(Amitabha Society of Philadelphia)
Background on Mituo Village
The Amitabha Buddhist Society of Philadelphia, or the Mituo Village, is located in Alburtis, Pennsylvania which is within Berks County. In 2014, they purchased the property from the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference (PSEC) of the United Church of Christ, as they wanted to expand from their previously small space in Philadelphia (Schlegel, 2023). The property was first built in 1822 as a mill by Adam and Catherine Mensch. The church had owned the property since 1928 and the property was known as Camp Mensch Mill; after issues with maintaining their budget, PSEC decided to sell (Sullivan, 2014). The entire property is 140-acres which was previously used for summer camps, worship services and leadership retreats. Now the property that Mituo Village is on has many of the same uses as it did almost one hundred years ago. Many of the congregation members felt a great sense of relief once they learned that Mituo Village would maintain the same atmosphere and buildings from when they attended summer camp as a child or attended weekly services.
( https://sites.google.com/view/mvmedia/home )
On a biweekly basis there are services on Saturday and Sunday from five to seven in the morning. The following is an example schedule from Mituo Village’s website (Amitabha, 2023):
週六 (Saturday)
4:30 AM 打板起床 (wake-up)
5:00-6:30 AM 第一支香 （1st period)
6:30 AM 早齋 (breakfast)
8:00-9:30 AM 第二支香 (2nd period)
9:30-11:00 AM 第三支香 (3rd period)
11:00 AM 午齋 (lunch)
2:00-3:30 PM 第四支香 (4th period）
3:30-5:00 PM 第五支香 （5th period)
6:00-7:30 PM 第六支香 (6th period)
9:00 PM 養息 (lights out)
週日 (Sunday)
4:30 AM 打板起床 (wake-up)
5:00-6:30 AM 第一支香 (1st period)
6:30 AM 早齋 (breakfast)
8:00-9:30 AM 第二支香 (2nd period)
10:00-10:50 AM 午供 (noon offering)
11:00 AM 午齋 (lunch)
2:00-3:30 PM 第三支香 (3rd period)
3:30-3:50 PM 迴向*（結束共修）(dedication/end of group practice)
There are anywhere between twenty and forty people that travel from around the East Coast for these services. Most of the members are middle-aged Chinese or Vietnamese immigrants with a few American practitioners and youth as well. Practitioners are led by three Buddhist Venerables in Pure Land Buddhism – a form of Mahayana Buddhism. These Venerables follow the teachings of the Dharma Master Chin Kung, who passed away in 2022 (Master Chin Kung). Master Chin Kung founded the Amitabha Buddhist Society of USA in 1989. Born in 1927 in Anhui Province, China, Master Chin Kung was ordained at Lintzi Temple in Taipei, Taiwan and has since lectured extensively as well as founded the Hwa Dzan Monastery, the Hwa Dzan Buddhist Library, the Hwa Dzan Lecture Hall and the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation (Master Chin Kung). He emphasized interfaith cooperation and understanding which is further demonstrated in the relationship between the Buddhist community at Mituo Village and the Christian previous property owners. In 2014 during the sale of the property, then PSEC conference minister, Rev. Bill Worley said that UCC has “an exciting and extraordinary opportunity to continue our connection with what is for many in the PSEC, sacred ground, and to do so in partnership with new friends whose stewardship of the earth, quest for spiritual wellness, and respect for tradition, mirrors our own (Sullivan, 2023).”
The nuns live in the dormitories year-round and are supported entirely by donations. None of the retreats that run four times a year are charged for. I spoke to a layperson, Jeannie, who told me that the retreats typically run for about five days to a week and that practitioners are incredibly grateful and generous financially. But she emphasized that Mituo Village never asks people to pay as they understand that everyone’s financial situation is different (Jeannie, 2023). In addition to biweekly meetings and quarterly retreats Mituo Village holds cultural events such as the Lunar New Year celebration they held in January of 2023. The events spanned January 21 and 22 and included activities for kids, tours of the village and options to participate in religious activities. This was a great opportunity for neighbors to interact with the community at Mituo Village and many enjoyed the traditional dumpling and hot pot meals (Sullivan, 2023). Neighbors described in a local newspaper the mutual respect between the neighbors and Mituo Village. One neighbor that visited during the Lunar New Year celebrations said: “The warm welcome my family received from the Mituo community was incredible…I especially enjoyed sharing in the spiritual traditions … It’s been an enriching cultural experience for both me and my son (Sullivan, 2023).”
An Introduction to Pure Land Buddhism
Mituo Village primarily stays in contact with other Pure Land Buddhist temples over email, and social media but with no official connections. Pure Land Buddhism is most practiced in Eastern Asia and emphasizes that enlightenment can come more quickly when practitioners are reborn in the Pure Land, a spiritual dimension that is the best place to be reborn. By putting their faith in Amida Buddha to guide them into an awakened state, they are able to reach the Pure Land. Pure Land Buddhism is a part of the Mahayana tradition and is based primarily on three scriptures that describe a monk who made vows that were fulfilled when he became a Buddha – one of these promised rebirth in the Pure Land to everyone that called on his name (What Does, 2023).
