Buddhism

Last night we had a guest speaker on Buddhism and Meditation – a Buddhist Nun, originally from Austria. She started out the conversation by saying, “I am probably not a good example of a Buddhist Nun,” and went on to win us all over with her tales of how she became a nun, her life as a nun and stories about the temple and meditation. She was originally from Austria and attended her first 2 months meditation retreat in Thailand 18 years ago. She said that she felt called to the life and has now been a nun in Thailand for 17 years. She is not your typical Buddhist nun in that she travels to Europe once a year to teach meditation and carries a cell phone wherever she goes. Her email address is “cybernun2002.”

When she began to talk about the practice of Buddhism, she said that she considers it, not so much a religion, as a philosophy of life. She talked about the five noble truths: 1. Suffering exists; 2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires; 3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases; 4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Contemplation. She also talked about the importance of being mindful and staying in the present moment, something that can be learned through meditation.

She explained the five precepts that the monks have to follow: 1. Do not harm any living thing; 2. Do not take anything which is not freely given to you; 3. Do not participate in sexual misconduct; 4. Refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat); and 5. Abstain from alcohol and drugs. Practicing Buddhists are supposed to follow the first four. The nuns have eight, these five and then three more: 6. Do not wear ornaments or engage in entertaining activities (singing, dancing, etc.); 7. Do not sleep on a wide or comfortable bed; and 8. Do not eat after the noon hour. I need to look up why there are more for nuns than monks.

One story she told was that her teacher likened consuming alcohol to consuming the blood of four animals: the blood of a bird, the blood of a monkey, the blood of a snake and the blood of a pig. He said that when you drink, the first blood to come out is the blood of a bird (when you want to talk and talk and talk). The second to come out is the blood of a monkey (usually on the dance floor). The third to come out is the blood of a snake (when you sway side to side and can’t walk in a straight line) and the last to come out is the blood of a pig (when you just crash wherever you are and sleep for hours). I found that pretty amusing.

She described the typical day of a Buddhist nun: 3:30 a.m. rise; 4:00 – 6:00 morning meditation, 6:00 – 7:00 walking meditation; 7:00 – 8:00 preparing the morning meal (from the offerings brought back by the priests from the village); 8:00 – 9:00 morning meal and daily chores; 9:00 – 11:00 meditation; 11:00-12:00 break and more chores; 12:00 – 2:00 afternoon meditation; 2:00 – 3:00 chanting; 3:00 – 4:00 break/chores; 4:00 – 5:00 walking meditation; 5:00 – 7:00 evening meditation; 7:00 – 8:00 break; 8:00 – 9:00 walking meditation and bed (I may be off a little, but those were the basic elements of the day). I asked her if the Buddha taught compassion, how did the nuns practice compassion in their everyday lives if they didn’t leave the temple. She explained that, in Thailand, the temple is often the social center of the town and serves as a social meeting place, a place where people can come to seek counsel, a place for drug addicts and battered women to find refuge and the place where many ceremonies are held. So in between all of the meditation and chanting, the nuns act in a social work capacity.

After she finished her stories, one volunteer asked “What do you consider to be the meaning of life?” I thought that was a little strong for a first question, but she took it in stride and responded that, for her, the meaning of life is to do the most good you can with the life you have for yourself, your family, your community and society at large. I really liked her.

Many of the wats here offer meditation retreats for westerners. At her wat, she is the teacher, but she will be out of the country until the middle of July. If I want to study under her, I would have to extend my stay in Thailand, which is something I can decide later. Or I can always study at another wat. It definitely gave me a lot to think about.