A brief reporting in from this land of snow and ice. We will shortly be going into a ten day silent retreat (so no email) and I wanted to get something in before the deadline.
I have been in Canada for 6 days and at Gampo Abbey for three of them. It's cold. About minus eight centigrade today and snowing quite heavily (by English standards). The Abbey looks out over the bay of St.Lawrence (wider than the eye can see), more like an inland sea. The bay is completely frozen and covered in snow, it looks like the arctic circle - amazing!
This country is huge and wild and covered in trees, breathtaking and a bit humbling. Yesterday we were feeding the fox family that begs outside the refrectory of an evening, a wonderful sight.
There are currently 21 residents in the main Abbey at the moment, with others off in retreat cabins and partaking in a three year retreat. So many new faces and new names to learn, it reminds me of being back in a beginners class - strange new name overload. Learning Tibetan names is a whole new ball game.
I'm being eased into things slowly here, with three days to settle in before being expected to partake in work duties and the full practice program. The main issue on my arrival was how to categorize me - am I a monk or a lay person? Where you line up to enter the shrine room and where you sit in the shrine room and even what sort of accommodation you are given depends on this.
I decided to bring my ordination robes with me as this seemed appropriate to the context here, I'm glad I did, as all but about four people are wearing robes, and many of those in robes are on a short temporary ordination and with less experience than myself. The downside of the visibly different robe is that I am currently asked about five times a day whether I am a monk. This is a little tiring and I feel a little defensive at times, but most people are genuinely interested in the FWBO approach and few have come across our movement before.
Having had a long discussion with one of the senior nuns here, it was decided they would put me in with the novice monastics. This was decided by the length of my experience (10 years) and the fact that I had taken a life time rather than temporary ordination. I think the issue of celibacy confuses things a bit, but as they had experience with Zen priests, seemed to help them skirt around the vinaya issues.
This "novitiate rank" ranks me below the lifetime monastics but above the temporary monastics and laymen. As there are currently no male novices this puts me second in the men's line when entering the shrine room and I am currently seated on the front row in the shrine room, where I currently feel a little too visible for my own liking. More importantly I get a nice single bedroom to myself! I have to say this hierarchy thing feels a bit strange, but I have plenty of time to get over it.
The chanting here is fast and furious and the tone takes a bit of getting used to. Shrine room etiquette is more complex than in the FWBO and I'm looking forward to getting the hang of it.
People here seem friendly and approachable. The atmosphere is different to FWBO but hard to say how as yet. It still feels noticeably "Buddhist" though and I don't feel too out of place. I see a slightly uncomfortable process of arriving stretched out ahead of me, but feel optimistic these conditions will help me deepen my practice.
Love to All,
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