contact us  
Sign-up!
Monthly eNews
& eTeaching

Click here for Dharma talks & teachings by Thubten Chodron

 

THE VISION (en Español)

Buddhism began in India with Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightenment over twenty-six centuries ago. Passed from one generation of practitioners to another, the Buddha's teachings flourished throughout Asia and have recently spread to the West. Throughout the ages, monasteries have been centers of Buddhist learning and practice, places that have benefited monastics, lay practitioners, and society. By living a life of simplicity as exemplified by the Buddha and described by the Vinaya, monastics provide a healthy challenge to society's concepts of success, power, and consumption. They exemplify community life centered around spiritual practice, and in doing so, they have sustained the Buddha's teachings to the present day. Until now, Buddhism in the United States has been focused on Dharma centers where lay students learn the Buddha's teachings. Now that these are well established, it is time to build monasteries where women and men can study, practice, and train in the monastic lifestyle.

Sravasti Abbey is named for Sravasti, where the Buddha spent twenty-five Rains Retreats and spoke a vast number of sutras, teaching and training the communities of monastics living there. It is called an “abbey” because male and female monastics train together as equals—brothers and sisters supporting each other on the Dharma path.

• If you'd like a CD with the latest Power Point Presentation on Sravasti Abbey, please contact .

TRADITION AND INNOVATION

Sravasti Abbey is a place where monastics and those preparing for ordination learn and practice the teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The Buddha's teachings go beyond culture and historical time; they speak to the very heart of what we are as living beings. Sravasti Abbey preserves the meaning of these teachings in an unadulterated way.

Nevertheless, as Buddhism spread from one country to another, it has adapted to new cultural customs and evolved different external forms. In this area Sravasti Abbey is innovative. For example, gender equality and social service are key elements of community life. Most chanting is in English.

By nurturing individuals' unique talents within a traditional monastic setting adapted to the present American culture, we strive to embody the Buddhist values of non-harming, mindfulness, compassion, inter-relatedness, respect for nature, and service to sentient beings—all directed towards the enlightenment of all beings.

The Abbey cultivates happy, well-balanced practitioners and a healthy community through a balance of study, meditation, and service. A community that models good communication and conflict resolution skills and is comprised of individuals who live simply and cultivate ethical discipline, love, compassion, and wisdom is an inspiration to society at large.

OUR ACTIVITIES

The Abbey provides a quiet and conducive environment for Buddhist study and meditation. Fully ordained monastics, novices, and trainees reside there. We welcome the visits of lay practitioners who wish to live, work, and practice in a community setting.

We value service as a foundation for study and practice. In addition to weekly public teachings at the Abbey, monastics teach in other locations, and the Abbey acts as a resource for Dharma centers. We write Buddhist books and articles and transcribe and edit our teachers' discourses. Monastics and lay practitioners are trained in leading meditation, discussions, and rituals. We offer an upasaka (oblate) program for lay practitioners who seek a strong connection with the Abbey while living at home. Further, we cultivate inter-religious dialogue and offer service to the community through activities such as counseling, youth camps, and prison work.

THE FOUNDER

Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron: A graduate of UCLA, she was a teacher in Los Angeles. Ven. Chodron received novice vows in 1977 and full ordination in 1986. A student of H. H. the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, and Zopa Rinpoche, she has been resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore and Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle. She is active in Jewish-Buddhist and Catholic-Buddhist dialogue and was co-organizer of Life as a Western Buddhist Nun, an educational program for Buddhist nuns. Teaching Buddhism internationally, she is known for her clear, humorous, and practical teachings. Her books include Open Heart, Clear Mind; Buddhism for Beginners; Taming the Monkey Mind; and Working with Anger.

SUPPORTING AND PARTICIPATING IN SRAVASTI ABBEY

The monastics of Sravasti Abbey endeavor to live generously through dedicating our lives to the Buddha's teachings, practicing them earnestly, and offering them to others. We trust that people will value our way of life and work and will respond generously by providing what is needed to live and to spread the Dharma in a modern society. Together with the lay community, we will build facilities where all of us can study and practice the Buddha's teaching.

In October 2003, we purchased 240 acres south of Newport, Washington, less than an hour's drive north of Spokane, where there is an international airport. The house is bright and cheery, with a lovely garden, barn, and cabin. Some of the land has meadows, but most is forested with pine, fir, tamarack, and other varieties of trees, providing a sanctuary for the diverse wildlife in the area. We plan to construct a meditation hall, library, more residences, meditation huts, and guest facilities. We invite you to contribute to building and sustaining the Abbey and its residents in numerous ways: financial support ; architectural, construction, and computer expertise; medical and dental services; library materials; the traditional four requisites offered to monastics—food, clothing, shelter, and medicine—and your friendship. Your help is gratefully received and appreciated.

