Saffron Days in L.A. (eBook)

Bhante Walpola Piyananda (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2001 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
Shambhala (Verlag)
978-0-8348-2881-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Inthis delightful memoir, Bhante Walpola Piyananda, a Buddhist monk from SriLanka, shares his often amusing, often poignant experiences of life in America.Whether he's reasoning with a group of confrontational punks on Venice Beach,bridging the gap between a rebellious teenager and her traditional parents,explaining to an errant Buddhist that the concept of 'non-attachment'does not justify irresponsibility, or dealing with a nude sunbather at ameditation retreat, no situation—no matter how sticky—manages to affectBhante's unflappable calm or his phenomenal ability to find the right parablefor the moment.

Bhante Walpola Piyananda, who is abbot of a Buddhist meditation center inL.A., has met and counseled a wide range of people—the disenfranchised ofsociety, couples dealing with relationship issues, American Buddhists trying toreconcile their practice with their very Western lifestyles, recent immigrantsstruggling to assimilate but also maintain their traditional values. Hisstories reveal the complicated, joyous, painful, baffling, and inspiringaspects of the human condition and the power of true compassion.

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In this delightful memoir, Bhante Walpola Piyananda, a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka, shares his often amusing, often poignant experiences of life in America. Whether he's reasoning with a group of confrontational punks on Venice Beach, bridging the gap between a rebellious teenager and her traditional parents, explaining to an errant Buddhist that the concept of "e;non-attachment"e; does not justify irresponsibility, or dealing with a nude sunbather at a meditation retreat, no situation—no matter how sticky—manages to affect Bhante's unflappable calm or his phenomenal ability to find the right parable for the moment.Bhante Walpola Piyananda, who is abbot of a Buddhist meditation center in L.A., has met and counseled a wide range of people—the disenfranchised of society, couples dealing with relationship issues, American Buddhists trying to reconcile their practice with their very Western lifestyles, recent immigrants struggling to assimilate but also maintain their traditional values. His stories reveal the complicated, joyous, painful, baffling, and inspiring aspects of the human condition and the power of true compassion.

Textauszug

Chapter1: The Robe Ithad been two months since I ordained Sunanda. It is not an easy adjustment tobecome a Buddhist monk. It was especially difficult for Sunanda, who was notonly a Westerner, but was born and raised in the Jewish faith in Beverly Hills.He had not been brought up around monks, or in a culture that knew about,incorporated, and honored the sanghaasan essential part of society, as it is in most of Asia. Sunandahad been struggling quietly with a few issues, and he thought I had notnoticed. I decided to wait for him to come forward to ask for help, knowingthat he needed to choose his own time. As the waters of his frustration rose,the dam holding his silence eventually broke on a clear early sunrise in thespring. Sunandausually came to my room in the morning to pay his respects to me as his teacherand abbot, a tradition he seemed to enjoy and appreciate. Even though he wasalways friendly, he was often quiet and usually spent only a few moments withme, eager to begin his daily work. On this particular spring day his face wasfull of concern and question, and he stayed with me longer than usual. Hesuddenly shouted out loud, 'Bhante!' The force of his voice, comingfrom such a usually quiet monk, sent a shock wave through the room. I turnedand looked at him with amazement. 'Bhante!'he called out again. 'I think I have to give up my robe. I have to leavethe monastery!' Sunanda'seyes were downcast, and I could tell that he was having a difficult timegetting up the courage to face me. I knew that this was the time to talk atlast. 'Sunanda,' I calmly said, 'please tell me what's on yourmind. You are obviously troubled. Perhaps I can be of assistance to you.' Helooked at me with trepidation, like he wished he had not spoken out soabruptly. 'It's OK,' I said. 'Please feel free to continue.That's how we learn. There is nothing you could say to me that would shockme.' Sunandalooked at me again for reassurance, and I nodded. He took a deep breath andbegan. 'Bhante,I am so embarrassed about what I am going to tell you. Since I was ordained acouple of months ago, I have been harassed endlessly. People yell out names,whisper as I pass, ask me if I forgot to change my Halloween costume! They say,'Hey, are you a pumpkin?' They have kicked me on the bus. Sometimes I think Iwill be beaten up! I am afraid to go outside. How can I live this way, Bhante?I don't know what to do.' Sunandawas starting to sob, thinking about the abuse he had endured. I am sure he wasalso thinking about the possibility of giving up his vows. He was a devotedBuddhist monk, and I could well understand the pain he was feeling. 'Mydear Sunanda,' I said, in a reassuring manner. 'You are not alone. Ihave suffered the same treatment on many occasions. Sunandalooked up at me, absolutely startled. 'You what?'hesaid with widening eyes. 'How could anyone abuse someone like you?' 'Well,I will tell you, Sunanda. I'll share a few stories with you and then you'llunderstand.' Sunandanodded and then moved closer so he could hear me better. He obviously didn'twant to miss a word of what I was about to say. 'Sunanda,a few months ago I was traveling with Bhante Sumedha and Nanda from Los Angelesto Berkeley. Do you remember that trip?' Sunandanodded his head and I continued. 'Westopped at a rest area to go to the bathroom. As I was going into the men'sroom, a man stopped me and shouted, 'Hey, this isn't the women's bathroom!' Iignored him. Then again he called out, 'Hey, lady! Don't you understandEnglish? This isn't the women's bathroom!' 'Iremoved the knit cap on my...

Produkt-Details

• Vorwort: Dalai Lama
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Buddhismus
• ISBN-10: 0-8348-2881-2 / 0834828812
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8348-2881-0 / 9780834828810