The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

This article is one of several reports on Sravasti Abbey. The other reports include Generosity in Action: Dana at Sravasti Abbey, Supporters of Sravasti Abbey and Venerable Chodron.

Guiding Principles of Sravasti Abbey

Daily life at Sravasti Abbey is an attempt to embody monastic principles of communal harmony, generosity, simplicity and contentment, as well as the desire to offer service to the Dharma and other human beings as much as possible. The community at Sravasti Abbey strives to live simply, refraining from the use of TVs or radios, traveling by car only when necessary, growing some of its own food, and generally minimizing external distractions. A typical day at the Abbey actually begins in silence, which is maintained from the end of evening practice the night before until breakfast the following morning.

Morning Routines

By 5:30 in the morning the residents of the Abbey meet in the meditation room to begin their morning meditations; certain students have been even earlier offering water bowls and incense. They begin with a practice known as “Prostrations to the 35 Buddhas,” in which participants acknowledge unskillful actions and take remedial efforts to prevent themselves from harming others similarly in the future. This practice lasts until approximately 6 am, when the residents then begin their meditation practice.

This meditation lasts for about an hour, and includes the foundational Buddhist practices of taking refuge and generating a kind heart, a more devotional meditation on the Buddha, and an analytic meditation on one aspect of the Buddhist path. These meditations are led in turn by the residents: during my stay there, each person led the morning meditation at least once. Such a rotation encourages all people to become more comfortable leading such sessions.

During this time Venerable Chodron remains in her room. Her morning meditations begin before even the earliest students arise, and she continues her practice in her own room as the other residents assemble and begin their own practice.

At breakfast, the silence from the night before is concluded. The entire community assembles, as they do for all the meals. One or two of the residents takes responsibility for preparing the food; others will do the dishes or help with the next meal. Each meal begins with a prayer, offering the food to the so-called Three Jewels: Buddha; the Dharma, the teachings; and the Sangha, the monastic community. While eating, discussions about the day begin: which jobs require assistance, who needs the computer, which visitors (if any) will be coming. The day gets mapped out.

Teachings and Discussions

After breakfast, Ven. Chodron often teaches from a Buddhist text, or organizes a discussion group based upon a previous talk. The talks take place in the meditation hall, and begin after three bows and prayers have been offered. In August of 2004, Ven. Chodron was teaching a thought transformation text known as The Wheel of Sharp Weapons; this teaching emphasized the role that an individual’s own ignorance and self-aggrandizing plays in causing one’s own suffering. The teachings generally last for a hour, with an additional 30 minutes for questions at the end. If Ven. Chodron does not teach—or has taught for several days in a row—the students sometimes meet as a community to discuss the teachings. For these sessions, Ven. Chodron leads an analytical meditation at the beginning and asks several questions that will form the basis of the discussion. One session focused on attachment, which is understood in Buddhism as a mind that exaggerates the positive qualities of an object and then clings to that exaggeration. Ven. Chodron asked the residents what it meant to be attached to views and opinions; if there was a difference between feeling strongly about something and being attached to it; in which situations this attachment arises; how such attachment influences our behavior; and what particular views discussants found themselves attached to.

After contemplating these questions in silence, the group convened as Ven. Chodron excused herself to give the students the space to speak freely without their teacher present. During the discussion, each student first spoke for several minutes without being interrupted; only after everyone had spoken could “cross-talk” begin, in which one student might ask a question of another, or seek clarification of something that had been said. Such a format allowed all people to speak at least once before the more open-ended discussion began. The discussion focused on practical concerns: attachment to political views, attachment to certain understandings of friends or family members, and attachment to certain ways the world should be. After approximately 30 minutes, Ven. Chodron returned to hear the results of the discussion and to address any lingering uncertainties. The discussions were marked by a genuine openness: the students clearly took these teachings seriously, and attempted to see their relevance in their own lives. Connections would be made as people reflected upon, for example, unrealistic ways of approaching a friend or colleague.

Offering Service

Both the late morning and afternoon are filled with periods of offering service to the Abbey. Such service may take on many forms: during my stay, I pulled weeds, stained siding for the meditation hall, edited prisoners' letters for Ven. Chodron’s website (http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrisonDharma/prison_dharma.html), helped prepare a garden for the following season, and marveled at the canning prowess of those who were responsible for preserving the vegetables and fruits for the coming winter months. During this time, the community maintained the physical environment of the Abbey, while also interacting with various people and groups affiliated with the Abbey. For example, one resident spent much of her time arranging the itinerary for Ven. Chodron’s upcoming trip to Asia, which includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and India. Another volunteer spent some of her time researching various companies who would provide better internet service. Physical labor was necessary to ensure the continuing health of the Abbey’s environment, and a large amount of phone and internet time was also required to oversee various construction projects and plans for the Abbey. Ven. Chodron generally spent this time in her office, either communicating with her students by email and letter, working on the two books she is currently writing, or meeting with various individuals in the local community—zoning board representatives, building code inspectors, and wildlife specialists—to explain to them the undertaking at the Abbey.

Lunch

The main meal of the day for the residents of the Abbey was certainly lunch. This emphasis concords with traditional Buddhist monastic cultures, in which the monks would eat the food they had received at lunch and then not eat for the remainder of the day. Although three meals were generally taken at the Abbey, the lunch meal was still the heartiest, and also contained the most extensive prayers. Before the meal, a longer offering prayer to the Three Jewels was recited, and the residents also recited the five contemplations, in which they acknowledged the good fortune—and responsibility—of eating food that has been offered by others. At the conclusion of the meal, the residents made an offering to the pretas, a class of beings whom the Buddha promised would always be fed by his followers, and recite the Heart Sutra, a fundamental Buddhist teaching about the nature of reality.

Afternoon and Evenings

The flexible schedule of the Abbey also allowed for impromptu discussions over the lunch meal. At two different times these conversations lasted well over an hour, and substituted for the day’s religious instruction. Although the residents made an effort to maintain a general schedule, there was ample freedom for such spontaneous discussions, for walks in the 240 acres of the Abbey, or for visiting with guests who came to visit the Abbey. In general, residents offered service during the afternoon period, but there were also opportunites to sit and rest with a cup of tea, enjoying conversation with other residents.

The dinner meal followed the pattern of the other two meals. It was generally lighter in terms of food. It allowed everyone a chance to reflect upon what had been accomplished that day—as well as what remained to be done—and also to begin winding down, as silence would begin after the evening dishes were put away.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the meditation hall for evening meditation practice, repeating the same analytical meditation from the morning and also performing meditations that emphasized the development of compassion. The evening session concluded with the residents mentally reminding themselves of the larger and interdependent context in which the Abbey exists, and dedicating the positive efforts and intentions of the day to the longest-term and widest benefit imaginable.

The Daily Schedule in Brief

6:00-7:15 morning meditation
7:30-8:00 breakfast
9:00-10:15 morning teachings
10:30-12:30 offering service
12:30-1:30 lunch
2:00-6:00 offering service
6:30-7:00 dinner
7:30-8:30 evening meditation; silence begins after evening meditation