The Center of the Buddhist World: Bodh Gaya

Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Seth Auberon, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Asian Art Museum, Pasadena (asianart.org); kathmanduandbeyond.com (photo); iloveindia.com

Great Enlightenment Temple (Maha Bodhi Cetiya), Bodhgaya, India (kathmandubeyond.com)

 

BODH GAYA, India - The wandering ascetic Siddhartha searched for a suitable tree to strive under. He chose one but was so weak from self-starvation and severe austerities that were it not for a maiden who mistook him for a dryad, a tree spirit manifesting in human form, he would have failed.

The maid ran to tell the mistress who daily made offerings at the tree. They prepared a rich meal of rice, milk, creme de la creme, and sweet treacle (coconut tree syrup).

Go back, be rich, prince! - Mara, I see you.

They approached the emaciated ascetic offered it. He was so weak they had to revive him, which disgusted the Five Ascetics, Siddhartha's fellow mendicants who abandoned him for accepting anything from a woman's hand. After all their help restoring him to health, Siddhartha realized the body was necessary for the quest. It was not the obstacle to be overcome, but rather it was the heart/mind. He left in search of a suitable place to strive, bathing in the river Neranjara, convinced that success was near.

Under Bodhi tree ("Enlightenment Tree") at the platform seat (Glenn Losack M.D./flickr)

 

Mara makes obstacles, kills, distracts.

He came to an awe inspiring grove and chose a tree that legend says was born the same day he was, which would have made it 34-years-old. Under its delightful shade he made a seat and determined not to give up until he realized the answer to, Why do we suffer?

But rather than striving with vigor, he realized that that had been fruitless and brought him to the verge of death.

Instead, he wondered why he had been avoiding the happy meditative absorptions (that go from supersensual bliss, joy, rapture all the way to very subtle unbiased equanimity) available to him. He realized, he would later say, that immersed in and obsessed by his austerities, he feared pleasure -- but why fear pleasure not tangled up with sensuality?

How to gain enlightenment


Siddhartha the ascetic wondered if this might be the way to enlightenment -- these pleasant absorptions -- and a certainty came upon him.
 
(In many past lives as a wandering ascetic he had developed, enjoyed, and benefited from the absorptions, which lead to spiritual bliss, supernormal powers, and enhanced consciousness, so at some level of subtle awareness he felt certain that they could help him now).
 

Relax, you've got plenty of time.

But many ascetics develop the meditative absorptions -- the zens, dhyanas, jhanas, chans -- and find that they are not enough. They can serve as an excellent basis for practicing successful insight meditation, contemplative practices in the temporary purity of mind/heart provided by immersing oneself in the absorptions, emerging, and immediately practicing for insight (vipassana).
 
Entering the first four jhanas successively and emerging, Siddhartha then asked himself the all-important question: What is this suffering due to? He realized that this was conditioned by that, but that was conditioned by something else. And he went back and back through 12 causal links (called Dependent Origination) to realize how things arise, how this present suffering arises, how it is he had come to be through an unfathomable past.

Moreover, he realized that there was a weak link in this chain, a point in the cyclical process which he could do something about: craving. Part of the chain depended on desiring, craving, and clinging to sensuality, to views, to continued becoming in superior states of existence.

Inside the main shrine of the Maha Bodhi ("Great Enlightenment") Temple in Bodh Gaya ("Enlightenment Grove"), Bihar (vihara) state, India (bharat), there is a golden statue under glass (Simon Maddison/maddison_simon/flickr)

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Sensual craving, clinging to views
While he could not will himself not to desire, not to crave, there was a way to bring about the cessation of craving: One could look at things just as they really are. For example, whatever one lusts, why does one lust after it?

WARNING: Don't look!

Partly, it is because it is pleasing, appealing, beautiful, and alluring -- until we keep looking and start to notice that it is flawed, falling away, aging, based on things completely unlike it. Say we find a body appealing, its beautiful skin and proportionality, its alluring fragrance and softness. If we look and keep looking, it will not be but a few hours before we notice impurities, offensive odors, "soil" coming out of all its openings -- mucus, ear wax, spittle, feces, urine, sweat, fat, gas.
 

