Cambodian Monk Pursuing Leadership Skills at Harvard

Bhikkhu Hoeurn Somnieng receives a degree in business management from St. Ambrose University in Iowa, USA.

He hopes to use the skills he takes from the Kennedy School to restructure the management of Cambodian Buddhism.

21 August 2012

Im Sothearith, VOA Khmer

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WASHINGTON DC - Because public management in Cambodia is still week, venerable monk Hoeurn Somnieng, is pursuing a graduate degree at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

He told VOA Khmer on Monday that Cambodia’s Buddhism in particular lacks leadership and management from the monastery to the national level. Hoeurn Somnieng said everyone needs to carefully utilize their knowledge so that it benefits the nation as a whole.

“If we serve individuals, it benefits individuals, but if we use our knowledge to serve the nation, it benefits the nation,” he said.

Learn about Buddhism from visiting monk this evening

Venerable Somnieng Hoeun with school kids

May 1, 2008
By Leon Lagerstam, llagerstam@qconline.com
Quad-Cities Online (Moline, Illinois, USA)

MOLINE -- Use a "living" text to study Buddhism.

The Venerable Somnieng Hoeurn, a visiting Theravadian monk from Cambodia, will give a free public lecture from 7 to 8:30 tonight in Theater Room 306 in Building 1. Black Hawk College, 6600 34th Ave., Moline.

"It's rare to have a Buddhist monk in this area, and to have the chance to learn about Buddhism and hear Buddhist chanting -- a tradition rooted in one of the oldest languages in the world," college professor Galen Leonhardy said. "He's a living text we can all study."

His lecture is part of an ongoing Humanities 101 Outreach project at Black Hawk, and studying religions offers a great way to explain and pass on a humanities' tradition and understanding, Mr. Leonhardy said.

"All religions offer people wonderful and beautiful ways of framing reality," he said.

The Venerable Somnieng will discuss "who was the Buddha, what is Buddhism, and what is Buddhist chanting all about?" according to college fliers advertising the lecture. He'll also demonstrate his chanting abilities, described by Mr. Leonhardy as "a beautiful art form."

"He has a wonderful voice," Mr. Leonhardy said. "And I love to hear his insights. Somnieng is a beautiful human being who's doing good things for a lot of people."

In Cambodia, the Venerable Somnieng spends considerable time working in orphanages. He also devotes a lot of energy to education. For example, he's establishing a college scholarship program for monks and young Cambodian women.

Highly educated Cambodians were systematically executed in the 1970s by the Khmer Rouge, a revolutionary socialist party.

"Rebuilding Cambodia's college-educated population has been difficult," Mr. Leonhardy said.

Free-will donations will support the Venerable Somnieng's mission, and his stay at a Midwest Buddhist Education Center, at 216 Locust St., Davenport, while he continues his studies at St. Ambrose University.

More people are becoming aware of the center's existence and about the developing Buddhist community in the Quad-Cities, Mr. Leonhardy said. Less is probably known about the Buddhist presence, however, compared to the Hindu and Islamic communities, "but we're truly becoming a pluralistic society," Mr. Leonhardy said.

The lecture is designed simply to inform and educate people about Buddhism, not as an attempt to convert anyone, he said. "Converting, or proselytizing, tends not to occur in Buddhism," he said.

"Buddhism is a process-orientated method of overcoming suffering we experience, and it offers inner peace," Mr. Leonhardy said.

The Theravada form of Buddhism draws scriptural inspiration from the Tipitaka, or Pali canon, which scholars generally agree contains the earliest written records of the Buddha's teachings, college materials say.

Theravada, pronounced "terra-va-dah," is the predominant religion of continental Southeast Asia including the countries of Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia and Laos, and Sri Lanka.

It's also the form that has taken root in America, according to college materials.

Learn more about it tonight by studying a "living text."

Students have opportunity to meet a monk

By Cynthia Beaudette
of the Muscatine Journal (Iowa, USA)

MUSCATINE, Iowa — The joyful smile and thoughtful words of Hoeurn Somnieng triggered more of the same Wednesday at the Tantra Thai restaurant in downtown Muscatine.

Hoeurn, a Buddhist monk from Cambodia, visited with third-graders from Jefferson Elementary School as they ate lunch at the restaurant.

Teacher Deb Wieskamp said the trip to the restaurant and meeting with Hoeurn were part of a Junior Achievement field trip, coordinated by Tammy Rominger.

