Spring 2005 • 2547 Newsletter of the Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery Volume 10, Number 1 FEARLESS MOUNTAIN

n all countries chanting is a in to the frequency of our highest poten- Ilarge part of the religious observance, tial—the Buddha being representative of a Inside: both for the laity and in the monastic life. human being who achieved his full poten- Morning and evening chanting is pretty tial; the Dhamma being the expression of well universal in the monasteries in Asia. ultimate truth; and the being the From Monastery What’s usually chanted are passages either body of enlightened beings, past, present the taken directly from and future. PAGE: 2 the suttas or worked By aligning the deep- over a bit for phonic Chanting est aspect of ourselves and mnemonic rea- with the highest poten- These Are the sons to create a chant tial through the con- that has some musi- the “Mirror templation of the Three Highest cal quality to it. Jewels, we overcome The act of chant- negative mind-states. Blessings ing is a devotional of the Buddhanusati, the con- meditation practice. templation of the PAGE: 4 It is a form of con- Buddha, is one of the templation. The cen- Dhamma” meditations called the terpiece of our own Four Protections. They morning and even- by Venerable Punnadhammo protect us from all man- Mississippi ing chanting is built ner of unwholesome around the contemplation of the mind-states, lift us out of dullness and Journal Three Jewels or Three Refuges: depression, and bring us into joy PAGE: 7 Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. and light. Joy is a very strong These contemplations are three of characteristic of devotional the forty contemplations listed in practice. It helps us to over- the commentarial texts, so they come the self-view and are very traditional. ego-clinging through the Calendar The benefits surrender to that which is PAGE: 8 of contemplat- the highest potential. ing the Three So, I thought I’d go Jewels are through the words for manifold. We what’s called “The Building experience an Mirror of the Committee uplifting sensation in the Dhamma,” which is PAGE: 14 heart as we align ourselves with that the chant that begins which is higher and nobler. We’re tuning (continued on page 10) FROM THE MONASTERY

COMMUNITY mony between the different traditions. Speakers from all tra- ditions told stories of their practice and of obstacles in their he first significant event of the fall took place on holy life. The sense of unity between these traditions led to TSeptember 26: Ahimsako took full expressions of hope that everyone would meet again next year ordination. Tan Ahimsako’s mother and eldest brother were and made for a colorful group photograph. At the end of the there to offer his robes and bowl, along with other friends and conference the total number of years in robes was added up: community members who were there to witness the rare and 500 for 30 monastics. noble event. The ordination took place on a beautiful sunny Our group returned October 1 to prepare for the third autumn day at the monastery, with preparations beginning annual Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage, a two-day ride from first thing in the morning. The ceremony was held in the late Spirit Rock Meditation Center to Abhayagiri, with a stop at afternoon and continued on into the evening. the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. The weather was much Viradhammo came from Ottawa to join the event, and two cooler this year, which made for a pleasant ride. One biker, monks and an upasika from KPY monastery, the small Thai when interviewed by a newspaper, exclaimed, “This is by far forest monastery located beyond the ridge from Abhayagiri, the best ride I’ve ever done. I rate my rides on food, scenery, also attended. and friendliness, and this ride had the best of all three.” The The following day Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Viradhammo, community at Abhayagiri greeted the riders on the afternoon Ajahn Sudanto, Tan Karunadhammo, and Tan Nyaniko head- of the second day, and Ajahn Pasanno gave a talk about the ed to Land of Medicine Buddha in Santa Cruz for the tenth benefits of pilgrimage. Reverend Heng Sure joined the event annual Western Buddhist Monastic Conference. Monks and and closed with a powerful “Sharing of ” song. nuns from the Theravada, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Korean , The “Monastic Men of the West” Buddhist-Christian dia- Soto Zen, and Ch’an traditions came together to discuss the logue took place at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas this topic of “simplicity and renunciation.”Reverend Heng Sure of year and was attended by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Sudanto. the Chinese tradition and Venerable Drimay of the The group visited Abhayagiri during day three of their four- Tibetan Gelugpa tradition facilitated the conference, and the day meeting. Ways of spiritual practice and views concerning monastics engaged in friendly dialogues centered on practice living a monastic life in America were discussed. In the same issues, the balance between meditation with work, and the vein as the Western Buddhist Monastic Conference, friend- benefits of living a celibate life. Old friendships were strength- ships were made and wishes for a more large-scale Buddhist- ened and new ones formed. The fully ordained of Christian monastic dialogue were expressed. the different traditions were able to recite the monks’ Another special event this fall was the annual Kathina, or Patimokkha training rules together on the day, while Robe- Ceremony. This ceremony, which was originat- the bhikkhunis recited their Patimokkha together in another ed by the Buddha himself, is held within one month after the location. This made for a strong sense of connection and har- rains retreat () has finished. On this day the laity gathers Photo by Dwight Smith

