A Brief Look at a Western Buddhist Community:
Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara – Los Angeles, CA
By Tim Myers
December 5, 2017
Introduction
The Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara was founded on April 20, 1980 by Walpola Piyananda, who remains as the head abbot to this day. After 37 years of continuous operation, it stands as one of the oldest Theravada temples in the United States. They also proudly claim, as most followers of the Theravada tradition do, to teach and adhere to the original teachings of the Buddha and thus represent the “original” form of Buddhism. While this claim is not necessarily accurate, they are the sole surviving early school of non-Mahayana Buddhism. Located in central Los Angeles, just south of Hollywood, the temple is frequented by an extremely diverse crowd, however Sri Lankan monks occupy the leadership positions and are the ones to provide guidance to those seeking the services of the Vihara.
The Way of the Elders
The Theravada tradition, or the Way of the Elders, claims the earliest roots of any modern Buddhist sect. Though they claim that their traditions and teachings have extended since the time of the Buddha, their doctrine descends from the elders present at the 2nd Buddhist Council which took place in 334 BCE. According to Theravadin tradition, the 2nd Council was convened to discuss the “Ten Points” or ten rules that monks often broke. Many monks argued that these rules should be abandoned and claimed that the words of the Buddha supported their claim, however the Council unanimously voted to maintain all of the rules, thus causing the first major schism in the Buddhist community. Theravada is one of only three Vinaya lineages to survive from this time into the present day.
While Theravada originated in India, it is most commonly associated today as a Sri Lankan and Southeast Asian sect of Buddhism. First arriving in Sri Lanka in 210 BCE, it quickly spread and eventually dominated the small island. Almost 200 years later in 20 BCE, Sri Lankan monks made the landmark decision to commit their traditions, teachings, and rituals to record. They accomplished this at the “4th Council” with the help of a multitude of monks invited to help decide on what would be recorded as canon. Up until this point, Buddhist tradition was only communicated orally. Thanks to this foresight, Sri Lanka would become the sole, greatest hub of information on Buddhist tradition for several hundred years. As a result, a man who would one day be named Buddhagosa, or Voice of the Buddha, sailed to Sri Lanka in the 5th century in order to study those same texts. After passing the librarians’ entrance exam in brilliant fashion, Buddhagosa devoted his studies to compiling and commenting on the Theravada canon in the Pali language, a traditional Indian dialect. These texts, which would later become known as the “Pali canon,” now represent the teachings of the Theravadin tradition to this day, including at the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara.
In addition to its emphasis on the traditional Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path, Theravada Buddhism teaches adherence to the Three Trainings in morality, meditation, and wisdom, including the practice of loving-kindness which is emphasized in children’s classes at the Vihara. Contemporary Theravada practice includes an additional emphasis on lay practice and spirituality, specifically in terms of this-world benefits. Since the 18th century, there has also been a revival of the practice of meditation. This is especially true in the modern day after the writings of Mahasi Sayadaw and a shift in Western culture to become more accepting of and even promote practices such as meditation. The Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara even offers meditation classes and group sessions in addition to the regular practice by the monks.
Founder of the Vihara: Walpola Piyananda
Walpola Piyananda was born in Sri Lanka in 1943 and was first ordained as a novice monk at the age of twelve, like many of his peers. After an extensive education, Bhante Piyananda decided that he would devote his life to the promotion of Theravada Buddhism and service to the Dharma in the West. This makes sense as the majority of his higher education took place in the United States. For this goal, Bhante Piyananda along with several supporters founded the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara in 1980. However, he did not stop there. Instead he continued to train monks, which then have gone out and established temples across the US. Many Theravada temples in the US claim the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Viharaas as their parent temple, including the Nevada Buddhist Vihara.
Bhante Piyananda has also contributed to the growth of Buddhism as a whole as well as in the United States. He was instrumental in the 1996 reestablishment of the order of ordained nuns, or bhikkhunis, for the first time since it had died out almost 1000 years prior in 1017. In recent years, he has authored two books; Saffron Days in L.A. and The Bodhi Tree Grows in L.A. In both books, he recounts some of his life experiences, shares his wisdom on Buddhist teachings, and offers insight on social and political issues relevant to his immediate community and the larger Western Buddhist community.
About the Vihara
As mentioned previously, all of the monks that lead the Vihara are from Sri Lanka. However, the Vihara’s constituency is made up of a far more diverse crowd. The local Asian community participates heavily at the Vihara. Expectedly, the majority are Southeast Asian, specifically Thai and Sri Lankan. The local American population also brings in a slightly less traditional, but just as welcome, group of people of Hispanic, African American, and caucasian ethnic backgrounds. Just as the Vihara is accepting of this diverse group of people, it is also accepting of their religious and political views. While the temple is a Theravada temple, the monks do not discriminate against other forms of Buddhism or other religions in general. Instead, they openly invite all to come out to the temple to learn more about Buddhism or even to simply join in on their meditation services. Several groups from other Buddhist sects, such as the local Korean Buddhist population, rent out the temple in order to hold their own weekly services and events as well.
In addition to meditation classes, which are held twice weekly, the Vihara also offers many other services so that the community may practice Theravada Buddhism freely. Those services include a regular Dana Ceremony, memorial and funeral services, blessings for birthdays, wedding ceremonies, monthly one day retreats to observe the Full Moon Day on 1st Sunday of every month except in May and October, rainy season observance, Vesak Ceremony, Kathina Ceremony, religious counseling, Dharma classes, Sri Lankan New Year Celebration, as well as Mother’s and Father’s Days. The lay people who are members of the temple also have the privilege of inviting monks to their private homes to perform ceremonies. While the populace it serves may not necessarily all be Theravada Buddhists, or even Buddhists in general, the temple continues to operate according to Theravadin tradition and provide a place of peace and unity for the local community.
Connection with Other Buddhist Communities
Regionally, the Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara is affiliated with the Buddhist Sangha Council in Southern California. Nationally, it is a part of Sri Lankan Viharas in the USA. However, these affiliations are not as deep as the ones forged by both its monks and its members. As stated earlier, Bhante Piyananda has done great work in training up young monks, so that they can venture out from the Vihara in order to found their own temple in a different community and serve the Dharma there. However, it has not only been Piyananda hard at work. His followers, as well as the community he serves, have put a lot of effort forth to ensure the continued operation and growth of their temple. The growth they desire also includes the establishment of new religious communities, therefore Bhante Piyananda is not short of willing supporters when looking for new monks to train.
Future of the Vihara
The Vihara is currently looking forward to the Sri Lankan New Year’s celebration in April, however, in the meantime, there is no shortage of other work to be done. In keeping with the times, the Vihara is in the process of revamping its website to make it more user friendly and professional in appearance. The monks also plan to continue growth by adding more classes, both introductory and advanced, for children and adults to learn more about Buddhism and Theravada practice specifically.
Bibliography
“Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara.” Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara. Accessed December 05, 2017. http://www.dharmavijaya.org/index.html.
Long, Stephen, Dr. “Dharma Vijaya, a Buddhist Vihara for Everyone in Los Angeles.” The Buddhist Channel | US West. July 27, 2011. Accessed December 05, 2017. http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=65%2C10352%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0#.WiX6HhOPK1s.