Eastern Horizon - January 2011 Edition by Eastern Horizon by YBAM

Ven.Thich Nhat Hanh with children

Walking meditation at Tiara Beach Resort Port Dickson

Group photo for 5-day retreat

Public talk at Penang

Ven.Thich Nhat Hanh at Tunku Abdul Rahman College

Back to Basics

Forty Years Turning the Wheel of Dharma

By the time you read this Editorial, we would have entered the second decade of the 21st century. The first ten years of the new millennium has been an extraordinary decade of change – both positive and negative. From a population of 6.1 billion people in 2000, we now have 6.9 billion people on earth. While billionaires increased from 306 to 1,011 during the same period, the undernourished in the world jumped from 857 million to 925 million people. Terrorist attacks also increased from 423 in 2000 to 11,000 by end 2010. During the past ten years we had witnessed suffering of many kinds – the infamous 911, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, SARS outbreak in Asia, and the largest bankruptcy in US history caused by Lehman Brothers that plunged the global financial system into chaos. The Buddha’s words 2600 years ago that change and suffering are inherent aspects of our existence ring loudly. But the Buddha was no pessimist – he was just declaring what’s real. But more important, he explained how within the midst of such chaos – when things fall apart – we can still find peace and happiness within us. Indeed we are living in very interesting times. We are reminded daily by our newspapers, electronic media and by our contact with people, just how complicated the world has become. The increasing social, economic, scientific and secular complexities of modern life raise issues of human worth, dignity and welfare as well as global environmental concerns. We may even feel as though we are controlled by powers beyond us or by the need to make more money. It is easy to find ourselves preoccupied with trying to provide for our families. But without even realizing it, life can quickly begin to seem dark and meaningless. With all of this constantly weighing heavily on our minds, we don’t often take the time to see where we are going. This is where we need to get back to basics. It is obvious that as the world gets more complex, especially when we get bombarded with more and more information each day, our values as Buddhists will get more obscured. It all seems so overwhelming. But Buddhism provides us the most basic tool to make sense of all these doubts about our life - “self-assessment”. In order to understand the world around us, we must first get to know ourselves. In the words of Wally ‘Famous’ Amos: “Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you.” One reason we don’t see life as it should be is because we are always looking to others for answers. We are trained constantly to seek answers from the newspapers, television, politicians, lawyers, the library, and, most recently, the internet. Caught up in our busy lives, we normally “look outward” at the world. It is from this outward-looking stance that we easily make judgments about people, and to blame others for our problems. And yet, we are getting further and further away from where the answers are. As Yogi Berra said: “You got to be very careful for if you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.” Buddhism teaches us to examine and accept our own shortcomings. It is a humbling experience, but one that also leads to the desired attitude: knowing yourself. This self-examination taught by the Buddha is most relevant for us today. Far too often, we are critical of others - we look at others in such a negative light, rather than appreciating them as they are. In appreciating our own shortcomings, we are more able to accept others. This is the first step in learning Compassion. And all of this is part of a journey, an odyssey that each of us must travel in order to reach our destination of finding true happiness in this world, first for ourselves, and then for the world that we live in. Welcome to the second decade of the new millennium! EH

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Contents

Teaching: How to Lead an Ethical Life

january 2011

by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Feature: As I See It – Facing up to Ego and the Soul by Low Chwee Beng

News: Singapore’s Buddhist Conference – Creating Happiness in the Here and Now

Face to Face: Gratitude, impermanence and fault

Teaching: The Second Precept: Generosity by Thich Nhat Hanh

News: Coming together by Gary Gach

by Hnin Yee Kyaw

Feature: Buddhism Today – Growing yet Declining?

by Yeo Puay Huei

Teaching: Transforming the Demon Within

News: Thich Nhat Hanh in Malaysia by Gary Gach

Personal Reflections: The Mindfulness Bell by Lee Chung Yen

by Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Lead Article: Mindful Eating by Roshi Dr Jan Chozen Bays

