Eastern Horizon - September 2009 Edition by Eastern Horizon by YBAM

Harmony within diversity Malaysia is one country which has a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. There is a special place in Penang popularly called the “Street of Harmony” by the local people. Within the vicinity of this street are found houses of worship representing the various religions embraced by Malaysians – Church of the Assumption (Catholic), St. George’s Church (Anglican), Kuan Yin Temple (Buddhist), Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (Hindu), Nagore Shrine (Sufi), Kapitan Keling Mosque (Muslim) and the Gujarati Durga Shrine (Hindu).This illustrates a history of peaceful religious co-existence and cultural exchange among the followers of the world’s great faiths. At a conference organized by the International Association for Religious Freedom in Leh, Ladakh, in August 1998, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that in a multi¬ethnic society the biggest problem is that between the majority and the minority. His advice is that the majority must consider the minority as fellow members of the community. The minority, on the other hand, should be sensitive with the majority. In other words, both sides should have mutual respect and live in harmony. In order to sustain this harmony, both sides should not take lightly the sensitive issues between themselves. Indeed, the majority should pay attention to and appreciate the views and opinion of the minority. Both sides should discuss and clearly express what they think about the other’s view and opinion. The minority, on the other hand, should be careful about where the sensitive issues of the majority lies and express whatever doubts they have in their minds. If problems are resolved in such a friendly manner; then both sides will gain. Suspicion of each other will only harm both communities. Therefore, it is very important to live in harmony and analyze where the opinion of the other lies. Despite all the social, political, religious, and racial tensions that have appeared most recently in the country, as long as Malaysians of all ethnic and religious groups learn to respect each other, communicate in an honest way without ulterior motives, and appreciate the past contributions of their forefathers in building this nation of ours, we can be sure peace, harmony, and prosperity will continue to prevail for a long, long time. Politicians should also learn not to fan racial hatred by making insensitive statements just to gain political mileage as this will only be at the expense of the people. Sincerity should be their hall mark as leaders. In the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the best way to solve problems is to engage in “dialogue, dialogue and dialogue” with a kind and compassionate heart. EH

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Contents

Face to Face: Living in the present

september 2009

Teachings: The Bhikkhuni Question

by Ajahn Brahmavamso

by Ajahn Sumedho

Face to Face: Strengthening our commitment to the dhamma by Venerable Dhammasubho

Face to Face: Transformative mindfulness for happy living

by Dekyi Lee Oldershaw

Teachings: Teaching Children by Example by Venerable Thubten Chodron

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Face to Face: Meeting the challenges of a Modern Sunday School

by His Holiness the Dalai

by Venerable K.Siridhamma

Face to Face: The Abbot & the Orphan DVD Ng Lid Sine

Teachings: A guide to cultivating Compassion in Your Life Lama

Lead Article: Love is a Fire by Dr Polly Young-Eisendrath

Face to Face: Samatha Meditation in Vajrayana Buddhism by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

EasTern HorIzon radiating the light of dharma

Sept. 2009 Issue No. 29 (Published 3 times a year)

Teachings: One Dhamma, One Buddhism Dhammayana! by Dr Chan Kah Yein

eastern horizon publication board chairman Liau Kok Meng editor B. Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> sub-editors Tan Yang Wah / Dr. Ong Puay Liu

Feature: My mongolian experience by Barbara Yen

manager Mak Lai Cheng art director Geam Yong Koon publisher YBAM <ybam@streamyx.com> printer Vivar Printing Sdn Bhd

Book Reviews

Books In Brief

Cover Photographer: Jonathan Teh Sin Wei Cover Design: Geam Yong Koon eastern horizon is a publication of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM). A non-profit making project, this journal is non-sectarian in its views and approach. We aim to inspire, stimulate and share.

News: Silence can be golden when dealing with local politics by Larry Carson

Dharma Aftermath by Rasika Quek

The opinions expressed in eastern horizon are those of the authors and in no way represent those of the editor or YBAM. Although every care is taken with advertising matter, no responsibility can be accepted for the organizations, products, services, and other matter advertised. We welcome constructive ideas, invite fresh perspectives and accept comments. Please direct your comments or enquiries to: The Editor

eastern horizon

Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia 9, Jalan SS 25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MAlAYSIA Tel : (603) 7804 9154 Fax: (603) 7804 9021 Email: ybam@streamyx.com or Benny Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> www.ybam.org.my website :

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Living in the present by Ajahn Sumedho

Ajahn Sumedho was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1934. After serving four years in the US Navy as a medic, he completed a BA in Far Eastern Studies and a MA in South Asian Studies. In 1996, he went to Thailand to practice meditation at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok. Not long afterwards he went forth as a novice monk in a remote part of the country, Nong Khai, and a year of solitary practice followed. He received full ordination in 1967. Although fruitful, the solitary practice showed him the need for a teacher who could guide him more actively. A fortuitous encounter with a visiting monk led him to Ubon province, to practice with Venerable Ajahn Chah. He studied under Venerable Ajahn Chah and remained under his close guidance for ten years. In 1975, Ajahn Sumedho established Wat Pah Nanchat, International Forest Monastery where Westerners could be trained in English. In 1977, he accompanied Ajahn Chah to England and took up residence at the Hampstead Vihara with three other monks. Ajahn Sumedho has ordained more than a hundred aspirants of many nationalities and has established three monasteries overseas. He is currently resident as senior incumbent at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire, UK. Ajahn Sumedho will visit Malaysia in January 2010 where he will give a series of lectures to the public. The following interview with Ajahn Sumedho was transcribed by Simon Teh and Boey Kok Soon from the Bandar Utama Buddhist Society, Selangor.

Eastern Horizon: You always teach the Dhamma to stimulate our mind so that we do not accept things blindly. But most people like to take the easy way out and just accept what the teacher tells them. So how do we develop this investigative mind as a Buddhist practitioner? Ajahn Sumedho: As a Buddhist practitioner, there is Dana, Sila, Bhavana, the three stages of development. For people who are not ready for meditation, the emphasis is always on Dana (generosity) and Sila (five moral precepts). Generosity and morality are the foundation for a happy and successful life in the world and for a peaceful society.

Bhavana (meditation) comes when one has established a foundation with Dana and Sila. For some people, they may feel that they have the best of life in the world yet they feel that something is still missing or lacking; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where Bhavana begins. We begin to contemplate on the fact that even with the most privileged and fortunate condition, we can still suffer. The essential teachings of Buddhism, i.e. the Four Noble Truths, are based on the first noble truth of dukkha, this unsatisfactoriness that human beings experience.

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This unsatisfactoriness cannot be blamed on external

This observing without doing any thinking is

sources, but arises through the process of getting

like an investigative mind without using thought

old, losing our loved ones and death or separation

and reason. Instead the mind is mindful and uses

from someone whom we love. This is the common

intuitive awareness to observe. You will observe that

human experience of loss, getting old and separation.

doubt itself is a condition leading to attachment and

In Buddhism, these are the warning signs of dukkha

ignorance and that it arises and ceases just like any

- old age, sickness, and death. These states of

other conditions.

unsatisfactoriness will lead to our awakening; rather than trying to escape or run away from the facts of

The Buddha in the Bhadekkaratta Sutta said that

life, we become interested in bhavana by reflecting on

we should always remind ourselves of the present.

the Four Noble Truths until we understand the causes

Yet our mind wanders and we start planning for the

of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path

future or remembering the past. How do we focus

of non-suffering. Suffering includes not getting what

our mind to reflect on the present?

you want, losing your friend, death of your parents, your own aging process, being disappointed with life,

This is because the thinking mind which we have is

or just the feeling that life is not what one expects.

very attached to thinking and we have developed thought skillfully in many ways through the use of

The growing interest in bhavana in the Western

reason, logic and rational thinking. This thinking

world is a response to the advancement of modern

process, however, is also conditioned by culture. We

science and materialism. This is still the first Noble

are so used to thinking based on memories of the

Truth, i.e. the unsatisfactoriness in life. This is the

past that we think of our identity in terms of what

kind of awakening that we can use for understanding

happened to us in the past. We also reminisce about

so that we can free ourselves from the endless realms

who and how we were when we were young, and we

of suffering.

think about our experiences and our education.

The line between having an investigative mind and

One characteristic of modern life is that we are

being skeptical is quite thin. In Buddhism, skeptical

always planning for the future. We do something

doubt is a negative mental factor. How do we

now with the hope that we can obtain or achieve

differentiate between the two of them?

something that we want in the future. Our thinking process will always be limited to our memory of what

What we mean by investigation is not thinking but

we have done or experienced in the past, and then

observing. When doubt arises, it is because of our

we project this conditioned past onto the future. So,

attachment to the thinking process which inevitably

our thinking process has no space for the present

leads to uncertainty and skepticism. On the other

moment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it can be totally ignored.

hand, the investigative ability as pointed out by the Buddha means awareness and an awakened attention

Therefore, many people are not really aware of the

to the present. It is true that when I observe my

present, except when they are doing something

mind, I can observe the doubting state of my mind

dangerous which needs their full attention, for

arising when I try to think and get caught up with

example climbing the mountain or driving the car.

this thinking process. I can reflect and observe like

We pay more attention to the present situation when

an observer without thought, without knowing the

it is dangerous but generally speaking, we can be

doubting state in consciousness of this moment.

driving the car but still be thinking of the future or

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remembering the past. This wandering thought can

harm or even emotional distress to us, e.g. somebody

be quite dangerous.

insulting or spreading lies about us. If we are not aware and have never practiced meditation, we tend

So the Buddha encouraged us to cultivate awareness

to get angry with the person or thing that made us

or mindfulness, or sati sampajanna. We must begin to

angry. This will further complicate the situation and

recognize that if we have not been mindful in our life

create more anger. We will be carrying this anger

so far, we would have been dead up till now. We do

around, feeling resentful and revengeful, and we may

not really appreciate or recognize the importance of

want to get even with the person and to harm him.

mindfulness. Instead, we live in the past and think about the future. We see ourselves as a physical body

In Bhavana, we begin to trust ourselves by observing

- that was born and grows old with age. We identify

the anger we are feeling with simultaneous awareness

the physical body with gender â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that of being male or

that we are taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma

female, and with the fact that we will die some day in

and Sangha. When this angry condition arises in us,

the future. The Buddha taught us to transcend such

observe the angry feeling like an object, while taking

thoughts by developing sati-sampajanna, sati-panna or

refuge. You know you are angry that somebody

mindfulness wisdom.

insulted you and you feel the anger present in you. But take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha,

Remembering the present, being here and now, is

and not your personal feelings of anger and being

just being aware of the present. As we recognize and

insulted and hurt by somebody.

appreciate our ability to do this, we can then cultivate awareness. This is what real Bhavana amounts to -

We can then learn from the past, by reflecting on

being fully present, open, and receptive.

the consequences of being angry, and the benefits of taking refuge. We gain more insight as we

We see things from that pure awareness rather than

contemplate in this way and then we can let go of

from a bias of thoughts, perceptions or conditions

our anger. When the conditions for anger arise, we

that we might be attached to and without being aware

are better attuned to see anger with wisdom instead

of the attachment even to the very best condition. The

of from a highly personal interpretation, which will

Buddhist teaching is always to cultivate awareness and

cause us much suffering. This is because we will

to be in the state of open attentiveness in the present.

either suppress or deny the anger, feel guilty or worse, we act upon it by seeking revenge, or saying

But

sometimes

somebody

may

have

done

terrible things to the person. When we see anger

something terrible to us. How can we not get angry

with wisdom, we will begin not to act on the anger

and just forget about the past or not think about it?

but instead find out within ourselves when there is

Maybe thinking about what happened previously

anger and non anger, and how our condition is when

will help us avoid another terrible incident to us?

anger is present, and not present.

What do you think? When we study and reflect on the Dhamma, we can Anger is a natural emotion that we have. It is used

develop Right Understanding. But when does our

for survival and is not necessarily something bad in

knowledge of Right Understanding become â&#x20AC;&#x153;intuitive

itself. Anger is part of being a mammal; dogs and cats

understandingâ&#x20AC;? rather than just a conceptual or

can get angry too. Many external things can frighten

intellectual understanding? How would we know that

us, are dangerous and can hurt us, cause physical

our knowledge is intuitive and not intellectual?

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You can develop Right Understanding with the

This is our conditioned tendency or habit to make

insight knowledge. However, as long as you operate

judgment. We have cultural attitudes about what

from the ego or sense of self, you will only have

is right or wrong, good or bad and true or false. We

conventional right understanding. If you study

have memories of people in the past â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people we

Buddhism and understand the Law of Kamma, this

laughed together with and people we remember

can be considered as right understanding. This is still

with happiness and joy; we also remember people

samma-ditthi, indicating the awakened consciousness

who made us angry, caused us harm, who were

of an individual. Intuitive understanding is something

unkind to us. In bhavana, we begin to see memory as

that you cultivate by reflecting, contemplating and

just something that arises and ceases in the present

investigating the Four Noble Truths. You then begin to

moment. The conditioned judgment we made about

have profound understanding, not just understanding

ourselves, and about others is merely a habitual

of the words. The ideas of what is good and what is bad

tendency. When we cultivate awareness of this habit,

is much deeper than the superficiality of the intellect.

we will not judge this habit but just notice what arises and ceases, and notice that there is nothing

The intellect can be clever but it is merely a

permanent about judgment, about whether something

superficial kind of habitual tendency to see things

is permanently good or bad or permanently right or

in a very conditioned way. You can never be sure you

wrong. Through sati patthanna or intuitive awareness,

have right understanding as long as your intellectual

we can transcend the conditioned realm by observing

and egotistical habits are never understood and

and noticing without applying thoughts or making

you merely operate from them. So this is why the

judgments about what is bad or good according to

profundity of the Four Noble Truths is to take us

our cultural attachments. Instead, we go beyond this

beyond conventional right understanding to the level

dualism of good or bad, right or wrong or beyond this

of samma-ditthi, samma-sankkappo, through observing

realm of conditioned habits.

the rising of suffering and the cessation of suffering by seeing this suffering with intuitive awareness and

Conditions always have some quality attributed

understanding. Then we know it like gut knowledge.

to them - some are big or small, true or false, right

This intuitive understanding is known in a deeper

or wrong, good or bad. These are all judgments

way where doubt is no longer a problem. But as long

and values we placed on conditions. This thinking

as one is trying to think about oneself, we fall back

process has its functional use but as an attachment

into the egoistic tendency of sakkaya-ditthi, that is,

or habitual tendency, it binds us to the endless realm

the fetters that blind us to the path. The whole aim of

of samsara. For, if we do not realize the attachment

the central teaching of the Buddha - the Four Noble

we have for our thinking process and our habit of

Truths - is to enable us to get beyond the fetters that

making judgments, we will be caught in this hopeless

blind us to the path to liberation.

samsaric vortex, because we will be repeating endlessly the same factors which reinforce our

In our culture we are conditioned to make judgment

habits, good or bad. Once we begin to recognize the

about ourselves and others but the Buddhist way is

value of awareness in the present, our relationship

not to judge but just observe or notice. Could you

with the conditioned world will no longer be one

explain how we can do this in a practical manner in

of blind attachment, blind judgment, prejudices,

our everyday life?

bias, and opinions. Instead, we can develop a sense of spontaneity, trust and lightness, and enjoy the awareness that comes from being free from carrying

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grudges, prejudices, fears, resentment, guilt, and self-

the past in ancient India. We can pay respect to the

criticism. We can then begin to see the futility and

Buddha and feel gratitude to the Buddha. When we

unnecessary suffering that come with such ignorance

take refuge in the Buddha, and when we chant in the

and attachment.

traditional Pali chant of Buddham Saranam Gacchami, this means you know we are not taking refuge in the

In your book The Sound of Silence (Boston,

memory of a dead sage. But we are actually taking

Wisdom, 2007), you mentioned that using Pali

refuge in the present awareness of now and then.

terms helps you to reflect because when you

Suddenly these words - Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha

translate them, you understand the words. But for

- become skilful words that do not need translation

most Buddhists who don’t understand Pali, is there

anymore because you know the reality of these

an alternative to studying Buddhism in Pali?

three words, rather than depending on what Thai Buddhists, Mahayana Buddhists, Theravada Buddhists

English is my first language and also my native

or other various schools of thought say about the

language. It is the language I learned from childhood.

historical Buddha. When you have cultivated this

So I take this English language for granted. I tend

present awareness, you are actually taking refuge

to interpret my life experiences from an English

in awareness in wisdom and in understanding from

perspective and attitude. What I found helpful in

the limited position we find ourselves as a human

learning Pali is that it is not my native language,

individual.

and it is also a classical language. Basically, Pali is also a psychological language as you not only can

In your more than ten years of staying and studying

use a term in Pali to translate into English or other

with the late Ajahn Chah, can you share with us his

languages, but you also learn to appreciate the

most important message for us to live a life full of

language. You do not have to learn Pali in a highly

joy and happiness?

technical way, but it will help you to understand how to use your language better.

I have enormous gratitude to Ajahn Chah who was a living example of his practice. He was a very wise

For example, the word dhamma. There is no proper

human being. I felt very attracted to him right from

English equivalent. Dhamma has been translated as

the very beginning even though I didn’t recognize

‘truth’, the way it is. You can find something in the

this very wise man then as I couldn’t speak Thai

English language and philosophy that might give

and he couldn’t speak English when we first met.

you an impression of Dhamma. The word Dhamma

So, it was much more a sense of intuitive ability to

itself can easily be taken into the English context.

recognize the wisdom in Ajahn Chah.

But as you practice the dhamma, instead of being preoccupied with defining the word, you will begin to

My life with Ajahn Chah after that was built upon a

recognize dhamma or reality itself so that the word

level of trust and interest in learning from him. What

dhamma no longer is just some Pali term or Buddhist

Ajahn Chah was always doing even before I learned

content. You have awakened to the reality of being

to speak and understand Thai was that he would get

in the present, of being here and now – this is the

me to look at what I was feeling. There was a strong

dhamma reality and dhamma of the same thing.

emphasis on cittanupassana-satipatthana, the third foundation of mindfulness, and dhammanupassana-

While the word dhamma is the most helpful word,

satipatthana, seeing dhamma. This was because I

we can also see the Buddha as a prophet or a sage of

did not have many strong emotions arising within

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me, especially during the first few years when I was

my own conceited understanding of what practice

the only foreigner and learning the language and

is or isn’t and the kind of narrow view of what

then trying to understand the very strict traditions.

mindfulness or Bhavana, is.

