On the Monastery

What function does Theravada Buddhism have in the community?

The foundation of Buddhist practice is morality. In this age, where there is so much emphasis on materialism, wholesome social values are too often compromised. Having an institution, or individuals, that make goodness the basis of their lives is of great value. There is the danger of judgmental self-righteousness - witch burning and all that - but I haven't seen much of this in the name of Buddhism. The last witch we burnt was . . . just joking! My personal approach is to concentrate on sorting my own stuff and hope that any success in this will support others by way of example. A monastery provides a very tangible reference point for people; a whole community putting a lot of effort into being good. There are opportunities for people to visit the monastery, perhaps stay a few days, and get a good feel of what a wholesome community is like in reality - rather than just as an idea. Most people find this very inspiring, uplifting and encouraging. The goal of Buddhism is enlightenment and this model is of equal importance with morality.

Do Buddhist monks involve themselves in charity work?

Everything that we do we do for free. Different monasteries will have more or less contact with the lay community but the idea of service is generally encouraged. The usual idea of 'charity work' - soup kitchens, clothes for the poor - is not something we normally do. My approach is to work with the root problems of greed, anger and mental confusion. If everybody did this there would hopefully be a lot more generosity, kindness and wisdom in the world and the hungry would be fed and the homeless housed. Is this naive? We each apply our efforts in the way that seems best to us.

Why don't monks cook food or thank
lay people when it is offered?

Being dependent is another form of renunciation; it frustrates desire. Not being able to cook (or store food, or eat in the afternoon, or dig in the ground) means that I am not able to do just what 'I' want, how 'I' want, when 'I' want - it's that 'I' bit again, the ego thing. If you study the four noble truths you will see that desire, wanting, is the cause of suffering. Often it is only by challenging desire that we can see the things we are attached to.
Offering alms food is a good way for lay people to establish and maintain a relationship with the monks and nuns. Coming to the monastery helps remind them of the values that Buddhism represents. Not thanking people is largely cultural. Some lay people (e.g. from Thailand) think that their offerings should be totally and freely given and that asking for or expecting (or receiving) a thank you in return is too much like a 'trade' - I swap my food for your thanks. This is not the custom I grew up with and generally I enjoy being able to express my gratitude for the many things people offer me in support of my life. The usual monastic response on receiving donations is to chant a traditional blessing.

Do you do anything for your alms?

The main thing I do as a monk is try to realise enlightenment. This is a tricky one as sometimes this involves what looks like doing nothing - sitting about 'navel gazing' - which many people criticise. People are prepared to support our efforts in meditation because of the second thing I do as a monk, which is keeping the rules of monastic training (the vinaya). What this involves is quite clear as it is all written down. Keeping vinaya properly is quite difficult so if people see monks keeping the rules they are usually happy to feed us to support our efforts in meditation. In a more conventional sense I keep quite busy with other things - producing the monastery newsletter, teaching, writing this letter, helping maintain the monastery, etc. But I don't do this for alms, they are just things that need doing so I do them.

Is monastic life just a selfish escape from responsibility in the world?

How should we define 'responsible behaviour in the world?' Who decides? The best conventionally accepted parallel to monastic life I can suggest to consider is that of the artist. There are universities for such people, tax relief, benefits and such. Is art for art's sake a valid, responsible contribution to the world? In a purely materialist world such people are seen as a useless burden. Fortunately society usually has enough space to not only accommodate but see value in the emotional, the aesthetic, the spiritual side of human nature. As far as escaping goes 'the world' is actually a very local affair limited to the range of our experiences. Wherever you go you take this world with you; there is no escape from the results of one's kamma. Monastic life is a disaster when used as an escape but does work as a refuge, a place where one can take time to contemplate, and thus develop, a truly responsible (holistic, healthy) relationship with the world. To define responsible action we must first agree on the basic point of life; the big 'why'. As this can't be done, rather than enforce standards can we encourage tolerance, allowing space for the eccentrics, the odd-balls, the weirdos, the politicians, the whites, the blacks, the men, the women?

What other activities take place at the monastery?

Generally it is a place where people can come and be quiet. There is a Saturday meditation workshop and regular meditation retreats (3 to 10 days). There are several festival days during the year, a weekly observance day and the daily alms offering. There are about four residential family events, a Sunday school and a young persons meditation retreat at the end of the year. The retreat centre occasionally hosts 'conferences' - interfaith; meditating psychologists; etc. Amaravati is the main centre for our monasteries in Britain and as such is quite a bit busier than the other three. Even so, the emphasis is still on quiet, solitude, silence, inward contemplation.

How many hours are spent in contact
with the laity?

Amaravati Buddhist Monastery is unique in relation to our other monasteries. We tend to spend a bit more time with lay people. The community is about fifty people of which half are Lay. Also Amaravati is our main monastery and tends to be the focus of public inquiry - such as letters from school children.

    How well has the traditional Asian style
          of Buddhism adapted to
            the Western context?

This particular tradition has been in Britain about twenty years and outwardly there hasn't been much need to adapt or change a great deal. We now wear a kind of jacket - under which warm clothes can be worn - and the usual sandals are often replaced by 'wellingtons'. And having breakfast is a new thing. There is now an order of nuns quite different to the Asian model and a slightly different system of novice training. In the eight years I have been around there have also been subtle changes in the way the community works on a 'people' level. Because Buddhism generally assimilates into a culture it is worth noting the different styles that have evolved over the centuries. Each Buddhist country is quite different; Japan has its own style which, to look at, seems nothing like Tibetan, but the basic teachings are quite similar. There are other Buddhist groups in Britain who are undertaking various experiments with different models and it will be interesting to see the results. Theravada is a fairly conservative tradition and change is slow, but I suspect that in 100 years or so (if you live that long) you will see something that is uniquely English Buddhism - scones in the alms bowl!

What part does Buddhism play in today's world?

With the development of technology over the last century people's relationship with nature has tended to be marginalised - the plastic society. Materialism was viewed in the mid-1900's as the solution to suffering, the answer to life's problems. Machines would do all the nasty work and leisure time would be abundant. It seems the opposite has happened and labour saving devices just create more time to do more work. Stress and associated psychological disorders are increasingly common. Buddhism is not a 'one-size-fits-all' answer to this trend but it does offer several useful tools - particularly meditation. At the very least the religion, its practices, monastic orders, etc can act as a human mirror. People come to the monastery and often comment on how quiet it is (even if there is a chainsaw or concrete mixer in the background). The sense of tranquillity is often a relative one - if you are very speedy, then a calm, slow person seems particularly so in contrast to your own inner pressures. As well as the social aspect there is the 'spiritual' side to religion; the possibility of cultivating wisdom which leads to freedom from suffering.

Does meditation relate in any way to ecology?

There is a lot of interest these days in ecology and the environment. How much difference is there between the internal and the external world? If you think of your mind as your world, where you live, or at least experience life, how polluted is it? I see a certain amount of garbage in my 'world' and see that it makes my life uncomfortable. I can tidy up the mess but more important is closing down the processes that produce the ugly by-products. These processes are greed, hatred and delusion (or ignorance) and they are the root conditions that predetermine suffering.
So much of the mess in the conventional, external world is the result of greed driven manufacturing. This is limited, short-term gain. Meditation (an investigation of one's relationship with the world) shows the unsatisfactoriness of any selfish or greed related undertaking (both internal and external). It's purpose is to bring mental clarity, to make space for clear seeing. But meditation is something to be done rather than talked about. Meditation on Thursday and then heedlessness on Friday brings little change. Basically this comes down to a 'clean-green' lifestyle. This is partly why I choose to live in a monastery.