Sri Lanka update.

Well it has been about 1 week since I flew out of Thailand and into the small, but beautiful island nation of Sri Lanka.
In the small amount of time that I have been here, I have had the most amazing welcome imaginable, gone on pindabaat along jungle trails, visited the temple that houses a tooth from Lord Buddha, checked out one of the largest meditation centers in Sri Lanka and taught at the temples sunday school.
There is still much to see and I will try to update you as they happen.
I hope that you are all well and happy.
With metta,
Phra Greg

Sri Lanka-My arrival.(8-5-2012)

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Leo being shaved for his ordination as a samanera.

SN 1:11- Nandana

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Såvatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anåthapindika’s Park. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus:
“Bhikkhus!”
“Venerable sir!” those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
“Once in the past, bhikkhus, a certain devatå of the Tåvatimsa host was revelling in Nandana Grove, supplied and endowed with the five cords of celestial sensual pleasure, accompanied by a retinue of celestial nymphs. On that occasion he spoke this verse:
20 ‘They do not know bliss
Who have not seen Nandana,
The abode of the glorious male devas
Belonging to the host of Thirty.
“When this was said, bhikkhus, a certain devatå replied to that devatå in verse:
21 ‘Don’t you know, you fool,
That maxim of the arahants?
Impermanent are all formations,
Subject to arising and vanishing.
Having arisen, they cease:
Their appeasement is blissful.’

Makha Bucha (มาฆบูชา)

Exactly 9 months after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, on the full moon day of the 3rd lunar month(Makha) of the year, 4 special events happened:

1. 1,250 followers came to see the Buddha that evening without being sent for.
2. All of them were Arhants, and all of them were ordained by the Buddha himself.
3. The Buddha taught those Arhants the principles of Buddhism, called “The Ovadhapatimokha”.They are: – To refrain from all evil, – To do what is good, – To purify the mind;
4. It was the full moon day.

Another important event, happened on the same days (the full moon day of the 3rd lunar month) 44 years later, the last year of the Buddha’s life, he told Ananda he would attain Parinibbhana 3 months after that day (on the full moon day of the six lunar month – (Visakha Bucha Day).

Starting this morning, the lay devotees will perform tam boon(making merit) at the temple.
This will include bringing alms food to the temple for the monks and novices, chanting and listening to Dhamma talks.
Some of the lay devotees will take 5 precepts, while some of them will take 8.

Tonight, a candlelight procession or wian tian,will take place.Monks,novices and lay people will circle the Chedi of the temple clockwise three times. Each devotee will carry flowers, a candle and a incense sticks. The three circles symbolize the Three Jewels of Buddhism, namely the Buddha, the Dhamma (Buddha’s teaching) and the Sangha (Monks).

Where ever you may be today, I would like, on behalf of Bhante Dr.Apisit, the monks, novices and lay devotees of Wat Sri Boen Ruang, to wish you all a wonderful Makha Bucha.

WARNING:

The email account of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai Thailand has been hacked and some one is now sending emails with a sob story asking for money. They even have an electronic signature attached. This is a scam. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep are aware of the problem and ask that you do not respond to these emails.

Goodbye to Sascha and Brent.

Today we see farewell to Sascha and Brent.
Unfortunately Brent has had to cut short his stay in Thailand and so has gone to have a quick look up at Pai and maybe get a little time on a lovely Thai beach before heading home. We wish him safe and happy travels.
Sascha has gone to Chiang Mai, where tomorrow he will begin a 10 day silent retreat at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
This is the temple where I did my training as a vipassana meditation teacher.
It has been a pleasure to be able to give Sascha a few ideas about what he can expect in a meditation center and would like to wish him all the best in his practice.
As I told him before he left:” What you put into your practice, is what you will get out of your practice”.

What are the steps towards ordaining as a Bhikkhu?

This is in response to a question I have been asked, by a foreigner(Falang) in regards to taking higher ordination in the Kingdom of Thailand.
As many of you are aware, here at Wat Sri Boen Ruang we sometimes ordain falangs as samaneras(novice monks)for short periods of time.
Actually this is not an unusual practice here in Thailand, nor is the practice of short term Bhikkhu ordination.
Even for our program here at the temple, we have cut down on the number of people we ordain as novices as I personally felt that we were not here to let people play at being a monk.
I felt that there should be some sort of minimum time commitment and a reason for trying the life in robes, not just for some interesting holiday photos.
When it comes to the issue of higher ordination(Bhikkhu)the steps involved are certainly more rigid as I feel that we should not take up the robes lightly.
Here, we have not ordained any falang(yet)but we do have a structure set up for when the time comes.
In fact we have one foreigner staying with us now who may be ordained here, if he wishes to go through with it, and if he wishes to be ordained at this temple.
So what is required?
First of all,a true sense of what it means to become a mendicant monk.
The giving up off the householders life and living according to the vinaya.
We would first ask that you get yourself a long term multiple entry tourist visa.
We do not send letters to the embassy asking for long term non resident visas as this can and often is abused.
Once you have your visa and an acceptance to come to the temple, you will spend some time as an anagarika.
The time spent in white will be determined by the resident Monks and the Abbot of the temple.
Once we have satisfied ourselves that you appear to be serious, we will then arrange for the applicant to take the vows of a samanera.
You would then be expected to take part in all of the temple activities including, chanting, meditation, cleaning, and any other task that your supervising Bhikkhu may reasonably ask of you.
At this time you will be closely watched and assessed as to your suitability for higher ordination.
At the same time, you will get to see if this is the life that you wish to live, and if the temple and the monks that reside there are what you want.
After a few months as a novice we may then decide that you are ready for higher ordination.
As part of your preparation you will be expected to familiarize yourself with the ordination procedure and to learn how to pronounce the Pali that you will speak during your ordination, as it is very important to pronounce it correctly.
Once you are ordained and have received your Bai Sutti then can the begin the process of changing your immigration status, but that’s a whole different story.

A few questions and a few answers

Ask a Monk- Why do we prostrate to Buddha Images?