We lived in northeast Thailand, and I would react emotionally against the restrictions of the Thai

I always found Ajahn Chah to be brilliant in

customs. I was also feeling very frustrated and angry,

integrating the four actions - the four nisidana

and frequently misunderstanding things due to my

iriyapatha of sitting, standing, walking and lying

inability to understand the Thai language then.

down - into our normal monastic life, keeping the

vinaya, doing the Buddhist customs as we lived it in Somehow Ajahn Chan could look at my own suffering.

northeast Thailand, and having to do the necessary

I remember instances where I got very upset, very

things to maintain our life, e.g. getting water for

critical, very angry about something, and then his

the monastery. You had to draw water from the

comment would be, ‘this Sumedho really likes to

well every afternoon, sweep the floor, do cleaning,

suffer’. I began to cultivate this practice of looking

make robes, build different things. Through all these

at why I created suffering for myself over something.

daily activities, I began to observe my resistance

Thereafter, I began to develop a strong sense of being

to my own views about what practice really is and

aware of my own emotional frustration, jealousy,

observing it in terms of suffering. If I didn’t want

paranoia, pride and conceit. I became much more

to go and help build the eating hall, I would begin

aware of all these feelings through living a life as a

to observe my own sense of not wanting to do this

Buddhist monk with Ajahn Chah at Wat Pat Pong, and

and see the attachment to that not wanting as the

observing being the observer of my own conceited

cause of suffering. Once we begin to see that more

responses or reactions.

clearly, we will have the insight of letting go of the cause of suffering, which is the second noble truth.

There were also instances where I had strong views

As you let go, you begin to cultivate letting go the

about meditation, which required you to sit in

cause of suffering, then you have the insight into

Samadhi. So, I didn’t want to do the active work.

the cessation of suffering. Suffering ceases and is

I wanted to have hours of sitting still, going into

not permanent and you have a deep insight into the

Samadhi which I thought was real practice. We

absence or lack of suffering, and then samma-ditthi

had many work projects, and we had to go on long

or the path develops. The eight fold path develops

pindapat alms collections in the morning, make robes,

from that kind of insight to samma-ditthi (right

draw water from the well every afternoon, attending

view), samma-sankappa (right intention), samma-vaca

the morning and evening pujas. There were always

(right speech), samma-samadhi (right concentration),

building projects and I used to feel these were not

samma-ajiva (right livelihood), samma-kammanta

really practice. I remember on one occasion I went

(right action), samma-vayama (right effort), samma-

to Ajahn Chan and told him I could not practice as

sati (right mindfulness), which means actually

there was too much work. He just laughed at me and

cultivating the path of non suffering to awareness

said, ‘you think work is not practice’. Just by that

and wisdom. EH

response, something in me would start observing

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The Bhikkhuni Question: Re-examining Conventional Wisdom on the issue of Bhikkhunis in the Theravada Buddhist tradition An interview with Ajahn Brahmavamso by Nissara Horayangura The bhikkhuni (fully-ordained Buddhist female monk) issue in Thailand can either stir up a lot of controversy or summon nothing more than a shrug. To many, it is a non-issue, either because they do not believe the Theravada bhikkhuni sangha can be revived, do not see any need for it, do not think women want it, or do not even know it already exists. Yet, with Theravada bhikkhunis now found in every region of Thailand, as well as around the world, the issue cannot be ignored for long. The following interview on the Bhikkhuni issue by Nissara Horayangura with Ajahn Brahmavamso of Western Australia is featured in the Bangkok Post of Thailand on April 28, 2009.

The four pillars of Buddhist society—bhikkhus (male monks), bhikkhunis (female monks), upasakas (male lay devotees) and upasikas (female lay devotees)—are pictured on a mural in the main Buddha image hall at Wat Pho in Bangkok. PHOTOS OF THE MURALS ARE COURTESY OF SUSAN PEMBROKE—ALLIANCE FOR BHIKKHUNIS

Is it true that since the Theravada bhikkhuni sangha ‘died out’ many centuries ago, it has been impossible to ordain new bhikkhunis correctly according to Vinaya? And are Thai bhikkhunis who have been ordained since the Theravada bhikkhuni sangha, which was restored in Sri Lanka [in the late 1990s with Mahayana bhikkhunis as preceptors], not legitimate Theravada bhikkhunis?

I’ve found there is no problem at all. Someone like

That is a myth. In Thailand, we sometimes spend too

One of the biggest myths is that bhikkhunis in the

much of our time believing our teachers, believing

Mahayana tradition are somehow separated from

accepted wisdom rather than investigating and

the Theravada. But the truth of the matter is, there

challenging. I thought, too, when I was a young monk

is no such thing as a Mahayana Vinaya. In all the

in Thailand that the bhikkhuni order couldn’t be

Mahayana schools, they follow mostly a Dharmagupta

legally revived. But having investigated and studied,

Vinaya. Dharmagupta is one of the Theravada sects.

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Bhikkhu Bodhi [a respected Theravada scholar-monk] has researched the Pali Vinaya and his paper is one of the most eloquent I’ve seen - fair, balanced, comes out on the side of ‘It’s possible, why don’t we do this?’ I’ve helped to publish the Thai translation of Bhikkhu Bodhi’s paper, which will be distributed to monks and other interested people in Thailand.

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Ajahn Brahm: It is a myth that Theravada bhikkhunis cannot be revived correctly according to Vinaya. Whether one is for, against, or indifferent to bhikkhunis, having accurate and broad-based information is key for understanding the issue more deeply and forming well-grounded opinions. Here, Ajahn Brahm, shared his knowledge and perspectives on the issue. The UK-born and Cambridge-educated monk was ordained in 1974 and trained for nine years under Ajahn Chah in the Thai forest. He is well-known for his Vinaya scholarship and is currently the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Australia, where there are growing calls for Theravadan bhikkhuni ordination to occur on Australian soil. Here are some excerpts from the interview with Ajahn Brahm.

that point as scholars, but also out of compassion. You have to follow the rules, but if there is a possible interpretation, which is the kind one, that’s the one we should follow because that’s what the Buddha would have encouraged us to do. It was very easy before to say it can’t be done. Now the argument is not whether it can or can’t be done, but why it should or shouldn’t be done.

So why do you think it should be done? Why did the Buddha establish the bhikkhuni order In close-up view, it is clear the saffron-robed figures on the mural are female.

if it wasn’t going to help further the dharma or give more possibility for women to become enlightened? We always say the Buddha knows better than us. If

They follow Theravada Vinaya. So the bhikkhunis we

the Buddha thought it was a good idea, then why

see even now in Taiwan and China is a lineage that is

can’t we?

unbroken since the time of the Buddha. It actually saddens me as a monk that women don’t In addition, there is another way of reading the Vinaya

have the support to renounce. If they were given

to say that the Buddha left an opportunity open for

half the chance, many women would like to live the

just the bhikkhus to ordain bhikkhunis and revive the

monastic life. If we had ordinations and monasteries

bhikkhuni sangha.

for bhikkhunis just like we have for bhikkus, they would flourish. They would not abuse the opportunity,

Given this possibility in the Vinaya, we can argue

they would not destroy the sangha, they would

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enhance it, embellish it and they’d do a marvellous

Mae chees are not a field of merit as such. The Buddha

service of bringing Buddhism into the 21st century

never established a mae chee order. He established

and into the forefront of Thai society again.

the bhikkhuni order. You can’t argue with that. The reality is in Thailand, most mae chees do not have the

It’s often said that Thai people, both in Bangkok and the provinces, are moving away from Buddhism. Having bhikkhunis would be one very powerful, effective way to restore that confidence in Buddhism. It’ll show that we’re modern. And it’ll show that we are a fair religion. How can we say that we are following reason and truth and fairness when we deny 50 percent of the population the same opportunities?

prestige, and with it, the support. Perhaps if there were bhikkhunis, women would get more support. And some people will ask me, ‘Are there even any women who want to become bhikkhunis?’ As long as there’s one person who wants to become a bhikkhuni, we should make that an opportunity for them. Not everyone wants to become a bhikkhuni. But if there’s one, 10, 20, then why not? And as far as I know, many

In a country like Australia, there is no choice.

women do want to become bhikkhunis.

When other religions are introducing equal rights

it’s becoming that way in Thailand.

It is not necessary to be a bhikkhuni to realise enlightenment - some laywomen and mae chees have done it. How can being a bhikkhuni help one to progress in dharma and reach the highest goal?

Buddhism is also fading in Thailand because people

This is related to the issue of support. The Buddha said

aren’t respecting monks so much. Get the women on

you need sappaya [conducive conditions] for practice

board and they can help clean it up.

- a quiet place, good support and not too many duties

to women, if Buddhism doesn’t we’re not going to survive. It’s culturally unacceptable to have a lack of equity for men and women in Western countries and

to perform. Currently, it’s very hard for women to

In Thailand, there are already many laywomen who are dharma teachers and ‘mae chees’ [white-robed nuns] who are highly respected and content with their role. Many laypeople say it doesn’t matter to them if someone is wearing the yellow robe or not, as long as they give good teachings. So why do we need to have bhikkhunis?

find such places. Another benefit is the inspiration it gives you. As a monk, I know I’m in a lineage, which goes back 2,500 years. Recently, I was in Sri Lanka where there is a cave that has inscriptions saying it was offered to the sangha 1,500 years ago. And you could sit in that cave and know that there’d been monks who’d been sitting

Even in countries like Australia or the US, where there

in that cave for the last 1,500 years, meditating.

are many lay teachers, along with monk teachers and

Keeping the same precepts that I was. That gave me

monks who don’t teach. Even the monks who don’t

such an inspiration. You feel you have to keep up that

teach get more support than the lay people who do

tradition and honor those monks who came before.

teach. People support the sangha because the Buddha

That’s a huge help to my own practice. It’s powerful.

himself said in the suttas [discourses] that any gift

Also, a bhikkhuni has more rules of restraint than an

given to the bhikkhu and bhikkhuni sangha earns

upasika (female disciple) or a mae chee [eight to 10

much higher merit than a gift given to a layperson.

precepts versus 311 precepts for bhikkhunis]. What

Why? Because you’re not supporting a person, you’re

we are restraining are the senses, the outflows of the

supporting a tradition, a vehicle.

mind, the defilements. So in a very profound sense,

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when one makes that transition, even from a novice to a bhikkhu, or mae chee to a bhikkhuni, those extra rules are very helpful. Because of greater restraint, you usually find that it’s easier to gain the deeper

Do you think that during the time that the Theravada bhikkhuni order was discontinued for centuries, fewer women have attained enlightenment than would have otherwise been possible?

attainments in meditation and also enlightenment. Reason tells me that the spiritual attainments of

But can’t women practitioners just study the bhikkhuni rules and keep them on their own, without needing to be bhikkhunis?

women would have been less without the bhikkhuni

When you keep the rules when you’re living in a

So in a way is it rather like ‘lip service’ to say ‘women and men have equal spiritual potential’ if there are not equal supporting conditions to realise that potential?

community [of monks], then you really do keep the rules. Because there are other monks checking on you. And you’re in a situation where you’re supported

sangha. The spiritual attainment of men would have also been less [without the bhikkhu sangha].

to keep the rules. If you try to keep them by yourself, other people who don’t understand their importance

I agree. I’d use a simile. We may say that women are as

will argue with you, and you will lose those rules.

intelligent as men, but then have no universities that accept women. When I went to Cambridge University

Similarly, women are commonly told by many monks and even other laywomen that ‘it’s not necessary to ordain to practice’. You can ordain in your heart [‘buad thi jai’] and practise wherever you are. What do you think?

there were about 30 colleges for men and only three colleges for women. Today men and women are equally represented throughout that university. If we’d have said, “Yes, women are as intelligent” but still kept 30 men’s colleges to three women’s colleges, would that be acceptable?

If monks say [to women] that it’s not necessary to ordain to practice well, then they should disrobe and practice as laypersons. Then at least they’ll be true to their word. The reason why they are monks is because

Many people negatively perceive those seeking bhikkhuni ordination as strident feminists demanding equal rights.

it is easier to practice as a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni. The ones I’ve met who are seeking ordination are not I was there with Ajahn Chah one evening when

like that at all. I think that’s another myth. They’re

Christopher Titmuss [a lay teacher in the UK], who

not demanding. They’ve come to me and said “I’m not

was then a monk, went to tell Ajahn Chah he was

doing this for myself ”. What they’re going to do will

about to disrobe. Ajahn Chah said, “Why?” And he

be tough, tough as ever, but they want to do it as a

said, “Because I want to teach the dharma in the

service. There’s almost a sense of mission, to make it

West, and it’s easier to teach as a layperson than a

possible, not maybe for them, but for other women,

monk”. And Ajahn Chah responded, “Then why did

to live the Holy Life in its purity. So there’s a sense of

the Buddha establish the sangha?” He made a very

sacrifice - they’re doing this out of high ideals, not out

strong point, that the Buddha established it because

of personal gain.

it is the best vehicle for a person to practice to reach enlightenment, and also the best vehicle for teaching the dharma.

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Many, even those sympathetic to bhikkhunis, feel powerless to do anything because of the Thai Sangha Council’s 80-year-old ruling forbidding monks from ordaining women and the still weak societal acceptance of bhikkhunis. What can people, both monk and lay, do to help support the bhikkhuni revival?

natural cause for changing any discriminatory legislation.

Any parting words? It’s not hard to establish the bhikkhuni sangha if there are women wanting to do it and monks willing to perform the ordination. It’s legally valid [according

It’s never the case that “nothing can be done”. It’s

to Vinaya]. Why not? It’s an experiment. Have an open

just that you haven’t thought of it yet. Keep on

mind, give it a chance, see what happens. And if it is

thinking, keep on investigating, and eventually

true that it’s not really necessary and that laypeople

solutions come up.

can practice just as well, then it won’t last very long. So why not give it a try and see what happens?

If there’s anything we can do to improve society, even simple things, we should. It’s irresponsible not to.

Bhikkhu Bodhi’s paper ‘The Revival of Bhikkhuni

Because it’s our duty as human beings.

Ordination in the Theravada Tradition’ is available in both English and Thai at http://bhikkhunicommittee.

The main obstacle is ignorance of the fact that the

googlepages.com/articles.

bhikkhuni lineage has already been revived and is legitimate. So, we should spread this news to the

For a paper copy in Thai email info.bhikkhuni@gmail.

Buddhist institutions and societies, and the media.

com; include your name, address, affiliation and if desired some information about your background.

Next, the small bhikkhuni sangha requires special material support to grow from almost no resources,

Visit http://www.bhikkhuni.net/library.htm/ for the full

so give offerings to the sangha of both genders just

transcript of this interview with Ajahn Brahm.

like laypeople did in the Buddha’s time. And when the bhikkhuni sangha in Thailand has grown in numbers,

Source: Bangkok Post, April 28, 2009. Reproduced with

and is well respected for its virtuous conduct and

kind permission of Ms Nissara Horayangura. EH

peaceful teachings, then its popularity will be the

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Strengthening our commitment to the dhamma by Venerable Dhammasubho Venerable Dhammasubho from Malaysia was ordained as a Bhikkhu in Wat Bovornivet Viharn in 1989 by the Most Venerable H. H. Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, the present Sangharaja of Thailand as his preceptor. After ordination Bhante (Venerable Dhammasubho) went to practice under the guidance of Venerable Phra Ajaan Ben Thanakaro, a meditation teacher of the Thai forest tradition in Wat Doi Dhammachedi Monastery, Sakorn Nakhon. Bhante spent his first Vassa in the monastery. Later on Bhante spent three Vassas with Venerable Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa in Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre in Rangoon, Burma. During his stay in Rangoon, an Australian bhikkhu (monk) introduced him to the practice of Pa Auk Tawya Meditation Centre. Bhante then went to Pa Auk Tawya in order to learn more about the practice of Samatha-Vipassana in 1994. Bhante has since spent most of his Vassas in Pa Auk Tawya. In 2001 Bhante observed one Vassa in Shwe Oo Min DhammaSukha Meditation Centre. At that time the Most Venerable Shwe Oo Min Sayadaw was still alive. In late 2007 Bhante had the opportunity to briefly stay at MyinZin Tawya branch monastery in Mandalay, a lineage of Gani Sayadaw. During his stay in Pa Auk Tawya, Bhante has offered assistance to foreigners who wanted to be ordained. In recent years, Bhante became the preceptor for most of the foreigners ordained there. In 2007 Bhante has also started administering precepts and ovada to the foreign sayalays (nuns) in Pa Auk Tawya weekly. In early 2008 Bhante was invited to Taiwan to administer precepts and Dhamma talks in Taiwandipa Theravada Buddhist College, Tainan. Bhante is currently residing in Nandaka Vihara Monastery (www.nandaka.org), which is built on a 4.5 acres land situated in Cheruk Tokun, Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Nandaka Vihara will be a meditation monastery that benefits all levels of Buddhist practitioners. Bhante graciously answered the following questions for the benefit of readers of EASTERN HORIZON.

EH: You have established Nandaka Monastery as a meditation center. It would be great if you could share with us some of the major activities that you carry out at the monastery. Nandaka Vihara is a relatively new monastery, nestled at the foothill of forest recreation park named Cherok Tokun in Bukit Mertajam, State of Penang. We started the weekly Sunday Dhamma talks here since September 2008. By December the monastics began to move in and devotees come

perform the daily Dana too. At the moment the weekly Sunday Dhamma talks is still on-going. We also conduct evening meditation session on Friday, and on Saturday we have Pali pronunciation and chanting class conducted by Venerable Samita of Sri Lanka. Venerable Samita also led a short meditation retreat during the school term holiday earlier this year. During Wesak celebration a few months ago we conducted some activities to commemorate the

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occasion. On Wesak eve, there was a candle light procession around the monastery ground. On Wesak day, pindacara (almsround) was done within the monastery compound. Pindacara was followed by Dhamma talk and Dana. There were many food stalls set up by devotees, providing free food to all who came to Nandaka. It was a good arrangement whereby lay devotees offered dana among the laities. It was a wholesome deed of goodwill gesture on the part of the donors.

Venerable Nandaka, like all other Arahants, is also a source of inspiration for male practitioners because he was a layman who ordained and practiced the Dhamma successfully.

The Kathina robe offering ceremony in Nandaka Vihara this year will be on October 11. Nandaka is the name of a famous arahant who was popular among the nuns during the Buddha’s time. Do you have quarters for nuns to stay at the monastery – if not, are there plans to establish such a place for the nuns in the near future? It is true that the Venerable Nandaka has many bhikkhuni (nun) disciples during the Buddha’s time. They achieved noble attainments after having been taught by him. Those virtuous nuns of the past should be a source of inspiration for present day female practitioners. It serves as a reminder for practitioners as to the real objectives of their renunciation. We do intend to have quarters for female practitioners (both nuns and lay women) soon. ‘Nuns’ refer to those who have taken precepts as Mae Chees, Sayalays or DasaSilaMata. As such, nuns may come from different backgrounds. We could only accept those who come for meditation retreat due to space constrain. Accommodations are also allocated to lay women who wish to come for retreat. In any case, proper quarters for ladies could only materialize after we have established the monks’ quarters. Currently there are no proper kutis or quarters for monks on the hill yet. The monks’ kutis are now located temporarily on the ground near the stream. We are trying to physically establish the monastery step by step, and not rushing through it haphazardly.

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Bhante Dhammasubho giving a Dhamma Talk at Nandaka Vihara.

