Monk · LP Brandon

Picture Story

Monk — Luang Phi (LP) Brandon, Philippines.

Mu: Who are you? Why did you come to Pa Pae to ordain?

LP Brandon: My name is Brandon. I was born in the Philippines and lived half my life in the United States. I came here because I wanted to become a monk. I think the most meaningful thing I can do is reduce my own inner suffering as much as possible, and help others to do the same.

Mu: You just wrote down your thoughts. How does that feel?

LP Brandon: It was a great experience. I appreciate the completely open atmosphere — I was invited to write whatever I wanted, on the wall and on the paper. I think it is a very good practice. To write entirely unconstrained takes a lot of courage and strength. But whenever I get the chance, I do my best, and I enjoy it.

Mu: As a monk, I wonder whether this has been useful to you.

LP Brandon: It was interesting. During that time, I really struggled writing greed, hatred, ignorance — I was writing very slowly. Then doubt, also slow. Then pride — I wrote it easily. So that is a good indicator of where you need to work. I feel I have done a lot of work on greed, hatred, ignorance and doubt. But pride — that came easily.

Mu: Which one was hardest for you, and why?

LP Brandon: Greed, hatred, ignorance. They took some time. I might say, with a little pride, that because of my practice I have been able to clear a lot away — maybe that is why nothing came up. By default I tend not to be greedy, angry or deluded. But pride — that was easy to write.

Mu: Do you think the meditation you have learned here is also right for human beings to practise?

LP Brandon: Yes — I think it is the best thing for human beings. There may be other ways. But if there are, I do not think we have found them yet. I think we have found meditation, and we found all of this a very long time ago. Humans discovered that every religion contains some form of meditation. But as people moved away from religion en masse, mental-health problems rose with them. So now I think that, as humans, we have a responsibility to return to religion — to take its essence and discard its dross — not to throw it all out. Religion is like a gift from our ancestors. To throw it all away is foolish, and that is what we have done: we have thrown it all out. What is religion? At its most basic, religion is like psychology — a kind of spiritual treatment. At its deepest, it is a path to ultimate reality.

Mu: In China, a temple often has a resident artist who works for it. How do you see that relationship?

LP Brandon: I think that is very good. It is a good relationship. Humans love beautiful things — and more importantly, humans love beautiful things that carry meaning. As an artist, you are the transmitter of a place's beauty and meaning. You show people: look at this — there is something here. I think the difference between good art and bad art is the meaning it holds. Something might look good, but if there is nothing behind it, it will not last.

Mu: The artwork here is a little different from classical work. What do you make of that?

LP Brandon: Yes — I feel this work brightens the atmosphere. The first time I saw it, I thought it was great. I find that meditation places are often dry and dull. But I don't think they have to be. Tasteful work like this is good in itself — it is welcome, and it can lift and inspire. And especially because it is interactive: you walk in and immediately get the chance to write freely. That is wonderful, and fun.

Mu: I have researched many temples and not seen another one where people are truly invited to participate as they are here. I think this is something new for a temple — no one has done it this way before, because it can be "dangerous". As a monk, do you think this is good for religion?

LP Brandon: It may be dangerous, but I think there is also a very deep meaning behind it. Yes — because human beings are no longer… we are too smart now to be conquered or controlled by religion. We have to engage religion. We have to approach it with wisdom — not as religion's servant, but with religion as a tool. So we are interacting with religion, not surrendering to it. I think this is a perfect representation: you come in, you write, you come in and do things. You don't merely believe and follow. You come in, you act. I think that is a very fundamental idea in Buddhism — you come in, you act; otherwise nothing happens.

Mu: I named it the Letting-Go Buddha (舍念佛). It has never existed before. What do you think?

LP Brandon: I love the concept of "letting go", because — well, that is what you are giving. It reminds me of the line from the Bible: "Cast all your burdens onto the Christ within." That is exactly it: you give your burdens to the Buddha. On the surface that sounds irresponsible — as if you came here to solve my burdens for me. But I think there is something at the quantum level, something important psychologically going on, because you are reaching deep within, looking for it, and when you bring it up to the conscious level it becomes easier to handle than leaving it hidden in the unconscious.