Monkhood vs. Lay Life

For many years I had this vague vision of what my future would look like: high education, successful career, a partner, big house, nice car, two or three dogs, and a get-away home somewhere in the mountains of Colorado. Then I was awakened and all those future plans changed. Lately I’ve been really contemplating Monkhood. I have very strong feelings of wanting to ordain as a monk. Then someone asked me, “But you can be a very good Buddhist and not be a monk.” This is true, but obviously it’s more than that. Monks have certain higher advantages than lay practitioners do. Maybe even better and quicker means to finding liberation.

Taking Refuge and Precepts Ceremony

Though I’ve already taken Refuge (on my own), I haven’t officially taken the Five Precepts. When taking Refuge and the Precepts, it’s traditionally done at a temple by the head monk. So that’s what I’m doing this weekend. I’ve waited until I found a Sangha before taking the precepts, because it’s important to find and be apart of a Sangha before asking for such a commitment ceremony.

My temple holds one Precepts ceremony a year, usually on Vesak, or a week before or after Vesak. Since they’re going to be really busy this year for Vesak because we invited the Japanese temple to celebrate with us, I chose this weekend (the week before Vesak) for the ceremony.

I’ve been waiting for this ceremony for a while now and I’m truly excited and happy about it! Some are asking why I waited so long, after have been studying Buddhism for years, to take refuge and the precepts. Or that I should of taken my Bodhisattva vows by now. Maybe I waited long, and maybe I should have taken my Bodhisattva vows by now. But what is taking refuge and the vows? Nothing more than a self-commitment to be a better person, to be compassionate, and to practice loving-kindness – things that I’m already developing and practicing. So I don’t mind waiting long. I don’t mind prolonging “official” ceremonies or commitments. I waited until the time was right, and the time for my precepts is now, and the time for the Bodhisattva vows will come when the Universe sees it fit for me to realize it.

Smile and be well!

The Bodhisattva Path

Question: “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you about the Bodhisattva path. I want to understand it. Isn’t it scary to think that you might stay in samsara for a really long time, maybe forever? And also, how does a person that is not enlightened help others become enlightened? And what exactly does a Bodhisattva do? Thank you.”

First, what is a Bodhisattva? It is a person who delays their own Enlightenment (depending on the tradition) and entrance into Nirvana in order to help all sentient beings become Enlightenment first. In Vajrayana (TIbetan Buddhism), there are three kinds of Bodhisattvas: King-like Bodhisattvas, those who become Enlightened first then help others find Enlightenment; Captain-like Bodhisattvas, those who become Enlightened with the sentient beings/people the Bodhisattva has been teaching; and Shepard-like Bodhisattvas, those who become Enlightened after all sentient beings have become Enlightened first.

And yes, at first it might be a scary thought to think about being stuck in Samsara for what could be forever, but eventually when you realize Emptiness, that thought will never occur again. At least think of it this way: Because you’re a practicing Buddhist, an aspiring Bodhisattva, at least your future lives will be much better (depending on your past and present Karma). But from a mundane point-of-view, your body isn’t going to be here forever – it’ll only be alive for as long as that life will be breathing, so there’s not any of that “Oh I’m going to live forever!” thoughts. You, in this body, will not be living forever, nor will you even know of any of your future lives, so there’s really shouldn’t be any worry about living in Samsara forever. Instead of worry about that, know and feel the great realization of all those you can help find Enlightenment. Know that you can end the suffering and cycle of Samsara for so many others! That should be a great feeling, not a scary one!

So for us non-Enlightened beings, we can take the Bodhisattva Vows. The vows are “don’t” rules, but they also tell you how you can help others. By being a Bodhisattva, you’re essentially a teacher of the Dharma. Some live the monkhood life as Bodhisattvas (total dedication). For laypeople, many laypeople that I’ve met or know of teach Dharma sessions as part of their Bodhisattva duties, others teach meditation or are members of a temple or monastery (teaching, learning, or doing other duties and activities). Your overall job duty as a Bodhisattva is to help liberate others and lead them to Nirvana. This happens over the course of many, many lifetimes obviously. You might not Enlighten anyone in this lifetime or the next, but just by showing them the way to liberation might bring them to Enlightenment in their next life – and the same goes for you, because whenever you’re teaching others, you’re also teaching yourself! The Bodhisattva path is a beautiful and fulfilling path, and should be everyone’s aspiration if practicing Mahayana.

Smile and be well!

The Bodhisattva Vows

The intention is everything with the Bodhisattva vows. We take the vows purely for the sake of others. Only when we dedicate for the sake of others and try our best to put what we have learned into practice will our practice become truly beneficial. The preparation for taking the Bodhisattva vows is really to know how to develop bodhicitta itself. We must have that knowledge and have the intention to develop our minds to really benefit others. In Mahayana, a “created” bodhicitta can be developed during meditation, but once the meditation stops, your mind stops. You should only take the Bodhisattva Vows when you have developed, or know how to develop, bodhicitta. 

