| DHARMA PRINCIPLES: THE FOUNDATION OF SRAVASTI ABBEY
Sravasti Abbey is founded on Dharma principles that include generosity, compassion, mindfulness, non-harmfulness, gratitude & respect, humility, willingness to accept instruction, apologizing, forgiving, and rejoicing.
Generosity (Dana)
Offering Food
The relationship between sangha and lay followers is one of dana (mutual generosity).
When the Buddha established the sangha (the monastic community) 2600 years ago, he set up an interdependent relationship between the laity and the monastic community based on dana.
Each party shares what it has with the other and both benefit. Because they have given up regular jobs and dedicate their time studying and practicing the Dharma, the sangha shares the Dharma with the laity.
The laity, in turn, shares their resources, particularly the four requisites of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine, with the sangha. At Sravasti Abbey, we aspire to continue this tradition.
The Mutual Benefits of Dana
The monastics at the abbey eat food that is offered to us. We do not go to the store and purchase our own. When we live in dependence upon the kindness of the others, it benefits our practice in many ways.
First, because we do not choose our own food, we practice giving up attachment to foods that we prefer and developing contentment with what is offered.
Second, because we are dependent on the generosity of others to stay alive, we become more aware of the kindness of sentient beings. Gratitude develops in our hearts.
Third, because we are grateful to others, we are more aware of our responsibility to keep our precepts well and to practice diligently as a way of making ourselves worthy of offerings and of repaying others' kindness.
On the part of the laity, many benefits accrue from offering food to monastics. First, because monastics hold precepts that come from the Buddha, they are especially powerful objects with which to create positive karma. Great positive potential (merit, sonam, or punye) is created from making offerings to the sangha.
Second, a deep connection is made between those who offer and those who receive. The sangha dedicates and prays daily for the well-being of its benefactors. By supporting the sangha, donors know that we are contributing to the existence and spread of the Dharma in their own country. They are making it possible for people to train in the Dharma and become qualified teachers without having to worry about money for food.
Furthermore, the practice of offering food makes one more mindful. Before a visit to the abbey, lay practitioners remember, "I'm going to a place where spiritual practitioners depend on others for food. I want to help." They may stop at the store and get something to offer. Thus, even before arriving at the abbey, their minds have begun to change from a rushed lifestyle to one focused on generosity and benefiting others. And once at the abbey, they make the offering with both hands and with a pure heart.
Offering the Dharma
Since monastics live simply, what we have to offer is the Dharma. The Buddha said that the giving of the Dharma is the best kind of giving, because it leads others on the path to liberation. When monastics from the abbey teach, whether at the abbey or at Dharma centers, we do not charge a fee. We give Dharma freely from our hearts because we want to benefit all those who attend.
This gives us the freedom to teach wherever we think it is most beneficial without having to worry about earning a livelihood. Lay teachers who have families and a householder's lifestyle do not always have that freedom.
Thus we avoid selecting where to teach based on the amount of dana we might receive, and we do not charge for services such as private interviews for spiritual consultation. As monastics, we give all this freely. We trust that those who benefit will want to help support us with the necessities we need for living so that we can continue our spiritual practice and beneficial work.
The abbey also freely provides some of Venerable Chodron's books to those who visit the abbey. We want to share the Dharma with people whether they have funds or not. We also send books and Dharma tapes to inmates and to third world countries free of charge. However, since we must purchase these books from the publisher and pay for tape duplication, we gratefully receive donations to continue with this service.
You Are the Recipient of Others' Kindness
When guests visit the abbey, we do not charge for room, board, administrative expenses, and so on. We share with others what we have. Everything we have has come from the generosity of others.
Visitors to the abbey have the opportunity to stay in lovely surroundings, to receive teachings, to meditate, and to share in community life due to the kindness of others who have shared their time and resources with the abbey.
Hundreds of people have given donations of money and services to Sravasti Abbey in the past so that visitors who come this year will have a room to stay in, beautiful gardens and forests to walk in, a meditation hall to practice in, and a monastic community to guide and inspire them.
Sravasti Abbey exists due to the generosity of so many people. Their generosity built this place so that you and others can come here and benefit from the Dharma. In this way, visitors to the abbey are also the recipients of others' kindness
Contemplating this can give rise to great joy in your heart. You may also contribute to the abbey so that others in the future will have a similar opportunity to visit and practice here. By this practice, abbey will be here for your children or your friends, so that they can also come and enjoy its riches.
Why Don't We Charge?
As monastics, we want our lives to be lives of giving, of sharing. In addition, we want to give people the opportunity to express their kindness and generosity. Paying for services or items does not create any positive potential. It is simply a business transaction. But, when visitors give to the sangha with hearts of generosity and compassion, they create great positive potential that is the cause for wealth and prosperity in both a worldly and Dharma sense.