Participants at the 2004 Western Buddhist Monastic Conference 2 Fearless Mountain Metta is located in Valley Center, near San Diego, and is comprised of eighty acres of avocado orchard. The group spent the night at Wat Metta, then joined the Sangha there for the meal the next day. The successful three-day journey ended Monastery photo with a long, long drive back. Ajahn Pasanno left Abhayagiri on December 8 for his annual trip to Thailand. He returned from his travels on December 28 after spending time with family in Canada. This happened to be two days after the terrible tsunami disaster in Asia, so the next few days were spent chanting and wishing well for those who have died and those who have survived but lost family. Ajahn Amaro was in southern India at the time, but soon after the disaster he sent us an e-mail assuring us Venerable Ahimsako’s mother presents his robes at ordination. that he was alive and well and that he wasn’t in an area hit by the waves. His year-long pilgrimage nearing its end, Ajahn and offers cloth to the Sangha to be dyed and sewn into a robe Amaro has set his return date as June 16, and the community by the monks. The robe must be finished before the next dawn is looking forward to his return. in order to be a valid Kathina robe, so the monks have to work After five years of bhikkhu training, Tan Hasapañño, Tan together in the stages of sewing and dying. The Sangha chose Jotipalo, and Tan Phasuko now have a chance to leave nissaya, one monk who is pure in the discipline and who knows the or dependence on the teacher, in order to train in different rules and observances of the Kathina Ceremony as the candi- ways and in different monasteries. Tan Hasapañño has gone to date to receive the robe. Ajahn Pasanno received the Kathina practice and train in Thailand after spending about two years robe this year. at Abhayagiri. Tan Jotipalo left Abhayagiri and is now on his Ajahn Jayasaro, along with about eighteen of his lay disci- Mississippi Pilgrimage, which began on March 1 (see page 7). ples, visited during the Kathina period. Ajahn Jayasaro, a for- Tan Phasuko spent two months away at his uncle’s Laotian mer abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat, is also a good friend of Ajahn monastery in Houston, Texas, and then returned to Pasanno. Ajahn Jayasaro has been working with some of his Abhayagiri for the winter retreat The community also wel- lay supporters to help promote the teachings and practice of comed back Tan Dhammadaso after his eight-month stay at Buddhism in the education system of Thailand, mainly on Birken Forest Monastery in British Columbia. elementary levels. Before leaving California, Ajahn Jayasaro also had the opportunity to meet with some of the teachers at TEACHING the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas schools and at Spirit Rock Meditation Center to discuss the integration of Buddhist n September 19 Ajahn Pasanno led a daylong retreat at principles into education. OThree Jewels Dhamma Hall in Fort Bragg. Ajahn In December, four monks and two anagarikas headed to Pasanno started with some guided breath meditation and Los Angeles to see the Body Worlds exhibit. Body Worlds is an focused his talks around the simple but profound theme of exhibit of real human bodies—people who have donated their suffering and the ending of suffering. At the end of the retreat bodies to science when they died—that have been “plastinat- Mettika gave a talk on dana (generosity) and why it is so ed.” Plastination is a process in which chemicals are injected important for people to bring this quality into their lives. throughout the body and gases are used to harden them, thus Abhayagiri’s annual ten-day Thanksgiving retreat was preserving the hardened corpse, dissected and posed in any held this year at the beautiful Angela Center in Santa Rosa and way. This was a great way to get close images of the inside of was led by Ajahn Pasanno and Taraniya. Shirley Jayanta the human body and use them in the meditative practice of Johannesen assisted by providing yoga instruction, leading body contemplation. Normally a monk in Thailand would see awareness of body meditations, and offering other reflections an autopsy for the same reason, but access to autopsies is very on Dhamma. The retreat was an opportunity for many of the difficult in the U.S., especially if people have never heard of monastery’s friends, old and new, to come together and prac- the various Buddhist contemplations around the human tice diligently in a supportive and delightful community envi- body. ronment. Two of the primary teaching themes throughout the The group then headed to Wat Metta to pay respects to retreat were the and the Four Foundations of the abbot, Ajahn Thanissaro (also known as Ajahn Geoff). (continued on page 15)

Spring 2005 3 These Are the Highest Blessings

by Kathryn Guta

The following is based on a presentation given to the CALM (Community of Abhayagiri Lay Ministers) group on February 27, 2004. Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro as well as several members of the extended community were in attendance. Their reflections and lively discussion during the presentation have been woven into this article.

e all want to be happy, but what sort of life iety builds because we know that no piece of paper Wleads to happiness? The Mangala Sutta begins or camera can prevent untoward events. How can with a heavenly being, a , asking the Buddha we be sure we will be safe? what might be the most auspicious talisman lead- In my work as a nurse, I notice people some- ing to a happy life. times view following a healthy lifestyle as a lucky Mangala literally means “protective amulet,” charm. I’m going to eat right, do yoga, take supple- something you wear around your neck. The ments, and nothing bad will ever happen to me. Buddha cleverly twists the meaning of the word When people are diagnosed with a life-threatening away from superstition and into a discussion of liv- illness, they may be willing to follow any regime, no ing our lives in such a way that we abide in accor- matter how far out it might sound, as a way of dance with truth, thus bringing protection and ensuring that they will get better. When we hear blessings into our own lives and those around us. someone has died, we may try to distance ourselves So what is the highest blessing? What is the from our own inevitable demise by reflecting on most perfect charm? What is the that will aspects of our lifestyle that keep us “safe.” We may always protect us against everything? One can see think: “Well, she smoked, so she got lung cancer. I that the question is loaded. don’t smoke, so I won’t get lung cancer. I’m safe It’s significant that this question comes from a from that one!” deva. According to Buddhist mythology, devas live We are trying to control things in our lives, in the heavenly realms where every sensual desire is everything. We are upset when life does not bend to fulfilled. When the deva reports that devas “are con- our control. That is the ordinary human experience cerned for happiness and ever long for peace,”she is without the Dhamma. We say to ourselves: “I will acknowledging that one cannot free oneself from do the research. I will do everything right, and it suffering through satisfying the myriad sensual should work. If it doesn’t, then I will sue.” This is desires that may arise. how we respond to dukkha in America: I’m suffer- In our present day, we may feel too sophisticat- ing and someone must be to blame. It doesn’t occur ed to wear a rabbit’s foot around our neck. to us that there might be no one to blame, not even However, we may still put a lot of faith in the Dow ourselves. It might just be the nature of the way Jones, real estate values or sufficient insurance poli- things are: undependable, unworthy of our confi- cies to protect ourselves, our families and every- dence, impermanent. thing we own. The whole Department of In a way, we can use even meditation and spir- Homeland Security depends on putting our faith in ituality like another lucky charm. We may use our security cameras and armed guards—the hardware practice as a way of controlling a difficult situation: and science of protection. Yet deep inside, our anx- I will practice metta and this problem person in my

