Dharma
Master Chywan Ben grew up in Malaysia with little personal experience of the
world outside her village.
Although this peaceful environment was naturally conducive to
cultivation, ironically it prevented Chywan Ben from learning anything about
Buddhism.
When
Chywan Ben graduated from high school, she aspired to be a teacher. She decided, however, to postpone
taking the teacher-qualifying exam for a year and to first go to the city to
see what job possibilities were available there.
During
Chywan Ben¡¦s first trip to Kuala Lumpur, her sister took her to a Buddhist
temple. As soon as she saw the
Buddhist monastic, she realized that the left-home way of life is superior to
all others. She immediately wanted
to become a nun, but felt that she was too young.
Shortly
afterwards, she attended a three-day summer Dharma-study class in the temple
school. Her interest in the Dharma
grew and she realized even more how good the life of a left-home person is.
She
and her sister and their cousin stayed on to live at the temple as lay
people. After two years, they left
home together. She received the
name Chywan Ben; her sister received the name Chywan Chr and their cousin, the
name Chywan Rung.
Two
months after Chywan Ben became a Shramanerika, a friend told her about a
newspaper article that said the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas would be holding a
full ordination in August 1989.
With the support of her temple in Malaysia, Chywan Ben was able to
attend the ordination and receive the full precepts of a Bhishuni.
Dharma
Master Chywan Ben is now enrolled in the Sangha Training Program at the City of
Ten Thousand Buddhas. In her
personal cultivation, she concentrates on the recitation of Amitabha¡¦s name and
on studying the Flower Adornment Sutra.
In addition to her studies, she has gained a reputation as an
even-tempered, reliable worker.
She is often called upon when an extra hand is needed at the City of Ten
Thousand Buddhas or at Gold Mountain Monastery and she completes her
assignments with alacrity.
¡§It
is my emotional attachments and false thinking that cause karmic obstacles in
my wish to practice the Buddha-dharma better¡¨, says Mah who was educated in a
Christian school until his graduation from high school.
In
1978, at the age of twenty-four, Mah first saw the Venerable Master giving a
lecture at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. At that time, Mah was looking for ¡§something more practical
and meaningful¡¨ than Christianity.
On seeing the Venerable Master, the first thing Mah did was to close his
eyes and unwittingly think, ¡§For thousands and thousands of years we have not
met; now we meet again¡¨. Later in
the lecture the Venerable Master mentioned almost the same words and Mah was
greatly surprised.
It
took another three years before conditions ripened. At his office, Mah was shown the Dharani Sutra with the
Master¡¦s commentary. There and
then he wanted to read the whole book.
It was as if the Sutra was something he had lost a long, long time ago.
He
then resolved to go to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Even though he was having financial
difficulties, an adequate amount of money somehow appeared just in time for him
to join a colleague and go to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in 1981. His first trip (out of a total of eight
trips by 1990) provided a great experience of peacefulness, a natural feeling
of ease, a wonderful feeling of doing work in the Way-place, extraordinary experiences,
getting instructions from the Master and taking refuge under the Master
together with his colleague. But
Mah also departed from the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas with the false thought
that life is very hard at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
It
was his second trip in 1982 that Mah, due to unusual circumstances and the
advice of two Bhikshus took the Bodhisattva precepts. Mah knew the difficulty of holding the precepts but after
these few years, he quotes from the Brahma Net Sutra:
They are the precepts of all living beings; their source is the purity of the self-nature¡K.Filiality is known as precepts. It is also called restraint and stopping¡K.These precepts are the original source of all Buddhas¡¦ disciples in the great assembly. Therefore all of you disciples of the Buddha in this great assembly ought to receive and uphold these precepts, read them, recite them and study them well.
Mah
hopes that all of the Master¡¦s disciples will take the Bodhisattva precepts and
hold, maintain and recite them.
In
1984, on his third trip to the Sagely City, Mah was called up to the stage in
the main Buddha Hall by the Venerable Master. At that time, he made vows to truly cultivate the Buddha Way
and he still strives to fulfill his vows.
