The Rime Buddhist Center and Tibetan Institute of Studies - Research Paper Example

?Fieldwork Research Paper: Buddhism Site: The Rime Buddhist Center and Tibetan Institute of Studies and/or ID # Teacher At the cornerof Jefferson and West Pennway, almost in the center of bustling Kansas City lies the Rime Buddhist Center. The roar of interstate 35 directly across the street greets you as you walk towards the rather unremarkable building, which is secluded by the surrounding trees just beginning to bloom. The Rime Buddhist Center and Tibetan Institute of Studies’ located at 700 West Pennway, Kansas City, MO and was founded in 1993 by Chuck Stanford, (Lama Changchup Kunchok Dorje known to all as “Lama Chuck”) and Chaplain Mary Stanford. They both still serve on the board of directors, Lama Chuck as the Executive Director and Chaplain Mary as Vice Chair, Lama Chuck is also the spiritual leader of the community. This fieldwork project was carried out during two trips to the Center on April 27th, and May 1st. This researcher had sent a preliminary e-mail query on April 23rd describing summarily the fieldwork to be performed. Lama Chuck replied personally and said that he would be happy to oblige and thought that it would be beneficial for me to attend the evening classes on the 27th, which included: 6pm, Meditation Instruction; 7pm, Group Meditation Practice; and 7:45pm, Becoming Enlightened. The latter class included an induction to the foundations of Buddhism as well as comparing and contrasting it with other religions. This seemed advantageous as the purpose of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of Buddhism and its ability to translate its teachings to other cultures as well as other religions. This researcher was intrigued by the fact that on its website this center describes itself as, “…a (non-sectarian) Center dedicated to the cultivation of wisdom and compassion.” (The Rime Center 2011) Which seems odd since one might think that Buddhism is a religion and therefore sectarian, or is it a philosophy and therefore non-sectarian? A further question arose as to one of the central practices of Buddhism, as well as other Eastern religions/philosophies, the practice of meditation. What is it? Is it a spiritual experience or simply a stress reduction method as viewed by the western eye? Again is it sectarian or non-sectarian? These are the core questions that this research will attempt to unravel. Research: Literature During this researchers filed trip to the Rime center, Lama Chuck recommended several books which are presented here as well as much of my own research of different articles and items that added to the overall appreciation of this Buddhist center. They are presented first to give the reader an overall view of Buddhism and some insight into the conversations and interviews that took place during the filed study. It is generally considered that there are two traditional lines of Buddhist thought Theravada and Madhyamaka. Theravada is the more conservative and traditional Buddhist approach. This Pali word literally means “the teaching of the elders” and it is the oldest of the Buddhist practices. “Theravadin Buddhists study the early scriptures in Pali, honor the life of renunciation, and follow mindfulness meditation teachings.” (Fisher 2005: 142) In this tradition the Buddha is certainly an historical figure that now no longer exists but has left his teachings or the “Dharma” as a guide for his followers.. Madhyamaka (also known as Mahayan) regards the Buddha as a universal principle. Literally translated as “The Middle Way,” Madhyamaka represents in a sense the line between conservative and liberal of the traditions and in life itself. It is the dividing line between polar opposites. Metaphysically, Buddha is said to be an immanent presence in the universe with three aspects, or “bodies”: first, the enlightened wisdom of a Buddha, which is formless; second, the body of bliss, celestial aspect of Buddhahood that communicates the dharma to bodhisattvas; and the third body of transformation, by which the Buddha principle becomes human to help liberate humanity. It was in this third body that the Buddha appeared for a time on the earth as the historical figure Shakyamuni Buddha. (Fisher 2005: 151) Tibetan Buddhism adapted to this particular philosophy of Buddhism. This school of thought flourished in the seventh century under the T'ang dynasty. It represented a school of philosophy and religion that strove for a balance between being and nonbeing, between the positive and negative, the Yin and the Yang, in approaching the Tao. Finally rejecting each in turn because any form of comprehension in relation to the ultimate truth of the Tao can only be a means, never an end. (Kohn and Lafargue 1998:134) Although some may interpret the Buddhas and bodhisattvas as metaphors for various aspects of enlightened awareness, others regard them as living presences ready to impart blessings and guidance to those who call on them. (Fisher 2005: 152) Over the past several decades there has been an exodus of well over 100,000 citizens from Tibet. This includes many of the members of the Buddhist sects and has consequently led to the founding of many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in many Western countries, such as in India where the Dalai Lama’s now resides in as his home in exile. The United States is also home to many such Buddhist centers that offer a wide range of disciplines from simple breathing and mediation practices to an entire indoctrination into their particular branch of Buddhism. (Fisher 2005) While many believe that Buddhism is a contemplative practice that has very little to do with the day to day world of corporeal existence, this has never been true. In fact now more than ever, contemporary Buddhist practice is very concerned with the relevance of Buddhism to the many social problems that plague society. In his teachings the Buddha never advised his followers to forever leave society behind to seek only their own selfish enlightenment, but it is their calling to return to society and bring as many others to enlightenment as possible. Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Walpola Rahula explains: In what is considered his very first sermon, the Deer Park sermon, the Buddha set forth the “Four Noble Truths” around which all his later teachings revolved. These were: 1 Life inevitably involves suffering, is imperfect and unsatisfactory. 2 Suffering originates in our desires. 3 Suffering will cease if all desires cease. 4 There is a way to realize this state: the Noble Eightfold Path. (Fisher 2005: 135) Meditation has its beginnings in the spiritual traditions of the East. Hinduism and Buddhism both incorporate the practice as an essential part of their search for spirituality and their connection with the universe. Being more practical, the West has embraced meditation for its usefulness in managing stress and improving health and wellbeing overall. While these benefits were likely experienced by the monks as well, they were secondary to their religious intentions, in the West the practice is more often than not of a more self-serving advantage. Since the 1970s, meditation has become increasingly popular in the West and is promoted as a way to reduce stress, bring about relaxation, and even manage depression. It's now being used in classrooms, prisons, and hospitals. (Fisher 2005) The word meditation may mean different things and have varying approaches simply from focusing on the breath to repeating a rhythmic sound known as a mantra. Regardless of the type of mediation there are some basic principles that have become the Western standard of discernable meditative practice. The primary step is the focusing of attention by restricting the minds attention to a single task as previously mentions, the breath, a prayer, a word or even an object. The single-minded attention is the key. The meditator is also maintaining and relaxed and quite passive attitude and, “…becomes a silent witness to his/her thoughts, accepting whatever they may be with a nonjudgmental attitude.” (La Torre 2001: 103) if that attention wanders the meditator brings it gently back to the focus. As the ability to meditate and focus increases, a number of physiological changes have been shown to occur in the participant. Benson (1974) termed these changes "the relaxation response" and noted they include a decreased heart rate and breathing rate and a lowering of blood pressure. Further studies also have shown changes in EEG brain-wave activity as well as increased hormonal levels of cortisol and serotonin. (La Torre 2001: 103) Interestingly, Lama Chuck mentions this in one of his Dharma talks which is reproduced on the Center’s website.: … my first experience with meditation was back in the 1970’s when I read the book “The Relaxation Response” by Dr. Herbert Benson. In this seminal text, Dr. Benson a Harvard researcher, studied the physiological effects of meditation on the body. Thirty years ago his findings were revolutionary. … Of course the Buddha knew the benefits of meditation 2,500 years earlier! (The Rime center 2011) The practice of mediation is also known as mindfulness. Mindfulness is simply the ability to focus on the here and now, to pay attention, to be present and not trapped in the fantasy of past thoughts or future projections. These often create added suffering and stress over unchangeable events of the past or possible events of the future that may or may not happen. Mindfulness helps to end the ruminative cycle, especially of negativity. Just noticing that the mind is running and affecting your stress levels and being able to stand back from it, distance yourself to get a better perspective can relive the stress and eventually promote a more non-judgmental attitude when dealing with problems. In this technique meditation is used to develop skills for paying attention and for moment to moment awareness, “A core feature of mindfulness is learning to transform stressful situations by going through them in a skillful way, not trying to avoid or eradicate them” (Broderick & Blewitt: 2006: 461). A great deal of research to date has shown, for example, that psychological stress can contribute to increased cardiovascular disease and decreased immune system functions. Almost as much research has also discover that attitudes and belief values, as well as social support, prayer, and meditation can reduce psychological stress and contribute to positive health outcomes. ("Research on Mind-Body Interactions and Health" 2003: 662) Field Research: Interview, Conversations and Experience After spending the evening in classes on the 27th of April, Lama chuck took a few moments with me to answer some questions: Researcher: What first got you interested in Buddhism, I assume it is not your original belief? Lama Chuck: yes, that’s correct, I was brought up Catholic, but as I got older and went on to college I did not practice it much. I did get married in a church, but for families sake mostly. I began to feel that there was something wrong with the idea that God was “out there’ somewhere. I suppose that science gave me some doubt as to God’s existence but then I started to have doubts about that as well and it was doubt that brought me to Buddhism. R. Can you explain that? L.C. Well, I started wondering about my thoughts and how they formed in the first place, this led me to the book I spoke of in class, The Relaxation Response by Benson. But besides the stress reducing and health benefit qualities another side effect was the slow realization that I was not my thoughts, that somehow I was the observer of those thoughts. Even after 20 years I still struggle sometimes with the