There's a huge difference between giving with delight and paying with obligation, even if the amount of the check is the same. We can feel the difference in our minds and hearts.
When we experience the value of the Dharma and of a place like the abbey, our hearts rejoice and we want to put our funds where our values are. We want to reach out to othersto the monastics so that they can sustain their practice and to other lay followers so that they can come to the abbey and receive its benefits.
Our hearts are filled with joy in sharing and in remembering the benefit we're able to provide for others and to the Dharma. And, when we balance our checkbook at the end of the month, we can again rejoice in our practice of generosity. How different this is from paying with a mind of obligation!
We are incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to hear and practice the Dharma. So many people in this world lack religious freedom or live in places where they don't have access to Dharma teachers, teachings, or books.
Our situation does not occur by chance. It takes the accumulation of great positive potential to have this opportunity. We did this in the past, and that has resulted in our present fortune. To continue to receive teachings and have places to practice, we must continue to create positive potential. One way to do this is by supporting practitioners and by supporting facilities, such as the abbey, that make the Dharma available to others.
As monastics, we dedicate our virtue for the benefit of all sentient beings and in particular to our benefactors whose kindness enables us to continue practicing. The names of those who have donated to the abbey during each two-week period are read at our bi-monthly Lama Chopa pujas.
Sometimes people wish to request the monastics to make special prayers to benefit those who are undergoing difficulties or who are beginning a new project or phase in their lives. Some people like to mark life transitions such as the birth of a child, graduation, marriage, or death, by requesting the monastics to do prayers for their well-being.
Traditionally these people make an offering to the monastery, and the monastics then perform a puja or offering ceremony dedicated to the benefactors. This may be a tsog offering or meditation on Tara, Chenresig, or Medicine Buddha. Please contact the abbey if you wish to do this.
The Abbey Practices Generosity
The abbey as a group of practitioners also needs to create positive potential by making offerings. When visiting teachers at the abbey instruct us in the Dharma, we want to contribute to their virtuous works that benefit others. We also want to ensure they have the necessary requisites for life. Therefore we make offerings to them. These offerings are not payment for services because the teachings they share with us are given freely, as well.
Similarly, we make offerings to teachers whom we admire but who have not come to the abbey, for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In this way, as a group of practitioners, we create the causes to receive teachings, to realize the meaning of the Dharma, and to receive the necessary resources to sustain spiritual life.
As part of our service we take care of the health of the forest and the animals that live there.
When we make tsog offerings of food twice a month, we give a portion of the offerings to a local food bank. Similarly, if we ever have excess food that we cannot consume before the expiration date, we take it to the food bank.
Offering Service through Volunteer Work
Offering our time, talents, and services to the abbey and to those in need is also part of our practice of generosity.
The constructive or destructive karma we create in relation to some beings is especially strong. Our spiritual teachers and the Three Jewels are powerful objects because of their virtue. Sentient beings that are poor, ill, or in misery are also powerful objects because of their suffering. Therefore, while we try to help all beings in general, we pay special attention to these two groups.
The monastics at the abbey offer service to the sangha community by the work we do at the abbey each day. We offer service to the broader Buddhist community by teaching the Dharma, transcribing and editing teachings, doing spiritual counseling, and performing blessing ceremonies after the birth of a child and the death of dear ones.
We offer service to those in need by doing prison work and by counseling those who are ill. We offer service to society in general by writing books and by giving public talks, lectures in schools, and so forth.
Lay followers also offer service by doing volunteer work for the abbey (Click here to see opportunities to offer service). The abbey, in fact, is completely dependent on volunteers. Some people do volunteer work for the abbey from their home. Others come to the abbey for work parties, where they have a good time working together with others and creating community.
People who volunteer feel fulfilled. They not only see the direct result of their efforts, but also they know they have created great positive potential which is the cause for happiness.
Compassion
Living a monastic life together as a community is part of our practice of compassion. At Sravasti Abbey, community life is very important. It is a vibrant community in which our interaction with each other is part of our Dharma practice. We assume that those wishing to come to the abbey have the desire to live as a community: that is, to follow the daily and yearly schedules, to attend teachings and meditation sessions, to offer service to the sangha through daily work, and to participate in community gatherings and meetings.
This does not mean that the daily schedule is jam-packed and we have no private time. While there is time for personal meditation and study, it is balanced with discussion, meditation, and work done with a group.
Community life has its blessings and its challenges. We receive the support of like-minded people on the spiritual path. These Dharma friends understand our spiritual aspirations and encourage us to practice by practicing themselves. Together we create a peaceful atmosphere in which Dharma is lived and people are valued.