Since then he has made five more trips to the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas and has had many wonderful experiences. He feels that all his questions and problems are always
answered or solved during lectures or while reading Dharma books, doing work or
simply walking.
Mah
has affinities with the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva and
the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, which he recites regularly. He does morning and evening recitation
sessions (at a time convenient to him and his insurance work), bows to the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, recites mantras and meditates. Mah also delights in making trips to
old folks¡¦ homes and orphanages whenever the occasion presents itself and when
funds are available.
Mah
says that he realizes he has many faults, especially his temper and tendency to
get afflicted, but that the Master¡¦s instructions in the translated works of
the Buddhist Text Translation Society at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are
always very timely in helping him to repent and reform. Mah hopes that he will always be
mindful of the Law of Cause and Effect and that he will be able to gain a
penetrating understanding of it.
A
delegation of monks, nuns and lay people from the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
visited England, Belgium, Poland and France during October of this year at the
invitation of Buddhist temples in those countries. The purpose of the trip was to propagate the ancient
teachings of the Buddha throughout the modern world. Lectures by the monks and nuns were translated into English,
Chinese and Vietnamese, as well as the major language of each country they
visited. Vajra Bodhi Sea received
the following press release from the delegation while they were in England.
The
Venerable Hsuan Hua and over a dozen of his Bhishus and Bhikshunis (fully
ordained Buddhist monks and nuns respectively) from the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas in Northern California, joined in the daily ceremonies, meals,
meditation and other activities at Amaravati Buddhist Centre in England with
Ajahn Sumedho and the more than forty members of his monastic community during
October 1990.
Although
each comes from a tradition historically separate from and generally thought
incompatible with the other, the way of life of these two monastic communities
easily blended in this unprecedented encounter. Minor differences faded as they discovered they share a
virtually identical code of ethics, including vows of celibacy, poverty and
abstinence from eating food after noon.
Both traditions also stress the importance of always wearing the kashaya
robe. After several harmonious
days of creative interchange of thought and practice between the two groups,
the elder Venerable Hsuan Hua, founder of the Dharma Realm Buddhist
Association, parent organization of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and its
branch monasteries, proclaimed:
Now, in
this modern space age is the time for Buddhists in the Northern (Mahayana)
Tradition to stop running off to the North and for those in the Southern
(Theravada) Tradition to desist from going South. Rather, those in the North should travel towards the South,
and those in the South should head North.
In this way the two traditions can meet together in the middle and be
united once again.
The Venerable Elder Master also explained that in
the future the community at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas will alternate
their daily Chinese/English morning, afternoon and evening ceremonies with
Pali/English chanting. Other
innovations the community will adopt from the monastic in the Southern
tradition include, for those who wish, wearing the three-kashaya robes
not carrying the alms bowl. The
Venerable Hua explained:
In this
way all traditions of Buddhism will feel that the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
in not different from their very own home. Buddhists should drop their attachments to sects and
divisions so they can become one again.
If Buddhists cannot unite among themselves, then how can they expect to
have a significant influence on the other religions of the world? In fact, all religions should unite
together as well.
Indeed,
if the two main traditions of Buddhism can follow the example of the monastic
communities of Amaravati Buddhist Centre and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas,
if they can not only show mutual respect but also learn from each other, so
that each tradition adopts the good aspects of the other, then Buddhism will
acquire tremendous strength as it serves as a model of harmony and unity for
all people of the world.
The
Amaravati Buddhist Centre houses the largest Buddhist monastic community in
Europe. With three additional
monasteries in England, as well as branches in Italy, Switzerland, Australia
and New Zealand, its total Sangha (monastic community) consists of
approximately ninety monks and nuns.
The
Dharma Realm Buddhist Association¡¦s main centre the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas, located at Talmage in Mendocino County, California, has over one
hundred monastic in residence.
The Association has branches throughout the West Coast of the United
States, as well as in Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Under the auspices of its translation
arm, the Buddhist Text Translation Society, the Dharma Realm Buddhist
Association has published over a hundred translation works in English from the
classical Chinese Buddhist canon, as well as works in Spanish, French and
Vietnamese.
