First Tuesday in Berkeley: March 2008
Amaravati Nuns Pay Another Visit to Berkeley
Arthur Robinson
March 9, 2008
The monthly First Tuesday Sanghapala gathering in Berkeley was once again fortunate to be able to host Ajahn Ānandabodhi from Amaravati Monastery in England. Following up on her February visit to Berkeley with Ajahn Santacitta (who was ill and not able to attend this month), Ajahn summarized what the two had experienced during their visits in January, February, and March to the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the Pacific Northwest, and Oklahoma for the purpose of exploring opportunities for establishing a community of nuns (Sīladhāras) in the United States. The Ajahns have now returned to England, but in April and May, a second group comprising Ajahns Upekkhā and Thānasanti will be visiting Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. In June, Ajahns Candasiri and Ānandabodhi will again be in the Bay Area.
During the informal tea at five p.m. that begins the First Tuesday gatherings, Ajahn Ānandabodhi put into perspective the status of the search: only half of the “investigating team” has so far visited, so it is premature to speak of identifying a particular location. In general, there was energy and enthusiasm everywhere they have gone. In terms of resources, wide regions centered around Seattle and San Francisco have seemed initially the most promising, with perhaps an edge to the Bay Area (which could range as far as Lake County). Nonetheless, “we think it will happen, but we don’t know where” is the most accurate description at present.
“It” is a training monastery for nuns. Unlike Amaravati, which as a separate retreat center, it is not expected to offer facilities for silent retreats. As at Abhayagiri, visitors will be welcome to participate in the daily life of the community, a kind of “applied” Buddhism that complements intensive retreats. However, while bringing the established tradition and practice with them, the sisters will then be open to seeing what evolves, which could involve various kinds of connections with other Buddhist traditions.
One practice the nuns will bring with them is what Ajahn Ānandabodhi called “heart meetings” that take place every three weeks or so among the Amaravati nuns (nuns from nearby Cittaviveka Monastery, also known as Chithurst, also participate). With everyone sitting in a circle, each person is invited to speak about what she appreciates, what she regrets, what she anticipates, and any other item up for her. After everyone has spoken, there is a break, followed by a discussion. There is no time limit.
Locally, there was the second of two coordination meetings for lay supporters of the project in Larkspur on March 2. Participants at those meetings reported that lists are being gathered and committees formed, as are plans for a brochure and strategies aimed at accumulating financial support up to the million-dollar level. The next such meeting will be April 20. Meanwhile, the immediate plan for the nuns is to return for two months in early 2009 to establish a temporary vihāra with living space for five people plus a shrine room. Anyone with leads for a house or other facility to accommodate the vihāra is encouraged to contact the Saranaloka Foundation.
The teatime discussion ended with Ajahn’s comments on working with strong emotions like anger and fear (it is useful to investigate what “self” is being defended) and other conditions like depression (even when it feels like it will never end, recognizing that it will change can diminish its power). Allowing these states to happen while getting to know them and without engaging them with aversion leads to the ability to just open the door and let them go. These comments provided a segue into the Dhamma talk that followed at 7:30 p.m. after a rest break. In her talk, Ajahn Ānandabodhi focused on the three signs (marks) that characterize all existence: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), and anattā (not-self).
Impermanence teaches us that what we take to be solid and real is in fact always in flux and changing. We realize that the body is no exception when we think about our hair, our nails, our skin, our beating heart, our breathing. The breath, in particular, can be a marvelous teacher, provided that, however boring it may seem, we can stay with it. If the breath stops, we die in minutes, yet we cannot say which part of the breath is “mine.” Having been born, we inevitably age and die; we return to nature. So what we identify as “me” and “mine” perhaps more accurately belongs to nature.
The mind is no different. Emotions and thoughts arise, fill our minds, and pass on. While they’re there, we identify with them. If like anger, fear, and depression, they’re unpleasant and painful, we feel we have to fix them. While it may sound passive at times, we are invited to just accept and watch these mind states, watch them change, as they surely will. The safety net of the Precepts frees us to do this. Becoming aware of the mind is not a passive but an active practice. Awareness of the mind is, in fact, greater than the thoughts or emotions because we realize that we don’t have to be guided by the thoughts or emotions. Going further, we can ask ourselves, if these are changing, can they really be me or mine?
Suffering arises when we want life to be a certain way, but it isn’t. The body and mind do what they will. If we just watch, there is no problem, but with attachment to a particular state, a problem arises. It may seem difficult to just let go of the attachment, but if we make the analogy with the parents who raise a child to adulthood and then must let the child go, we get both the idea and the necessity. Ajahn recalled a visit to a Thai monastery in Portland whose name was translated, colloquially, as either “I ain’t gonna mess with it no more” or “give it all back to nature.” These expressions provide a focus for practice. When the mind is caught in a story, in desire, in anger, just say “give it back to nature.” Treat the body and mind with respect and kindness, but when the time comes, give it back to nature.
Giving back is not just throwing out. It is more like disentangling. It is important to honor and acknowledge what’s going on without judging. Like watching the breath without trying to control it, giving back is a teacher; it allows you to learn. It is a matter of wisdom more than thinking. Wisdom comes from a deeper place; it is listening to the heart and body. Ajahn gave the example of mothers who knew their newly born babies could feel pain, even though doctors in the USA as recently as the 1980s believed they could not, owing to still developing neurological functioning.
With the end of the winter retreat, the Abhayagiri monastics will return for the next Sanghapala First Tuesday at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery (2304 McKinley Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703) on April first. More information about the project to establish a community of Sīladhāras in the United States is available at the Saranaloka Foundation website. (Sīladhāra is the term used to designate the ten-precept nuns ordained under Ajahn Sumedho and living in the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah.) Also, the teaching schedule for the nuns who will be visiting through June 2008 is posted there.