I came across this thread several months after the last post and found Jundo's answers to be very helpful and insightful.
I have been studying and practicing the Buddha-Dharma for nearly two decades and have given a lot of thought to the idea of ordination. Like many who investigate this topic, in the beginning I saw it as a kind of way to escape the world but came to realize that it's exactly the opposite of that. The more I thought about that, the more I saw how much healthier and beneficial this is. When we are in pain we instinctively try to move away from what we think is causing us pain, but sometimes the correct thing to do is to move closer to it and soften our heart and make friends with what we think is our source of pain. I did that and have come far and I stopped looking at ordination as an escape and now I see it as a tremendous opportunity to be of benefit to others.
It is not enough for one to be concerned with one's own happiness. We are not lone islands unto ourselves. We are living, breathing parts of humanity and the world as a whole. It is simply not possible to escape. To see more clearly how we are a manifestation of nature, of the universe, is beneficial to everyone. Dropping the separation of 'self' and 'other', seeing helping others as the same as helping yourself.
When a part of our body is sick or injured, the whole body suffers. When someone outside of ourselves suffers, we suffer too. When we help others, we are helping everyone because we are part of a singular wholeness that pervades all of reality across time and space.
Ordination is, in my mind, a kind of affirmation of that fact. Committing to the service of others is a natural consequence of understanding that deeply; when we see this fact of the way things are, our actions naturally align with helping others since helping others is the same as helping ourselves, and accepting help is the same as giving help. Ordination can, I think, help one to really focus on this - even though it's not at all necessary. It doesn't hurt to not ordain, you don't really miss anything necessarily, but ordination is a kind of dedicated recognition by our sangha and our own inner witness of what we understand life to be all about.
At least these are the kinds of thoughts I've had over the years. Perhaps, in time, I may seek ordination myself but this time with a proper motivation and understanding.
I am really fascinated by Nishijima-roshi's perspectives on this topic. He always seemed to be a man born out of time; so forward-thinking, so progressive.
Gassho,
Sen
SatToday
I have been studying and practicing the Buddha-Dharma for nearly two decades and have given a lot of thought to the idea of ordination. Like many who investigate this topic, in the beginning I saw it as a kind of way to escape the world but came to realize that it's exactly the opposite of that. The more I thought about that, the more I saw how much healthier and beneficial this is. When we are in pain we instinctively try to move away from what we think is causing us pain, but sometimes the correct thing to do is to move closer to it and soften our heart and make friends with what we think is our source of pain. I did that and have come far and I stopped looking at ordination as an escape and now I see it as a tremendous opportunity to be of benefit to others.
It is not enough for one to be concerned with one's own happiness. We are not lone islands unto ourselves. We are living, breathing parts of humanity and the world as a whole. It is simply not possible to escape. To see more clearly how we are a manifestation of nature, of the universe, is beneficial to everyone. Dropping the separation of 'self' and 'other', seeing helping others as the same as helping yourself.
When a part of our body is sick or injured, the whole body suffers. When someone outside of ourselves suffers, we suffer too. When we help others, we are helping everyone because we are part of a singular wholeness that pervades all of reality across time and space.
Ordination is, in my mind, a kind of affirmation of that fact. Committing to the service of others is a natural consequence of understanding that deeply; when we see this fact of the way things are, our actions naturally align with helping others since helping others is the same as helping ourselves, and accepting help is the same as giving help. Ordination can, I think, help one to really focus on this - even though it's not at all necessary. It doesn't hurt to not ordain, you don't really miss anything necessarily, but ordination is a kind of dedicated recognition by our sangha and our own inner witness of what we understand life to be all about.
At least these are the kinds of thoughts I've had over the years. Perhaps, in time, I may seek ordination myself but this time with a proper motivation and understanding.
I am really fascinated by Nishijima-roshi's perspectives on this topic. He always seemed to be a man born out of time; so forward-thinking, so progressive.
Gassho,
Sen
SatToday
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