An Observation of Buddhist Culture
Background
This interview was done with a Buddhist monk from the Tibetan tradition as the interviewee. The monk currently is in his late 40s and has been involved in the monastic community since his childhood at the age of 7 years. His studies have made him acquire quite high degree in the Tibetan monastic structure and he has visited several countries I the world to make people understand and undertake initiations. Although the monk was born in Tibetan, he has moved to be an abbot at the monastery in Nepal and has acquired the title of a spiritual leader. The discussion was done with the assistance of another monk who was to help with translation as we spoke different languages.
The form of the cultural interview for the interview makes it quite similar to other interviews. Most monks are quite involved in their religion to the extent that they disregard their social lives. It is their presence and culture that makes them quite attached from their religion and the notions that they hold (BuddhaNet, 2012). Tibet is a country that took several years to create a spiritual stature society as opposed to a more diverse society as seen in other societies and it is consequently that Tibet has failed to exist in that mode. The efforts that were put in place so as to acquire a peaceful sorting out of the conflict between Tibet and China have led to the leadership of Tibetan to go to exile. The past that involved this change was quite drastic and the records can be acquired in the autobiography of Dalai Lama as well as the Dragon in the Land of Snows. The quite significant thing to consider is that it has a correlation to the interview; it offers a background to the Tibetan society. My perception has also been made part of this interview to offer a better understanding of the interview and impoundment on certain areas. The questions asked were well clarified (Society, 2009). The standpoint of the Abbot as a representative of hi culture as well as his role as an instructor as well as a spiritual leader is quite significant to comprehend when taking to meaning this discussion.
The Interview
I had an informed knowledge of whom I would perform the interview with as I got to start my interview. My earlier desire was to be with anybody from the culture who does not hold any respectable position, but I was allocated a spiritual leader as well as a teacher. The arrangements were made for my interview; my complete contact information was taken. As it is normally a norm for the culture, on arrival offering had to be offered to the monk. When entering the building, considering that it was a holy place that was highly respected, I had to remove my shoes as a sign of respect and waited for my interviewee. After placing the offering of food on tray, I headed to the room where the interview was to take place, where I found Abbot. The building was built with a standard wood format with a surprising integration with the western-style and Tibetan cultural aspects being there (Good Questions, Good Answers on Buddhism, 2012). A sense of easiness and purposefulness integrated this mix of culture.
What consequently followed were the questions and the responses made by Abbot by topic.
Tradition and cultural communication
Question: Is cultural commemoration important to you?
Response:
Yes, our cultural are quite important to us. It actually plays a role in our daily lives form childhood to adult life. Children are meant to made part of this culture practice ones they become 6 years of age. This makes them to become intact with the society and as a consequent he becomes part and parcel of the practice as he grows up. This will make the cultural practice to be there and grow in the future.
Question: What kinds of tradition and rituals do you have to commemorate a death?
Response:
With the death of a person, it is part of our culture, seven days after that day we start to undertake religious ceremonies. Ceremonies would be undertaken similarly seven days after that for a period of 49 days. We then break and there are no more ceremonies held until one year after the death of the person. It is ta this time that there is a massive ceremony of the death of the person. The reason behind undertaking these ceremonies for the beginning 49 days is of the reason that the individual is experiencing an intermediary state and the maximum number of time that an individual stay in this state is 49 days. The ceremonies are done for the individual with the intention of him or her to have a better rebirth after death in the new world he or she is heading to. One year after these ceremonies, another ceremony is held so as to commemorate the person who passed on. For instance, the death of a child in a particular family, an anniversary is held for the parents to commemorate the child who passed on.
The Abbot was particularly amused as he answered the question; it is normally a happy time for the community to remember the person who has passed on. It is believed that the person passes on to another life state where he will be happier and there are no any forms of suffering. This belief is similar to our present view that when a person dies he or she goes on to live with God though contrastingly, it is believed that the bad doers do not go to hell but blessings are passed to him or her so as to be allowed to pass on to the ‘better place’.
Tradition & Ritual Leading Up to Death
Question: What forms of traditions and rituals do you have that lead up to passing away?