On the other hand, we may have different ideas, preferences, and ways of doing things. By living in community, we learn give and take. We live with others and cannot do everything the way we like. We have to give up some of our preferences for the larger group to function smoothly. We have to soften some of our opinions and ways of expressing them to live harmoniously with others. Some have habits that annoy us; we must learn to cultivate tolerance and compassion for them.
Furthermore, we are not Buddhas. We still suffer from ignorance, anger, and attachment, and these afflictions sometimes color our relationships with each other. In community, it's impossible to continue the habit of blaming others for our own unhappiness. We must take responsibility for our emotions, learn to work with them skillfully, and learn to express them to others kindly and honestly.
In the process of doing so, we develop "transparency", the ability to admit our mistakes and weaknesses without feeling ashamed or guilty. We develop confidence by working through problems. We cultivate compassion, knowing that our companions also suffer from disturbing emotions, and practice patience with them, supporting them as they work through their difficulties.
To become bodhisattvas, we must cultivate patience and compassion for both others and ourselves. Living in community provides an opportunity for us to do so. But this is not an easy path. Please do not expect everything to be ideal and rosy! Since we want to become bodhisattvas, we must train to bear hardships with a happy mind, thus transforming difficulties into Dharma practice.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness entails being aware of our precepts, values, and practices and living according to them as much as we can. For example, by being mindful of our precepts, we are attentive to act according to them. Being mindful of love and compassion, we bring those attitudes into whatever situation we are in and whomever we have contact with. Being mindful of emptiness, during our daily life we contemplate our interactions, acknowledging that we, the action we are doing, and the people and things around us are all empty of true existence, but exist on the conventional level as appearances.
To be mindful, we must slow down and be more attentive to what we are thinking, feeling, saying, and doing. We also want to cultivate mindfulness of and sensitivity to others' needs.
Participating in community life is part of our cultivation of mindfulness and compassion. Because we care about others, we practice doing our work with joy, without simply rushing through it at the last minute to get it done. To do this, we try to assess how much time is necessary to do a task and give ourselves enough time to do it in a mindful and relaxed way.
Our mindfulness and compassion manifest in other ways as well. For example, we follow the daily schedule, knowing that others value our energy and participation. Not only do we need the support of the sangha, but the sangha benefits from our support, as well. We have something to contribute to others that is missed when we're absent. We also endeavor to arrive promptly for group activities, because we know that late arrivals often create noise that disturbs others.
How we move is also an expression of mindfulness and compassion. We become mindful of how we walk, showing our internal joy through gentle steps. If we walk with heavy stepsour mind being at the place we're going while our body is still on the waywe put certain energy into the environment. In addition, the noise of clomping steps disturbs others.
Our mindfulness extends to how we open and close doors. We want our companions to have a peaceful environment free from sharp sounds. Our mindfulness and compassion motivate us to clean up after ourselves, because we care about the people with whom we share the environment. Thus returning things to their proper place, cleaning up the bathroom after using it, emptying the garbage, and other small daily life activities become part of our Dharma practice.
Speech is another area where mindfulness and compassion are important. While it may be difficult to reverse some habits of speech such as being sarcastic or critical when we're angry or humming when we work, we continue to cultivate mindfulness of our intention to speak truthfully, kindly, harmoniously, and at appropriate times. We practice thinking creatively about appropriate ways of expressing our feelings and ideas so that we communicate in a way that other people can hear what we're trying to say.
Practicing mindfulness and compassion in our daily interactions at the abbey prevents our bodhicitta meditation from becoming abstract. It's comparatively easy to love and feel compassion for those who are hungry or cold in other countries. Without too much distress, we may visualize giving our possessions, and positive potential to all infinite sentient beings. But caring about the few people around us when that entails giving up some of our own habits and wishes challenges our self-centered attitude much more. Because community life provides these opportunities, it can enhance our mindfulness and compassion and strengthen our Dharma practice in a way that living comfortably alone cannot.
Non-harmfulness
Ahimsa, or non-harmfulness, is an essential Buddhist virtue. We practice it in the abbey by not harming each other or any living being physically, verbally (through unkind speech) or mentally (through malicious thought, holding grudges, or retaliating). This entails developing our capacity to listen to each other with compassion and to communicate kindly. This is the heart of practicing the Dharma with the people we live with, with community.
We also are vegetarianno meat, chicken, fish, or fertilized eggs - because we wish to preserve life. Part of the Kriya Tantra practice, which is also found in Chinese Buddhism, is to avoid eating onions, garlic, and radishes because this disturbs the flow of the internal energies (lung in Tibetan, chi in Chinese). We follow this practice at the abbey as well.