The
two communities and traditions will become further integrated next summer, 1991
when Ajahn Sumedho will lead a retreat for monks, nuns and lay people at the
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Also, the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association will hold its sixth
ordination for Bhikshus and Bhikshunis in the fall of 1991. These ordinations are unique in that
the Certifying Masters are drawn equally from both the Southern and Northern
traditions.
A Talk at Amaravati Buddhist Centre
By the Venerable Abbot, October 6th,
1990
Wherever
I go its just as if I was in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas - there¡¦s no
difference. That way we are of the
same substance as the Dharma Realm.
So today, to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and affinity, to
be able to come to England and be hosted by you makes me very happy, indeed.
In
Buddhism we should unit the Southern and the Northern Traditions. From now on, we won¡¦t refer to Mahayana
or Theravada any longer. Mahayana
is the ¡§Northern Tradition¡¨; Theravada is the ¡§Southern Tradition¡¨. Theravada, ¡§the Southern Tradition¡¨
shouldn¡¦t run so far towards the South.
The ¡§Northern Tradition¡¨ shouldn¡¦t run off to the North. Both should move towards the centre
instead. Now, both the Southern
and the Northern Traditions¡¦ members are disciples of the Buddha, we are all
the Buddha¡¦s descendants. As
such, we should do what Buddhists ought to do. To mutually accuse each other of not being true or real Buddhists
is simply to not recognize Buddhism.
All
Dharmas the Buddha spoke were for the purpose of tallying with the various
potentials of living beings. Both
the Southern and Northern Traditions share the common purpose of helping living
beings to bring forth the Bodhi Mind, to end birth and death, and to leave
suffering and attain happiness.
For people to establish sects and schisms and to accuse others of being
false Buddhists is to do harm to Buddhism as a whole. We should not be at each other¡¦s throats. We should not hold the attitude that
others are not true Buddhists, and that only we are authentic, orthodox
Buddhists. Such an attitude brings
no benefits to the Dharma at all.
I
have always hoped that the Southern Tradition will stop travelling so far
South, and the Northern Tradition will turn back from the Northern route. We will both turn towards the centre
and meet there, and evolve a better understanding of each other. This will be useful to Buddhism. Otherwise, if you go your own way, and
I go mine, then our only choice will be to fall into sectarianism and
divisions, and the strength of Buddhism will scatter and dissipate. We should get to know each other, here
in the middle, where we belong.
The alternative holds no advantages for anyone.
From
the time I first left home to the present, I felt it strange that such a
perfect teaching as Buddhism, with its complete principles should be understood
by so few people in the world. Why
is it so? I conclude that Buddhism
has not been made a universal teaching because no one has yet translated the
Sutras into the world¡¦s languages.
For a religion that benefits humanity well, a religion that people
should not lack for even an instant, to not be known by the world¡¦s people is
simply a shame. In fact, few
people in the world understand the Dharma because the Sutras don¡¦t exist in
foreign language translations.
Catholicism
and Protestantism did so well in the world and became international religions
because the Bible was translated into many languages. Anyone could understand it in his mother tongue. But the Buddha-dharma was translated
into very few languages.
So
I made a vow when I was a young cultivator to see the Buddha-dharma translated
into the world¡¦s many languages.
Although I made this vow after leaving home, I have not yet achieved my
goal. I¡¦m still heading towards
completion of the vow; we are still on the road to success in the future. I myself don¡¦t know English,
nonetheless, if there are people who unite in purpose and who walk the same
road, then let us come together and pool our efforts to translate the Buddha¡¦s
Sutras.
In
Burlington, south of San Francisco, we are now establishing the International
Institute for the Translation of Buddhist texts, and I hope that cultivators
from both the Southern and Northern Traditions will come forth to put the
Sutras into the world¡¦s languages.
This work is very important.
To
simply stand to one side and engage in backbiting and insults, to indulge in
sectarianism and derisiveness, labelling the various sects as true or false, only
wastes time and energy. In
the end we wind up with nothing gained - the time has passed in vain, we have
uselessly wasted our lives.