4 Fearless Mountain life will stop saying troublesome things to me. We create the causes of happiness. People don’t want want to have some safety or protection even though suffering but they love to create the causes of suf- we really have no control over another person’s fering. Even as you read these words and think that behavior. they make sense, in only a few seconds you may cre- So what did the Buddha say about staying safe, ate the causes of suffering again. If you want to be peaceful and happy? In brief, he said that sila, protected, don’t put yourself in situations where and pañña are essential for living a blessed you will be vulnerable. If you don’t want to get hit life. In other words, the Mangala Sutta summarizes by a car, don’t try to walk across the freeway. morality, concentration and wisdom; the entire Accomplished in learning is to remember and map of the Dhamma is revealed in relatively few consolidate the Buddha’s teaching. Craftman’s skills words. are household arts and crafts, any work that’s not Avoiding those of foolish ways. Foolishness against the precepts. “Houseless” skills would be means not observing basic morality or the five pre- working with the four requisites: i.e., gathering cepts. Conversely, we want to associate with the wise, alms food, mending robes, cleaning the shelter, and or those who do observe basic morality. caring for one’s health. To honor those worthy of honor is to honor (continued on page 6) teachers, parents and monastics. The best way to give honor to them is The Mangala Sutta to live according to the “Giving with Dhamma in the heart, Thus have I heard that the Blessed One Dhamma. Offering help to relatives and kin, Was staying at Savatthi, Living in places of And acting in ways that leave no blame. Residing at the Jeta’s Grove suitable kinds. This refers These are the highest blessings. to places made up of the In Anathapindika’s park. “Steadfast in restraint, and shunning evil ways, fourfold assembly: Then in the dark of the night, a radiant deva Illuminated all Jeta’s Grove. Avoiding intoxicants that dull the mind, monks, nuns, laymen and She bowed down low before the Blessed One And heedfulness in all things that arise. laywomen. It also refers to Then standing to one side she said: These are the highest blessings. places where the Buddha’s “Devas are concerned for happiness “Respectfulness and of humble ways, teaching can be found. And ever long for peace. Contentment and gratitude, With the fruits of past The same is true for humankind. And hearing the Dhamma frequently taught. good deeds. The idea is What then are the highest blessings?” that we will be born in a These are the highest blessings. “Avoiding those of foolish ways, suitable place if we have “ and willingness to accept one’s faults, Associating with the wise, good kamma. It is Seeing venerated seekers of the truth, And honoring those worthy of honor. assumed that we must And sharing often the words of Dhamma. These are the highest blessings. have done something These are the highest blessings. “Living in places of suitable kinds, good to give us the “The Holy Life lived with ardent effort, With the fruits of past good deeds kamma to come in con- Seeing for oneself the Noble Truths And guided by the rightful way. tact with the teachings in And the realization of Nibbana. These are the highest blessings. this lifetime. These are the highest blessings. Guided by the rightful “Accomplished in learning and craftsman’s skills, “Although involved in worldly ways, way means letting go of With discipline, highly trained, Unshaken the mind remains the unwholesome and And speech that is true and pleasant to hear. And beyond all sorrow, spotless, secure. cultivating good. This These are the highest blessings. These are the highest blessings. seems pretty obvious, a “Providing for mother and father’s support real “no brainer,” but it is “They who live by following this path And cherishing family, not always that obvious. Know victory wherever they go, And ways of work that harm no being, And every place for them is safe. said that These are the highest blessings. people want happiness These are the highest blessings. but they never want to

