It is important to understand the etymology of the modern idea for soul for the western mindset. Early Greek philosopher Plato 427 – 347 BC, drawing on the words of his teacher Socrates, considered the soul ‘as the essence of a person, being, that which decides how we behave.’ He considered this essence; ‘as an incorporeal, eternal occupant of our being. As bodies die the soul is continually reborn in subsequent bodies.’  The Platonic soul comprises three parts:

1.  the logos (mind, nous, or reason)

2.  the thymos (emotion, or spiritedness, or masculine)

3.  the eros (appetitive, or desire, or feminine)

An early glimpse of the idea of soul has a Buddhist framework.  Not surprising when considering the time line. Buddhism had been in existence for over 200 years and Buddhist monks traveling the trade routes were present in Greece at that time.  Some 1500 years later Thomas Aquinas 1225 – 1274 AD understood the soul to be the first principle, or act, of the body. However, his theory required that, since the intellectual soul is capable of knowing all material things, and since in order to know a material thing there must be no material thing within it, the soul was definitely not corporeal. Therefore, the soul had an operation separate from the body and therefore could subsist without the body. Now we have the framework for western thought, and the idea of a separate soul and body.

Remember that Buddhism characteristically describes ‘existence’ in terms of process and relation rather than an entity or substance or creation, and therefore does not believe in the existence of a self or soul.

The idea of selflessness is a concept of Buddhism, perhaps one of the most important Buddhists teaching is a core idea called anattā, which translates to “selflessness” or “no soul”. The existence of selflessness promotes a genesis of non-attachment to people, places, things, ideas and the notion of self. Thereby in itself, promoting attributes of kindness, altruism, generosity and compassion.

The Buddha felt that all existence is characterized by anattā, impermanence (anitya), and suffering (dukkha). The Buddha taught the doctrine of anattā because he believed that a “self” resulted in egoism, craving, attachment and consequently in suffering.

There are two ideas or mental concepts that are psychologically rooted in the human psyche: self protection and self preservation. Man created, outside the existence of God, a notion of God as a protection for the self and reason for existence. Man conceived the idea of a immortal soul as a means for self preservation.   However in his ignorance, weakness, fear, and desire, man needs justifies these two concepts to comfort himself.  He clings to them obsessively. Wars have been fought and countless lives wasted on the clinging to these two notions. This is the idea or notion of selfishness. Selfishness is the constant desire to fill all the voids, to answer every craving, to fill every cup to its fullest.

In the west the question of selflessness is often answered by what is the opposite of selfishness.  It is difficult for westerners to find reason for a need in selflessness because of the concept of goodness.  For Buddhism goodness is and activity and action and understanding of what is good. It is learned.  In the west we are told all goodness come from god.  The idea that good; any good can only come from outside the self negates the right understanding, notion and right action of any person exercising the will to create good.

Doing some act of goodness is an altruistic act which promotes the development of goodness and causes no harm. Altruism is action motivated by desires whose object is another’s benefit. We have every reason to believe that there are such desires and so our intuitive practice is justified.  Believing in the pure act of selflessness we give way to the benefit of others.  In any act of kindness we are thinking of others.  Thinking causes investigation. Investigations uncover the truth, and as my counterparts in western religions are fond of saying; “and the truth will set you free”.

Be at peace with all you do.  Happiness is really very relative.  If a thought plagues you as to whether you’re doing something just for your own edification, expand the notion to fully accept your part in it and how it will affect the other persons in the involvement.  Do this without losing sight of yourself.  Make your motive pure. Do things not out of sympathy or some form of self gratification, but rather because it is good for the betterment of all. Try to keep in the forefront of your thoughts, not to harm anyone….including yourself.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of
body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.

May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those in bondage and slavery find freedom.

May people in every land think of befriending each other.

May all beings be Well, Happy and Peaceful.

May all beings have Dignity, Love and Respect.

May all efforts to relieve Suffering be successful.

“Do not injure any living being.”
This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable
way of spiritual life.
No weapon, no hatred nor any act of aggression can
be superior to non-violence and love. The fires of hatred are never
quenched by more fire. So, like the roots of the great oaks
underground we are all connected, it is our connections to each
other that frame the fabric of humanity. With a pure and
understanding mind may our thoughts be right; from our thoughts
may our speech be right. From our speech may our actions be right.
So that all we do becomes for the benefit of all.