We
should take note that when the Buddha spoke the Dharma, he used forty-nine
years and presided over three hundred different assemblies. Many of those whom he converted were
former leaders of religions outside of Buddhism who came to believe in the
Dharma. Look at Mahamaudgalyayana,
Venerable Shariputra and Patriarch Mahakashyapa: they were all leaders of other
religious sects in India.
Nevertheless, they all converted to Buddhism.
Why
don¡¦t we, within Buddhism, encourage each other on, help each other and support
each other, so that we all can go forward together? Mutual criticism and fault-finding simply amount to
self-harm. It¡¦s just biting your
own flesh.
When
you look at it from simple practicality, it takes a lot of gumption to boldly
vow to translate the Sutras into the world¡¦s languages, especially when I
myself don¡¦t even speak English.
But I feel certain the Buddha would be pleased by this idea. Even though I don¡¦t speak any languages
other than Chinese, I feel that you who do speak foreign tongues should even
more resolve to accomplish this goal and really bring the work to success. It is most important!
Certainly
one¡¦s personal cultivation is also a priority and also important. If one can cultivate to success and
realize the Noble Fruition of enlightenment, then one¡¦s achievement will emit
great light. Even so, this
accomplishment has only a temporary effect on the world. On the other hand, if you can translate
Sutras into other languages, your contribution - your work - is eternal,
because you have created the potential for bringing the Buddha-dharma into
peoples¡¦ hearts. This task is even
more valuable.
So
I hereby invite all Buddhists of the world to stand together to unite our
strength and to join our will in the task of translating Sutras. Let us realize this goal in our
lifetime. I now lay this request
before all of you tonight. Let us
fulfill this vow. Let us actually
do the work.
A
Chinese proverb says, ¡§Every citizen has a responsibility for his country¡¦s
rising or falling¡¨. In a similar
manner, the flourishing or failing of Buddhism is also the personal
responsibility of every Buddhist disciple. Each Buddhist should view the future success of the Dharma
as his or her own individual duty.
It should be our responsibility to propagate the
Buddha-dharma in every tiny atom of every continent and in every human being¡¦s
heart, so that is pervades the Dharma Realm and the universe, filling up all
places. When Buddhism pervades
everywhere, we can expect the entire Dharma Realm to blaze forth with a
brilliant light.
I
hope none of you Bhikshus and Bhikshunis will fall behind in this work. That¡¦s the reason I am still traveling
everywhere to teach with my cane in my hand.
Taiwan
had an Elder Upasaka named Li Bing-Nan who, at ninety-plus years of age
lectured on the Dharma constantly, even after he became immobile and unable to
walk. He insisted on lecturing
even though his legs refused to cooperate. How? Two men
would pick him up and carry him on to the lecture platform. When the talk was over, they would
carry him back down. That¡¦s how
vigorous he was, even into his nineties.
He made the practice of explaining Sutras his personal responsibility. Right up to the end of his life, he
continued to lecture. Although he
was unable to walk, his mind was very clear.
For
a lay person to be so vigorous is remarkable, how much the more should we
left-home people never retreat in our vigor, but rather go ahead to do what we
ought to do.
I¡¦m
not playing chess as I explain this to all of you; nor have you been checkmate.
After you have heard my message,
those of you who choose to follow my suggestions can do so. Those who disagree won¡¦t be forced to
comply; it¡¦s all up to you. Any
time one uses force or coercion, one will be sure to fail. People should do what they like; it
must come from their own volition.
For
example, what I told you about my vows comes completely from my own
wishes. It is something I myself
want to do; I feel it must be done.
I consider myself a disciple of the Buddha regardless of whether or not
I have the necessary requirement to be a Buddhist disciple. I feel I must go ahead and do this
work, regardless. I¡¦ve been doing
the work of the Buddha all my life, simply because I felt it must be done. Even if the Buddha refused to accept me
as his disciple, I would still feel this work had to be done. That¡¦s the kind of person I am.
