Tibetan Buddhism

The purpose of my trip to the Himalayas was to study Tibetan Medicine, which I found to have great depth and wisdom. I've already written academic papers on Tibetan Medicine for my classes with the Center for Spirituality and Healing, which I should probably share with you all sometime... A secondary purpose of my trip was to observe the political structure of the Tibetan government-in-exhile which is based in Dharamsala, India. I will eventually work some of those observations into a paper or project for my master's degree in Public Affairs... But in additon I have a strong interest in religion and was deeply moved by the deep Buddhist practice of Tibetans. I found their religious culture to be rich in ritual, philosophy, and practicalities. I had opportunity to study other types of Buddhism previously in college, in Japan here and here, and in Thailand.

So here's a basic visual primer:

Religions of the world, according to adherents.com.

There are three types of Buddhism, all of which were founded in India. Theravada is predominately found in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries. Mahayana is mostly in areas further east like China, Japan, and Korea. Vajrayana is related to Mahayana.

This next image is interesting because of its depiction of the percentage populations in these nations. For the last several hundred years Tibet was almost 99% Buddhist, but since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950's, the new influx of ethnic Chinese has changed the religious makeup of the country.

One of the most famous images of Tibetan Buddhist religious practice is the use of prayer wheels. The circular wheels are painted or carved with prayers, and put on a rotating axis. Rows of these wheels are set up around a temple, so that people walk around the temple "circumambulating", spinning these wheels and saying prayers with each spin. It struck me as similar to a giant rosary, or stations of the cross. I was very moved to both observe and participate. What is it about physical ritual practice that enables deeper contemplation?

This circumambulation path weaves through the moutainous woods around the Dalai Lama's temple. Tibetan prayer flags blow in the breeze. Painted rocks remind pilgrims of scriptural passages. Vistas enable new understanding.

These people are circumambulating the Dalai Lama's temple, touching engraved metal scrolls. Each scroll has a prayer on it, and they spin the scrolls as a way to earn 'merit' for each of the prayers as it rotates round and round. People walk meditatively.

Another very famous visual expression of Tibetan Buddhism is the creation of mandalas. This sand mandala pictured below was made by Tibetan nuns at Dorma Ling nunnery, down in the valley below Dharamsala. The sand mandala is a work of meditative art made out of colorful sand. The making of mandalas is full of tradition, and the colors and symbols in each mandala are ritualistic and usually created to pray for healing and prosperity. Often, at the end of a mandala ceremony, the monks or nuns who made it will perform a ceremony to meditate on impermanence and then brush together the sand. The grains are released into a nearby river, as a blessing for healing for everyone downstream.

Just recently, I attended a sand mandala ceremony in Minneapolis along the Mississippi River. Tibetan monks in Minneapolis created a mandala as prayer for healing of the Mississippi and the Gulf. The Mississippi River is long, but we are connected even still.

These people are performing Tibetan Prostrations as an act of devotion. The movements in the prostrations are similar to the yogic asanas of Sun Salutations. Some yoga historians say that Sun Salutations are derived from these Tibetan Prostrations.

I have spent a lot of my time around nuns and monks (Catholic and Buddhist) and am attracted to their influence. However, for a while I was unconvinced that their contemplative lifestyle contributed adequately to the common good, but I am now coming to understand that their choices to live peacefully contribute and inspire us lay people to live more peacefully. Tibetan monks and nuns interact freely among the lay people. This might be an act of courage on the part of the monks and nuns, for surely our busy world distracts from the inner focus they seek. However, I am grateful for their influence.

This family of Himalayan Indians walked a beautiful white goat down the mountain path. My friend later told me they were preparing to sacrifice it! The Himalayan Indians and the Tibetan Buddhists coexist peacefully in the same mountainous region. Sometime I would like to go back and study how they influence and inspire one another.

Delhi Sikh Temple: another lesson on gratitude

For my first blog post about my recent trip to India, I'll take you on a journey to the Sikh temple in Delhi. We take off shoes to enter into holy places.

