Buddha's Birthday and a Big Change

I said I was going to close down the blog, but as you can see I haven't.  I decided to take Damchoe Wangmo's advice and leave it up for people to see.

I'm writing today because I actually have something to write about.  I went with my friends Ven. Kiet Vo (a Vietnamese-American monk) and Shakya to a Buddha's birthday celebration at Cal Tech yesterday afternoon.  I'll post photos later.  It was put on primarily by the Taiwanese community, with two or three major temples present, and a fairly large contingent of Theravada practitioners, especially from the Dhammakaya movement.  Three Tibetan monks from the Gelugpa lineage where there for the first half of the program and did some chanting as well.  I met them briefly before the program. 

We planned on sitting in the bleachers, but Ven. Kiet and I were called down to sit in VIP chairs on the floor with the other monastics.  We quickly whipped on our outer robes (the chugu in Tibetan--the yellow patchwork one) and took our seats. 

After an opening procession with multiple groups making lavish offerings on the altar set up in the gymnasium, some of whom were dressed in traditional Chinese and Indian clothing, each group of monks (Theravada, Vajrayana, and Mahayana) went in turns up on the stage/altar and did chanting from there tradition.  I actually know (kind of) one of the Theravada monks who was there as I had a class with him last semester.  During the chanting everyone stood up with plams together.

I was most impressed with the Chinese chanting.  Three abbots of three of the major temples, two monks and one nun, stood in a row facing the altar.  Preceeding them were about a dozen nuns who lined up between rows of offerings near the altar facing one another in two rows with their left or right shoulders toward the audience.  One of the nuns lead the chanting with bells and a drum and perhaps some other instruments.  They all had beautiful voices.

After that there was a 25 minute break, then the cultural performances started.  The chairs we were sitting in had been moved to the back of the gym to make room for the performances which took place on the floor.  The Tibetan and Theravada monks had left, so Ven. Kiet and I were asked to sit in the front row with some of the abbots to watch the performances.  Part way through, another Tibetan monk showed up. He looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him at first.  I think he was Gape Lama from the Garchen Institute in Arizona where I did my retreat this past winter break.  I didn't get a chance to talk with him, but I'm not sure he recognized me anyway...if it was him.  If it was Gape Lama, he must be in town teaching or something.

Anyway, the performances began with some kids from one of the Thai temples performing traditional music...except one of them was playing a bass guitar.  They were quite good.  Then they played while kids from the temple did traditional Thai dance.  At first it was all girls, then a group of teenage boys and girls came out and did a coconut dance. They were each holding two halfs of a coconut which they clacked together, sometimes pairing up boy/girl.  The costumes were fantastic and they got a huge round of applause when they were done.

I think the next performance was the three teenage boys from a Kung Fu school mostly doing showy weapons routines.  Unfortunately, a rope weapon slipped out of the hands of one of the boys and whacked a photographer in the face and camera, but he wasn't hurt.  After that I was particularly nervous watching them as I was in the front row on the floor with them, but there were no other accidents. 

Next a group from the Tzu Chi foundation performed a sort of sign language dance.  They were very polished and all dressed in plain, dark blue dresses, stockings and shoes.  Check the link to the Tzu Chi foundation as they are a very impressive Buddhist relief group.

Then there was a flashy modern dance incorporating poses in which goddesses are found in the Dun Hwang caves in China.  It was part modern ballette and part Chinese ribbon dance. 

There was also a performance from the Hsi Lai Temple drum group.  They did some rather impressive traditional Chinese drumming.  They were standing up, but it was reminiscent of Japanese Taiko drumming.

The program was supposed to end at five, but around 5:30 with more performances scheduled, Ven. Kiet and I looked up in the bleachers at Shakya and we all decided to slip out.  People were coming and going, so we thought it was OK.  My blood sugar was getting low and I needed to eat so we went straight for food at the mall near home.

When we got back to the university, we were pleasantly surprised to see a new brick terrace with a three foot (?) Buddha statue on it just as you pull into the campus driveway.  Some people had been working on it when we left but we didn't know what they were doing.  There are two groups of people involved with the University--one group wants to downplay the school's Buddhist affiliation to attract a more general American student body, and the other wants to continue to present us as a Buddhist affiliated school. Personally, I'm in the latter camp.  To the best of my knowledge, we're one of only two accredited Buddhist universities in the country. 

In other news, I'm seriously considering going to Korea to study Buddhism when I graduate.  In fact, unless there's some kink in my plans later on, I'm definitely going.  I will study Korean language at one of two Buddhist universities for about a year, then I'll go to a temple (if I'm not already living in one).  I may re-ordain with the Jogye order (the largest order in Korea).  As you've heard me discuss, I've been quite frustrated with the lack of support and training for Western monastics in the Tibetan tradition.  I just don't see a future for myself in any Tibetan order.  I could go to Nepal when I graduate for a year, but I would have to borrow every penny and go deeper into debt to do it.  Going to Korea, there is at least some support for monks and even just a year there would cost half as much.  I may even be able to go for free aside from the plane ticket.

