Annotated Source

Buddhism in the Modern World. "The Making of the Western Lama," by Daniel Cozort. 2003. pp. 221-248.

Monks debating at the original Sera monastery in Tibet

Though this entry in Buddhism and the Modern World is on the introduction of courses of training designed to produce qualified Buddhist teachers in the western world, it uses for comparison the course of study undertaken at Sera Je monastery. Sera Je was originally a monastery in Tibet, and is still going strong, but has also been built in exile in Bylakuppe, the refugee community we will be living in. I wanted to understand more about the lives of the people who make up such a large portion of this particular community, the monks and nuns living in the monasteries. The course of education at the monastery is incredible.

The entire curriculum takes 20-25 years to complete (and I complain about the 12 years to become a doctor!), granting the graduate the title of Geshe, one authorized to teach. There are five phases of curriculum, as follows:
3 years on logic, epistemology, psychology
5 years on 70 topics essential to the dharma
4 years on several topics, the main being shunyata, or the doctrine of emptiness
4 years on monastic discipline and how monastic disciplinary codes and actions reflect Buddhist ethics
4 years on the Abhidharma, the more esoteric teachings - cosmology, meditation states, etc.

In Tibet, the monks spent 6 or more hours a day debating. In Bylakuppe, there is a 2 hour debate session in the morning and a 2 hour debate session in the evening. Geshe Jampa Gyatso, a prominent teacher of Buddhism, said, "In a monastery, it is said that 25% of one's understanding of the subject comes from the teacher's lecture, 25% from self-study, and 50% from debating" (p. 239). Debating is an exciting activity, and becomes a sport of sorts for the monks. They learn to take all sides of an argument and pick them apart, using a vast memorized corpus of scripture and commentary, looking for logical inconsistencies and trying to find ways to disprove or problematize them. It is in this way that the truths of the dharma come into sharp focus, for the monks spend a large chunk of those 20-25 years testing them rigorously. This reminds me of B.H. Roberts' approach to Book of Mormon scholarship - his belief was that the Book of Mormon was absolutely from God, and therefore would stand up to all the hard questions you could ask about it (by the way, I think he was right). B.H. Roberts' material, humorously enough, became one of the main sources for anti-Mormon material, espoused by folks not realizing the position of faith he had taken and the subsequent scholarship that answered many of the questions and transformed and sharpened others. The Buddhists seek to do this intense testing of faith as a monastic body, which is a powerful way to confirm the value of the dharma.

Another interesting point is that the monks begin formal tantra study only after the title of Geshe has been received. Tantra is considered so powerful and dangerous that only the most accomplished practitioners are deemed worthy to use it.

Here's a video of a debate at Sera monastery in Tibet. Remember, these guys are really on the same side. It looks like fun. :)

 

You'll figure out the all the clapping noises about halfway through.

Milarepa, bones, and other things

"Like bubbles is
This life, transient and fleeting -
In it no assurance can be found."
A layman's life is like a thief
Who sneaks into an empty house.
Know you not the folly of it?

Youth is like a summer flower -
Suddenly it fades away.
Old age is like a fire spreading
Through the fields - suddenly 'tis at your heels.
The Buddha once said, "Birth and death
Are like sunrise and sunset -
Now come, now go."
Sickness is like a little bird
Wounded by a sling.
Know you not, health and strength
Will in time desert you?
Death is like an oil-dry lamp
(After its last flicker).
Nothing, I assure you,
In this world is permanent.
 - Milarepa

Milarepa is a way cool dude. The beginning of his life was no good, and he ended up turning to black magic and murdering nearly 40 of his cousins in a vengeful act upon his aunt and uncle who had taken his inheritance after his father's death. Later on he realized what heavy karma he had incurred through his hatred, and turned to the dharma for peace. He went on to study with Marpa, one of the great teachers of the Tibetan tradition, who gave Milarepa crazy tasks to do and refused to teach him the dharma. Marpa also beat and ridiculed Milarepa with some regularity, and made Milarepa build a tower three times and tear it down, all without explanation or apparent remorse. One day everything changed and Marpa became the epitome of loving father figures, going on to explain that all of the harshness was simply to help Milarepa burn off the effects of his negative deeds. Milarepa then was initiated into some high-level meditation methods, and went happily on his way to be a hermit and a yogi for the rest of his life. His teaching method usually took the form of songs, such as the one above.

Here's a typical depiction of Milarepa:

He's holding a skull cap begging bowl, a continual reminder of the transiency of life and the interdependence of all beings, and he has his hand to his ear so he can better hear the whisperings of the dharma.

Tibetan bone-work is incredible stuff, and the anatomist in me really wants to get one of these one day:

The use of bones in ritual and religious symbolism reminds me of the "ossuary churches" spread throughout the world, mostly in Europe. The monks of one of the ossuary churches (I can't remember which) volunteered their remains for the decoration of these churches as a physical assertion of the reality of the resurrection and their trust in a God who would eventually make all things whole. These churches also serve as a reminder that "to dust we return."