meaning of this, and it cannot be expressed in words to well, but the feeling is that “aha” experience you sometimes get when a great truth pops up. That is what it was for me and I have chased that feeling ever since. This led me to Buddhism. R: I have heard what you call your “tag line” here at the center, “Come and re-awaken your Buddha nature.” What does that mean? L.C. That is all tied in to what I spoke about in the last answer, that I that is the real me is my real nature, whatever you want to call it, we call it the Buddha nature and we are all it. Just the way we are, we are perfect, we just haven’t realized it yet. That is enlightenment, to realize your own true nature. R. Me too? L.C. Yes, you too, and if you choose to practice mediation you may have that glimpse. (Personal Interview, April 27th, 2010) The rest of the interview was more conversational, the Lama began to ask me question, noting important, where I grew up, went to school and so on, but somehow I began to feel that he was really connecting with me, probably more than I with him. That attention is also part of the awareness of the present moment that is all part and parcel of the Buddhist enlightenment experience. In between classes this researcher had the opportunity to chat with some of the member of the community. Some of those that were there were also, like me, visiting for the first time and attending the introductory classes. However, there were several dozen members of the center at the group mediation and I did have a chance to speak with some of them. They were from various backgrounds and religions as well. I talked to a few Catholics that used Buddhism to find a deeper understanding in their lives and the spoke of having a “personal” god within them that was not in conflict with the Christian ideology. I asked if they felt that mediation was some kind of prayer, and they all said absolutely not. There are prayers in Buddhism and they serve to help one understand the tenets of the religion. I said I was attending the Sunday service and they informed me I would see the prayers they used there. Sunday Service: The experience reminded my very much of a typical Christian service from an outwardly ritualistic perspective. Prayers were recited repetitively, sometimes in song in English and sometimes in Sanskrit. While there were moments of meditation observed, there were instances where bells were rung and other prayers recited. Very reminiscent of a Catholic mass where the same or at least similar events occur as the very “theatrical” rituals play out for both. Therefore, ritualistically there seemed to be little difference, for instance, between the robes that the members wore and the garments a priest would wear. Conclusion: Firstly, at least as far as my experience is concerned, meditation does not really exist in the Christian tradition as far as the lay members are concerned. Priests most certainly have times of meditation, but church members themselves really do not experience that unless they seek it in some Eastern tradition or otherwise on their own. In Buddhism it is available to all, in fact it is a one of the primary tools to achieve enlightenment. If one attempts to compare enlightenment to heaven or God there are certainly some difficulties. Buddhists seem to believe that everyone can become God, and in fact already is God; they just do not know it. Generally speaking, Christianity espouses the idea of getting to know God, but not necessarily becoming God. However, if one looks at certain aspects of Christianity they certainly have a Buddhist overtone in many respects. The followers of Christ and the followers of Buddha are certainly very similar and their teachings have familiar rings to them on both sides. Take the beatitudes for example. The meek shall inherit the earth, is certainly more similar to the Buddhist concept of self-effacement and humility. Turning the other cheek is certainly comparable to the Buddhist nature of non-violence. In the end I was left with more questions than answers, but maybe that is the way this is all supposed to work. I could not help but think that many ideas and concepts of religions from other countries and cultures get lost in translation and we can never really truly get it. After all the way one’s mind and thought processes work is often a reflection of the culture they were raised it. With preconceived ideas and beliefs behind ones perception, they cannot help but color our interpretations as well as out resistance to religions that can seem opposed to our own. That being said however, I still came away with a great interest and a consequent curiosity about Buddhism and what the attraction is for the Western participants I met at the Rime Center. It is more than curiosity; it is devotion and must come from another source, another need to experience this religion/philosophy on one’s own and not just from books and articles about it. Buddhism, in the last analysis is not something to be “informed” about, but something to take into one’s heart and mind. List of References Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P 2006 The Life Span: Human Development For Helping Professionals (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall. Fisher, Mary Pat. 2005 Living Religions, [6Ed]. New York: Prentice-Hall/Pearson Education, Inc. Kohn, Livia, and Michael Lafargue, eds. 1998 Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te-Ching . Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. La Torre, Mary Anne. 2001 Meditation and Psychotherapy: An Effective Combination. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care 37(3): 103. Research on Mind-Body Interactions and Health. 2003 Environmental Health Perspectives 111(12): 662. The Rime Buddhist Center and Tibetan Institute of Studies. 2011. http://www.rimecenter.org/ accessed on April 29, 2011 Read More