The 2010 Woodenfish Program
(Humanistic Buddhist Monastic Life Program)

-in conjunction with-

The 2010 World Youth Summit on
Interfaith and Cross-Cultural Education

 Sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, Fo Guang Shan Monastery,
and Buddhist Light International Association

 Click here to download the application

Program Duration

July 25 to August 15, 2010

Eligibility and Selection

The Woodenfish Program accepts applications from students of any country and any academic major under the age of 40.  Applicants from diverse academic disciplines and religious backgrounds are encouraged to apply.  While a majority of participants are working toward an undergraduate or graduate degree, Woodenfish also encourages anyone involved in academic work or with an interest in Buddhism to apply. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of monastics, academics, and alumni of the program.  In a typical year, the acceptance rate to Woodenfish is between 20-30%.  This year’s year program will consist of 100 participants. Applications will be reviewed on a ROLLING BASIS, and decisions will be made within one to two weeks after the submission of one's application. Applications will be accepted until the final deadline of April 15, 2010. However, since only 100 students will be offered admission to the 2010 program, applicants are highly encouraged to apply early to offer a better opportunity for admission.

Program Location

Program Content

The Woodenfish program is designed to immerse Westerners in Buddhist monastic life, and give them first-hand experience with Zen that would likely be unavailable to them in their home countries. This year Woodenfish will be held in conjunction with another annual program at Fo Guang Shan Monastery: The World Youth Summit on Interfaith and Cross-Cultural Education, which gathers together students from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China—many of whom already have first-hand experience with Zen Buddhism—for the purpose of discussion, practice, and self-cultivation.  By combining these two programs this year, Fo Guang Shan hopes to facilitate greater cross-cultural, interfaith dialogue and to provide more opportunities for students from various countries and different backgrounds to exchange their ideas, learn from one another, and develop lasting friendships.  This year’s Woodenfish Program is divided into three main segments:

Segment I (14 days) – Classes, Monastic Etiquette/Lifestyle, Meditation

This part of the program involves an intensive immersion in the monastic lifestyle.  All students will receive full training for such activities as dining and walking in formation, and they will be exposed to the same disciplinary expectations as the monks and nuns at the monastery.  Classes each morning cover a wide range of Buddhist subjects–in the past having included dharma/doctrine, philosophy, art, medicine, history, the environment, and relics. These classes provide participants with opportunities to ask questions and begin discussions in an academic setting.  College credit may also be available.  Lastly, participants will be trained in proper meditation technique (both for sitting and walking meditation) and will have ample time to practice under expert supervision.  This segment of the program will conclude with a 3-day, intensive meditation retreat in Fo Guang Shan’s beautiful Meditation Hall, culminating with a “pilgrimage” (a slow, group procession accompanied by chanting) to the highest point on the monastery grounds, where one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world overlooks the Gaoping River.

An example of a typical day:

5:30 AM    Wake-up call
6:00 - 6:50 AM    Morning meditation and Tai-chi
7:00 - 8:00 AM    Breakfast
8:00 - 11:00 AM    Classes on Buddhist philosophy
11:30AM - 12:30PM    Lunch and walking meditation
1:30 - 3:30 PM    Sitting Meditation
3:30 - 5:30 PM    Community Service / Personal Projects
6:00 - 6:30 PM    Medicine Meal
6:30 - 7:30 PM    Chinese Language and Calligraphy
7:30 - 9:00 PM    Lecture / Q&A
9:00 - 9:30 PM    Vespers
10:00 PM    Lights Out

Download Detailed Schedule

Segment II (3 days) – Cross-cultural, Interfaith Exchange

The focus of this segment of the program will be on fostering exchange between the 100 primarily Western participants in the Woodenfish Program and the 800 students from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong participating in the World Youth Summiton Interfaith and Cross-cultural Education.  While Woodenfish participants will continue to have daily classes as well as opportunities for supervised meditation at least once daily, their schedule will be slightly adapted  to allow time for interaction with their counterparts from East Asia.  There will likely be group classes, panel discussions, Q&A’s, and other activities.  In addition to Buddhist doctrine, classes will be also cover cultural and political issues of interest.  Translators will be provided whenever necessary.

Segment III (5 days) – Cultural Tour of Taiwan

Contrary to what many in the West believe, Taiwan is not just a land of factories and electronics stores.  Rather, it is a lush, tropical island home to the tallest mountains in East Asia, aquamarine seas, and some of the most important cultural and artistic treasures in the world.  The final part of the program, while still requiring all participants to maintain proper monastic decorum, will provide an opportunity to travel around the island with guides and translators to visit many important tourist sites.  Accommodation will be provided by Fo Guang Shan branch temples across the island.  Potential stops include Taroko Gorge, Tainan, Sun Moon Lake, the National Palace Museum and other sites in Taipei, Fo Guang University in Yilan County, and Qingde Temple high in the mountains of central Taiwan.

* Note: Fo Guang Shan is not responsible for securing visas for participants, and each participant should confirm specific requirements for his or her country.  However, citizens of many Western countries are eligible to receive a free, 30 day “landing visa” upon arrival at the airport.  As the program is only 3 weeks long, these participants should note that they have an additional week, either before or after the program, to travel in and explore Taiwan, should they desire.  Accommodation at Fo Guang Shan’s main or branch temples may also be possible during this period upon request.