For new Buddhists, how do you advice them to balance their time in studying the Dhamma and in practicing meditation? Study and practice (pariyatti and patipatti) should go together; without any study the practice will be aimless and confusing, and without practice the study will not lead to realization. However, if study is distracting the practice, then it should be reduced. Otherwise topics that uplift the mind and those that make the practice more conducive should be found and embraced. Ultimately, since different people have diverse tendencies, interests and capabilities, one needs to discover what is suitable for oneself in regards to the above. Also, sometimes one may feel inclined towards meditation practice more than anything else. It is also useful to attend meditation retreats from time to time to intensify the practice.

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On arrival at the monastery, and before departing, it is customary for lay Buddhists to pay respect to the Buddha, usually by going to the main shrine and bowing three times in front of the main image (5-point prostration, i.e. from the kneeling position with palms together at chest height. One bows to rest the forehead, two palms and two elbows on the floor briefly). It is customary to sit without pointing one’s feet towards the Buddha statues or monks. Lay devotees listening to Dhamma on Wesak Day

What are your thoughts about setting up a Sunday School for children since it is important that they learn the Dhamma at a young age? Actually we intend to have Sunday Dhamma classes and a library in this monastery. Every Sunday there are devotees who bring their children for the talks and to perform Dana. I have seen many children are very eager to participate in Dana sessions when their parents are doing the offering. They want to be part of it. Therefore it is good to explain to them certain aspects of Dhamma at that early age. Someone mentioned that there are Sunday Dhamma classes that used not only Jataka tales but also Buddhist hymns to teach children. According to the teachers’ experience singing can help students to remember and appreciate contents of the songs better. Currently the coordinators of the Sunday Dhamma class here are looking for volunteer teachers. Once there are enough volunteers and students signing up we can start the class. Those who are staying near Penang/Bukit Mertajam area and would like to serve as Sunday school teachers at Nandaka Vihara are welcome to contact the coordinators here. Sometimes lay Buddhists who are new to Buddhism do not know how to relate to monks when they visit monasteries. For the benefit of our readers, could you tell us the basic protocol for devotees who visit monasteries and how they should relate to the monks, in the context of the Theravada tradition?

Devotees should wear modest clothing, just as one would wear in any place of worship. Showing deference, respect and humility, in any case, are wholesome traits to be cultivated. Should a lay devotee wish to speak to a monk and if a monk is present they can respectfully approach him and ask for permission to speak with him. If a monk is sitting, then after bowing three times and sitting on a lower seat, it is customary to hold the hands and palms together (in anjali) at chest height when speaking with him. Should there be a need to refer to him both directly and indirectly, he can be called “Bhante,” (in Pāli, the language of the ancient Buddhist texts means ‘Venerable Sir’) which is a term of respect. Depending on traditions, he will most likely be referred to with other terms of respect, most notably, “Sayadaw” if he is from Burma; “Ajahn,” “Tahn Ajahn” or “Luang Por” (for more elderly/senior monks) if he is from Thailand or ordained in Thai tradition; in Sri Lanka the Sinhalese terms of respect are used, but “Bhante” is quite acceptable. Unless feeling unwell or discomfort due to heat or cold, hats and head coverings should be removed when speaking to the monastics, or when listening to the Dhamma. The reason for these points of etiquette is that the monastics have rules in regard to speaking about the Buddha’s Teachings, which may come up in the course of the conversation, and such acts are also useful for developing the qualities of reverence and humility. If a monk is alone and a female lay devotee wishes to sit and talk with him, she should have a male who is old

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enough to understand what is being said to accompany her. Similarly, it is not suitable for a monk to travel alone with a woman in a vehicle. Even if two women were to travel with one monk, it could be a cause for criticism and should be avoided. It is not even allowed for a monk and a woman to make travel plans together. Concerning offerings to monks, food (offered directly or put onto a plate/in a pot) needs to be formally given to monks, i.e. either placed onto their hands or into something they are touching/holding, e.g. their alms bowl. Food should only be offered in the period between morning (the time when it is visible enough to begin normal activities without artificial light) and noon (when the sun reaches its zenith, the midpoint between sunrise and sunset). Money should not be offered to monks. Devotees who feel inspired to support monks directly are allowed to inform the monks of their intentions. In that way, they can obtain and offer what is needed when the need arises. If devotees do not have close contact with monks, it is allowable for funds to be given to a monastery attendant or other responsible person who is taking care of the monks for the purpose of providing what the monks need. When such needs arise, the monks would inform the monastery attendant or the responsible person. They would then go obtain and present what is needed. It is not suitable to ask monks about their attainments (if any); they have rules prohibiting them from telling laypeople if they indeed have attainments; and if they do not have such attainments, it is considered serious infractions of their discipline should they hint/lie about such things. This includes compulsory disrobing for directly lying about supernormal attainments. In any case, it should be obvious at some point from speaking with them just how knowledgeable/realized they are if one is discerned and attentive. Just as it is considered rude to ask someone about the amount wealth they possessed, the same applies here. It will soon become obvious how well off they really are without asking.

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One of the challenges facing Buddhism today is making young adults realize the relevance of the Dhamma in their everyday lives. Having been a successful career person before, and now a monk yourself, how would you advice these young ambitious adults to appreciate the Dhamma and have balance in their lives? The reality of mind and matter then (during the Buddha’s time) and now are the same. Unwholesome states of mind could produce mental sufferings over 2500 years ago, as it can now. Back then, one could also practice the Dhamma and realize some degree of peace as we can now. The Dhamma is undoubtedly relevant in the current era as it was then. Even those teachings that emphasized social well being and harmony (for example in Mangala Sutta) are also relevant today. The Indian society during the Buddha’s time considered it to be a blessing if there were harmony and mutual support in families as it is now. Similarly, a person now would also consider it a blessing if the nature of his work does not harm others, as it was then. Take anger management for example. It was one of the most talked about subject when The Incredible Hulk movie was shown in theatres. The Suttas (Anguttara Nikaya) mentioned two main causes of anger - the sign of repulsiveness (in objects) [patighanimitta] and unwise attention. The disgust at others’ actions, words or behavior gradually grows into anger. Also when one gives unwise attention to a situation by creating a long trail of story internally, that story only fuels the anger. So it would be helpful for an anger management workshop to first discuss the causes of anger – this is an example of Dhamma application. This is just one example. If we study and practice the Dhamma we may find there are many points mentioned in the Suttas which may be relevant in daily life. You have been a monk for 20 years, and you now spend time teaching the Dhamma for the benefit of others. What is your advice to our lay Buddhists in Malaysia so that we too can sustain our interest in the study, practice, and propagation of the Dhamma for as long as we live?

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Two other points to consider are faith (saddha) and will (chanda). It is our faith (saddha) in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha that sustains our practice the most. In addition to saddha we should also have self-confidence. The path of Dhamma practice may not be easy or short. For that reason one should have self confidence and patience. If one does not have enough self confidence in the practice of Dhamma, one gives up easily. Those who lack self confidence in their practice may find the verse below useful as reflection; “Do not underestimate merit, thinking “It (the effect) will not come unto me”; drop by drop a water-jar is filled; likewise the wise man, gathering little by little, fills himself with goodness.”

Monks on pindacara

To sustain one’s interest in the Dhamma, there is a verse in the Dhammapada that best describes the answer here; “The bhikkhu who abides in the Dhamma, delights in the Dhamma, meditates upon the Dhamma, who well remembers the Dhamma, does not fall away from the sublime Dhamma.” If we find joy and meaning in performing whatever tasks, we would do it continuously. On the other hand, if one goes to the monastery just to follow his family or friends then very soon he will stop visiting the monastery or practicing the Dhamma altogether. If we do it just to follow the crowd or to socialize, then we could sway to other objects of interest very soon. Only when one knows the purpose of his actions and finds those actions meaningful can it sustain his interests.

Last but not the least another important quality is chanda, sometimes translated as will, wish or desire. In order to achieve something we need to have the will or wish (chanda) to do it. A simile pointed to this is shown in the Text. One day Venerable Ananda in a Dhamma discussion asked a Brahmin (about the simile of going to a park) “….did you not earlier have the desire or wish, ‘I will go to the park’ and after you went to the park did that desire or wish subside?” “Yes, Venerable Sir”. Although this simile points to an Arahant—who in the initial stage of his practice had the desire or wish to attain Arahantship—it can be applied to our discussion here. If one wants to sustain his interest in the study or practice of the Dhamma, he must sustain his wish or desire (chanda) to do so. Without chanda one would not take the first step; and without chanda one would not continue walking that 1000-mile journey. Chanda is indeed an indispensable factor. EH

This leads to the next point - priority. There may be many things that we are interested in but which do you set as priority? If you set the study and practice of Dhamma as your priority then they would be of importance to you. If you practice the Dhamma casually and only when you have time then very soon you will give up.

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transformative

mindfulness

for happy living by Dekyi Lee Oldershaw Dekyi-Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life spans various areas of expertise beginning with flatwater kayaking and coaching at an international level; she heralds from a family of four Canadian Olympic athletes. She built a marketing agency then trained and taught for seven years at the Findhorn Foundation, a world renowned socio-ecologically sustainable community and education centre in Scotland. She became a student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, leading to seven years as a Buddhist nun. Since 1990, she has mentored and trained leaders, social services, education and healthcare professionals internationally in compassion as radical action and the transformative power of the mind. Dekyi-Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wisdom and humor creates a dynamic, participative learning environment. She is also the Co-author of 16 Guidelines for Life and an international trainer for the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom, UK (www.essential-education.org). In 2007, she was nominated for the Athena Award for empowerment of women leaders and in 2008 was named Woman of the Year in Halton, Canada. She is Director of the Centre for Compassion and Wisdom and Lama Yeshe Ling Tibetan Buddhist Group in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Dekyi Lee is presently training doctors and medical professionals in Transformative Mindfulness at the University of Florence, Italy, hosted by the Pharmacology Department. She was invited to Malaysia by Kasih Hospice Foundation where she presented an intensive workshop in Transformative Mindfulness on March 14-15 and 21-22, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur besides lectures at the BGF. These methods are free on her website www.lamponthepath.org. Ms Loh Yit Phing from YBAM met with Dekyi on April 19, 2009 at Kasih Hospice Foundation and asked her about her life, her involvement in Transformative Mindfulness, and how it can be applied in our lives.

Eastern Horizon: You were a former national-level

a blood disorder. From there, my interest in using the

athlete and coach, and then a Buddhist nun for seven

power of the mind for healing started and I was able

years. Why did you become a nun, and then decide to

to completely heal this. I was always interested in the

return to lay life?

study of the mind and its potential. That resulted in a series of events in my life which led me to become

Dekyi Lee: I grew up in a family of Olympic athletes and

ordained as a nun. I was already a Buddhist in the

trained to use the power of my mind to compete at a

Mahayana Tibetan tradition. I wanted to learn how to

national level. I had to quit the sport when I developed

deepen my wisdom so that I can better help people with

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their problems. Hence, it was very important for me to be ordained, so that I would be more sincere in my practice, be committed to my vows and also be able to study ancient texts. I was lucky to be taught by a great teacher, Geshe Tashi Tsering, at the Chenrezig Institute nunnery in Australia. I wanted to learn more about the way they do things and was there for 5 years. When I was in retreat in Dharamsala, India in 2001, I learnt that my father broke his neck in a car accident. The decision to return to lay life was influence by my

This is a good question. You don’t have to be a Buddhist

desire to take care of him. So I went back to work, into

or able to meditate to use these methods. And these

lay life and have lived in Canada ever since, though

methods might be considered therapeutic as well as

my goals and practice commitments as a Buddhist

meditative. For many, they can be quicker, more direct

practitioner remain the same.

methods and more importantly, simpler methods requiring less self-discipline - easy enough for children

What do you find useful in Buddhist teachings in your

to learn. I call it Transformative Mindfulness because

current role as an educator, trainer and speaker?

its basis is awareness; becoming aware of thought, sensation or feeling, when there is a problem, illness or

I would say that everything that I learned in Buddhism

pain. In becoming more aware of them, they naturally

is useful; things like impermanence, compassion,

shift from resistance to acceptance. In addition, there

potential of the mind, reality, etc. When I teach, I don’t

is a transformative step, asking internally whether

think of it as teaching, but more like facilitating. I am

there is willingness to let it change? Normally, when

trying to help my students to touch their own qualities

you start internally asking for help or taking refuge,

inside and understand the potential of their minds.

change begins in some way due to more spaciousness in the mind. So, the question is “Am I willing to let

As a speaker, when I speak, I always imagine that I am

it change?”, becoming open and receptive to asking

connected to my Buddhist refuge and the people that

internally for spiritual help and allowing whatever

I am speaking to. I imagine this as a triangle between

comes from that openness has produced results that

us with the Buddha at the top as a spiritual source. I

have been profound.

always try to stay sensitive and listen to that spiritual source, and feel connected to my Teachers before I say

People usually come to me for the first time because

something. I always try to communicate in a way that

of a problem, pain, illness, life change or some kind

people can understand; e.g. I will speak differently

of suffering. Firstly, they must become aware of the

to young people. I always refer to this as a bridging

problem. Otherwise, they can do a body scan; e.g. you

language which I am trying to find so that people can

ask yourself “Where is the pain in your body. Can you

understand more about themselves and Buddhism.

find it?” For someone in a lot of pain or who has suffered some kind of crisis, lost someone in their family or are

Mindfulness is an important tool in Buddhist practice.

young, they may normally not be able to focus for very

How is Transformative Mindfulness similar or

long. They may have low power of concentration and

different from traditional Buddhist understanding of

their emotion is strongly there. Their body may be

Sati or Mindfulness?

tight or be experiencing painful areas so using their mental power to specifically focus on how the body is

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experiencing the problem will help them to observe, be

problem. For non-religious people, asking for help from

aware and bring energy to that area of the body. They

the part of their mind that simply ‘knows’ can be just

will be able to feel and identify a problem area as a

as effective.

sensation by asking questions that project the sensation as a color and shape or image, density, age, even what function it has had. By asking all those questions, it will give them an opportunity to learn how to be aware of it, help them to focus and then accept it. As a result, the sensation or mental image of the sensation will slowly start to change. Often, the change is immediate. If I asked someone to “Focus on your stomach for 10 minutes”, their mind would most likely remain there only temporarily and then would be everywhere. So I am using the visualization technique to help them focus.

You have introduced Transformative Mindfulness

Often the images and colours help them to understand a

as a secular rather than a religious tool. Isn’t there

psychological cause related the problem, realizing that

a disconnect here since the aim of Mindfulness in

“Ah! This is the reason that this is happening.” Once

Buddhism is specifically “spiritual”?

they know more about the cause, then they realize that they can change it. Then I will ask them: “Are you

No, I think Buddhism is spiritual but mindfulness as a

willing to let it change?”

concept merely means for one to be aware of what’s going on without judgment. Mindfulness is universal

There are a few different methods to help them change.

and can help anybody. It is being used all over the

One is internally asking for help, and this could be asking

world. For example, it is used in hospitals nowadays

from a spiritual guru, God, Buddha, inner wisdom or

with people who have depression and pain. There are

whatever is relevant, then allowing whatever changes

books which explain the application of mindfulness in

might occur, even if it is nothing at first. When someone

healthcare, e.g. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction by

asks for help, what happens helps them to begin to

Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts). I think

see the potential of their mind, “Oh, I can change that

the question is what needs to come first? The idea here

easily!” It is important to allow them to experience and

is not to convert everyone into a Buddhist and then for

understand that it is their own mind, “Other people

them to learn about mindfulness. You can learn about

cannot do it for me, and I can do it for myself ”.

mindfulness even when you are not a Buddhist. There are many who Buddhists that come to me aren’t and it

While I have taught a diversity of people and

helps them to become better people.

professionals, there are also Buddhists who come to see me. For those with strong refuge, I find that

Do we need to go through intensive and long retreats

they can change very quickly and profoundly. Many

to experience the benefits of Transformational

practicing Buddhists are used to being very honest with

Mindfulness?

themselves and able to let go by taking refuge. They let the change happen, allow the unknown to happen and

No, these are methods that anyone can use. It is about

then transform and change. For children, their mother

being aware of your emotions and reactions and how

or grandmother might be their refuge. I think this is

to change it. These methods are used when a problem

the same as taking refuge. It creates some space in our

arises rather than as a daily practice. It does not take

heart and makes a shift in our mind which created the

months or years to experience the changes. Normally,

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they are people who are going through some kind of

you know the method, you just have to pause and stop

suffering. Unfortunately, most people don’t ask for help

reacting. It is simple and practical.

until they have really suffered a lot. And I am not going to ask a 10 year-old or someone in acute pain to go for

Even better, the same method can be used to strengthen

a long retreat. Many people come to me that are not

positive sensations or feelings. For example, by noticing

Buddhist and find that the methods are very helpful,

how it feels when we have given something to someone

and then want to learn more about them. This leads

or been especially caring. Then noticing how it feels

them to other meditation courses and longer retreats or

physically, and asking for help internally to let it

to train to facilitate them to help others at home or as

expand.

part of their work. So Transformative Mindfulness can be a bridge that leads people to more committed daily

Different people might use it differently. For example,

meditation or can be a way for a committed Buddhist

for youth and children, they have facilitators at school

meditator to quickly shift a challenging obstacle that

or youth programs. When they can’t control their

arises for purification – using a more therapeutic

emotions, the facilitators can use the methods including

approach now and then that supports their practice.

drawing the image of the sensation for a quick shift. For teenagers, what is useful to get them motivated to use these methods is to ask them if they want to take back their power by not reacting, especially those in detention centres. So, we will ask them, “What can you do so that you don’t react?” They often help their friend later once they are familiar with how it works. Our youngest trained facilitator is 14 years old and helps run youth programs. 70% of people come to me informally and I try to look for tools to help them in a secular way. For example, once a lady sat with me in a coffee shop and shared with

So how best can we practice Transformational

me her pain. When I asked her to scan her body, she said

Mindfulness in our everyday lives, especially at work,

that the pain was in her back. It felt like someone had

with our family members, and with friends?

stabbed her in her back with a knife which was sharp, long and hard, etc. She already started telling me about

Once we learn the method, we can use it anytime to

where the pain was, so what I needed to do was to ask

quickly change our reaction or level of pain. For example

her, “Do you want to change that?” And carry on with

in a meeting, when somebody does something that

the rest of the method.

makes you angry, you can change your reaction right there by taking a pause and noting how it is affecting

We are also doing these methods in an addiction

you physically, thinking “I am angry because I am the

rehabilitation center. For these people to make a

one who is reacting”. Identify the anger, notice where

change, they need to be aware of the problem and

it affects you physically and what metaphor describes

understand the causes of their problem, one of which is

the sensation, and then decide whether you are willing

the craving in them which is making them suffer. Often

to allow it to change, ask for help internally, and then

due to their poor concentration power, we need to look

allow it to shift. It’s about what you can do so that you

for tools to help them and that they can use themselves.

don’t react and what your mind can do. Maybe you

Transformative Mindfulness has been very helpful and

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Is it possible for us to practice Transformative

We are now training doctors in Italy to see if

Mindfulness in the comfort of our home and office

Transformative Mindfulness methods can help reduce

without the need for an experienced meditator to

the high level of medication required by patients who

guide us like in traditional Buddhist meditation?

experience chronic pain as well as side effects.