I
hope that the Southern and Northern Buddhist Traditions can wake up from their
confused dreams and get on with what¡¦s supposed to be done.
Whether
my words to you are right or wrong is up to you to decide. ¡§If it¡¦s the Path, advance along
it. If it¡¦s not the Path, then
retreat from it¡¨.
I
don¡¦t care whether the Buddha will take me as his disciple or not. All the same, I made it a habit since I
was twelve years old to bow to all living beings 830 times each morning and
again 830 times each night. I¡¦m
telling you this just to acquaint you with my character.
I won¡¦t enumerate the full
list of people I bowed to - there are too many to name in the time remaining. After ten years of that method, I
shortened my bowing to five bows each time I bowed. The first bow is to all the limitless, infinite Buddhas in
the ten directions and three periods of time, extending throughout the Dharma
Realm to the limits of empty space.
The
second bow is to the Dharma spoken by the Buddhas, infinite and boundless, in
the ten directions and the three periods, extending throughout the Dharma Realm
to the ends of empty space.
The
third bow is to all the infinite, limitless Sangha of Sages and the common
Sangha in the ten directions and three periods, extending throughout the Dharma
Realm and filling empty space.
The
fourth bow is to all the infinite, measureless living beings, including humans
and non-humans alike, in the ten directions, three periods, empty space and the
Dharma Realm. So, as a left-home
person, I don¡¦t put on airs. Even
though I am not ¡§Never-Slighting-Others Bodhisattva¡¨, but only an ordinary
Bhikshu, all the same I want to show my respect to every living being. Thus I bow to them all with my fourth
bow.
The
fifth bow is to the Pratimoksha, the Precepts spoken by the Buddha, pervading
the Dharma Realm and empty space, throughout the ten directions and the three
periods of time. This is because
only through cultivation of these precepts can one study and learn the
Buddha-dharma. Although I am old
in years now, I still bow this way, and I thought I¡¦d let you know why I don¡¦t
practice being arrogant.
I
include the Precepts in my bows because when the Buddha was about to enter
Nirvana, the Venerable Ananda asked him four questions. One of these was ¡§When the Buddha is in
the world, we take the Buddha as our teacher. After the Buddha enters Nirvana, who shall we take as our
teacher?¡¨ The Buddha answered,
¡§Take the precepts as your teacher¡¨.
So we study the Pratimoksha; the Precepts are our teacher in the world. They give us in our study of the
Dharma.
During
September 1990, a delegation from the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas went to
Taiwan and conducted a Great Compassion, Nation-protecting Gwan Yin Dharma
Assembly. The delegation also held
a transmission of the precepts, including the precepts for the deceased, at
Ching Liang Monastery and participated in a six-day Compassion Liang Emperor¡¦s
Jewelled Repentance Dharma assembly led by Dharma Master Jen-Yi and other
Dharma Masters at Pau Chieh Monastery.
The major Dharma assembly held by the delegation was at Chung Cheng
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Plaza in Taipei.
The event, sponsored by forty different recitation groups in Taiwan,
drew 100,000 participants.
While
in Taiwan, the delegation visited Ta Hsing Shan (Great Arising of Goodness)
Monastery near Taichung and was impressed by the selfless practice of the nuns
who serve there. Among other
activities, the delegation also joined 3500 other Dharma Masters for Taiwan¡¦s
annual Great Dana Offering at Mu-tsa.
Dharma
Master Heng Sure, a member of the delegation, remarked that he was impressed by
the sincerity of so many devotees of all ages and from all walks of life. He expressed his hope that the day will
soon come to America when people will seek the Dharma with such devotion and selflessness.
Elderhostel
came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas for two one-week programs from 7
October to 20 October 1990. The
programs were sponsored by Dharma Realm Buddhist University, the John F.
Kennedy University Graduate School of Human Consciousness and Gatekeepers to
the Future Inc.
