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Excerpts:
Because the sangha preserves a way
of life based on Dharma principles, monastics are a living
example that restraint and simplicity bring happiness and
peace. They remind us that one can live with few possessions
and without sex, family, or security and yet be happy and
content.
A true monastic lives without
security, dependent upon the unsolicited generosity of others.
This is not being a parasite-this is going forth in faith.
Western sangha members also need
understanding and appreciation, but they very seldom receive
it. Because they often do not live in monastic communities
but in Dharma centers or by themselves, they cannot do things
that the lay people can do. Yet they do not have the conditions
to live a monastic life either. They lose out on the pleasures
of a family life, and at the same time, they have few of
the joys of a true monastic life.
Western lay people are not encouraged to respect
the sangha, at least not the Western sangha. The lamas do
not teach their lay students that this is part of their
practice. Thus, the lay people look at Western monastics
and think, "Well, who are they?" and have little
sympathy or appreciation for what they are trying to do.
The lamas ordain people, who are then thrown
into the world with no training, preparation, encouragement,
support, or guidance-and they are expected to keep their
vows, do their practice, and run Dharma centers. This is
very hard, and I am surprised that so many of the Western
monastics stay for as long as they do.
They start with so much enthusiasm, with
so much pure faith and devotion, and gradually their inspiration
decreases. They get discouraged and disillusioned, and no
one helps them. This is true, Your Holiness. It is a very
difficult situation, which has never before occurred in
the history of Buddhism.
But to end on a higher note, I
pray that this life of purity and renunciation which is
so rare and precious in the world, that this jewel of the
sangha may not be thrown down into the mud of our indifference
and contempt.
(At this point, His Holiness remains
silent. He then puts his head in this hands and weeps, as
the audience sits speechlessly. After several minutes, he
raises his head and says, "You are quite brave.")
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The Situation of Western Monastics
by Bhikshuni
Tenzin Palmo ©
Monasticism
is wonderful for some people, but it is not for everybody,
nor should it be. It exists for that small group of individuals
who are drawn toward the ideal of a life totally dedicated
to the Dharma through the renunciation of worldly concerns
and through ethical purity. As we all know, modern society
is based principally on greed and promotes the view that
happiness depends mainly on acquisition and the satisfaction
of desire. Sex and violence rage everywhere nowadays. In
contrast, the sangha is a group of monastics whose lives
are based on renunciation, purity, restraint, and discipline,
all of which are aimed at reducing our wants and desires.
What these people do goes completely against the current
of the world.
Dharma centers are not immune
to the idea that "more is better." Traditionally
in the East, the sangha had the role of preserving and transmitting
the Dharma. Because the people of those societies supported
the Dharma, they respected the sangha; they loved the sangha
and were very proud of their
monastics. However, in the West, the situation is different
partly because in modern times many of the scholars and
meditation teachers who transmit the Dharma in the West
are laity. This does not mean that the sangha is useless
for the modern world. Because the sangha preserves a way
of life based on Dharma principles, monastics are a living
example that restraint and simplicity bring happiness and
peace. They remind us that one can live with few possessions
and without sex, family, or security and yet be happy and
content. Monastics should have the time to devote to study
and practice without having the material problems of earning
a living or the emotional problems of entanglement in personal
relationships based on attachment. The sangha has freedom-both
physical and emotional-which is often not available to those
who live a lay life.
Unfortunately, due to modern attitudes
that stem from our Protestant and materialistic backgrounds,
many Western Buddhists strongly feel that having close relationships,
family, and career is a superior way of practicing the Dharma.
Having these things, which are mostly objects of our
attachment, is still projected by many Western Buddhists
as being desirable, as well as providing a good opportunity
to practice the Dharma by integrating it into daily life.
Therefore, in the West, sangha members are seen as escapists,
neurotics, and parasites, as people unable to face up to
the challenge of intimate relationships. Renunciation is
misunderstood and disparaged. In fact, some people consider
it to be slightly perverse-because you cannot make it in
the world, you renounce it, basically because it has renounced
you.
A true monastic lives without
security, dependent upon the unsolicited generosity of others.
