Frequently Asked Questions:
If you have a question about the Dhamma or about the Vihara
that you do not see answered here, please email us with your question.
- What is Theravada Buddhism?
- What it is the definition of Sitagu Vihara?
- What is the mission of Sitagu Vihara?
- What is the purpose of the monks?
- Are Theravadan monks vegetarians?
- What religous rites can a monk perform, e.g., weddings, funerals, etc?
- Do monks celebrate their birthday?
- What is the difference between vipassana and samatha?
- Is the shrine room open for meditation practice anytime?
- Why do we chant in Pali and not English?
- How should donations be made to Sitagu Vihara? What types are needed and accepted?
- Is a membership required?
- How and when may I stay in one of the meditation huts?
- Susan Hart and Sitagu Sayadaw Q & A (pdf)
What is Theravada Buddhism?
In the world today there are two main schools of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana. In the ancient past there were many other schools in existence, but only these two main schools have survived into modern times via transmissions of their lineages outside of India. Mahayana survived principally through transmissions in countries north of India: China, Tibet, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam. Theravada survived chiefly in countries south and east of India: Sri Lanka, Burma. Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. For this reason Mahayana is often referred to as the Northern School and Theravada as the Southern School.
While there are significant differences between the two schools, it is important to keep in mind that the basic, foundational tenets of the two schools are identical: The Four Noble Truths, The Eight-fold Noble Path, Karma Theory, Paticcasamuppada, etc. It is primarily in their differing emphases and historical develpments that the two schools differ. Their ultimate goal is the same - the attainment of Nibbana by following the teaching of the Buddha.
The term Theravada literally means the Way of the Elders (theras). The Theravada school maintains the original form of the Buddha's teachings as preserved in the Pali Tipitaka. It's emphasis is on maintaining the original teaching and passing that teaching onward to future generations in a pristine state. The teaching of the Buddha is considered to be a liberating teaching, i.e., that it has the capability of instructing persons on how to find the path to liberation. For this reason, the original form of the teachings are maintained diligently so as to maximize the effectiveness of the teaching through time. If the teachings were to be altered or changed in anyway from their original form, that effectiveness through time might be lessened. The Theravada tradition also rejects the idea that there were teachings of the Buddha preserved or transmitted outside of the Pali Tipitaka, i.e., that there were esoteric teachings delivered to certain individuals which were never recorded in the Tipitaka. Thus they do not accept as authentic the Mahayana sutras which first appeared some 500 years after the Buddha's parinibbana.
The primary maintainers of the teaching is the monastic order itself, the Sangha. The Theravada Sangha maintains the original monastic discipline defined by the Buddha and preserved in the Vinayapitaka. They consider this monastic discipline vital to the proper preservation of the teachings.
For more in depth information on this topic please see the following two very thorough articles:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bullitt/theravada.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada
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What it is the definition of Sitagu Vihara?
Vihara is a Pali word meaning dwelling place. Here it refers to a monastery, a place where monks dwell. Sitagu is the name of the home monastery in Burma of our founder, Sayadaw Nyanissara.
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What is the mission of Sitagu Vihara?
Please see the About the Vihara page .
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What is the purpose of the monks?
The monks at Sitagu Vihara serve primarily as teachers of the Dhamma both to the Burmese community in Texas, as well as to all others who are interested in learning about the Dhamma and meditation.
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Are Theravadan monks vegetarians?
This is an interesting and complex question. I will give two answers to the question, one very simple, and the other more lengthy.
The simple answer to this question is - no, the monks at Sitagu Vihara are not vegetarian.
The more complex answer involves the history of this question through Buddhist history. Many people in this country believe that all Buddhist monks are vegetarian. This belief stems from exposure to Mahayanist, and particularly Chinese and Japanese, practices. While it is true that Mahayanist monks from China and Japan tend to be vegetarian, there is an historical explanation as to why that is true.
The Buddha required the monks in the Sangha to exist by receiving almsfood only, meaning that each day they would go on almsround collecting whatever food was offered to them by the local lay people. He did not allow them to store food overnight for the next day, nor did he allow them to practice agriculture to raise their own food. Also, the Buddha established the precept for monks and lay people alike against killing or harming living beings. This is the first precept and clearly a very important one. The Buddha allowed monks to receive whatever food was offered to them by the lay people, even if it was meat, because the monks depend on the open-handed generosity of lay supporters (who may or may not themselves be vegetarian). It is considered unseemly for them to make special food requests of the lay people. In those parts of the world (including wide areas of south Asia ) where vegetarianism is uncommon and many dishes are prepared in a meat or fish broth, vegetarian monks would soon face a simple choice: eat meat or starve. Requiring lay people to offer only vegetable food could also pose undue hardships on them at certain times of the year or in certain places where vegetable food was rare.