Walking corpses (femen.org)

The realization is so shocking, so real, that the mind/heart shrinks back. One becomes dispassionate, disillusioned, and there is a moment of freedom, seeing things as they really are.
 
We are quickly re-illusioned; we run to it as our only safety and comfort in a harsh world, and we die still firmly in the grip of delusion, craving, and aversion (to all that is repugnant).
 
The heart/mind will not stand for the painful and disappointing truth. But, Siddhartha wondered, we were to stay with it? It allows an opening for systematic insight exercises, and one can break through to a realization that this has gone on not only in this life, this existence, but in countless past lives, past existences, past states of consciousness, past homes, past births, past states of becoming. And something more shocking is true: It is not only the gross impurities that are repulsive, there is a very subtle illusion going on:

That thing, that thing

Sid broke through (Songkhram_Ahuwari)

That thing, that composite-heap, is not one thing but countless parts, each of which is constantly falling away and being replaced. That thing -- all things -- that seems so stable, so likely to provide pleasure and satisfaction, actually provides a constant illusion and inevitable disappointment.

We never realize this; we cling to it instead as if maybe next time it will satisfy us, fulfill us, grant us lasting happiness and contentment. It fails, and fails, and fails, and yet we keep doing it seeing no other choice than to chase after illusory things. And it is not only sensual pleasures, but intellectual views (speculations, theories, philosophies, opinions, sides, real delusions about ourselves, about the world we think we see, feel, and taste out there).

Stop seeking. Live and die again.

Siddhartha's mind/heart let go, shrank back, pulled away, turned from, abandoned its clinging, its craving for this deception, and he saw things as they really are, profoundly realizing that "all things that come to be are subject to falling away; how could it be otherwise."

In other words, once one sees that things are not what they seem but are instead a painful trap, an mesmerizing illusion, a wheel we have been treading, a process the ancient mystics long ago named samsara -- this endless "continued wandering on." See, death would not be the end, death had never been the end, but just then Death got angry.

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Samsara, the Wheel of Existence, the process of rebirth and redeath, the "continued wandering on" is like my hamster's wheel, a source of endless distraction with no origination point and no end. It does not unravel by itself but will keep going and going endlessly. However, there is a way to get off this useless and painful pursuit. More fun

Mara (Cupid) is beautiful

Mara, the personification of death, would not stand idly by as someone came so close to the answer awakening from this fitful dream, where Death imagines itself the supreme ruler. Mara Namuci the "demon" with an army of ogres (male and female yakkhas) came to unseat the Bodhisat (bodhisattva, bodhisatta, the "buddha-to-be," the being-intent-on-enlightenment).
 
Siddhartha persevered and remembering countless past lives, past conditions, past times when these same things had been true, these lines pursued, never seeing this Dependent Origination of things.

Attack before he realizes the Truth!

He broke through and became the Buddha ("supremely awakened teacher"), a title signifying his perfectly awakened state. One should not cling to this title because the Sage of the Shakyas (his family clan name) has gone by many titles, Mahavira ("Great Hero"), Tathagata (the "Wayfarer or Welcome One and Well Gone One"), Bhagava ("Blessed One"), and so on.

We say the historical Buddha because the former Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Gotama) realized that there had been other Awakened Ones in the distant past and in the future, a precious few who taught, many more who could not, and those striving to accomplish this level of realization and teaching ability.
 

Tibetan monks use wooden planks to do 100,000 prostrations to the Bodhi tree (not shown)

Vesak celebrations sweep across Los Angeles

Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Bhante, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly  THREEFOLD VESAK

Indonesian Buddhist Vesak, May 25, Ontario, So. California (DhammaCakraTra)

 

Birth of Siddhartha, Salabhanjika

The full moon day of May marks the traditional anniversary of three major events in the Buddha's life, and Buddhists celebrate it worldwide as the most significant holiday on the calendar of observances.

Some call it "Buddhist Christmas" as it commemorates the Buddha's birth somewhere northwest of India 26 or more centuries ago. But his birthday is only important because of something that happened 35 years later.