It is best to be introduced to the methods by a qualified facilitator or guide in order to understand the principles underlying it. After several times, when you are familiar with them, you can do them yourself at your own pace, by listening to a CD. However because they are so simple, and gentle many have started by reading them or listening to a CD. You also use Transformational Mindfulness in healing? Has it been proven to work for mainly psychosomatic illnesses or does it help with actual physical illnesses

How do you teach children to practice Transformative

such as cancer? Are there many case studies on the

Mindfulness? Do you have different techniques for

success of Transformative Mindfulness?

those of different ages?

Lots of people have experienced changes, but the main

Sometimes it is the same technique, sometimes it is

goal here is not to change the symptom or illness. When

different. For children, they quite often have a “Disney

someone is ill, various reactions take place, e.g. anxiety,

Mind” - very creative and able to visualize images easily

fear, anger, denial, etc. Illness is not the only element

like a video. So they can easily describe a sensation in

or problem. There are other elements in the mind

their body, i.e. “It feels like a burnt marshmallow.” Or

which may affect the symptoms. There are emotions

“It feels like hundreds of little birds in my stomach.”

which arise due to resistance, misunderstanding, etc.

Sometimes, I will ask them to draw when they are

For example, cancer patients who need to go through

experiencing, for example when they are angry. We can

chemotherapy or other treatment may think: “Ah!

determine their anger through their drawings. Their

It is poison.” They have a lot of emotions which arise

drawings will reflect their reality. When they are angry,

due to misunderstanding or fear of the chemotherapy

they may not say so but they may draw something

which may increase the symptoms. So, we need to begin

that looks hot or angry. When they have identified

by changing the reaction in the mind. This can reveal

the physical response to their emotion through their

more subconscious causes psychologically so they can

drawings, I will ask them: “Are you willing to let it

change. “What you resist persists. What you accept,

change? Ask for help. And watch what changes in your

starts to change. So, we cannot say that Transformative

inner video.”

Mindfulness can cure disease though I have seen some amazing healing results. Transformational Mindfulness

Children need a reason to focus. For example, they are

allows them to better understand what could be related

able to focus when they are playing with a ball or if you

psychologically to the cause of their situation or reaction

give them a video game to play with. When you ask

to the situation and help them to start changing their

them to look for an image for how they are feeling, then

minds, which in some cases may be resisting treatment.

ask them to allow it to change, for them it is more like

This change coupled with a better lifestyle, better diet,

a cartoon or watching an internal video. This is natural

etc. will then help their condition to improve.

way for kids. They will surprise you!

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Since Transformative Mindfulness has its origins in

and Transformative Mindfulness is a project that is

ancient Buddhist teachings on mindfulness, has this

being highlighted internationally for social services

technique been endorsed by contemporary Buddhist

and health areas.

masters? I have been training facilitators since 1991, starting in By training more people internationally, especially

Australia. His wish is for me to train facilitators and give

those with a solid foundation of Buddhism, I am doing

them the confidence and support to use it, especially

what my Lama has advised.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

youth facilitators who can help youth with addiction

saw that I could help people much faster using these

problems. To do this, I would like to somehow train a

methods in some situations than other meditations or

master trainer in each language and country.

psychotherapy and was also particularly interested in the success we had seen using these techniques to help

The Transformative Mindfulness methods are available

abused women. He has always encouraged me to help

for free at www.lamponthepath.org. We are next looking

more people with these techniques, to train others and

for assistance to create a more dynamic and updated

especially to write books about transforming various

educational website to help this to expand to help in

problems. He has always told me, “Hey you. Help

other languages in as unlimited way as possible and to

as many as possible with Essential Education, www.

make use of online learning to support training. CD’s

essential-education.org, using universal language that

of the meditations are available from Kasih Foundation

can help more people and be a bridge for Buddhist mind

in Kuala Lumpur at www.kasihfoundation.org. For

training.” He asked me to join a board of the Foundation

inquiries in Malaysia, you could contact the coordinator,

for Developing Compassion and Wisdom, UK, whose

Oi Loon Lee, at ollee2009@gmail.com. EH

patron is His Holiness The Dalai Lama, to do just that

Are you searching for a spiritually challenging work? Do you enjoy meeting fellow Dharma practitioners, Buddhist leaders, and Dharma masters? Would you like to introduce the latest Buddhist book you read recently? How about researching into the latest web-sites on Buddhist activities around the world? And of course, what about telling us how you first came in contact with the dharma and what the dharma means to you today. Well, if you find all of these interesting, we can make it spiritually challenging for you too! In every issue of EASTERN HORIZON, we publish special chat sessions with leading Buddhist personalities, essays on all aspects of Buddhism, book reviews, and news and activities that are of interest to the Buddhist community. We need someone to help us in all these projects. If you are keen to be part of this exciting magazine, please e-mail to the editor at Bennyliow@gmail.com, and we will put you in touch with what’s challenging for the next issue! Let us share the dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings!

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Meeting the challenges of a

Modern Sunday School by Venerable K.Siridhamma

Venerable Kotawila Siridhamma was born in the village of Kotawila, Matara, Sri Lanka and was the youngest son from a family of four siblings. He was ordained as a novice monk at the age of 14 years. He pursued his monastic training and education in Sri Ratanapala Pirivena, Matara. He received his further education from Sri Sudharshi Pirivena and Mantinda Pirivena, Matara. Before coming to Malaysia, he served at the Mangala Vihara, Singapore. He was personal attendant to late Chief Reverend, Most Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda. After Chief Reverend’s demise, he left for the USA to serve the Sarana Buddhist Society, Washington State. He returned to serve the Buddhist Maha Vihara Brickfields in late 2007 at the invitation of Ven K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thera and the Sasana Abhivurdhi Wardana Society. Sumanananda Premseri from the Sasana Abhivurdhi Wardhana Society met up with Bhante Siridhamma for a lively chat regarding Buddhist Institution Sunday Dhamma School (BISDS) in conjunction with its 80th anniversary.

Eastern Horizon: What are the key achievements of BISDS since its inception in 1929? BISDS has been an effective arm of the Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, in the propagation of Buddhism. It has established itself as the center for Buddhist education and unveiled “The Buddhist Series”, a comprehensive children’s text and teachers’ guide in English and Mandarin. BISDS also produced the 1st Malaysian Buddhist animated series entitled “The Abbot and the Orphan” to promote Buddhist teachings, including Jataka tales, in English and Mandarin. In 1970 BISDS played a major role in the National Buddhist Youth Seminar held at the Buddhist Maha Vihara which culminated in the founding of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia, a national umbrella of Buddhist youth groups.

Can you share with us how BISDS started and the current student population? BISDS was established in 1929 under the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society (SAWS) with an enrolment of 12 Sinhala children who studied Sinhala language, chanting, and Buddhist teachings under the tutelage of Venerable M. Dhammadassi Thera, the then incumbent Bhikkhu of the Buddhist Maha Vihara.

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The school stopped operating briefly during the Japanese occupation. After the war, it went through rapid expansion and became more organized after 1952 with the arrival of the late Ven. Dr K.Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera. He took a personal interest in the development of BISDS. We were also very fortunate to have nine capable Sri Lankan monks who served as Principals in the school throughout our 80 years. The Principals, together with lay teachers and staff of the school, organized training programs and activities for the staff members, parents and students. From 12 students in 1929, the numbers increased to 632 in 1974. The first permanent school building with five classes was erected in 1961. In 1980, the enrolment dropped to 100 because of a shortage of teachers and classrooms, and lack of direction and vision by the leadership. BISDS soon recovered and despite not been able to use much of the premises due to the construction of Wisma Dhamma Cakra, we managed to set up tents all over the Vihara grounds to temporarily house the school. Enrolment in fact increased to 400. On Jan 1, 1995, BISDS moved to the Wisma Dharma Cakra with well equipped classrooms, resource room and library. By the turn of the millennium, we had 1,000 students, thanks to the new school building. BISDS is staffed by 200 volunteers who conduct Dhamma classes for 1,300 school children as well as adults each Sunday. Dhamma lessons are conducted in English and Mandarin from 8.30am-11.00am (School 1) and from 11.00am -1.30pm (School 2). Today, BISDS has become a premier institute for the dissemination of Buddha Dhamma and promotes the growth of Buddhist education among the young and old.

What are the School’s immediate and mid-term challenges? Many parents who send their children to BISDS today are well-educated and knowledgeable in Buddhism. They want the best in Dhamma education for their children. Thus, BISDS needs to constantly evolve and strive to achieve a high key performance index. This is the school’s immediate challenge. The syllabus and resource teams are working towards developing high quality text books, teaching materials, and teaching aids. At the same time, the recruitment and training department regularly holds workshops to enhance the teaching skills of its staff members. I have personally attended one workshop recently and was impressed with the commitment and professionalism shown by the staff members. The mid-term challenge faced by BISDS is to ensure it remains relevant in the electronic age. The current internet and multimedia rage has made electronic Dhamma schools unavoidable. BISDS will soon have to chart its course in that direction.

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To sustain the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest, BISDS has included in the curriculum Art and Craft, Jataka Tales, Hymn Singing/Chanting competitions, Story-telling competitions, Wesak Projects, and excursions. There are also extra-curricular activities such as are dancing, choir, and harmonica and guitar classes. Activities for youths include team building and leadership programs. Besides BISDS teachers constantly up-grade their teaching skills and adopt state of the art methods and a variety of teaching aids such as VCD, DVD movies, slides, transparencies, cartoons and educational games to deliver lessons. We have taken cognizance that Sunday is a family day when family members do things together. So we started adult classes in English and Mandarin for parents and these classes have remained popular after 20 years. So, Sunday is also a family affair in BISDS now. There are staff members who volunteer their services beyond Sunday school hours and use their time to guide students from orphanages who attend BISDS. Staff members have also taken the initiative to set up individual class blogs to communicate and guide their students, while some staff members take their teenage students on Saturdays and public holidays to visit paediatric and cancer wards at the University Hospital in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. These visits provide an opportunity for the students to care for the sick and less fortunate. These activities help promote better harmony among the staff members and the students.

What about the teenagers and young adults? Sustaining their interest would seem even more challenging, right? I agree that many teenagers do not attend classes in BISDS after reaching the age of 19. The main reason is that they are preparing for examinations to enter colleges or universities. However, I wish to say that most of the 200 staff members, especially the younger ones, are former students of BISDS. The school encourages youths who have graduated from BISDS to become facilitators and teachers to guide the younger students. This move has helped the school to consistently generate teenagers and young adults to continue with the BISDS. Some of them have been serving the school for more than ten years. The late Dr K Sri Dhammananda was asked this question before. His reply was that it is important to expose them to the religious atmosphere at the temple and encourage them to participate in religious activities when they are students of BISDS. It does not matter if they did not take their Dhamma studies seriously and stopped coming. However, when they realized the need for a religion, they would come back to the Dhamma because of the Dhamma seed planted into them. I absolutely agree with the late Chief Venerableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s observation. As long as the Buddhist Maha Vihara and BISDS still stand, the sons and daughters who have gone away will return. Let us concentrate to plant those Dhamma seeds in their formative years to allow it to germinate when the time is right. 39!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!TFQUFNCFS!311:

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The Sunday Dhamma schools are mainly located in the bigger cities in Malaysia. Are there plans by BISDS to support the growth of Sunday schools in smaller cities? The late Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananada who came to Malaysia in 1952 to spread Buddhism had contributed greatly to its growth in the country. Due to his efforts, Buddhist societies and Sunday schools have mushroomed in many parts of the country. It must be noted, however, that these Buddhist societies and Sunday schools are not affiliated to BISDS. Nevertheless, there is a strong spirit of brotherhood between BISDS and them. There is also mutual learning and sharing between BISDS and other Sunday Schools. We provide them with our Sunday School teaching materials, and many of these schools are using our syllabus. Similarly BISDS also organise regular educational trips to other Sunday schools in different parts of Malaysia and Singapore to understand how they manage their schools. Thus, BISDS and the other Sunday schools mutually support each other. We also invite those interested to set up new Sunday Schools to visit us for live experience of the requirements and needs as well as challenges they will face. Many of the Sunday Schools were set up by students and teachers who were from BISDS.

There is a lack of interesting materials for children. What are the plans by BISDS to develop Buddhist books, games, e-games and interactive portals to attract children? In 2000, BISDS launched its “Syllabus 2001” project with the aim of producing “Buddhist Series” text books and work books for students. Experienced staff members were roped in to implement the project. Since then the following books have been completed in both English and Mandarin in stages: “Life of the Buddha” (Level 1-8), “Jataka Tales” (Level 1-8), “Dhamma Living Skills” (Level 1-8), “Chanting” (Level 1-8) and “Art & Craft” (Level 1-8). These text books and teachers guides are currently being used by many centers in Malaysia and overseas. In March 2009 BISDS launched an animated series entitled “The Abbot and the Orphan”. The aim of the animated series, which is produced in both English and Mandarin, is to educate students on morality. The first episode entitled “The Shrine” was launched in conjunction with the 80th anniversary celebrations on March 8, 2009 while the second episode entitled “Belief” was released for Wesak on May 8, 2009. Our current aim is to complete the eight episodes of “The Abbot and Orphan” animated series. To keep BISDS relevant in the electronic age, an electronic Dhamma school seems unavoidable. This is one area BISDS will have to venture and draw up plans to implement.

What is your vision for the school? BISDS has set its sight on becoming a leading center in the education and dissemination of Buddhism. This vision is in line with that of the Buddhist Maha Vihara. As the 10th Principal of the school, I share this vision and I will work together with all concerned towards achieving it. EH

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A guide to cultivating

Compassion in Your Life by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama, is the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and a spiritual leader revered worldwide. He was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Taktser in northeastern Tibet. Born to a peasant family, he was recognized at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the XIIIth Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are manifestations of the Buddha of Compassion, who choose to reincarnate for the purpose of serving human beings. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989, he is universally respected as a spokesman for the compassionate and peaceful resolution of human conflict. He has traveled extensively, speaking on subjects including universal responsibility, love, compassion and kindness.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~ Dalai Lama

What is Compassion?

The key to developing compassion in your life is to make it a daily practice.

Compassion is an emotion that is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another; to show special kindness to those who suffer. Compassion essentially arises through empathy, and is often characterized through actions, wherein a person acting with compassion will seek to aid those they feel compassionate for.

believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives. I’m not talking about the short-term gratification of pleasures like sex, drugs or gambling but something that will bring true and lasting happiness. The kind that sticks.

Meditate upon it in the morning (you can do it while checking email), think about it when you interact with others, and reflect on it at night. In this way, it becomes a part of your life. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

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Compassionate acts are generally considered those which take into account the suffering of others and attempt to alleviate that suffering as if it were one’s own. In this sense, the various forms of the Golden Rule are clearly based on the concept of compassion.Compassion differs from other forms of helpful or humane behavior in that its focus is primarily on the alleviation of suffering.

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Benefits Why develop compassion in your life? Well, there are scientific studies that suggest there are physical benefits to practicing compassion — people who practice it produce 100 percent more DHEA, which is a hormone that counteracts the aging process, and 23 percent less cortisol — the “stress hormone.” But there are other benefits as well, and these are emotional and spiritual. The main benefit is that it helps you to be more happy, and brings others

around you to be more happy. If we agree that it is a common aim of each of us to strive to be happy, then compassion is one of the main tools for achieving that happiness. It is therefore of utmost importance that we cultivate compassion in our lives and practice compassion every day. How do we do that? This guide contains 7 different practices that you can try out and perhaps incorporate into your everyday life.

Seven Compassion Practices 1.

Morning ritual. Greet each morning with a ritual. Try this one: “Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” Then, when you’ve done this, try one of the practices below.

2. Empathy Practice. The first step in cultivating compassion is to develop empathy for your fellow human beings. Many of us believe that we have empathy, and on some level nearly all of us do. But many times we are centered on ourselves (I’m no exception) and we let our sense of empathy get rusty. Try this practice: Imagine that a loved one is suffering. Something terrible has happened to him or her. Now try to imagine the pain they are going through. Imagine the suffering in as much detail as possible. After doing this practice for a couple of weeks, you should try moving on to imagining the suffering of others you know, not just those who are close to you. 3. Commonalities practice. Instead of recognizing the differences between yourself and others, try to recognize what you have in common. At the

root of it all, we are all human beings. We need food, and shelter, and love. We crave attention, and recognition, and affection, and above all, happiness. Reflect on these commonalities you have with every other human being, and ignore the differences. One of my favorite exercises comes from a great article from Ode Magazine — it’s a five-step exercise to try when you meet friends and strangers. Do it discreetly and try to do all the steps with the same person. With your attention geared to the other person, tell yourself: Step 1: “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.” Step 2: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.” Step 3: “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.” Step 4: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs.” Step 5: “Just like me, this person is learning about life.” 4. Relief of suffering practice. Once you can empathize with another person, and understand his humanity and suffering, the next step is to want that person to be free from suffering. This is the heart of compassion — actually the definition of it. Try this exercise: Imagine the suffering of a human being you’ve met recently. Now

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imagine that you are the one going through that suffering. Reflect on how much you would like that suffering to end. Reflect on how happy you would be if another human being desired your suffering to end, and acted upon it. Open your heart to that human being and if you feel even a little that you’d want their suffering to end, reflect on that feeling. That’s the feeling that you want to develop. With constant practice, that feeling can be grown and nurtured. 5.

that person was going through, and what kind of bad things had happened to that person. Try to imagine the mood and state of mind that person was in — the suffering that person must have been going through to mistreat you that way. And understand that their action was not about you, but about what they were going through. Now think some more about the suffering of that poor person, and see if you can imagine trying to stop the suffering of that person. And then reflect that if you mistreated someone, and they acted with kindness and compassion toward you, whether that would make you less likely to mistreat that person the next time, and more likely to be kind to that person. Once you have mastered this practice of reflection, try acting with compassion and understanding the next time a person treats you. Do it in little doses, until you are good at it. Practice makes perfect.

Act of kindness practice. Now that you’ve gotten good at the 4th practice, take the exercise a step further. Imagine again the suffering of someone you know or met recently. Imagine again that you are that person, and are going through that suffering. Now imagine that another human being would like your suffering to end — perhaps your mother or another loved one. What would you like for that person to do to end your suffering? 7. Now reverse roles: you are the person who desires for the other person’s suffering to end. Imagine that you do something to help ease the suffering, or end it completely. Once you get good at this stage, practice doing something small each day to help end the suffering of others, even in a tiny way - even a smile, or a kind word, or doing an errand or chore, or just talking about a problem with another person. Practice doing something kind to help ease the suffering of others. When you are good at this, find a way to make it a daily practice, and eventually a throughout-the-day practice.