Compassion does not belong to one faith
For it belongs to all.
Love is not the possession of one faith
It is the teachings of all.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

The World Peace Prayer was delivered to the Congregants at the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Beaumont Texas. 22 November 2009.

The Kathina Ceremony is an annual event dating back nearly 2600 years, one of the original ceremonies put into place by the Buddha.  Kathina is a special celebration, a ceremony that traditionally marks the end of the three month rainy season which the monks and nuns have spent in a monastery.  In contemporary time it is the expression of the congregation’s appreciation of the contribution the monks have made to the Buddhist community and recognition of the passing of another year of monastic service by the monastics.

The Buddha in his lifetime designed and placed into being a society of monastic and laity.  Each has their own place, position and roles to fulfill.  The monastic’s; monks and nuns duty and role is to live a virtuous life and to teach by word and example the teachings of the Buddha.  The lay people in gratitude for the service and sacrifice made by the monastics, care for the needs of the monks and nuns.

Nowadays it is important for the lay people to offer their support to the temple and the monks in order for us to continue to be the spiritual guides to the Buddhist community and to insure the future of Buddhism as a faith worthy of everyone. In a time when many faiths are facing difficulties and the many people find themselves falling away, Buddhism offers a positive role model.  When we view the teachings of cause and effect along with the practice of meditation and combine it with the easily understandability of the Dhamma, we can offer a middle path for everyone to follow.

The Kathina Robe ceremony is the presentation of traditional Kathina cloth by the Buddhist followers to the members of the Sangha. This year I have been chosen to accept the Kathina cloth on behalf of the venerable monks of Buu Mon Buddhist Temple.

May the Blessings of the Triple Gem:  the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha be with all of you.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

What is most important in Buddhism and part of the core teachings of the Buddha is self love and an understanding of who you are. We must develop the capacity to generate love for ourselves, before we can be an example of love for others to learn.  If we are not capable of generating love for ourselves we will be unable to offer a lasting unselfish love towards others. The energy that exists in love is real.

It is an energy that you can feel, experience and express.  It is the experience of self love that becomes the genesis for a powerful energy that manifests itself in the expression of compassion towards all living beings.  Love is energy, and it is learned.

Because it is learned it can be perfected, and strengthened. The Buddha reminds us that do not overlook any act of kindness no matter how small. One small action can create a cycle of karmic proportions. It is like holding the door open behind you for someone to pass through. It is just a small gesture of kindness that gets passed along from person to person.

If you are not capable of taking care of yourself, nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself- it is very difficult to take care of another person. In the Buddhist teaching, it’s clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is learned.

Practice becomes the training that is needed in order to perfect the loving more properly. Perfecting the ability to be able to extend happiness and joy takes practice. You must practice. Practice by extending to the other person the virtues found in selfless love and non-attachment.

Knowing the self is wisdom, thus becoming the reasoning behind the premise; if you do not know and love yourself you are unable to extend this behavior towards others. Meaning you are unable to love others, because the building block of self love is missing in the foundation you’re building. Love yourself. Then extend that love to others. This is the message of the Buddha.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

I have had the very fortunate privileges to travel to many temples here in the US and have attended/participated in many different cultural events. In the past 5 years I have been able to participate in Vesak and Katina celebrations in Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Thai, Sri Lankan and Chinese in Theravada and Mahayana schools. While each of them has their differences, they in addition have some recognizable practices.

Is it necessary to for us to realize that cultural practices may or may not be uniquely Buddhist but rather unique to the lands of that particular tradition. This speaks to the universality of the Buddhist path.

Buddhism is able to adapt to the cultural influences of the locale it comes in contact with. Buddhism is not a cultural identity reserved for peoples of a certain caste, clan, place or location. Because of its universal nature Buddhism is for all cultures.