We welcome you to Sravasti Abbey. Please visit!

WHY DO WE NEED SRAVASTI ABBEY?

"The flourishing of the Buddha's teachings in a particular place is determined by the existence of fully ordained monks and nuns and male and female lay practitioners. Thus the existence of monks and nuns and the practice of Vinaya, the Buddhist monastic discipline, are very important.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV

  • Sravasti Abbey provides conditions conducive for a strong Western monastic community to study and practice the Dharma.
  • The Buddha's teachings go beyond culture and historical time; they speak to the essence of human experience. Sravasti Abbey will preserve the meaning of these teachings in an unadulterated way.
  • Sravasti Abbey will train monastics who can practice and teach the Dharma purely, yet explain them in a Western context.
  • Living simply as the Buddha did, the monastics of Sravasti Abbey will be an inspiration to society at large, showing that ethical discipline contributes to a morally grounded society.
  • Through actively developing their own qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, the monastics will make Sravasti Abbey a beacon for peace in our conflict-torn world.
  • Supporting a monastic community cultivates your seeds of kindness and generosity, enabling you to progress on the path to enlightenment.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's endorsement for Sravasti Abbey

For more information getting involved or to offer assistance, please fill out our volunteer signup form, or contact us by e-mail, or by mail or phone:

In the United States: In Asia:
Sravasti Abbey P.O. Box 20644 Seattle, WA 98102-1644, USA Tel: 1-509 - 447-5549

Sravasti Abbey, c/o Ang Hwee Leng Blk 3, Rivervale Link, #02-17 Singapore 545119 Tel: (65) 6489-5646 or 9798-6389

(back)

DHARMA PRINCIPLES THE FOUNDATION OF SRAVASTI ABBEY

As Sravasti Abbey is just beginning, I would like to clarify some of the Dharma principles upon which it is based. I imagine that this section will be enlarged as new issues come up and new policies are formulated.

Generosity (Dana)

Offering Food

The relationship between sangha and lay followers is one of dana (mutual generosity). When the Buddha established the sangha (the monastic community) 2600 years ago, he set up an interdependent relationship between the laity and the monastic community based on dana.

Each party shares what it has with the other and both benefit. Because they have given up regular jobs and dedicate their time studying and practicing the Dharma, the sangha shares the Dharma with the laity. The laity, in turn, shares their resources, particularly the four requisites of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine, with the sangha. At Sravasti Abbey, we aspire to continue this tradition.

The monastics at the abbey will eat food that is offered to them. We will not go to the store and purchase our own. When we live in dependence upon the kindness of the others, it benefits our practice in many ways. First, because we do not go to the store and choose our own food, we practice giving up attachment to foods that we prefer and developing contentment with what is offered. Second, because we are dependent on the generosity of others to stay alive, we become more aware of the kindness of sentient beings. Gratitude develops in our hearts. Third, because we are grateful to others, we are more aware of our responsibility to keep our precepts well and to practice diligently as a way of making ourselves worthy of offerings and of repaying others' kindness.

On the part of the laity, many benefits accrue from offering food to monastics. First, because monastics hold precepts that come from the Buddha, they are especially powerful objects with which to create positive karma. Great positive potential (merit, sonam, or punye) is created from making offerings to the sangha. Second, there is something special about offering food and other essentials for staying alive. A deep connection is made between those who offer and those who receive. The sangha dedicates and prays daily for the well-being of its benefactors. By supporting the sangha, donors know that we are contributing to the existence and spread of the Dharma in their own country. They are making it possible for people to train in the Dharma and become qualified teachers without having to worry about money for food.

Furthermore, the practice of offering food makes one more mindful. Before a visit to the abbey, lay practitioners remember, "I'm going to a place where spiritual practitioners depend on others for food. I want to help." They may choose to stop at the store and get something to offer. Thus, even before arriving at the abbey, their minds have begun to change from a rushed lifestyle to one focused on generosity and benefiting others. And once at the abbey, they make the offering with both hands and with a pure heart.

Offering the Dharma

Since monastics live simply, what we have to offer is the Dharma. The Buddha said that the giving of the Dharma is the best kind of giving, because it leads others on the path to liberation. When monastics from the abbey teach, whether at the abbey or at Dharma centers, we do not charge a fee. We give Dharma freely from our hearts because we want to benefit all those who attend. This gives us the freedom to teach wherever we think it is most beneficial without having to worry about earning a livelihood.

