Young monks pitch new ways to teach old values

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Tokyo, Japan -- Put it down to good karma. More than 100 curious citizens
applied over the Internet for the chance to feast on vegetarian fare at the
table of Kakuho Aoe, chief monk of the Ryokusenji temple in Tokyo’s
Asakusa district.

<< Blindfolded diners cautiously nibble at dishes placed in front of them during a recent "Kurayami Gohan" event at Ryokusenji temple in Tokyo's Taito Ward. (By Hiroshi Matsubara)

But only the first 13 were accepted.

As the diners were escorted into a backroom one recent evening, they looked more nervous than excited.

In the event called “Kurayami Gohan” (eating in the dark), guests are treated to eat a course of basic Buddhist cuisine--tofu, rice, vegetables and other simple dishes, along with broth. But they have to wear blindfolds during the one-hour course.

Their verdict on the food? Highly original and delicious.

Then Aoe posed a question that almost sounded like a Zen riddle: When was last time they had eaten a meal in such a picky and earnest manner.

Almost to a person, the diners responded with “no” or “probably never.”

Afterward, Aoe, 35, said with a satisfied smile that his mission was accomplished. “It is my pleasure if I can help guests see such routine activities like eating as a very special experience,” said the 14th generation chief monk at the temple, which was founded four centuries ago.

Although “Kurayami Gohan” looks like a fun, gourmet event, Aoe said it is actually aimed at steering people to notice “impermanence,” an essential doctrine of Buddhism that says nothing stays the same, and thus, should not be taken granted.

Aoe belongs to the Jodo Shinshu sect of Pure Land Buddhism and is a member of an interdenominational group of Internet-savvy monks who organize cultural and community events at their temples to attract young people.

They have tried to reach out to a broader audience through their slickly-designed, online virtual temple site called “Higanji” since 2003 and have opened their temples for concerts, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and other cultural events.

Because of his cooking skills, Aoe, who holds an MBA from California, has hosted the monthly “Kurayami Gohan” event since 2006. Last November, Aoe released a cookbook introducing 86 recipes based on traditional Buddhist fare.

The recent session resonated with participant Shigeyo Komori.

“It turns people off when a religion preaches dogma, but this way I found myself receptive to the monk’s messages,” said the 44-year-old law firm secretary.

“Monks today need to have cultural tools and event-producing abilities to reach out to the masses,” Aoe said. “That is because we can actually offer wisdom to help an individual live a better life, regardless of religious affiliation.”

VALUE FOR COMMUNITY

Closer to the heart of Tokyo, in Kamiyacho in Minato Ward, is Komyoji temple, which serves as a hub for cultural activities organized by Higanji member monks due to its location and spacious compound.

A project that has taken root is called “Kamiyacho Open Terrace,” offering an alfresco cafe experience on the balcony of the temple’s main building with a view of Tokyo Tower and a graveyard almost at its foot.

The space is open to visitors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Visitors are allowed to bring their own lunch and drinks, but from spring to fall, monks offer to serve tea and coffee at no cost, as well as Japanese confectionery they make.

Monks also offer face-to-face counseling and spiritual advice, if visitors ask for it. The venue also hosts periodical concerts and DJ events, titled “Tasogare” (twilight hour).

Another Higanji member, Keisuke Matsumoto, a 33-year-old Jodo Shinshu monk, became a prime mover behind the projects by networking with fellow monks and friends from his alma mater, the University of Tokyo.

Like Aoe, Matsumoto is a MBA graduate, in his case the Indian School of Business.

In his view, Japanese Buddhism has lost much of its cultural appeal, mostly because the traditional “danka” system, whereby local community members and grave owners obligatorily support temple operations, holds so much sway in society.

“The system was built so well that it allowed anyone--even someone who should be least qualified as a monk--to run a temple,” Matsumoto said.

“But those days are rapidly coming to a close because of diminishing family ties in local communities, which were the foundation of a temple’s sustainability. We now need to create another ‘en’ (chain) with society,” he said.

This sense of urgency prompted Matsumoto to set up a year-long special workshop, titled “school for future monks,” in 2012 to teach young monks who just inherited family temples and monk-wannabes how to withstand the economic buffeting they are certain to encounter.

During a recent session at Komyoji, Matsumoto instructed a dozen students to map out a “business plan” for their temples, using advanced management models from the business school he attended.

To an outsider, it sounded odd to hear monks using terms like “stakeholder,” “client satisfaction,” “core values” and “intangible assets.”

But Matsumoto said the goal of the seminar was to help students single out values and services that no social services other than Buddhism can offer.

“Unless it can change people’s lives for the better, religion is meaningless,” he said. “But we, young monks, need to find a new approach suitable for this era.”

OPENING UP

A student at the seminar, Masaomi Tomomitsu, 29, became a resident monk at Jokoji temple in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward after marrying his high school sweetheart, the daughter of the chief priest.

Life at the spacious temple has been full of surprises, said Tomomitsu, who comes from a modest background and grew up in cramped public housing.

Tomomitsu said he found the life of a monk surprisingly stress-free and economically stable.