The Gurudwara Bangla Sahib was built in 1783. Sikhism is a religion founded in the 15thC in India and is influenced by both Hinduism and Islam. It's the fifth-largest religion in the world and holds a non-anthropomorphic, monotheistic understanding of God.

A main principle of Sikhism is equality of all people regardless of class, caste, or gender. Salvation is pursued through personal meditation on the name and message of God.

Before entering the temple we wash our feet and bow at the entry doorway as a sign of respect. Both men and women cover our hair with cloths in the temple.

Temple visitors receive holy water for ritualistic cleansing, and can bring some home for blessing a space or giving to ill family members.

All people, regardless of race, religion, gender, or caste may eat in the Gurudwara kitchen, called a "Langar" hall. Langar is the Sikh word referring to the vegetarian-only free food served daily to anyone who visits. The Sikhs are not strictly vegetarian but in order to be hospitable, only vegetarian food is served to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. The lentils and bread flour are purchased with money donated to the temple. Any vegetables served at the meals are donated by farmers. Volunteers prepare the food in enormous quantities; 10,000 people are served at this one temple, each day!

What I find most remarkable about these meals is the ethos around preparation and consumption. It is another lesson in gratitude for me. Those who volunteer to pay for or prepare the food earn blessings and merits for their effort for the benefit of others. Those who come to eat the food similarly earn blessings and merits for their consumption of the food. It's viewed as a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. The diners are grateful to the cooks for the generous gift of nutritious food. The cooks are grateful for the opportunity to meditatively prepare the meals for the benefit of others.

Here's a beautiful blog post from someone else studying food systems, who went to the same temple.

Upcoming Travel

Off to Delhi and Dharamsala, India soon. At the Medical Institute I'll be presenting a contrast/comparison of Tibetan Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, specifically the theologies of birth and death. Here's a good geographic map of religious distribution. (not sure of the year of stats, must find source)

A European Collection

We stopped in many beautiful churches, both grand and tiny, on our travels in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Here are some pics of churches, religious icons and statues that we enjoyed:

This first picture is from Midnight Mass on Christmas in the town of Hengelo, on the Eastern side of the Netherlands.

Hengelo Madonna and Child.

After the Christmas holiday we traveled just across the border to the German town of Bad Bentheim.("Bad" meaning "Bath"; this town is known for hot springs which, sadly, we did not visit).
This Jesus-on-a-Cross is made of stone and about 1000 years old. It's quite famous for it's age, and for centuries was the only statue of Jesus in the region. There is still a local saying, when someone is concerned, of exclaiming to "Lord of Bentheim!"


This next series of photos is inside the Bad Bentheim castle chapel. At that time they didn't have church pews; people stood through mass. Interestingly, this chapel is one of the rare places where the altar is lower than the rest of the floor, and is studied for this architectural oddity. The chapel was very simple: it was Catholic but built around the time of the Reformation when decorations were discouraged. I loved the light in this space. This (VERY OLD) wooden Mary statue was double-sided, with the same engraved image on both sides. It hung in front of the altar.








From the balcony.



After only one day in Germany, we were off to Belgium! This is me outside of the Beguinehof chapel in Leuven, Belgium.


Also in Leuven, we visited St. Peter's church in the town center. This Madonna statue is sortof the town mascot, hoisted around in annual centuries-old parades (and still today)! This particular statue is actually a copy of a copy. The original was too small to be seen in the parade, so they made a larger one. Then the French repeatedly came through and burned down the whole church. This is the third version.

This wooden head of Christ is believed to be miraculous. It was originally on a crucifix carved around the 1200's. In the 1700's a French army ransacked the church and burned it out. However, this head happened to be out of the church at the time being repaired. The head was lost for several hundred years and recovered in a flea market in Paris. A monk from Leuven found it at the flea market, purchased it for a small price, and returned it to the city. Some people consider this artifact to be miraculous because it 'cries' (Our tour guide acknowledged that the 'tears' could be tree sap).

St. Peter's is enormous, and was built from front to back over the course of CENTURIES of building. Consequently, the head of the church is Romanesque, and the back of the church is much newer architecture (Maybe Baroque? I've forgotten.) I liked the Romanesque columns popular in its groundbreaking in the 1400's.