Lay teachers who have families and a householder's lifestyle do not always have that freedom. Thus we avoid selecting where to teach based on the amount of dana we might receive, and we do not charge for services such as private interviews for spiritual consultation. As monastics, we give all this freely. We trust that those who benefit will want to help support us with the necessities we need for living so that we can continue our spiritual practice and beneficial work.

The abbey also freely provides some of Venerable Chodron's books to those who visit the abbey. We want to share the Dharma with people whether they have funds or not. We also send books and Dharma tapes to inmates and to third world countries free of charge. However, since we must purchase these books from the publisher and pay for tape duplication, we gratefully receive donations to continue with this service. We list suggested donations so that people may have some idea

You Are the Recipient of Others' Kindness

When lay followers visit the abbey, we do not charge for room, board, administrative expenses, and so on. We share with others what we have.

Visitors to the abbey have the opportunity to stay in lovely surroundings, to receive teachings, to meditate, and to share in community life due to the kindness of others who have shared their time and resources with the abbey. Hundreds of people have given donations of money and services to Sravasti Abbey in the past so that visitors who come this year will have a room to stay in, beautiful gardens and forests to walk in, a meditation hall to practice in, and a monastic community to guide and inspire them. Sravasti Abbey exists due to the generosity of so many people. Their generosity built this place so that you and others can come here and benefit from the Dharma. In this way, visitors to the abbey are also the recipients of others' kindness

Contemplating this can give rise to great joy in your heart. Visitors may also want to contribute to the abbey so that others in the future will have a similar opportunity to visit and practice here. You may want the abbey to be here for your children or your friends, so that they can also come and enjoy its riches.

Why don't we charge a per night room rate, a per meal rate, a fee for teachings and a set price for books? As monastics, we want our lives to be lives of giving, of sharing. In addition, we want to give people the opportunity to express their kindness and generosity. Paying for services or items does not create any positive potential. It is simply a business transaction. But, when visitors give to the sangha with hearts of generosity and compassion, they create great positive potential that is the cause for wealth and prosperity in both a worldly and Dharma sense.

There's a huge difference between giving with delight and paying with obligation, even if the amount of the check is the same. We can feel the difference in our minds and hearts. When we pay a fixed price, we habitually look for the deal that is most advantageous for ourselves. We pay because we're required to and often wish the price were lower. There is no generosity influencing that mental state.

On the other hand, when we experience the value of the Dharma and of a place like the abbey, our hearts rejoice and we want to put our funds where our values are. We want to reach out to others—to the monastics so that they can sustain their practice and to other lay followers so that they can come to the abbey and receive its benefits. Our hearts are filled with joy in sharing and in remembering the benefit we're able to provide for others and to the Dharma. And, when we balance our checkbook at the end of the month, we can again rejoice in our practice of generosity. How different this is from paying with a mind of obligation!

We are incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to hear and practice the Dharma. So many people in this world lack religious freedom or live in places where they don't have access to Dharma teachers, teachings, or books. Our situation does not occur by chance. It takes the accumulation of great positive potential to have this opportunity. We did this in the past, and that has resulted in our present fortune. To continue to receive teachings and have places to practice, we must continue to create positive potential. One way to do this is by supporting practitioners and by supporting facilities, such as the abbey, that make the Dharma available to others.

As monastics, we dedicate our virtue for the benefit of all sentient beings and in particular to our benefactors whose kindness enables us to continue practicing. The names of those who have donated to the abbey during each two-week period are read at our bi-monthly Lama Chopa pujas.

Sometimes people wish to request the monastics to make special prayers to benefit those who are undergoing difficulties or who are beginning a new project or phase in their lives. Some people like to mark life transitions such as the birth of a child, graduation, marriage, or death, by requesting the monastics to do prayers for their well-being. Traditionally these people make an offering to the monastery, and the monastics then perform a puja or offering ceremony dedicated to the benefactors. This may be a tsog offering or meditation on Tara, Chenresig, or Medicine Buddha. Please contact the abbey if you wish to do this.

The Abbey Practices Generosity

The abbey as a group of practitioners also needs to create positive potential by making offerings. When visiting teachers at the abbey instruct us in the Dharma, we want to contribute to their virtuous works that benefit others. We also want to ensure they have the necessary requisites for life. Therefore we make offerings to them. These offerings are not payment for services because the teachings they share with us are given freely, as well.

