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A conversation about Buddhism

Stressed Americans turn to meditation
By D. C. Ranatunga
Tension and stress in their lives have led some Americans to look towards Buddhist meditation as a form of relaxation. Meditation classes at the Washington Buddhist Vihara are very popular according to Ven.

aharagama Dhammasiri Nayaka Thera, President of the vihara, which is the first Theravada Buddhist temple in the United States. It was founded by the late Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Maha Nayaka Thera in the mid-1960s.
"With only a few holidays, the life of the Americans revolves round work. Their stress levels are high. So they try to get away for an hour or two on Sundays to follow our meditation classes," says Ven. Dhammasiri. The most senior pupil monk of Madihe Maha Nayaka Thera, Ven.

hammasiri has been managing the Washington Vihara for the past 16 years. In recognition of his services, the Dharmarakshita sect of the Amarapura Nikaya appointed him as the chief high priest in North America recently.

Ven. Dhammasiri points out that unlike a few years back when foreigners were more interested in Buddhist philosophy, now the accent is on meditation. A meditation class is held on Sundays from 7 p.m. onwards at the vihara. In addition, classes are also held on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7p.m. to 8.30 p.m. "The attendance is encouraging," Ven. Dhammasiri says.

The vihara also conducts a dhamma class every other Friday for two hours in the evening while a daham pasala is held every other Sunday morning. Monday evenings are devoted to a group discussion on the ill effects of alcohol and drugs.

With a growing interest in comparative religions in the university curriculum, many students select Buddhism. Groups of students come to the vihara looking for material. Ven. Dhammasiri discusses the dhamma with them.

"I also get invited for lectures and seminars at universities, colleges and churches. There is always a lot of interest when a Buddhist monk attends these. So many questions are asked - about the robe, its colour, why the head is shaven and so on."

Following one of his presentations, Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, Dean of the Washington National Cathedral interviewed Venerable Dhammasiri about Buddhism.

Extracts of the interview were published in the Spring Issue of the 'Cathedral Age'.Here we reproduce extracts from their conversation.

Baxter: Westerners often wonder whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy, and often the answer hinges on whether Buddhism is theistic or has a theology. Does Buddhism have a belief in some kind of ultimate being or a presence higher than the individual?

Ven. Dhammasiri: Buddhism is neither theistic nor atheistic. It defines god and religion in a humanistic way. Religion, according to Buddhism is something that has grown up on earth to satisfy a human need and to solve a human problem. Buddhism does have a belief in an ultimate being and a presence higher than the normal human being, and that is the Buddha. Buddhists do not see the Buddha as an ordinary human being or philosopher such as Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle.

He represents the ‘ultimate state’ in the spiritual evolution of the human being. God for the Buddhist is the ideal of perfection conceived by human beings which they strive to realize through the practice of religion. Buddhism speaks of action (karma) and its consequences (vipaka).

Baxter: When one wills an action, is that person aware of whether the intention is good or bad, or is it something one discovers later? That is to say, if I decide to do something that might be in my interest but may be harmful to my brother's, is that a wilful karma or is it something else? I'm trying to find the moral principle.

Ven. Dhammasiri: Karma is not a moral law. The essence of karma is motive, which is emotional. If one acts angrily, it will have bad consequences. If one acts kindly, it will have good consequences. That is how karma works.

Baxter: That's much like Jesus' teaching about that which comes from our hearts. It's not what comes from our mouths but from our hearts that is at the root of our goodness.

Ven. Dhammasiri: We have the greatest respect for Jesus Christ. Many of his teachings are very Buddhistic. Take the Sermon on the Mount - pure Buddhist! And the concept of turning the other cheek, avoiding revenge, this is clearly Buddhist, too. Examples like this are common in the Gospels.

Baxter: Let's talk about the compatibility of Buddhism with Christianity. How would a Buddhist understand prayer and worship?
Ven. Dhammasiri: We do have worship, but not prayer as a Christian might understand it. To worship is to recognize the worth of some thing or some person (worth-ship). Worship is based on a sense of values. We do not pray to a supernatural power for things to happen or even for salvation.

The worship in our temples is before the statue of the Buddha, in admiration, respect, and gratitude of what he achieved and for teaching us the way to happy and peaceful living.

Baxter: Would a Buddhist worshipper have a sense that the Buddha would hear or be aware of their expression of gratitude or their gestures of honour and respect?
Ven. Dhammasiri: Not at all. We do not believe the Buddha can hear what we say, or know what we say in any subtle way. We do not even believe that a Buddha exists after attaining Pari-Nirvana.

It is interesting to note here that the essence of God for the theist is God's ‘existence’ but the essence of the Buddha to the Buddhist is a Buddha's ‘non-existence’, because he has ‘awakened’ from the ‘dream of existence’.
Baxter: Can one follow Buddhist practice and still be a Christian, or must one reject Christianity in order to embrace Buddhism?

Ven. Dhammasiri: Part of being a Buddhist is the practice of universal good will. Anyone can practise Buddhism even though he or she has Christian beliefs. But becoming a Buddhist is a different thing. This involves a change in beliefs.
We never ask anyone to become a Buddhist. We never ask because we don't believe in labels. Labels don't matter; your heart matters.

I always say to Christians who come to me asking this question, "Stay a Christian. Don't change your religion, but practise those things that can make you a better Christian." Anyone can practise meditation, loving kindness, and forgiveness and express gratitude to the people who help and teach you. You don't have to become a Buddhist to practise Buddhism.

Baxter: Where do you see opportunities for Christians and Buddhists to learn and grow together? How can we deepen our spiritual lives together?

Ven. Dhammasiri: The best way I can think of to deepen our spiritual lives is to drop all dogmatism and blind faith and to study about religion with an open mind. Buddhism is full of many beautiful teachings. Do not look for others' faults; look for the nice things and leave behind that which you find to be not so good.

If someone is looking for the bad things in a person or a religion, he will only find the sand and stones. But if he sifts them properly, all the unneeded things will go away. When you use this theory to look at others' religions, it can be a very helpful way to seek peace and harmony between each other.

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