1 00:00:01,330 --> 00:00:09,619 So we have a question from Emma about how your family is reacting to your ordination for Sumedha, I guess. 2 00:00:10,730 --> 00:00:21,124 I guess one of the first things that arises in my mind is why someone would ask this question. 3 00:00:21,224 --> 00:00:33,700 Is ordination perhaps something you're thinking of and maybe there's fear that your family would not approve, I think is big for a lot of people. 4 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:45,070 My family, my parents are Catholic and my dad actually said, oh, it's good you're going the Buddhist route for the nun thing. 5 00:00:45,090 --> 00:00:49,782 I used to, when I was 16, I decided I wanted to be a Catholic nun. 6 00:00:51,162 --> 00:00:55,566 And to be a Catholic nun, you have to be a novice for, I think, five or seven years. 7 00:00:55,686 --> 00:00:57,148 And it's a lifetime commitment. 8 00:00:57,168 --> 00:00:59,250 And to break it is a big deal. 9 00:01:01,151 --> 00:01:06,176 But with a Buddhist nun, my dad thinks, oh, she can easily disrobe, and it's no big deal. 10 00:01:06,296 --> 00:01:07,677 And this is a temporary thing. 11 00:01:08,238 --> 00:01:09,940 My mom thinks this is a temporary thing. 12 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,862 I'm in a phase. 13 00:01:14,003 --> 00:01:16,446 And so they're trying to be supportive. 14 00:01:17,226 --> 00:01:20,089 My dad's actually coming out for the ordination. 15 00:01:20,069 --> 00:01:21,170 Which is a big deal. 16 00:01:21,992 --> 00:01:25,817 But I think he wants to travel as well. 17 00:01:25,857 --> 00:01:29,321 So yeah, they're trying to be supportive. 18 00:01:29,341 --> 00:01:39,495 They don't really understand Buddhism on an experiential level because at least in this lifetime they haven't given meditation a try. 19 00:01:39,475 --> 00:02:09,482 they're interested in learning about it and ask me questions and my brothers and sisters I think for them it's more like being so far away from home it's not so much what I'm doing it's like my sister just gets really worried when she doesn't hear from me and my brother's fine but yeah my other sister it's just more like being away from the family and I guess when I actually ordain I'll be even a bit more 20 00:02:09,462 --> 00:02:28,770 off the wire for at least some time probably so it's more of like missing the missing factor but they're very supportive um and which is a great great blessing were you gonna say something bonte how's his family okay i think 21 00:02:31,366 --> 00:02:36,352 Well, I'm not in my 20s anymore, so I've been talking about it for a long time. 22 00:02:36,392 --> 00:02:45,744 And the last time I saw them, just a couple of weeks ago, they accepted it and I was surprised myself. 23 00:02:47,427 --> 00:02:48,909 And no discussion. 24 00:02:50,010 --> 00:02:50,491 It was fine. 25 00:02:52,693 --> 00:02:55,717 I was very happy about that. 26 00:02:55,737 --> 00:02:57,880 It's funny how when the time comes... 27 00:02:59,817 --> 00:03:06,922 But I lived in a Zen center in a monastery for a whole year. 28 00:03:07,925 --> 00:03:10,193 So they were quite prepared for this. 29 00:03:10,875 --> 00:03:12,561 So it wasn't some shocking news. 30 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:33,446 Yeah, I think it was the same with me, and it's maybe something that we don't realize until it happens, is that in the end, what's far more important for our parents is the communication and the fact that they're going to lose us. 31 00:03:34,608 --> 00:03:42,379 For my parents, it was much more losing me than about having me change my religion or something. 32 00:03:42,359 --> 00:03:51,454 It seems to me that there is something deep down that your parents will gravitate more towards that. 33 00:03:52,315 --> 00:03:56,402 Okay, okay, become Buddhist if you want, but don't let me never see you again. 34 00:03:57,163 --> 00:04:00,929 That kind of thing. 35 00:04:00,949 --> 00:04:07,860 So probably you could leverage that and say, look, I'm going to run away from... 36 00:04:09,612 --> 00:04:10,848 There goes the internet. 37 00:04:11,274 --> 00:04:12,855 Okay, stop.