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Monastic life in America

Monastic life in America

A talk given during Sravasti Abbey’s annual Exploring Monastic Life program in 2008.

  • Buddhist aspect
    • Faith and having a clear confidence in the Buddha when ordaining
    • Situating oneself within a certain Buddhist tradition that is affiliated with a specific Asian country
  • Monastic aspect
    • How becoming a monastic places one in a close relationship with the Three Jewels
    • One follows the Buddha’s example
    • One has the time and ideal external conditions to learn the Dharma and put it into practice
    • The possibility of boredom if one doesn’t use one’s time skillfully
    • Living in community and being a member of the Buddhist sangha
  • America today aspect
    • Special challenges of being a Buddhist monastic in a secularized Christian society
    • The special role of monastics to dispel the illusion of where happiness is to be found, challenging mainstream consumerism
  • Questions and answers
    • Has our culture lost the sense of its origin as far as Christianity goes? This sets us up for a lot of bias.
    • If you (Bhikkhu Bodhi) were seeking ordination today in the Theravada tradition, where would you go and whom would you seek to study with?
    • What does it mean to be guided by community principles but not to be engulfed by a group? Can you give advice on that?
    • How do we convince our loved ones about leading a homeless life so it will not be too painful for them?
    • How can somebody let go of attachment to their parents or children?
    • How do we avoid going to the extremes of proselytizing or just hoping the world will notice?
    • I’m having trouble with rebirth—can you say something about that? Without believing in rebirth would you have chosen a monastic lifestyle?

Exploring Monastic Life 2008: Session 11 (download)

Bhikkhu Bodhi

Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Theravada Buddhist monk, ordained in Sri Lanka and currently teaching in the New York/New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored several publications grounded in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. (Photo and bio by Wikipedia)

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