Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford, Massachusetts

Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford, Massachusetts

Pillars & Foundations was initiated as an exploration communities as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work.

I was lucky to find introductory courses available on Tibetan Buddhism at Kurukulla Center so close to me in Medford. The timing of the offerings was conveniently at 7:00 pm, leaving time to get there following work. However, I did make a special point to drive instead of riding my bike which tends to leave me in less than desirable condition to be in confined quarters with strangers.

Before I get too much into details on this experience, I'd like to stress my level of ignorance of the details Tibetan Buddhism, thus why I went to a class, and why I possess a certain level of intimidation approaching this exploration (more than usual). Having been personally interested in mindfulness and meditation, and Buddhism on the whole, this is an incredible opportunity. That said, I am likely at this stage to misinterpret, misrepresent, or perhaps even (and I hope not,) frame something in a manner which could even be unintentionally disrespectful. However, in the interest of sharing to those who may not otherwise seek it out, I am going to make an effort. From those knowledgeable, I welcome any corrections, comments, or requests if they do arrive. I had the opportunity to attend 2 of 5 classes that were an introduction to Buddhism. And I'm highly interested in attending follow up meditation courses in the future.

My blurry 2nd day photo with sun effect

The Center/Temple

When I arrived at Kurukulla last Monday, a thunderstorm was threatening, and a decent sized gathering was socializing out on the front porch. I always try to be inconspicuous when I photograph things (to avoid questions), and the lighting was bad so I actually made a point to bike by the center on the way home the following day. Similarly I still had the impression that everyone in the neighborhood could possibly watching me. There was a line of cars parked in front of the building. And I snapped this photo, only to realize that I had an odd lighting effect in it afterwards, as though the tree has an aura. My indoor shots didn't come out much better. They are blurry overall and the lesson book sadly was the best shot. If nothing else, I hope these help give a feel for the center, the temple and the quiet neighborhood in Medford it resides in. I took some better photos on my second (third if you count my bike ride by) trip to the center, however I thought I'd include the originals for the sake of the story.

The inside of the temple was adorned with many different Buddhas, tapestries, prints, a centrally located picture of the Dalai Lama, prayer wheels, incense, saffron water offerings, and many items that I'm not even coming close to describing. Sean Gonzalez, the Kurukulla Center Director, and guide for this course described the décor of Tibetan Buddhist Temples as "Baroque," perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek manner referring to an elaborate style of European architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries. The class is organized with a dozen or so tables, with a pairing of cushions behind them. At the start and end of the class, students assist setting these up and putting them away.

The temple before class with mat cushion, a small round cushion to sit on and the tables

A guide for the class which included etiquette such as not the base of your foot to face the instructor/teacher or a Budda

The highest regarded teacher at Kurukulla Center is Geshe Ngawang Tenley. "Geshe," is a academic degree for monks in Buddhism. Sean pointed out that he is not a teacher, but described himself as a friend of dharma. 

The center was founded in 1989, and appears to have been very successful in maintaining itself in the Greater Boston community. A write up in Harvard's Pluralism Project gives a brief overview of the history.

What I learned (to the best of my abilities)

Please note- where I can I'll reference the Kurukulla website, but as needed I will link to other resources which aren't necessarily endorsed by the Center itself, and could possibly have variations from what they may teach/practice. 

These classes were quite professorial, and this is not a criticism by any means, it is that there was just so much information, I wish I was taking notes, and I wish I had a text book, from the course that was sitting in front of me such that I could reference it.

Some interesting items learned was that in Tibetan Buddhism, or the Mahanyana ideology that it is a part of there can be multiple realms and many Buddhas, besides the original Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautma, as the Buddha is known. Much of my perhaps skewed knowledge of Buddhism prior to attending these courses is likely sourced to the Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, which I read as a teenager and loved. If I recollect it actually makes the Siddhartha protagonist of the book, distinct from the Buddha, which certainly is a variation from the actual history. However the story of the Buddha shares commonality in that he is a prince who sets off on his own and is awakened to a more realistic view of the world.

I'm just going to scratch the surface because the information was voluminous, and of course I only attended two of the courses. 

Buddhism describes Three Jewels, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Dharma is the doctrine or the common truth. The Sangha is the Buddhist community. A chant which followed some breathing exercises was performed at the start of each class. It pledges adherence to these Jewels, as belief in these cores, is crucial to a practice in Buddhist meditation. Meditation being the pathway to acquire better control over ones mind.

Sean described the "delusions of the mind," that the world isn't as it seems, that one can control the noise and filter out all of the unnecessary pre-occupations if they learn to train their mind. Mindfulness or being in the present rather than the past or the future. 

Samsara was described as our earthly world, an existence of delusions of the mind that we all reside in. 

There was a focus on positive thinking. The idea that positive thoughts lead to positive actions and consequentially that negative thoughts can lead to negative actions.

Death was mentioned, as Buddhism is largely focused on preparing for death. That there is a type of karma that occurs when you transition from one life to the next, and if one does not prepare, such a transition may not go well. Additionally, similar to the message of Christianity, it is believed that your actions, your thoughts, will influence what the next life may be like. (i.e. avoid hell) Therefore it is critical to do good in the current life, use time wisely to help others. 

The last course I took was largely focused at a very high level on the path to enlightenment. It was mentioned that there needs to be a reckoning of the harmful things in ones life. Things that harm oneself, things that harm others, and things that impede happiness. Bodhicitta is a mind that strives towards awakening, empathy, and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings, and it is a mind striving towards enlightenment. Related to this, one should be attempting to pursue things of pure motivations, done out of benevolence not selfishness. Lastly is an understanding of the concept of Emptiness. Emptiness, in brief in Buddhism is the idea that everything has a non-inherent existence. That any object exists in a sort of continuum, things came before it, and will come after it, and various external factors contribute to the current perceived state.

One thing I liked, and I think is noteworthy for anyone interested, is that Kurukulla does not expect one to give up their other religion to practice Buddhism, it was stated that it could be complementary.

Through the courses, various other texts & terms were mentioned, and short of attempting to explain them all, I will provide a few links. Eight Verses for Training the Heart Mind, by Geshe Langri Thangpa; The Four Noble Truths;  The Eightfold Path

The Kurukulla Center website also has a page of links to online resources.

Community & Outreach

Kurukulla Center offers many courses throughout the week that include the entry level ones that I attended, as well as several more advanced teaching by various instructors. Included in these are yoga and meditation sessions. One can also sponsor monks living and studying in Tibet at the Sera Je House.

Conclusion

Kurukulla adds richness to its community providing a spiritual center, and a vibrant center for learning. It is terrific that it has made itself accessible to the surrounding communities giving the opportunity to learn.

One other item I'd like to address. Am I writing these blogs out of pure interest? This is a topic I've thought about from the Christian perspective as well as through the brief introduction I've had to Buddhism. While I like to think the exposure, the discussion, the awareness of the churches, temples, and different faiths is great for those both on the outside, it is naïve to suggest that I'm not getting something out of this. So from a Buddhist perspective, I suggest that while my intentions are good & benevolent, I fully admit that I enjoy getting readers. Yes, I like the pay off of dopamine. But I do hope that if 1000 people click on the link, that one person maybe stops and thinks, "I never thought of this that way, this changes my perspective for the positive," or best case, heads over to the subject of the post themselves and maybe finds a home for greater meaning or outward charity in their life. Does that make my selfishness forgivable? Maybe not, but for now I'm willing to live with it.

Text and photographs by George Parks

Sources are embedded in links