6/14/2010
Stepping into A New Realm
High School was a nightmare for me. I shiver at the thought of cliques shouting out their daily popularity index for their favorite cheerleader, back-biting and finger-pointing too often played out in the bathrooms for some reason, slick rumor mills and imitated moves meant to seduce in those pre-pubescent bodies. Unkindness was reserved for their targets, but really for the perpetrators.
Unfortunately, high school continues for many who never grow up.
In one of my first tastes of a women’s leadership workshop, I was dumbfounded by a list of shadows named. I never knew this was a common experience among women; I thought I was alone in my experience.
For twelve years I tried to drop my civil rights investigator knack at detecting discrimination until I reached a comfortable place where I was more often looking beyond gender, race, color, creed, religion etc., and seeing into the Buddha nature of each being I encountered.
Stepping into the territory of women of spirit and faith not only affirmed some observations that I never acknowledged but also made me realize that I was more comfortable among religious women. I am a straight though celibate nun, mind you, but “It’s just a feeling” that I am more comfortable with spiritual women. Not Asian religious fundamentalists of any tradition and not men who control and overpower. I sometimes dismiss “this feeling” because it is nothing rational or logical, and yet I am comforted and comfortable with how feelings are accepted as valid and intuitions are considered important among women of spirit and faith. Though I am very good at being logical and analytical, I cannot find all the answers through thinking. I stop thinking for answers.
This non-analytical and non-linear stream of consciousness is precisely what many spiritual seekers practice, including me on my Buddhist path. This and other inner spiritual methods may resonate with women who are interested in depth and deepening, perhaps more so than hands stretched toward the sky in the hopes of a hand extended in return.
This type of thinking (non-thinking mode), capable of being mastered by both men and women, requires awareness, egolessness, collaboration, being open to or even embracing differences through non-judgment, care, kindness and compassion. Qualities lacking in many earlier models of leadership, now more than ever, need to be brought to the fore.
6/13/2010
A Chinese Mahayana Nun’s Many False Names
A pointed finger or stutters sometimes replaces my name. Why? English speakers have trouble pronouncing it, and which part? Is it just Guo? Is it pronounced Go, Gwo? Cheen – is it Chin or like Cheetos with an “n”? And with or without the Reverend as a title? Or is it Sister, Venerable or some other honorific?
I appreciate people asking, and yet sometimes I do not seem to have a strong preference. I wonder in my head: Who am I? Will you ever know me?
I went with Cheen or Reverend Cheen because I think it is easier for people. It is also part of the Chinese Buddhist tradition to only call a monastic by his or her unique part of the Buddhist name (in my case, Cheen) plus the title “Dharma Master”, so it would be most polite to call me 琴法師 (Dharma Master Cheen). OMG! I much prefer the casual friendliness of the western culture considering the sound of that!
Creating an identifier easiest for people was the exact reason that my father gave me my legal name “Linda” at the age of ten when our family immigrated to the United States. Just try and pronounce Long-Chyn! And I don’t even have a long chin! Actually, it’s a meaningful name that contains a Chinese character that loops to my father and his siblings’ names; similarly, the names for my father and his siblings contain a Chinese character that loops to my grandfather’s generation. The linked characters together mean “prosperity” or “universe” etc. Each person also has a unique character to his or her first name.
Having used “Linda” as a label for nearly 30 years, I then tried to completely erase that identity. I discovered permanent remnants of Linda in not only the identity of my spirit, psyche and social circles, but most certainly on social security papers! Yes, papers may be biodegrade, but that "Linda" is in the records for a long time!
I also discovered that my Buddhist names (yes, there are a few – inner, outer, refuge, novice, ordained, aliases and perhaps some posthumous name will be granted me) contain those meaningful connectors too. Sometimes they become said reasons for hierarchy and oppression.
And I don’t know whether it’s a cultural thing or it is the virtue of respecting the Triple Gem (the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, of which I am a monastic member), but there are all kinds of grand titles that accompany every little nun like me! But again, it is for those who call on this entity to earn the karma of being respected in turn when respecting others, especially toward members of the Buddhist monastic order, according to Buddhist thought.
Etiquette grew out of this idea and perhaps the Asian culture aided it. Monastics uniformly have the surname of “Shr”, a transliteration for "釋" in Chinese , which is a transliteration for the Sanskrit "Shakya", the family name of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. For Chinese monastics, this Shr is sometimes confused with Shi (師), transliteration for the abbreviated version of Dharma Master or Dharma Teacher (法師).