Not that money should determine things, but it's unfortunately a factor.  I could go into hock for a year in Nepal, or stay for several years in Korea and really persue the monastic life.  Just a little bit of English tutoring would give me enough to continue paying my student loans, something I couldn't do in Nepal or India.  I've always wanted to just be a monk and going to Korea may be the opportunity to do just that.  The decision to pursue Korean Buddhism was more complicated than I'm letting on in this blog entry, though.  I think if you read back through some previous posts you'll understand why I've come to this decision. 

My choice is really either to remain just a white boy in red robes, living in an apartment and working a regular job out in the world with no foundation in monastic life--no organized education in the Dharma and no monastic training, or to re-ordain in a tradition where I can pursure proper monastic training.  After being well trained and educated a monk or nun might be able to do a great deal of good out in the world, but without that foundation, living in the world is not a good idea for monastics.  It's very isolating. 

Even here at UWest, I'm the only American monk (that is, the only monk not part of an ethnic Buddhist community) and the only one in a Tibetan tradition.  I have lots of friends, but no real monastic community, and I feel quite strongly that such a sense of community is especially important for monastics.

Anyway, as plans develop, I'll write more.  Next weekend I've been invited to a Vietnamese temple for another Buddha's birthday celebration.  I'll write about that as well.

Comments

[Konchog Dorje]

What is the other accredited Buddhist university in the US?

[Carrie Froseth]

You're back! Thanks for continuing the blog. It's nice to have this connection to you when you are so far away. Which part of Korea would you go to?

[Danny Fisher]

That's what I'm talking about! Welcome back, Venerable!

[Luther Wills-Dudich]

Rinchen-
It makes sense that you would want to immerse yourself in a monastic community and "do it right".
Which Korean lineage in particular would you become part of?
Would you still be able to do Ngondro and some of your current Yidam practices in that context?

Dorje-
The other university is the Trungpa Rinpoche-founded Naropa University.

-Luther

[Rinchen Gyatso]

Luther,

I probably won't have time to do any real Tibetan practice in Korea. As I understand it, they keep you quite busy.

I'm looking at joining the Jogye lineage. Like Tibetan Buddhism they have an academic track and a meditation track. In the academic track, you can go to a traditional "shedra"-like school or to a modern university. On the meditation track, you do two 100-day retreats a year, travelling to different temples for each retreat.

After ordination as a novice (I'll be starting all over again), I'll go to a month-long course with all the other new monks (I think nuns do it separately). I'm not sure of the subject matter, though. After that, I'll have four years of training which could consist of any of the options I mentioned above. After four years, I can take the Bikshu exam. If I pass, I'll take higher ordination and then I can continue my training/education. If I recall correctly, after being ordained for at least ten years, a monk or nun can become abbot/abbess of a temple.

I doubt I'll settle permanently in S. Korea, though. Eventually, I'd like to come back here and start a seminary/monastery for Westerners and get a solid monastic community going.

[Leamur]

Good luck, RG.

I've never been to S Korea, but an online friend's wife is from there, and he's a photographer, so I've seen pix. Looks like downtown Los Angeles, IMHO, just way bigger.

I hope the support you can find there helps you attain your goal, for all our sakes.

I hope it's fun, too. ;)

[scruffysmileyface]

Well, Venerable, in whatever you do, you know that you carry with you the blessing of your friends.

It's got to be difficult to be a "self-sitting" monastic in a non-Buddhist society. Juts being a layman is difficult sometimes. The lack of support for Western monastics of the Tibetan traditions is indeed disheartening, but there are other traditions which are well-supported here - especially Chinese and Taiwanese orders in California. What level of support is available for members of a Korean monastic order?

[Michael Tran]

Venerable Gyatso!
I haven't seen you in a long time! In case you don't remember me I used to volunteer in the Religious Studies office with Venerable Hui Sheng remember?

I'm glad you're still around campus and all of that. Too bad you didn't get to talk to Gape Lama though (it was him btw). We should get together sometime and have coffee or something.

Best of luck

[Rinchen Gyatso]

Michael,

Of course I remember you! I was just wondering what became of you the other day since I haven't seen you around campus.

There is a link for my e-mail on this blog. I'm working two jobs, so I don't have a lot of time, but sometimes on the weekends I do.

[passerotto]

best of luck on your journies venerable, and may the road you travel always serve you well. glad you are blogging again, a girl in Italy.

[dara]

I feel so fortunate to have had many blessings and support in my monastic life. I was able to take the vows at my temple with 24 others, live in community with several of them for the first few years to develop a firm foundation, and to live now in a place where I am literally 5 minutes away from about a dozen of the monks and nuns, and the town itself is very supportive of the robes. I would not have been able to do it on my own. Many thanks for the blessings, support, and guidance from Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, HH Penor Rinpoche, and the sangha of Kunzang Palyul Choling. I wish you all the best on your path.

[Dwan]

Hurrah! Glad to "see" you again. Best of luck to you on your journey....

[Mark Vane]

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