Buddhist meetings kick off on Fort Bliss

Photo By Marcy Sanchez | Nichiren Buddhism practical group members engage in a discussion during the first official Nichiren Buddhism meeting at the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy Memorial Chapel annex, 11276 Biggs Street, Fort Bliss, June 23. Nichiren Buddhism meetings have officially began meeting at the building every fourth Friday of the month at 6 p.m.  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

07.11.2017

Story by Marcy Sanchez  

William Beaumont Army Medical Center

Fort Bliss service members, families and retirees can now participate in Buddhist meetings on post.

The first “official” meeting of a Buddhist practice group at 11276 Biggs Street on Fort Bliss, next to the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy Memorial Chapel (Biggs Chapel) took place June 23. Meetings will be held every fourth Friday of the month at 6 p.m.

Until now, service members and families seeking to practice Buddhism needed to travel off-post due to unavailability of the Buddhist practice on Fort Bliss.

“I was encouraged by the hospital chaplain to start having Buddhist meetings on post as a place for others to gather and practice Buddhism and to bring the community together,” said Maj. Jessica Higa, deputy chief of embedded behavioral health services, William Beaumont Army Medical Center. “This is ground breaking for us at Fort Bliss. To be "officially recognized" has afforded us the opportunity to practice and study Buddhism on post.”

While Nichiren Buddhism is a daily practice from home, Higa notes that it means a lot to the Service members of the group to have a designated meeting time and place on post.

“It’s a place where Soldiers and families can easily access to find others who are practicing Nichiren Buddhism, to study together, and most importantly have a forum such as a discussion meeting to share how we are implementing Buddhism within our daily lives,” said Higa.

The group became official on April 20, said Higa. Over the course of a year and a half, Higa worked towards earning a Distinctive Religious Group Leader (DFGL) Certification to officiate the Buddhist meetings on post.

Army Reserve Capt. William Massey, a communications officer with the 2nd Training Support Battalion, 364th Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade, 1st Army Division West, welcomes the official meetings on post with enthusiasm, as he has been practicing Buddhism for three years now. The 2/364th TSBN, out of Seattle, is currently mobilized to Fort Bliss.

“The biggest issue with not having a DRGL wasn't so much not having a permanent meeting place as having restrictions on engaging only in study. ” said Massey, a native of Burlington, North Carolina. “The new meeting place is at the Chapel annex, making it easier to find and we can use our mandala to chant and recite the Buddha’s Sutra.”

For Higa, a life-long Buddhist, the permanent place of practice creates opportunities for members to tap into their own Buddha-nature.

“Having a place to meet will provide a great opportunity for us to deepen and strengthen our faith as current practitioners as well as those who are interested, curious, or who have a seeking spirit,” said Higa. “We are breaking cultural and spiritual barriers by becoming active as a part of a dynamic and socially engaged community.”

The diverse group’s attitude is mirrored in Army Values and is emulated in member’s persistence to overcome all hardships and obstacles.

Massey, who met his wife at a Buddhist meeting, is a testament to his faith’s drive in his own life. After he started practicing Buddhism, he was inspired to take courses to advance his civilian career and hopes that same drive will be contagious to new members.

“I hope the meetings will introduce Soldiers who are interested in building their resiliency to a practice that will give them complete victories over the obstacles in their lives,” said Massey.

“We hope to show through our actions how this practice has transformed each of us from the inside out, enabling us to thrive and to become better leaders and Soldiers,” said Higa. “We are not about being in a reclusive practice of contemplation, but rather about an all-encompassing life state that includes an enduring sense of fulfillment and joy that allows us to live with value and more importantly, to contribute to society, including the Army.”

• Date Taken: 07.11.2017
• Date Posted: 07.12.2017 13:25
• Story ID: 240803
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US