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Enlightenment over Immenstadt
16. Října 2011
Augsburger Allgemeine – Wochenend Journal, Saturday 8 August 2009
Religion – 3000 young Buddhists are meditating right now in the Allgäu region of Bavaria at the largest German summer camp of its kind. Even the natives can’t escape the charm, “Those folks are open-minded”.
German original
By Volker Linder
Georg Riesenegger is enthusiastic, “Open-minded folks”, he says, but that doesn’t seem to be praise enough. He corrects himself and says, “Remarkably open-minded folks”. As if he must prove his opinion, the fine man in his traditional Algauer costume waves his bottle of yeast beer towards the visitors high above the Alpsee. Again and again he calls out, “Servus”, and each time the Buddhists return his greetings. An American, a Chilean and a Mexican don’t let the opportunity pass; they immediately pose for a picture with the original Allgäuer from Immenstadt.
Riesenegger is still a Catholic, but the way he’s talking makes one wonder how long he will be. This meditation movement from the far-east seems to have infected him, too. Buddhism arrived in the West a few decades ago and has been steadily expanding. Hundreds of centers have sprung up in Germany since the 1970´s, one million citizens find the religion sympathetic, and the number of active practitioners is estimated at 100,000 in Germany and one billion throughout the world.
That Buddhism is more than a fad can be clearly seen right now in the region Oberallgäu. Two years ago the Buddhist Foundation Diamond Way (Buddistmus Stifftung Diamantweg) bought property there, 50 hectares in the picturesque foothills of the Alps, and founded the “Europe Center”. Riesenegger is here to take part in the opening ceremonies for the largest annual Buddhist meetings in the country, with 3000 participants from 57 nations expected. He takes a deep breath and blows powerfully into his alp horn. “It is important to us to bring the traditions together”, says Karola Schneider-Waldner from the organization team. Thus, the Immenstadt Hunt and Horn Club is here to honor the young man in red robes, who – flanked by hundreds of followers – is just climbing the road to the meditation tent. Children give “His Holiness” flowers and parents capture the moment with the cameras of their mobile phones. At the end of the road Georg Riesenegger and his colleagues Eddie and Reinhold from the Immenstadt Hunt and Horn club welcome the exile Tibetan. As a thank you gift each of them receives a white Tibetan scarf – a katak – placed around his neck by the spiritual leader, Karmapa.
Only the hunting trophies were removed and replaced by Buddhas
The Buddhists here in Oberallgäu place great emphasis on intercultural understanding. Perhaps this is the reason that there were only a few political squabbles over the new headquarters in the middle of the environmental protection area on the former Gut Hochreute. For a full ten years the largest Tibetan Buddhist School – which calls itself Karma Kagyu – searched for an appropriate piece of land for their meeting center. 50 possible locations between the Rhein and the Alps were examined but not purchased. Finally the Buddhists found the historically protected Art Nouveau style villa, built in 1911 as a self-sufficient farm manor by a descendant of the Augsburg textile dynasty Martini. The purchase price of 4.4 million euros was collected within three months says foundation board member Caty Harting. The additional 1.6 million euros for the infrastructure were also no problem. The historically protected complex – including a barn – has been renovated by the new owners in lovingly detailed work. Everything was kept as it was – only the hunting trophies were removed and replaced by Buddhas.
If one thinks of the current volatile debate over the Sendlinger Mosque or on Cologne in general, then the complaints of the farmer who had leased this land for the past 30 years and the reservations of the conservationists are relatively tiny disturbances for this mammoth project. In any case, for the regulars in the local bars economic considerations overweigh all others. Alp hornist Riesenegger is well aware of this, “We all profit: the baker, the butcher, the hotelier.
But from what exactly do they profit? The widespread picture of Buddhism is that of a feel good religion. Meditation is commonly thought of as pure relaxation. No wonder, the predominantly young people at the summer camp make an extremely jolly impression. This hasn’t escaped Riesenegger’s notice, and the constant cheerfulness of the sangha, the Buddhist community, in certainly one reason for the popularity of the religion. The Karma Kagyu School, in particular, is known for its party culture. After meditation the young people gather in the eating tent and dance to Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson or the Velvet Underground. Whole body tattoos and piercings are common. Everyone here does what he wants to do, and the volunteer kitchen crew of 50 – plus hundreds of additional helpers – prefers listening to heavy metal, apparently it helps them remain calm while preparing 3000 portions of chicken fricassee within an hour.
It takes a second look to distinguish the mass of sensory seekers who have assembled up here on 24,000 quadrate meters of meadow from the typical rock festival clientele. Whoever looks closely sees malas everywhere. These strings of 108 prayer beads are a sort of counting machine for the endless repetitions of mantras.
“In reality meditation is hard work”, says Andre Kordus. The 26-year old is taking part in the guided Phowa sessions. Together with the other course participants, he sits still for 3 hours, 3 times a day for 5 days. “Your feet fall asleep again and again”, he says from experience. It is no easy exercise, this meditation on conscious dying, “but it is worth it”, affirms the Slovak. Actually, Buddhism “is one of the few things which really make sense”, he says. The 29-year old Katrine Zacho sitting next to him has traveled from Denmark and describes the sessions as “tough. It’s like sport. You go to your own limit.”
While going beyond her own limits, she has Karmapa’s support. He is less well known than the Dalai Lama but in Germany he has more adherents. Just as the Dalai Lama, he left his home years ago and has lived since then in Northern India. The lineage of his reincarnations is unbroken back to the 11th century. Meanwhile, the 26-year old spends much time in the west and increasingly travels though Eastern Europe to visit the new Kagyu Centers. Approximately one third of the guests have traveled from the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Poland and Russia to the Allgäu. Riesenegger certifies that the new international religious offering enriches the region, and then he packs up his alp horn and goes back to the valley.
For Karmapa the work is just beginning. He sits for hours on the stage in meditation posture and blesses each and every participant with ritual objects. Additional tens of thousands, it is said, watch the ceremony per live streaming – ancient Tibetan rituals available per internet.
The young leader, who sits elevated on a colorfully decorated throne, jokes occasionally and encourages his followers. Despite the gigantic sound system in the meditation tent, his voice is soft. His words, in contrast, are huge. “You can overcome anything”, he encourages the masses sitting cross-legged in front of him. The goal is clear: it is enlightenment.
Buddhism
- Buddhism originally comes from India and is traced back to the teachings of Siddharta Gautama (around 560-480 BC) the histroric Buddha (= the awakened).
- According to this teachings every living beeing is subject to a circle of birth and rebirth. The target is, by ethical behaviour and “immersion” (meditation), to break free from this circle.
Photos: dpa/Volker Linder
Publikováno 16. Října 2011.
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