Cambodia’s Buddhist Monks Seek Peace

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Siem Reap, Cambodia -- At first glance, the life of a Cambodian Buddhist monk does not differ much from the life of an ordinary person. They sleep, eat, shower, talk, and laugh just like anyone else.

But the orange robes signify that these people are dedicating their lives to meditation.

About 130 mostly young monks live in Wat Bo, a pagoda in the heart of Cambodia’s temple city, Siem Reap.

The monastery requires them to shave their heads at age 3, but the lifestyle is attractive for children from poor families because of the opportunity to eat adequately and have the chance to study.

Among the monks is Piseth, a novice who since childhood has dreamed of being able to help his family.

“I became a monk because I was poor,” he said. “I know that someday I will return to a normal life. I dream about teaching Buddhism and English to children who, like me, have been led to become monks because of poverty.”

Piseth’s day begins at four in the morning to the rhythm of a drum announcing the start of a new day. After a quick shower, he and the others walk barefoot through the streets of Siem Reap in search of food offerings to help alleviate their hunger.

In silence, the Cambodian monks walk up to two hours per day carrying a silver bowl, where the predominantly Buddhist population deposit their offerings.

The adversity of this daily journey is evident in the monks’ cracked feet, which are washed with joy on return to the monastery before breakfast.

The cornerstones of Cambodian Buddhism are bonzes (monks) and wats (spiritual centers).

In the late 1950s, some 100,000 of a total population of 5 million were monks. This very high rate was largely due to the ease with which children could enter and leave the sangha (Buddhist community).

Becoming a monk and leaving the sangha are matters of individual choice, although in theory all Cambodian males over 16 should serve as monks for a period.

The majority of young people do not intend to become ordained lifetime monks ( bhikkhu ) and normally participate in the sangha for less than a year. Even if it is temporary, for the families it is a source of pride to have a child monk.

There are two classes of bonzes at a wat — the novices ( samani or nen ) and the bhikkhu.

It is in the wats that the daily life of a monk is developed.

In Wat Bo, the mornings and afternoons are dedicated almost entirely to studying. Subjects such as math, English and the teachings of Buddha make up the curriculum in monk schools.

Out of all their subjects, English is preferred by most, Piseth confesses, although they do not have many opportunities to practice it.

“I speak a little bit of English but can rarely practice it,” said Heng Bunchea, 38, another monk of Wat Bo.

“Many tourists come to take pictures when we pray or when we rest at the pagoda, but very few sit down to talk to us and if we don’t talk to them, we will not be able to improve our English.”

The continuous daily study is disrupted only by the hour dedicated to eating the last meal of the day.

This is one of the five precepts of the Buddhist monastic asceticism, which also includes not participating in any form of entertainment like singing, dancing or watching TV, using personal ornaments, sleeping in a luxurious bed or carrying money.

As the hours pass under the scorching Cambodian sun, shadows of the trees that cover Wat Bo serve as makeshift schools where several groups of novices speak about the Buddhist teachings they have learned during the morning class.

Suddenly, the sound of the drum breaks the tranquility and it is time to pray in the temple.

Little by little, all the monks who live in Wat Bo arrive at one of the temples located on the eastern side of the monastery. One by one they stand in position with their feet facing the direction opposite the large Golden Buddha statue that dominates the interior of the temple.

Between flashes of the cameras of tourists, the youthful voices create an almost magical atmosphere.

“Our sutras are dedicated to Buddha, to the Dharma and to the sangha,” Heng Bunchea explained.

On one side of the temple, several women in white robes with shaved heads are following the chants with deep devotion. Although making contact with the monks is forbidden for women, their role in the monastery is fundamental.

Adult women, especially widows, live in the wat and play an important role in the daily life of the temple.

They generally observe the same rules as the monks and prepare the altars among other tasks in order to guarantee the perfect functioning of everyday life in the small wat.

The night soon begins to fall over Siem Reap. The sky seems to honor the diligent human monks with their shaved heads and their robes in the colors of the sunset.

“I do not understand why countries go to war, why people kill other people, or why they go crazy for money,” Heng said. “But I do know that this happens in the world we live in, so I dream one day to see the world enjoying santepheap [peace].”