 

Vesak 2013 (LABV)

Now in the Buddhist-year 2558, families gather, children and elders dress in all white. Flowers flood shrines. Candles glisten, incense smoke permeates the air with many perfumes. There are devotional activities, recitations, meditations, and eight precept observances.

LABV Vesak 2012

After all, what we are really celebrating is Prince Siddhartha's renunciation and conquest of suffering, the enlightenment (mahabodhi) and glimpsing nirvana.

People still become enlightened, still glimpse the timeless bliss of nirvana, but what does not happen is the arising of a world teacher, a samma-sam-buddha, a "perfectly and fully enlightened teacher" of the Path to Enlightenment, replete with mental and linguistic abilities that make possible the establishing of the Dharma in the world-system again.

 

Overcoming Mara's army, tide of death

Such a person will come -- far in the future when the Dharma has disappeared and the world is rapidly decaying. "But the world is rapidly decaying right now!" some say. It will get even worse before it turns around. Being cyclical in nature, it always turns around. And that goes not only for this plane of existence -- this Human Realm which extends far off the planet to include other planets that other "humans" inhabit.

 

On Earth we are earthlings and unique for that, but among humans we are only a part of the puzzle of which the class is composed. We are fortunate beyond belief that it was here that Siddhartha Gautama, the Shakyan prince, heir of a human kingdom (likely in modern A5fghanistan beyond the area and territories that would have been considered "India," as if India were a country then) practiced here, became enlightened here, and established the Dharma here for the benefit of devas and humans, and other living beings.

 

Massive Vesak celebrations, Dhammakaya (dimc.net), Azusa, Los Angeles (WQ file photo)

 

Buddha flags, Lantau Island (m.gin/flickr)

Other living beings? Our scientific Western education tells us we are the only ones who exist. We very quickly forget the other animals that far outnumber us on this planet. We are not allowed to seriously entertain talk of ghosts, the dead, shapeshifting spirits, divinities, titans, gnomes, avians, reptilians, poltergeists, sylphs, goblins, ogres, or maras (spiritual killers). They are well remembered in our histories, our cosmologies, and our mythologies. And even when scientists study them, all that happens is that those "scientists" lose the label. They have stepped out of bounds of what the gatekeepers will allow. So when will UFOs be real? When academics, approved scientists, and government officials give us permission to believe our eyes -- and not a moment sooner! So look down, bow your heads, brothers and sisters, a raise a mighty voice unto the Judeo-Christian "lord," the approved God in capitalism, in whom we trust, with obedience and discipline for all. The priests in white lab coats approve of some gods, not others.

And to this day after 45 years of the Buddha's teaching, the Dharma survives -- fragmented, obscured, and falling but nevertheless still sufficient that some attain the knowing-and-seeing the Awakened One intended when he taught others to awaken.

Vesak, named after the Indian lunar calendar month Vesakha, marks the birth, enlightenment, and final nirvana of the Buddha. These events took place years apart on the full moon day of that month.

 

Buddhist flags above golden Buddha (WQ)

Los Angeles is being swept up in celebration in Theravada temples across the county. Sri Lankan temples, adhering closely to the Buddhist traditions of ancient India, raises Buddhist banners (rainbow colored with a lot of monastic orange).

The Navel of the Earth: Buddhist India

Wisdom Quarterly, Ven. Shravasti Dhammika, Navel of the Earth: The History and Significance of Bodh Gaya (Buddha Dhamma Mandala, Singapore), Abbot Karunananda, Ph.D.

Siddhartha on his horse, Kanthaka, with Channa as he renounces household life (Sims)

 

Tonight under the blood moon is New Year's Eve in Long Beach as in Bangladesh (the Vanga Kingdom next to the Magadha Kingdom), formerly regions in ancient Buddhist India. 

The region (now a Muslim country) was part of modern India up until 1947 when it was created overnight by the exiting British colonial power's Partition).

The Bangladeshi Theravada Buddhist community has two temples in California, one here and one in Riverside. Long Beach is an industrial port town of Los Angeles -- where the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose are docked, an enormous glass pyramid stands as a beacon to wisdom (CSULB), and where the Dalai Lama used to make annual visits to teach -- as it abuts Orange County.