Elderhostel
is an educational program for adults sixty years of age and older. From its modest beginning in 1975 on
five campuses in New Hampshire, with six students attending the first series of
courses, Elderhostel has expanded to offer programs this year on 1500 campuses
located in all fifty states of the United States, all ten Canadian provinces,
and over forty other countries to some 195,000 elders. Enrolment continues to increase by
about twenty percent per year.
Most programs offer three academic courses for one week in a residential
setting with simple accommodations and nutritious, not gourmet, meals at a
modest cost.
Courses
offered at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas were ¡§Scientific Revolutions of the
Twentieth Century¡¨/¡¨Science and Beyond¡¨ (first week/second week) taught by Dr.
George Weissman; ¡§Birth, Death and Rebirth: The Knowledge of Things to
Come¡¨/¡¨Fundamentals of Buddhist Meditation¡¨ taught alternatively by Bhikshuni
Heng Chr and Dr. Ron Epstein with Bhikshu Heng Ru; and ¡§Introduction to Chinese
Painting¡¨ taught both weeks by Professor Chen Bao Chi. Workshops and other special programs
were also offered including classes in photography conducted by Alan Nicholson
and Ernie Waugh, martial arts instruction by Jeff Kelly, and a lively
discussion on the responsibility of seniors to protect the environment for
future generations led by Marty Knowlton, founder of Elderhostel and
coordinator for the two weeks.
Each
of the twenty-three elders who attended the first week and the seventeen who
attended the second week had his or her own special reason for coming to the
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Some
wanted intellectual stimulation.
Some were looking for answers to the question, ¡§Who am I?¡¨ Some had lived in or visited Asia and
wanted to know more about Chinese culture. Some were just curious. Some came with their spouses, others alone. One person had attended fifty-two other
Elderhostel programs; for others, this was their first.
Some Elderhostelers were retired science professors
or engineers; others were currently housewives and volunteer workers. But all shared an eagerness to learn, a
desire to know more and to improve themselves.
Despite
their various backgrounds, many of the hostelers seemed to feel right at home
at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
One woman who had enrolled for the first week decided to stay for the
second. One woman offered advice
on how to fix up the campus and then asked when she could return to participate
in more Dharma Realm Buddhist University activities. Another person asked how to make arrangements to live at the
City. Most of the elders left
their cars parked near their residence and walked - briskly and energetically -
about the campus. One man rode his
folding bicycle for exercise.
As
individuals, the elderhostelers took with them their own unique experiences and
gains. Issues of health are
important to older people and with the added Buddhist perspective on compassion,
there were a few converts to vegetarianism who sought recipes and cooking
advice from the kitchen staff.
Those who sought food for thought were stimulated by Dr. Weissman¡¦s
explanation of how science cannot supply all the answers we thought it would
and maybe Buddhism can. From the
courses on Buddhism and witnessing the daily life at the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas, spiritual seekers gained insight into the importance of looking within
themselves.
On
the last full day of each session, each of the Elderhostel groups left the City
of Ten Thousand Buddhas a lasting gift of two redwood trees. Young and old united as the hostellers
joined with Instilling Goodness Elementary and Developing Virtue Secondary
Schools for a tree planting ceremony near the front of the campus.
On
Friday evening, the elderhostelers held a graduation ceremony, and on Saturday
morning they went their separate ways.
They left behind not only redwood trees, but a challenge for the City of
Ten Thousand Buddhas. The Elderhostel
experience showed that we at the City could open our doors to non-Buddhists,
that Westerners are receptive to the teachings of the Buddha. Every day at the City, we recite the
Bodhisattva vow to rescue the limitless living beings. The challenge for the City of Ten
Thousand Buddhas is simply this: how can we fulfill our own vows in the
West? How can we make the
teachings that we cherish available to those who are hungry for them, but have
gone off on other paths and don¡¦t know where to look? The Elderhostel experience shows it can be done. The challenge for the City of Ten
Thousand Buddhas is to do it.
For
more information about Elderhostel programs, contact: Elderhostel; 80 Boylston
St., Suite 400, Boston, MA 02116.
Also, watch for more articles on Elderhostel experience in future issues
of Vajra Bodhi Sea.