Rominger works at the Muscatine Heart Study office which, like Tantra Thai, is located in the former Hotel Muscatine. Restaurant owner Kevin Zhang agreed to be part of the field trip that coincided with Hoeurn’s visit to Iowa.

Hoeurn, 27, is participating in an exchange program with St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Zhang, who is Hoeurn’s friend, invited him to meet with the children.

When Hoeurn asked the students if they knew where Cambodia is, third-grader Ernesto Lujan quickly answered “Asia.”

Later, Lujan explained that he is interested in maps and globes and studies them for fun.

Hoeurn is the executive director of the Life and Hope Association in Cambodia, which includes an orphanage with 45 children. Life and Hope sends those children to school, but the families of most Cambodian children cannot afford to do the same, he said.

Lack of food is another hardship in Cambodia, where the average wage is less than $1 a day, said Hoeurn.

Hoeurn told the children some facts about his faith. He said the bright orange material he draped around his shoulders is a symbol of peace in Buddhism.

“If you want it to be a peaceful day, you can choose this color,” he said.

Hoeurn also discussed the virtues of Buddhism; loving kindness, compassion, peace, happiness and wisdom.

“Be good to everyone and make sure your goodness comes from the heart,” said Hoeurn.

In an earlier interview, Hoeurn, who attends a Buddhist University in Cambodia, said he came from a poor family, but his education in the Buddhist faith provided him with life-changing experiences.

In 2002, he began working regularly with people infected with the HIV virus.

In 2005, Hoeurn and his fellow monks of Wat Damnk established the non-profit Life and Hope Association.

This is Hoeurn’s third visit to the United States, where he is learning more about establishing a viable public education system in his own country.

“Buddha said ignorance is the root of suffering,” said Hoeurn.

Hoeurn said his own mother, Savon, had a difficult time managing a family with little education and earning potential.

Savon is a Buddhist nun now and lives very happily he said, but he wants his students to have a stronger start in life.

The Life and Hope Association also conducts a junior high and a six-month vocational training program for older students.

Hoeurn said his goal is to help the girls who attend his program to have control over their own lives before they marry and have children.

He also hopes the students he meets and works with today will grasp his vision for future generations.

After listening to Hoeurn describe the difficulties the Cambodian children deal with, third-grader Carlos Yague raised his hand and said, “We could go over there and help them, then they could have a better life. That can make the world a better place.”

Hoeurn smiled warmly.

“We are ready for you,” he said.

Reporter contact information
Cynthia Beaudette 563-262-0527
cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com

Monk Brings Practices, Compassion to US

Ven. Somnieng Hoeurn talking to high school students in the US

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 April 2008

Venerable Somnieng Hoeurn, a Cambodian Buddhist monk, offers meditation practice for those who have some meditation experience.

The techniques focus on providing new awareness of the mind and body as one consciousness focused in the present moment.

Somnieng Hoeurn is the president of the "Life and Hope Association" in Siem Reap province, which partially pays for student transportation and meals and supplements the salaries of government teachers.

Somnieng Hoeurn's association is funded by foreign aid programs in the United States, Australia and Germany.

He is now in the US for a two-year program to study management and to teach meditation.

Last year Somnieng Hoeurn had a four-month tour, including a number of conferences. He visited schools and had teaching assignments in China and the US.

While in the US, he visited the states of Hawaii, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, and Iowa.

Somnieng Hoeurn, now 28, entered pagoda life at age 15. He was born into a very poor family in Cambodia. His stepfather drank, gambled and beat him.

"Life as a Buddhist monk is not easy," Somnieng Hoeurn said. "There are 227 rules monks must follow. Buddhist monks must rely on the generosity of others for everything, even food. I was determined to learn and to speak Pali and Khmer. By age 20, I had become the second deputy head of monks."

Somnieng Hoeurn took some courses at a university in Cambodia while he waited for a visa into the US.

As a monk he found himself in demand, preaching and helping people celebrate ceremonies.

He helped children hampered by poverty go to school.

One day in 2005, an American dentist, Dr. Jon Ryder, who came to Damnak Temple in Siem Reap to learn more about Buddhism met Somnieng Hoeurn, an English-speaking monk.

They became friends after Ryder underwent a three-day meditation under Somnieng Hoeurn.

"Dr. Ryder started a plan to bring me to America for an exchange of ideas and culture," Somnieng Hoeurn said.