Spring 2005 5 The Highest Blessings (continued from page 5) With discipline highly trained. The householders’ disci- the four requisites. Gratitude is a joy to the heart. While one is pline is abstaining from the tenfold causes of wrong action. fingering one’s rabbit foot, one feels fear. While contemplating The three bodily actions are killing, stealing and sexual mis- one’s blessings, one feels joy. conduct. The four verbal actions are lying, slandering, rude Hearing the dhamma frequently taught, we clear up our speech and idle gossip. The three mental actions are covetous- doubts. ness, ill will and false view. Patience is the supreme virtue. Willing to accept one’s Providing for mother and father’s support. It is considered faults. Being at peace, open and willing to endure the effects of impossible to repay the support one is given by one’s parents. past wrong actions. When we have done something unskillful, This is because parents give birth to us, feed us and introduce we must endure the effects of these actions. There is no way to us to the world. get away from the effects of past wrong action. Patiently I was just with my mother, who recently had a hip enduring our kamma leads to maturity. replaced. Before going to see her, I had read a story of how Seeing venerated seekers of the truth. Dassana can mean had rubbed his aged father’s feet. This “seeing” or “meeting.” The implication is to meet fully with seemed like a wonderful way to acknowledge the debt to one’s venerated seekers of the truth and respectfully and gratefully parents, and I thought my mother might also really appreciate drink deeply of the truth of the teachings. a foot massage. Just like Ajahn Sumedho’s father, she at first Next comes the pañña section. For the holy life to be lived refused with a big “No.” Luckily, I had been prepped by the with ardent effort, self-restraint is necessary. Realizing the noble ajahn’s story to persist even after being turned down. “Well, truths, realizing nibbana. There is a whole description of ara- okay, if you really want to,” my mother finally said, as if to hantship: unshaken the mind remains, beyond all sorrow, spot- please me. In a little while, she seemed very happy to have her less, secure. feet massaged. There are things more easily communicated Wisdom means understanding clearly how cause and through touch than through words. effect works. An action that is wholesome and beneficial is just Cherishing family means caring for family with metta, that, and we should make every effort to do it. Sometimes, a karuna , and upekkha and not indulging in attach- doubt arises. We worry that even though we are doing some- ment or affection. Attachment leads to grief, and affection thing beneficial, perhaps we shouldn’t be doing it because we leads to fear. In the Mangala Sutta, the Buddha lets us know are going to get caught up in a sense of self. What is beneficial how to relate lovingly to one another. But we must remember should be done. Getting “me” caught up in the mix is some- that pain and sorrow come from those who are dear to us. If thing extra. We should work to avoid identifying with our something untoward happens to the one we love, we suffer. actions, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid doing what is This is why the Buddha encourages us to connect through wholesome and beneficial. metta and karuna, loving kindness and compassion, rather In the Mangala Sutta, the Buddha declares that all the than the worldly ways of attachment and affection. actions, attitudes and realizations he exhorts in the sutta are Work that harms no being. This is work that brings no the highest blessings—all of them! harm to yourself or others, work that brings no mental con- He is telling us that we need it all. One could say that the fusion and also avoids disturbing others. Buddha begins with sila and ends with liberation and that this Giving with Dhamma in the heart is cultivating nongreed sequencing implies that the latter is far more important than and selflessness. Giving can mean both material things and the former. Yes,there is a gradation from sila to pañña, and yet the Dhamma. The gift of the Dhamma far exceeds any other trying to realize liberation without sila would be like saying material gift. that your skin is not very important to your body. If you tried Offering help to relatives. This is not just familial relatives to live without your skin, you would see how important it is. but the whole community. You need your skin, brain, heart, liver. All of its parts are Blameless actions. Once again, acting in ways consistent essential to a happy body. Someone might think that if nib- with the five precepts and right livelihood. bana is the most important thing, then let’s just shoot for that. Steadfast in restraint. Seeing the danger in wrong-doing Forget about being grateful and nice to people—that’s so and restraining oneself. tedious! But the Buddha tells us that all of it is important. All Avoiding intoxicants that dull the mind. One cannot follow of it is the highest blessing and needs our attention and devel- the precepts if one is intoxicated. opment. Now we are moving into the qualities that aid in the development of samadhi: heedfulness or constancy to stay Kathryn Guta is a long-term supporter of Abhayagiri with . Monastary. She has recently completed the CALM program Respectfulness and humble ways. Don’t think you know the and is a lay minister. best way. Be open to the opinions of others. Be content with

6 Fearless Mountain Mississippi Journal On March 1, Jotipalo Bhikkhu and Austin Stewart began a months-long walk from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Arrow River Forest Hermitage on Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. The walk is in the age-old tradition of pilgrimage, with an emphasis on living simply, meditation and dependence on the kind- ness and generosity of those that wish to see them succeed. Following are excerpts from their ongoing online journal, available via the “News” menu at www.abhayagiri.org. To contact the pilgrims or to offer your support, write to [email protected].

Day 1: We’ve decided to walk along the levee at first. We've we would meet with a meditation group that gathers on walked three miles so far, and we're going to try to walk about Wednesday evenings....It is a bit strange sleeping in a bed nine miles a day. We have no idea where we’re going to stay tonight, but I remember how to do it. —JB tonight, but we did see a couple of plantations up the way Day 16: I started an email conversation with Father William with some long, beautiful lawns. —Jotipalo Bhikkhu Skudlarek, a Benedictine monk. He gave me some advice and Day 2: It feels like we’re pushing the envelope—what are we contacts to call in Jackson to see about developing a relation- doing disrupting these people’s lives, this Buddhist monk ship with Catholic churches along the way. I like the idea of walking into a beauty salon to get a gallon of water?! —JB starting to see how this new twist of the walk will unfold. Part of me wants to resist planning anything, but at this point I Day 4: Though we have met much generosity so far, it is not think we need all the help and generosity we can get. –JB enough to sustain us day to day, so we have begun to use money that others donated to the monastery for this walk. At Day 19: We have been at this for nineteen days now, and if I first I felt like we were cheating, but then I realized that we are look to the future, it seems that Canada is an impossible dis- still living on the kindness of others. —Austin Stewart tance away. We have both let go of the idea of walking the whole distance. We are finding that this trip really is taking us. Day 7: If anybody says they have no fear of death, I challenge We have so little control. —AS them to walk through Mississippi the way that we are dressed. —AS Day 20: Here we met our second hard-selling Southern Baptist! I could have kicked Austin when he freely offered up Day 8: The Natchez Trace Parkway is not a heavily traveled that we were Buddhist. Didn’t he see the highway right now. We’ve begun waving at every car that pass- large painting of the Last Supper right in es. People don’t know who, even what, we are; but as soon as front of him? —JB they see us smile and wave, they realize, “Okay, they can’t be too bad.” I think that’s creating a positive energy around us. Day 22: I’ve carried this belief that you And we feel happier, too. —JB only learn through suffering. No pain, no gain. But this last week I’m finding that I Day 11: Last night ants and spiders were crawling on me as I can also learn from joy and happiness. slept, but all I found myself worrying about was not crushing —JB them when I rolled over. I’ve been tickled (or not!) at how Jotipalo Bhikkhu such things aren’t bothering me now. These creatures are just Day 23: Austin and I have noticed that the part of what belongs here. We put ourselves out here in their goodwill coming our way, even just smiles place—what do we expect? —JB and waves, seem to be coming more fre- quently and at closer time intervals. I don't Day 13: At night we didn’t have any water and a large thun- think I will ever cease to be humbled by derstorm was brewing. So Austin and I decided to set up my people’s generosity. It makes us feel so poncho as a rain catcher. Austin and I are actually starting to good, and those that give tell us they feel have some fun with this survival stuff! —JB such joy in making the offerings. Day 14: Tami Rose drove us to her home in Jackson.This What will tomorrow bring? —JB evening I also made contact with Luke Lundemo, who asked if Austin Stewart

