Written by Jacob Deuell
The Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple is an American Mahayana temple rooted in the Korean Seon (Zen) tradition. Their Sangha emphasizes the interdependence and interbeing of all things, the emptiness of all phenomena, the inherent Buddha nature in all beings, and the bodhisattva aspiration.
Founding
The temple was founded in the early 2000’s by a Grand Rapids native, Russel Pitts, who is now the Venerable Deok Wun. One of Ven. Deok Wun Russel Pitts’s aspirations was to establish a physical “brick and mortar” place for people to gather and engage in dedicated Zen practices.
Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism
“Seon” is the Korean name for Chan Buddhism, which is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism that is often termed Zen Buddhism. This branch of Buddhism spread to the U.S. through Seungsahn Haengwon, a Korean temple abbot that moved to the U.S. in 1972. One of the main aspects of Chan Buddhism is the idea of sudden enlightenment. However, the Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple does not indicate if it supports a sudden awakening over a more gradual approach, and they probably would defer from ranking one over the other. While they are primarily a Zen Buddhist community, they strive to have a warm and welcoming temple where everyone is welcome regardless of spiritual tradition or lifestyle choice.
Community
It is the goal of this community to make the Zen tradition accessible while adapting to the needs and conditions facing modern practitioners. They wish to be ordinary people of great aspiration that embody the Dharma qualities of humility, honesty, friendship, integrity, and to inspire others to live within the wise view of complete unimpeded difference, the unconditional openness to the way things are, and the spiritual equality of all beings.
The temple adheres to 16 precepts: the Three Refuges, the Three General Resolutions, and the Ten Cardinal Principles. The Three Refuges represent the foundation and orientation of the community’s lives as followers of the Buddha Way, and goes as follows:
- I take refuge in the Buddha
- I take refuge in the Dharma
- I take refuge in the Sangha
The Three General Resolutions are inseparable from the Buddhist practice and represent the aspiration of every follower of the Buddha Way. It follows:
- I resolve to avoid evil
- I resolve to do good
- I resolve to liberate all sentient beings
The Ten Cardinal Principles follow:
- I resolve not to kill, but to cherish all life
- I resolve not to take what is not given, but to respect the things of others
- I resolve not to misuse sexuality, but to be caring and responsible
- I resolve not to lie, but to speak the truth
- I resolve not to cause others to abuse alcohol or drugs, nor to do so myself, but to keep my mind clear
- I resolve not to speak of the faults of others, but to be understanding and sympathetic
- I resolve not to praise myself and disparage others, but to overcome my own shortcomings
- I resolve not to withhold spiritual or material aid, but to give them freely when needed
- I resolve not to indulge in anger, but to practice forbearance
- I resolve not to revile the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), but to cherish and uphold them
The community is diverse and inclusive, so naturally the members of the Sangha come from many different backgrounds. The image provided below illustrates just a small portion of the community, but it is evident that anyone is welcomed here.
Classes
They offer a variety of basic and advanced classes, regular mediation periods, and special services. Some of the classes offered include: Intro to Meditation, Fundamentals of Buddhism, and Intermediate Buddhism. The Sunday Service offered here attempts to follow the Buddha’s teachings on “expedient means” and they have tailored their services to the American culture while remaining true to their Chinese and Korean roots. All of their recitations, with few exceptions, are spoken in English. It is not required to be a Buddhist in order to attend these services as they believe that the core values of Buddhism and the spiritual practice of meditation are conducive to enhancing any other spiritual tradition and its practices. All faith traditions are invited to attend and anyone is welcome to participate in as much or as little of the service as they feel comfortable. A basic outline of a traditional Sunday Service follows:
- They recite the Refuge Vows and selected chants including the Morning Bell Chant, Yebul, and the Heart Sutra
- There is a teaching delivered by a Dharma Council member
- They sit in silent meditation for approximately 15-20 minutes at a time
- They recite several gathas (verses)
- They have tea and socialize after service
Children are also welcomed here, and they provide children’s activities during their Sunday services from September through May (unfortunately, this aspect has been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Children’s program focuses on basic Buddhist concepts such as the Five Basic Precepts through the medium of play, arts and crafts, songs, stories and more, as well as a brief 2-3 minute period of meditation each class.
They offer a Bodhisattva program with meetings that are held on the first Saturday of each month, starting in September of a given calendar year. The Bodhisattva program is meant for individuals seeking a deep commitment to the cultivation of buddhadharma and to the tradition and temple. Receiving the Bodhisattva precepts means nourishing the ongoing intention to bring understanding-awakening to the center of their lives. Students wishing to follow the Bodhisattva path commit to observing the 10 Great Precepts and cultivating the Six Paramitas. To create good dharma habits they commit to developing a regular daily practice for two consecutive periods of 16 weeks including prostrations, meditation, recitation, study, and journaling. The daily practice for a Bodhisattva consists of prostrations (3-36 of them), 15-30 minute meditation, Three Refuges (recited or chanted), Recitation, and Journaling.
The Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple does not require payments for any classes offered, but they do recommend donations. In fact, they operate on a donation basis only in keeping with their practice of generosity (dana) for everything.
Leadership
The Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple is led by the Dharma Council, which is a body of four ordained clergy members who support the Sangha by offering the teachings of the Buddha. They come from a variety of Buddhist backgrounds including Korean Zen, Soto Zen, and Tibetan lineages. All of their teachings, though, originate from the Mahayana vehicle of Buddhism, meaning that they share the Dharma for the benefit of all living beings. The collective goal of the Dharma Council is to not only share Buddhist teachings with the Sangha, but also to serve the spiritual health and well-being of the Sangha. The Dharma Council operates as a shared leadership team, meaning that their structure is horizontal in nature. In decision-making, they vote by consensus and they only move forward with the unanimous consent of all Dharma Council members in order to assure that they are of one mind as they make decisions for the benefit of the Sangha. The Dharma Council’s vision is to be of diligent service to their Sangha and the greater West Michigan community by offering Buddhist teachings that are relevant to today’s social challenges.
Ven. Ai Su Kimberly Hillebrand is a Sangha Life Abbot who was ordained as a Dharma teacher and teaching monk in 2016. She trained in both Zen and Dzogchen, and she has experience teaching specifically within a Buddhist context. Her foundational practice is metta, or loving-kindness, and her focus is on the culture and spiritual well-being of the Sangha. Ai Su appears to be one of the foremost leaders of the group, but as stated earlier, the Dharma Council is structured horizontally, not vertically.
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMIprGHIX1M
https://www.mlive.com/cadenceadvance/2011/04/former_egr_resident_plans_to_o.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Seon#History_of_Seon