Response: One very significant aspect that with one being on the knowledge he or she would lead to death then there are several arrangements that are made to do beneficial things. What our culture does for that individual is have possession of the person and allocate it to other people. This property of the person is given to the less fortunate and the poor. Sharing is part of our culture that tends to help the community to advance to greater heights. There is good energy when an individual decides to offer his belongings to others for their benefit. All of the property acquires blessings when it is issued for other advantageous things. With the death of a person and he or she ends up not allocating his belongings to others, then efforts are made to do so as he or she does not need the things.
The culture beliefs that the other world has all the things that they need, they hence need nothing from the earth.
Comfort & Grief in Times of Loss
Question: What are the beliefs that the culture and society holds which offer comfort at the time of death?
Response: the first practice that is undertaken to everybody is that each and every one has to pass away and everyone has to accept that, it hence that with the passing away of an individual nothing that we are able to do externally to prevent this from happening, they are hence advised to be tolerant with death. For instance, when a person is almost passing away or has already passed away, it is consequent that the family and friends are not supposed to cry, it would not be of help to them. The reason behind this is that, with people crying, the person almost crying would be sad. Even after an individual passes away and we engage in grief, he or she is still able to see us in this state. This form of sorry feeling is passed to the dead person and will lead to an increase in his suffering and consequently lead to a negative rebirth in the new life. One is hence advised or recommended to undertake acts that are more advantageous to the person almost dying or already dead, as this will be more beneficial for the rebirth and the person will not suffer (Tibetan Studies WWW Virtual Library, July 2010). Advice may also be offered that the individual was a better person when alive. It is consequent that with the crying would lead to sadness.
This belief is common with the modern life that the life history of the person is given. This is normally the goo things the person has been involved in. The culture decries the people with negative attributes all their life as nothing of benefit to them is said.
Question: What beliefs do you have that may lead to increased pain or loss?
Response: the most and quite significant thing that may result to great grief is the loss of an individual who is quite close. The advantage is that the love and closeness to the person will always be there. While on the negative side is the form of closeness that is acquired is hard to bear. It is hence in reference to the Buddhist teachings that we are to have love equally for all sentient persons. It is hence with this form of teaching if it was passed to all sentient persons then a sense of sadness will be acquired with the death of a person for the reason that affection and closeness do not go hand in hand for the good. It is hence that suffering is as a result of connection, obliviousness and detestation.
Though hard to this, the Buddhist teachings provide a guideline that people benefits will follow for the dead and living. Moreover, this people will always be together in spirit so they have nothing to worry about.
Forms of grief
Question: How would you explain good grief and bad grief?
Response: for instance, with the passing away of an individual, it is consequent that several beneficial undertakings would be performed. This is seen as a negative attribute. On the other hand, is person passes away and makes people to transform and undertake several good deeds; this is what is considered to be positive aspect. This is better for grief.
One of the better things that may be undertaken is to assist to make grief good through reminding the people crying that dying will be on us at a certain point in life. With the death of a person nothing can be done to assist me in the coming life. Of benefit to me is undertaking dharma, and my religion. This practice makes one stronger and passes it to others. As a way of acquiring happiness, we put to work varied processes to acquire joy. It hence that with the intention of acquiring happiness in the earth, it will not be to the maximum, certain things will happen leading to suffering and pain. So, to acquire ultimate joy, it is hence better to keep the mind in that state.
It is considered that the making of the mind to be in the state of happiness, is quite vital. The mind is seen as a great gift from the Supreme Being for us to use for our full benefit.
Good and bad Death
Question: How would attribute death?
Response: Good death occurs when the people who are almost dying are doing so without any form of fear or grief. Alternatively, one passes away when he or she is happy. Before one passes away, he or she has to know that this is something that is normal. The families and friends are called and offered advice. On the other hand, when someone takes his own life, this is attributed to a bad form of death. Life is considered to be quite valuable. It is hence that it cannot be created it. The child in the mother’s womb has just been generated.
Buddhists term the application of one’s own effort to affect the creation or taking of life is forbidden and that that is condemned life which would receive its punishment sometime in the course of life.
