Becca Gaylin
Overview
The Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center is located in suburban Silver Spring, Maryland and has served the greater Washington area since it was established over 30 years ago. The Sakya Center is a branch of the main Sakya temple, Tsechen Kunchab Ling, which is located in Walden, New York. The Sakya Center’s mission is to help those who are interested in Buddhism come into contact with spiritual masters, training those interested in personal study and contemplation, and encouraging those people to practice Buddhism and meditation. The Sakya Center also has a program called Dharma Sprouts, which works to connect Buddhist children to the Dharma in age-appropriate manners, both in English and Chinese.
History and Traditions
The Sakya Center recommends an even balance of philosophical and meditative practices for all its practitioners, which adheres to the teachings of the Sakya Order, one of the four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The Sakya Order was established over 800 years ago and the Sakya doctrine includes the full range of the Buddha’s teachings, with emphasis on close adherence to the authentic sources of said teachings. The Sakya Order was founded in 1073 by Khon Konchok Gyalpo, who established the first monastery at Sakya in the Ponpo Ri mountain range. The Order has since produced a long line of great scholars and spiritual masters, including the five Founding Masters, Kunga Nyingpo, Loppon Sonam Tsemo, Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen, Sakya Pandita, and Drogon Chogyal Phagpa, who initiated the common and uncommon teachings and caused the teachings of Sakya science to flourish.
After the Five Patriarchs, leadership continued through the Six Ornaments of Tibet, Yakton Sengey Phel, Rongton Sheja Kunrig, Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, Zongpa Kunga Namgyal, Gorampa Sonam Sengey, and Shakya Chogden. The Sakya Order prides itself on its unbroken succession of lineage, starting with Khon Gyalpo and continuing through the present. The lineage holders bear the three supreme names of ‘mtshan mchhog gsum ldan’ known as the Celestial Race, the Khön Clan and Sakya-pa. The current throne leader of the Sakya Order is His Holiness, the 41st Sakya Trizin, Ngawang Kunga Thegchen Palbar Trinley Samphel Wangi Gyalpo. His Holiness changed the throne holder succession system, which ushered in a new era for the Sakya Order.
Traditions Continued
The school of Sakya falls under the larger branch of Mahayana Buddhism, which is often referred to as Northern Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes altruistic practices through the practice of being a bodhisattva, which everyone is encouraged to become. A bodhisattva remains on Earth in order to instruct others on how to become a bodhisattva and help all beings achieve enlightenment. At the Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center, the central teaching is the essence of the entire Sakya tradition, called Lamdre or The Path and its Fruit. The main philosophical viewpoint of this teaching is the non differentiation between Samsara and Nirvana. According to this view, an individual cannot attain either Nirvana or Samsara (cyclic existence), as the mind is the root of both. When the mind is obscured, it takes the form of Samsara and when the mind is freed of these obstructions, it takes the form of Nirvana. Ultimately, a person should strive to realize the fundamental inseparability between these two states through meditation, which will lead a practitioner to the state of the Hevajra deity, one of the principle Sakya deities. I spoke to Jamyang Losel, a monastic at the Sakya Center, and he explained to me that “these deities are buddhas and embody the enlightened qualities of loving kindness, compassion, wisdom, and power to overcome all negative afflictions. Though different deities may represent different qualities or assist practitioners through different methods or activities, they are all of one taste, the same nature – primordial wisdom.”
The Path and its Fruit also has two sub-disciplines, called The Explanation for Private Disciples (Tsogshe) and The Explanation of Assemblies (Lobshe). Jamyang Losel explained that Tsogshe is vernacularly referred to as the common teaching, and Lobshe is the uncommon teaching. The transmission of the teaching from a qualified lineage holder to a student usually takes about three months, and the Tsogshe lineage is given more frequently and to larger assemblies, whereas the Lobshe is given infrequently and only bestowed on a few people at a time.