This is not being a parasite-this is going forth in faith.
Jesus said, "Give ye no thought unto the morrow what
ye shall eat and what ye shall wear." In a way, that
is what being a member of the sangha is all about: we are
not overly concerned with our physical existence and have
confidence that the Dharma will provide enough for our simple
needs. We have faith that if we practice sincerely, we will
not starve; we will be supported not just materially, but
in every way.
However, in Dharma circles in
the West, the sangha lives in a kind of limbo. We are neither
supported by the laity, nor by the lamas themselves. Even
when monastics work for centers and are thereby supported,
they are still in many ways second-class citizens. They
are not given good accommodations and are treated as inferior
to paying guests, who have a lot of money and can support
the centers. There is very little respect or appreciation
for sangha members having devoted their entire lives to
the Dharma. Centers are mainly geared toward lay people
and monastics are shunted to one side and considered unimportant.
Or, they are overworked and expected to run centers before
they have had sufficient training or experience. People
expect them to be capable even if they have had little training,
while they are imperfect human beings like the others.
Western sangha members also need
understanding and appreciation, but they very seldom receive
it. Because they often do not live in monastic communities
but in Dharma centers or by themselves, they cannot do things
that the lay people can do. Yet they do not have the conditions
to live a monastic life either. They lose out on the pleasures
of a family life, and at the same time, they have few of
the joys of a true monastic life.
Some of them feel lonely; also
they feel they are unable to integrate the ideals of non-attachment
with seeing others as lovable. They are unsure of what friendship
means in a Dharma context and feel that developing affection
means becoming too involved, which is not suitable for a
monastic. Because they do not have the examples of older
practitioners or live in a monastic community, they do not
understand how to balance the introspection necessary for
Dharma practice with friendship and affection for others,
which are also important for practice. Thus their practice
may become sterile, and they may feel alienated from the
people around them. Some feel that wearing robes alienates
them from other people, that people act artificially toward
them, cast them in a role, and do not see them as human
beings who have problems and need moral support and friendship.
Some feel conspicuous wearing robes in the street in the
West because people stare and some even say, "Hare
Krishna!" Because others react toward them differently,
they feel they cannot help people effectively.
Also Western monastics receive
very little support from the lamas. Your Holiness, this
is true. Unlike in traditional Asian societies where the
lay people naturally esteem and support the sangha, in the
West, with our tradition of democracy and equality, this
is not so. Western lay people are not encouraged to respect
the sangha, at least not the Western sangha. The lamas do
not teach their lay students that this is part of their
practice. Thus, the lay people look at Western monastics
and think, "Well, who are they?" and have little
sympathy or appreciation for what they are trying to do.
The lamas take good care of their own Tibetan sangha. They
build monasteries and train the monks. When Tibetans are
ordained, they have a support system. There is a monastery
they can enter and the society respects their decision to
live a monastic life. For the Western sangha, this is largely
non-existent. The lamas ordain people, who are then thrown
into the world with no training, preparation, encouragement,
support, or guidance-and they are expected to keep their
vows, do their practice, and run Dharma centers. This is
very hard, and I am surprised that so many of the Western
monastics stay for as long as they do. I am not surprised
when they disrobe. They start with so much enthusiasm, with
so much pure faith and devotion, and gradually their inspiration
decreases. They get discouraged and disillusioned, and no
one helps them. This is true, Your Holiness. It is a very
difficult situation, which has never before occurred in
the history of Buddhism. In the past, the sangha was firmly
established, nurtured, and cared for. In the West this is
not happening. I truly do not know why. There are a few
monasteries-mostly in the Theravada tradition and a few
in other traditions-which are doing well, but for the nuns
what is there? There is hardly anything, quite frankly.
But to end on a higher note, I
pray that this life of purity and renunciation which is
so rare and precious in the world, that this jewel of the
sangha may not be thrown down into the mud of our indifference
and contempt.
(At this point, His Holiness remains
silent. He then puts his head in this hands and weeps, as
the audience sits speechlessly. After several minutes, he
raises his head and says, "You are quite brave.")
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