Spring 2005 7 Chanting (continued from page 1) ered. He gives the analogy of uncovering a lost city in the jun- gle—overgrown with creepers and discovered by archeologists. “itipi so.” It is the formal contemplation of the Three Jewels This is what the Buddha did; he discovered an ancient truth. and occurs in our evening chanting. Another meaning of timeless is that the Dhamma is The basis for this passage occurs several times in the immediate. The realization of nibbana is always just an instant Canon. Perhaps the most important is in the away.The ultimate Dhamma is also timeless in the sense that Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Digha Nikaya, the sutta con- it is outside of samsaric concepts such as space and time. It is cerning the death, or parinibbana,ofthe Buddha. At that completely “other”; it can’t be framed in terms of time. time, when he was close to death, many of the bhikkhus were The literal meaning of ehipassiko is come and see. Ehi is an asking the Buddha what happened to such and such a monk imperative verb that means “come.” There is another use of or nun who died last year. The Buddha replied, “Well, she was this verb in the Canon; it’s what was called the “ehi bhikkhu” an anagami; she’s gone to the highest heavens and will have ordination. In the early days of the Buddha’s teaching, he one more life there and then go on to final liberation.”Or,“He would simply say, “Come, bhikkhu.” It’s said that the person was a stream-enterer; he has seven more births.”He then went would miraculously lose all their hair and have robes. So the on to explain the characteristics of a sotapanna,a stream- verb ehi is an invitation. Passiko is another form of the verb to enterer. In this formulation he described four traits, the first see. It means “come and see.” being very good morality, or sila, and the other three being The quality of Dhamma is that it’s inviting us to check it faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and their attributes. He out. This is a very strong characteristic of the Buddha’s teach- listed these attributes, and this is the passage that begins “itipi ing. There’s no heavy-handed demand: “Believe this.” The so bhagava araham.” faith element doesn’t have the I’ll start with the attributes of same role as in some other reli- the Dhamma, which is the short- gions. We’re asked, we’re invited, est list. to examine the teachings to see Svakkhato bhagavata dhammo. whether they fit. This is also an The Dhamma is well expounded by expression of the confidence that the Blessed One. The Dhamma is the Buddha and arahants had in well expounded because it’s meant their Dhamma; they realized it for to be perfect in meaning and per- themselves and know that we can, fect in letter. It’s quite an amazing too. body of literature—a huge corpus The translation of opanayiko is of texts with a very high degree of undecided in our community; it’s internal consistency, a brilliant either leading onwards or leading structure, and a lot of natural inwards. I’m not quite sure what’s cross-references between teach- the current “high church” dispen- ings. When you study the texts in sation on the issue, but both depth, you’ll find all kinds of inwards and onwards are quite nuances: the way the different ele- reasonable. In terms of the ments in a list of dhammas are ordered, the rich and very Dhamma the two are almost synonymous. It’s a characteristic evocative similes and metaphors, even humor. Take advantage of the Dhamma that it leads us into our depths, which is of this feature: the well expoundedness of the Blessed One’s where truth and liberation and relief are found. They’re not teachings. I encourage everyone to dip into this treasure house found anywhere else. of spiritual literature and read the Pali Canon. Paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi’ti is all one phrase. It means The next characteristic of the Dhamma is sanditthiko, that the Dhamma is realizable for oneself by the wise. The which is translated as apparent here and now. This is a slightly Dhamma is of benefit for those with little dust in their eyes. loose translation. Basically, it means “visible.” The root—dit- Taken together, these characteristics of the Dhamma thi—is “view.”The Dhamma is something that can be seen. It’s emphasize its immediacy and possibility. This is very impor- not some abstruse theory; it’s immediate reality, and we can tant. experience it. Next, I’d like to speak about the characteristics of the Akaliko is timeless. That’s a very literal translation. There Sangha. The meaning and usage of the term sangha is some- are many levels and layers to this word. The Dhamma is time- times a bit confused and controversial. The original meaning less because it expresses universal truths that were valid 2,500 of the word was simply “community” in the loosest possible years ago, are valid today, and will be valid 2,500 years from sense. In some modern Indian languages it’s still used in a sim- now. The Buddha made it clear that the Dhamma was not ilar way. But like many common words of the time, the Buddha something he invented; it’s something timeless that he discov- gave them technical meanings. In the Pali Canon these are two:

