Maha Ghosananda
It's been a while, but I am back. Today I want to honor Maha Ghosananda, a Cambodian monk who died on March 12. He was somewhere between 65 and 95; it seems his age was not entirely known. But this does not matter.
Ghosananda embodied sweetness, lovingkindness, and peace. He was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for his deep spiritual work in helping the Cambodian people to heal after the era of Pol Pot. I know only small portions of his life, thanks to the assistance of others pointing me toward them, but feel it is important to share even these small bits.
Ghosananda ordained in his teens and later headed to Nalanda University in India. Nalanda University is mentioned way back in the earliest Buddhist texts-- it was a vast center of learning in the ancient world that attracted scholars from all over the oriental world. It was evenutally destroyed, and today consists of hundreds of acres of ruins. But a newer version of Nalanda has been built, and Ghosananda attended, becoming a specialist in multiple languages, including Pali, the language of the Buddha.
He went on to study with a Japanese master and then a Thai master. While he was in Thailand, the incredible destruction of Cambodia took place. It is said that his teacher prevented Ghosananda from going back to Cambodia as he wished to, even going so far as to shield him from news of what was happening. It seems that his teacher was waiting-- with great compassion-- for Ghosananda to let go of the powerful urgency to try to fix things there. That desire would have gotten him killed, given the awful things that were going on. Eventually Ghosananda fully accepted the situation, and went back to Cambodia with an open and free heart. His whole family was gone, and the country was ravaged. Instead of crying or despairing, Ghosananda organized a walk from one end of the country to the other. He walked peacefully, taking in everything (good and bad), and smiling. More and more people joined him as he walked. This began the long healing process that is still going on. His amazing purity allowed him to feel no anger or desire for revenge, only the desire to help, to love, and to reestablish peace.
There were only three Cambodian monks alive in the world after the destruction of Cambodia, and he was one of them. Because he lived and came back to his country in peace, he brought great benefit to his people, much more than if he had been killed along with nearly everyone else who was a monk, was educated, or didn't support the revolution.
For the rest of his life, he was known for beaming silently. His face was sweet and always slightly smiling. He rarely said much-- an irony because he was a language expert. In fact, near the end of his life, he stopped speaking completely. Some say his mind had slipped and that he was no longer able to speak. I wonder if he was giving a gift: The proof that deep wisdom and lovingkindness come from a place where words are unnecessary.
One story: He once visited Harvard and met with some grad students there. They were full of intellectual questions, as well as the desire to impress him with their knowledge. They crowded around trying to tell him what they were researching and how much they had learned in their studies. As he navigated his way out of the room, someone pointed out to him that there was a man there wanting to see him. It was the janitor, who was Cambodian. The janitor came forward humbly and silently offered Ghosananda a small gift. He accepted the gift and gave his full attention to the janitor, ignoring all the grad students.
His whole life, he embodied peace, kindness, and love. He was willing to live among the rest of us and shine with his natural light. As he once said, "We're all in the same boat."
And now he has departed. Fare thee well, Maha Ghosananda.
Ghosananda embodied sweetness, lovingkindness, and peace. He was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for his deep spiritual work in helping the Cambodian people to heal after the era of Pol Pot. I know only small portions of his life, thanks to the assistance of others pointing me toward them, but feel it is important to share even these small bits.
Ghosananda ordained in his teens and later headed to Nalanda University in India. Nalanda University is mentioned way back in the earliest Buddhist texts-- it was a vast center of learning in the ancient world that attracted scholars from all over the oriental world. It was evenutally destroyed, and today consists of hundreds of acres of ruins. But a newer version of Nalanda has been built, and Ghosananda attended, becoming a specialist in multiple languages, including Pali, the language of the Buddha.
He went on to study with a Japanese master and then a Thai master. While he was in Thailand, the incredible destruction of Cambodia took place. It is said that his teacher prevented Ghosananda from going back to Cambodia as he wished to, even going so far as to shield him from news of what was happening. It seems that his teacher was waiting-- with great compassion-- for Ghosananda to let go of the powerful urgency to try to fix things there. That desire would have gotten him killed, given the awful things that were going on. Eventually Ghosananda fully accepted the situation, and went back to Cambodia with an open and free heart. His whole family was gone, and the country was ravaged. Instead of crying or despairing, Ghosananda organized a walk from one end of the country to the other. He walked peacefully, taking in everything (good and bad), and smiling. More and more people joined him as he walked. This began the long healing process that is still going on. His amazing purity allowed him to feel no anger or desire for revenge, only the desire to help, to love, and to reestablish peace.
There were only three Cambodian monks alive in the world after the destruction of Cambodia, and he was one of them. Because he lived and came back to his country in peace, he brought great benefit to his people, much more than if he had been killed along with nearly everyone else who was a monk, was educated, or didn't support the revolution.
For the rest of his life, he was known for beaming silently. His face was sweet and always slightly smiling. He rarely said much-- an irony because he was a language expert. In fact, near the end of his life, he stopped speaking completely. Some say his mind had slipped and that he was no longer able to speak. I wonder if he was giving a gift: The proof that deep wisdom and lovingkindness come from a place where words are unnecessary.
One story: He once visited Harvard and met with some grad students there. They were full of intellectual questions, as well as the desire to impress him with their knowledge. They crowded around trying to tell him what they were researching and how much they had learned in their studies. As he navigated his way out of the room, someone pointed out to him that there was a man there wanting to see him. It was the janitor, who was Cambodian. The janitor came forward humbly and silently offered Ghosananda a small gift. He accepted the gift and gave his full attention to the janitor, ignoring all the grad students.
His whole life, he embodied peace, kindness, and love. He was willing to live among the rest of us and shine with his natural light. As he once said, "We're all in the same boat."
And now he has departed. Fare thee well, Maha Ghosananda.
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