journey to monkhood

Connecting to my Family Roots

The Monastery   |   Bhikshu Jin Chuan  |   October 7, 2013, 3:33 pm

父母呼,應勿緩,父母命,行勿懶。 父母教,須敬聽,父母責,須順承。 When my parents call me, answer immediately. When they give instructions, carry them out, don’t drag my feet. When they give advice, listen respectfully. When they scold me, accept it with gratitude. – Standard for Students [Note: translation is a bit different than the one provided by the link —I think filiality looks [...]

How to be a Good Son?

The Monastery   |   Bhikshu Jin Chuan  |   April 8, 2013, 5:00 pm

To be honest, I never thought about what it meant to be a "good son" until I became interested in Buddhism and the monastic life.  It was an unexpected teaching that really sank in when I became a sophomore in college. [...]

Repaying the Kindness of my Parents?

The Monastery   |   Bhikshu Jin Chuan  |   November 13, 2012, 7:10 pm

So there I was attending retreats and Dharma talks at a Buddhist monastery, learning from Buddhist monastics, and reading spiritual works that strongly emphasized the teachings on “filiality.” It was a teaching I agreed with: yes, I should repay the kindness of my parents–but whenever I went home and actually spent time with my mother, I had the impression I was making her miserable. [...]
As I was diving into the depths of the wisdom of the various religious traditions, I still had these burning questions in my heart: “What do I believe?” “What path am I supposed to follow?” And, I couldn’t help but feel torn. I found the Biblical teachings of Jesus extremely inspiring and skillful. [...]

What is Success?

The Monastery   |   Bhikshu Jin Chuan  |   November 29, 2011, 4:00 pm

[This is the third of a series of posts reflecting on how I found myself drawn to monasticism despite (or perhaps because of) my upbringing in the Bay Area and providing insight into how the relatively secular environment in which I grew up prompted me to look deeper into the meaning of life.] My mom’s [...]

Heroes: Catholic and Buddhist Monks

The Monastery   |   Bhikshu Jin Chuan  |   October 31, 2011, 10:00 am

[This is the second of a series of posts reflecting on how I found myself drawn to monasticism despite (or perhaps because of) my upbringing in the Bay Area and providing insight into how the relatively secular environment in which I grew up prompted me to look deeper into the meaning of life.] [Audio clip: [...]

A Journey to Monkhood

The Monastery   |   Bhikshu Jin Chuan  |   October 20, 2011, 4:23 pm

[This is the beginning of a series of posts reflecting on how I found myself drawn to monasticism despite (or perhaps because of) my upbringing in the Bay Area and providing insight into how the relatively secular environment in which I grew up prompted me to look deeper into the meaning of life.] [Audio clip: [...]