I like that. Maybe I'm a little morbid (who in my family isn't, at least a little), but I think constant reminders that death is a-comin' help me to be happier and kinder and more in the moment. I'm-a-wastin' away, and there's no time to waste! Things are also put in perspective - why worry and struggle so much when all the material I'm leaving behind is a bag o' bones? Why not focus on more enduring legacies than houses, cars, etc., when the only things that really last are love, peace, compassion, faith, and all of those other warm-squishy-feel-goods? It occured to me the other day while on the phone with my Mama (don't mamas have a way of bringing out the best in their chillens?) that once something is over, it's over and done. The biggest things that we plan and slave for - wedding receptions come particularly to mind - are finished in a few hours, and they don't affect us much afterward unless we really want them to. Why not enjoy the planning and the working as part of the event and by-golly-let-it-go when it's done? AND why not see where some of those worries and cares over things that don't really make us happy live, and let them die off peacefully?

Anywho, like I said, Milarepa is a cool guy. I want to find some Kagyu monks and/or nuns who can tell me more while I'm in Little Tibet, because monastics from this guy's lineage are probably cool too.

Sikhism Paper

Beau Hilton

RELC630

Dr. Keller

The Goal of Each Day of Life Should Be to Be Fully Immersed in God

I was a minstrel, out of work, when the Lord took me into His service.

To sing His Praises day and night, He gave me His Order, right from the start.

God, the great giver, hears the prayer, and summons the

Minstrel to the mansion of his presence

Gazing upon God, the minstrel is rid of pain and hunger;

He does not think to ask for anything else.[1]

           

            Drowning in the morass of text, both sacred and secular, which has been written on religion and religious truths can make it difficult to recall the real purpose of religion: union with the infinite. Without denigrating sacred text, I suggest that perhaps we often look beyond the mark and forget to see the God in the Word. This subject has weighed heavily on my mind as of late, as these essays and others I have engaged in over the past short while tend to be of a religious nature. I have examined scripture with the eye of a scholar while trying to examine scholarship with an eye of faith, and I must admit that I have come short in both capacities. Studying Sikhism and immersion in God has regrounded me, brought me back to the core of worship – mysticism in the best sense: interaction followed by union directly with Deity. Three aspects of Sikh faith have had great effect on me, in particular. These are, namely, admittance of our nothingness without God, the peace and power that is found when connection is made with God, and the divinity of the domestic.

            If one affirms the existence of a supreme being, one necessarily affirms one’s own non-supremacy. While not sharing the same stance on creatio ex nihilo, Latter-day Saints and Sikhs both look to hukam, or divine command, as the organizing principle upon which life is built. Vahiguru spoke, and all the earth came into its organized state. Vahiguru spoke, and humankind breathed its first breath.[2] Truly, we owe our existence and our continuance to the Divine Being we all worship. “He gave you your body, your wealth, but you gave not Him your devotion. Says Nanak, ‘O foolish mortal, why shake you with fear now?’”[3] So wrote Guru Tegh Bahadur. It is not only logically inconsistent to admit the existence of God without then giving God one’s full devotion, it is also ungrateful and stupid. We ought to “shake with fear” at the thought of an all-powerful being’s displeasure, especially when that displeasure is wholly caused by not confessing His hand in all things. Nanak’s three-day conference with True Name yielded the reality of God’s broadness – there is neither Hindu nor Muslim, there is simply a race of God’s children who ought to give devotion and thanks for their very being. Not only is our existence owed to Vahiguru, but our continued happiness is also indebted. “From God alone all comforts, peace and from no other. Says Nanak to his heart, pay heed, remembering Him is the certain path delivering.”[4] The material world is in Vahiguru’s hands – the places, things, and people that sustain us are gifts and may be fleeting. The spiritual world is no less under Vahiguru’s control: “By His grace an individual meets his liberator, enabling a disciple to meditate on God's name, by His bhana [divine will] the universe was created and those blessed by Him joyfully accept the bhana.”[5] Grace is very active in the Sikh faith, and without God’s will or bhana, none will enjoy happiness.

            Having finished a brief discussion of what we are not when we are without God, let us turn to what we are when we are with God. The Sikhs have a history of greatness in martial ability, and respect for Sikhs in this matter is widespread. When a person is immersed in God, then maya and fear fade away. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji teaches that only those who seek the True name attain this status. “All the rest of the world is enticed by Maya; they do not obtain the state of fearless dignity.”[6] “Abiding in His Love, the fear of death has run away.”[7] It makes sense that a saint-soldier of Sikh caliber is one whose fear of death is swallowed up in True Name, who can charge into battle with thoughts only for the liberation of the oppressed and the glory of God. By extension, fearlessness contributes to vigorous activity in all spheres of life – if control of one’s life is surrendered to God, then no negative outcome is possible, regardless of the arena of action. Surrender to God also draws the “Glance of Grace,” though it must be remembered that Vahiguru’s grace falls where Vahiguru wills, and no amount of good deeds can force it. God’s grace cleanses one of all sin and makes “the dry wood blossom forth again in lush greenery.” [8] Finally, “One whose mind is filled with constant thought of God does true fulfillment find; Between such a person and God, know Nanak as truth, there is no difference left.”[9] Here we have mystical union – when one is with God, one is fulfilled because God is fulfilled, one is mighty because God is mighty, one is true because Sat Sri Akal. This ultimate identification with the divine would completely remodel the attitude with which one views earthly life. Equanimity, charity, insight – all of these come as a result of immersion in God.