Personal Reflections: The Walk of Peace and Joy by Kek Chin Wu

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EasTern HorIzon

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Face to Face: The challenge of being a Bodhisattva by Venerable Jue Cheng

radiating the light of dharma

January 2011 Issue No. 33 (Published 3 times a year)

Teaching: If You Wish to Become a Buddha, First Learn to be a Good Person by Venerable Master Hua

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

Teaching: Spectrum of Merits

manager Teh Soo Tyng

by Venerable Ayasma Aggacitta Bhikkhu

art director Geam Yong Koon publisher YBAM <ybam@streamyx.com> printer Vivar Printing Sdn Bhd(125107-D)

Lot 25, Rawang Integrated Industrial Park, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, MALAYSIA. Tel : 603-60927818 Fax: 603-60928230

Feature: The Sound of Silence by Sumi Loundon Kim

Cover Design: Geam Yong Koon

Books In Brief

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. 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

Dharma Aftermath A Pilgrimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tale by Rasika Quek

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How to Lead an Ethical Life By His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Lecture delivered in Nottingham, England, May 25, 2008 Transcribed, translated in parts, and lightly edited by Dr Alexander Berzin Self-Interest versus Interest in Others as

There are two different approaches we

Bases for an Ethical Life

can take here. With the first, we think

The essence of Buddhism is: if we can help others, then we need to do that; if we cannot, then at least restrain from harming others. That’s the essence of leading an ethical life.

in terms of the interest of ourselves and then if we can help, we do so; and if we can’t help, then we refrain [from causing any harm]. The other approach is to think in terms of the interests of others and likewise, if we can help, we help; and if

Every action comes from a motivation. If

not, then we refrain [from causing harm].

we harm others, that’s from a motivation;

In terms of refraining from harming

and if we help others, that also comes

others, the thought: “If I do this, I will

from a motivation. So, for helping others,

face negative consequences including

for serving others, we need a certain

legal consequences” and so restraining

motivation. For that, we need certain

ourselves because of that reason is

concepts. Why do we help and why do we

refraining because of the reason of self-

not harm?

interest. Now, in terms of the thinking of others as our reason, we would think:

For example, when we are just about to

“Others are just like me. They don’t

harm somebody, we would have some

want suffering and pain; therefore, I will

type of awareness and that would cause

restrain myself from harming them.”

us to refrain. That means we need some sort of determination [not to cause harm].

When we train [our minds], first we

One corner of our mind wants to harm

think in terms of self-interest and then

somebody, but because of a certain state

we strongly think of others. In terms of

of mind, another part of our mind says that

effectiveness, strongly thinking of others

this is wrong, this is not right. Because

is more powerful. In terms of pratimoksha

we see that it’s wrong, then we develop

– the vows of individual liberation, the

willpower and we refrain. In terms of both

vinaya tradition of monastic training

choices [to cause harm or to refrain from

– the primary basis is thinking of our

so doing], we need to have an awareness

own self-interest and, because of that,

that certain actions are going to have

we refrain from causing harm. That’s

long-term consequences. As human

because we are aiming for liberation. In

beings, we have the intelligence to see

terms of bodhisattva practice, the main

long-term consequences. Then, when we

reason to refrain from harming others

see them, we can, on an immediate level,

is consideration of others’ interests.

restrain ourselves.

Perhaps the second one, refraining from causing harm and helping others on the

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basis of altruism, has a connection with the universal

race, color, or wealth of the other children. They

responsibility that I speak about so often.

all play together; they are genuine playmates, so

Our Basic Nature as Human Beings

long as they are friendly with each other. Now we grown-ups supposedly are more intelligent and

Generally, we humans are social animals. No matter

more highly developed, but we judge the social

who it is, his or her survival depends on the rest

background of others. We calculate, “If I smile, will I

of humanity. Since individual survival and well-

get what I want; if I frown, will I lose something?”

being depends on all of society, the need to think of the well-being of others and being concerned

Universal Responsibility

about it derive from our own fundamental nature.