10 Fearless Mountain there’s the Bhikkhu Sangha and the Ariya Sangha. The This leads to the next line: Yadidam cattari purisayugani Bhikkhu Sangha is the order of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, the attha purisapuggala. That is the four pairs, the eight kinds of monks and nuns, the fully ordained ones. The Ariya Sangha, or noble beings. This refers to the four levels of enlightenment— the Noble Sangha, has a higher meaning; it’s the sangha of stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and arahant— beings who have obtained some degree of enlightenment on multiplied by two since each level has a path moment and a the Buddhist path. These are the stream-enterers, once-return- fruit moment. There is an interesting and controversial techni- ers, non-returners, and arahants, whether they are lay or cality here. In the orthodox Theravada interpretation, fruit ordained, male or female, past or present. moment always follows path moment instantaneously, so in The current American Buddhist usage of the term refers any given moment the odds that there’s anybody at path to the people we practice with—our sangha. Some “purists” moment are pretty small. Some of the other early schools of object to that usage because it’s looser than the narrow, tech- Buddhism taught that it was possible for a path moment and nical meaning. But it’s close to the original broad meaning of fruition moment to be separated, that there may be beings who sangha, so I really don’t have an issue with it. But in terms of have perfected the path at one of the levels and are waiting for this passage in our chanting, the reference is clearly to the the fruition moment. In that sense, there could be eight types Ariya Sangha, and this will become clear below. of noble beings. This is controversial, speculative stuff, which The first characteristic probably leaves you just as of the Sangha is supatipanno confused as ever! bhagavato savakasangho, the Ahuneyyo pahuneyyo Blessed One’s disciples who dakkhi-neyyo anjali- have practiced well. The karaniyo. Worthy of gifts, word savaka literally means worthy of hospitality, worthy “one who listens, one who of offerings, worthy of hears.” Those beings who respect. Anjali is the gesture became enlightened from of placing one’s palms following the teachings of a together in respect. buddha are classed as Anuttaram puññakkhet- savakas. Among the classes tam lokassa’ti. They give of enlightened beings there occasion for incomparable are also paccekabuddhas goodness to arise in the and buddhas. A paccek- world. Khetti means “field,” abuddha and a buddha are like a farmer’s field. The beings who became enlight- metaphor that’s being ened by their own effort alluded to here is that gifts, without hearing a teaching, offerings, or respect given so they had a more difficult to noble ones is like throw- path. Well-practiced means ing seeds into a field. They they practiced the eightfold will fruit into meritorious path to its completion. karma or an “incomparable The word uju means field of merit.” Some texts “straight,” as in upright as describe the multiplication opposed to crooked. In factor of giving: if you give English the word crooked has food to an animal, the the connotation of being criminal or dishonest. The opposite karma is such that the results will come back to you 100 times; is straight or upright. It has that sense in Pali, too. if to an unworthy human, 1,000 times; if to someone who is Nyaya is “with knowledge” or “with wisdom.” The disci- practicing on the path to liberation, 100,000 times; and if to ples of the Blessed One have practiced with knowledge. an enlightened being, myriads and myriads of times. Samicipatipanno: they practice the Eightfold Path com- Finally, I saved a discussion of the characteristics of the pletely. The description of enlightenment in some contexts— Buddha for last because it’s in some ways the most interesting particularly in the commentarial and Abhidhamma texts—is of the three. Buddhanusati,or contemplation of the Buddha, based on two moments. The path moment occurs when the is a highly recommended meditation. It’s one of the protective factors of the Eightfold Path are perfected and reach into the meditations. When we contemplate the Buddha, we’re con- transcendental level, which results in the fruition moment. The templating the highest potential of a human being. What I path moment is considered karmically active, and the fruit find inspiring about the Pali Canon’s descriptions of the moment is considered karmically resultant, or passive. (continued on page 12)

Spring 2005 11 Chanting (continued from page 11) one who has reached the full, absolute human potential, and the idea behind this is that our deepest level is intrinsically Buddha is that they combine the attributes of a very human pure. The Buddha is someone who has removed all the obscu- individual with those of a marvelous, liberated mind. rations and demonstrated the potential of a human life. There is a discourse by the medieval Zen teacher Dogen in The first characteristic is araham, which is another gram- which he talks about seeing the Buddha and seeing the old matical form of the word arahant. This word was used prior to man Shakyamuni at the same time. That is, when you see the the Buddha’s time in general Indian religious discourse to mean old man Shakyamuni, do you also see the Buddha? And when “a perfected one.”It’s technical meaning in the is you see the Buddha, do you also see the old man Shakyamuni? “someone who has eliminated all the defilements,” or someone In a certain phase of Buddhist history—medieval times— who has reached the state of great purity and perfection. there was a tendency in India to reify and deify the Buddha. It Gotama Buddha is a special arahant because he’s a buddha. All was a gradual thing. First, they said that his feces didn’t stink, buddhas are arahants, but only a few arahants are buddhas. next that he didn’t defecate at all, then that he didn’t need to Sammasambuddho. Fully enlightened by himself. In the eat but did so only out of compassion for sentient beings to classification of enlightened beings there are paccekabuddhas allow them to make merit by offering him food. At the and sammasambuddhas. A paccekabuddha is someone who extreme, one particular text describes the Buddha as appearing does not establish a teaching, sometimes called “silent” or miraculously on this earth—he had been enlightened from “solitary” buddhas. They may teach in a small way—perhaps beginningless time—sitting in full lotus in a golden pavilion, to a few individuals—but they don’t establish a dispensation remaining there for forty years and are forgotten after their without moving a muscle, own time. Whereas a sam- continually emitting a single masambuddha establishes a tone in which all the teachings teaching—a Dhamma and a and discourses could be heard Sangha—and their influence by highly evolved beings who survives their time. The influ- then wrote them down. This is ence of Gotama Buddha is an exaggerated example of see- still vast in the world today. ing the Buddha but not seeing Vijjacarana-sampanno. the old man Shakyamuni. Impeccable in conduct and There’s no contact with understanding. Carana literal- humanity left in that sort of ly means “walking fair in trav- conception. eling.” The Buddha walks In modern times, I fear through the world perfectly. that some are swinging to the This includes the concept of other extreme. There’s a kind keeping perfectly all ethical of mean-spiritedness; people principles, but it goes beyond love debunking and knocking that. It also includes being their heroes down off the perfectly mindful. The pedestal. It’s almost a fanatical Buddha makes no mistakes; egalitarianism: if people raise their head above the common he is flawless. Vijja-sampanno means “perfect in knowledge.” level, we’ve got to drag them back down. I’ve heard people say This leads into areas that are somewhat controversial his- things like,“Well, the Buddha was, after all, a man of his times. torically. There’s been debate within Buddhism about the He had some opinions that were incorrect because they didn’t range of a buddha’s knowledge. To my mind, it is a particu- know any better in those days, and he didn’t rise above that.” larly pointless discussion for those of us who are not buddhas This despite the Pali Canon’s teaching that there’s nothing the to speculate on the range of a buddha’s knowledge. There is a Buddha isn’t enlightened about and that the teaching is per- strong tendency within the Theravada to want to give the fect in word and letter. Whether one believes that or not, it Buddha one form or another of omniscience. In the com- loses the point if all we see is the old man Shakyamuni with- mentaries, the official definition of the range of the Buddha’s out seeing the Buddha. knowledge is that anything he wanted to know he could The attributes of the Buddha included in the chanting know—like the number of fish in the Ganges. He didn’t auto- emphasize the marvelous, but it’s important to bear in mind matically know it to start with, but if he turned his mind that the vehicle for these attributes was a human being. He toward that question, he could find the answer. suffered in his old age from backaches and dysentery—very What the Buddha actually said about his own knowledge human, earthy experiences—and he obtained his enlighten- is marvelous enough. He spoke particularly about the Three ment after great struggle and sacrifice. Yet a buddha is some- Knowledges he obtained on his enlightenment night. The first