6. Those who mistreat us practice. The final stage in these compassion practices is to not only want to ease the suffering of those we love and meet, but even those who mistreat us. When we encounter someone who mistreats us, instead of acting in anger, withdraw. Later, when you are calm and more detached, reflect on that person who mistreated you. Try to imagine the background of that person. Try to imagine what that person was taught as a child. Try to imagine the day or week

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Evening routine. I highly recommend that you take a few minutes before you go to bed to reflect upon your day. Think about the people you met and talked to, and how you treated each other. Think about your goal that you stated this morning, to act with compassion towards others. How well did you do? What could you do better? What did you learn from your experiences today? And if you have time, try one of the above practices and exercises. These compassionate practices can be done anywhere, anytime - at work, at home, on the road, while traveling, while at a store, while at the home of a friend or family member. By sandwiching your day with a morning and evening ritual, you can frame your day properly, in an attitude of trying to practice compassion and develop it within yourself. And with practice, you can begin to do it throughout the day, and throughout your lifetime. This, above all, with bring happiness to your life and to those around you. EH

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Teaching Children by Example by Venerable Thubten Chodron Venerable Thubten Chodron grew up near Los Angeles and graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1975, she attended a meditation course given by Ven Lama Yeshe and Ven Lama Zopa Rinpoche and subsequently went to their monastery in Nepal to continue to study and practice Buddha’s teachings. In 1977, she received the sramanerika (novice) ordination, and in 1986, received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. She studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche and other teachers for many y years. She directed the spiritual program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy for nearly two years, studied three years at Dorje Pamo Monastery in France, and was resident teacher

at Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore. For ten years she was resident teacher at Dharma Friendship Founation in Seattle, where she continues to be spiritual advisor. Ven. Chodron travels worldwide to teach the Dharma: North America, Latin America, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, and former communist countries.. Seeing the importance and necessity of a monastery for Westerners training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, she founded Sravasti Abbey and is currently involved in developing it. Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well-known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings.

..Dharma practice isn’t just coming to the temple; it’s not simply reading a Buddhist scripture or chanting the Buddha’s name. Practice is how we live our lives, how we live with our family, how we work together with our colleagues, how we relate to the other people in the country and on the planet. We need to bring the Buddha’s teachings on loving-kindness into our workplace, into our family, even into the grocery store and the gym. We do this not by handing out

If you tell your children one thing, but act in the opposite way, they are going to follow what we do, not what we say.

leaflets on a street corner, but by practicing and living the Dharma ourselves. When we do, automatically we will have a positive influence on the people around us. For example, you teach your children loving-kindness, forgiveness, and patience not only by telling them, but by showing it in your own behavior. If you tell your children one thing, but act in the opposite way, they are going to follow what we do, not what we say.

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If we’re not careful, it is easy to teach our children to hate and never to forgive when others harm them. Look at the situation in the former Yugoslavia: it is a good example of how, both in the family and in the schools, adults taught children to hate. When those children grew up, they taught their children to hate. Generation after generation, this went on, and look what happened. There is so much suffering there; it’s very sad. Sometimes you may teach children to hate another part of the family. Maybe your grandparents quarreled with their brothers and sisters, and since then the different sides of the family didn’t speak to each other. Something happened years before you were born -- you don’t even know what the event was -- but because of it, you’re not supposed to speak to certain relatives. Then you teach that to your children and grandchildren. They learn that the solution to quarreling with someone is never to speak to them again. Is that going to help them to be happy and kind people? You should think deeply about this and make sure you teach your children only what is valuable. This is why it’s so important that you exemplify in your behavior what you want your children to learn. When you find resentment, anger, grudges, or belligerence in your heart, you have to work on those, not only for your own inner peace but so you don’t teach your children to have those harmful emotions. Because you love your children, try to also love yourself as well. Loving yourself and wanting yourself to be happy means you develop a kind heart for the benefit of everybody in the family. Bringing Loving-Kindness to the School

A simple way to teach your children generosity is to give away all the things you haven’t used in the last year.

We need to bring loving-kindness not only into the family but also into the schools. Before I became a nun, I was a schoolteacher, so I have especially strong feelings about this. The most important thing for children to learn is not a lot of information, but how to be kind human beings and how to resolve their conflicts with others in a constructive way. Parents and teachers put a lot of time and money into teaching children science, arithmetic, literature, geography, geology, and computers. But do we ever spend any time teaching them how to be kind? Do we have any courses in kindness? Do we teach kids how to work with their own negative emotions and how to resolve conflicts with others? I think this is much more important than the academic subjects. Why? Children may know a lot, but if they grow up to be unkind, resentful, or greedy adults, their lives will not be happy. Parents want their children to have a good future and thus think their children need to make a lot of money. They teach their children academic and technical skills so that they can get a good job and make lots of money -- as if money were the cause of happiness. But when people are on their deathbed, you never hear anybody wishfully say, “I should have spent more time in the office. I should have made more money.” When people have regrets about how they lived their

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life, usually they regret not communicating better with other people, not being kinder, not letting the people that they care about know that they care. If you want your kids to have a good future don’t teach them just how to make money, but how to live a healthy life, how to be a happy person, how to contribute to society in a productive way. Teaching Children to Share with Others As parents you have to model this. Let’s say your children come home and say, “Mom and Dad, I want designer jeans, I want new rollerblades, I want this and I want that because all the other kids have it.” You say to your children, “Those things won’t make you happy. You don’t need them. It won’t make you happy to keep up with the Lee’s.” But then you go out and buy all the things that everybody else has, even though your house is already filled with things you don’t use. In this case, what you are saying and what you are doing are contradictory. You tell your children to share with other children, you don’t give things to charities for the poor and needy. Look at the homes in this country: they are filled with things we don’t use but can’t give away. Why not? We’re afraid that if we give something away we might need it in the future. We find it difficult to share our things, but we teach children that they should share. A simple way to teach your children generosity is to give away all the things you haven’t used in the last year. If all four seasons have gone by and we haven’t used something, we probably won’t use it the next year either. There are many people who are poor and can use those things, and it would help ourselves, our children, and the other people if we gave those things away. Another way to teach your children kindness is to not buy everything that you want. Instead, save the money and give it to a charity or to somebody who is in need. You can show your children through your own example that accumulating more and more material things doesn’t bring happiness, and that it’s more important to share with others.

The most important thing for children to learn is not a lot of information, but how to be kind human beings and how to resolve their conflicts with others in a constructive way.

Teaching Children About the Environment and Recycling Along this line, we need to teach children about the environment and recycling. Taking care of the environment that we share with other living beings is part of the practice of loving kindness. If we destroy the environment, we harm others. For example, if we use a lot of disposable things and don’t recycle them but just throw them away, what are we giving to future generations? They will inherit from us bigger garbage dumps. I’m very happy to see more people reusing and recycling things. It is an important part of our Buddhist practice and an activity that temples and Dharma centers should take the lead in. Source: Thubten Chodron, “Buddhism in Modern Society”, in “The Path To Happiness” EH

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The he Abbot & the Orphan DVD

Eastern Horizon: What motivated you to come up with an animated movie? Ng Lid Sine: Animation has universal appeal. Disney’s Snow White was made in 1937 and continues to be remastered, repackaged, and distributed worldwide today. Everyone likes animation. Maybe because it’s a rib tickling escape from our mundane lives. I like animation because it is like an illusion of life, and didn’t the Buddha show us that life is an illusion? The motivation to produce this series was my concern for our children growing up in an ever affluent society – a society that encapsulates children in a selfish materialistic world. This series hopes to balance their outlook by engaging them with a character that is the complete opposite.

Ng Lid Sine has served as a volunteer teacher in Buddhist Institution Sunday Dhamma School (BISDS) since 1988. He was the Vice Principal of BISDS in 1991-1992. His work experience includes being an engineer, computer programmer, and animation director. He has directed various animated productions for both local and foreign television stations. Catherine Heng has served in BISDS as a volunteer teacher since 1990. She has produced numerous animated series for television stations and educational series for the Ministry of Education in Malaysia. Sumanananda Premseri from the Sasana Ahivurdhi Wardhana Society at the Buddhist Maha Vihara interviewed both Lid Sine and Catherine for EASTERN HORIZON.

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Catherine Heng: And from the feedback we have received from parents we know that we are on the correct path as children of the 21st century are more adapt to receiving Dhamma in audio visual format. With emerging technology, entertainment is now more accessible in the forms of I-pods, PDAs, and Blackberry, and these are what our children find most appealing. We also received comments that during the BISDS 80th anniversary launch, all the children present in the hall suddenly became quiet and attentive when the animation preview came on.

Isn’t it odd that you started with a blind abbot as your launching pad? Ng Lid Sine: A main concern in the planned series is the first noble truth of unsatisfactoriness or Dukkha. Without seeing Dukkha, Dhamma cannot be seen. Putting it in another way, if one does not see Dukkha, one may as well be blind to the Dhamma. So to drive this point through, I decided on a visually impaired abbot whose clear understanding of Dukkha enables him to have a superior vision in life. So he plays zenlike jokes on those of us with eyes that don’t really see.

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In the first episode, the orphan asks the abbot if he really need to have the Buddha image in the shrine since he is visually impaired and cannot see it. The abbot’s reply was that he does see the Buddha albeit in his heart. It shows that it is more important to see the Buddha in our hearts than just superficially.

How long does it take to complete a 20-min production? Catherine Heng: About 2- 3 months.

Could you briefly tell us the storyline for this first production? Ng Lid Sine: The first episode is entitled “The Shrine” in which the orphan learns that Buddhists get religious fulfillment without having to idolize or pray to some supreme being. He is inspired to “Do Good, Avoid Evil, and Purify the Mind” when the Abbot relates the Jataka Tale of the flightless quail to him. Then he learns the meaning and significance of basic religious offerings.

writing each script, basic Dhamma living skills are incorporated and there is a Jataka tale woven into each episode. Our spiritual advisors, Venerable K Sri Dhammaratanna Nayaka Maha Thera and school principal Venerable K Siridhamma preview every episode and provide advice and feedback. School board Members and staff members also provide feedback after the preview sessions. Ng Lid Sine: I hope to lead the audience through the eyes of the orphan as he struggles to find his place in life. His quest for parental love takes him through many hard lessons such that he tackles Dukkha head-on. Each lesson in Dukkha unfolds more of the Dhamma. Eventually when the abbot passes away, the boy realizes that the abbot was like a parent to him and that the loving kindness that he had received was better if not equal to that of any parent. It’s like we often take for granted the things we should treasure most and the irony of it all is that it had been right under our nose all the time.

What was the criteria used to choose the character’s voice?

Your productions are in English and Mandarin. Are there future plans to dub or have your voice over in languages such as Japanese, Korean, Thai, Burmese and Sinhalese?

Catherine Heng: Acting. The person lending his or her voice must be able to act. Even though he is not seen per se, good acting brings out a more convincing voice over which makes the animated character more convincing.

Catherine Heng: When there is a demand for translations to be made, it will be possible to cater for the dubbing in any language. If there are any interested parties for translation requests, please get in touch with BISDS.

Who writes the scripts for you? What is the basis or approach you take for the series?

Ng Lid Sine: Bear in mind that studio recording and voice talents charges can become expensive. We have kept our production costs low because we do all the recording in-house and sourced the voice talents from within the Buddhist Maha Vihara and BISDS.

Catherine Heng: Lid Sine writes the scripts. A draft is prepared before the final script takes form. He sends it to the BISDS Senior Lecturers/trainers like Mr Vijaya Samaravickrama and Mr Lim Teik Leong for proof reading and suggestions. Another of our senior BISDS staff and trainer Mr Lau Kai Kong will then produce the Mandarin script translations. When

There are some Buddhist animated series already available in Mandarin. Wouldn’t it be easier to dub them to English than to start afresh?

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Ng Lid Sine: As far as Buddhist animation goes, the Japanese have been most prolific. Some of the available Mandarin series are actually dubs of these productions. They have done a great job on Zen and Mahayana teachings. Then there is a handful of feature length animation on the life of the Buddha which focused mainly on the legend. I don’t think dubbing these will be easy. Remember these are fully commercial intellectual property and there’s the complicated issue of licensing and royalty payments. They have invested millions into their productions. Then there’s the translations and its approval. We still need to get the entire cast of voice over talents. To maintain quality, the original master is required. However, the originals may be incompatible and require costly adjustments. Taiwan and Japan broadcast in American NTSC standards and we here in Malaysia are using European PAL standards. It’s not a simple matter of ripping other’s work and putting our voices to them. Catherine Heng: Well I guess it’s just like Dhamma books. Although there are many books available, there will always be new Dhamma books produced. There may also be new contemporary issues that need to be addressed by Buddhism.

What added value, market segmentation or niche are you offering that makes you different from the Buddhist animated series already available in Mandarin? Ng Lid Sine: We don’t want to just translate instructions from Dhamma books to movies. We want to display a living Dhamma experience that touches the heart. We are not into rhetorics nor esoteric teachings. We want to go to the fundamentals keeping it as non-sectarian as possible - Four Noble Truths, Eight Fold Noble Path, Precepts, Meritorious deeds, etc. The Jataka tales provide special interests to children and they get to see how it relates to the

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drama. Also it’s formatted as widescreen cinematic DVD, complete with dual language audio and subtitles.

The general Buddhist population in Malaysia do not buy books or CDs. The expectation is for Dhamma to be FREE. You have targeted this as DONATION instead of SALE. Have the donations received thus far covered cost? Ng Lid Sine: When we wanted to produce an animated Buddhist Hymns karaoke for free we learnt something valuable. Anything that is given free is almost always taken for granted. As they are seldom appreciated, many free resources ended up wasted. It’s funny, every time I hear someone say Dhamma is free, I imagine that he could just sit in front of the Buddha image and be irradiated with Dhamma FOC! Ask yourself. Do you need Dhamma? Do you really need it? If you do, you will need to pay for it by practicing and even suffering to the point of realization. As the saying goes, no pain no gain. No Dukkha, No Dhamma. I think what people mean to say is that Dhamma is not for sale. This to me is merely a catchy phrase that we just pay lip service to. Then FREE usually means someone else paid for it. As a comparison, the Vandana DVD that was launched together with “The Abbot and the Orphan” was for free distribution. While many people who bought the animated DVD congratulated me and provided feedback on how to improve it further, I didn’t receive any feedback about the free Vandana DVD. Catherine Heng: The donations collected have been very encouraging considering that the DVD is presently only available in the Maha Vihara in Brickfields. But so far the amount collected has not covered the cost of the production of the future episodes yet. We hope that sponsors will come forward to fund the future productions.

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What is the estimated cost of a 20-30 minute production? Catherine Heng: We’ve put the cost of production at RM 50,000 per episode. The only reason we can produce it at such a low cost is that we do everything in-house - from ideas, scripting, storyboarding, right down to music and sound-effects. Even the voice talents were sourced from within BISDS and Buddhist Maha Vihara. To top it all, executive level employees at Cartoon Workshop worked overtime without pay on this project. It’s our contribution to the Buddhist community. We have seeded the production by sponsoring the first production and we hope that others will come forward to fund the future productions or help in the fund-raising to cover the cost of the production. As for the replication costs, so far we’ve had donors coming forward to sponsor the replication costs of the DVDs. Ng Lid Sine: This RM 50,000 is a very small figure as far as cost of producing an animation is concerned. Depending on the quality and details of the production, cost of production of commercial web cartoons are into hundreds of thousands of ringgit, television/video cartoons break into the million ringgit region, while the cost of a feature film runs into tens of million ringgit. Even producing a local audio CD professionally will cost more than RM 50,000. What’s even scarier to me is that commercial entities are putting in mega bucks to make programs that are deceiving and detrimental to spirituality and morality. Japanese anime/manga (animation/ comics) are catching on like wildfire and a lot of it are loaded with violence, horror and sex. While we satisfy ourselves meditating silently, others are subliminally programming our children with dubious contents.

How do you intend to market your CDs if you take a donation approach instead of sale, since this approach limits your market penetration through other Buddhist centers? Ng Lid Sine: As you know, most Sunday schools are run by volunteers and do not have aggressive sales strategy. Their main function is Dhammadutta. So this project is more about reaching out to children than penetrating the market. I hope this project will also allow BISDS to reach out to share the Dhamma with other Buddhist centers. The primary concern is to get the message delivered to those who seek it. I’m of the opinion that the offering of the DVD free does not facilitate the delivery. How has the response to the CD been over the Net? Do you get many queries and donations over the Net? Catherine Heng: Since we launched the first episode we have concentrated mainly on the distribution of the DVD locally. The BISDS is arranging to receive funds over the NET and once it is in place, we hope to be able the make the DVDs available on-line. Are you worried that pirated versions will destroy your ability to sustain the series? What have you done to mitigate the risk? Ng Lid Sine: No. I won’t worry about them. Original DVD movies are about RM60+. Pirated DVD commands RM10. People are attracted by the price difference. We are providing this DVD for a RM15 donation so I don’t think the pirates will be interested. If they are, we should take it as a form of flattery. Catherine Heng: Just as it is possible for one to photocopy a Dhamma book, it is also possible to duplicate the DVD. Well, we hope that everyone will practice the second precept “Addinadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami” - do not take what is not given without permission. EH

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LOVE is a Fire by Dr Polly Young-Eisendrath

I think in people’s hearts they understand that the heart is cooking like shish kebab in your breast, and no matter what you do, the passions come and go and they sear you, they burn you. If it’s not your lover, it’s your children; if it’s not your children, it’s your job; if it’s not your job, it’s growing old; if it’s not growing old, it’s getting sick. This predicament cannot be resolved. That is the wound that does not heal, and rather than approach it from the point of view of stitching or cauterizing it, there is a kind of wisdom of living with the wound. (Shambhala Sun, May 2009, quoted from a 1994 interview, p 65).

Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D., is an engaging and imaginative speaker, a Jungian analyst, a psychologist and an author. An experienced clinician and teacher, she is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Vermont and Consultant in Leadership Development at Norwich University. With a fulltime practice in central Vermont and a busy speaking schedule, Polly enjoys consulting with individuals and organizations. She has published thirteen books that have been translated into more than twenty languages, including The Resilient Spirit, Women and Desire, and The Cambridge Companion to Jung.

Cohen’s words are pretty close to some lines from the poem “The Four Quartets” by T.S. Eliot (1943):

When EASTERN HORIZON asked me about my thoughts on how Buddhism can inform our relationships and our intentions to engage authentically and compassionately with those we love, I decided to quote from the popular singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen who is a longtime Zen student of Sasaki Roshi:”

So, here are my thoughts about relationships, stated as succinctly as I can give them:

“I believe we know that love is a terrible wound itself, and that it presents a bewildering landscape to stumble over. Love is a fire: it burns everyone, it disfigures everyone, it is the world’s excuse for being ugly.