Accommodation

Room and board at Fo Guang Shan Monastery will be provided free of charge to participants for the duration of the program.  Students will live in guest housing on the monastery grounds.  Most meals will be taken in the main dining hall with the assembly of monks and nuns, and students will be taught proper monastic dining etiquette.  During the cultural tour, participants will stay at Fo Guang Shan branch temples across the island of Taiwan. Due to the intensive nature of the program, dependents (spouses, children, and/or partners) will not be able to accompany participants.

Stipend

Fo Guang Shan is pleased to announce that all participants in this year’s Woodenfish Program will receive a US $500 stipend to offset travel costs and other expenditures.  Completing the entire program in good standing is, however, a prerequisite for receiving the stipend.

Costs

Participants in the Woodenfish program are responsible for securing their own transportation to and from Taiwan.

In addition, participants will be required to purchase two sets of uniforms which will be worn throughout the program. The cost for the uniforms is $150 (USD).

 College credit

Students may if they wish receive college credit for the program through the University of the West (Los Angeles).  The undergraduate course will be REL 427 Chinese Buddhism: Philiosophy and Practice (download the syllabus) for 3.0 credits and the fee for enrollment is $300.00 per credit ($900.00 total).  Participants are able to enroll in this course and upon completion of the program may be able to transfer the credits from the University of the West to the academic institution they attend.  Enrollment in a credit course is not required to participate in this program.  This option is provided for those participants who wish to also earn college credits for their time.  Upon completion the student will receive a letter grade for the class.  Please check with the academic institution/department you attend beforehand to see if it will accept the credits.

Additional Information

• All meals served in the monastery are vegetarian. Meat products are strictly prohibited on the monastery grounds. Meals cannot be adjusted for those with food allergies or special dietary needs.

• Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs are strictly prohibited on the monastery grounds. Violation of these prohibitions may result in expulsion from the program.

• Participants are expected to observe basic Buddhist ettiquite while on the monastery grounds – i.e. the Five Precepts (No killing, No stealing, No lying, No sexual misconduct, No taking intoxicants).

• Fo Guang Shan is an active monastery; participants are expected to act appropriately and modestly in this environment. Please be mindful of interactions with the opposite sex.

• Participants are not required to shave heads or wear monastic robes as other monastics-in-training.

• Participants are expected to keep a clean appearance. Women are asked to keep hair tied back. Men without facial hair are asked to shave regularly.

• Participants are responsible for bringing personal care products, and appropriate and modest summer clothing. Insect repellent is recommended.

• Participants are also asked to limit as much as possible their use of technology such as ipods, laptops, etc. Please, no cell phones. A computer lab will be provided for participants to check email on a limited basis. We ask for participants to cherish three weeks without such distractions.

• For more information about the program, consult the summer HBMLP FAQ

Program Background

About the Woodenfish Program and HBMLP

The Woodenfish Program aims to build a bridge between East Asian Buddhism and young people from around the world through education. The Woodenfish Project started as a month-long summer program at Fo Guang Shan Monastery in 2002 but after eight years has expanded to include programs in Japan, the United States, China, and New Zealand, as well as a sutra translation project.

About Fo Guang Shan

Ven. Master Hsing Yun founded Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan in 1967, propelled by a vision to disseminate Buddhist values for the benefit of humanity. Fo Guang Shan follows the traditions of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Venerable Master Hsing Yun is the 48th patriarch of the Chinese Linji (Rinzai) Lineage.

Today there are over 200 branches of Fo Guang Shan throughout the five continents. Together, Fo Guang Shan strives to serve the congregations and communities by providing educational opportunities, sponsoring cultural events, engaging in charity work, and conducting worship and meditation services. Guided by the principles of Humanistic Buddhism and the ideals of the Buddhist Pure Land, its ultimate goal is to foster peace and harmony among all people of the world. For more information about Fo Guang Shan, please visit these websites:

www.fgs.org.tw    www.blia.org    www.hsilai.org    www.uwest.edu

About Program Director Venerable Yifa, Ph.D

Venerable Dr. Yifa has been a nun at Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan since 1979. She received her PhD in religious studies from Yale University in 1996 and was awarded the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award” in Taiwan in 1997, the “Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award” in 2003, and the “Julia Hollister Award” in 2006 given by the United Nations for her contribution in Peace and Interfaith Education. She has been an administrator at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist College in Taiwan, and at Hsi Lai University in Rosemead, California. She has been a visiting scholar at the University of California Berkeley and Harvard University, a lecturer at Boston University and a faculty member at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan. She taught at McGill University as the Numata Visiting Professor in the spring of 2005 and served as the chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of the West in Los Angeles and currently is the Editor-in-chief of Buddha’s Light Edition English Sutra Translation Series.

Dr. Yifa has been engaged in interfaith dialogue and was supported on some occasions by UNESCO. She was also a contributor to the “Safe Motherhood Project” by the UNICEF South Asia Office. Dr. Yifa is a frequent guest lecturer on subjects including Chinese Buddhist philosophy, thanatology and ethics. Her current research focuses on Buddhist monasticism and women in Buddhism. She is the author of The Origin of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China; Safeguarding the Heart: a Buddhist Response to Suffering and September 11; Authenticity: a Buddhist Perspective on Junk; and Discernment: Educating the Mind and Spirit.