The sense of universal or global responsibility

If we look at baboons, for example, the elder one

functions on a human level. We’re concerned

takes full responsibility for the herd. While others

about other humans because: “I am one of them;

are feeding, one older male baboon is always to the

my welfare depends on them no matter what the

side, watching. The stronger one helps to take care

differences are.” Differences are always there; but

of the rest of the group for the sake of the society.

this can be helpful.

In prehistoric times, we human beings had no

For several centuries, the population was only one

education or technology. Basic human society was

billion people on this planet; now there are over six

simple: everybody worked together and shared

billion. Already, because of overpopulation, one

together. The communists say that this was original

country can’t provide all the food and resources for

communism: everybody working and enjoying

its own population. So we have global economy.

together. Then, eventually, education developed

Therefore, according to today’s reality, the world is

and we got civilization. The [human] mind became

much smaller and is heavily interdependent. This is

more sophisticated and so greed increased. That

reality. On top of that, there is the ecological issue:

brought jealousy and hatred and, over time, they

global warming. This is a concern for all six billion

grew stronger.

inhabitants of this planet, not just for one or two

Today, in the twenty-first century, so many changes have occurred [in human society]. Differences among

nations. The new reality needs a sense of global responsibility.

us have developed – [differences in] education,

For example, in older times, the British here thought

jobs, and social backgrounds. But even differences

only of themselves and sometimes exploited other

in age and race – all of these are secondary. On a

areas of the globe. They didn’t care about the

fundamental level, we are all still human beings

concerns or feelings of these other people. OK,

and we are all the same. This is the level of several

that’s past. But now things are different; things

hundred thousand years ago.

have changed. Now we must take care of other

The attitude of young children is like that. They

countries.

don’t care about the social background, religion,

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Leading an ethical life as an individual, then, means not to harm others, and, if possible, to help them. [In doing this,] if we take others’ welfare as the basis for our own ethics – this becomes a wider scope of ethics.

Actually, the British imperialists did some good

the basis for our own ethics – this becomes a wider

things, in fact. They brought good education in

scope of ethics. Our own lifestyle must take these

the English language to India. India has much

factors into consideration.

to acknowledge from this. Also Britain brought technology, the railroad system. That is one of your redeeming qualities. When I came to India, some Gandhians were still alive and they advised me on Gandhian nonviolent methods. At that time, I had felt that the British imperialists had been very bad. But then I saw that there was an independent judiciary, free press, freedom of speech, and the likes, in India. So, when I reflected more deeply, I saw that these things were very good.

There is a big gap between rich and poor, even in the United States. If we look at America, the richest country, still there are pockets of poverty there. Once when I was in Washington DC, the capital of the richest country, I saw that there were many poor areas there. The basic needs of these people were not adequately met. [Similarly], on a global level, the industrialized north is much more developed and richer [than the rest of the planet]; whereas many countries in the southern half of the globe

Today, nation to nation and continent to continent,

are even facing starvation. That’s not just morally

there is heavy interdependence. According to this

wrong; it’s a source of big problems. So, certain rich

reality, we really need global responsibility. Your own

countries have to look and examine their lifestyle;

interests depend on the development and interests

they need to practice contentment.

of others. So for your own interest, you have to take care of others. In the economic field, this is already there. Even if there are different ideologies and even if we don’t trust each other, we have to interact in our global interdependent economy. Therefore, global responsibility on the basis of respect of others’ interest is very important. We need to consider others as brothers and sisters and have a close feeling. This is nothing to do with religion. We really need this. The very concept of “us and them” – on a certain level, of course we can say that – but the whole world needs to consider itself as part of “us.” Our neighbors’ interest is our own interest. Contentment Leading an ethical life as an individual, then, means not to harm others, and, if possible, to help them. [In doing this,] if we take others’ welfare as