Along with the vows, Bodhisattvas must abide by the Six Paramitas. It’s hard in this day and age to truly strictly abide and follow all the vows, or even remember them all, as to not break them. However, there are four factors needed to break a vow:

1. Not being mindful of the disadvantages/you don’t regard what you have done as being a mistake
2. Having no desire to stop the action (to repeat it again)
3. Indulging in the act of what you have done with great pleasure and delight
4. Being shameless and inconsiderate, you do not care about the consequences of your actions for yourself and for others

The vows are things you vow to abandon. So the Eighteen Root Bodhisattva Vows are:

1. praising oneself and belittling others
2. not sharing with others one’s wealth and Dharma
3. not forgiving even when others apologize
4. doubting and denying the doctrine of the Great Vehicle
5. taking offerings intended for the Three Jewels
6. abandoning the doctrine through sectarianism
7. causing an ordained person to disrobe
8. committing one of the five crimes of immediate retribution
9. holding perverted views
10. destroying places such as towns
11. teaching emptiness to the untrained
12. discouraging others from seeking full enlightenment
13. causing others to break the vows of Individual Liberation
14. belittling those who follow the path of Individual Liberation
15. proclaiming false realisations such as the realisation of emptiness
16. accepting gifts that have been misappropriated from the belongings of the Three Jewels
17. laying down harmful regulations and passing false judgement
18. giving up the pledge of altruistic aspiration

The Forty-Six Secondary Bodhisattva Vows are mainly connected with the practice of the Six Paramitas:

Generosity
1. not making offerings every day to the Three Jewels
2. acting out of desire because of discontent
3. not paying respect to those senior in ordination and in taking the Bodhisattva vows
4. not answering others’ questions out of negligence though one is capable of doing so
5. selfishly not accepting invitations due to pride, the wish to hurt other’s feelings or anger or laziness
6. not accepting others’ gift out of jealousy, anger etc or simply to hurt others
7. not giving the Dharma teaching to those who wish to learn

Morality
8. ignoring and insulting someone who has committed any of the five heinous crimes or defiled his or her vows of individual liberation, or treating him or her with contempt
9. not observing the precepts of moral conduct because one wishes to ingratiate oneself with others
10. complying with the minor precepts when the situation demands one’s disregard of them for the better benefit of others
11. not committing one of the seven negative actions of body, speech and mind when universal love and compassion deem it necessary in the particular instance
12. accepting things that are acquired through one of the five wrong livelihoods
13. wasting time on frivolous actions such as carelessness, lack of pure morality, dancing, playing music just for fun, gossiping and also distracting others in meditation
14. misconceiving that bodhisattvas do not attempt to attain liberation and failing to view delusions as things to be eliminated
15. not living up to one’s precepts
16. not correcting others who are motivated by delusions

Paitence
17. parting from the four noble disciplines
18. neglecting those who are angry with you
19. refusing to accept the apologies of others
20. acting out thoughts of anger

Perseverance 
21. gathering circles of disciples out of desire for respect and material gain
22. wasting time and energy on trivial matters
23. being addicted to frivolous talk

Concentration
24. not seeking the means to develop concentration
25. not abandoning the five obscurations which hinder meditative stabilisations
26. being addicted to the joy of meditative absorption

Wisdom
27. abandoning the path of Theravada as unnecessary for one following the Mahayana
28. exerting effort principally in another system of practice while neglecting the Mahayana teachings that one already has
29. without good reason exerting effort to learn or practice the treaties of non-Buddhists which are not the proper object of one’s endeavor
30. beginning to favor and take delight in the treaties of non-Buddhists although studying them for a good reason
31. abandoning any part of the Mahayana by thinking it is uninteresting or unpleasant
32. praising oneself and belittling others because of pride and anger
33. not going to Dharma gatherings or teachings
34. disparaging the spiritual master

Ethical Practice to Benefit Others
35. not helping those who are in need
36. not helping people who are sick
37. not alleviating the suffering of others
38. not explaining what is the proper conduct to those who are reckless
39. not benefiting in return those who have benefited oneself
40.  not relieving the sorrow of others
41. not giving material possessions to those in need
42. not working for the welfare of one’s circles of friends, students, employees, helpers
43. not acting in accordance with the wishes of others if doing so does not bring harm to oneself or others
44. not praising those who have good qualities
45. not acting with whatever means are necessary according to the circumstances to stop someone who is doing harmful action
46. not using miraculous powers, if one possesses this ability, in order to stop others from doing unwholesome actions

Once you take the Bodhisattva Vows, not only do you gain good Karma, but you also gain merit. If you’ve broken a vow, your bad karma is doubled daily until you repair it. There are several ways to mend a broken vow. One way is to repeat the vow(s) you’ve broken three times, or the whole list three times. Another way is to recite the Vajrasattva Mantra (the long version) 21 times. Another way is to ask for forgiveness from your guru (teacher) or head monk. But it’s very important to know that if you do break a vow, you have to feel a deep regret in doing so and confess (infront of an image of a Buddha) and vow to not repeat it again.

