The Rime Buddhist Center is more than just a place for people to gather to meditate or to attend classes. It is also more than just a group of like-minded individuals. The Rime Center is a spiritual community.
As many of you know the Buddha placed a great emphasis upon sangha. Originally sangha referred only to monastics, but today it has taken on a larger meaning and refers to lay practitioners as well.
Sangha is one of the three jewels. The Buddha felt that support of a sangha is essential to progress along the spiritual path. The Buddha also warned against disharmony in the sangha. Unfortunately there are always some problems in any spiritual community, but the Buddha felt that sangha was so important that he made causing disharmony in the sangha one of the five poisons. The Buddha compared causing disharmony in the sangha to be as bad as killing one's mother or father - so you know it must have been very important in the Buddha's mind.
What do we mean by community? The usual meaning of the word is a group of people united in a relationship and having some interest, activity, or purpose in common. But I think a true community is that and more.
A community is greater than the sum of its individual parts. As a community we are creating something bigger than any one of us individually. We are creating something that takes us from personal growth to community growth. Scott Peck, author of the well-known book “Road Less Traveled,” wrote another book about community entitled “Different Drum.” In this book he talks about one of the characteristics of a community is that it is leaderless. That never made sense to me. I used to think, “How can a community be leaderless? Of course a community requires a leader.” But after careful reflection I think I have come to understand what he means. I believe he means that the community must not exist only to serve the leader – if so it won’t last because it is centered around just one person. If, however, the service itself is a product of the community, it can then continue operating even when the creator leaves the community. I think this is very important. Mary and I want to make sure that the Rime Center continues – even after we have left. I want to reassure you we have no intention of leaving, but obviously one day we may decide to retire or move to a different part of the country. For a community to have long term sustainability and to be viable it is one that is leaderless because it is a group of all leaders. A community is place where everyone takes personal responsibility for leading the community.
Another very important aspect of community is that it must be inclusive and not exclusive. All of the members of the community must feel a part of the whole and not feel excluded in any way. A community only exists because of the sum of it's parts. Every one of us are the parts that make up the community. And the community can not survive without involvement by its members. That brings us to commitment. Everyone of us must also be committed to the growth and common good of the community. I would like to share with you a story called the "The Gift of the Rabbi"
There once was a monastery that had fallen on hard times. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there was an anti-monastic attitude. Then a rise of secularism during the nineteenth century caused a further decline until all of the sister monasteries had closed and there was only one monastery left of this particular Buddhist sect. Within this last monastery there were just four monks and the abbot who remained. All were over the age of 70 and no new monks were joining the order. So it looked as if it were only a matter of time before the order died off completely. Nearby the monastery, in the woods was a small hermitage were a local Rabbi would often come on retreat. The monks had attained such a level of spiritual development that all of them knew telepathically when the Rabbi was at the hermitage. They would whisper to one another, "The Rabbi is here, the Rabbi is here".
In all the years at the monastery the Abbot had never met the Rabbi. The Abbot thought perhaps the Rabbi might have some advice on how he could revitalize the monastery. So on this particular occasion he decided he would pay the Rabbi a visit. The Abbot walked through the woods to the hermitage and knocked on the Rabbi's door. The Rabbi greeted the Abbot warmly and invited him in for tea. After tea they shared scriptures from each other's spiritual tradition. When they were finished the Abbot explained to the Rabbi about the decline of the monastery and asked if he might have any advice.
The Rabbi explained that he had a similar problem, in that people were no longer coming to his temple. He told the Abbot that it was very sad, but that he had no advice. The Abbot thanked him and they both hugged one another with tears in their eyes. Just before he left the Abbot asked again if the Rabbi might not have some advice -- any advice on what to do with his monastery. Again the Rabbi said "No I am sorry I have no advice" but then added "But I do know that one of you at the monastery is an enlightened being - in fact one of you is a Buddha." While hoping for some advice, the Abbot was of course surprised by this bit of information.
When the Abbot returned to the monastery all of the monks gathered around and asked what advice the Rabbi had to offer. The Abbot explained that the Rabbi had no advice but did say that one of us is an enlightened being -- that in fact one of us is a Buddha!
As the weeks passed the monks began to wonder who among them was a Buddha. They first thought that it must be the Abbot because he was the oldest and wisest. But as time went on they began to think it might be someone else. They thought that it might be Tsultrim, because he was very studious and had memorized many teachings. But then they realized he also had a bit of a temper. Then they thought it might be Genden because he was always very kind and compassionate to others. They also wondered if it could be Tenzin. So, one by one they wondered if was each of them. They of course also wondered if it might even be themself. As time went on they began treating one another with greater respect and dignity not knowing who among them might be the Buddha. After a few months there seemed to be a renewed energy and enthusiasm that developed at the monastery.
Surrounding the monastery were beautiful grounds that the town people would sometime visit to have a picnic. As time passed, the visitors also noticed a renewed sense of respect and enthusiasm at the monastery and people starting coming to visit more often. After a period of time some young men began to inquire about joining the order and before long there were new novice monks joining the order. In a few years the monastery had become revitalized and was once again a thriving and growing community. This was the gift of the Rabbi.
We are lucky because I believe we here, at the Rime Center already have the gift of the Rabbi. Remember, a community is greater than the sum of it's individual parts. We each desire personal growth - but we will only find that through community growth. We will grow stronger together as a community of one. There can be no vulnerability without risk and there can be no community without vulnerability. In his book “Different Drum”, Scott Peck lists the qualities of community. They are:
QUALITIES OF COMMUNITY
1. Uniting for common goal or purpose
2. Caring for one another - support (safe place)
3. Communication (communicate their deepest feelings and fears)
4. Group of all leaders
5. Commitment
6. Personal Growth through community growth
7. Inclusive -- not exclusive
8. Spirit (take pleasure - even delight in themselves as a collective)
Speaking to his fellow colonists shortly before they set foot on land, John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1630 urged:
"We must delight in each other, make other's conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our community as member of the same body."
We need to look after each other as spiritual brothers and sisters in the Dharma. We all want to change society for the better, but how can we? First, we must change ourselves. To do that, we need the support of a Sangha. We need to have a strong Sangha not only for ourselves, but for society as a whole. The Rime Center not only benefits all of Kansas City, but indirectly it benefits the entire world. The Rime Center’s motto is “achieving peace through compassion.”
Our sangha by supporting one another in our practice, each of us can be an example to the world of compassion and wisdom. It is like throwing a pebble into a lake. The ripples begin to spread and eventually touch even the most distance shore.
So, I want to issue each of you a challenge...... to join with me in creating a truly enlightened community here at the Rime Center.