Student Of The Path

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
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Bhikkhu_Jayasara
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Student Of The Path

Post by Bhikkhu_Jayasara »

So friends,

Tonight I will be driving to Maryland to stay with friends and then tomorrow the two hour drive to Bhavana Society to begin my journey, however long it lasts. I will be going in as a resident with intent to renounce and if all goes well(ie I feel the life is right for me, and the monastics feel I'm appropriate), in two years will be a fully ordained Bhikkhu.

I've been keeping updates mostly on a thread I started when I put my application in, but I wanted to use this thread from here on in to post updates. "Student of the Path" is the name I chose for my youtube channel and blog years ago and I think it's a fitting name for this thread. We dhamma practitioners are all students of the well trod path of the noble ones.

For those interested I will be mostly posting updates and journaling on my blog (http://jayantha.tumblr.com/) but I will also be coming here. I know this forum has been a wealth of information for me the last few years as I've moved towards my path so hopefully I can provide some information for others following the same path.

Lastly I'd like to post my final "goodbye" facebook/blog post:
Well, this is it my friends, as of tomorrow at noon I will be at Bhavana Society of West Virginia, so of course I have to write a big silly post with nerdy references, it's what I do :).

There is a traveling song from the Lord of the Rings that has been in my head lately and I think it fits the occasion:

"Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight"

"Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall fade"

http://youtu.be/WskRAEggqkQ

Home is indeed behind me and the world ahead. In the grand adventure that is life, I now begin the next chapter. There will be mountains and forests to traverse and many people to meet on this journey, but the greatest adventure is and always shall be the one that takes you deep inside to the inner workings of "you".

There are many wondrous landscapes to see on the inner journey, many strange creatures. You will even do battle with the armies of your own ego, which is much more powerful then Sauron could ever dream to be and who's vast armies hold sway over everything you do and everything you are, if you let them. This battle however, is unlike any other battle in history, as it is a battle you cannot win by fighting.

Can you tell the importance of fantasy adventure and the heroes journey in my life? For so much of my life I have lost myself in grand adventures with wizards, warriors and dragons. To this day I still enjoy these games and stories, these fantasy worlds, but I've come to see that our own world itself is a fantasy world, with the same elements of fantasy, human nature and the same nagging feeling that there is something more, that this is not quite the true reality, the true nature of things.

There was one man who's story follows the "Heroes Journey" arc, the Buddha, who had these same feelings, and he made the determination to find the true reality of existence. The Buddha "woke up" from the dream of existence, which is why he is called "Buddha", the "awakened one". He was an amazing man(and he was just a man) who did an amazing thing that we all are capable of doing and I can only hope to follow the path he tread to lasting peace and happiness.

So I leave you these few(snicker ;P) words before I begin my next adventure. It's funny that it is not until you "leave" that you begin to realize how much of an impact you've had on other peoples lives, and how much of an impact they have had on yours. I thank you all for being a friend in the past, and into the future. You have all played a part, small or large, in helping me become the man I am today and I thank you for that.

I am "leaving" now, but I'm really not, I will still be around on Facebook, and my blog(http://jayantha.tumblr.com/) which is where I will be doing most of my updating and journaling of my adventure. There is nothing sure or secure with this next chapter, I could move out to West Virginia and last a month, or I could be there for the rest of my life, no one knows and no one can know. Life itself, and all existence, is uncertain.

For my old friend Raef Lawson I should add in a line from our favorite TV mini series Merlin, with Sam Neil, from 1997. When Arthur is questioned about the type of king he will become, he says these words " I cannot know what I'll become, only what I am". These words(and many others from that story) have stuck with me and ring truth.

I do not know what I'll become but what I do know however is that I can trust my gut, my intuition. It has never lead me astray. Thats not to say that It has never lead me through tough and trying situations in my life, it has, but it has ALL been worth it and has shaped the man I am today, which is a man I'm happy to be stuck with. My Intuition tells me that this is a calling for me, this is what I want to do with my life, and it may be just that, or it may be another adventure to move on from in the future.

People have asked me lately if I'm excited for this next adventure, and I am excited, but I'm also scared. There is nothing wrong with being scared and admitting it, what you don't want to do is allow fear to control your life. These two emotions(excitement and fear) create a nice balance, a middle path, that allows me to take this day by day. There is a great quote that goes like this " Do something that scares you every day". This scares me, it scares my ego most of all, who will be going through a big detox program followed by an IOP(love you my former co-workers :P), to cleanse itself of all the impurities and distractions in the mind.


So friends, I will see you on the path, safe journeys to you all,

Joe D(Jayantha)
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Bhikkhu Jayasāra -http://www.youtube.com/studentofthepath and https://maggasekha.org/
Sanjay PS
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Sanjay PS »

Wishing you very well Jayantha .

May we all share each others merits, and may birth , growth , decay and death , urge us all to see through the veils of life and living , however blissful it may be .

sanjay
The Path of Dhamma

The path of Dhamma is no picnic . It is a strenuous march steeply up the hill . If all the comrades desert you , Walk alone ! Walk alone ! with all the Thrill !!

U S.N. Goenka
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James the Giant
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by James the Giant »

Good luck, and don't push too hard!
I have found pushing too hard to be my biggest challenge.
I'll follow your updates with interest.
Big metta from the other side of the world.
James
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
Spiny Norman
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Spiny Norman »

Jayantha-NJ wrote: For those interested I will be mostly posting updates and journaling on my blog (http://jayantha.tumblr.com/) but I will also be coming here. I know this forum has been a wealth of information for me the last few years as I've moved towards my path so hopefully I can provide some information for others following the same path.
:clap:
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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acinteyyo
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by acinteyyo »

:anjali:
Thag 1.20. Ajita - I do not fear death; nor do I long for life. I’ll lay down this body, aware and mindful.
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appicchato
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by appicchato »

All the best to you...