Other than at New Year, the Bon remembrance holiday for ancestors and the spring an autumn equinox, along with days the temple hosts funeral services, Tomomitsu said he has plenty of time for himself, as daily services, for both morning and night, only take 30 minutes.

“Seeing all my college friends working hard around the clock as freshman corporate workers, I felt as if I was living in another world,” he recalled.

Then, as with many of his countrymen, March 11, 2011, proved to be a wake-up call. The magnitude-9.0 earthquake that triggered devastating tsunami and a nuclear disaster gave Tomomitsu a new way to view the world and stake out a purpose in life.

His search for mission led him to start “Kogen” (toward the origin), an annual music and arts festival at the temple that targets young people in the hope a visit to the tranquil surroundings will help them find peace of mind, even just for a day. By interacting with young artists, Tomomitsu said the temple can, in turn, develop a stronger spiritual and cultural presence.

Last year’s event attracted 150 visitors. This year, the program will be more varied than in the past, with Zen riddle sessions, yoga and meditation workshops and seminars on Buddhism teaching. The event is slated for April 29.

It clearly has potential, as two other local temples and a Shinto shrine will offer venues, and 30 monks will participate from various schools. The event is expect to attract 400 visitors, Tomomitsu said.

Aoe of Asakusa’s Ryokusenji will provide “bento” lunch boxes of his original cuisine during the event.

“If similar initiatives are being made by young monks around Japan, then temples will be recognized again as cultural community centers,” Tomomitsu said. “That, I think, is the only way that Buddhism can survive into the future."

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Thai society rediscovers the values of the Buddha to combat materialism and economic crisis

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Bangkok, Thailand -- In June, celebrations were held to commemorate 2600 years of illumination of the "Awakened One". In a conference, hundreds of faithful, monks and nuns discuss the value of faith and the challenges of modernity. The risks of globalization, promoting an education system capable of forming good citizens.

Against the materialism prevalent in society, the obsessive search for money, worldly possessions and the pervasive spiritual crisis, Thai Buddhists state that "the path to enlightenment" indicated by the "awakened" is the only way to create "a world of peace."

Coinciding with the celebrations for Buddha's enlightenment 2600 years, better known as "Buddha Chayatee (BC)," the faithful wanted to promote meetings and events aimed at reinforcing the centrality of faith and religion in the life of the nation. Even Thailand, in fact, in recent years has promoted a politics focused on economics, personal success, while neglecting the spiritual and religious element.

The scandals that have hit some monasteries and leading figures of Buddhism has emphasised local fractures and increased dropouts. For groups and individuals that seek to raise the value of religion, the teachings of Buddha are still essential for peace and harmony locally and internationally.

From June 4 to 30 across Thailand events and commemorations of the 2600 remember the enlightenment of Buddha were held. On the final day, the "Public Stage" movement opened a meeting at Buddhamondhol Buddhist Center in Bangkok, attended by hundreds of people, including monks, nuns and faithful.

At the heart of the encounter, the value of religion past and present, along with ways to encourage and promote Buddhism in Thai society. The role of schools and educational establishments need to be stepped up however, called to promote among students the teachings of the Buddha and their value for contemporary life.

62.8 million people live in Thailand, of which 10 million are concentrated in Bangkok. The vast majority, almost 95% profess Buddhism, while 4% are Muslims (especially in the south) and 1% Christian, of which 300 thousand Catholics. For this reason the country is still considered the world centre of religion, with over 33 thousand monasteries and institutes across the area, even if it is going through a period of deep crisis in vocations and practice of worship.

For famous columnist Somchai Preeechasilp the cause lies in a growing materialism, combined with the severe economic crisis. Globalization, he said, poses challenges to the principles of Buddhism, to the values and morals that people should use concretely strengthen their spirituality.

Prapapatra Niyom, director of the Buddhist Path School (BPS), explains that the institutions are responsible for developing all aspects of the person in the students: physical, mental, emotional and social. It has launched a pre-school for children, with the aim of forming children who are educated and formed and able to best represent the future of the nation. From an early age pupils are called to recite morning prayers, meditate on the teachings of the Buddha for at least five minutes a day and use it as a maximum in the resolution of everyday problems.

As is the case with little Saifon, whose name means "drop of rain", blind since birth, but who has wanted to be "illuminated" by following the example of the "master". A college student named Yarnapatra Yodkaew finally remembers that every good Buddhist faithful must develop three characteristics: discipline in preserving the teachings of the enlightened, the search of solitude for personal meditation and intelligence to understand the way forward when called to address a problem or a challenge.

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Buddhist values more relevant today

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Timphu, Bhutan -- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, a prominent tulku associated with Dzongsar Monastery in Derge, Eastern Tibet and also a renowned filmmaker and writer, shares his wisdom on issues that relates to our daily world.

Where do you see our central monastic body heading towards 30-50 years from now?

This is something that we have to really think about.  You need vision. It’s a very big gamble. I have seen monasteries in India, China and Bhutan and I tell them to really think about admitting girls and changing the curriculum. I am not a big fan of the education system that exists today in this world. Do you know that some of the most successful people in the world and Bhutan are all school dropouts?