The area is full of Buddhist temples: Cambodian and Thai Wats, a Japanese pagoda, a Tibetan gompa, a Chinese nunnery dedicated to Kwan Yin (formerly Catholic), and Vietnamese Buddhist temples as well. Gathering to remember the Buddha, the community recited the precepts and the Abbot spoke of Ven. Dhammika's book on the place where Siddhartha gained liberating insight to become the Buddha, the great teacher of the Dharma.

 

Tibetan monastics around the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India (Shene81/flickr)

 

Going to Sambodhi

Ven. Shravasti Dhammika (Australian, ordained in Sri Lanka, living in Singapore)

I renounce these riches and responsibilities.

Bodh Gaya is a large village in the southern part of the Indian state of Bihar (viharas). The environment around the village is rural, being made up of cultivated areas interspersed with open ground on which grow mango, tamarind, and palm trees. Beside the village flows the wide but shallow Lilajan river.

In Buddhist texts, the river is call Neranjara, a name derived form the words pleasant (nelan) or alternatively blue (nila) and water (jalam). About a mile downstream from Bodh Gaya, the Lilanjan joins the Mohana to form the Phalgu river, which flows past Gaya and is considered sacred to Hindus.

Great clan territories of ancient India

The name Bodh Gaya has been spelled variously as Buddha Gaya, Boodha Gaya, Buddh Gya, Bauddha Gyah, and Bodhi Gaya. In any of its forms, it is not an old name, first occurring in the spurious inscription of Amaradeva, a document of uncertain but recent date (Buddha Gaya: the Great Buddhist Temple, the Hermitage of Sakya Muni, Rajendralala Mitra, 1878, p.201).

At the time of the Buddha, the village was named Uruvela. According to Dharmapala, it was given this name because of a large amount of sand (vela) in the area. He tells a delightful story to explain all the sand:

Siddhartha finds a pleasant riverside grove and sturdy tropical tree for striving.

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[The Sand, all this Sand!]

In the distant past, long before the Buddha, a company of wandering ascetics lived in the area. They could tell who among them had committed an unwholesome bodily or verbal deed but not if they had had an unwholesome thought. So they came to an agreement among themselves that whoever should think an unwholesome thought would bring sand in a leaf basket. Soon the entire area was covered with sand (Udana Atthakatha, p.26).

Other sources say the village was given the name on account of a vilva tree (Aegie marmelas) growing nearby (ASI, 1908-09, p.144). It seems that within two centuries of the Buddha's great awakening, the name Uruvela fell out of use and was replaced by four other names:

1. Sambodhi
2. Bodhimanda
3. Vajrasana
4. Mahabodhi

Great Enlightenment Temple, Bodh Gaya, India

The oldest and now least commonly used of these names was Sambodhi, meaning "complete enlightenment." In the Eighth Rock Edict issued in 256 BCE, Indian Emperor Asoka says he "went to Sambodhi" (ayaya Sambodhi) referring to his pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya four year earlier (The Edicts of King Asoka, Ven. S. Dhammika, 1993, p.12).

Another ancient name, Bodhimanda, refers to the circular area around the Bodhi tree. The Kalingabodhi Jataka describes the Bodhimanda before Siddhartha's enlightenment as being covered with silvery sand without a blade of grass growing on it and with all the surrounding trees and flowering shrubs bending, as if in homage, toward the Bodhi tree (Jataka, Vol. IV, p.233).

The exact place where the Buddha sat when he was enlightened was called Vajrasana meaning the "Diamond  or Adamantine Throne." 

It is believed that when the universe finally disintegrates, this will be the last place to disappear and that it will be the first place to form when the universe ["world-system," possibly simply a galaxy or merely a solar system, sakwala] begins to re-evolve again.

The ascetic Siddhartha (AB)

The Vajrasana was also sometimes called the "Victory Throne or Palanquin of all Buddhas" (Sabbabuddhanam Jayapallankam) or "the Navel of the Earth" (Pathavinabhi) (Jataka, loc. cit; Buddhacarita, XIII, 68).

