I Have No Set Idea

Many people have asked me what do I envision this community to be. My answer has always been "I have no set idea". This may sound strange to some people, especially those who expect Dhamma centers to be stereotypical of Buddhist monasteries and dhamma centers in Asia or in the West.

Let me explain what I am and you'll understand why I said, "I have no set idea".

Although I was trained as a physician, I am by nature an artist.

After graduating from medical school, I fell in love with Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology and philosophy), as well as with writing and painting.

I started writing in the English media in Burma and also learned art with a Burmese Master who had been trained in Britain. My creative side came out later in life, and I switched career mid-path from the straight-laced medical world to the more creative life of a public health instructor/writer/artist. In short, I was an artist before I became a Dhamma teacher.

As a public health instructor I am also trained in health planning and management. Hence you will also find me using systems management in running this Center and the residential program. I use management systems to construct the skeleton of the Center, but putting the flesh on the skeleton is the creative part that will seem quirky and unorthodox to many.

Starting this community for me is like starting a painting on a blank canvas. While I have my sense of perspective in place, and the focus of the painting is clear, what colors and how all the participants will fit in is a work in progress. In short, this is not a paint-by-numbers Dhamma Center. Everyone contributes to making the painting what it is today, and of course, as we know, it changes with each new person, each new day. After 4 years I am very gratified that the results are becoming tangible. I wanted to create a community of people who are kind and generous towards one another, who can live and function with harmony, through practicing and living the Eightfold Path.

You will hardly find me admonishing or scolding anyone because they have done something wrong, or even for lack of discipline. Why? I believe in giving space for people to err, to fall flat, to pick themselves up and grow. People need to find out what works and does not work for them, to shape and reshape themselves on their own until they find they have evolved enough to be part of a harmonious community. But I am there to guide and see that things do not get out of hand. The community itself has been shaping and reshaping itself until we have arrived at this point in time.

Those of you who have come here with set ideas of what a Dhamma center should be or must be will find yourselves very bewildered and you may meet with many disappointments. That is because we will never fit into any stereotype. I can guarantee you that much.

But one thing you will find here is the preservation of ancient Buddhist teachings, and some aspects of Buddhist culture that bind and give life to the community.

If you object, that is not a problem, as long as you use your objection to practice. The Buddha taught that no one should just accept his teachings without trying them out for oneself. Questioning is in synch with the Dhamma. We welcome it and you.

Thynn Thynn


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