Hello friends,

I just came across an essay by the Ven. Thubten Chodron on being a Western monastic. It's an interesting read and, while not necessarily 100% applicable to lay practice, or to our Bodhisattva Priests and priests in training, addresses what I think are important issues arising in the spreading of the Dharma to the "West."

Also in the essay are the following few sentences; in the spirit of the upcoming Jukai, I thought I'd bring them to the fore:

Having vows is not restricting. Rather, it is liberating, for we free ourselves from acting in ways that, deep in our hearts, we do not want to. We take the vows freely, nothing is forced or imposed. The discipline is voluntarily undertaken.

Full text can be found at http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/blog/2010/ ... st-nun-ve/

Thank you, and much metta,

Perry