In later centuries, the name Vajrasana came to be used for the exact location of Prince Siddhartha's enlightenment, for the temple built over it (Vajrasana Gandhakuti) [a kuti being a meditation hut, cell, resort, or small hermitage site], then for the general location.

The most widely used and also the most enduring of Bodh Gaya's names was Maha-Bodhi, meaning "Great Enlightenment." Originally a term for Siddhartha's experience, it later came to be used as the name for the place where that experience had occurred. Alexander Cunningham mentioned that this name was still in vogue in the 19th century (Mahabodhi or the Great Buddhist Temple Under the Bodhi Tree at Buddha Gaya, reprint, undated, p.2).

 

Modern India is no longer tolerant of sexism, discrimination, and rape (aljazeera.com)

 

The Buddha's experience at Uruvela not only resulted in the location changing its name to Bodh Gaya, but it has also meant that this otherwise obscure village has been the focus of attention for million of pilgrims for over two millennia.

It very early became and remains the most important place of Buddhist pilgrimage (Sanskrit yatra). Those who see Buddhism as an entirely rational religion will insist that it has no

place for practices like "pilgrimages."

However, this view is somewhat at odds with what the Buddha is reputed to have said on the subject. Just before his final nirvana, he encouraged all of his followers to visit at least once in their lives four places where pivotal events in his life occurred: birth (Lumbini), enlightenment (Bodh Gaya), teaching (Isipatana), and passing (Kusinara).

"Buddhist Circuit" now visited by train, the Mahaparinirvan Express: official pilgrimage sites in Northern India between Afghanistan (Gandhara/Kamboja) and Bangladesh (Vanga).

 

"Ananda, there are four places the sight of which will arouse strong emotion in those with confidence (saddha, conviction, faith). Where are these four? 'Here the Tathagata [the Wayfarer, the Welcome One, the Well-Gone One, the Buddha] was born' is the first place. 'Here the Tathagata attained enlightenment' is the second place. 'Here the Tathagata set rolling the Wheel of the Dharma' is the third place. 'Here the Tathagata passed into final-nirvana without remainder' is the fourth place. 

 

"The monastic or layperson who has confidence [in the Buddha's enlightenment, the Dharma's ability to lead those who practice in accordance with it to enlightenment, and the noble Sangha's success by having practiced] should visit these places. Anyone who dies while making the pilgrimage to these destinations with a devoted heart will, at the break up of the body, be reborn in [a] heaven" (Digha Nikaya, "Long Discourses of the Buddha," Vol. II, p.147).

(Chandrasekaran arum.../flickr.com)

While it is true that the Buddha had high regard for reason and intellect, he did not underestimate the importance of emotion in all human endeavors, including the quest for enlightenment and liberation.

For the devout person seeing the Buddha or simply recollecting him (Buddhanussati) can evoke a joy which, when channeled and purified, can be transformational.

Going to a place made sacred by the Buddha's presence, or even the process of getting there, can have a similar effect. On the open road, away from mundane preoccupations and familiar surroundings, the pilgrim has time to think about her life and practice of the Dharma.

The arduous, steady progress toward the goal may become analogous to the pilgrim's journey on the Noble Eightfold Path and stimulate the determination to walk the Path with more commitment. On finally reaching the goal, the pilgrim will see places and sights associated with the Buddha, which can arouse intense conviction and provide the opportunity for deep contemplation.

• Where were the original Buddhist pilgrimage sites? (RanajitPal.com)

Bodh Gaya is now the "most amazing Buddhist city in the world," says Wisdom Quarterly, with exemplary temples from every Buddhist country on Earth. This tree-lined walk leads to Big Japanese Buddha ( John Seung-Hwan Shene/Shene81/flickr).

Full Moon Buddhist Observance (meditation)

Amber Larson, CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly; LA Buddhist Vihara

FREE monthly full moon observance, Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara, Pasadena

   

Meditation bowl (dojo-zen-de-paris/flickr)

We rushed to the Los Angeles Buddhist Temple in Pasadena to be there in time.

Today was the full moon, the lunar observance day to fulfill the Eight Precepts.