Smile and be well!

Being a Bodhisattva

Today I asked one of my friends, “Do you think I could live a monastic life?” After a short discussion about leaving a city-dependent life and other things, he then asked if my goal of doing that was to go to Heaven. I then explained very briefly the differences and goals of the Mahayana and Theravada traditions.

In Theravada, monastic life is usually more strict than monastic life in Mahayana. The goal of the Theravadans is to attain Arahatship; to become an Arahat, liberated from all suffering and ending their cycle of Samsara (rebirth). In Mahayana the goal is to become a Bodhisattva. “One who follows the Mahayana is a Bodhisattva, or truly aspires to be a Bodhisattva… A Bodhisattva is one who has generated the “Awaking Mind” (Bodhicitta), that astonishingly rare but totally transformative intention to work solely for the benefit of others right up to Buddhahood, the full development of one’s own potential” (from the book The Bodhicaryãvatãra by Crosby and Skilton).

To add more information, from the same book, “With a characteristically Buddhist love of classification, Sãntideva refers in general to two types of Awakening Mind (I. 15-16). The one, termed ‘the Mind resolved on Awakening,’ is like someone really wishing to go on a journey, really wishing from the depths of one’s heart to follow the path of a Bodhisattva. The ‘Mind proceeding towards Awakening’ is actually embarking on the long and difficult path of insight and alturism, the Mahãyãna journey. Thus one who truly wishes to be an active and altruistic Bodhisattva can also be said to have the Awakening Mind – to be a Bodhisattba – albeit in a derived and lesser sense.”

Some argue that it takes attaining Bodhicitta to become a Bodhisattva, while others say that just by following Mahayana and accepting the Bodhisattva Vows you can be a Bodhisattva. Regardless, Bodhisattvas don’t announce they’re Bodhisattvas – in doing so, it might be believed that they’re after fame or recognition, which is a huge no-no! Only Buddhas can recognize other Buddhas, and the same with Bodhisattvas. Basically, it takes one to know one!

Anyway, back to my discussion with the friend – As I was explaining what a Bodhisattva is, Bodhisattvas intentionally delay their own Enlightenment in order to Enlighten all sentient beings from Samsara by practicing the Six Paramitas (Perfections). So they continue to live in Samsara until everyone else is out of Samsara and then they can finally enter into Enlightenment themselves.

Regardless of what anyone says or believes who can or can’t be a Bodhisattva, Mahayana encourages everyone to become a Bodhisattva and take the Bodhisattva Vows. Becoming a Bodhisattva should be everyone’s goal who practices Mahayana. You don’t have to be a monk or nun to be a Bodhisattva. You can be a corporate executive, a stay-at-home mom, or a homeless person and be a Bodhisattva as ling as you follow the 18 major vows and and forty-six minor vows of the Bodhisattvas.

Smile and be well!

What the future thinks it’ll hold

Since I’ve taken refuge and strict Buddhist studies, I often contemplate what I want to do in the future. Lately I’ve been really juggling around the idea of being ordained. Not anytime soon, because of debt (you shouldn’t, or can’t ordain if you have debt), and student loans aren’t going to pay themselves off. So I’m hoping as I’m getting my Ph.D. it’ll give me the opportunity to start paying that debt down. Plus all this extra time will give me lots of opportunity for further growth and understanding.

But in the mean time, once I am done with graduate school and into a doctoral program, and if I have the opportunity to snatch myself a fellowship (being able to teach, do research, and have a stipend), it would be the best timeframe to take my Bodhisattva Vows. I’d take them now, but I feel I’d be breaking a lot of them with the job I have – working in retail! So when the time’s right, so will the vows.

Another thought about ordaining: There aren’t many, or really any major, monasteries in the US. Plenty of temples, sure, where there are maybe a few monks and nuns stay, but no full-fledged Mahayana monasteries (that I know of, at least). Maybe that can be a future project?

But for now, living in the present moment, I’m enjoying the clear blue sky, the chirping of the birds outside my window, and the mindful breath that releases loving-kindness and compassion for everyone around me and beyond.

I’ve been slowly de-attaching myself from my belongings. I had two seven foot-tall bookshelves in my room filled with my favorite books and mostly just “stuff.” Small artifacts, things I’ve collected, stuff of my grandparents, etc. I asked myself the day I decided to clear the shelves, “What would happen, or how would I feel if all this was suddenly gone? If it was burnt down or stolen? Do I have any real attachment towards them or do I just think it’s a bunch of cool things?” So I packed all that stuff in boxes and took out the shelves, and replaced it with a new table (or altar) with all my Buddha statues, bells, flowers, and malas, and it’s now a huge upgrade of my previous small corner table (or Zen area, as I like to call it) (picture below). I think this is a great first step to letting go of all our materialistic attachments.

 

Smile and be well!