Try to remember the lute(?) simile...strings not too taught, not too loose...

In eight years in the robes the two words I've heard most from monks (not Caucasian, and virtually no command of English), on innumerable occasions, is 'No serious'...it's all, repeat, all good...not that you aren't, and to put it as succinctly as possible: chill...
plwk
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by plwk »

Well Bhante, at least Thanavuddho lasted some fair bit... time will tell how far in the homeless life this one will be with...
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Khalil Bodhi
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Khalil Bodhi »

:anjali:
To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
-Dhp. 183

The Stoic Buddhist: https://www.quora.com/q/dwxmcndlgmobmeu ... pOR2p0uAdH
My Practice Blog:
http://khalilbodhi.wordpress.com
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Bhikkhu_Jayasara
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Bhikkhu_Jayasara »

plwk wrote:Well Bhante, at least Thanavuddho lasted some fair bit... time will tell how far in the homeless life this one will be with...
No one knows not even myself ;)

Blog/journal post from first week is up. Its been an experience for sure.

http://jayantha.tumblr.com/post/9777619 ... f-week-one
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Bhikkhu_Jayasara
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Bhikkhu_Jayasara »

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Bhikkhu Jayasāra -http://www.youtube.com/studentofthepath and https://maggasekha.org/
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Mkoll
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Mkoll »

:woohoo:

Congratulations!

All the best.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
sattva
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by sattva »

Perhaps one day we may meet. I live in a nearby town in Maryland and monks from Bhavana have visited the Unitarian church here. I was unable to go at that time because I was sick, but if they return and I am well enough, who knows. Anyway, I wish you much luck and happiness in your new life.
http://www.chatzy.com/25904628501622
SarathW
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by SarathW »

§ 82. {Iti 3.33; Iti 75}
[Alternate translation: Ireland]
This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: "These three divine sounds sound forth among the devas on appropriate occasions. Which three? When a disciple of the noble ones, shaving off his hair & beard, clothing himself in the ochre robe, makes up his mind to go forth from the home life into homelessness, on that occasion the divine sound sounds forth among the devas: 'This disciple of the noble ones has made up his mind to do battle with Mara.' This is the first divine sound that sounds forth among the devas on appropriate occasions.

"When a disciple of the noble ones lives devoted to developing the seven [sets of] qualities that are wings to Awakening,[1] on that occasion the divine sound sounds forth among the devas: 'This disciple of the noble ones is doing battle with Mara.' This is the second divine sound that sounds forth among the devas on appropriate occasions.

"When a disciple of the noble ones, through the ending of fermentations dwells in the awareness-release & discernment-release that are free from fermentation, having known & made them manifest for himself right in the present life, on that occasion the divine sound sounds forth among the devas: 'This disciple of the noble ones has won the battle. Having been in the front lines of the battle, he now dwells victorious.' This is the third divine sound that sounds forth among the devas on appropriate occasions.

"These are the three divine sounds that sound forth among the devas on appropriate occasions."

============
§ 91. {Iti 3.42; Iti 89}

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: "This is a lowly means of livelihood, alms gathering. It's a form of abuse in the world [to say], 'You go around as an alms gatherer with a bowl in your hand!' Yet sensible young men of good families have taken it up for a compelling reason. They have not been forced into it by kings or robbers, nor through debt, through fear, nor through the loss of their livelihood, but through the thought: 'We are beset by birth, aging, & death, by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs, beset by stress, overcome with stress. O, that the end of this entire mass of suffering & stress might be known!' But this young man of good family, having gone forth in this way, may be greedy for sensual pleasures, strong in his passions, malevolent in mind, corrupt in his resolves, his mindfulness muddled, unalert, uncentered, his mind scattered, & his faculties uncontrolled. Just as a firebrand from a funeral pyre — burning at both ends, covered with excrement in the middle — is used as fuel neither in a village nor in the wilderness: I tell you that this is a simile for this person. He has missed out on the householder's enjoyments and does not fulfill the purpose of the contemplative life."


http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... ml#iti-084
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Bhikkhu_Jayasara
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by Bhikkhu_Jayasara »

sattva wrote:Perhaps one day we may meet. I live in a nearby town in Maryland and monks from Bhavana have visited the Unitarian church here. I was unable to go at that time because I was sick, but if they return and I am well enough, who knows. Anyway, I wish you much luck and happiness in your new life.
That is very nice. If I make it all the way and stay as a monk I would like to do some interfaith dialogue.


going home this Sunday for my first visit since coming to the monastery nearly two months ago. I found out from one of the young monks here that once I become a full Bhikkhu and i'm under dependance for the 5 years prescribed in the vinaya I won't be able to visit home for all of those five years, which is a little unexpected but doesn't change things on my end. It will be a tough blow to the family though.


Bhante G has given me a lot of responsibility as I appear to of proven myself as capable in these past two months. I "manage" the brand new dorm and the upkeep of all the Kutis and I co-organize the retreats with one of the young monks. We are in the middle of a metta retreat right now and I feel like a hotel manager lol, it's a lot of work but rewarding to help retreatants make the most of their stay here.

I am trying to balance taking care of all the business given to me with a meditation practice that has been struggling since arrival. The upkeep and maintenance of a forest monastery is never ending, and every day impermanence decides to give us another issue( a leak there, electricity problems here, etc) to learn from.
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Bhikkhu Jayasāra -http://www.youtube.com/studentofthepath and https://maggasekha.org/
SarathW
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Re: Student Of The Path

Post by SarathW »

Do you have time for meditation and learning Tripitaka?
How do you practice so far?

:thinking: :thinking:
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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