12 Fearless Mountain was the penetration of his past lives for hundreds of thousands There are many, many places in the Canon describing the of world eons. He saw the pattern of his own karma and the Buddha teaching in the various heavenly realms. He spent an enfoldment of his journey in great detail and in great depth. In entire Rains Retreat in Tushita Heaven teaching the the second watch of the night he obtained the knowledge of Abhidhamma. Whether or not you want to follow the mythol- the rising and falling of beings, seeing beings taking in ogy, it’s very evocative. I encourage you not to be too dismis- various lower and higher realms. This was a generalization of sive of these stories, because we don’t know the full range and the first knowledge—of his own special case to universal law. potential of this universe and what other kind of possible exis- In the final watch of the night, he came to the knowledge of the tences there may be. In the Buddhist conception of the uni- extinction of the asavas, sometimes called the taints or out- verse, the Buddha is the teacher of the gods. This was an flows. He knew that he had destroyed all the defilements to the important statement for religious understanding at the time, depths. This was the moment of attainment. and later. Human beings were not helpless pawns of the gods, This points to the Buddha’s understanding that the mind and the gods had something to learn from the Buddha. is intrinsically enlightened—intrinsically void, blissful, and The attribute buddho is the same form as buddha. This is immeasureably, infinitely radiant—but obscured. We don’t a particularly beautiful word; it simply means “awake.” This is experience the mind’s radiance all the time because of defile- what we call the Buddha today. It’s an oddity, though, that in ment on the surface of the mind. There are lists and lists of the Canon he is seldom referred to by this epithet. In the unwholesome mind-states, but they all boil down to igno- Canon he refers to himself as Tathagata, and other people rance, desire, and ill will. Not knowing, wanting, and refer to him very often as Bhagava, or Blessed One. If you repelling. In fact, they all really boil down to ignorance, not want a simple form for contemplation of the Buddha, repeat knowing. At that point, the Buddha had eliminated all the the syllables bud-dho while visualizing the Buddha and think- defilements. That’s essentially all he did for to ing of “awake.” One of the times this term does occur in the arrive. It was not something created, something new. It was Canon is shortly after his enlightenment. A wanderer asks just allowing the deepest truth of his own nature to shine him, “Are you a god?” And he replies, “No, I’m not a god.” forth through the extinction of the asavas. Then, “Are you a demon?” “No, I’m not a demon.” Then, “Are Sugato means “well-going.” Su is “well, good,” and gato is you a human being?”“No, I’m not a human being.”And final- the verb “going” or “walking.” This is a very commonly used ly, “Well, what are you?” And he says, “I am Buddho.” epithet of the Buddha in the Canon. It is sometimes translat- The final attribute is bhagava, which means “the Blessed ed as the well-farer. One.” In the Indian languages it is a very common title of Lokavidu. The Knower of the Worlds. This again points to respect for holy people. One aspect of this term is that the the Buddha’s knowledge and his penetration. Whether or not Buddha was blessed by the previous buddha or, to be more we take it that he was omniscient, the potential that he accurate, by a previous buddha many, many buddha’s ago not unleashed with buddhahood allowed him to know and expe- even on this earth. The Theravadan understanding is that the rience many, many things and have a wide range of what we Bodhisatta vow is only considered binding when it’s made would call psychic powers, which are really just a natural before a fully enlightened buddha. The Buddha made his potential. He could know things like whether someone com- supreme Bodhisatta vow before Dipamkara Buddha many ing to the discourse that evening that was ripe for enlighten- eons ago, and Dipamkara said, “Yes, indeed, you shall attain.” ment. If that person was late for some reason, the Buddha So, this was the seal, this was the esoteric transmission that would make everybody wait until this one person arrived goes back beyond the origins of this earth. That’s one mean- because the Buddha knew that he or she was just on the brink. ing of bhagava, but the more mundane level of meaning is Anuttaro purisadamma-sarathi. Anuttaro means simply as a title of respect for a Holy One. “supreme, without a superior.” Sarathi is a charioteer. So, taken together, this entire “Itipi so” passage that we Purisadamma is a compound word meaning “human, per- chant, this list of attributes, is a formula of recollecting the son.” Damma is not the same as dhamma with a dh. It’s a dif- Three Jewels. When we recite this chant, we are practicing a ferent word entirely and is used to refer to horses and cattle form of contemplation of Buddha, contemplation of and so on. The metaphor is of a trainer of horses. The Buddha Dhamma, and contemplation of Sangha. came out of the noble warrior class, so this sort of imagery occurs fairly commonly. The idea is that his teaching is like a Ajahn Punnadhammo has been studying and practicing training, and as a charioteer trains horses, so he trains men Buddhism since 1979 and was ordained in 1990. He is abbot of and women to practice and attain on the path. Arrow River Forest Hermitage in Ontario. Sattha deva-manussanam. Teacher of gods and humans. Sattha is a word meaning “teacher,” and it’s pretty well restricted to references to the Buddha. When you see “The Teacher” in texts, it’s a translation of sattha.That the Buddha was a teacher of gods and humans is very significant praise.