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The only hope, or else despair Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre -To be redeemed from fire by fire. Who then devised the torment? Love, Love is the unfamiliar Name Behind the hands that wove The intolerable shirt of flame Which human power cannot remove. We only live, only suspire Consumed by either fire or fire.

Our closest relationships are always challenging because in order to love someone, (whether a partner, a child, a parent or a friend), we have to, first, really get to know the other with open-minded interest and find out who the other person actually is, as distinct from what we want that person to be or need that person to be. Then we have to accept the truth of the other person. This is always difficult. To say that love means appreciating another just as he/she is -- while it’s accurate -- is much more demanding than it sounds.

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We can feel this acceptance much more readily for strangers than for those we are meant to love. This is because, in our closest relationships, our own fate is bound up with the fate of the other. Also, in our closest relationships, we always begin to get to know the other person (even if the person is an infant) through a process of projection: seeing/feeling/ experiencing the other through already familiar views and ideals. This is especially true in romantic love where we “fall” in love through an idealizing projection, assuming that the other person is ideal for us in some specific or general way. When that other person will not become or do what we want, which is always the case, then we can easily turn against the other with bitter hatred, rejection, or pain. The process of believing we know the other, recognizing that we don’t, trying to get to know the truth and then being open and flexible -- while continuing to be interested in the other person’s reality -- is very difficult and tricky. But not only are the closest relationships filled with power struggles, incomplete understandings, painful feelings and often betrayals, they will also end in loss: one person will die before the other, or one person will go away, or one person will close off emotionally. We need to keep in mind the First Noble Truth: life is filled with unsatisfactoriness. This is a condition that we cannot overcome. Relationships are especially filled with unsatisfactoriness that goes beyond the fault or error of any individual. Within this understanding, we must establish a basic mindfulness in watching our own feelings. They arise and pass away. We can experience them with or without expressing; we should come to feel an ease in doing either. But in order to know whether it is skillful or wise to do one or other, we have to pay close attention to the consequence of our actions: if we speak, how does it turn out? If we don’t speak, how does it turn out? Can we speak with kindness and honesty at the same time? Mindfulness of our feelings and our speech are basic requirements for relationships to go as well as possible -- and then they can only go as well as human beings can allow, which is always deeply imperfect.

Where Buddhist psychology adds an important and unique insight is in its privileging of “equanimity” or gentle matter-of-fact attention that we cultivate toward our experience. If you can maintain equanimity in the face of difficult negative emotions, then you can feel your feelings, listen to your beloved and reflect on the whole picture before you act. Many people make the mistake of pushing away negative feelings, dissociating from them because they are afraid that if they express anger or hatred or fear or even disappointment, they will cause destruction. But if you have the skill to feel your feelings with a gentle attention to them, first you will notice that they are self-liberating. They change without you doing anything! Second, you can decide what you might want to express and what you want to stay silent about. You won’t have to hide your feelings from yourself and you can learn about speaking honestly and kindly at the same time. This is a skill that can be developed by any meditator who tries it out. Regarding the conflicts about meditation practice within families and relationships. All Buddhist practitioners need to be considerate and careful about their meditation practice within family life. If you follow the Dharma with care, you know that there is no clear separation between your welfare and the welfare of others from the point of view that you are embedded together in the context you’re in. If you act selfishly even for “good” reasons (e.g. to go to a retreat), the consequences will be painful for all. On the other hand, if you are kind and considerate -- bringing up in conversation your own needs and asking those others around you how you can negotiate your needs and theirs, then it is very likely that everyone will benefit. Also, sometimes practitioners can unintentionally take a somewhat superior attitude as though their concern for meditation practice should be admired by others. This only causes great difficulties for all concerned. Like all other aspects of life, words spoken about practice and our needs for practice should be kind, as well as true, and they should be offered in an atmosphere of deep equanimity with the needs of others and modesty about ourselves. In fact, learning how to work with, and accept, the negative feelings that come up in regard to practice within a family or relationship is a path in itself. It is the path of love.

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The Path of Love The path of love is always difficult and it is a training for a broken heart. You can see why some young people want to avoid love and marriage: they are challenging and deeply imperfect. They teach us the deep lessons of the First Noble Truth and how suffering transforms into compassion. The current expectations for a “perfect” relationship or child can make the reality of love seem even more daunting. People just get afraid of being hurt or hurting someone else -- and of course, it’s impossible to avoid these eventualities in love.

The best way to deal with all of this is to jump into life (and love) and see how it teaches you. “Dharma” refers to the workings of “natural spiritual laws” that we can learn about only through living our lives fully, really engaged. If we back off and try to solve life’s problems in the “virtual reality” of our imaginations, then we cannot learn the Dharma. If instead, we jump in, then eventually we’ll discover how “To be redeemed from fire by fire.” And that is the deepest of all the lessons the Buddha taught. EH

X-treme Personality Makeover – How to Avoid the Self-Esteem Trap COOPERATE AND SHARE To be the most confident and happy person you can be, develop an engaged relationship with the people around you. Focus on your ability to share, cooperate, be empathic, and help others and yourself. This is the most ecological and environmentally friendly approach you can take to life. AVOID PERFECTIONISM There’s no way to know whether you are making the “right decisions” for life’s big choices (partner, work, location). Don’t become obsessed with perfection. Recognize instead that you must learn to guide yourself through the disappointments, failures and mistakes that will always be a part of your life, no matter how successful you are. BE MODEST Remain modest and open to feedback about your choices, ideals and actions. You need others to help you find your way. You can’t find the answers that you’re looking for in your own head by constantly replaying “What if...” BE FLEXIBLE Develop a resilient spirit by recognizing how and when you need to take responsibility in response to adversity, challenge and error. Being the “best” never counts as much as being flexible and able to improve with feedback. Life is demanding, disappointing, challenging, and changing. You will never find “security” or “stability” on a permanent basis because the ground is always shifting under you.

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BE PATIENT WITH YOUR TALENT Patience and diligence are necessary for true creativity. It takes about ten years to become an original contributor in any field. Cultivate your abilities sensibly, recognizing that you won’t make your mark on the world overnight. BE GENEROUS AND KIND Any time you have a spare moment, look around and see who needs assistance, support, or care. Don’t dole out help only on special occasions or you’ll miss thousands of opportunities to feel happy as a result of helping. BE ORDINARY Good manners, good conscience, and virtue are required to be a regular good person who can be trusted. Sharing and collaborating are essential for developing good character. Don’t look for your own private advantages in life; they won’t make you happy. BECOME A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY Recognize that your parents, partner, and elders deserve your respect, support, and interest. They are the foundation for your own life. If you help them, your foundation will be stronger. Belonging to a family means more than being born into it. It means contributing to your family’s welfare, celebration, and happiness on a daily basis.

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X-treme Parenting Makeover – Ten Guidelines for Healthy Parenting in An Age of Self-Importance 1. YOUR KID IS NOT KING You’re raising your kid to be a member of the human race, a society, a community, a family – not to be the center of attention.

2. REAL LIFE IS DISAPPOINTING Learning early to handle disappointments well helps your kid become confident, selfgoverning and optimistic in a world full of limitations.

3. AUTONOMY IS THE GOAL Effective self-governance and healthy selfesteem come from knowing our strengths and weaknesses in doing things in the real world and getting feedback, not from excessive encouragement or praise.

4. DON’T FEED YOUR KID JUNK PRAISE Junk praise (for example, “Great job!” for ordinary activities), like junk food, is addictive and takes the place of developing inner wisdom that is necessary for skillful decision-making.

5. RESILIENCE COMES FROM BEING FLEXIBLE Don’t protect your child from making mistakes, encountering failures or knowing the limitations (of self and other) that teach us how to be flexible in facing the expectable challenges of life.

6. HELP YOUR CHILD HAVE PATIENCE WITH TALENTS AND CREATIVITY Diligence and patience are necessary for true creativity to develop; it takes about ten years to become truly creative in any field.

7. KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY BRING THE GREATEST HAPPINESS Guide your child to be compassionate and helpful to others. Teach your kid to look around and see who needs help, assistance, or support in any moment (not just special occasions). There are countless opportunities to feel happy as a result of helping.

8. GOOD CHARACTER WINS Good manners, good conscience and virtue are the requirements for good character that provides the best foundation for success.

9. BE AN EXAMPLE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS Show respect, kindness and interest in your own parents, partner and elders. If you don’t, your child will not show a lasting interest in elders and other family members, including you.

10. TEACH YOUR KID HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER Belonging to a family means more than being born into it. All kids should be taught to contribute to the welfare, celebration and cooperation of their families throughout the life span, becoming valuable members.

Dr Polly Young-Eisendrath can be reached via email at pollye@comcast.net. EH

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Samatha Meditation in

Vajrayana Buddhism Yongey (pronounced Yon-gay) Mingyur Rinpoche is a highly venerated teacher and master of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Nepal in 1975, and was recognized as a tulku by both H.H. The 16th Karmapa and H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Rinpoche has one-pointedly devoted his entire life to the study, practice and teaching of the Buddha dharma and has accomplished tremendous benefit for beings in this lifetime. When Rinpoche was nine, he moved to the hermitage of Nagi Gompa in Nepal to study Mahamudra teachings, as well as instructions on the Trekcho and Togyal aspects of Dzogchen with his father, Tulku Urgyen

Eastern Horizon: Buddhists in Malaysia are mainly exposed to the Theravada approach to samatha meditation. However, is there also samatha meditation in the Vajrayana tradition? Perhaps Rinpoche could also explain the key differences between the Theravada and Vajrayana approach to samatha meditation, including the attainments in both systems of meditation. YMR: The Theravada approach is based on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, beginning with the breath. Vajrayana samatha meditation begins with objectless meditation, which means that your mind stays into awareness – awareness of the awareness. The mind stays in the present, fresh with wakefulness and clear but with no concept. There is the quiet mind all the time, the fundamental mind. It is always peaceful, quiet, clear, and awake. That is objectless samatha. Awareness becomes the object of the awareness! Other than that, there are no other objects. This is the beginning. After that, we transform all phenomena as the object of samatha meditation – form, sound, smell, taste, sensation, even thoughts and emotion. So poison transforms into medicine. There is no obstacle for meditation. This is samatha as taught in Vajrayana.

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by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Rinpoche, one of the greatest Dzogchen meditation masters of our time. When Mingyur Rinpoche was 11 he was invited by H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche to study at Sherab Ling in northern India. There he learned the practical applications of the daily rituals of Karma Kamtsang and the tantras according to the tradition of Marpa. Rinpoche also completed all required studies at the monastic college or shedra. At the age of 13, Rinpoche entered a traditional threeyear retreat. At age 17 he was asked by H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche to become the retreat master and at age 20, Situ Rinpoche asked Mingyur Rinpoche to become assistant Khenpo of Sherab Ling where a new monastic

Then there is also vipassana meditation in Vajrayana Buddhism. There are two kinds of vipassana. First, there is emptiness vipassana – seeing that there is no “I”, which is non-self. Second, there is Vipassana that shows us the nature of our mind so that we see Buddha nature directly. “To see Buddha nature” – is this the same as the pointing out instruction? Yes Does this mean that we would need a teacher or root guru to point-out the nature of our mind? Yes, a teacher is needed but not necessarily a root guru. This nature of mind must be pointed out from life as you cannot learn from books. Reading from the books is just to get an idea, but it is not the experience. Before the pointing-out instruction, the teacher may just be a teacher, not necessarily a root guru. After pointing-out one’s nature of the mind, that teacher will become one’s root guru. The result of this Vajrayana practice of samatha and vipassana is that one becomes a Buddha. The result in the Theravada practice is that one becomes an Arahat. But they are all Buddha’s teachings, and are all good.

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numbers of people attending Buddhist events at this sacred pilgrimage site, serve as an annual site for month-long Karma Kagyu scholastic debates, and serve as an international study institute for monastic and lay sangha. The institute will also have a medical clinic for local people. Mingyur Rinpoche teaches actively in the West and is known for his remarkable ability to convey the Buddhist teachings in a clear and skillful manner.

Mingyur Rinpoche with his late father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

college was established under Mingyur Rinpoche’s guidance. One of his current projects is the building of Tergar Institute in Bodhgaya, India, which will serve large

When we talk about all these practices, what are the pre-requisites of a samatha student in Vajrayana Buddhism? Is finding the right teacher one of the prerequisites? That is correct. Buddha said that the teacher is like a flower, and we are like bees, while the Dharma is like nectar. You can take teachings from different teachers. But you need authentic teachers, not fake teachers. So who is an authentic teacher? He must have four qualifications: (a) lineage; (b) history of practice or study – but not necessarily to check on their past lives’ level of practice; (c) keeping vow or samaya with his dharma friend or teacher; and (d) having compassion. How do you find the right teacher? It is quite easy to understand the teachings, easy to develop devotion for that teacher, and easy to understand the dharma. So if the teacher has the aforesaid four qualifications, then, you can choose that person as your teacher.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was in Singapore in March 2009 to give Dharma teachings. Ms Hee Cher Sun had an opportunity to attend some of his public talks and weekend teachings on “The Joy of Living”, Level 1. Despite his very busy teaching schedule in Singapore, Mingyur Rinpoche graciously granted Cher Sun some time in between his teachings for this interview exclusively for EASTERN HORIZON.

That may also mean that it is difficult for one to find a teacher? It is OK if you do not find any teacher initially. Whoever you receive teachings, empowerment and transmission from, that person becomes your teacher. But the root teacher and the general teacher are different. In the beginning, if you do not have a root guru, it is all right. Even if you do not have a root teacher, you can still become a Buddha. If you put all the teachings together, they are still teachings. In the West, people think too much about finding the right teacher. Finding the right teacher is like getting into a marriage. But one should not be too pre-occupied with finding the right teacher. Even if the teacher does not point out the nature of your mind, but you feel comfortable or have a connection with that teacher, you can choose that person as your teacher too. There is also a possibility that one may not have a root teacher. It is also not necessarily the case that this is due to past lives’ karma.

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Would it help if we do purification practices so that the path will be clearer and the right teacher will be shown to us? Yes, of course. What sort of relationship are we supposed to develop with the teacher? How can a student check the progress of his/her practice with the teacher? What is important is to receive the meditation teaching. Listen to the teaching again and again. If you practice, you may have doubt. But if you practice again and again, you will have the answer yourself. Because of your practice, you can get the answer. That answer will stay with you longer than just asking the teacher. Practice is most important. And read some books also. If we do not have physical access to the teacher, will we still be able to practice samatha meditation in the Vajrayana tradition? Yes, after you have received instructions. Should one refrain from going to many teachers to seek teachings or just remain with one teacher? First, it is OK to seek many teachers for teachings. But you must check if they are authentic teachers. If he is a fake teacher, then abandon all his teachings – just remain neutral – and do not practice. When we take an empowerment from a certain teacher, does that mean that teacher has become our teacher? Yes, that teacher becomes your teacher when you received empowerment from that teacher. That means we have samaya with that teacher who gave the empowerment? Yes And other people who take the empowerment with us will become our dharma brothers and sisters? Yes And we will have samaya with our dharma brothers and sisters? Yes And we will have to keep our samaya with this teacher and our dharma brothers and sisters? 57!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!TFQUFNCFS!311:

Yes, you need to keep the samaya but do not be too tight over this. But of course you may sometimes encounter problems with them. However, you can have confessions on these problems and then you purify these problems. Do purification through the Vajrasattva practice. By doing nightly vajrasattva practice? Yes, if you recite 21 times Vajrasattva prayer, it will purify all broken samaya of the present life. What about broken samaya of past lives? You will need to recite more Vajarasattva prayer, more than 21 times. How does this initial training in samatha meditation relate to Mahamudra and Dzogchen training? This is the preparation of mahamudra and dzogchen teaching. Prepare our mind to receive the pointing-out instruction. Very important to develop samatha, bodhicitta and emptiness. These 3 aspects are important for you to receive pointing-out instructions. Then only will you understand the nature of mind. Otherwise, if we have not developed samatha, bodhicitta and emptiness, pointing-out instructions would not be clear to us when they are given. Even if pointing-out instruction is given, one may not be able to recognize it. Is it a MUST for one to master vajrayana samatha before one can proceed to Mahamudra and Dzogchen training? Not necessarily to master it but we must have some level of experience. This would be part of the preliminary or preparatory practice. You mentioned mindfulness as a tool for us to develop happiness. Could you explain how this is done, especially in our everyday lives? Mindfulness is like the sun – it eliminates dullness. Mindfulness is also like light. If you have mindfulness, you have found yourself, you can be with yourself, and you can be at the center of yourself. Normally, we don’t have mindfulness as we only follow our monkey mind – our thoughts and emotions. That’s why we cannot have peace within us. Normally thoughts and emotions are within us. You can free your monkey mind. You can achieve freedom from inside. That is why you can achieve permanent happiness with mindfulness.

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Your new book, Joyful Wisdom, addresses the issue of anxiety in modern living. From the Buddhist perspective what are the causes of our anxiety? Grasping and expecting material possessions and making comparisons. Your father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche was one of the greatest dzogchen meditation masters of our time. What were the important lessons that you have learned from your illustrious father as a Dharma master? Meditation For someone new to the Dharma, what would be your advice to him so that he can begin to understand, appreciate, and then practice the Buddha’s teachings? Firstly, you must study the Dharma– read general books that are easy to understand. Second, practice meditation. These two practices are very important. If we only read the books, our knowledge will be purely intellectual and dry. Then one must meditate to supplement the study.

Any final advice to the readers? Give more focus to study and practice. If you are to learn the dharma, you need a balance in daily life. Try your best to use knowledge, wisdom, power, capability, but your mind must not be too tight on the result. Everything is impermanent. There is always winning and losing in life. It is therefore important to have a balance. With that, one is able to be happy and achieve success. I would also like to wish Tashi Delek to all the readers. I will pray for everyone to have success in their spiritual life. EH

Mindfulness - Aware & Embrace the Present Moment Mindfulness-Based Therapy For Therapists (MBTT) Workshop by Kuala Lumpur Buddhist Mental Health Association (BMHA) Date: 10-11th October, 2009 Time: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm Venue: To be decided later Programme:

Speaker :

Day 1 (10th October 2009) Saturday • Introduction to Mindfulness • Mindfulness in Health & Healing • Hatha Yoga Exercise • Mindfulness of Breathing • Body Scan Exercise

Dr. Tan Eng Kong (MBBS, MPM, FRANZCP) is the Founder and Chairman of Metta Clinic in Sydney, a group practice consisting of psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists.