With so many Buddhist cultures already in existence in the US, we have many options to select on the basis of suitability. My own experience is that I am the only non-Asian monk in my Sangha. I am constantly reminded by many of the non-Asians and that they do not wish to be Vietnamese Buddhists. They wish to learn and practice ‘Western Style’ Buddhism. So for me the question is; ‘What is ‘Western Style’? My challenge is to develop a Buddhist practice that allows for the individual personalities found in the many regions of this country. Americans and Europeans have a strong identity to freedom and democracy. It has become a cultural thumbprint, but is it uniquely western? Because of the diversity of cultures found here in the US it is incumbent upon practitioners of Buddhism to seek out the ways in which we are similar. The philosophy of Buddhism seems to have few problems in western society. We therefore need to develop a practice that is familiar to mainstream western religious thought, with respect to the person and not particularly Judeo-Christian in religious thought. We can develop chanting services ‘in the style of’ familiar western religious practices.

No Sangha is the same as another, even those Sanghas of the same tradition and country. Similarities exist. With respect to all parties involved the task is to find a Buddhist path that is sensitive to the Western mindset while continually engaged in the practice of appreciating the cultural refinements that are centuries old and represent the continued evolvement of Buddhism of any particular land.
Buddhism has the freedom to evolve with respect to nationality, locale, people and culture.

The Buddhism found in Vietnam is not the same as Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, Burma or any other country. To be sure, there are many similarities. However the strength of Buddhism is its inner core of Dhamma. The addition of flexibility and self renewal is a wonderful trait. The recognizable differences found in the many lands where Buddhism exists and is allowed to flourish, is the innate beauty found within Buddhism.

To be sure, many of these ‘differences’ are evolutionary and cultural adaptations. Should we expect to be different? Are we surprised that Buddhism is culture friendly? Practices may differ, but the Buddha’s understanding of human nature is its universal appeal.

I find myself more and more celebrating the connections we share rather than the differences. Diversity and individuality are earmarks for westerners. Most of my time has been turned towards developing a ‘familiar’ or ‘comfortable’ chanting service. It is important to discover the authentic culture that Buddhism will inspire. Many people are of the mindset that Buddhism is atheistic in nature. I believe it is a valid criticism. However because we do not have the same allegiance and respect for dewas and gods does not mean Buddhism is atheistic.

What qualities are inherent of the phrase Western Buddhism? We as westerns espouse a tradition of liberty and democracy. We can combine the philosophical qualities of Buddhism and our democratic heritage; we then feel a closer identity with a religion that leads to the cessation of suffering. Authentic identity of the self is found when we are able to comprehend the recognizable signposts which lead to an engaged practice of self discovery.

Accepting the changes in Buddhism is an acknowledgement of all change. Accepting the many Buddhist cultures is an acceptance of our connections to each other. Adaptation can be a hallmark of growth and a vibrant new tradition evolving. I welcome it.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

Portions of this Dhamma discussion was posted to Dharma Folk Website moderated by arunlikhati.  I personally appreciate the courtesies that have been extended to ‘From West to East’ and myself.   BK

Welcome to Most Venerable Buddhapala, Most Venerable Abbot, Venerable monks and nuns who have traveled to be with us today, Mayor Bobbie Prince,the City Manager Steve Fitzgibbons, government officials, honored guests.

This year’s Lotus and Bamboo Festival and Vesak have been a success.  The weather has been exceptional. Many people traveled for hours and are here from cities all over Texas, Louisiana and surrounding areas.

We are all a part of one community. Being here is a growth opportunity not just for the plants in the gardens but for each of us. The experience of living is filled with the opportunity to experience the knowledge of Dharma. The wise person will recognize those opportunities and learn from them. We have come together to celebrate the birth, life and passing of Lord Buddha.

As people we must understand that no single sentient being is an island that exists alone. We are dependent on each other. Our connections go past race, color, religion and creed. It is time to celebrate not just the diversities of ethnic origins but the ways in which we are connected.

The Buddha’s message has always been and will always be the message of compassion. Learning to love and care for ourselves we become a gift to those around us. Let us remember this as we share the Dhamma with those who have taken refuge in the Buddha this year. We are so happy to welcome them into our temple and Buddhist community.

Celebrations are a time of beginnings and renewal. This celebration brings together family and friends, temple and worshipers, new friendships, personal growth and reconciliation. Take time to renew the thoughts of compassion and caring for yourselves and your families.

I would like to thank all of you for coming here today, and for the many people who come into our lives everyday. I pray that your blessings be more than the stars in the sky. May you have Happiness and Joy. May we all have happy minds and grant each other Peace. May we practice compassion and live in harmony with all beings.

“May All Being Have Happy Minds”

I thank you so much for being with us…

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319