A trip to the West.

I have been feel a it tired at the moment and i think perhaps it might be due to lack of iron and/or b12 in the blood, i plan to make a trip to the doctors sometime soon.

Things are a little hectic at the moment since i have returned because i have been out of the office and also things at Santi have been quite busy with building etc. The building work here at Santi looks great and you can see some of the great improvements here and here. The Dhamma talks have been out of action here during the renovations buy they are going to be starting up again this Wednesday in the beautiful shrine room upstairs.

Bodhinyana was interesting to say the least. I got to understand a bit better who women feel in monasteries and the who the monks act, feel and think. This is something which i was sheltered from and only knew in theory. It was really nice to be with more monks as there are not many at Santi and i feel isolated at times, i was able to make new friends which is always nice. The first part of my stay was quite painful for me since i heard a lot of criticism about Santi. that was really hard to deal with since although i knew that people might do such a thing i never received it directly face to face, yet again this was something which i was sheltered from at Santi, i think that this is actually natural since whatever monastery we are from we think ours to be the best and others are doing things in funny and wrong ways.

I think one of the really bad qualities of Buddhists. You hear so much criticism of other monasteries and teachers, i think we as a whole we need to talk about this and restrain ourselves from such behavior that is unworthily and unwholesome. It is so much easier to criticise others from a distance especially when we don't know they very well but once we have made a connection and friendly relations with them it is hard to do so.

I also got to visit Dhammasara 2 times Ajahn Vayama is unwell due to a neurological problem. You can see the difference of how the nuns welcome the monks compare to how the monks welcome nuns. I guess there is a long way to go in terms of the monastic community and outward support to nuns. One thing to reflect on is the sutta where the Buddha talks about having acts of loving kindness to our fellows in the holylife both internal and external, both in public and in private. It was great to be able to sis Ajahn Vayama, Ven. Nirodha and Ven. Seri who are friends or mine, it brings we great joy to be around nuns for some reason.

I also got to go on the retreat with Ajahn Brahm which was good to see how he teaches people since i got to attend some of the interviews with the people on the retreat, also the Dhamma talks are fantastic and there is a lot to learn there, lucky i have the recordings of the retreat so at one point i should go back over it to remember some of and clarify some of the things which he said.

Going to other places shows how little there is in the world for the support of that which we are doing, well it is better to say there is moral support but less proactive support. There is a need for a health spiritual relationship with the femininity both internal and external, the ideal one being that of the sister, there needs to be someone you can see who is growing in the dhamma with you and seeing this will hopefully lessen the feel that woman are a threat to monastic life but rather someone who is human and is stuck in the net of life call samsara just like ourselves. Reducing contact to absolutely nothing leads to an idealification of women and the lay life. since there is no contact with woman at Bodhinyana there only leads to the mind wondering and dreaming what it i like to be with a woman. I would have to say that Bodhinyana is a boys club and if as a women if you wish to go there you will mostly likely feel you are pushed into a corner, left alone, given no attention and seen as a threat where you have only 30mins a day access to the library and have to eat your breakfast away from everyone in your room.

One thing which Bhante Sujato talks about is that there are 3, ways in which you can see women as a monk. i like to add another of the temptress

1. One is that of a mother. The lovely kind and generous support from the lay women who come to offer the food each day, it is like that of our mother who provided for us for most of our life and always wanted us to have enough
2. is that of the daughter. The daughter is the enthusiastic woman who comes to us to learn meditation and the Dhamma.
3. is the sister. She is the person we have grown up together with, we have shared our pain and a highs in life, she is our equal in the holy life.
4. is that of the temptress. she is there to pull us away from the goal of enlightenment and to entangle us in the net of attachment. We know of the ways of the temptress but can't see to see to be able to let go of her her energy which sucks us out from within. she is the evil one which we must avoid at all costs.
   

Which is the one that is missing from the monks life? it is that of the sister. If we when we were growing up never had a sister it is hard to have a health relationship with woman and the same is for women in the opposite. so if we in monastic life do not have a monastic sister then it is all to easy to make all women into the temptress.

Opening the doors and having a place that supports women brings to your attention a lot of the pain and suffering which woman feel in monasteries as they open up and tell you of their experiences, such information rarely comes to the attention of the monks which perhaps change them a little if they were to understand the suffering which is felt, for knowing that someone sufferers there is a want to help them to end it.

What i do know that this monastic path is a difficult one and that those who follow it have incredible strength. we as monastics need to support each other since we have no one else other then the Sangha who can understand what monastic life is, if we cannot support each other what hope is there in the world? supporting nuns in modern Theravada tradition is one of the most important things that we can do other then the attainment of enlightenment.

So let us all work together for the ending of suffering and for the the support of the whole monastic community.

You can see more pictures of Bodhinyana here.