Dromtonpa Buddhism
Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center
(317) 374-5281
6018 N. Keystone Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
http://www.meditation-indianapolis.org
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Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center
Institutional History/Information
Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center was established in 1998 by Tom
Mitchell, a professor at Indiana University. The center belongs to
the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union
which was founded by the Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Gyatso is
internationally known as one of the foremost masters of meditation
and teachers of Mahayana Buddhism. With spiritual communities in
countries including the Unites States, Mexico and Canada, the New
Kadampa Tradition is practiced worldwide with the goal of achieving
world peace.
The mission of the Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center is to share
the dharma (Buddhist teachings) to the people of Central Indiana,
allowing them to lead happier, more meaningful lives. Five
different programs strive to achieve this goal. First, the general
program is an introductory level class available to the public. By
attending this program, one becomes familiar with the basics of
Buddhism and its teachings. The second program involves chanted
meditation. Lasting forty-five to ninety minutes, chanting
meditation assists the participant in understanding the importance
of meditation within the context of Buddhist traditions. This class
is open to the community at large as an introduction to Buddhism as
well. The last two adult programs are focused on the ultimate
development of one's spirituality. Specifically, the foundation
class is for followers that want to deepen their knowledge of the
dharma. In this program, one studies not only the teachings of
dharma, but also the history of Buddhism. This program is formatted
much like that of an organized class. After completion of the
foundation program, one may advance to the teacher training
program. From a series of classes, one learns how to effectively
teach dharma. Ultimately, one finishes the class as a dharma
teacher. In addition to adult programs, the Buddhist Center also
encourages kids to practice love and compassion through its Dharma
for Kids program.
Demographics
The age range of those who attend the regular program at
Dromtonpa is broad, and includes people in their twenties right up
to senior citizens. The occupations and economic status of those
who attend varies as well, though most of those who attend are
middle-aged Euro-Americans. On any given Thursday, around 15 people
attend the regular program. All of them at the moment are converts
to Buddhism.
Service Style
Located in the Historic Fountain Square Neighborhood, the
Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center holds a variety of services such
as teaching programs and chanted meditations. The regular service,
the general program, is held every Thursday evening beginning at 7
pm. Followers meet in the upstairs of the center which consists of
two rooms. The first room is used primarily to store the
practitioners' coats and shoes. It also contains shelves of
important Buddhist texts, images of the Buddha, and a large framed
photograph of the Center's established spiritual director, Gyatso.
The General Program takes place in the second room. Seven or eight
rows of red cushioned chairs line the small but elaborately
decorated space. An aisle separates the seats and leads to a small
platform where the teacher addresses the attendees. The service is
initiated with the entrance of the teacher down this center aisle.
When entering, the teacher bows three times to show respect to the
Buddha. Subsequent to the teacher entrance, all those in attendance
then sing a chant, accompanied by music and led by the teacher.
Next, the teacher, seated on the central stage between multiple
figures of the Buddha, guides a short meditation where one focuses
on breathing. An hour long Dharma talk follows, which usually
corresponds to one of Gyatso's books. The teacher opens the room to
a short question-and-answer session afterwards, and then prompts
the practitioners into a longer and more independent meditation
(15-20 minutes). The general program concludes with a bow.
What To Expect
If first time visitors to the Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center
call ahead to inform the center of their visit, they can expect a
warm, personal welcome and even a short tour of the building.
Visitors should dress modestly, casually, and comfortable. Shoes
must be removed before entering the service. Visitors should expect
to participate in guided chanting and sit for extended periods of
time either listening to the teacher or in meditation. Meditation
can be done sitting in the chairs with feet flat on the floor or
with feet tucked in lotus position. An informal question-and-answer
session immediately follows the dharma talk in which the teacher
may be addressed directly. One should freely articulate any
questions at this time. The Dromtonpa Center believes that Buddha's
teachings help people to have more fulfilling, peaceful lives.
Therefore, they welcome those from other faiths.
Biographies of People Associated with Dromtonpa
Biography of "Bruce Andrews," by Jasmine Khosravi and Rachel
Magrdichian
Bruce Andrews, a local Buddhist, is the administrative director
at the Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center in Indianapolis. This
center is a member of the New Kadampa Tradition- International
Kadampa Buddhist Union, which was founded by the Buddhist Master,
the Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is a
Tibetan monk who envisioned spreading Buddhism to the West, making
it more accessible to the Western world. Accordingly, Geshe Kelsang
immediately started translating the Buddha's teachings into English
when he arrived in the West. Although Bruce currently practices
Vajrayana Buddhism, he explored several other religions before
finding his place at the Dromtonpa Center.