The Amitabha Society of USA describes Pure Land Study on their website as “the fastest and easiest way for anyone who wishes to transform this life’s pain, suffering, misery and misfortune into a life of happiness, fulfillment and prosperity with direction and purpose… Of all methods of cultivation, Pure Land Study uses the smallest number of sutras and commentaries, and requires the least amount of time. Although it is the easiest cultivation method, it results in incredible achievements (Master Chin Kung).”
As demonstrated in the schedule above, the Amitabha Sutra, also known as the Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra, and the Infinite Life Sutra, also known as The Larger Amitabha Sutra or the Sukhavativyuha Sutra, are two of the primary focuses in Pure Land Buddhism as they are two of the three the core sutras. The other core sutra is the Contemplation Sutra, also known as the Amitayurdhyana Sutra (Britannica, 2021). These three sutras are the three teachings that help to ground the Dharma school of Pure Land Buddhism. The Infinite Life Sutra is what lays out Amitabha Buddha’s 48 vows and describes the way rebirth can be achieved by calling on his name (Pure Land Buddhism, 2022). The Contemplation Sutra further breaks down specific virtues, beneficial practices and the different levels of rebirth in the Pure Land. Finally the Amitabha Sutra discusses the recitation of Amitabha’s name (Pure Land Buddhism, 2022). After these sutras were delivered, the first person to teach Pure Land Buddhism was Nagarjuna, an Indian Bodhisattva that lived c. 150-250 CE. Another significant figure in Pure Land Buddhism is the Indian Bodhisattva, Vasubandhu, who lived c. 320-400 CE. He wrote the Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land which taught that rebirth in the Pure Land could be achieved through reciting Amitabha’s name only five times (Pure Land Buddhism, 2022). Throughout history more works were added to these three core sutras. During the Qing Dynasty, Wei Yuan added the Prayer of the Bodhisattva from the Huayan Sutra, also known as the Buddhavatamsaka Sutra, and then during the start of the twentieth century, Master Yinguang added the Great Trend to the Bodhisattva Reciting the Buddha of the Lengyan Sutra, also known as the Surangama Sutra.
Conclusion
I chose to research the Mituo Village for this project because it is located close to my childhood home in Pennsylvania. In Southeastern Pennsylvania there is a large Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant community, especially in Philadelphia, so I was interested to learn more about a heritage Buddhist community near me. As a Chinese double major, I thought this would also provide a good opportunity for me to learn more about a Chinese diaspora community as well as potentially practice my Mandarin skills. I decided on Mituo Village because I was also interested to learn more about a community that has nuns that live there full-time. While the Mituo Village website gives a good introduction to the community, I wanted to learn more so I emailed the general ‘contact us’ email and heard back quickly from a layperson – Jeannie. I also relied heavily on local papers that covered the sale of the property in 2014. Jeannie was my primary source and was more than happy to answer all of my questions as we spoke over the phone. As a fire destroyed many of the records, there is little knowledge of the origins of the Amitabha Buddhist Society of Philadelphia. What Jeannie told me was that a group of dedicated Buddhists in the 1980s founded the Society in order to increase access to Master Chin Kung’s teachings. I really enjoyed this project as I used to be a member of an interfaith group for highschoolers. This reminded me a lot of that experience and the generosity I experienced from Jeannie was particularly lovely.
Sources
Amitabha Buddhist Society of Philadelphia, 2023, www.mituovillage.com/.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Pure Land Buddhism”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pure-Land-Buddhism. Accessed 27 November 2023.
Jeannie F., and Madelyn Bergin. 22 Nov. 2023.
“Master Chin Kung.” Amitabha Buddhist Society of U.S.A., www.amtb-usa.org/english_inception.html. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
Pure Land Buddhism, 2022, www.purelandbuddhism.org/plb/18/14.
Schlegel, Bradley. “Buddhist Society Purchases Camp Mensch Mill Retreat and Conference Center.” Town and Country Newspaper – Article, 24 Aug. 2014, www.upvnews.com/news/article.ashx?article=12559.
Sullivan, Dan. “Berks County Buddhist Center Mituo Village Welcomes Neighbors.” Lancaster Farming, 24 Jan. 2023, www.lancasterfarming.com/country-life/family/berks-county-buddhist-center-mituo-village-welcomes-neighbors/article_6f405fe6-9b7a-11ed-97ce-1f34822fe7e6.html.
“What Does It Mean to Be a Pure Land Buddhist? .” Buddhism for Beginners, tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-pure-land-buddhist/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.