The Sakya Center provides traditional Mahayana and Sakya practices, including Samatha (calm abiding) meditation classes on Sunday mornings led by the Sangha. The calm abiding meditation classes train practitioners to calm and focus their minds, which is beneficial both to daily life and happiness, but also helps one’s progress on the spiritual path and the eventual development of wisdom. Other practices held by the Center include a weekly Four Mandala Ritual, which helps to remove obstacles and achieve one’s goals in ordinary life and attain the highest spiritual goal of Buddhahood, dharma text study sessions, and visits by the spiritual director. Prayers are also regularly performed for the long life of the Sakya teachers, the flourishing of the Buddha Dharma, and for the benefit of all sentient beings. Special rituals are also practiced on the New and Full Moon, Chothrul Duchen, the Losar Celebration, and other Buddhist holidays. The Sakya Center provides personal prayers or services for the spiritual needs of the Washington D.C. community at either the Center itself or at private residences of sangha members.
Founding and Leadership
The founder and spiritual director of the Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center for Buddhist Study and Meditation is the Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen, who is a widely recognized and accomplished teacher and translator of Buddhism. Khenpo Kalsang was requested to establish the Sakya Center by local students in Washington DC and was recommended to establish the center by His Holiness Sakya Trizin. His Holiness and other high lamas have praised the spiritual director’s Dharma activities as exemplary, noting his communication and teaching skills. Khenpo Kalsang has translated many of the Sakya works into English to make them more accessible to Westerners, including His Holiness’ autobiography, the Hevajra Cause and Path Initiations, the Anatomy of the Lamdre Teaching and numerous other tantric texts, sadhanas and prayers.
Khenpo Kalsang regularly travels all over the United States to visit Sakya centers and give teachings. Khenpo Kalsang is also the Abbot and Vice President of Tshechen Kunchab Ling, where he identified and renovated the property, coordinated the construction of the temple, gathered the monastic sangha, and developed the daily teachings and programs. Khenpo Kalsang also helped begin the Washington D.C. International Vesak Committee and serves each year as Mahayana co-chairperson of the annual Vesak celebration.
Community
Jamyang Losel mentioned to me that at the Sakya Center, the ethnic breakdown of the community is mostly made up of Caucasian, Tibetan, and Chinese individuals. Tibetans compromise the majority of the monastic community, but there are a few western monastics and nuns as well. The Venerable Khenpo Kalsang’s specific nationality is not listed, but he is East Asian. The Sakya Center is very active in translation projects that include other Buddhist and spiritual communities and overall maintains a very positive, friendly relation with these communities. The Sakya Centers throughout the United States are very closely tied to each other, including the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Washington state, Tschen Kunchab Ling in New York, and the Sakya Dechen Ling Center in California.
I asked Jamyang Losel his thoughts on Buddhist practice that focuses exclusively on meditation/Western Buddhism and he told me that, although “there is no result without meditation, study and contemplation are equally important.” He mentioned that what legitimizes Buddhist practice is not necessarily what is emphasized, “but the motivation behind the practice it whether it is authentic: established as authentic teaching; has an uncorrupted and authentic transmission of the teaching; authentic teacher; and authentic experience of the teaching.” He also said that practice without the proper training may provide you with some knowledge, but in the end, it will not fully lead you to the results emphasized by the Sakya tradition.
The Sakya Center welcomes a few new people into the sangha every month on average (pre-pandemic), and visitors to the Center generally attend meditation sessions and listen to teachings on Buddhist philosophy. Jamyang Losel mentioned that although the Sakya Center regularly performs prayers and pujas, Westerners tend to be more inclined towards the philosophical teachings and what they consider to be the “practical” aspects of Buddhism.
Personal Correspondance with the Sakya Center
I was lucky to be able to correspond with two members of the Sakya Center sangha, both a monastic and a lay person, and I asked them each several questions about Buddhism, the Sakya discipline, and more.
As mentioned, I spoke with Jamyang Losel, one of the monks at the Sakya Center. Mr. Losel grew up Catholic in an Italian American household in New Jersey. During the 6th grade, he began exploring other religions and came across Buddhism, and by age 15, Mr. Losel began to identify as a Buddhist. During his junior year at GWU, Mr. Losel met Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen, who was his first genuine Buddhist teacher. Khenpo Gyaltsen bestowed upon him the Refuge, which is a ritualistic ceremony that formally recognizes one as a Buddhist practitioner. Mr. Losel was formally ordained as a monk in 2014 and he has lived on and off in India, Nepal, and the US ever since. When the pandemic ends, he will be moving to India for an extended time to train as an official Tibetan translator and interpreter.