The Buddhist island tradition in Sri Lanka, once known as Serendipity just off the southern tip of India, holds that those who wish dress in white, arrive early, and begin a day of meditation, island food, Dharma talks and study holding true to three additional restraints.

We practice the Five Precepts everyday, even in America, even in the city, even in the biggest bawdiest megalopolis in all the land. Hollywood is not so far away. Distractions abound. It's cold, there's a drought, Valentine's Day just reminded us that we suck, the chemtrails cause a disturbing haze, and all the nights' parties pile into one heap in our heads.

The Eight Precepts

These are voluntary observances for lay Buddhists who wish to practice Buddhism more intensely on special lunar days. The Five Precepts are daily practice, humane karma that leads to rebirth on this plane and the lower celestial worlds of good fortune. The eight focus both on abstaining from morally unskillful behavior, as do the Five Precepts, and on practicing in a way more conducive to concentration and fast meditative progress.

 

In Theravada Buddhist countries -- such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia -- Buddhists often spend one day a week (uposatha days: the new moon, first-quarter moon, full moon, and last-quarter moon days) visiting a Buddhist monastic complex (vihara) and practicing the full complement of Eight Precepts.

 

The Buddha gave this instruction, encouraging ordinary people to regularly take up eight precepts and practicing them with diligence:

1. Abstain from injuring or depriving any living being of life (whether human or non-human).
2. Abstain from taking what is not given (e.g., stealing, misappropriating, moving things that may cause misunderstandings).
3. Abstain from all sexual misconduct and activity. (See comic below).
4. Abstain from all false speech (perjury, deceiving others, manipulating others, using hurtful or divisive words, chatter).
5. Abstain from using all intoxicating substances, which can lead to carelessness.
6. Abstain from eating at inappropriate times (the appropriate time being after sunrise but before noon).
7. Abstain from singing, dancing, playing music, attending entertainment performances, wearing perfumes, and using cosmetics or garlands (decorative accessories).
8. Abstain from high and luxurious seats and beds and overindulging in sleep.

Sex? Can I go a whole day without my erotic thoughts, words, actions? Can I even go an hour? Binky finds out the answers to these life questions ("Life in Hell," Matt Groening)

Why would anyone in his or her right mind undertake to practice these for a day? It is the way the Buddha practiced his entire career as a world teacher. It is the way monastics practice today. Undertaken for the right reason, avoiding extremes and keeping to tradition established by the Buddha himself as explained in the sutras and discipline (vinaya), they free one from distractions. And an undistracted heart/mind inclines to quick concentration, absorption, and liberating-insight.

Mudra (mysecretpsychiclife.com)

If what we want is enlightenment or just peace of mind, spiritual knowledge and vision or just stress management, psychic powers or self-control, complete equanimity or a heart overflowing with compassion, successful meditation leads us to our goals.

What if our meditation does not succeed? The Buddha gave many aids to success (such as the Factors of Absorption) and antidotes to obstacles (such as the Five Hindrances). The Eight Precepts, which can be practiced alone or in the company of others interested in striving, are tools to help that we as humans are lucky enough to be able to learn and practice. Of course, there are Hollywood parties and endless distractions if we prefer.

Buddhism in SWEDEN is growing fast!

Jaya (Buddhist Broadcasting Network, bbncommunity.com, 9-11-13); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

It is evident that Europe is changing very rapidly, economically and socially. Although these changes are widely discussed in the media, there are a few that attract very little attention.

 

The change in demography, in particular the growth of alternative religions, is one notable item. Sweden is no exception.

Due mainly to the arrival of Diasporas and the organic growth of Eastern traditions, such as Buddhism, many domestic people are paying attention. Buddhism is still relatively small in Sweden. But in recent years it has seen tremendous growth. It is trending, and estimates on new Buddhists are on an upward swing.

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In April 2011 (the last year for which reliable data are available) it is estimated to have risen to around 35,000 to 40,000 or 0.38-0.43% of the Swedish population, making it the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam.

 

Most practitioners have Asian backgrounds from Thailand, China, and Vietnam. According to official reports in 2011, Buddhism is proportionally the fastest growing religion.

