. It becomes vastly easier to
avoid being sucked into the vortex of anxiety.”
So, as you strive to consciously live in the moment, moment after
moment, also strive, when fear comes to call, to acknowledge it,
to embrace it in your open heart and to be able to watch it dissolve
as effortlessly as it arrived.
Buddhist Practice
by Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma
Most Buddhists appear
to assume that there are major philosophical differences between
the various yanas or traditions of Buddhism, but believe that
the practice is the same, regardless of tradition. I would respond
that the reverse is really true.
Although there are differences between the yanas, between Theravada
and Tibetan Buddhism, between Zen and Pure Land, two schools within
Mahayana, that their basic philosophies remain the same. All schools,
for instance, believe in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the three marks
of existence of anitya (changeability), dukkha (unsatsisfactoriness,
sometimes translated as suffering), and anatman (insubstantiality
or no soul), karma and its effects, Enlight-enment, Nirvana, even
the existance of multiple Buddhas. That does not mean however,
that there are not differences. There are.
Our practices do, however, vary. Most people believe that Buddhism
is always marked by meditation and that if you do not meditate,
you are not a “true” Buddhist. Nothing could be further
from the truth regarding this particular assumption. I thought
that I would talk this morning on the varied practices withi n
Buddhism.
First of all, it is true that the Buddha laid down meditation
as extremely important to the practice of finding enlightenment.
And meditation practice remains quite important in many, but not
all Buddhist traditions. Most people believe, for instance, that
vipassana meditation is practiced only in Theravada tradition.
Not true. Vipassana means insight, and that meditation is also
done in Zen practice and dzochen practice in Tibetan Buddhism.
We just do not use the same terminology. All meditation practice,
I maintain, begins with samatha (samadhi in Japanese) to lead
you to a one pointedness of mind.
Once you are able to stay focused on one object, then the meditation
naturally moves in to either vipassana or into jhanic meditation.
One does not have to perfect the jhanas in order to become enlightened.
The Buddha did use them, because they moved him from this world
into a place of total peacefulness. This was particularly important
toward the end of his life when he was suffering the effects of
food poisoning. But one does not have to do them. The Buddha attained
enlightenment while focusing upon his breath. The simplest and
the most profound experience of meditation. One does, however,
have to have insight into the world to become enlightened. And
one does this by moving into the other mode: vipassana.
For instance, most people think that the Vipassana done today
at Theravadan temples has been passed down for two thousand five
hundred years. Actually, Vipassana meditation became lost in Theravada
practice and was rediscovered about 100 years ago by Burmese monks
and is now passed onto laypeople. But we do not know exactly how
that meditation was taught during the Buddha’s time. I assume
that it was taught more like Zen meditation is taught today. Just
by sitting the monk down and telling him to meditate.
Today, vipassana is usually taught in Theravada temples as a guided
meditation, similar to the way we do Metta meditation here. In
fact, the famous Vipassana teacher Goenka, does not allow anybody
to teach his methodology until they have finished a course of
study with him. He leads a guided meditation, starting the student
out on meditating upon the body. I myself do not care for his
method, although many people do, because it interferes with my
meditation, which I prefer to be totally quiet. I frankly do not
understand how people can have a kensho experience, that is a
glimpse of enlightenment, while someone is always “guiding”
their meditation. But then I never sat a Goenka retreat. I know
that there are people who swear by his technique.
In Theravada temples, they also sometimes meditate upon the ksanas
or images of meditation: such as a blue circle, a red circle,
etc. This is a technique not used in Mahayana. We do, however,
use other objects for meditation. In Chinese or Vietnamese Pure
Land they use the 28 meditations listed in theAmitabhadhyanur
sutra.In Zen meditation we use the koan, a riddle that cannot
be answered rationally, such as “What was your face before
your parents were born”. or shikentaza meditstion or pi kuan,
wall gazing, where you merely follow your mind. This is perhaps
the most difficult of all meditation topics to success fully follow.
Japanese Pure Land Buddhists, particularly the Jodoshu pract-itioners
chant “Namo Amida Butsu” as many as 50, 000 times a
day. Jodoshinshu practtitioners ordinarily do not use any meditative
exercise, but try to always keep their minds free from junk by
keeping total awareness. They also own up to their inherent weaknesses
and maintain that the attempt to find enlightenment on their own
is the supreme act of ego. Therefore, they must give up all pretense
and place in their faith in Amitabha Buddha to save them and take
them to the Pure Land, where they are assured of attaining enlightenment,
although for some of them it may take many. many years, even aeons.
Now let us get off the topic of meditation and look at other practices.
Here at IBMC, we do the 108 Bows ceremony once a month and during
our monks’ training time every Sunday. At the Vietnamese
temple it is done four times a month (on full and new moon days
and every Sunday during monks’ training.) At Chinese and
Korean temples it is done every day. So, this is a common ceremony.
Why do we perform it? The 108 Bows ceremony is a ceremony where
we pay respects to all the Buddhas whom we believe have existed
since the beginning of this aeon. You see, it is believed that
all future Buddhas take their Bodhisattva vows under a living
Buddha. Since Sakyamuni died 2500 years ago, we do this ceremony
in place of bowing before a living Buddha. We chant all of the
Buddhas’ names and symbolically make offerings to them as
we would were they living today. Wherever there is a number, we
do a full prostration: that is, we fall to our knees and bow our
heads to the ground, hands turned over with palms up. Then we
lift our hands to about ear level, imagining that the Buddha is
standing on our hands. This is the highest reverence possible.
After each prostration, we then stand again, ready to bow as soon
as we chant the next line. So, from a Mahayana view it is necessary
for anyone who wishes to take Bodhisattva vows. A Bodhisattva
is a being who has taken the vow to not enter final Nirvana until
all beings are liberated. I had to perform 10,000 prostrations
before I was ordained. And I ask my students to do the same. Ordinarily
we perform it every day for 100 days in a row. The 108 prostrations
are counted as 100. I instituted its being done every Sunday,
since it is a nice ceremony to do and emcourages my monastic students
to keep up with their 10,000 prostrations.
Besides meditation and the 108 Bows ceremony, we also study the
sutras and Buddhist philosophy. While Japanese Zen discourages
students from doing studying at the same time they are doing intensive
meditation practice, in Vietnamese Zen they are also encouraged
to study, since knowledge will help the student to interpret whtaever
experiences he has. And meditation helps to clarify the sutras
and philosophy. The big difference between Western and Eastern
philosophies is that Western philosophy comes from the brain and
intellectual thought, while Buddhist philosophy arises from experience.
My teacher always said we had to maintain three parts to our practice:
meditation, study, and chanting and ceremony. And we do all three
here at IBMC. I remember that Thich Nhat Hanh when he went off
to the monastery as a boy was disappointed when his first exercise
was to memorize a hundred or so sayings, used to keep the mind
always focused on what he was doing. He had expected to be put
immediately into the meditation hall. But now, he says, whenever
he has monastic students come to him, the first thing he does
is to ask them to memorize the sayings.They are, he maintains,
essential to Buddhist practice.
So, you see, there are many aspects to Buddhist practice. And
of course, besides meditation, chanting and ceremony and study,
we must aways practice sila, the ethical discipline that the Buddha
lay down.
I wish you all good fortune and good karma in developing as many
aspects to your practice as you are able to.
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