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China shuts down temples on sacred Buddhist site Mount Wutai

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Mt. Wutai, China -- CHINA has shut down two temples on a sacred Buddhist mountain and arrested six people after fake monks reportedly deceived tourists into donating money.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the Mount Wutai Administration Bureau closed two of the mountain's dozens of temples and revoked their business licenses on Friday.

It says the six people were arrested over illegal funding and that the temples had reportedly hired fake monks to con tourists into buying expensive incense and paying unreasonable amounts of money for ceremonies.

Last year, the government's religious affairs office called on local authorities to ban profiteering related to religious activity and told them not to allow religious venues to be run as business ventures.

Mount Wutai is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

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Sex abuse allegations surround L.A. Buddhist teacher

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An investigation by an independent council of Buddhist teachers indicates that Joshu Sasaki Roshi, 105, may have abused hundreds of followers. No charges have been filed.

Los Angeles, USA -- At 19, Shari Young was in search of enlightenment. She thought she had found it at the Cimarron Zen Center (now known as Rinzai-ji) in Jefferson Park and in a Buddhist teacher, a man named Joshu Sasaki Roshi.

But she said Roshi, as his followers call him, began using their one-on-one meetings to fondle her breasts and grope her body. She consented in confusion but left after nearly a year.

That was in the early '60s, she said. A recent investigation by an independent council of Buddhist leaders has suggested that Roshi, a leading figure in Zen Buddhism in the United States, may have abused hundreds of others for decades. According to the group's report, that abuse included allegations of molestation and rape, and some of the incidents had been reported to the Rinzai-ji board, which had taken no effective action.

"We see how, knowingly and unknowingly, the community was drawn into an open secret," the council wrote, adding: "We have reports that those who chose to speak out were silenced, exiled, ridiculed or otherwise punished."

Paul Karsten, a spokesman for the center interviewed about the controversy before the council's report was completed, said Roshi was too ill to respond and cautioned that the sexual misconduct allegations had not been verified. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The council of Rinzai-ji oshos — senior Zen teachers ordained under Roshi — however, responded with a public statement: "Our hearts were not firm enough, our minds were not clear enough, and our practices were not strong enough so that we might persist until the problem was resolved. We fully acknowledge now, without any reservation, and with the heaviest of hearts, that because of our failure to address our teacher's sexual misconduct, women and also men have been hurt."

The apology from the oshos is the first of its kind and is seen as vindication by members who said they had suspected such misconduct for years.

The council investigation was spurred by a letter published in November on the website Sweeping Zen by Eshu Martin, who studied under Roshi. Titled "Everybody Knows," it excoriated the community for suppressing reports of sexual misconduct.

"It's been sort of a tribal secret for 50 years, and I just wanted to provide an opportunity for people to start talking about this in an open forum that couldn't be shut up," Martin said about his letter. He also hoped to start a public discussion while Roshi was still living; he is 105 and in poor health.

Roshi arrived in Los Angeles 50 years ago and was among a wave of Japanese teachers to tailor Zen Buddhism to Westerners. He quickly became an exalted figure and opened about 30 centers, including one on Mt. Baldy that is known for its rigorous training regimen. It was commonly thought, Martin and other critics said, that if women left Mt. Baldy it was because they weren't tough enough to handle the demanding conditions.

In 1992, Sandy Stewart, who had spent 25 years studying with Roshi, resigned from the Rinzai-ji board. He cited an "atmosphere of secrecy" regarding his teacher's inappropriate sexual behavior. One of the victims was a woman named Susanna who became Stewart's wife.

After some years passed, Stewart was coaxed back into the Rinzai-ji community and told that all of the abuse had stopped. He said he then discovered that it hadn't and wrote a letter to the board insisting that the issue be confronted. The response was an onslaught of hate mail, he said.

"People … thought I was stupid and crazy," Stewart, 75, said. "They said, 'Have you no respect?' and said I should be lashed and beaten."

Even Susanna Stewart, 71, said that for some time she felt conflicted about the abuse she suffered because she also loved and respected her teacher.

Young, who is now 63, said she would have stayed in the Zen tradition if it weren't for the abuse. Instead, she became an Episcopal priest.

"The impact on me was so tremendous," she said. "It's kind of a relief and confirming to know I wasn't just odd. In the church we have this expression, 'The truth will out.' If you've perpetrated damage upon others, at some point you have to face it."