Spring 2005 13 BUILDING COMMITTEE

Artist’s rendering of the cloister office building.

Phase I of the Development Plan JSW/D Architects To Be Completed This Year by Peter Mayland

fter a seemingly endless hiatus and at the risk of too many tion and storage facilities. This should tide us over until we Aexpectations, this spring we are planning a number of are able to build the Reception Building. projects that will complete Phase I of our four-phase develop- In the broader view, we have made two major changes in ment plan. our building team. We have hired a new architectural firm, The projects are: JSW/D Architects of Berkeley, with Helen Degenhardt as our • Cloister office building primary architect. This firm has worked with other Buddhist • Accessible guest facility/public restrooms groups including Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Tassajara • Cloister duplex (near the women’s restrooms) and Green Gulch Farm, so they are very experienced with By the fall, our cloister infrastructure should be much work for spiritual communities. improved. Given that everybody has been so squeezed for We are also bringing a new contractor on board. He is space, there will be a great sigh of relief. Similarly, we will get Bob Madlem of Redwood Valley. We have seen examples of his adequate toilet and hand-washing facilities. Finally, we will excellent work and have heard rave reviews from his clients. remodel the kitchen space in the house so there will be some This year will see lots of activity, some inconvenience and, elbowroom, along with improved appliances and prepara- in the end, a much improved cloister area.

Plan for the cloister office building and the public restroom building, which will both be located behind the current house and carport area.

GUEST ROOM JSW/D Architects

14 Fearless Mountain From the Monastery (continued from page 3)

Mindfulness. Although Taraniya has led the Thanksgiving retreat with Ajahn Amaro before, this was Ajahn Pasanno’s

first long retreat in California. Everyone greatly appreciated Photo by Santideva the opportunity to receive his teaching. In early winter Ajahn Sudanto made a visit to Portland, Oregon. He visited with the Dhamma group at the Columbia River Correctional Facility, joined the Friends of the Dhamma sitting group for a Friday evening, and led a daylong retreat. The sittings at Yoga Mendocino in Ukiah have continued to attract attention on the second Wednesday of every month. In addition to the normal routine, Ajahn Sudanto led a day- long retreat on December 4.

DEVELOPMENT

bhayagiri has been hosting community work days once a A bounty of gifts offered at the Kathina Ceremony Amonth. These times provide an opportunity for people improved layout and navigation scheme as well as many new who don’t come to the monastery often to offer service, to features. A second phase of development will be finished this interact with the monastics, and to help with the physical spring. The website is produced with software that will make development of the monastery. In October during the Casa it easier to contribute new material and maintain the site. Serena work weekend, people came and helped clear sites for Please visit the website and use the form to send us any feed- women’s day meditation huts. This included clearing for trails back you care to share. While we can’t satisfy everyone’s and building a bridge. In November, people helped to reshin- desires, this feedback is critical to improving the site for those gle the roof on the Dhamma Hall. A series of Sunday com- who use it. munity work days is scheduled for 2005 as well. Guests are Plans for spring 2005 include remodeling our kitchen. encouraged to arrive on Saturday for the evening talk and The back porch to the house has to be torn down in order to should contact the guest monk in advance to arrange for build several new buildings, so the remodeled kitchen will accommodations. (See the calendar for dates.) extend out into the current living room. After the kitchen is The community also completed various smaller year-end remodeled, we hope to begin construction of several small projects including installing insulation under the floor of the buildings in the cloister area, including offices for the abbots, main house and repairing odds and ends at Casa Serena. a wheelchair-accessible guest accommodation, and additional The first phase of a long-awaited redesign of the facilities for the growing community (see page 14 for more Abhayagiri website (www.abhayagiri.org) was finished and details). launched on January 10. The new website has a much- —The Abhayagiri Community

g Our W in he Bicycle Pilgrimage ~ Sept. 24-25 n e r l u s T The Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage rolls again in 2005. Now in its fourth year, this inspir- ing journey will bring together riders, volunteers and monastics, who will venture from Spirit Rock Center to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to Abhayagiri over the span of two days. Don’t miss this opportunity to build community, experience the chal- lenges of pilgrimage, and enjoy the great outdoors all at the same time! We’re looking for volunteers, riders and supporters. Fo a r r m t h e D h a For more information (and photos!), visit www.dharmawheels.org or email [email protected].

Spring 2005 15 NON PROFIT ORG. SANGHAPALA FOUNDATION U.S. POSTAGE ABHAYAGIRI PAID MONASTERY AUTOZIP 16201 TOMKI ROAD REDWOOD VALLEY CA 95470 Return Service Requested

SPRING 2005 FEARLESS Join Us for the Monthly MOUNTAIN Community Work Days (see calendar for dates) NEWSLETTER

Registration Opens June 1 2005 Upasika program Thanksgiving April 3* Join your fellow (Commitment Ceremony) community mem- bers for a day of Retreat June 5 practice and study at the monastery. August 7 with Ajahn Amaro Schedule: 11:00 am and others October 2 Daily meal offering (bring a dish to share) optional December 4 November 18–27, 2005 1:00–5:30 pm Angela Center, Santa Rosa, California Chanting, meditation, Refuges/Precepts, *For continuing and new Dhamma teachings More information will be available after June 1 program participants. & Discussion at www.abhayagiri.org.