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Once, in Japan, fifteen years ago, I expressed to the people there that your assumption that the economy must grow every year and that every year material progress should happen is a big mistake. One day, you may see your economy becoming more limited. You must be prepared so that, when it comes, it won’t be a disaster in your minds. A few years later, that situation actually happened there in Japan. Some peoples’ lifestyles have too much luxury. Without stealing, without exploitation, and with no cheating, they have a great deal of money. From the point of view of their own self-interest, there is nothing wrong so long as their means of acquiring money is not unethical. But, from the point of view of the interests of others, although there’s nothing wrong with regard to themselves; yet, ethically, it’s not good when others face starvation. It is okay if everyone had that same high lifestyle of luxury; but until that’s achieved, the better lifestyle would be to

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have more contentment. As I experienced in Japan,

Ultimately, whether any action is helpful or harmful

in the United States, and in other more affluent

depends on the motivation. Out of sincere concern

societies, some modification of lifestyle is needed.

about others’ long-term well-being, methods may

In many countries, there’s one family but two, sometimes even three cars. Imagine India and China, these two nations with a combined population of well over two billion people. If two billion people acquired two billion cars or more, this would be very difficult. There would be a big problem and big complications about fuel, material resources, natural resources, and so on. It would get very complicated. Consideration of the Environment

sometimes be harsh, sometimes gentle. Sometimes even a little lie can help. For example, a dear friend or a parent in a distant country might be seriously ill or nearly dying and you know that. But you also know that if you tell another person that their parent is about to die, that person will become so upset and worried, they might faint. So you say, “They’re OK.” If you are a hundred percent caring not to upset the other person, then in such case, although a lie from the point of view of one’s own interests is unethical, yet from the point of view of the other, it may be most appropriate.

One additional aspect of ethical life, then, is therefore consideration of the environment, for example in our use of water. My own contribution may be silly, but since many years I never bathe in a bathtub; I only take showers. A bathtub uses too much water. Maybe I’m being silly, since every day I take two showers, so the amount of water I use is the same. But nevertheless, concerning electric lights, for example, when I leave the room, I always

Violent versus Nonviolent Methods So, how best to help others? That’s difficult. We need wisdom; we need clear awareness of the circumstances; and we need flexibility to use different methods according to different circumstances. And most importantly, our motivation: we need to have a sincere sense of concern for others.

put the lights out. So, I make a small contribution

For example, whether a method is violent or

to ecology. A certain ethical life comes about, then,

nonviolent depends very much on motivation.

from a sense of global responsibility.

Although telling a white lie is, itself, violent, but

How To Help Others

according to the motivation, it might be a method to help others. So, from that point of view, it’s a

As for how to help others, there are many ways; much

nonviolent method. On the other hand, if we want

depend on the circumstances. When I was young,

to exploit others and so we give them a gift, in

seven or eight years old, and doing my studies, my

appearance it’s nonviolent; but ultimately, since we

tutor Ling Rinpoche always kept a whip. At that time,

want to cheat the other person and exploit them,

my immediate elder brother and I were studying

it’s a violent method. So, violent or nonviolent

together. Actually, there were two whips. One whip

also depends on motivation. All human actions

was yellow color – a holy whip, a whip for the holy

depend on motivation. It also somewhat depends

Dalai Lama. If you use the holy whip, though, I don’t

on the goal; but if our aim is just the goal and

think there was any holy pain! It looks harsh as a

our motivation is anger, then this is difficult. So,

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Interreligious Harmony As for what to bring home with you from our discussions here, the important thing is to try to

own traditions. We need this variety of rich traditions: they serve all different types of people. One religion can’t suit and serve all.