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Nagarjuna and Quantum physics: Eastern and Western Modes of Thought

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Christian Thomas Kohl dissects key terms in the teachings of Nagarjuna and transposes these ideas with Quantum Physics. The following is a summary of his thesis on the subject.

1. Key term: ‘Emptiness’. The Indian philosopher Nagarjuna ( 2nd century BC ) is known in the history of Buddhism mainly by his keyword ‘sunyata’. This word is translated into English by the word ‘emptiness’. The translation and the traditional interpretations  create the impression that Nagarjuna declares the objects as empty or illusionary or not real or not existing. What is the assertion and concrete statement made by this interpretation? That nothing can be found, that there is nothing, that nothing exists? Was Nagarjuna denying the external world? Did he wish to refute that which evidently is? Did he want to call into question the world in which we live? Did he wish to deny the presence  of things that somehow arise?  My first point is the refutation of this traditional translation and interpretation.

2. Key terms: ‘Dependence’ or ‘relational view’. My second point consists in a transcription of the keyword of ‘sunyata’ by the word ‘dependence’. This is something that Nagarjuna himself has done. Now Nagarjuna’s central view can be named ‘dependence of things’. Nagarjuna is not looking for a material or immaterial object which can be declared as a fundamental reality of this world. His fundamental reality is not an object. It is a relation between objects. This is a relational view of reality. Reality is without foundation. Or: Reality has the wide open space as foundation.

3. Key terms: ‘Arm in arm’. But Nagarjuna did not stop there. He was not content to repeat this discovery of relational reality. He went on one step further indicating that what is happening between two things. He gave indications to the space between two things. He realised that not the behaviour of bodies, but the behaviour of something between them may be essential for understanding the reality. This open space is not at all empty. It is full of energy. The open space is the middle between things. Things are going arm in arm. The middle might be considered as a force that bounds men to the world and it might be seen as well as a force of liberation. It might be seen as a bondage to the infinite space.

4. Key term: Philosophy. Nagarjuna, we are told, was a Buddhist philosopher. This statement is not wrong when we take the notion ‘philosophy’ in a deep sense as a love to wisdom, not as wisdom itself. Philosophy is a way to wisdom. Where this way has an end wisdom begins and philosophy is no more necessary. A.N. Whitehead gives philosophy the commission of descriptive generalisation. We do not need necessarily a philosophical building of universal dimensions. Some steps of descriptive generalisation might be enough in order to see and understand reality. There is another criterion of Nagarjuna’s philosophy. Not his keywords ‘sunyata’ and ‘pratityasamutpada’ but his 25 philosophical examples are the heart of his philosophy. His examples are images. They do not speak to rational and conceptual understanding. They speak to our eyes. Images, metaphors, allegories or symbolic examples have a freshness which rational ideas do not possess. Buddhist dharma and philosophy is a philosophy of allegories. This kind of philosophy is not completely new and unknown to European philosophy. Since Plato’s allegory of the cave it is already a little known. (Plato 424 – 348 BC) The German philosopher Hans Blumenberg has underlined the importance of metaphors in European philosophy.

5. Key terms: Quantum Physics. Why quantum physics? European modes of thought had no idea of the space between two things. They were bound to the ideas of substance or subject, two main metaphysical traditions of European philosophical history, two main principles. These substances and these subjects are two immaterial bodies which were considered by traditional European metaphysics as lying, as a sort of core, inside the objects or underlying the empirical reality of our world. The first European scientist who saw with his inner eye the forces between two things had been Michael Faraday (1791-1867). Faraday was an English scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism. Later physicists like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg and others followed his view in modern physics. This is a fifth point of my work. I compare Nagarjuna with European scientific modes of thought for a better understanding of Asia. I do not compare Nagarjuna with European philosophers like Hegel, Heidegger, Wittgenstein. The principles and metaphysical foundations of physical sciences are more representative for European modes of thought than the ideas of Hegel, Heidegger and Wittgenstein and they are more precise. And slowly we are beginning to understand these principles.

Let me take as an example the interpretation of quantum entanglement by the British mathematician Roger Penrose. Penrose discusses in the year of 2000 the experiences of quantum entanglement where light is separated over a distance of 100 kilometers and still remains connected in an unknown way. These are well known experiments in the last 30 years. Very strange for European modes of thought. The light should be either separated or connected. That is the expectation most European modes of thought tell us. Aristotle had been the first. Aristotle (384  - 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great. He told us: Either a situation exists or not. There is not a third possibility. Now listen to Roger Penrose:

“Quantum entanglement is a very strange type of thing. It is somewhere between objects being separate and being in communication with each other” (Roger Penrose,  The Large, the Small and the Human Mind, Cambridge University Press. 2000 page 66). This sentence of Roger Penrose is a first step of a philosophical generalisation in a  Whiteheadian sense.