            It is very good to wander about in the clouds, but one must remember the ground one’s feet are planted on. Theological ecstasy is nothing if it does not translate into vibrant and holy home life. Sikhism affirms the importance of home and family and, unlike many other traditions, places the highest path not in asceticism or withdrawal, but in domestic activity. “One who works for what he eats, and gives some of what he has – O Nanak, he knows the Path.”[10] Gurinder Singh Mann points out that liberation will come to individuals in families, engaged in domestic life.[11] It brings to mind the words of the Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, “Dhamma is duty, duty is dhamma… If you are going to do something, see it as dhamma.”[12] The actions of a person fully immersed in God may not outwardly appear much different – they eat, sleep, go to work, spend time with their families, laugh, cry – but the intention and vision behind these actions is far from mundane. Doing the dishes becomes a significant religious act when one sees the doing of those dishes as supporting the most essential unit in God’s grand design – the family. It is easy to see the great wandering holy men and have envy. What spiritual heights they reach in their solitude! But the Guru Granth teaches,

Those who have truth as their fast, contentment as their sacred shrine of pilgrimage, spiritual wisdom and meditation as their cleansing bath, kindness as their deity, and forgiveness as their chanting beads - they are the most excellent people. Those who take the Way as their loincloth, and intuitive awareness their ritualistically purified enclosure, with good deeds their ceremonial forehead mark, and love their food - O Nanak, they are very rare.[13]

While Guru Nanak was respectful of the accoutrements of the religious milieu he found himself in, he nevertheless recognized the importance of simplicity and inward commitment over outward forms. Abandoning home and family is detrimental to spiritual growth, not beneficial. Donning a loincloth (or doffing a loincloth, in the case of the Digambara monks) and wandering is inferior to simply following the Way in the context of home and family. Sikhism teaches a simple doctrine: do not abandon life, but embrace it (with all of its mundane and sublime trappings), and do so while immersed in the Deity whose name is high above all.

            It might not be very professional to say so, but I love the Sikhs. Every Sikh I have ever met has been an example of righteousness and commitment to God and religion. As I have read the Guru Granth Sahib I have felt resonation on par with any I feel while reading the Standard Works. With many of the religious traditions I have studied, I have felt strongly that God’s hand is present. With Sikhism, I know it is. Spending time in the Granth has given me an appreciation for God’s greatness and the incredible benefits that I would get if I would seek His presence daily with more earnest. The three points I have outlined are not just a scholarly thesis; they are my own personal thesis. I believe more now than I ever have that I am nothing without God, that I am everything with Him, and that my greatest role in life is as a member of a family. I have often seen the note at the bottom of my papers, “Good job. You have the idea.” In this case, by God, I hope I do. Sat Sri Akal.

---

[1] Pp. 376, 371. From Divine Bliss to Ardent Passion: Exploring Sikh Religious Aesthetics through the Ḍhāḍī

Genre. Author(s): Michael Nijhawan. Source: History of Religions, Vol. 42, No. 4 (May 2003), pp. 359-385. Published by: The University of Chicago Press. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/378759 .

[2] P. 80. Mann, Gurinder Singh. Sikhism. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

[3] P. 300. The Evanescent World and the Eternal Reality: The Last Hymns of the Ninth Sikh Guru. Author(s): Surjit Dulai. Source: Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 28, No. 1/2, MISCELLANY (Spring, Fall 1993),pp. 297-307. Published by: Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40873346.

[4] Ibid. P. 304

[5] P. 194. Brotherhood of the Pure: The Poetics and Politics of Cultural Transgression. Author(s): Harjot Oberoi. Source: Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Feb., 1992), pp. 157-197. Published by: Cambridge University Press. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/312721.

[6] Guru Granth, 220. http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=220&english=t&id=9494

[7] Guru Granth, 10. http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=221&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0 

[8] Guru Granth, 221. http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=10&english=t&id=463

[9] P. 300. The Evanescent World and the Eternal Reality.

[10] Guru Granth, 1245. http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&g=1&h=1&r=1&t=1&p=0&k=0&Param=1245

[11] P. 82. Sikhism.

[12] Dhamma is Duty, Duty is Dhamma. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. Atammayatarama Buddhist Monastery tract. Woodinville,WA.

[13] Guru Granth, 1245.