Hunting is not permitted on our land. We developed a forest management plan to protect the environment and the animals living there, so that all can live peacefully and in safety.
We recycle and re-use items to protect future generations from environmental pollution and misuse of resources. We conserve water and fuel. This is an expression of compassion for future generations and for the wildlife with whom we share the land.
Gratitude and Respect
When we are grateful for the goodness around us and respect others' excellent qualities and beneficial deeds, our own hearts open and we can progress on the path. Gratitude and respect cannot be forced. We can't make ourselves feel them, nor can others demand them from us. Rather, they are traits that we consciously cultivate because we see their benefit. As we cultivate gratitude and respect, we naturally express them in our lives.
Gratitude is cultivated by reflecting on the kindness of the Three Jewels, our spiritual mentors, Dharma companions, parents, and all sentient beings. This naturally gives rise to a sense of appreciation for having them in our lives and a wish to repay their kindness. Training ourselves to recognize others' good qualities develops respect. This not only frees us from the judgmental, critical mind, but also inspires us to cultivate those same good qualities in ourselves. Meditation on these two topicsthe kindness and benefit we have received from the Three Jewels and sentient beings, and their good qualitiesis part of the basic monastic training at the abbey.
Appreciation and respect for others is shown through our behavior. We bow to the Three Jewels when entering the meditation hall. We do a half-bow to other members of the community when we first see them each day. We greet visitors to the abbey with our palms together. By remembering their Buddha potential and respecting that quality, we also recall our own Buddha potential.
Humility and Willingness to Accept Instruction
Just as grass doesn't grow on the top of a mountain but in the fertile valley below, Dharma realizations grow not in the mind of an arrogant person but in the minds of those who are humble and willing to accept instruction. Humility is different from low self-esteem, for it is based on self-confidence. Because we are confident and like ourselves, we don't have to prove ourselves to others, dominate them, or have the last word in a discussion. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an excellent example of some who is humble and respects all others.
We show respect for those who are senior in ordination and those who are more experienced in the Dharma through following their good example and taking their advice to heart. These practitioners are a reliable support for us when we experience difficulties or doubts in our spiritual practice. Often, they have gone through similar challenges in their own practice and have learned through experience how best to work with the mind. Turning to them with humility and respect for their training relieves us from ego's pressure to be the best, to know the most, or to be able to figure everything out on our own.
Being able to accept feedback gracefully shows respect for our teachers and our companions on the path. When teachers or senior monastics remind us to be mindful of our actions, we practice listening and take in their comments with an open mind. When our minds tighten and we become defensive, as will sometimes happen, we practice noticing this and remembering that others' comments are offered with care for our well-being and are meant to help us.
We remember that the goal of Dharma practice is not to make our self-centered mind comfortable, feeding our ego everything it desires. We've been doing that since beginningless time, and it hasn't gotten us anywhere. Now we practice relaxing habitual defensiveness. When well-meaning people give us feedback, we listen. If someone is upset when they give us feedback, we remember that they are expressing their suffering and give them space. Practicing this is the way to develop humility.
When giving feedback to others, we first check our own minds to make sure we are speaking with kindness. As practitioners we want to stop ourselves from angry outbursts or from seemingly sweet words that mask a spiteful motivation. When another's behavior disturbs us, it is often helpful to wait a day to comment on it. That gives time for our mind to settle and for us to clarify our motivation. We may also choose to wait and comment on it during the community gathering prior to sojong (the bi-monthly ceremony in which monastics confess and restore their precepts).
Apologizing and Forgiving
Apologizing means acknowledging our mistakes, our harmful intent, and our lack of mindfulness. It is psychologically healthy and relieves us from guilt, allowing us to progress in the present rather than staying stuck in the past. It is spiritually healthy because it enables us to learn from our mistakes and thus to live according to our precepts better in the future.
Forgiving means letting go of anger so that we don't hold grudges or nurture resentment or the wish to retaliate. It, too, is necessary for psychological and spiritual health because it alleviates the pain of anger and prevents us from harming others in the future.
The sojong ceremony that occurs on the new and full moon days of each month gives the monastics an opportunity to review our actions of the last half-month and to make amends to ourselves, to our Dharma companions, and to the Three Jewels. While we personally practice reviewing our thoughts, words, and deeds each day, purifying what needs to be purified and rejoicing in our virtue, coming together every half-month helps to do cultivate transparency and trust.
Rejoicing
Rejoicing in our own and others talents, knowledge, abilities, good opportunities, and positive potential is essential for having a happy mind. Through it we also create great positive potential that enhances our practice. Needless to say, those around us benefit when we directly express our joy in their good qualities and actions to them. This is a practice we try to cultivate in our daily interactions, and we also incorporate this more formally as a group practice in our bi-monthly ceremony.
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