Buddha's apprentices

27 Pages·2014·0.2 MB·English

BUDDHISM / POPULAR CULTURE From the editor of the acclaimed Blue Jean Buddha
BUDDHA’S
Take a look around: “Zen” is used to sell cereal, karma is the driving theme of
a sitcom, and blockbuster action-heroes can sound like meditation masters. T H E
From television to movies, poetry to fiction, hip-hop and pop to perfume and
APPRENTICES
yogurt, there’s no escaping it: Buddhism is a part of our culture.
AND MORE AND MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE EXPLORING IT FOR REAL.
More Voices of Young Buddhists
SumiLoundon’sfirstlookatyouthfulencounterswithBuddhism,BlueJeanBuddha,
was hailed by the New York Review of Books as “a bellwether anthology.” Here, T
Loundon goes even deeper into this new territory, exploring both the unique and H
universal challenges faced by young people on the spiritual path—from issues of
E
identity to mental health and intimate relationships. The Buddha’s Apprentices
offers the voices of many teenagers and young adults of diverse ethnic heritage, B
as well as fascinating accounts from established Buddhist teachers—including U
Lama Surya Das, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Bhante G.—looking back at their own D
youthful experiences on the path. Loundon concludes with her own penetrating D
and forward-looking analysis of the next generation of Buddhist seekers.
H
A
“I’d cut class to read this book!”
’
Matthew Bortolin, author of The Dharma of Star Wars S
A
“A stellar follow-up to Blue Jean Buddha.”
P
Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream
P
R
“Awesome in the beginning, awesome in the middle, and awesome in the end.
E
Whether you are new to Buddhism or have read an assortment of books on the
N
subject, The Buddha’s Apprentices has something for you.”
T
Soren Gordhamer, author of Just Say Om!
I
C
“It is a pleasure to listen to these voices. E
They point to the future of the Buddhadharma in the West.” S
Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart
“BeyondmeresociologicalstudiesofyoungWesternBuddhism,theserivetingsto- L
o
riesaretimelessclassics.Youwon’tbeabletoputTheBuddha’sApprenticesdown.” u
n
Judith Simmer-Brown, author of Dakini's Warm Breath d
o
n
SUMI LOUNDON is the assistant director of the Barre Center of Buddhist Studies,
in Barre, Massachusetts.
ISBN0-86171-332-X US$16.95
Wisdom Publications WISDOM Edited by Sumi Loundon * Foreword by Sharon Salzberg
Boston • www.wisdompubs.org
The Buddha’s Apprentices
Praisefor
“Alwaysinsightful,sometimessweet,andoccasionally
startling,thesesimply-toldtalesofbeingyoungandBuddhist,
whetherinafundamentalistChristian,secular,traditionallyAsian,or
hip,Sixties-stylefamily,aretimelyremindersthattheDharma
continuestothrive.Loundonhereprovidesthereaderwith
a rich trans-generational look at Buddhismand
youth.Thisisanengagingbookthatoughttobeofinterestto
generalreaders,practitioners,andscholarswith
aninterestinAmericanBuddhism.”
RichardHughesSeager,authorofBuddhisminAmerica
“Well-writtenandfascinating.Itisinspiringtoseehow
youngpeopleputthedharmaintopracticeinallaspectsoftheirlives.”
MartineBatchelor,authorofMeditationforLife
“The Dharma comes to life in these stories.Itis
trulywonderfultoreadhowyoungpeoplecometodiscoverthe
BuddhaWayin,through,andaroundtheirdailylives.Notonlyare
theyinteresting,butthesestoriesresonatewithourown.”
MasterShengYen,authorofIlluminatingSilenceand
ThereisNoSuffering
“There’ssomethingprofoundandbeautifulineverychapter.”
FranzMetcalf,authorofBuddhainYourBackpack
MorePraise
“ForgetChickenSoupforthe‘Whatever’Soul, thisbookisafour-course
mealofspiritualfood.Crisp,clear,honestwritingrevealshow
theseyoungadults(andafewelders)arelivingtheteachingsinour
modernworld—inhighschools,colleges,andmonasteries,through
relatingwithparents,teachers,andfriends.Ifyouareinthehighschool
orcollege-agepopulationandarelookingtoliveyourlifewithdeeper
wisdom,thisbookisforyou.”
SorenGordhamer,authorofJustSayOm!
“SumiLoundonbroadenstheperspectiveofdharmapractitionersin
thewest,diversifiesthevoices,andshineslightupontheimportant
issuesofage,race,andtradition.Readingthisbookislikehaving
conversationswithandhearingthestoriesofyourfriends,children,
teachersandpeers.A great introduction for
newcomerstoBuddhismandaninspirationto
practitionersfromallschoolsofBuddhadharma.”