6. Key terms: ‘The metaphysical foundations of modern science’ had been examined  particularly by three European and American philosophers: E. A. Burtt, A.N. Whitehead and Hans-Georg Gadamer, by Gadamer eminently in his late writings on Heraclitus and Parmenides. I try to follow the approaches of these philosophers of anti-substantialism. By ‘metaphysical foundations’ I do not understand transcendental ideas but simply the principles that are underlying sciences.

7. Key terms : ‘Complementarity’, ‘interactions’, ‘entanglements’.  Since 1927 quantum physics has three key terms which give an indication to the fundamental physical reality: Complementarity, interactions and entanglement. These three notions are akin to Nagarjuna’s relational view of reality. They are akin and they are very precise, so that Buddhism might learn something from these descriptions and quantum physicists might learn from Nagarjuna’s examples and views of reality. They might learn to do a first step in a philosophical generalisation of quantum physical experiments. All of us we might learn how objects are entangled or going arm in arm.

For details, please visit: http://goo.gl/R41U4

Chapter 12: Suffering and the causes of suffering. Commentary: Suffering is not independent from a cause of suffering and not identical with its cause. There can be no cause without an effect, or an effect without a cause. The notion ‘cause’ has no meaning without the notion ‘effect’. Cause and effect are not one, but they cannot be separated into two independent notions either. Like suffering reality does not consist of single, isolated material or immaterial components; suffering arises only by dependence on other causes. Like everything in this world suffering and its (here at this picture invisible) cause are not one and they are not two different objects. [page 20. Christian Thomas Kohl. Nagarjuna and Quantum Physics]

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Christian Thomas Kohl has studied Political Science and the Philosophy of Science at the University of Berlin. He has studied Indonesian and Indian music and has promoted music from India, Pakistan, and Tibet. Most of his time over the past three decades, he has spent reconciling the fundamental concepts and principles of quantum physics and Buddhist philosophy. He belongs to the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. http://ctkohl.googlepages.com

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Muslim council meets Buddhist high priests on halal matters

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Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The Mahanayakas (Buddhist High Priests) of the Kandy Malwatte chapters met a delegation of the Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) yesterday morning and discussed the issue arising from the issue of Halal certificate, ‘Colombo Gazette’ reported.

The Mahanayakas were briefed by the delegation led by the President of the SLMC N M Ameen on the concerns of the Muslim population as a result of the tensions that have arisen in the country following stiff opposition being raised against the Halal certificates being issued by the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema (ACJU).

The SLMC had said that Sri Lankan Muslims wish to co-exist with all other communities in the country and in response the Mahanayakas said that efforts should be taken to strengthen the ties between Buddhists and Muslims in the country.

Objections have been raised by some Buddhist groups including Body Bala Sena (BBS) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to the Halal certificate being issued by ACJU in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, ‘The Nation’ reported that if problem persists, the ACJU has expressed willingness to handover Halal certification to the government, giving a twist to the Halal controversy after they met the Chief Prelate of the Malwatta Chapter Ven.

Tibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera who had called upon the ACJU members to remain calm and preserve the long standing friendship between the two communities.

“He referred to the Halal issue citing that an amicable agreement could be reached easily through dialog.”

“The ACJU is willing to co-operate with the Parliamentary Sub-committee appointed to look into the issue but however feel that the issue of Halal certificate is blown out of proportion.”

The member said adding, “Due to the many problems that have arisen, the certification could be handed over to the SLS or the Ministry of Religious Affairs.”

‘The Nation’ also reported that, earlier, the Lanka Jamiyyathul Ulema (LJU) remained polarised, over the issuance of Halal certification and alleged that the ACJU had erred on their part.

“We do not wish to comment on the matter as we have been cooperative with the government and still render our support to come to a conclusion over the matter,” said Aslam Zubair, the media coordinator of ACJU.

Clarifying the matters with relation to the Halal certification, the ACJU stressed that they do not compel any company to obtain their certification no do they charge hefty fees for the procedure.