Similarly, we make offerings to teachers whom we admire but who have not come to the abbey, for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In this way, as a group of practitioners, we create the causes to receive teachings, to realize the meaning of the Dharma, and to receive the necessary resources to sustain spiritual life.

As part of our service to the community in which we live, the abbey has adopted a stretch of highway, which we keep clean. We collect litter in this area, showing that we value the environment and the people with whom we share it.

When we make tsog offerings of food twice a month, we give a portion of the offerings to a local food bank. Similarly, if we ever have excess food that we cannot consume before the expiration date, we take it to the food bank.

Volunteer Service through Volunteer Work

Offering our time, talents, and services to the abbey and to those in need is also part of our practice of generosity. Some beings are powerful objects with which we create karma, meaning that the constructive or destructive karma we create in relation to them is especially strong. Our spiritual teachers and the Three Jewels are powerful objects because of their virtue. Sentient beings that are poor, ill, or in misery are also powerful objects because of their suffering. Therefore, while we try to help all beings in general, we pay special attention to these two groups.

The monastics at the abbey offer service to the sangha community by the work we do at the abbey each day. We offer service to the broader Buddhist community by teaching the Dharma, transcribing and editing teachings, doing spiritual counseling, and performing blessing ceremonies after the birth of a child and the death of dear ones. We offer service to those in need by doing prison work and by counseling those who are ill. We offer service to society in general by writing books and by giving public talks, lectures in schools, and so forth.

Lay followers also offer service by doing volunteer work for the abbey. The abbey, in fact, is completely dependent on volunteers. A volunteer coordinator for Friends of Sravasti Abbey receives the volunteer forms that people complete on the web site and contacts those volunteers for their help when needed. Some people do volunteer work for the abbey from their home. Others come to the abbey for work parties, where they have a good time working together with others and creating community. People who volunteer feel fulfilled. They not only see the direct result of their efforts, but also they know they have created great positive potential which is the cause for happiness.

Reliability and Consideration for Others

In our volunteer work, being reliable and considerate of others is an expression of our compassion. When we volunteer to do a task, we are committing ourselves to carry it through and bring it to fruition. Through this we cultivate joyous effort and build our self-confidence by completing what we set out to do. We can rejoice because we know our efforts directly benefit others. In addition, we show our care and affection for those we work with by doing our work well and completing it in a timely manner. Our volunteer work for the abbey is compassion in action.

People's enthusiasm to help the abbey is wonderful and greatly appreciated. Out of consideration for others and ourselves, it's important to honestly appraise what we are able to do before volunteering, bearing in mind other commitments and responsibilities in our lives. Please volunteer only for a job that you feel confident that you have the skills and time to complete. If, for some reason you later discover that you're not able to carry through with a project or task, please let others on your work team know as soon as possible so that a replacement can be found. This expresses your respect for others.

Compassion

Living a monastic life together as a community is part of our practice of compassion. At Sravasti Abbey, community life is very important. It is a vibrant community in which our interaction with each other is part of our Dharma practice. We assume that those wishing to come to the abbey have the desire to live as a community: that is, to follow the daily and yearly schedules, to attend teachings and meditation sessions, to offer service to the sangha through daily work, and to participate in community gatherings and meetings.

This does not mean that the daily schedule is jam-packed and we have no private time. While there is time for personal meditation and study, it is balanced with discussion, meditation, and work done with a group.

Community life has its blessings and its challenges. We receive the support of like-minded people on the spiritual path. These Dharma friends understand our spiritual aspirations and encourage us to practice by practicing themselves. Together we create a peaceful atmosphere in which Dharma is lived and people are valued.

On the other hand, we may have different ideas, preferences, and ways of doing things. By living in community, we learn give and take. Our buttons will get pushed just by the fact that we live with others and cannot do everything the way we like. We have to give up some of our preferences for the larger group to function smoothly. We may have to soften some of our opinions and ways of expressing them to live harmoniously with others. Some people may have habits that annoy us; we must learn to cultivate tolerance and compassion for them.

Furthermore, we are not Buddhas. We still suffer from ignorance, anger, and attachment, and these afflictions sometimes color our relationships with each other. In community, it's impossible to continue the habit of blaming others for our own unhappiness. We must take responsibility for our emotions, learn to work with them skillfully, and learn to express them to others kindly and honestly.

In the process of doing so, we develop "transparency", the ability to admit our mistakes and weaknesses without feeling ashamed or guilty. We develop confidence by working through problems. We cultivate compassion, knowing that our companions also suffer from disturbing emotions, and practice patience with them, supporting them as they work through their difficulties.

