Spiritual Education

Why receive a spiritual education?

Faced with the many challenges we face at the beginning of the 21st century, the question arises as to what spiritual education a human being should follow if he or she wants to contribute to the evolution of humanity. The problems we face today are not external to ourselves, they are related to our relationship to the world, to our emotions, to our deepest mind, to our way of dealing with the poisons of the mind: ignorance, greed and aversion. For the human being, the priority is to receive a spiritual education, in order to be able to respond, whatever difficulties he or she may face, with a mind cleansed of the three poisons, a mind able to see reality as it is. The question then arises: where can one receive such spiritual training?

The monastery, a school of life

To receive spiritual education, you need to find a qualified teacher and a place with the right conditions for spiritual practice. Kanshoji Monastery meets both these requirements. Founding abbot Taiun Jean-Pierre Faure, who received the Dharma transmission from his master, is the head of the monastery. He teaches the Buddha Way to a community that lives in accordance with this teaching. As soon as one enters the monastery, one turns one’s gaze inwards, towards the original mind. The monastery is in fact a school of life where one accepts to receive instructions from the members of the community and to follow its rules. In doing so, one is freed from one’s own conscience and from the burdens of selfishness. It is in the monastery that one can complete one’s spiritual training and become a Buddhist monk or nun.

To become a buddhist monk, nun

One of the vocations of Kanshoji is to train monks and nuns. At the time of ordination, the disciple takes the hand of the master and recognises him/her as a teacher and instructor. For several years, he (she) practices alongside his (her) master, receiving his (her) teaching and following his (her) instructions. Once their training is complete, monks and nuns can return to the world. The Buddhist monk and nun live the sublime solitude in the world, a life without selfish ties, but in unity with all existences. They devote their lives to the essential and turn away from the secondary. Through their practice, they fulfil their vow to help beings free themselves from the poisons of ignorance, greed and aversion.