In case you are not confused enough, here is an all-too-linear listing of the names by which I have been identified.
Metamorphosis: 王隆琴 (Wang Long-Chyn), Linda Long-Chyn Wang, Guo Cheen/果琴, 釋親弘, 釋近廣, Reverend Cheen/果琴法師
I love my late teacher, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua – see, there’s another title with no last name and sometimes referred to as Master Hua – and how he designates true names for himself such as Tiny Ant, Crazy Monk, Little Mosquito, Living Dead Man, Monk in the Grave, etc. More importantly, these are expressions of the lightness of his ego, an attitude toward the status quo and like Thich Nhat Hanh’s poem in an earlier post, “Please Call Me By My True Names”, an easy understanding of how connected we are, so connected that we readily morph into each other and all beings.
Now, that’s freedom I can lick by licking all those many names!
I appreciate people asking, and yet sometimes I do not seem to have a strong preference. I wonder in my head: Who am I? Will you ever know me?
I went with Cheen or Reverend Cheen because I think it is easier for people. It is also part of the Chinese Buddhist tradition to only call a monastic by his or her unique part of the Buddhist name (in my case, Cheen) plus the title “Dharma Master”, so it would be most polite to call me 琴法師 (Dharma Master Cheen). OMG! I much prefer the casual friendliness of the western culture considering the sound of that!
Creating an identifier easiest for people was the exact reason that my father gave me my legal name “Linda” at the age of ten when our family immigrated to the United States. Just try and pronounce Long-Chyn! And I don’t even have a long chin! Actually, it’s a meaningful name that contains a Chinese character that loops to my father and his siblings’ names; similarly, the names for my father and his siblings contain a Chinese character that loops to my grandfather’s generation. The linked characters together mean “prosperity” or “universe” etc. Each person also has a unique character to his or her first name.
Having used “Linda” as a label for nearly 30 years, I then tried to completely erase that identity. I discovered permanent remnants of Linda in not only the identity of my spirit, psyche and social circles, but most certainly on social security papers! Yes, papers may be biodegrade, but that "Linda" is in the records for a long time!
I also discovered that my Buddhist names (yes, there are a few – inner, outer, refuge, novice, ordained, aliases and perhaps some posthumous name will be granted me) contain those meaningful connectors too. Sometimes they become said reasons for hierarchy and oppression.
And I don’t know whether it’s a cultural thing or it is the virtue of respecting the Triple Gem (the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, of which I am a monastic member), but there are all kinds of grand titles that accompany every little nun like me! But again, it is for those who call on this entity to earn the karma of being respected in turn when respecting others, especially toward members of the Buddhist monastic order, according to Buddhist thought.
Etiquette grew out of this idea and perhaps the Asian culture aided it. Monastics uniformly have the surname of “Shr”, a transliteration for "釋" in Chinese , which is a transliteration for the Sanskrit "Shakya", the family name of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. For Chinese monastics, this Shr is sometimes confused with Shi (師), transliteration for the abbreviated version of Dharma Master or Dharma Teacher (法師).
In case you are not confused enough, here is an all-too-linear listing of the names by which I have been identified.
Metamorphosis: 王隆琴 (Wang Long-Chyn), Linda Long-Chyn Wang, Guo Cheen/果琴, 釋親弘, 釋近廣, Reverend Cheen/果琴法師
I love my late teacher, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua – see, there’s another title with no last name and sometimes referred to as Master Hua – and how he designates true names for himself such as Tiny Ant, Crazy Monk, Little Mosquito, Living Dead Man, Monk in the Grave, etc. More importantly, these are expressions of the lightness of his ego, an attitude toward the status quo and like Thich Nhat Hanh’s poem in an earlier post, “Please Call Me By My True Names”, an easy understanding of how connected we are, so connected that we readily morph into each other and all beings.
Now, that’s freedom I can lick by licking all those many names!
6/12/2010
6/05/2010
Making History with the Buddhadharma!
Translating the Commentaries to the Flower Ornament Sutra Now!
弘揚佛法於西方!
I'm inspired today to share an idea for how you can make history for the English-speaking world. I believe you are kindred protectors of the Dharma who would wish to bringing Commentaries and Sub-Commentaries on the Avatamsaka Sutra 華嚴經疏鈔by National Master Qing Liang清涼國師 into English for yourself, Westerners and English-speakers all around the world.