To become bodhisattvas, we must cultivate patience and compassion for both others and ourselves. Living in community provides an opportunity for us to do so. But this is not an easy path. Please do not expect everything to be ideal and rosy! Since we want to become bodhisattvas, we must train to bear hardships with a happy mind, thus transforming difficulties into Dharma practice.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness entails being aware of our precepts, values, and practices and living according to them as much as we can. For example, by being mindful of our precepts, we are attentive to act according to them. Being mindful of love and compassion, we bring those attitudes into whatever situation we are in and whomever we have contact with. Being mindful of emptiness, during our daily life we contemplate our interactions, acknowledging that we, the action we are doing, and the people and things around us are all empty of true existence, but exist on the conventional level as appearances.

To be mindful, we must slow down and be more attentive to what we are thinking, feeling, saying, and doing. We also want to cultivate mindfulness of and sensitivity to others' needs.

Participating in community life is part of our cultivation of mindfulness and compassion. Because we care about others, we practice doing our work with joy, without simply rushing through it at the last minute to get it done. To do this, we try to assess how much time is necessary to do a task and give ourselves enough time to do it in a mindful and relaxed way.

Our mindfulness and compassion manifest in other ways as well. For example, we follow the daily schedule, knowing that others value our energy and participation. Not only do we need the support of the sangha, but the sangha benefits from our support, as well. We have something to contribute to others that is missed when we're absent. We also endeavor to arrive promptly for group activities, because we know that late arrivals often create noise that disturbs others.

How we move is also an expression of mindfulness and compassion. We become mindful of how we walk, showing our internal joy through gentle steps. If we walk with heavy steps—our mind being at the place we're going while our body is still on the way—we put certain energy into the environment. In addition, the noise of clomping steps disturbs others.

Our mindfulness extends to how we open and close doors. We want our companions to have a peaceful environment free from sharp sounds. Our mindfulness and compassion motivate us to clean up after ourselves, because we care about the people with whom we share the environment. Thus returning things to their proper place, cleaning up the bathroom after using it, emptying the garbage, and other small daily life activities become part of our Dharma practice.

Speech is another area where mindfulness and compassion are important. While it may be difficult to reverse some habits of speech such as being sarcastic or critical when we're angry or humming when we work, we continue to cultivate mindfulness of our intention to speak truthfully, kindly, harmoniously, and at appropriate times. We practice thinking creatively about appropriate ways of expressing our feelings and ideas so that we communicate in a way that other people can hear what we're trying to say.

Practicing mindfulness and compassion in our daily interactions at the abbey prevents our bodhicitta meditation from becoming abstract. It's comparatively easy to love and feel compassion for those who are hungry or cold in other countries. Without too much distress, we may visualize giving our possessions, and positive potential to all infinite sentient beings. But caring about the few people around us when that entails giving up some of our own habits and wishes challenges our self-centered attitude much more. Because community life provides these opportunities, it can enhance our mindfulness and compassion and strengthen our Dharma practice in a way that living comfortably alone cannot.

Non-harmfulness

Ahimsa, or non-harmfulness, is an essential Buddhist virtue. We practice it in the abbey by not harming each other or any living being physically, verbally (through unkind speech) or mentally (through malicious thought, holding grudges, or retaliating). This entails developing our capacity to listen to each other with compassion and to communicate kindly. This is the heart of practicing the Dharma with the people we live with, with community.

We also are vegetarian—no meat, chicken, fish, or fertilized eggs - because we wish to preserve life. Part of the Kriya Tantra practice, which is also found in Chinese Buddhism, is to avoid eating onions, garlic, and radishes because this disturbs the flow of the internal energies (lung in Tibetan, chi in Chinese). We follow this practice at the abbey as well.

Hunting is not permitted on our land. We will develop a forest management plan to protect the environment and the animals living there, so that all can live peacefully and in safety.

We recycle and re-use items to protect future generations from environmental pollution and misuse of resources. We conserve water and fuel. This is an expression of compassion for future generations and for the wildlife with whom we share the land.

Gratitude and Respect

When we are grateful for the goodness around us and respect others' excellent qualities and beneficial deeds, our own hearts open and we can progress on the path. Gratitude and respect cannot be forced. We can't make ourselves feel them, nor can others demand them from us. Rather, they are traits that we consciously cultivate because we see their benefit. As we cultivate gratitude and respect, we naturally express them in our lives.