I have been sort of saying that we should really think dramatically and change it drastically. But you are talking to devotees, to people who are stuck with morality and values. It’s really tough. Yes, I will tell bravely, that I can see, our dratshangs, judging from what’s happening, 50 years from now on, there will probably be only 50 monks.

Having said that, there is a lot of encouraging signs also, like young people I have met who say they want to become a monk but feel guilty because their parents have spent so much. How encouraging for the spiritual world. This is what we should bank on.

Should we allocate more resources towards spreading teachings than proliferating Buddhist infrastructure?

I don’t know whether, “we”, this democratic Bhutan, systematically develop the infrastructure of Buddha dharma. But I would strongly say that Buddhist values, wisdom and message are certainly very relevant today more than ever. It is something I don’t think we should lose because this can happen. I see sometimes, many of the younger Bhutanese are beginning to have some interest in Buddhism because all these chilips are beginning to have some interest. That’s not so good. I always say this, that Mahatma Gandhi who is known for non-violence got the idea from foreigners who got the same idea from Indians. So this could happen to you.  You could be learning Buddhism from some John.

Will anarchy alleviate all sufferings because it seems the foundation of all sufferings is a result of a society, its rules and perceptions.

I have always said that the biggest contribution to the world from the west is not science or technology. It’s anarchism. But this I say half jokingly. The thing is, we human beings are such a sucker to rules. We love rules. I don’t think we have the courage and wisdom to live with anarchism. So it’s not going to work. I think its good to, since we will not know how to live with lawlessness, might as well live with some law, even though it’s really not good.

If trulkus are reincarnations of former masters, why do they have to be subjected through exhaustive re-education process?

That is if only they go through all these exhausting training these days. They don’t even do that now. Trulkus are just pretending that they have to go through all these.  After all they are trulku, trulba, which means show magic, drama, exhibition.

Rinpoche’s comments on religion divides people.

It doesn’t take much to divide human beings. Religion just happens to be a very good device. This religion has created lot of chaos and havoc but I have to say that religion has also answered lot of personal quests. When we say religion, are we talking about some kind of a systematic religion or a spiritual path?

Spiritual path is different. It’s necessary, like songs, romance and poetry. Romance from the mathematic, scientific point of view, is just so ridiculous. But it gives some kind of a solace and religion is or especially the spiritual path has so many profound answers to many of the budding questions that we have.

Gomchens say its korzey when they perform prayers and also receive payment. Aren’t they paid for their work like any one of us?

When this gomchen says its korzey, is he being humble? There is a little bit of negative connotation when you say korzey. I really wish these gomchens and gelongs know wholeheartedly that devotees offering money or gifts or service, even a short bow, is kor, which basically is karmic debt. And if you don’t perform your job well, it will haunt you, rather go through the consequences.

I don’t know whether it should be considered like a normal wage, probably not. Although, I am sure within 20 years, if the religious aspect of Buddhism is still thriving in Bhutan, I can already see sort of hotlines for rimdos and gomchens. Like dial 8888 for rimdo.

Is there anything as black magic or nyen in Buddhism?

In Buddhism the most important is the wisdom of non-duality. Rest, methods, anything is fine. Mahayana Buddhism has infinite methods of dealing with people. Generally you’ll never find black magic in the sutras and sastras. There’s none. Actually there are only three that Mahayana Buddhists are not supposed to have – covetousness, harmful thinking, and wrong view. Other than that, anything can be the path.

Why is it that sometimes the more we practice dharma the more pain one goes through, where as the more negative act one commits, the more successful they become?

There is a prayer where Jigme Lingpa says, “Buddhists and Bodhisattvas, please make sure that what ever I want never happens.” Buddhist blessings, he said is when 100 things that you wish never come true but 1,000 things that you dare not wish come true. That’s Buddha’s blessing. So I would say, if you are a serious dharma practitioner, you are fulfilling your wish when things are going wrong. You are seeing the truth, actualising it and when that is happening, you should see it as a blessing. Next time when things are going wrong, go home and throw a big party.

How do wangs, prayers and mantras work?

Wang actually is like lets say, you had amnesia, forgot your name and whereabouts. Then somebody says, you are from Paro and your name is Dorji. You wake up because we have all forgotten our true identity, which is the Buddha.

On the more relative level, if you are a Buddhist, this is something you must know. Buddha dharma is probably the only system, only path that wholeheartedly and completely embraces the system of cause, condition and effect. So in this way, Buddhism is very scientific. Everything depends on cause, condition and effect. And cause and condition are endless.

Some ask me how Buddhist karma works because some do lots of prayers and are not successful while some kill and steal and are still successful. You know this unpredictability of karma. I can tell you karma is basically a science of cause and condition. These advanced scientists today can’t predict tomorrow’s or this afternoon’s weather, how can we ignorant, limited beings predict the complex situation of cause, condition and effect. But one thing we know is that nothing emerges out of the blue. And as Buddhists, we don’t believe that things are created by god, so prayers, blessings, are or could be part of those intricate, complex of cause, condition and effect.

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