develop inner peace. This we must think about and

At the time of Buddha, there were already many non-

bring about within ourselves. In addition, if there

Buddhist traditions in India. Buddha didn’t attempt

are some in the audience who follow a religion

to convert all Indians to Buddhism. Other religions

and are believers, one of my main emphases is

were OK. Occasionally, they did have some debate

always on interreligious harmony. I think all major

among them. Especially after Buddha, masters

religions, maybe not so much minor ones that

for many centuries debated each other. These

worship the sun and the moon - they don’t have

debates are very helpful, especially in the field of

much philosophy - but most major religions have

epistemology. One scholar from another tradition

some philosophy or theology. And because their

critically examines the philosophy and views of a

religion is based on a certain philosophy, it’s been

different religion and this causes everybody to think

maintained for thousands of years. But despite

about their own religions and their own traditions

different philosophies, all religions consider the

and debate. So, naturally it brings about progress.

top most practice to be the practice of love and

In some cases, perhaps there was a little violence

compassion.

involved in these debates and that’s unfortunate;

With compassion, a sense of forgiveness comes

but, in general, it was a healthy development.

automatically, and then tolerance and contentment.

India, then, is a very good example of real religious

With these three factors, there’s satisfaction. This is

tolerance that has lasted through centuries as a

common to all religions. These are also important

tradition itself; and it’s still alive in India. This is a

for extending the basic human values we’ve been

good model for the rest of the world.

talking about. So in this regard, all our religions are helpful in the sense that they promote what is the basis of our happiness, namely leading an ethical life. Therefore, since all religions carry the same message, all of them have the same potential to help humanity. At different times, in different locations, different

In ancient times, people were isolated, so OK. But now we are in different circumstances. For instance London – it’s almost a multi-religious society. Religious tolerance, then, is very important. So those of you with faith in a religion: harmony and tolerance are very important. When you have an opportunity, make contributions in this regard.

teachings have come about. That’s necessary. These different times and locations and different ways of life

Dr Alex Berzin holds a Ph.D in Far

evolved because of environmental differences, and

Eastern Languages from Harvard

because of that, differences in religion developed.

University and is an accomplished

For each of those times, certain religious ideas were

Buddhist

suitable and [were therefore adopted]. Because of

and practitioner in the Tibetan

that, thousand-year old religions each have their

Buddhist tradition. EH

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scholar,

translator,

NEWS S Singapore’s Buddhist Conference –

Creating Happiness in the Here and Now Singapore -- 500 participants found happiness in the here and now at the Buddhist Conference 2554, held 23 October at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, Singapore. The conference was organised by Dharma In Action (DIA), an informal gathering of energetic and enthusiastic Buddhists working together to promote Buddhism as a lifestyle in Singapore.

The day started with participants

happiness can be achieved through

In another workshop, Dr Phang

wishing themselves and all beings

small, simple steps such as being

Cheng Kar, President of the Kuala

well and happy, with a Metta

mindful of one’s breath while

Lumpur Buddhist Mental Health

meditation session led by Venerable

commuting on public transport.

Association, imparted useful

Chuan Ren.

techniques to cope with expectations The Venerable also co-wrote a

and stress at the workplace.

Mr Danai Chanchaochai, Thai CEO

booklet, DIY Happiness, which

cum Dharma worker extraordinaire,

contained tips for Buddhists and

Mr Vijaya Samarawickrama, an

then spoke on The Priceless Nature

non-Buddhists alike to find peace

international conference speaker

of Happiness – Why Money Cannot

and joy by doing simple things such

and author of Buddhist books from

Buy Happiness, sharing from his

as spending time with oneself and

Malaysia, gave a witty talk on how

vast experience how to achieve

mindfully picking up the phone.

the Dharma can be applied for

and maintain happiness in the workplace.

harmonious personal relationships. The breakout sessions had a strong focus on concrete action and

Geshe-la, Ven Faxun, Dr Phang

Extending the understanding and

discussion, where participants could

and Mr Vijaya then shared their

practice of true happiness, Geshe

interact freely with speakers and in

insight and rich life experiences

Tenzin Zopa from Nepal explored

between themselves.

with the audience in the plenary

what it means to be a happy

session, where participants could

Buddhist and shared how Buddhists

To transform the mind, the

ask questions. The conference ended

should practice to transform our

practice of meditation is integral.

on a joyful note with a blessing

own minds and karma.