Somnieng Hoeurn now teaches an introductory course in meditative techniques at St. Ambrose University in Iowa, and he also teaches meditation classes in his home in Davenport, every Monday and Wednesday evening.

Having been offered a scholarship by the university president Ed Rogalski, Somnieng Hoeurn came to learn English and Management at St. Ambrose University, to become a better leader for the nearly 400 children that he and his fellow monks feed, teach and love like parents in his "Life and Hope Association."

Most of the types of meditation start with practicing awareness of respiration and mind concentration.

Concentration is a help to a step leading to a higher goal: the purification of mind, eradication of all mental defilements and negativities within. Practitioners seek liberation from misery.

"Meditation is a way of self-transformation through self-observation," Somnieng Hoeurn said. "The mind and body are always connected and can be experienced directly by physical sensations. It was discovered by Buddha more than 2500 years ago and taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills."

Use meditation to improve your health

Somnieng Hoeurn, a Buddhist monk from Cambodia, chants during one of the meditation classes he teaches in Davenport. (Photo: Jeff Cook/QUAD-CITY TIMES)

Thursday, April 03, 2008
By Deirdre Cox Baker
Quad-City Times (Iowa, USA)

Somnieng Hoeurn rhythmically chants an ancient verse as seven pupils seated in a Davenport home listen closely and learn how to meditate.

Hoeurn, a Buddhist monk from Cambodia, is in the Quad-Cities on a year-long visa to study at St. Ambrose University and teach meditation techniques. In the classes, pupils learn to relax, breathe deeply and focus on their mind.

Meditation is used by some medical professionals because it appears to have long-term benefits as far as emotional and physical well-being is concerned. It tends to ease conditions that are worsened by stress, including allergies, arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, heart disease and depression, according to the Mayo Clinic and its Web site, mayoclinic.org.

Meditation, when properly followed, can play a role in decreasing stress-related hormones, according to Dr. Edward Creagan, an associate medical editor for Mayo Health Solutions and a contributor to the Web site. That includes cortisol, which is associated with high blood pressure.

“When we are calm, serene, feel validated and with a sense of peace, the result is lower blood pressure,” he said.

Hoeurn works with the Midwest Buddhist Education Center, which also involves Steve Spring, a Davenport accountant. Classes are held on Monday nights at 216 W. Locust St., Davenport, and on Thursdays at the Davenport School of Yoga, 421 Brady St.

“People will discuss how meditation is transforming and how it improves their emotional experience and their relationships with family, friends and co-workers,” Spring said.

Hoeurn believes meditation’s focus on the mind explains how it helps other parts of the body. “A healthy mind will produce physical health,” he said.

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years in Eastern cultures. Western culture encourages formidable roadblocks to meditation, including busy, over-committed lives with no free time, Spring said.

Also, Westerners do not often see the importance of taking time to develop mental health, according to the monk. “You take one-two hours a day to feed your stomach, take 10 minutes a day to feed your mind,” Hoeurn encouraged the class.

A mind-centered focus also provides time to form appropriate responses to life’s challenges, he said. “Most of the problems in the world can be traced to people who are quick to anger. They have very quick responses,” he added.

The monk led two 15 to 20-minute sessions during Monday’s class. “Ease, ease your body,” he quietly told the students. “Focus on your breath, breathe deeply, slightly and release slowly.”

Hoeurn encourages the meditators to set aside from their minds thoughts and feelings and focus instead on breathing slowly in and out. Students should sit quietly and try to disregard discomfort, he advises.

“Focus mindfulness on breath and ignore the body,” said the monk, who sat cross-legged on the floor for more than an hour. “But if it hurts too much, please move,” he added with a grin.

Tracy and Brian Tuftee, six-month newlyweds from Davenport, have attended several classes led by Hoeurn. Tuftee said she felt positive after one 15-minute session, “smiling in my heart, if not physically smiling.”

She has been interested in meditation for years and tried it with another instructor, but felt she did not get enough guidance. Regularly meditating has helped her calm down “pretty quickly,” she said, and also has benefited the relationship with her husband.

General forms of the wide-ranging practice include yoga, Tai chi, guided meditation and Qi Gong, according the Mayo Clinic Web site.

Lives are improved with regular meditation practice, the monk believes. “Your life will be so great,” Hoeurn says. “You will be living in heaven on earth!”

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com