Religious Background: As a child, Bruce was not raised with any
particular religious tradition. At the age of 16, he started
practicing Catholicism and was a confirmed Catholic until he was 21
years old. He then began to study Baha'i. Baha'i is a movement
which emerged from the Islamic context, and was founded by a
Persian nobleman, Baha'u'llah, in the mid-nineteenth century.
Next on his journey, Bruce studied Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism,
which is different from the form of Buddhism he currently
practices. Nichiren Shoshu Buddhists have three requisites. The
first is faith (absolute trust and confidence in the teachings).
The second is a morning and evening practice that entails chanting.
And the third is studying the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin.
Bruce emphasized that he found nothing wrong with this practice but
he found that Vajrayana Practices suited his temperament better.
After dabbling in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism for a while, Bruce
switched gears and practiced Paganism before returning to of the
form of Buddhism he now practices: Vajrayana Buddhism.
Attraction to Buddhist Teachings: Bruce was drawn to Buddhism
for a plethora of reasons. One of the main emphases of Vajrayana
Buddhism is compassion. Another aspect of Buddhist teachings that
Bruce found appealing is its views about "sin". According to
Buddhist teachings, Bruce said, there should be no sense of guilt
because we all naturally transgress. Another important factor, and
possibly the factor that sealed the deal, for Bruce, was the fact
that his homosexuality was not a problem for local Buddhists. As a
gay man, Bruce wanted to be a part of a religion that would
validate him as a person. Geshe Kelsang, the spiritual head of the
Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Center, does not regard homosexuality as
misconduct. His teachings do not treat gays and lesbians as
inferior in any way. Scott said that he experienced more acceptance
of his sexual orientation in Buddhism than he had in either
Catholicism or the Baha'i faith.
Another element of Buddhist that attracted Bruce to the faith is
that Buddhists need not believe in a god or goddess. This quality
sets Buddhism apart from several other religions. In god-centered
religions, such as Catholicism, the absolute is something to
believe in or worship. The absolute in Buddhism is something that
you experience--enlightenment. Important Teachings and Practice:
For Bruce, compassion is one of the most important of all Buddhist
teachings. According to Bruce, the Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
describes compassion as a practice. First, one must visualize
compassion, and then one must demonstrate it. One should begin by
viewing all sentient beings as one's mother and therefore by
showing compassion toward all forms of life. Showing compassion
distracts one from one's own suffering and self-clinging
nature.
Bruce also spoke about the nature of suffering, as he
understands it. Anything that disturbs one's peace of mind, he
said, is suffering. Every sentient being, whether human or animal,
has at least one thing in common, and that is that they do not want
to suffer. Every sentient being suffers because of their
self-clinging nature. Self-clinging nature is the tendency to view
one's needs and wants as more important thanks everyone else's
needs and wants. The only way to alleviate one's suffering is to
overcome one's self-clinging nature and rid oneself of all
attachments.
Bruce has been practicing at the Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist
Center for the past three years, where he attends Buddhist services
at least once a week. But attending services is only a fraction of
his religious practice. Vajrayana Buddhists are encouraged to use
the Buddha's teachings as a means to convert their everyday
activities into something of utility along the path to
enlightenment.
Biography of "Susan Pitts" by Peter Soldato, Kimberly Trubiro,
and David Unger
Religious diversity often hides in the most ordinary of places,
sometimes revealing itself only to those who truly seek to discover
it. At the Dromtonpa Kadampa Buddhist Temple in Indianapolis, a
committed group of diverse individuals make up the congregation.
Here, men and women of assorted ages are encouraged to learn,
teach, and grow from the each other in a religion not widely
practiced in the Midwest. Susan is one such member. With her
all-American background, Susan's transition to the practice of
Buddhism has been one aided greatly by the other members of
Dromtonpa.
Susan was born into a Catholic family. She grew up attending
church and leading the life of an everyday Christian. When she
entered her early twenties, she discovered that her life was
lacking in spirituality, and she had not yet found something to
truly believe in. Susan found Buddhism through a friend who invited
her to join in a general drop-in class. Susan was drawn to the
relaxed atmosphere, as well as the values that were taught and
practiced and, after several more visits to the temple, decided to
make the transition to Buddhism for herself. She has now been
practicing at Dromtonpa for four years, but considers herself a
student with a lot yet to learn about the religion.