Highlighting the importance of

session by Venerables from the three

meditation, Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Buddhist traditions.

In bite-sized sessions in between

introduced the building blocks

talks, Venerable Faxun from

to successful meditation in his

Source: The Buddhist Channel, Nov

Singapore taught how everyday

workshop.

1,.2010

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Gratitude, impermanence and fault

by Hnin Yee Kyaw

Hnin Yee Kyaw is a 22-year old medical student at Monash University in Johor Bahru. She is the youngest child of a Burmese family and was raised in the true Buddhist tradition of always questioning and always searching for truth. She is currently involved in a student-run community service project called Street Feeding that aims to feed homeless people and when possible, provide certain services for them. She is a big proponent of equal rights and giving everybody a fair opportunity to better their lives and pursue happiness. She likes to dream big, and hopes that one day we’ll be able to save this world, both the environment and mankind.

here was this Catholic priest. He’d go jogging

has taught me this and this today” but instead ask

every evening, around a few blocks nearby. He goes

“what more can I get from them?” How we don’t

round and round.

think “cool, I’ve got an iPhone!” but announce “I want an iPhone 4!!!” How we aren’t thankful about

And every evening, he’d see this boy standing by a

the cleaner lady working hard to keep things in order

corner selling bagels. It wasn’t a good corner as it

but instead accuse her of not making sure there’s

wasn’t a busy corner. But the boy wasn’t very smart

always toilet paper in the box!

‘cause he never moved to the better places. The story of gratitude also brings about the question Now every time the priest ran past him, he’d throw

of contentment. How we should appreciate what

the boy 2 quarters. He never stopped to talk to the

we’re given, what we have today. The friends around

boy or buy a bagel. He’d just leave the 2 quarters with

you. Your partner. Your parents. Your car. Your bed.

him and keep running. Now the boy must have been

Your clothes, etc. To me, this begets the question,

going “huh?”, but he just went on with his business

when do we stop chasing clouds? Instead of looking

anyway.

at all the faults your wife has, ask yourself how much she has enriched your life. Instead of thinking your

Then one day, the priest throws him 2 quarters again

clothes are old, appreciate that you aren’t naked in

and this time, the boy manages to stop the priest from

an air-conditioned room. But this would also imply

running away. So the priest asked him, “You must

that when your work isn’t as great as it should be, you

be wondering why I keep giving you the money but

should be grateful that you have a job. And content

never stopped to take any bagels from you, right?”

about it? But that sounds so defeatist to me. Like I

And the boy replied, “No, I just wanted to tell you as

can’t put up a fight and struggle for the things I want.

of today, the price of bagel has gone up to 60cents.”

Can we be grateful and not content at the same time?

And this is the story about gratitude. How we’re already getting 2 quarters for free everyday, but can’t appreciate it. How we don’t say “wow, my classmates

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Can we be contented but still search for better things to come?

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This also makes me think about faults. And judgment.

of us humans the right to judge another being? I find

We find faults because we judge others. But when

that so much of our unhappiness, and ungratefulness

is it really right to judge another? If one says that a

actually stems from the fact that we judge. We judge

psychotic cannot be judged by a court of law because

the boy who isn’t as diligent as yourself. Or the girl

these people are in no control of their minds, and we

who doesn’t answer questions as fast as you. Or the

do not know what compelled them into taking such

person who gets angry when others do not match up to

actions, then who is free from such words? When can

their standards. And we become unhappy. And we feel

we ever really say “I know for sure the past experiences,

it is only right that we show our unhappiness to others.

the current emotions and the conditions that he was

And this in turn makes the people around us unhappy!

facing when he did that”, and when can we ever judge

And the cycle goes on and on when it could all have

another person for their faults?

been prevented by merely not judging these people, but merely learning from them, and appreciating their

I’m not saying the law and such should not exist. I feel

existence.

that no matter what, killing or hurting other living beings, stealing or lying or cheating other people ...