Day 2 (11th October 2009) Sunday • Mindfulness for Pain & Discomfort • Mindfulness of Thoughts & Feelings • Mindfulness in Relationship • Video on Mindfulness-based Therapy • Loving-kindness & Mountain Meditation

*Dr. Phang Cheng Kar (Psychiatrist) and Ms. Low Mi Yen (Clinical Psychologist) will be assisting Dr. Tan Eng Kong (Consultant Psychiatrist and Analytic Psychotherapist) in presenting this weekend workshop. A Hatha Yoga teacher, Ms. Angie Ng will also be assisting to lead the yoga exercise

Fees: 1. Early Bird by 24/8 - RM 400 2. After 24/8 - RM 550 3. Sangha member - sponsorship may be arranged 4. Student* - RM 350 * Only valid for students pursuing certificate, diploma or bachelor degree, age below 24 & with early bird dateline Registration ends on 20/9/2009

For further information, kindly contact Clove & Clive Sdn Bhd F-02-02 Dataran Glomac, Jalan SS 6/5B, Pusat Bandar Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel. : +6017-2933699 http: www.clovenclive.com/index.php?contact_us

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One Dhamma, One Buddhism -

Dhammayana!

by Dr Chan Kah Yein

Chan Kah Yein is a mathematics teacher and a keen supporter of animal welfare. She has a PhD in Mathematics Education from Deakin University, Australia, and teaches tertiary-level mathematics in a private college. Kah Yein is on a lifelong mission to promote charity to animals, and believes that compassion is an inherent quality in us that binds us all as one, regardless of race and religion. She hopes to share the Buddha’s teachings with friends, as her small contribution to a happier, kinder and more compassionate society. I participated in an inter-religious forum on 25th April 2009. As the event was held at the Pure Life Society, I thought I would dress as their members do, so I donned a long white blouse with a matching white shawl draped over my shoulders. Little did I know, this attire attracted curious stares from my fellow panelists. “Are you a nun?”, one of the panelists asked me. “No, I still have hair,” I answered, pointing to my head. We got talking over a cup of tea, and he asked, “So, which religion are you representing?” “Buddhism,” I said. “Buddhism? Hmm...”, he mulled over my reply, then questioned further, “So, which school do you belong to?” “I belong to Buddhism”, I said. “There is only ONE school.” My learned friend disagreed, and said I must declare whether I belong to the Sri Lankan school or Chinese school, or the other schools. They are all different, he insisted, and proceeded to explain 59!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!TFQUFNCFS!311:

to me that if I have been sent by Brickfields, I must belong to the Sri Lankan school. I smiled and told him, “There is only ONE school, my friend. The teachings and doctrines are exactly the same in all the traditions.” I could see my friend wasn’t too happy with my answer. He would have preferred that I declared which school or sect I belonged to. That would have been more “proper”, to him. But why? Why are we so concerned over our differences? Why can’t we look at similiarities instead?

the

After the Buddha attained Mahaparinibbana, there arose, over a period of time, two major traditions, that is, the Theravada and the Mahayana. Later, when

the Dhamma went northwards, Vajarayana came into being. Although some of the devotional practices may differ slightly, the basic doctrine of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path are the same in all these traditions. Ajahn Brahm, the everpopular and well-loved Dhamma master from Australia, calls his tradition, “Hahayana”! The three traditions arose because when the Buddha instructed His monks to go forth and teach the Dhamma for the good of the many, He told them specifically to allow His teachings to blend in with the local cultures of the people. Hence, we can see for ourselves that the sublime teachings of the Buddha have indeed blended in beautifully and harmoniously with the various cultures of the world today. For example, there is no need for a Buddhist to change his or her name, and Buddhists everywhere still observe and celebrate the many festivals in their respective cultures, as long as the practices do not bring harm to themselves and others. When the Bengali Buddhist teacher, Atisha Dipankara Shrijnana, first went to Tibet in the 11th century, he was asked

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It was also interesting that at the closing of this course, one participant quipped that he was a confirmed Catholic, but if EVER he were to convert, he would choose Buddhism or Sikhism. And he said it was because he could relate to the teachings, was comfortable with them and found them very meaningful. Isn’t that nice?

how one should practice since there were many traditions of Buddhism. Atisha replied, “You should find the essential point common to all the teachings and practice that way”. Great thinkers and spirituallydeveloped people will always choose to see the similarities rather than the differences in the various religious teachings. One goal, many paths. All religions teach us to do good and be good. The emphasis may be on different aspects – the devotional, the ritualistic or basic day-to-day practice, training of the mind, but the ultimate objective is to train and guide us to be as good as we possibly can. More so, in a world that is torn by differences, political, cultural or religious, there is a greater need for us to see and appreciate our similarities. Why should we waste our time splitting hairs trying to prove who is “better” or more right? Ultimately, as the Buddha says, every sentient being has the Buddha Nature, that pure and brilliant mind that can be developed to perfection. Buddhists call it Nibbana, Hindus call it Moksha, and the Christians call it The Kingdom of Heaven. There is one Dhamma, not many; Distinctions arise from the needs of the ignorant. ~ Seng T’san All mystics speak the same language, for they come from the same country. ~ Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin Who is wise? One who learns from all. ~ The Talmud

Thanks to Uncle Vijaya, I was given the privilege of giving a talk on Buddhism at a Catholic church sometime ago. It was part of a 7-week course on Understanding Religions. During Q&A, there were many questions, particularly about rebirth, kamma, the concept of God, etc. I could see that the questions were asked with the aim of seeking understanding. I was (and still am) extremely impressed with the efforts of the Catholics (would Buddhist societies like to do the same?) to organize this course, aimed at fostering better understanding of other religions for their devotees. And I am more impressed at how positive (and wise!) the participants were where at the end of the course, they chose to see the similarities instead of the differences. No doubt they acknowledged that there were differences, yet, they prefer to embrace the “One Goal, Many Paths” concept and adopt a respectful attitude towards other religions and their beliefs. This, I believe, is a big step towards fostering peace and better understanding amongst the diverse human race.

To me, the Dhamma contains universal and timeless truths, and being universal, many wise and inspired people would be able to see the same beauty through their own experiences in life. As the cliché goes: Wise men think alike. See the Dhamma in all things that are good, beautiful and true. And never underestimate the simplest ideas, because sometimes, the simplest can be the most profound and accurate. The 13th century Japanese Zen master, Dogen Zenji, was known to have said: Buddha-Dhamma is no different from ordinary Dhamma. Those who fail to see the Dhamma in ordinary life, fail to see the true essence of the Dhamma. Yo Dhamma desesi... Adikalyanam, majjhekalyanam, pariyosanakalyanam. This Dhamma that I have discovered... Beautiful in the beginning, beautiful in the middle, and beautiful in the end. One Dhamma. One Buddhism. Hahayana? Dhammayana!! EH

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my mongolian experience

- the land of eternal blue skies by Barbara Yen Ms Barbara Yen obtained her qualification in education from the College of Preceptors, UK. She later trained as a medical social worker at the University of Singapore in 1972. Subsequently, she received her continuing education from the Schools of Social Work, Indiana University and Pittsburgh, USA, and University of St. Mary, Canada. She has spent 25 years with the University of Malaya Medical Centre, serving in various departments including Medicine, Pediatrics, Primary Care Medicine, Psychological Medicine, Eye and ENT. She has experience working with Spastic children, abused children, to issues on sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, mental illness and HIV/AIDS. She is presently an advisor and counselor to the BGF Counseling Unit as well as involved in its marriage education programs.

I came to know of Sakyadhita International from the 9th Sakyadhita Conference on Buddhist Women held in Malaysia in 2006. Searching its web-page, I discovered that I could relate very well to its objectives, which are: to promote world peace through the practice of the Buddha’s teachings, create a network of communications for Buddhist women throughout the world, and to promote harmony and understanding among the various Buddhist traditions. I had been involved in almost two decades of social work in the women’s movement in Malaysia in my career as a medical social worker. At that time I was not fully exposed to Buddhism until 2003 when I retired. So when the 10th Conference was held at Ulan Bataar, Mongolia, from July 1-5, 2008, I seized the opportunity to attend especially when it was held in an exciting country that is off the beaten tourist track. The theme of the conference “Buddhism in Transition: Tradition, Changes and Challenges” was very appropriate in this modern time of rapid change and uncertainty. About 300 participants attended the Conference, half of whom came from 30 countries round the world. There were four of us from Malaysia - Venerable Sek Sing Kan, auntie Rupa, Dr Bong, a lecturer at the International Buddhist College in Thailand, and I.

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Venue

The Conference was held in Hotel Mongolia, a beautiful hotel styled after the ancient monasteries of the Genghis Khan period. It is built on sprawling grounds located about 45 minutes outside the city and is about 2000 ft above sea level. We could walk along the wall built round it which is a bit like a miniature Great Wall. The hotel rooms were of two types, conventional ones built temple style and gers - mobile, traditional round nomad tents made of animal skin and tied down with horse hair. The main religion in Mongolia is Buddhism of the Vajrayana tradition brought over from Tibet. However, many of the monasteries and religious books were destroyed during the communist rule. Therefore there is a great shortage of Dharma materials. Presently, quite a number of churches have sprung up in Ulan

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Bataar. Its huge, concrete ger-like structures with all the trappings of Mongolian culture makes it easier for the locals in their transition to a new religion. Despite the challenges of organizing such a large conference there (they did not have one like that before), Venerable Lekshe Tsomo, president of Sakyadhitta decided to hold it in Mongolia to help revive the religion as Buddhism is under threat from other faiths, especially evangelical Christianity from the West and South Korea. The Conference therefore provided a tremendous boost to some of the Buddhists there, especially when they saw so many Westerners not only being Buddhists but nuns as well, with many lay participants having doctorates teaching Buddhism.

Highlights of some papers presented There were more than forty papers in ten modules presented at the Conference. As it is not possible to mention all the interesting papers, I would like to highlight some of them, especially Dr Christie Chang’s ‘Engaging Generation M3: Experiences of Engaging the Younger Generation in Globalizing Taiwan,’ which discussed the difficulties of engaging the young. She identified three features of the younger generation in Taiwan which are, viz., Me-centered, financially anxious, and fearful of failing. They also find the Buddhist sutras ancient, preachy and uninteresting. She suggested some strategies, including teaching in the language of the listeners to make it relevant to the youth of today. In a similar vein, Dr. Rotraut Wurst (Jampa) demonstrated the use of rap music to convey a message to the young in ‘Engaging the Younger Generation: Experiences at Two German Institutes.’ Before long, we were on our feet and rapping with her! Her strategies to engage the youth is through a process of engaged role models and exchanging experiences by the young and old in a simple, sincere and safe environment. In ‘Engaging the Younger Generation: Dalit Experiences’ Dhammacharini Tarahridaya shared with us the dilemma that her Buddhist society in Pune, India, was experiencing. They were at the mercy of landlords and had to move office three times in four years from their rented premises. A two-room apartment with a hall and kitchen costs about US$ 80,000 and it was not easy

to get bank loans for such religious societies. And they were also at the mercy of property agents who get a fee for each transaction. In the midst of the Conference, she received news that they had to move again, after only eleven months of occupancy! I remember in 2004 when we were on tour in Pagan, Burma, when a local social worker disclosed that the secondary students in a particular village attend school daily by crossing the river in tiny boats. During the rainy season, the river is treacherous. They needed about US$3,000 to build the school, usually made of teak wood and basic furniture. That evening, at dinner, we passed the hat around and collected the amount! Some of us shed tears of joy. The next few months, we received pictures of the building coming up and finally saw children attending class. Do we dare to dream this dream again? I believe it is not difficult to collect funds to help the disadvantaged Buddhists in the poorer countries. In the case of India, wouldn’t it be a joy to see Buddhism brought back to its birth place? We should be thankful that we have large temples and buildings to practice and propagate the Dharma in Malaysia, not forgetting the free flow of free Dharma books and CDs! Venerable Tsomo’s paper ‘Creating Religious Identity: A Feminist Perspective’ drew our attention to the fact that religion was frequently cited as a source of conflict. From a Buddhist perspective, the problem is not so much the differences in religious beliefs and values which are strikingly similar, but the attachment to religious identities. She went on to explore the question of what it meant to be a Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or Muslim and more intriguingly, what it meant to be a woman who follows one of these faiths.

Work-Shops and presentations The work-shops and informal sessions were held in the evenings, where some participants presented video clips about their organizations. Sister Sandy Boucher led us to a sufi inspired Kuan Yin dance which was very inspiring and intriguing. Sister Yu-Ying Chen from Taiwan did a superb Tai Chi demonstration. She is a four-time champion at the national Tai Chi competition in China! We also had a presentation followed by a discussion on higher ordination for bhikkhunis. However, we could feel an air of gloom that evening.

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For the continuity and success of the Buddha Sasana, it is important that the four components – monks (bhikkhus), nuns (bhikkhunis), male, and female devotees – are intact. The Buddha had great wisdom and vision when he set up this four-fold community. Unfortunately today, the bhikkhuni Sangha is facing tremendous challenges and is still not accepted in some Theravada countries. Monks should not feel threatened with the existence of the bhikkhuni Sangha. In fact, with the four-fold community intact, the Buddha’s teachings will continue to expand. With the threat from some fundamental religious groups to convert Buddhists in Asian countries, especially those who are poor, giving opportunities for women to become nuns would be a useful solution. In fact, a Lama from one of the monasteries we visited said that just as an airplane needs two wings to fly, so we need both monks and nuns for the Sasana to grow.

grasslands, the skyline occasionally broken with flocks of goats, yaks, cattle or a ger farm-house. Sometimes a lone hawk or eagle would soar above the blue, cloudless sky. There were hardly any trees or bush cover which proved a challenge when we had to answer the call of nature! Indeed, we had some quite hilarious experiences with this. We were also able to climb the sand dunes like excited children to have a closer glimpse of the camels, where some participants took rides on them too.

H.H. Dalai Lama, a strong advocate of women’s rights in Buddhism, told my room-mate, Dr Wurst during a conference in Germany in 2007 that, if he had been reborn as a female, the Tibetans might not have found him as they would not look for a reincarnated lama in little girls!

Buddhism in Mongolia is under threat from two sources: materialism and evangelicals who are out to convert Mongolians to their new religion. By holding an international Buddhist Conference in Mongolia, Venerable Tsomo has given a boost to both the Sangha and the lay Buddhist groups. For many Mongolians, they are impressed by the many Westerners who are following their ancient religion, and more importantly many of these Western Buddhists are well-educated and highly qualified. So the message to the Mongolians is that they need not give up their ancient Buddhist faith for something new from the West.

Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo, in her wrap-up speech, however gave the advice that we should not take the path of the early feminists but be moderate in our actions in order to achieve results. It is clear that we need both women and men for the Buddha Sasana to grow. This is a win-win situation that cannot be denied.

Post Conference Tours From July 6-8, we visited monasteries and Buddhist centers in the capital city, including Dolmaling Nunnery, Pethub Buddhist Center, Dashi Choling Monastery, Narkhajid Monastery for nuns, and Choijin Lama Temple Museum. We also visited Manjusri Temple, in the Manzushir Valley, a protected area in Tuv Province. The ruins are now converted to a museum and shop. Over a picnic lunch on the grassland, I took the opportunity to talk to the Zen masters from California on meditation practice. The following day, we did an over-night tour to Khara Korum, the ancient capital in central Mongolia, 300 km away. We drove through miles and miles of Steppe

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We also toured an ancient monastery built round the time of Genghis Khan. This is another walled-in complex of temples, some of which house priceless Buddhist paintings, Buddha images, and pictures of Green and White Taras, and Medicine Buddhas done in exquisite tapestry.

Conclusion

A happy outcome of this Conference for Malaysians is that the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, has commissioned Ms Enkhnyamaa, a Mongolian university student, to translate three of Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda’s books into the Mongolian language.

11th Sakyadhita Conference The next conference will be held in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam from Dec 28, 2009 – Jan 3, 2010. Post conference tours will include tours to nearby temples as well as to the ancient capital of Hue and perhaps Hanoi. Let us make a date there to make it a success and have some fun too! For more details, please access the Sakyadhita website at www.sakyadhita.org EH

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Book Reviews by Vijaya Samarawickrama

Routledge Taylor & Francis Group www.routledge.com

Rita Langer, Buddhist Rituals of Death and Rebirth: Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice and its Origins, Routledge: New York, 2007 pp 243 An interesting aspect of the study of Comparative Religions is to investigate how the great religions lent themselves to cultural adaptations across time and space. In the case of Buddhism, as it spread from India to the east, southeast, and south, it took vastly different forms while adhering to the same doctrinal truths enunciated by the Buddha. These adaptations are influenced by local beliefs and practices before the arrival of the new religion. In this case Rita Langer examines how present day rites associated with death in Sri Lanka bear evidence of Buddhist as well as Vedic and local animistic practices. The result is a unique blend of rituals found nowhere else in the world. The study is handled with sensitivity and respect, relying on the point of view of the practitioners rather than imposing the cultural and religious biases of the investigator as had happened when amateur anthropologists who were Christian missionaries described many new cultures they encountered. The study is divided into three parts, beginning with the rituals associated with the preparation for death. It is primarily aimed at getting the dying person’s mind in the proper state for the final moment. This is because of the Buddhist belief that the state of mind of a person at the moment of death determines whether one proceeds to a happy or woeful state. This is further supported by the belief that the dying person’s mind can be affected by chanting or reminding her of her good deeds in the present life. In the second part Langer describes and compares two Sinhalese Buddhist funerals--one of an old woman in the village and the other of a well known senior monk. She notes that essentially the two funerals follow the same basic rituals differing only in the higher degree of participation by the living for the monk. Against this broad background she examines practices and beliefs regarding the treatment of the corpses and their disposal which again differ more on scale than in essence. Part three concludes the investigation by examining the post funerary rites such as the sermon given by a monk and the ceremonial meal offered to the Sangha as well as people associated with the family on the sixth and seven days following the death. Langer mentions some interesting points of non congruence between the Theravada belief in a person’s immediate rebirth and the belief that the dead person’s spirit continues past the present life. This part makes for interesting reading and gives useful insights into the teaching of the Buddha regarding death. Although the book is of special interest to Sinhalese Buddhists, Langer engages in very useful and detailed discussions of Buddhist teachings regarding such diverse topics as merit making, karmic effects, helping the departed and so on. It is therefore a book which is doubtless beneficial to anyone interested in the Theravada beliefs concerning death and the after life. EH