NoahLevine,authorofDharmaPunxandAgainsttheStream
“Itismyprayerthatmanyyoungpeoplewillbeinspiredtoliveout
theirvaluableexistenceswithwisdom,courageandcompassion
throughthepersonalstoriestoldinthisbook.”
DaisakuIkeda,President,SokaGakkaiInternational
THE
BUDDHA’S
A P P R E N T I C E S
MORE VOICES OF YOUNG BUDDHISTS
Edited by Sumi Loundon
Foreword by Sharon Salzberg
W I S D O M P U B L I C AT I O N S • B O S TO N
WisdomPublications,Inc.
199ElmStreet
SomervilleMA02144 USA
www.wisdompubs.org
Anthology©2006SumiD.Loundon
“StoriesofaYoungZenMonk”isadaptedbypermissionoftheauthorfromMy
Master’sRobe:MemoriesofaNoviceMonkbyThichNhatHanh,fromParallax
Press.“JourneytoMindfulness”isadaptedwithpermissionfromJourneytoMind-
fulness:TheAutobiographyofBhanteG.byBhanteHenepolaGunaratana.
Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor
mechanical,including photography, recording, or by any information storage
andretrievalsystemortechnologiesnowknownorlaterdeveloped,without
permissioninwritingfromthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
TheBuddha'sapprentices:morevoicesofyoungBuddhists/editedbySumi
Loundon;forewordbySharonSalzberg.—1sted.
p.cm.
ISBN0–86171–332–X(pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Buddhistyouth—Religiouslife—UnitedStates.2. Interpersonalrela-
tions—Religiousaspects—Buddhism. I.Loundon,Sumi,1975–
BQ5465.B832006
294.3’0973’09051–dc22
2005025138
ISBN0-86171-332-X
Firstedition
09 08 07 06 05
5 4 3 2 1
CoverdesignbyLauraShaw.
InteriorbyGopa&Ted2,Inc.
WisdomPublications’booksareprintedonacid-freepaperandmeettheguide-
lines for permanence and durability of the Production Guidelines for Book
LongevitysetbytheCouncilonLibraryResources.
PrintedinCanada.
D e d i c a t i o n
Tomyhusband,IlmeeHwansooKim.
Thecontributorswishtoexpressheartfeltgratitudetoour
teachersandmentorsforguidingourpathintheDharma.
v
P u b l i s h e r ’ s
A c k n o w l e d g m e n t
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous help of the
HersheyFamilyFoundationinsponsoringtheprintingofthisbook.
vi
C o n t e n t s
foreword xi
editor’s preface xiii
acknowledgments xix
I. TEENS
hilary miller
“ITry” 3
anne skuza
“Yes,I’maBuddhist” 7
j. marion
TheFussOverSuffering 10
maya putra
TheLittleThingsinLife 14
andrew b. howk
ThatSighingFeeling 18
tenzin youdon takshamtsang
BuddhismIsMyConstant 22
II. TWENTIES AND THIRTIES
PRACTICE
sumana bhikkhu
NothingSpecial 31
vii
alexis trass
FortuneBaby? 37
myoju meg levie
Home-LeavingandHome-Making 42
viveka chen
TheDharmaofIdentity 49
alan g. wagner
StudyingtheMenu 54
jeff wilson
CrossingOver 59
phillip cryan
PushingForwardandStandingStill 65
RELATIONSHIPS
ajahn keerati chatkaew
MeanStreetMonk 75
bhiksuni thich chan chau nghiem
BlackIsBuddhafull 81
kim collins moreno
BorntoaBorn-AgainMother 89
tenzin dorjee
DangerousThoughts 96
layla mason
What’sCrazy,Really? 101
donna lovong
“AreYouJoiningaCult?” 108
jimmy yu
CloudsandWater 115
III. LONGTIME BUDDHISTS
zoketsu norman fischer
WhenIWasYoung,NoOneHadPlans 125
viii THE BUDDHA’S APPRENTICES
kathleen millane olesky
FullCircle 134
lama surya das
TheLongandWindingRoad 143
venerable yifa
HowIBecameaBuddhistNun 152
thich nhat hanh
StoriesofaYoungZenMonk 159
bhante henepola gunaratana
JourneytoMindfulness 175
IV. LOOKING AHEAD
sumi loundon
LookingAhead 189
glossary 205
contributors 209
about the editor 219
Contents ix