Private grief and Public Grief
Question: What is the correlation that exists between private grief and public grief? Does it involve any help from a section of people?
Response: the aspect of true grief whether private or public relies upon the people involved, one is big while the other one is limited to a small number of people. The form of grief that however takes place is quite similar, for instance, for families that experience the loss of their members, it is left to those families to grief. On the other hand, an individual who works for the community, when he or she passes away takes the grief of the community (Tibetan Buddhism Links Tibetan Buddhism, 2009). In reference to Buddhist Mahayana, one has to adopt the thought that I am working for the advantage of the community hence I take the responsibly for everybody. This similarly happens for the case of the family who want to have happiness and not sadness.
Inner Core
Question: Describe two values that you consider to be very significant in your culture, as well as other culture that are close to you?
Response:
The culture that this culture very close to it is the respect to holiness; this involves spiritual leaders, buildings, life and the Supreme Being. The intrusion or loss of respect for this and other aspects of life is considered a lack of respect for the Supreme Being. You may have noticed that as you came in, you were requested to remove your shoes and as am informed, you offered offerings. That is what I call to be respect for holiness. My culture is quite different from yours where you enter into holy places with shoes and may leave without offering any gift. The other value that we hold quite special is sharing. No one came to this world by his or herself, it is hence that we join together and help each other to accomplish a unified community that pleases the Supreme Being.
The culture does take into seriousness the two values as well as other values. The seriousness is quite high that a slight way ward path taken by anyone would lead to dismissal from the culture.
Life as Monk
Question: How does your life as a Monk affect your own perception with grief?
Response: While being a Monk, one has the ability to block or hinder grief and sadness of the society. It is because that as a monk one is not accepted to engage in marriage. The taking of valuable time with the family is not allowed. One has a lot of time to do the things of the ultimate being, this involves, private practice, and taking time for the community. Being monk has its own satisfaction and one is supposed to be contended with it.
Other things that would broaden the knowledge on grieving in the Tibetan Society
Question: Are there other additional things that you would like to tell me about grieving in the society you are from?
Response: Grief that the community of a family experiences has to be identified and efforts made to be hinders it from happening. The first one is to acquire the meaning of grief, getting to know that it is bad then efforts are made tom stop it from happening again (Tibetan Buddhism-World Wide Web Links, 2012). Buddhists philosophy attribute that suffering is a result of band actions and the happiness is due to good actions.
End of the Interview
The Abbot hoped that the interview would be of assistance to everybody who will read it. I was thankful and left the room. The compassion and humility was quite pleasant.
Summary
According to most people, the manner in which death has been handled is quite insensitive. With keen focus on the conversation, there is denial of loss. Aspect of attachment is considered to be a sense of suffering and avoidance from close relation. This has no relation to close lack of love but a worldview that all people need love and help. The truth about Buddhism is; life is a set of suffering and that the suffering is as a result of earthly cravings, and that suffering can be handled through joy, appreciative, action, determination, mindfulness and attentiveness.
The interview suggests that communities, in this case Buddhists deny the loss of life and lack of closeness to the person who has passed away. That is actually not what was meant by Abbot. Advice offered by the Monk may seem not to satisfy our culture. Other cultures similarly do not encourage grief but is handled contrastingly from other communities’ perspective. My impression lies in being more cognitive and more active when compared to other cultures. Similarly of significance is the aspect of an integrated awareness and effect of belief that the personal self is a notion.
Bibliography
BuddhaNet (2012). Buddhist Information Network-Gateway. Acquired on 05 April 2012 from http://www.buddhanet.net
Good Questions, Good Answers on Buddhism (2012). Acquired on 05 April 2012 from http://buddhanet.net/qanda.htm
Society, B. (2009). Buddhism. Culture and Religion.
Tibetan Buddhism Links Tibetan Buddhism (2009). Acquired on 05 April 2012 from http://www.pacific.net.au/~cee_gee/tibet.html
Tibetan Buddhism-World Wide Web Links (2012). Acquired on 05 April 2012 from http://www.buddhanet.net/l_tibet.htm
Tibetan Studies WWW Virtual Library (July 2010). Acquired on 05 April 2012 from http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-TibetanStudies.html
