Story by SHARIE CLAWSON
Even longtime Billings residents know little about Billings’ small Buddhist community. A sprawling, late Victorian home at Lewis Avenue and Third Street West, meeting place of the Billings Dharma Center, looks like very other house in the neighborhood.
Only the little colored flags over the front porch, representing the five elements of the world – blue for sky, white for cloud, red for thunder, green for the environment, and yellow for earth – stand out.
But last week, the Buddhist community of 30 to 50 people had the honor of entertaining three Tibetan visitors. The monks are touring the United States and Canada to share their ancient civilization rooted in altruism, to let North Americans know about Tibet and the problems facing Tibetans today and to remind Americans of their struggle to preserve their religion, language and culture while in exile.
Geshe Ginoa Wangpo is a lama at Drepung Loseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southern India. The title Geshe is the Buddhist equivalent of a doctor of theology. Buddhists so honor learning that his fellow monks take care of the boring details of life so that he needs to do nothing but teach, study, meditate and pray.
Though many monks wear saffron robes, the Geshe wore burgundy. This, he explained, was due to the type of fabric available in Tibet. The lama’s warmth and openness belied the Western stereotype of the cold and inscrutable Asian mystic. His kind face and smiling eyes invited questions.
It was evident that he understood some English, but he spoke through Tsepak Rigsin, his interpreter, a Tibetan expatriate who spoke excellent English. The Geshe’s Tibetan was pleasant to listen to and punctuated with gestures.
“I left Tibet in 1959 when the Chinese invaded,” he said. “There were terrible atrocities, and the Chinese destroyed most of the monasteries. We struggle now to retain our culture and our religion.” Simple arithmetic showed that the monk was at least in his early 50s. He looked much younger.
Americans have embraced the Dalai Lama and Tibet as well. The Geshe had much to say about Tibetan Buddhism and what it can contribute to Americans.
“First, all Buddhist traditions are basically the same. They’re just different branches of the same tree, just set in different cultures. We strive for a simple life that makes you more contented. Our lifestyle – only the basics. We want to inwardly maintain a contented life.
“Spiritually, Buddhism offers not only various techniques of meditation to quiet the awareness of the mind, but also teaches how to strengthen loving-kindness, compassion, and altruism. This is the source of awareness of the value of peace and harmony: a simple life and concern for others’ suffering.”
The framework of Buddhism has many similarities to Catholicism. Buddhism has its own saints, retreats, monasteries and celibate priests and nuns. Buddhists practice deep meditation, and Catholics, through the tutoring of the Trappists, have Centering Prayer. Also, as in Catholicism, the number of young people willing to accept the rigors of the religious life is declining.
Alcohol and tobacco use is definitely prohibited for nuns and monks. “Even lay people should avoid it,” said the Geshe, “for these are the source of all social suffering.”
Most Americans have at least heard of Buddhist meditation, but Buddhists also have a rich prayer life. “Buddhist prayers are devotional songs,” he said. “There are some prayers that we personally sing with tunes. We also contemplate the words. Then we also have silent prayers. And we may think of the physical and mental qualities of Buddhas.” Tibetan prayer-hymns sound somewhat foreign to the Western ear, but are still tuneful and have rich overtones.
Buddhism involves a lifetime of spiritual growth, but monks and nuns receive training and knowledge not available to the laity. Each phase of training takes months and years. “We study the various manifestations of Buddha, then reach out to other people … to be in the service of others. Also there are a lot of healing techniques for serious illness. We also help people face the transition of death,” the Geshe said.
Coming from Calgary to Billings, he and his fellow travelers went through Glacier Park. He enjoys Montana’s mountains, purity and freedom. But it’s not the Himalayas. Even after 45 years in exile, he longs to return to Tibet and fears that Tibetan culture may be lost.
The paramount question from the Tibetan holy man: “When will Tibet be free?”
“Our hope is still very strong, for the human spirit cannot be controlled. The Chinese have carried out tremendous destruction of monasteries, terrible atrocities. However, we believe that there is going to be a change in China itself. It may turn over for a better and brighter future for Tibet as well. The spirit of the Tibet people remains strong.”
