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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 43

To read the Suttas. That’s the closest we have to the Dhamma, then one might throw away genuine Dhamma
original teachings of the Buddha and they are packed practices and end up with a lot of wrong view.
with so much wisdom and practical advice. If someone Ultimately there is no Western Buddhism without Asian
is born Buddhist, usually we also encourage them to Buddhism, so one needs to be very careful with how
practice more meditation, whereas for people who are one navigates this: it is important to respect and be
new to Buddhism, we encourage them to give more grateful to our Buddhist ancestors, while also
attention to the practice of Dāna (generosity) and understanding that possibly not everything is 100%
Sīla (morality). correctly transmitted or relevant in a foreign context.
At Empty Cloud we are lucky to have an international
As Empty Cloud Monastery operates purely on community, that comprises both monastics and
donation, how were you able to sustain it when you laypeople from different countries, both born Buddhist
don’t have a large lay support in the US? and not. At our first Kathina there were laypeople from
every single Buddhist country in Asia (even Siberia!).
One of the best things about practicing in the West is Folks get to learn from their diversity, and rejoice in
precisely the lack of large lay support. This gives us the their commonality, and so do we monastics. There is
opportunity to live more simply, and therefore to live much to be learned in seeing what traditions are similar
close to the renunciation taught by the Buddha. In the across all Buddhist countries, and also what traditions
Suttas we find many times the mention of how praise, are different.
honor, and gain are bitter, vile, and obstructive to the
attainment of awakening. Therefore, at Empty Cloud When a particular practice is present in virtually
Monastery, we have very few obstructions. Since the every Buddhist culture, we try to proceed as carefully
beginning, all we have ever focused on was practicing and respectfully as possible. Before we ‘remove’
the Dhamma and sharing the Dhamma with those who something like this, we first take a long period of
are interested. As long as there is support, we will consideration, evaluation, and study to see if it is in
continue to practice in this way. However, one needs to accordance with the Suttas; and if it is not, we try
be ready to let everything go at any moment: if support to understand how it came into being in that particular
ceases, then the monastery will close, and that is okay. historical moment in Asia. Many traditional practices
People need to want for something to exist, and delight that initially appear to be only cultural customs turn out
in the bliss of generosity; Dhamma practice is not just on closer examination to actually be genuine forms of
another consumer commodity to buy, but rather a Dhamma practice.
precious gift that we can share with each other. And
there are enough people in the West who understand How can the lay community continue to support
this that monasteries like ours have been able to exist. your good work through Empty Cloud Monastery?

Asian Buddhism has within it many local cultural Sādhu Anumodana! Folks are welcome to come and
beliefs and values developed over centuries but visit us at the monastery and practice together with
Westerners may not find them meaningful. Do you the Sangha. One can check out the website www.
sieve out these elements when you teach Buddhism emptycloud.org as well as tune in to our weekly
to Westerners? livestreams: www.youtube.com/buddhistinsights EH

Often folks are too quick to discard the so called
“cultural elements” of Buddhism. This risks turning into
what we call in English “throwing out the baby with
the bathwater,”. If one is motivated by one’s own likes
and dislikes instead of a deep understanding of the