There are now several Buddhist temples in Sweden, including Stockholm (Theravada Thai and Sri Lankan), Borås, Eslöv, Gothenburg, Fredrika, and other parts of Sweden.

 

A BNN reader reports that a giant project in the northernmost part of Sweden is underway. It is supposed to be the biggest Buddhist center in Europe. It has now, however, had to scale back its plans to get clearance for its application to build. But once the project is completed, Sweden will have an enormous Buddhist center that can facilitate more followers.

 

 

Stockholm Buddhist Temple

The Stockholm Buddhist Vihara (monastic residence) is a Buddhist temple in the Theravada tradition. Like old centers in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and elsewhere, it was established by the Sinhalese community to continue an ancient tradition of spreading the Dharma or Dhamma. The center was built in Sweden in 1985 by the Sri Lanka-Sweden Buddhist Association (SIDA) in conjunction with the arrival of the first resident monastic in Stockholm. It is the first ever Buddhist temple formed in Scandinavia, and the members are mostly of Sri Lankan origin.

A Scandinavian home
SIDA came into being in 1983 as a result of the energetic efforts and dedication of ardent Buddhist devotees who gathered in Stockholm during the winter of 1982 to discuss the possibility of forming an association.

Their courage and determination resulted in establishing a temporary organization, which became permanent after a general meeting in March, 1983 at the SIDA Auditorium in Stockholm.
 
Once established in 1985 the Stockholm Buddhist Temple moved to several temporary locations until the monastics and devotees succeeded in acquiring a permanent building for the center in Jakobsberg in 1995.

Thai Temple in Gothenburg
In 2005 Mrs. Eh and her husband Stein donated five hectares in northern Rörum for a temple building. However, lack of municipal water and sanitation would have meant additional costs if it had been built there.
 
So in 2006, Mrs. Eh and her husband found a property, one owned by a Thai/Swedish family, was for sale. They jumped at the opportunity to create a temple in southern Sweden and decided to purchase the property.
 
The temple has been built by Theravada Thai Buddhists and their partners living in southern Sweden. They have received help from the monks of Wat Pa in Copenhagen under the direction of Abbot Phar Kru Somsak.
 
Theravada temple in Skåne Åstorpsvägen

Buddhism is not a law or set of dogmas. It is a direct path to enlightenment, something to be undertaken and verified for oneself. Since it is not a "religion" in our Western sense, one need not abandon any faith or creed to practice.

It is often spoken of as an Eastern philosophy or a way of life, says the Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Assati. All are welcome here to meditate, not only Buddhists. When the temple at Railway Road 13 in Åstorpsvägen was recently inaugurated, about 100 people attended. Most were Sri Lankan Buddhists from southern Sweden who previously had to travel to Stockholm or Copenhagen, where there are already Buddhist temples.
 
"Some attendees were not Buddhists," says Mr. Nandi Dei Zylva, Chairman of Standing Behind the Temple, a Sri Lankan Buddhist cultural association in Skaane. "My wife, for example, is a Christian."

"We’re neighbors with Björnekulla Church, and the pastor and his family came here," continues Mr. Dei Zylva. "They were very friendly and accommodating and said that our visitors were free to use their parking [lot]."

The temple in Åstorpsvägen was financed by members and is a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple, unlike the Bjuv, which is Vietnamese. Bhikkhu Assati explains the difference:
 
"Buddhism, which originated in Nepal and India, has two branches -- ours called Theravada [Teaching of the Buddha's Elder enlightened disciples] and the Bjuv called Mahayana [Great Vehicle]. Theravada is more conservative than the Mahayana. It is much like the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism."

• [A more apt comparison might be Sufism to Islam or Judaism to Christianity because both are related but one is a popularization and is ten times larger.]

"Regardless of the difference, we have a good working relationship with the temple in Bjuv," adds Mr. Dei Zylva. "Before we got our own [Theravada] temple, we went there often."
 
The temple’s representatives wish many Åstorpsbors will come to visit and meditate. They welcome all who feel the need to replace their daily stress with a moment of contemplative rest.
 


In addition to the Bjuv Buddhist temple of Sweden, there is a Vietnamese temple in Katrineholm.