However, he did make three stipulations about receiving meat as almsfood. First, monks are forbidden to eat uncooked meat or fish. Second, they are forbidden to eat the flesh of humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, hyenas, and panthers. Third, they are not allowed to accept meat when they know, or even suspect, that the animal being offered was killed specifically to feed them personally, and not simply killed in order to provide food for whomever might need it. In these three situations a monk may not accept meat that is offered to them as food.
For Theravadan monks, the issue of vegetarianism is particularly sensitive because it was precisely this issue that the Buddha's cousin and nemesis, Devadatta, used in his attempt to create a schism in the Sangha. Devadatta made a request of the Buddha that he make it a fixed rule that his monks should not eat fish or meat of any kind. The Buddha refused to require his monks to abstain from eating flesh and left it as a personal option for those who wished to do so.
In India during the Buddha's time there was a long-established practice of offering food to renunciants and holy men. Thus begging was not considered to be a disgraceful act, but a holy one, and people willingly supported the renunciants in their efforts to gain liberation. As Buddhism spread to other parts of Asia, it encountered cultures where this practice was not found. In China for example, begging for food was seen as something disgraceful, and was not held to be something worthy of a holy person. Therefore, Buddhist monks had to begin providing themselves with their own food. Now since they were not able to change the social attitudes about begging for food, and given that the Buddha forbade killing of any living being, and also forbade monks to practice agriculture, they were faced with a tough decision in order to survive in the new culture and continue their work of transmitting the Dhamma. Of the two requirements (not killing, and not practicing agriculture) which one could be considered of lesser importance and relaxed to allow them to survive? Clearly, the latter one about practicing agriculture, and not the former about killing living beings. Thus, the Mahayanist monks in China began to grow their own food in order to survive. Since killing animals was not an option for them, they survived on vegetarian food only, and so a tradition grew up in the Chinese Sangha of being vegetarian.
The Theravadan sangha maintains the original practice that was defined by the Buddha and allows the consumption of meat when it is properly offered.
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What religous rites can a monk perform, e.g., weddings, funerals, etc?
Answer coming soon.
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Do monks celebrate their birthday?
Yes. In fact, one of our annual celebrations at Sitagu Vihara is a festival to commemorate the birthday of Sayadaw Nyanissara, the monastery's founder. This takes place in February every year.
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What is the difference between vipassana and samatha?
This question is answered on our Meditation page, in the third and fourth paragraphs.
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Is the shrine room open for meditation practice anytime?
The shrine room is open on Thursdays and Sundays from 7:00 to 9:00 for formal group meditation. At other times the shrine room may be in use for other purposes. If you would like to come out to the monastery for meditation in the shrine room it is best to call ahead to see if it is available.
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Why do we chant in Pali and not English?
According to Theravadan tradition, the Pali language was used by the Buddha to teach the Dhamma during his forty-five year teaching career. After the Buddha's parinibbana, the Tipitaka, or collection of all the Buddha's teaching, was set and codified by the 500 arhants who participated in the First Council. Since that time the teachings have been passed down through the generations in the original Pali language version. The Pali language has thus served to maintain the purity of the teachings by minimizing the amount of interpretation inherent in any translation effort.
In the Theravadan school, the Pali language is also used as a ritual language, since it is in that language that the suttas themselves are written. The use of the Pali language maintains a direct connection to the Buddha and his original disciples transcending the passage of time and the various cultures through which the Dhamma has passed in order to arrive to our time and place today. Were it not for this method of preservation, the Dhamma may very well have been compromised in its purity, and diluted from its original strength.
As a Theravadan monastery, Sitagu Vihara maintains the tradition of using the Pali language. There are Pali Chant Books available in the Shrine room which provide facing-page Pali-English for most of the ritual chants that are used at Sitagu Vihara. These chant books were prepared to assist anyone who needs assitance with the meaning of the Pali. Also, if you are interested in learning more about Pali, there are some materials available for download here, that can get you started.
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How should donations be made to Sitagu Vihara? What types are needed and accepted?
Please see our Donations page for the answer to this question.
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Is a membership required?
No. Membership in TDSA (Theravada Dhamma Society) is optional. See our Donations page, item number 1 for details.
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How and when may I stay in one of the meditation huts?
Please contact the Vihara to inquire about availability.
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