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Book Reviews by Benny Liow

G.J. Ananda Kumarasiri, Siddhartha: Prince of Peace, Private Publication, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. 2009. Pp 295 Siddhartha (or Siddhatta in Pali), which means “Wish Fulfilled” is the name of the Buddha prior to his enlightenment. His life from an Indian prince to a spiritual leader known as the Buddha or Fully Enlightened One after six years of spiritual quest has inspired millions of people in the world for more than two thousand years. His life has also being the subject of a famous novel by Herman Hess (simply titled “Siddhartha”), a musical play for a Malaysian production house, and an epic poem by Edwin Arnold called “Light of Asia”. Now well-known Malaysian Buddhist worker, author, and ex-diplomat Ananda Kumaraseri has written a 300-page book about the story of Siddhartha. Kumaraseri aims to present the story of Siddhartha in a modern and intelligible manner by avoiding the maze of ancient literary tradition in which it was originally recorded. As such the story of Siddhartha veers from the usual conventional approaches of mystical accounts; instead, the story is more in tune with modern psychology and scientific reasoning. His non-traditional style provides the reader a clear understanding of the major events and developments in the life of Prince Siddhartha. The book is divided into eleven chapters, beginning with Siddhartha’s birth, spiritual stirring, renunciation, spiritual search, and attainment of supreme enlightenment. The style is journalistic and thus easy to read and understand, and conveys many important lessons from the life of Prince Siddhartha. Among the many important episodes mentioned, Siddhartha is portrayed as a highly intelligent and sensitive person with deep intellectual curiosity and a sharp spiritual faculty. Such qualities encouraged the young prince to probe beyond conventional beliefs and dogmas prevailing at the time. Siddhartha was also revolutionary, brave enough to challenge the established norms in India, especially the caste system. In the chapter on Supreme enlightenment, the author tries to show that it is Siddhartha’s steadfast resolve and determination that eventually led him to become the Fully Enlightened One. The lesson for the reader is that unlike other religions, it is possible for the followers of Buddhism to become like the founder himself – to be a Fully Enlightened one. Author of ten other books on Buddhism (and a book on diplomacy and foreign affairs management), Siddhartha is a welcome addition to his staple of books that were written to provide the reader with a good grasp of the Buddha and his teachings. EH

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Wisdom Publications 109 Elms Street, Somerville, MA 02144, USA. www.wisdompubs.org

Geshe Tashi Tsering, Emptiness. The Foundation of Buddhist Thought. Volume 5. 2009. pp 156. US$14.95 The concept of Emptiness is often misunderstood in Buddhism as nihilism. However, the author has clearly explained that emptiness does not imply a nihilistic worldview but rather the idea that a permanent entity doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist in any single phenomenon or being. Everything exists in dependence on an immeasurable quantity of causes and conditions. It is thus an important aspect of the teaching of dependent origination. An understanding of emptiness allows us to see the world as a realm of infinite possibility, instead of a static system. Just like a table consists of wooden parts, and the wood is from a tree, and the tree depends on air, water, and soil, so is the world filled with a wondrous coexistence that extends to our own mind and awareness. In lucid, accessible language, Geshe Tashi guides the reader to the realization of this infinite possibility. EH

Barbara Gates and Wes Nisker, The Best of Inquiring Mind. 25 Years of Dharma, Drama, and Uncommon Insight. 2008. pp 338. US$17.95 This anthology contains articles, poems, interviews and personal stories gathered from the last 25 years of the Buddhist journal Inquiring Mind. The journal serves the Vipassana meditation community in the West, a meditation technique that originated from the Theravada tradition of Asia, primarily Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka. There are 60 essays divided into eight sections, represent the issues and ideas pondered over in the pages of the journal over the years. As mentioned by the editors, this publication is expressly dedicated to the creative transmission of Buddhadharma to the West. As expected the authors include such well-known Western Buddhist teachers such as Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornifield, Robert Thurman, Ayya Khema, Stephen Batchelor, Venerable Heng Sure, Sharon Salzberg, Ajahn Amaro and Jon Kabat Zinn. EH

Mark Epstein, Going on Being. Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and Psychotherapy. 2008. pp 155. US$16.95 Going on Being is a practical guide to how a Buddhist understanding of psychological problems makes change for the better possible. It is a highly inviting guide for anyone seeking a new path and a new outlook on life. Combining Buddhist teachings and the insights of English child psychologist D. W. Winnicott, Dr. Mark Epstein tells readers how to regain the spontaneity of mindful experience. Before Mark became a medical student at Harvard and trained as a psychiatrist, he studied Buddhism with Ram Dass, Joseph Goldstein, and Jack Kornfield. The positive outlook of Buddhism and the meditative principle of living in the moment came to influence his study and practice of psychotherapy profoundly. Going on Being is Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memoir of his early years as a student of Buddhism and of how Buddhism shaped his approach to therapy. EH

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Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 Ithaca, New York 14851, USA www.snowlionpub.com

Anam Thubten, No Self No Problem. 2009. pp 133. US$14.95 The concept of Emptiness is often misunderstood in Buddhism as nihilism. However, the author has clearly explained that emptiness does not imply a nihilistic worldview but rather the idea that a permanent entity doesn’t exist in any single phenomenon or being. Everything exists in dependence on an immeasurable quantity of causes and conditions. It is thus an important aspect of the teaching of dependent origination. An understanding of emptiness allows us to see the world as a realm of infinite possibility, instead of a static system. Just like a table consists of wooden parts, and the wood is from a tree, and the tree depends on air, water, and soil, so is the world filled with a wondrous coexistence that extends to our own mind and awareness. In lucid, accessible language, Geshe Tashi guides the reader to the realization of this infinite possibility. EH

Wangchen Rinpoche, Buddhist Fasting Practice. The Nyungne Method of ThousandArmed Chenrezig. 2009. pp 270. US$18.95 The Tibetan Buddhist practice of Nyungne purifies participants both physically and spiritually. This volume is one of the few comprehensive treatments in English of these powerful teachings. Nyungne is a profound two-and-a-half-day practice, whose length of time is especially helpful for people whose schedules cannot accommodate a long-term retreat. It involves the keeping of strict vows; the second day is devoted to complete silence and fasting. The meditation centers on the recitations, mantras, and guided visualizations of the Thousand-Armed Chenrezig, the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ loving-kindness and compassion. Translated as abiding in the fast, Nyungne is said to be effective in the healing of illness, the nurturing of compassion, and the purification of negative karma. Wangchen Rinpoche is a student of Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche, and a master practitioner of Nyungne. EH

Jamgon Mipham, Luminous Essence. A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra. 2009. pp 174. US$29.95. Hardcover Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche’s text is a summation of Longchenpa’s extensive and classic commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra. Mipham Rinpoche was an eclectic master who was prominent in the non-sectarian movement in Tibet during the late 19th and early 20th century. In his Foreword to the volume, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said he had no doubt that interested and initiated practitioners of the Guhyagarbha Tantra cycle of practices will derive great benefit from reading and relying on this explanatory text. Thus, for those who have the necessary background in Tantra, this work will be a remarkable treasure trove of insights and explanations. However, for those with little knowledge of Tantra, casually reading this book will not derive much benefit and it is recommended that they have a basic understanding of Buddha Dharma first. EH

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Leah Zahler, Study and Practice of Meditation. Tibetan Interpretations of the Concentrations and Formless Absorptions. 2009. pp 508. US$39.95. This book gives a vivid and detailed account of the meditative practices necessary to develop a calm and alert mind that is capable of penetrating the depths of reality. The reader is exposed to Tibetan Buddhist views on the mental states attained through meditation by the author’s relying on oral commentaries by three contemporary Tibetan lamas. The Buddhist meditative states known as the concentrations and formless absorptions are best known in the West from Theravada scriptures and from Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Manifest Knowledge. The book discusses the ways in which certain meditative states act as bases of the spiritual path, as well as the nature of meditative calm and the prerequisites for cultivating and attaining it. In addition to reviewing and translating Tibetan sources, the author considers their major Indian antecedents and draws comparisons with Theravadin presentations. EH

Routledge Taylor & Francis Group www.routledge.com Douglas Osto. Power, Wealth and Women in Indian Mahayana Buddhism. The Gandavyuha Sutra. 2008. pp 177. Hardcover. This book examines the concepts of power, wealth and women in the Gandavyuhasutra, and relates these to the text’s social context in ancient Indian during the Buddhist Middle Period (0–500 CE). Employing contemporary textual theory, worldview analysis and structural narrative theory, the author puts forward a new approach to the study of Mahayana Buddhist sources, the ‘systems approach’, by which literature is viewed as embedded in a social system. Consequently, he analyses the Gandavyuha in the contexts of reality, society and the individual, and applies these notions to the key themes of power, wealth and women. The study reveals that the spiritual hierarchy represented within the Gandavyuha replicates the political hierarchies in Buddhist India, that the role of wealth mirrors its significance as a sign of spiritual status in Indian Buddhist society, and that the substantial number of female spiritual guides reflects the importance of royal women patrons of Indian Buddhism at the time. EH Francesca Tarocco. The Cultural Practices of Modern Chinese Buddhism. Attuning the Dharma. 2007. pp 183. Hardcover Buddhism in China during the late Qing and Republican period remained a powerful cultural and religious force. Dr Francesca Tarocco from the University of Manchester is a rising star in this field and offers an innovative high-quality piece of work that presents a new perspective on the influence of Buddhism on Chinese culture. Drawing on scarcely analyzed historical and archive sources, including photographs and musical scores, Tarocco adeptly argues that Chinese Buddhism played a more vital role in shaping Chinese culture than previously assumed. This enlightening study fills a significant gap in the field of Chinese Buddhist history. Focusing on the cultural side of Buddhism, it adds breadth and balance to studies in Buddhism as a whole, appealing to professionals and academics with an interest in Buddhism and Chinese Buddhist history. EH TFQUFNCFS!311:!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!6:

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Shambhala Publications, Inc 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USA www.shambhala.com

Sherab Chodzin Kohn, A Life of the Buddha. 2009. pp 158. US$14.95. This new edition of the book previously entitled The Awakened One has been updated to include a short history of Buddhism as well as a selection of resources for further reading. The story of the Buddha and his awakening is more than an account of the birth of a religious tradition: it is also one of the great archetypal tales of the spiritual quest, colorful in its many details and thrilling in its depiction of the world transformed by an enlightened human being. Sherab Chödzin Kohn’s retelling of the Buddha’s life is both readable and historically informed, and presents the Buddha’s teachings along with the events of his past lives to final nirvana. Library Journal called it “a splendid combination of biography and instruction.” Sherab Kohn has been teaching Buddhism and meditation in the West for more than 30 years. EH

Jan Chozen Bays. Mindful Eating. A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food. 2009. pp 175. US$16.95 Here is an accessible and encouraging exploration of how and why to apply the Zen art of mindfulness to transform our “issues” with food. Whether we are overweight or suffer from an eating disorder, learning to eat mindfully can liberate us from the suffering we experience with food. Practiced for centuries in the Zen tradition, mindful eating is an approach that involves bringing one’s full attention to the process of eating—becoming fully present to the tastes, smells, thoughts, and feelings that arise during a meal. Preliminary research funded by the National Institutes of Health indicates that mindfulness is effective in treating eating disorders. Mindful Eating also includes a 70-minute audio CD containing guided exercises read by the author, an experienced pediatrician and Zen master from Portland, Oregon. EH

James Green. The Sayings of Layman P’ang. A Zen Classic of China. 2009. pp 130. US$14.95 Layman P’ang (740–808), as the name implies, was a Chan/Zen Buddhist who serves as a model for Buddhists who are not monastics. He was a successful merchant, with a wife, son, and daughter, who gave up his possessions and wealth in order to study the Buddhist sutras—and he brought his family along with him. His family adopted the Zen life most enthusiastically, becoming extremely well-versed in Buddhist philosophy themselves, especially his daughter, Ling Zhao, who appears to have become an even greater Zen adept than her father. Layman P’ang is the source of one of the most famous sayings in the literature of Chinese Zen, a joyous statement about the miracle of everyday activities. The sayings of and stories about Layman P’ang contained in this classic text are charming, mysterious, and funny and will be an inspiration to spiritual practice for anyone. EH

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Chogyam Trungpa. The Truth of Suffering. And the Path of Liberation. 2009. pp 155. US$21.95. Hardcover. This is an exposition of The Four Noble Truths, the foundational teachings that are studied and followed by Buddhists of all traditions. The Four Noble Truths begin with the essential insight that all humans suffer, and they go on to describe the Buddhist path of liberation from suffering. Chögyam Trungpa—the renowned Tibetan Buddhist master who was a major figure in the transmission of Buddhism to the West—presents these key teachings in his characteristically forceful, provocative, and inspiring style. Drawn from neverbefore-published materials, The Truth of Suffering will appeal strongly to both beginning and advanced practitioners of Buddhism. EH

Tulku Thondup. The Healing Power of Loving Kindness. A Guided Buddhist Meditation. 2009. pp 118. 3-CD Set This book-and-CD set presents Buddhist instructions for changing our negative thoughts and feelings to a positive, loving attitude toward everyone. By bringing images and thoughts of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist deity of loving-kindness to mind, our hearts connect with the Buddha’s and our activities become beneficial and helpful. The CDs present Tulku Thondup guiding an extended meditation practice, which is a traditional ritual of visualizing and invoking the blessings of the Buddha of Loving-Kindness. The book includes teachings on the Buddhist view of loving-kindness, the philosophy behind Tibetan Buddhist visualization and prayer practices, and basics of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The package includes a full-color illustration of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Loving-Kindness, for help with the visualization. EH

Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive P.O. Box 356 Weston, MA 02493, USA. www.LamaYeshe.com

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, The Heart of the Path. Seeing the Guru as Buddha. 2009. pp 494. US$20.00 This comprehensive work on guru devotion, on why we need a guru and how it is the very essence of the path, is the result of over 50 different teachings Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given over the past three decades and covers and explains the entire subject in great detail. The 24 chapters in this large volume include: Why do we need a Guru, the Importance of Devotion; the Realization of Guru Yoga; Who to Regard as Guru; How the Past Kagyu Lamas Practiced; What is Guru Yoga?; Six Session Guru Yoga; Calling the Lama from Afar; Is Absolute Obedience Required?; Checking the Guru; and the Kindness of the Guru. As the author said it, “Teaching guru devotion is the responsibility of the teacher, and practicing guru devotion is the responsibility of the disciple.” EH

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Silence can be golden when dealing with local politics by Larry Carson, The Baltimore Sun, June 14, 2009 Maryland Demoract State Delegate Elizabeth Bobo finds inner peace at retreat through 10-days of meditation

Baltimore, MD (USA) -- For a politician whose stock in trade is language and communication, staying silent for 10 days might seem like a nearly impossible task. But silence and professionally guided meditation is something Del. Elizabeth Bobo has learned to love and use in recent years, she said, and she feels it helps her, both as a person and an elected official. A strong personality and liberal Democrat well-known as a vigorous advocate for causes she believes in, Bobo, who represents a single member district mostly covering West Columbia, said she may not seem that different on the outside, but she’s feeling more peaceful on the inside. Bobo recently returned from her fourth annual sojourn into Vipassana meditation at a retreat near Richmond, Va., refreshed and ready again to plunge back into the environmental, health and progressive government issues she’s specialized in for years, she said. “It is really not at all difficult,” the former Howard County executive said about keeping quiet all day for 10 days. She tried it after a neighbor’s repeated recommendations, though she was skeptical at first. “I just eased into it,” she said. Vipassana meditation is an ancient technique from India that is led by a Buddhist monk, though it is not a religious practice, according to the group’s Web site. It’s a form of mental training intended to develop a more healthy mental state leading people to become calmer and more focused. Bobo said the retreat day runs from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and includes three vegetarian meals a day, meditation and some instruction, but mainly a calming silence.

Once back in their rooms at night, participants are allowed to speak or make occasional phone calls, she said. “This teaches us how to be peaceful and happy,” despite whatever else may be happening, she said. That means not getting angry if others don’t agree or if a situation is frustrating. “I really use that,” she said. “It’s had a huge impact on me.” In her political relations, “I don’t get as strident as I used to be,” she said. “At this point in my life, at 65, the last thing I want to be is a force for divisiveness. I want to be a force for peace,” she said. The lessons she’s learned help her focus, concentrate and achieve clarity. “If I say things, push things, promote things other people don’t seem to want, I don’t get angry. It’s absolutely huge. Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional,” she said. Her ride to the retreat provided the perfect opportunity to practice, she said. Stuck in bumper-to-bumper Memorial Day weekend holiday traffic as she drove south on Interstate 95, she didn’t lose patience, even though it took four hours to go 20 miles, she said. “I was able to think ‘I’m on my retreat,’ “ and just take things as they happened. “It was peaceful,” she said. Source: The Buddhist Channel EH

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Dharma Aftermath by Rasika Quek

Becoming the Change The month of July this year witnessed the passing away of one of the greatest “influencers” of the 20th. and 21st. Century. At the time of his passing, at least a billion people on Mother Earth would have been touched by this once living legend, cutting across the generational divide of grandparents, parents and grand children. Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jew, Muslims, Sikhs and Taoists alike succumbed to his charisma and incredible talent which needed no superlatives in order to appreciate. In short, we were all captivated and mesmerized by this once in a billion phenomena who touched our hearts and frequently tugged at our heart-strings with his powerful rendition of the immense suffering of the poor and downtrodden, especially in Africa. His call for us to heal the world and the poignant reminder that we are the world remain immortal words for the spiritually inclined. But he was not perfect. Just one of us who dared to develop his potential to the fullest, in the way he knew best, through song and dance. In the process, he developed a “modern” art-form which made use of his physical body in videos to express the words and movements that at times imparted a strong “spiritual” sentiment to those who cared to listen and watch. Inside that frail frame and often ridiculed nose-job lies a little boy who refused to grow up. And it is the voice of that man-child, so full of “innocence” and naivety that we want to hear. It is as if we are acknowledging our own “inner child” the moment we listened to this child-like genius. Time seems to bend backwards to my own childhood days whenever I catch myself being “hypnotized” by this great maestro. Like him and most people I know, I grew up and became old rather reluctantly. I never gave permission for Time to do Its work on me. One of my spiritual teachers remarked that it was a pity that the late maestro had not used his immense influence to tell young people that they can become much better people than what they are. It would have been a powerful mantra for change ..., for the better, for all humanity. They would have listened to him because he was their “hero.” Its seems the window of opportunity for such an exhortation and change to a billion people is now lost. Still, I am just trying to do my little part so that the “untold” message is passed on. For it would also be the “same” message that the sages of old handed over to us. For instance, the Great Sage Siddhatta beckoned us to taste the freedom and happiness that was better than anything else we could ever find in this world.

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“

We must become the change we want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

”

In the classes that I teach, I tell my engineering students that providing clean water, proper housing and sanitation is like healing the world. We can positively change lives for the better. I tell them that being engineers, they are in a good position to build infrastructure that will bring about lasting social and demographic improvements. Construction activities encourages teamwork and acting in “oneness” achieves powerful results. We are in fact, the world. When we spread the message of the Great Sage, it need not always be direct quotations from this or that sutta. Our intention is not to convert but to open possibilities so that those who can see can have the choice of acting out of wisdom or out of love. In that way, people of all faiths can be enriched spiritually. They do not feel that they have to defend their beliefs because no religious doctrines or phrases are being introduced. My “informal” lectures on the constancy of change (anicca) and stress (dukkha) have been well-received, I think. I will be giving a talk on the ultimate unkownability of things to the graduating class of engineers. Just like MJ, we have to transcend all barriers, black or white, Buddhist or non-Buddhist to create the change we would like to see in the world. As the wise Mahatma Gandhi once said, “we must become the change we want to see in the world.” May MJ be blessed wherever he may be now and may all beings everywhere be well and happy! EH Rasika Quek, qjk2000@hotmail.com Aug 14 2009

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