A short week after returning from Google Chrome Academy, I traveled to Chuang Yen Monastery in the pretty lake-laden mountains of upstate New York. The monastery held its 28th annual Buddhist camp this year, a 5-day program for kids and adults of all backgrounds. It’s a long trip from Virginia, but the peace and joy one finds at the monastery is well worth it.

So what exactly is Buddhist camp? Unlike a typical retreat where practitioners spend all day meditating or listening to talks, this camp appeals to the Buddhist to semi-Buddhist to non-Buddhist alike, as long as you come with an open mind, a willingness to grow, and an eagerness to get fire-hosed with fun.

This was my third year, and as always it was life changing.

Camp feels like a big family, and that’s true from the first year to the last. By family I mean people who love you just because you happen to there. I came to this camp several years ago as a very shy person. I’d meet people with distant politeness, and like many, I have that fear of not being accepted, a weariness of being judged. Which is why I was surprised to find that here, people were friends by default. By default, you were accepted — even loved — before anyone knew your name.

The camp is comprised of several groups — Family (for little kids), Teen, Adult, Youth (aka. “English” group), or you can register as a volunteer. I have been in Youth the past 3 years, the group characterized by the diverse ages and backgrounds of its members (no, we’re not all Chinese! or even Asians for that matter). Each group is led by a team of counselors.

As a whole, BAUS camp is welcoming, funny, smart, and a little offbeat.

The first day was hectic as we checked in and moved our belongings to the dorms. The Opening Ceremony in the Great Buddha Hall (which contains the largest Buddha statue in the US) involved singing, dancing, and a warm welcome speech by Bhikku Bodhi, the newly elected president of the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS).The camp theme this year was: “It’s extraordinary to be human”.

The theme stems from the Buddhist idea that within the realms of rebirth, it is the luckiest and most difficult to be born as a human. (So rare in fact that it’s apparently akin to a turtle swimming in the vast ocean and rising to the surface to take a breath… and just happen to get its head stuck in a piece of driftwood.) Why? Man is a master of himself, with a limitless capacity for growth. Human life is comprised of a broad spectrum of experiences, in most cases never stuck to or distracted by any extreme. This creates the ideal condition to cultivate wisdom.

And with cheers, Buddhist camp began!

The first evening was very sociable. We played ice breaker games on the field and mingled with friends, old and new. A memorable game was The Great Wind Blows. The Great Wind blows toward anyone reading this! :P

But camp is not all fun and games – there’s discipline too. Every morning, Youth group wakes promptly at 5:30am to head to morning exercises, where a monk or nun leads the chanting of morning sutras followed by a brief meditation. Breakfast gets served at the dining hall, where the volunteers (whom I suspect never sleep) have prepared yummy vegetarian Chinese food, and instead of meat you get creatively cooked alternates like soybean or tofu instead.

After breakfast we do working meditation (ie. chores) around the monastery. Even though you’re working, you have the opportunity to bond with fellow campers and get exercise too.

Lectures take up a good chunk of the morning. Kuan Yin Hall, where they’re typically held, is my favorite place at the monastery. It’s spacey, serene, and the Bodhisattva statues and the brown mats placed about the floor like lily pads make it an ideal place to meditate. The lectures are extremely rewarding to those who stay awake. I always look forward to learning Dharma and getting more insight into living better. Buddhism at heart is practical. Sure, the material can be tough at times and the monks try their best to communicate across a language/cultural barrier, but for the most part they succeed. The teachers showed their creativity this year with videos, group activities, news media, and we even sang a song with Ven. Ming Kuang.

Before you know it, it’s the middle of the week. On the third day we earned several hours of freedom at the Lake Trip. The sun merrily scorched the earth and sweaty campers ran around the meadow playing sports. Never underestimate the athletic ability of monks – they will put your skills to shame. Youth campers hung around at a picnic table playing Mafia, but my attention kept getting drawn to where some monks were chilling in the shade across the field. It took a lot of courage for me to stop stalling and speak to Bhikku Bodhi. I’m so glad I did, and it wasn’t scary at all! Monks are easy people to talk to. Just make sure you ask clear questions.

