I would like to ask you a question. My name is Harusora.
I'm interested in a Buddhist university.
Even though the knowledge and wisdom of Buddhism is vast, what have you been studying for 4 years?
Did everyone who became a monk go to a Buddhist university?
How important is attending a Buddhist university for monks?
I might become a monk in the future, so I'd like to refer to the monk's answers.
Thank you for your support.
I read your question.
The essence of “wisdom” is the power to correctly link (direct) one's own efforts to results.
Speaking of effort, I feel like that alone is amazing, but in reality, there are two things: “right effort” and “wrong effort.”
For example, even if you do research to achieve results in the scientific world, you will not be able to achieve the results you expect. That's because they can't make the right effort.
The reason for not being able to make the right effort is that there is no basic learning.
Similarly, in Buddhism, if you don't have basic learning, you don't know how to make an effort, and you won't reach enlightenment.
Buddhism has a history of 2,500 years. You can't learn it in just four years. However, each religious university has specialists in various fields of Buddhism. There aren't many opportunities to learn under such people. You definitely don't have to go, but there's definitely something to be gained if you do. If you're in a situation where you can go, I think it's better to go.
However, Buddhism requires not only study, but also practice, as shown by the three studies of precepts, determination, and wisdom.
In my case, it was the Faculty of Letters, Department of Buddhist Studies.
In order to learn Buddhism as a discipline, it is necessary to read old literature.
Some people may also read ancient Chinese literature and Sanskrit and Pali literature.
Also, since it's a university, there are general education classes,
If you also get a qualification other than being a monk, you will also need to take course credits required for that qualification.
You will also need to write a graduation thesis.
If you're transferring to a working person, 2 years is fine. It was 2 years for me too. Two years' worth includes liberal arts subjects.
It's easy to understand if you imagine a medical book or a computer technical term for a book, but that kind of thing is Wakewakame-chan, even if it's written in Japanese, isn't it? It doesn't mean that if you can read Japanese, you can understand it... I know what is written to some extent, so I can understand it, and I can absorb the plus α part.
At university, we aim to be able to “understand what is written to some extent.” Therefore, I study history, thought, language, Buddhist culture, folklore, etc. from a broad Buddhist perspective.
One professor said, “I thought I'd research Shohō Genzō by Dogen Zenji, but since Shoho Genzo is based on the Kegon Sutra, my teacher told me to do the Kegon Sutra first. So I began my research on the Kegon Sutra, and even after 30 years, I couldn't see the end at all.” They were lamenting.
... but undergraduate students don't go that deep and narrow. It's like learning broadly and shallowly (of course there is a lot of weight for each denomination), choosing a field of expertise in a seminar, and finishing only research in that field of expertise with a graduation thesis...
Buddhism doesn't have a so-called “one truth” like the Bible or Koran. It's the 84,000 Dharma. If you try to do it broadly and shallowly... actually, that alone isn't enough for 2 or 4 years...
Not everyone graduated from a Buddhist university. There are quite a few things that seem like they actually just came out and didn't study at all. Even so, you can become a full-fledged monk. That's because the important thing isn't college graduation, but training.
Well, what is important about studying at university is training how to learn without making a mistake even on one person's path.
The way to choose and read books is very different between those who have studied seriously at university and those who haven't. So rather than what happens at university, I think it has something to do with room for growth after returning to a local temple or flexibility in understanding other denominations. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions on either side.
Nevertheless, for many monks, an ideological foundation is created at university. What is ascetic practice? That's because that direction is also an idea. I was just attending college and having fun, so I spent the first 1 to few years going up the mountain to the ascetic dojo, saying, “I didn't come here to say wakaran in this sense!” There is also a pattern where I ended up spending time for nothing...
Hello Harusora.
I also graduated from the Faculty of Buddhism.
What you learn at university is “Buddhist studies,” not “Buddhist beliefs.” We learn Buddhism as knowledge. However, knowledge of Buddhism is vast, so you cannot learn it in about 4 years of university. It's almost a lifelong learning experience. And the practice of Buddhist knowledge is only possible after going out into society. So you can become a monk even if you haven't graduated from the Buddhist school. Even if you're fluent in Sanskrit, that doesn't mean you can understand it (laughs). However, if you have knowledge, you can learn the Buddha's teachings in theory, which can help you practice.
If you have a relationship, be sure to study at the Buddhist Faculty. However, there are many cases where it's not useful for getting a job (laughs), so please take that into consideration when deciding. Gassho