I am living up to a vow of helping to share the Dharma in the West and English-speakers by translating Buddhist texts. Please see the translated preface to the Commentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra. Just by reading the draft translation will give you shivers of awe, understanding, and strengthened Bodhi resolve. Read the English and Chinese preface here -- http://www.thecompassionnetwork.blogspot.com/
Read the Chinese in its entirety here – http://player12345.myweb.hinet.net/web/C8.htm
This is exquisite and enlightening literature that will awaken our understanding of the mind, cosmology, the magic of interconnectedness to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is knowledge that will broaden our minds and humanity’s minds in a whole new way.
The catch is that this translation has only begun. We need that extra bit of excitement, juice, and support to get it started. This can be an opportunity for a movement of merit-making and blessing-building. Time, talent and treasures are all welcome.
If you're with me in recognizing that this translation simply has to be completed (and soon!), here is our three step-idea for how we do it by creating a big wave of buzz this week:
* Read the translation
* Donate $1 at The Point today to help make it and gain access to it - more gets your name in the credits!
* Invite 5 friends to read the translation and do the same today - I've put an invite sample below.
Simple! For ten minutes and $1 or more, you can be a history-maker for Dharma in the West!
In Infinite Interconnectedness,
Guo Cheen
******Template below this line*****
Dear friends,
Let's make history for the Buddhadharma! Check out the following translation and if you're as inspired as me by its lofty and all-embracing principles, pass it along to 5 friends today and help it spread like wildfire.
http://www.thecompassionnetwork.blogspot.com/
I'm donating $1 to translating the Commentaries and Sub-Commentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra and I'll announce its completion to 10 friends when it comes out, which shows the translator(s) that they have support and will persist. I invite you to join me in doing the same.
The world needs more ancient wisdom that wake us up and this text can deliver. Let's make it happen!
弘揚佛法於西方!
I'm inspired today to share an idea for how you can make history for the English-speaking world. I believe you are kindred protectors of the Dharma who would wish to bringing Commentaries and Sub-Commentaries on the Avatamsaka Sutra 華嚴經疏鈔by National Master Qing Liang清涼國師 into English for yourself, Westerners and English-speakers all around the world.
I am living up to a vow of helping to share the Dharma in the West and English-speakers by translating Buddhist texts. Please see the translated preface to the Commentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra. Just by reading the draft translation will give you shivers of awe, understanding, and strengthened Bodhi resolve. Read the English and Chinese preface here -- http://www.thecompassionnetwork.blogspot.com/
Read the Chinese in its entirety here – http://player12345.myweb.hinet.net/web/C8.htm
This is exquisite and enlightening literature that will awaken our understanding of the mind, cosmology, the magic of interconnectedness to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is knowledge that will broaden our minds and humanity’s minds in a whole new way.
The catch is that this translation has only begun. We need that extra bit of excitement, juice, and support to get it started. This can be an opportunity for a movement of merit-making and blessing-building. Time, talent and treasures are all welcome.
If you're with me in recognizing that this translation simply has to be completed (and soon!), here is our three step-idea for how we do it by creating a big wave of buzz this week:
* Read the translation
* Donate $1 at The Point today to help make it and gain access to it - more gets your name in the credits!
* Invite 5 friends to read the translation and do the same today - I've put an invite sample below.
Simple! For ten minutes and $1 or more, you can be a history-maker for Dharma in the West!
In Infinite Interconnectedness,
Guo Cheen
******Template below this line*****
Dear friends,
Let's make history for the Buddhadharma! Check out the following translation and if you're as inspired as me by its lofty and all-embracing principles, pass it along to 5 friends today and help it spread like wildfire.
http://www.thecompassionnetwork.blogspot.com/
I'm donating $1 to translating the Commentaries and Sub-Commentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra and I'll announce its completion to 10 friends when it comes out, which shows the translator(s) that they have support and will persist. I invite you to join me in doing the same.
The world needs more ancient wisdom that wake us up and this text can deliver. Let's make it happen!
6/03/2010
Saturday Meditation Retreat
Retreat or Workshop Every Saturday.
RSVP now for this Saturday, June 5th!
TCN Buddhist Center Meditation Retreat Flyer
RSVP now for this Saturday, June 5th!
TCN Buddhist Center Meditation Retreat Flyer
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