(Taken from a conversation between Hun, Joel, and myself. It's choppy... Fine editing to come.)
1st step is to put this into writing, as far as who/what this is for. Visioning. Then we determine how: with the business plan.
What it is:
A Buddhist center grounded in the Tibetan tradition.
Questions to ask ourselves: What is it selling? What happens there? Who is the clientele?
We are providing Buddhism for the Asheville community in a way that hasn't been done before. In the area we have WindHorse, Great Tree/Asheville Zen Center, Shambhala, Nancy S, and a loose Thich Nat Hahn group. None have done what this would do. Think of Jubilee as a model... a public gathering place. A public temple, in town.
J: It seems sometimes like there is a dearth of teachers in this town.
H: There's no visibility... We need continuity, regularity. In 2003 there was a group centrally located downtown, upstairs on Walnut Street. A Kadampa group. They had a monk in residence but he moved to Charlotte. The location was OK... but they weren't locally embedded. There's the issue of personality when you have a teacher... the robes... and this group's tradition has a reputation for insisting you only do as Geshe insists.
A strength that we have is how Hun draws views from a wide range of traditions, but in a way that is fed through Drikung Kagyu. We should encourage intellectual curiosity and see how all traditions fit into a larger practice of being liberated from confusion - all while offering a solid practice tradition.
Why are we grounded in a lineage? It's a common reference point to talk about other ideas.
Consistency is missing here (in Asheville). Lots of flakiness. We need staying power.
What happens in this space?
-Sadhana practice (Manjushri, Chenrezig, Tara) - weekly, 2 open practice sessions. But this is a temple... So beyond this other things should be going on.
-Program that is "Buddhist Lite" - meditation as a secular practice, emphasis on stress reduction, calm abiding practice. Instruction 1x/week but open sitting time often - like during lunch hour. Then people who work downtown can drop in.
-Special programs. Visiting teachers. (1-2x/month)
-Friday and Saturday nights - social night. Dinner. Parties. Movies.... Social hang out nights. Music groups. Serve everything but alcohol. FUN stuff. This is an important part of building community. Dharma centers don't have enough fun. There's this guilt: "I should be practicing..."
J: There was a nun at the monastery in Nova Scotia that asked, how often do you practice, and she said just do it 15 minutes a day!
-later on... Tea.
Ideal time to open the center would be May; it's the end of the school year, and we could have a flurry of activity to get things off the ground during the summer. Hun won't be teaching, students will be out for the break. We can recruit some folks at BE, and train them and others to run sessions. Young people are important. Lots of energy and excitement. Important to channel that youth excitement so they don't run out of steam...
The center itself: one large space. Shrine on one end, that can be covered by Japanese screens. A corner for the reading room, a space for tea... To start, just the temple; then add the store later.
Complementary to other stores in Asheville, but less busy. More books, zafus, meditation/ritual supplies. Accurate iconography. No statues for the sake of statues. It should be aesthetically pleasing and the people who work at the shop should be dharma practitioners.
No monastic teacher in residence. There's a problem in the potential for this 'holy man,' fetishizing mentality. Monastics will always be pulling the student in another direction (away from society; cloistered; separate from everyday world)
If the lama knows everything, then the student will never take full responsibility. If the dharma is to take root here it must be started with Americans.
If we start in the summer Hun will be here. But we must have other people step up, and develop confidence in their practice. Confidence and humility.
"Guides" - have received some degree of training, then you can lead. And they can tell someone that they don't know the answer. We want people to have a real understanding of 'teacher' ... how human we all really are. Sure, there might be other stuff going on in our lives... but you are clear on the dharma.
When retreats and empowerments and things like that are needed, we have those people. We know where to send the students need that. We have those connections when they are needed.
Thanks for putting this up there, Brianna.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful, and the vision - to me - is very clear.
I also think that the initial schedule and scope of the center is realistic.
Have we thought about when the "store" portion might open? Maybe not until the end of the summer, or fall? Once people know that the place is there.
I have mentioned this before, but I think that having at least a weekly "tea" with Hun would be wonderful, but perhaps too demanding. I envision this to be like the secular discussion group around a Buddhist topic/reading/practice that I sat in on at Davidson. What do you think about that, Hun? Is that drawing too much attention to you as "guru"? Nonetheless, a weekly tea would be wonderful, as that really draws people into the space for some fun, non-practice time. And we get to draw upon the other body of knowledge you have beyond Buddhism!
This is Jes over here in Charlottsville. This post was very helpful thanks Brianna. I have been reading along on this blog and thought I would comment on a few things. Since I am not necessarily always in the verbal conversations over in Asheville and Davidson pardon if there is any repetition of what has already been said/processed.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the recap of the visionary process, the word effervescence came into my mind in relation to how FUN activities can enliven and build a community. Dharma centers and any place of worship can definitely take themselves too seriously at times. So I like the idea of an open Temple.
Also when I first arrived in Asheville I did visit the meditation group on Walnut Street a few times I think in the summer of 2003. In regards to the space itself it was a little out of the way if you were not looking for it you probably would have never found it. Speaking of the experience of attending I remember that it seemed as though the participant/group members had hit a wall and that their enthusiasm was stale. At least is the feeling I am recalling when I think back 7 years or so. For me it lacked a certain something the same something that many centers struggle with which I sort of see as being “awkwardly rooted.” So when the mystique of the new practices and fancy terms wears off for many there is something felt still missing.
Lastly, I could not help myself since I am a word nerd (as I know many of you are) and I probably have been too many visionary process meetings but if I were to list some words about what a center I would like to attend would look like I would say….
Effervescent
Casually formal
Calming
Socially conscious/engaged
Welcoming…
(add to the list if you all want)
Thanks Brianna. I'm glad to have this in writing.
ReplyDelete"We want people to have a real understanding of 'teacher' ... how human we all really are." That sounds good to me, a good wall to break down and rebuild, that probably gets in the way of a lot of people and their practice. The inference is also that THEY can be the teacher, too. An idea that is at the center of any strong community.
Thanks, Brianna. I, too, like the idea of acknowledging the common humanity and struggle we all share. I think it's a good idea to have many people serving as guides sharing their knowledge of the Dharma. There's so much energy when many come together to participate and I believe it will be infectious and result in success.
ReplyDelete