Cittaviveka is a place for Sangha, for attending to the company of others in ways that are skilful.  Most of the time it’s the everyday comings and goings, harmony and disagreements, shared joys and difficulties that stimulate the growth of dispassion, commitment and trust.  And then there are special occasions…

We hosted a couple of group gatherings early in the summer. Firstly there was the ‘Sangha Forum’ which brought samanas from other monasteries here for a couple of days in a series of dialogues.  It sounds serious, but there was actually a lot of fun in looking into (for example) how meeting and being together does and doesn’t work.  It’s a sign of maturity when people can present how they perceive each other, and how we experience both irritation and appreciation dependent on the same behaviour…! Then the day before this year’s Asalha Puja, we hosted a gathering of Christian monks and nuns and friars who participate in network of dialogue. For some of us it hearkened back to the Christian-Buddhist get-together ‘Faith in Awakening’ that was held at Amaravati in 1993 and was spread over three days. By comparison, this year’s session felt tantalisingly brief, because there is such value in meeting with people who embody sincerity, clarity, and goodness. When other people are speaking and living in accordance with their truth and commitment, it draws us towards the equivalent place in ourselves. The marvel of spiritual dialogue is that it allows us to differ in terms of concepts and approaches, and at the same time encourage each other in our practice. 

In a world which seems much of the time to be in upheaval and crisis, there’s a powerful need to find a place of truth and peace in ourselves. For us at Cittaviveka, this means taking Refuge in the Buddha’s teachings.  However rather than defining Buddhism as a religion or a philosophy, I feel most comfortable in saying that what the Buddha advocated was a way of life. The word ‘Buddhism’ itself was created by Westerners in order to classify what in Asia is called ‘Dhamma’, a word carrying meanings such as ‘Way’ or ‘Truth.’ More fully it’s known as ‘Dhamma-Vinaya’ ( meaning roughly ‘The Way and the Training’) In the West however we tend to think in either theistic or secular terms, and so Dhamma gets called ‘a religion’ or ‘a philosophy’ – and then compared with other belief-systems. These attempts always fail: a religion without a deity or a belief a central Church or a global mission is a bit strange; but a philosophy that doesn’t aim at defining ultimate Truth or reality and which points to the limitations and delusions of the thinking process, is equally odd.  When questioned as to the origins of the Cosmos, or why there is delusion, or about the nature of an Enlightened being, the Buddha consistently refused to give an answer.  Instead he pointed to using relative truths to clear the mind of its delusions, suffering and stress.  Thus there is a way out of suffering, a way that is held within the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the encouragement to live a pure life. When we realise and come to know for ourselves that ‘the mind’ extends beyond the realms of thought, emotion, reflex and even the sense of being something, clearing the mind is more than a matter of belief or knowledge. It’s a re-wiring of instinct and attitude, a way that turns one’s life around. And for this way, most of us greatly benefit from having companions: hence the Sangha of disciples.

For the monks and nuns, after three months of a lot of travelling this season is the ‘Rains,’ a time that is dedicated to studying the Vinaya guidelines that the Buddha set up. Also all of us will have more time to deepen our meditation practice. This is especially needed as we’ve been pretty busy. Apart from teaching in the monastery and locally, the teachers here have been in America, Spain, Russia, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary, reaching out to people who can’t get here, or in many cases are far from any Sangha presence. Meeting such widespread interest and need, does make one realise not only how valuable the Dhamma is, but how precious it is to have the requisites, the situation, the lifestyle and the companionship that can support Dhamma-practice. Because, even participating in a retreat format does makes it seem that ‘Buddhism’ means ‘meditation’ – which always fails to cover the full scope of training the mind.  We can get confused around meditation and daily life, or meditation and relationships, or meditation and livelihood – but in the Buddha’s presentation, there aren’t the divisions into these limited categories in the first place.  The encouragement is to develop clarity, empathy and attention all the time. To learn to listen empathically to oneself and others; to consider the welfare of oneself and others; to practise modesty of needs from oneself and others: this is the training, this is a way of living that it always relevant.  Here residents and guests have the support to train in this way all the time.

This co-operative training in the Eightfold Path forms and informs the management here. For a start, there are the interlocking principles of renunciation – keeping things simple and lowering both demands and costs – and generosity. Everything at Cittaviveka is financed by ongoing donations from many ordinary people – we have no wealthy patrons or investment funds, yet accommodation, food, and literature are all offered free of charge because of these principles. This is the first daily miracle, a miracle that has to keep occurring every day.  Furthermore, the English Sangha Trust takes on the legal responsibility of stewarding funds, of health and safety and of building regulations through directors who offer their services free of charge. We have two normal funds, one for Works and Maintenance and one for Sangha welfare, and another fund to pay off the debt for the Rocana Vihara.  So everything is shared. This also takes mindfulness and full awareness of needs and resources. Accordingly, we have developed a series of committees to manage the monastery’s material resources: a Finance Committee, a Forest Committee and a Maintenance Committee. All of these are made up of lay volunteers, with one or two samanas attending the meetings to form a link with the resident community. All these committees are overseen by the Cittaviveka Advisory Group, which appoints the other committees and supervises them.  (So if you have skills you wish to offer, please contact the CAG secretary, Caroline, on 01903 871469). One of my frequent recollections of gratitude is around how all these lay volunteers manifest Dhamma by blending the Western understanding of management with the spirit of co-operation and personal modesty. Although I have always felt that ‘abbot’ (another Western concept) doesn’t really fit my inclinations, the efforts of these people make it possible to accept that title without feeling overwhelmed by it.  (The other main support being that of my fellow monks and nuns).

After the Rains there is the Kathina here on October 19th.  This Alms-Giving Ceremony is a commemoration of two main things: the harmonious living together of the Sangha, the co-operation and generosity of the lay community in providing the material support for the Way. This year’s Kathina is being organised by Khun Mudita to commemorate her 72^nd year, so that adds another degree of celebration.  Although she was born in Thailand, Mudita was first inspired by Ven. Ajahn Chah when he came to Britain, and she has been a loyal supporter of Cittaviveka since its foundation. So if you’d like to participate in this, bring some offerings, or just come for the day.

There’s also an opportunity for three or four laymen who’d like to take part in the ongoing project to manage Hammer Wood, a precious area for local wildlife and meditation.  Most years we create a period of a few weeks in the Autumn to do clearance of paths, gathering firewood and planting new trees, and a small group of samanas and laymen spend their days and nights out in the woods working and meditating together.  The session this year is between November 9^th and 28^th, so if you’re interested, contact Paul Bruce via the monastery.

After the Rains we start moving again; visiting other monasteries for their Kathinas, teaching….In the New Year Ajahns Thanasanti, Anandabodhi, Metta and Santacitta will be spending three months in California as a precedent for the establishment of a monastery there. And so as in time, new forms emerge out of this and spread far and wide, the trend of renunciation and generosity keep us connected.  But as we were able to reflect on Asalha Puja itself, with the community completing its all-night vigil under the great yew tree in Hammer Wood, it all centres around finding a place to sit and engage with the urge for truth.

Ajahn Sucitto