I asked Mr. Losel about how he defines Buddhism and what exactly it means to him. He told me that “Buddhism is the quintessence of love and compassion articulated in the teachings and profound wisdom of the Buddha. It is the methodological path leading to liberation from samsara and ultimately to perfectly enlightened Buddhahood.” I also asked Mr. Losel about what he finds positive about being a monk and what is particularly enjoyable about it. He mentioned that monastic life provides him with “renunciation, peace of mind, freedom from fear, and that overall, it is a world pursuit that provides an avenue to help others, either directly or indirectly. The monastic vows and lifestyle provide an additional set of tools and opportunities to study, contemplate, and meditate on the teachings and work on [his] own mind so that [he] may more ably benefit others in the future.”
Lastly, I asked Mr. Losel for one of his favorite teachings and he said is fond of Lojong practices (mind training). These practices “are the study, contemplation, and meditation on the attainment of this precious human life, impermanence, karma, and the sufferings of samsara; taking refuge, and generating bodhicitta – the altruistic mind that strives for perfect enlightened Buddhahood for the sake of all mother sentient beings.”
I also spoke with Anthony, a layperson in the sangha. Anthony was raised in an Italian American family in New York, but become disillusioned with the teachings of western religion, as he thought they could not answer the fundamental question of why there is so much suffering in the world and why a god would allow this suffering. After reading Dharma books provided to him by a local Chinese Mahayana monastery, Anthony corresponded with Dr. C.T. Shen, who became his first Buddhism mentor. At age fourteen, Anthony formally took refuge vows from a local Tibetan Buddhist teacher. At age sixteen, he received teachings from His Holiness the Sakya Trichen and then went on a pilgrimage to India, where he also received teachings from Her Eminence Sakya Jetsun Chimey Luding Rinpoche. Anthony is particularly fond of the Sakya Order’s systematic, detailed, and gradual presentation of the Buddha’s teachings.
I asked Anthony what Buddhism means to him, and he said that Buddhism consists of “achieving spiritual awakening or enlightenment for the benefit of all beings — without bias towards anyone.” Anthony also mentioned that the Buddha taught that every being “has the same inner potential to become enlightened and that our obscurations or so-called defilements are temporary but not permanent.” Through Buddhism, Anthony “can work better towards helping others with an open heart and with the wisdom to know what is best suited to help others.” Lastly, he mentioned that while “being a compassionate and good person is an important first step,” but “Buddha taught how to take these qualities further and deeper through various teachings and methods, which collectively we call Buddhism.”
I also asked Anthony what the most challenging part of Sakya practice is to him and he told me that putting others before himself and lessening his attachment to ego clinging can be difficult. Despite this, Anthony said that “there are many mind training teachings that help Buddhist students foster a better attitude. The Sakya approach recognizes that [students] need gradual training, so it presents Buddhism through a system of teachings and practice” over time, with the knowledge that it is okay to approach Buddhism slowly.
One of the other questions I asked Anthony was what it means for him to be a member of the sangha and how he works to build his community. He responded by saying that he feels his main role is to support the wider community, which he does either through donations to the temple, his time and skills given to Buddhist organizations, and regular contributions to community efforts to help the poor and homeless.
The final question I asked was what the one thing Anthony would want non-Buddhists to understand about Buddhism and the Sakya tradition. Anthony said that while meditation can make us feel good for a short while, the real goal is “complete inner transformation by awakening our innate qualities and completely dedicating oneself to the benefit of others.” Along with this, Buddhism is not dogmatic; “there are many levels of meaning to what the Buddha taught…because people have different needs and mental dispositions.” Anthony says that above all, he would encourage anyone with interest in Buddhism “to approach it openly and methodically, with the guidance of a genuine teacher who can explain…how to put Buddhism into practice.”
Sources
http://www.ibcdc.org/temples/spl.htm
Personal correspondence with Jamyang Losel and Anthony from the Sakya Center, 2020.