Our wonderful tour guide told us that this fascinating statue is called an "Anna Trinity", depicting Anna (mother of Mary), Mary, and Jesus. This style of statue was popular in this region of the world for some time, although I'm not clear on the theology.

Another Anna Trinity.

My dear friend Amber has a special relationship with Mary, whom she prays to frequently. I'm not quite sure how she started this, being raised in Protestant and Wiccan households, but this alliance with Mary has seemed to serve her especially well while she's lived in Catholic Holland. When I was sick last year, she often visited Mary chapels to pray for my health.

I noticed many fleur-de-lis in this particular church, which was probably influenced by French styles and/or theology. I was interested to see this, as several years ago I studied the history of this symbol. There is a reputed historical connection between the fleur-de-lis symbol and the belief that Mary of Magdela was the bride of Jesus. According one version of the story, Mary, pregnant with Christ's child, fled in a boat to Gaul (Southern France) where she gave birth to Sarah. Jesus' bloodline is said to continue in Southern France. There are no historical documents indicating whether this story is true (or false), but there is considerable documentation of the belief of this story in Gaul. Whether or not it's true, I found it interesting to see the art. This picture is taken from behind the main altar in this Belgian church.

And here's Joseph, holding a lily (upon which the fleur-de-lis is designed), with Jesus.

I like this peaceful depiction of Mother and Child.


On the morning of 12/31, Nick and I traveled to Brussels, Belgium to see the tourist sites and find more chocolate. Here's Nick taking a stand at the Cathedral in Brussels with somebishop. We like the modern building just across the street from the Cathedral, which echoed the old-style towers and windows in a fresh way.

Here's another Anna Trinity in Brussels!

The amazing celing in the church of St. Nicholi, in the very center of Brussels.

St. Nicholas!

In several churches in Brussels, we found statues of St. Therese of Lisieux!

And a Belgian bar, decorated with churchy paraphernalia and stained glass windows! With house-made brews! What a great way to end the tour.

What does "The Church" say? And what do you say?

On a recent visit to St. Paul's giant cathedral, I happened upon a voter's guide which prompted my pondering the role of conscience in my religion of upbringing, Catholicism, and my chosen religion, Unitarian Universalism.



Here are a few paragraphs from a recent New York Times article about the Catholic vote in our next presidential election. I've included links to two opposing Catholic groups, each of whom are campaigning for a different way of following their Catholic morals.

"A struggle within the church over how Catholic voters should think about abortion is once again flaring up just as political partisans prepare an all-out battle for the votes of Mass-going Catholics in swing-state towns like Scranton.

"The theological dispute is playing out in diocesan newspapers and weekly homilies, while the campaigns scramble to set up phone banks of nuns and private meetings with influential bishops.

"Their revisions set the stage for a clash of voter guides. Catholic Answers is again promoting its “nonnegotiables” voter guide; a new group, Catholics in Alliance for Common Good, has produced a chart comparing the candidates’ views on the war, taxes, the environment and other issues as well as abortion."


A publication from the conservative group Catholic Answers has the following direct quote: "Conscience is like an alarm. It warns you when you are about to do something you know is wrong. it does not itself determine what is right or wrong. For your conscience to work properly, it must be properly informed -- that is, you must inform yourself about what is right, and what is wrong. Only then will your conscience be a trusted guide.
Unfortunately, today many Catholics have not formed their consciences adequately regarding key moral issues. The result is that their consciences do not "sound off" at the appropriate time, including on Election Day. A well-formed conscience will never contradicts Catholic moral teaching.
For that reason, if you are unsure where your conscience is leading you when at the ballot box, place your trust in the unwavering moral teaching of the Church. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent source of authentic moral teaching.)"
To read more from Catholic Answers, see the link above.

As you may have read in my previous rant about politics, I prefer the leanings of the Catholics in Alliance for Common Good. Perhaps that is because of my broader ethical orientation, especially influenced by UUsim. Here are the seven key principles of Unitarian Universalism. Pay special attention to numbers 3, 4, and 5 in reference to the role of individual conscience.

There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.