Gratitude is cultivated by reflecting on the kindness of the Three Jewels, our spiritual mentors, Dharma companions, parents, and all sentient beings. This naturally gives rise to a sense of appreciation for having them in our lives and a wish to repay their kindness. Training ourselves to recognize others' good qualities develops respect. This not only frees us from the judgmental, critical mind, but also inspires us to cultivate those same good qualities in ourselves. Meditation on these two topics—the kindness and benefit we have received from the Three Jewels and sentient beings, and their good qualities—is part of the basic monastic training at the abbey.

Appreciation and respect for others is shown through our behavior. We bow to the Three Jewels when entering the meditation hall. We do a half-bow to other members of the community when we first see them each day. We greet visitors to the abbey with our palms together. By remembering their Buddha potential and respecting that quality, we also recall our own Buddha potential.

Humility and Willingness to Accept Instruction

Just as grass doesn't grow on the top of a mountain but in the fertile valley below, Dharma realizations grow not in the mind of an arrogant person but in the minds of those who are humble and willing to accept instruction. Humility is different from low self-esteem, for it is based on self-confidence. Because we are confident and like ourselves, we don't have to prove ourselves to others, dominate them, or have the last word in a discussion. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an excellent example of some who is humble and respects all others.

We show respect for those who are senior in ordination and those who are more experienced in the Dharma through following their good example and taking their advice to heart. These practitioners are a reliable support for us when we experience difficulties or doubts in our spiritual practice. Often, they have gone through similar challenges in their own practice and have learned through experience how best to work with the mind. Turning to them with humility and respect for their training relieves us from ego's pressure to be the best, to know the most, or to be able to figure everything out on our own.

Being able to accept feedback gracefully shows respect for our teachers and our companions on the path. When teachers or senior monastics remind us to be mindful of our actions, we practice listening and take in their comments with an open mind. When our minds tighten and we become defensive, as will sometimes happen, we practice noticing this and remembering that others' comments are offered with care for our well-being and are meant to help us.

We remember that the goal of Dharma practice is not to make our self-centered mind comfortable, feeding our ego everything it desires. We've been doing that since beginningless time, and it hasn't gotten us anywhere. Now we practice relaxing habitual defensiveness. When well-meaning people give us feedback, we listen. If someone is upset when they give us feedback, we remember that they are expressing their suffering and give them space. Practicing this is the way to develop humility.

When giving feedback to others, we first check our own minds to make sure we are speaking with kindness. As practitioners we want to stop ourselves from angry outbursts or from seemingly sweet words that mask a spiteful motivation. When another's behavior disturbs us, it is often helpful to wait a day to comment on it. That gives time for our mind to settle and for us to clarify our motivation. We may also choose to wait and comment on it during the community gathering prior to sojong (the bi-monthly ceremony in which monastics confess and restore their precepts).

Apologizing and Forgiving

Apologizing means acknowledging our mistakes, our harmful intent, and our lack of mindfulness. It is psychologically healthy and relieves us from guilt, allowing us to progress in the present rather than staying stuck in the past. It is spiritually healthy because it enables us to learn from our mistakes and thus to live according to our precepts better in the future.

Forgiving means letting go of anger so that we don't hold grudges or nurture resentment or the wish to retaliate. It, too, is necessary for psychological and spiritual health because it alleviates the pain of anger and prevents us from harming others in the future.

The sojong ceremony that occurs on the new and full moon days of each month gives the monastics an opportunity to review our actions of the last half-month and to make amends to ourselves, to our Dharma companions, and to the Three Jewels. While we personally practice reviewing our thoughts, words, and deeds each day, purifying what needs to be purified and rejoicing in our virtue, coming together every half-month helps to do cultivate transparency and trust.

Rejoicing

Rejoicing in our own and others talents, knowledge, abilities, good opportunities, and positive potential is essential for having a happy mind. Through it we also create great positive potential that enhances our practice. Needless to say, those around us benefit when we directly express our joy in their good qualities and actions to them. This is a practice we try to cultivate in our daily interactions, and we also incorporate this more formally as a group practice in our bi-monthly ceremony.

(back)

 
[ Home ][ Vision ][ Plans ][ Abbey Site ][ Founder ][ News ][ Get Involved ][ Donate ][ Dharma ][ FAQ ][ Monastic Life ]
[ Calendar ][ Visiting ][ Links ][ Boards ] [ What's New ] [ Photo Gallery ][ Reflections ]
All website content © Copyright 2002 - 2008 Sravasti Abbey - No duplication without permission