The friends you have now. These people around you.

these things will never be right, nor justified. But I also

They are all beautiful. They deserve the right to be

understand that these are the things we must face day

here, to share this moment and live their lives as much

in and day out, just like a person who lives must die.

as you. And we should all just breathe in a little deeper

And at the end of the day, we can say “the way that

(when we’re not sitting near smokers, that is) and

person is acting does not make me happy” so we keep

laugh a little harder and remember to just be grateful,

our distance from him/her. But can we really say “that

appreciate, and not judge.

person is a bastard/jerk/asshole and doesn’t deserve to live and I wish he would just disappear”? What gives any

For this too, shall pass. EH

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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Buddhism Today – Growing yet Declining? by Yeo Puay Huei

Yeo Puay Huei has been making effort at studying Buddhism since 1988 and was a

Huei (in the center) facilitating UKM students making offerings to Geshe Tenzin Zopa.

co-founder of Losang Drapga Buddhist Society (LDC) which

This bittersweet question arose from the most unlikely of

began in 1995 under

circumstances … in the aftermath of the World Buddhist Conference

the guidance of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Huei’s daytime hours are spent as an in-house

held in Malaysia in September 2010. The Conference itself was well-organized, informative, thoughtprovoking and ecumenical, hosting eminent Buddhist speakers and activists from the traditions of the Theravada, Chinese Mahayana,

lawyer at a bank and

Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism who shared their respective tradition’s

most nights at LDC in

approach to life and to service. The illustrious presenters included

Petaling Jaya.

the Ven Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Roshi Joan Halifax, Venerable Wei Wu, Venerable Tejadhammo, other monastics, professors and renowned Buddhist social workers. Our Resident Geshe Tenzin Zopa of Losang Dragpa Centre (LDC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was an invited Speaker at the Conference and LDC itself was a supporting organization of the Conference. LDC has played its part in promoting greater dialogue between the various Buddhist traditions in the past. This gathering was an inspiring display of the multi-ethnic, multicultural devotion to the Buddha, and the blossoming of a sociallyengaged Buddhism across the planet. Why then this title-question?

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The Conference was wonderful. The concepts

in the Triple Gem. A viewpoint that does not, as

presented by some of the speakers however,

a minimum, address the continuum of mind into

were worrying.

future lives and the aspiration of gaining at least a better future life through Dharma cultivation,

This article journals the discussions that

is non-Buddhist. The speaker’s response was

Geshela and I had after listening to each day’s

merely a re-statement of the value of being

speakers. Geshela as a Dharma Teacher and

mindful of the present moment because the

myself, as a mere Dharma student, came to the

future is unknown and past lives unverifiable.

same menacing conclusion that whilst Buddha’s

The speaker went further to say that even karma

philosophy of compassion, good deeds and the

has not been scientifically proven! Limited time

value of meditation has gained ground in the

did not permit the reply to that but it must be

West and in the new East, the pursuit of the

said here that the acceptance by Buddhists

comprehensive study of the Buddhadharma, as

of past lives (and hence future ones) is not

established by the Nalanda tradition, could soon

predicated on blind faith but the logic of one

be sidelined for being old-fashioned, irrelevant

moment of consciousness being preceded

to contemporary times and a hard-sell to society

by the one before that; and further, having

at large.

established a valid Buddha, we can give due weight to his teachings on past and future lives.

There were two principal assertions which we

As for the speaker’s declaration that karma

found troubling – firstly, the strong emphasis

has not been proven by science – this one was

on the “here-and-now approach” to Dharma

VERY surprising and difficult to comprehend

cultivation, and secondly, the modernization of

when Nature is abound with evidence of cause

Buddhism.

& effect. Therefore, Buddhism is growing but declining?

