Questions and answers with Bhante Urgyen Sangharakshita,
at the « Centre Bouddhiste de l’Ile de France Â»,
Paris, on Saturday 23rd June 2007.

During the month of June 2007, Bhante Urgyen Sangharakshita came to Paris to visit the sangha of le Centre Bouddhiste de l’Ile de France.  As well as his meetings individually and in small groups, he participated in a question and answer session. The questions were prepared in advance by members of the sangha and read by Vassika. Bhante’s replies were translated from English into French by Barbara and Christian, both mitras who have asked for ordination.

Introduction.

Question 1 :  On your return to the UK after 20 years spent as a monk in the East, how did you experience your return to the West?

Question 2 : Why is it that among all the people that suffer only a few succeed in seeing those bonds and the patterns they follow in automatic mode?

Question 3 : Does a musical note exist? But maybe it doesn’t but the sound penetrates me. And do I exist? Maybe not but the love that fills me exists.

Question 4 : Could you give an example of pratitya-samutpada (conditioned co-production) that is not applied to rebirth?

Question 5 : Could you explain why consciousness appears first, and even separately, from the other 4 skandhas in the Wheel of Life?

Question 6 : On hindsight, would you say today that the practice of Buddhism in the West is a better, more effective way to happiness and peace of mind, than say, living a simple lay life or living as a Christian, etc?

Question 7: When you decided to create an Order that would be neither a lay nor a monastic Order, was it only a creative answer to the specific conditions you were meeting in the West at the time, or would you rather say that it generally corresponds to a natural evolution of the practice of Buddhism?

Question 8 : One of the specific aspects of the WBO, the Western Buddhist Order, is that is neither a lay nor a monastic order. It makes this tension between mundane life and spiritual life. Would you have any specific advice for the French Sangha on how to work creatively with this tension.

Question 9 : We here in Paris have focused more on teaching Buddhism as a personal practice rather than as building a New Society. Do you think it’s important for us to redress this imbalance?

Question 10 : Are there any places in the world you would particularly like to us to start FWBO Centres, and if so why? Do you see any places in the world that are particularly ripe for the Dharma? Â»

Question 11 : Turning to your own practice, I just wanted you to say a little about your current relationship to the Buddha, to the Sangha, to the Transcendental Â».

Question 12 : The Buddha wandered widely in Northern India while he was teaching. At the end of his life, how many languages do you think he knew? Â»

Question 13 : Having met members of our Sangha, and having heard a bit about our situation, do you have any particular advice for us, as practitioners of the Dharma here in Paris?

Conclusion.

You can also read the transcript of these questions and answers.

© Centre Bouddhiste de l’Ile de France 2008.

[in French] [Introduction] [Buddha] [Buddhism] [Meditation] [Sangharakshita] [FWBO] [the Centre]

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Dernière mise à jour:
20 avril, 2008.