All their accounts have been submitted to the National Investigation Bureau and have always conducted their affairs in a transparent manner, the Consultant Shaikh Fazil Farook claimed.  

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Hong Kong: Call for visa crackdown on bogus Buddhist monks

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Police want immigration to crack down on bogus Buddhist monks working as beggars in the same way that they deal with prostitutes

Hong Kong, China -- Mainland beggars masquerading as Buddhist monks should be treated the same as prostitutes, and the immigration authorities should crack down on the practice, according to police.

<< Bogus monks at Lan Kwai Fong

One police source familiar with a rising trend of bogus Buddhist monks visiting Hong Kong as "professional beggars" said they may be violating their three-month visitor visas.

Over the past 12 months, the city had seen a major increase in the number of people clad in monks' robes and begging in Central, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui, the source said. The police arrest people for begging, particularly in Central. But unlike prostitutes, whose work is illegal because they enter Hong Kong on tourist visas, according to the Immigration Department, begging does not constitute working.

Stronger penalties would deter bogus monks from coming to the city, the source said, adding that the police wanted a change in immigration laws.

"If these bogus Buddhist monks come here specifically to beg on a three-month tourist visa, why isn't this a breach of their conditions of stay?

"If you come to Hong Kong as a mainland prostitute on a tourist visa, you will be arrested by police for breaching your conditions of stay. Why are these bogus monks not treated the same?"

On Friday night, one man dressed like a Buddhist monk in Lan Kwai Fong tried to sell a wooden beaded bracelet to the Sunday Morning Post. The bracelets - which he said could bring blessings - cost HK$100 each.

The sale of these bracelets constitutes working and is a clear breach of tourist visa laws.

But an Immigration Department spokesman said it was difficult to define whether begging should be classed as work. He noted, however, that it was the police's duty to tackle begging.

"In the case of mainland prostitutes, they breach the conditions of their stay by establishing a business here. It is a clear immigration issue," the spokesman said.

"But it is also clear in the police ordinance that they prosecute beggars. The police are the appropriate authority to enforce the law here. There is no loophole in the immigration law."

Entrepreneur Rory Hussey, whose bar Solas is on Wyndham Street, Central, called the bogus monks a "plague".

Hussey recalled how he went on holiday last year to Thailand and a group of bogus monks were on the same flight, dressed in civilian clothes. "I see them every night, so I recognised them on the plane straight away. A few of them even had girlfriends with them," he said.

In Tsim Sha Tsui, Mike Brown, bar manager of Ned Kelly's Last Stand in Ashley Road, said the impostors "would try to get away with anything".

"They'd blatantly walk in here and ask my customers for money," Brown said. "They're regularly annoying tourists all along Nathan Road."

At Delaney's in Luard Road, Wan Chai, general manager Clare Kirkman told how up to 12 monks could be patrolling up and down the streets.

"They work in pairs; while one begs, the other keeps a lookout for police," she said. "They're a nuisance but they are very well-organised."

Last weekend, authorities in the northern province of Shaanxi closed down two temples on a sacred Buddhist mountain and arrested six people after tourists complained of bogus monks deceiving them into donating money.

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Termites infest famous Korean temples

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Seoul, South Korea -- Termites have been a constant problem in the traditional Korean buildings, since most of Korea’s cultural properties are made of wood. Termites penetrate and devour the buildings, which include traditional Korean Buddhist monasteries.

<< Tongdosa - one of the key historical temples infested with termites

According to the inspections that were conducted by the Cultural Heritage Administration for the past 4 years, 78 out of 231 buildings were infested by termites, and 18 buildings had an ongoing termite problem. High-profile important temples such as Tongdosa, Songgwangsa, and Beomeosa temples all face the same problems.

Detection of termite infestation are only possible only after damages were made. During the meeting held on February 14th, 2013, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that the termite infestation was due to global warming as termites thrive in warm, humid environments. According to the data from the Korea Weather Administration, the  temperature and humidity of the Korean peninsula surged within the past sixty years.

They also added that not enough budget to take care of the buildings was another factor that added to the termite infestations. As a result, the damage to wooden cultural properties is getting more serious by the day.

Professor Jeong stated that it is difficult to prevent the infestation once termites are present in the treasures and buildings, what is important is to prevent the termites from latching on to the buildings.

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