The car ride back from the Lake Trip was a karaoke session with another camper and the Chief of Behavior. Adele, anyone?

Then it begins.

Bodhi Night preparation.

Tensions run high, friendships are tested, and campers get their game on in a duel to the death — okay, not really. Bodhi Night is a show at the end of camp where each group puts together a performance about what they’ve learned. The pressure to be good is great, and disagreements are inevitable as our group of 40 or so scramble to put together ideas. The production requirements: witty, thoughtful, and <10 minutes.

I braced myself for the heated debates, which ran on full steam. For the most part though, we were able to keep in mind that we can work together. It’s just another type of learning experience. Our final idea was a skit about two children who play a game and find themselves going through the Six Realms of Rebirth. I liked making props the most because by that time we were a united group and you could really feel the team energy. Plus I got to draw cute bunnies.

Despite a hassled rehearsal and renewed skirmishes between directors and actors, we survived the night of the event with minimal difficulty. The performances were great as always, and the counselors performed a funny skit about Journey to the West. The volunteer group topped that with a scandalously modern dance. Let’s just say I’ve never seen my mom dance like that before.

Bodhi Night goes into the lighting of the candles. This is an insightful, introspective moment. We stand in rows in the Great Buddha Hall, and the monks and nuns light the candle of the first person in each row. The lights get passed on until everyone is holding a small flame. When I first did this two years ago, I was pretty much a bundle of nerves because it’s hot, your palms are sweaty, and you’re worried about the flame going out. This year I relaxed, and I finally developed an immunity to the music because my eyes stayed dry. :P

We walk up to the altar row by row and make a wish. You put your candle next to all the other ones, bow to the Buddha, and return. I actually remembered to make a wish this year. All I’ll say is it’s quite a big one. ;)

Just when you think the pillows call –

BOOM! The fireworks begin!

The conclusion of Bodhi Night is one of the most exciting moments of camp. By some strange non-Buddhist tradition, we put a giant bonfire in the center of the main square and do a totally non-Pagan dance to the Fire Gods, shouting “Raise the fire! Raise the fire!” Then we do the Chicken Dance. Really.

The funnest part comes when the four camp groups face off against one another in an epic Bending battle (you know, from Avatar: TLA). The Earthbenders in Youth group always do fantastically because we’re awesome. The night goes on with more team activities and dancing, and by that time most of the monks and other smart people have gone to bed.

Camp concludes and the energy of the night fades away.

The final day is short. We have one more lecture in the morning, but half the group have left early and miss Closing Ceremony. By lunchtime, people are trickling home. I managed to scout a few last people to talk to, but soon I was on the way back home, back to my internship and daily life. Like every year though, the world had shifted.

When you think about it, human life seems messy and random. But everything that happens to you is a result of many other interconnected things. If you trace back the sequence of events from the exact spot where you are now, back through every moment of today, which depended on every moment of yesterday, which depended on the occurrences of the day before, and so forth, till you’ve gone through your childhood, to your birth, to your parents’ lives and births, and even further back, and if you remove any one event, your entire present reality might be different.

No matter what you’re experiencing at this very moment, it could not have come up by itself!

This means that the people you meet in life, even if you only exchange one word with them, came into your life through incredible strokes of “fate”, considering the infinite other possibilities of any given moment. I find that, well… extraordinary. Which is why I am grateful for many things in life, and BAUS camp is one of those.

This year was the best. Personally, I was more outgoing, made more friends, challenged myself, and stayed aware of the present. The sentiment that my fellow campers and I share is that we become better people each year, become a little wiser.

It’s not like I obtain some magic antidote that takes away all problems in life. Nor do I become a ridiculously positive happy-go-lucky robot. I simply accept the moment for what it is. Recognize that nothing can be spotless all the time, and some things are very minor when compared to the reality — and potential — of being human.

Thanks for reading! If you’ve never heard of this camp before and are interested (it’s free), check out the BAUS website here: http://www.baus.org/en/?cat=16.