#Buddha’s monastery

[girl4music]

Enjoying playing on Game Plus and I just had to capture this statue of the Buddha. So beautiful and majestic.

[kucukbiroyku]

[joshoconnaissance]

Tian Tan Buddha, Hong Kong December 2023

[errantabbot]

Monasticism and Authenticity

What makes one a monk really isn’t tied to any physical location, to any outward appearance, or to any particular day-to-day schedule.

Rather, a monk is simply someone who realizes that they are fundamentally alone (monos), and who is then utterly compelled to lean into that matter, and to investigate it completely.

In the Zen tradition this investigation usually takes the form of the great questions “Who am I?” and “What is this?”

Over time, with continued leaning in, unrelenting investigation, and essentially not fleeing one’s reality (despite the better judgement of one’s discursive thinking), a monk may realize their fundamental aloneness as all-one-ness, and fully manifest the monastic call and vocation.

I’ve lived in Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, and spent considerable amounts of time in Christian contemplative communities. What I’ve noticed is that (universally) there are an awful lot of people, who for whatever reason, find themselves in professional monastic contexts, but who (also for whatever reason) never really manifest the monastic vocation or call.

A monk must be completely taken up with the great questions, unsatisfied with canned explanations, and generally unsettled.

Many would-be cultivars simply flee the world (to hermitages and monasteries) as a form of escapism. Others think that they have realized a fundamental aloneness but spend all of their time doing anything but leaning into or investigating that phenomenon, inescapable as it always is, when it’s authentically encountered.

Special haircuts, robes, and schedules of meditation and/or prayer can (and often do) become hindrances to authentic contemplation, as rote imitations of some saintly ideal.

In the right contexts and when engaged with proper intention, attention and care, such ornamentations and frameworks can be great sources of energy and support for the essential work of monasticism, but they are (as noted) prone to idolatrous mimickry, and the same sort of hedonistic regard given to life otherwise.

Life has many essential, unavoidable tasks and responsibilities. There are no free rides. Contemplation must be engaged fully whether “standing, walking, sitting, or lying down” (as the Buddhist scriptures say).

Monasticism takes place always in the course of ordinary life commitments and concerns, and whether or not one’s outward container and engagements are sufficiently ordinary to uphold such contemplation is not really dependent upon what they look like, or seem to involve.

How do you keep you mind moment by moment? What keeps your mind? And most importantly, who is that “you?” What is it?! When these concerns are sufficiently central to one’s constitution so as to be wrapped up with one’s very heartbeat and breath, the monastic vocation can be said to have taken root.

~Sunyananda

[thelivesofourdolls]

Nomi loves visiting temples. The first one she went to in Hong Kong was the Ten thousand buddhas monastery in Sha Tin.

[travelella]

Tibetan Buddhist monastery Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery, Namobuddha Road, Simalchaur Syampati, Nepal

Taken by Raimond Klavins

[omw2happiness]

HEARTSTRINGS OF PRAISE:《为毘婆舍那做前行 33：赞颂修行》Pre - Vipassanā Discourse Preparation 33: Cultivation Through insightful Praise 05.05.2023

《Offering Insightful Praises is Cultivation》《赞颂即是修行 ：赞颂与广论》 Table of Content/科判: Relying on the Teacher亲近善士IP/赞颂：相思湖畔https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp9t7-k0Ynk请您听着赞颂，学着广论，得师长加持, 永远追随佛陀。 Let’s listen to Insightful Praises as we learn the Lamrim and be blessed by our lineage masters and eternally follow Buddha’s…

[vecationist]

Discover the Best of Hong Kong in One Day: Top Attractions, Food, and Culture

Experience the vibrant energy of Hong Kong in just one day! Start your day with a traditional dim sum breakfast at one of the city’s famous tea houses. Then, take a scenic tram ride up to Victoria Peak for stunning panoramic views of the city skyline. Next, head to the iconic Tian Tan Buddha statue on Lantau Island and marvel at the impressive 34-meter tall bronze figure. After lunch, explore the…

[tilbageidanmark]

The Sakya Monastery houses a library of 84,000 wooden books. Most of them are Buddhist scriptures, although they also include works of literature, history, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, and art.

[mysterioushimachal]

Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa, Manali | A Spiritual Gem in Himachal Pradesh

[thailand-tourist-places]

Ho Quoc Temple Vietnam

Ho Quoc Temple Vietnam When we think about a place that evokes a sense of peace and focus, surrounded by nature and mountains, makes me think of a temple. Here we are at Ho Quoc Temple, located on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. Behind the temple, there is a large mountain, while in front, you’ll be greeted by breathtaking ocean views. Let’s Talk about Ho Quoc Pagoda Ho Quoc Temple Vietnam: A Serene…

[kucukbiroyku]

[letusdiscoverindia]

The 74-foot-tall Maitreya Buddha Statue at Likir Monastery in Ladakh stands as an awe-inspiring marvel, drawing throngs of tourists. Its colossal presence not only captivates visitors but also carries profound spiritual significance for Buddhists.

If you want to know where it stands and how to reach there, then you must visit "Leh to Sham Valley: A Serene Expedition 2024"

[neharathod819]

Bomdila Monastery: Tibetan Spiritual Haven

Bomdila Monastery, located in the serene town of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh, India, is a significant center of Tibetan Buddhism in the northeastern region.

[travelernight]

Hong Kong Secrets: Uncover The Top 10 Must-Visit Hidden Gems

[planetdharma]

Guardians Against Epidemics: Blessings from God (Retreat)

Japan’s native spiritual tradition is Shintō, which means, “way of the spirits.” They say there are more than 800,000 spirits in Shinto, ranging from gods replete with histories, legends and families, to the spirits residing in a stone or waterfall. It’s a kind of animism or shamanism.

Shintō morphed with Buddhism in Japan the same way that Bon morphed with Vajrayana in Tibet. So the two main deities of the Gion Festival are both Shintō––Susanō-no-mikoto, the god of storms––and Buddhist––Gozu Tennō, the ox-headed emperor, a guardian deity of the Buddha’s first monastery, Jetavana.

The tempestuous god of storms carries plague on the winds to those that displease him. He’s also known as the god of love, and his beloved is Princess Kushi Inada, the goddess of rice. The rain from storms is what gives life to rice. So we see how death and birth are always hand in hand, so to speak, or perhaps we should say, lingam in yoni.

But I puzzled for years over this ox-headed guardian deity––why an ox? Then a learned friend of mine pointed out that it was a Japanese version of Yamantaka, the Lord of Death, guardian of the threshold between this life and the next bardo.

Know More:- https://www.planetdharma.com/guardians-against-epidemics-retreat/