The rest of Susan's family is still practicing Catholicism,
although they have lapsed into less active practice in recent
years. Susan is open to her family's beliefs and understands them
because she practiced them for so long, but said she chooses to
follow the path that best suits her spiritual needs. As for her
family, they try to accept her new religion, even if that
acceptance comes from not talking about it very often. "My dad has
an especially hard time with it," Susan said, "But he tries to stay
out of it as long as he can see that what I am doing makes me
happy." She added, somewhat casually, that it does not really
bother her that her Catholic family probably thinks she is doomed
in the afterlife. In her opinion, she can lead a better and more
spiritually productive life as a Buddhist than she ever could as a
Catholic.
As Susan made clear, her life as a Buddhist is truly a journey.
Although her life has not become free of trouble since her decision
to practice Buddhism, her new religious tradition has allowed her
to take both the good and the bad in stride. In the manner of
Buddhist teaching, Susan did not come to Buddhism hoping to
completely eliminate her struggles. For her, the most important
aspect of her Buddhist practice is not to eliminate all suffering,
but to become more mindful and aware of her reactions to it.
Susan is very respectful and accepting of other religions. As
she notes, just because Buddhism is the religion that is most
suited for her personality, she cannot claim that it is the best
suited for all people. Her belief is that people all have different
dispositions and for this reason all should choose the best
religion to "match" these varying personalities. This idea can be
best summed up in a great quote of Susan's: "You don't have to be
Buddhist to make spiritual progress."
Because of this openness towards people of all religions, Susan
has found it best not to proselytize for her Buddhist faith. Even
when she notices someone showing an interest in Buddhism, she
prefers not to push or force them into practice. Telling them that
they could come by the center whenever they want is the most
pushing she does- and, as she notes, she does this without being
attached to the response in any way. For Susan, Buddhism is a
journey that one chooses to begin. Without wanting to begin that
journey, one will likely not succeed spiritually. It is for this
reason that she refrains from actively attempting to bring others
into Buddhism.
Not only does Susan accept the idea that all religions have
spiritual benefits, she does not shy away from improving her own
Buddhist spirituality through other religions. When she goes home
to visit her Catholic family, Susan frequently attends a Catholic
mass. Since becoming a Buddhist, she has learned to cherish even
the Catholic mass as she never did before. In the Catholic mass,
she recognizes many opportunities to advance spiritually-
opportunities that she recognizes through her spiritual journey in
Buddhism. It is obvious that Susan accepts the idea of others
succeeding spiritually in religious settings besides Buddhism, she
seems to say that Buddhists themselves can learn much about their
own spiritual journeys through other religious traditions.
As a part of her dedication to Buddhism, Susan is involved with
many practices within the Buddhism tradition. She participates both
locally at her Indianapolis Buddhist center, as well as globally at
international Buddhist conventions. At the core of all these
practices are her central beliefs. She described her central
beliefs as, "Being mindful, understanding where my motivation is.
Not prejudging people, accepting them for who they are and
maintaining a constant level of concentration".
These central beliefs are helpful in understanding her two most
important practices within the Buddhism tradition; "Dharma for
Kids" and "international festivals". Dharma for Kids is a program
that she has started at the Dromtonpa Buddhist Center. It is a
program, "similar to Sunday School" in that it seeks to teach young
children (ages 5-12) some of the central beliefs of the Buddhist
tradition. At the once-a-week hour long session she goes over
Buddhist stories, teaches the children mantras, meditates, and
lastly has time for arts and crafts. Susan describes that the class
is meant to be fun and informative and is a way that young children
can begin on their own Buddhist path.
Susan's other main practice and passion within the Buddhist
tradition is international Buddhist festivals. During her still
recent journey in Buddhism she has traveled across the globe to
many different festivals. Her two favorite festivals are held in
England and Singapore. She attends the festival in England every
year and it lasts nearly two weeks. She mentioned that festivals
generally last from 5 days - 2 weeks and are a time when one can
receive special blessings, focus more on one's Buddhist journey,
and meet other prominent Buddhist figures in the world.
Through detailing Susan's major practices one gets a sense of
her dedication and commitment to the Buddhist tradition. She is a
mindful person, with a warm heart, which perhaps is suitable since
her favorite Buddha is the Compassion Buddha. Amongst all other
practices she tries to spend at least some time every day
meditating. She prefers group meditation at the Dromtonpa Center,
but also has a solo meditation place in her home.
Susan's Buddhist faith is truly a journey. When talking to Susan
about this journey, one thing becomes clear: it has truly changed
her for the better. In this way, we come to learn just what
Buddhists mean when they say that different people make spiritual
progress using different religious traditions or methods. For
Susan, her spiritual progress has been greatest through the
practice of her Buddhist.