The push towards the here-and-now: Many Conference speakers emphasized the value of

Focusing on only suffering is focusing only on

mindfulness-now, of being in the moment, of

the First Noble Truth. What about the other three

being here-and-now, of bearing witness, of being

Noble Truths of the cause of suffering, cessation,

intimate with one’s dukkha (suffering) without

and the Path? Is the study or practice of only one

thinking too deeply about what lies beyond,

of the Noble Truths, the complete Path taught by

let alone consider future lives. There was no

the Buddha?

footnote to remind the listener that Buddha’s teachings go beyond mere mindfulness of the

The modernizing-Buddhism juggernaut: This

moment.

proposition was made via the view that there is a need to bring modernity to Buddhism;

challenged

this

“here-and-now-only”

that Buddhist texts belong in the past and

approach during the Q&A as being for this-life

contemporary times call for a new presentation

only and thus not in harmony with the Buddha’s

of the Buddhadharma. Added to that was the

Refuge teachings which explain that suffering

call to trim away practices and symbolism

will follow us into infinite future lives, unless we

difficult to understand as they were dismissed

overcome karma and delusions; gain liberation

as “ritualistic” and “cultural baggage”. To justify

and enlightenment and hence the need for refuge

this position, the speaker commented that when

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Buddhism went from India to Sri Lanka, to China, to Tibet, it took on aspects of the local cultures there, which to him supports the view that Buddhism will constantly undergo change and that modernizing it is just a part of the natural evolution of Buddhism. One wonders when there will come a time where the act

Transforming the

Demon Within By Geshe Tenzin Zopa Edited by Yeo Puay Huei

of prostration will be regarded merely as an influence of Eastern culture on Buddhism, rather than it being

Geshe

the necessary practice of homage, accumulation of

Resident

merit, and purification that is taught by the Buddha.

(LDC) titled

of living beings, which would include presenting the

(e.g. karma and the teachings on past and future lives) nor dispensing with the complete study of the Buddhadharma (such as focusing on the First Noble Truth without pursuing with vigor the study of the remaining three Noble Truths) nor conveniently hiving off those parts of the teachings/practices that appear complex. If we are too ready to re-work the Buddha’s words and modify His teachings for the sake of greater “acceptability” in society, then whilst we think we are promoting the Dharma, we are in truth, creating causes for its extinction. The preservation of the Buddhadharma depends on the complete teachings being kept alive through active study and application, not only in monastic communities but in lay communities. Wake up!! The challenges are already at the door. EH

Teacher in

presented

Buddha adviced skilful means to guide myriad types

not extend to altering the fundamental principles

Zopa, at

Losang Dragpa Center

A debate with this assertion was mounted i.e. whilst

Dharma in a manner that is relevant to society, it does

Tenzin

the

Malaysia his

talk

“Transforming Demon

Within

Oneself” at the World Buddhist Conference in September 2010. During the Conference, Geshela forcefully asserted that if the goal of individuals and indeed the world is to achieve ultimate happiness when things seem to be falling apart, it is imperative to engage in the thorough study, contemplation and meditation of the Buddha’s entire teachings on mind, the afflictions, the antidotes, the 4 Noble Truths, the 3 Scope teachings right up to the teachings and practice of tantra. Partial study would only provide partial solutions, which will not secure the blissful, complete awakening that all sentient beings seek. The Buddha has offered the method to secure the total emancipation from suffering for oneself and all living beings. The halfway study of these methods is a waste of precious opportunity. Ultimately, the three yanas (path) are a single-yana approach towards enlightenment. The following is an extract of Geshela’s presentation I respectfully pay homage to my teachers - the Buddha, HH Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Khenrinpoche Lhundrup Rigse, the late Geshe Lama Konchog.

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The Conference theme is “Living in harmony when

the achievement of enlightenment. To awaken

things fall apart”. Why do things fall apart? This is

the enlightened mind within each sentient being

due to negative karma, yet there are numberless

requires the actualization of the entire stages of the

beings who have cultivated methods to eradicate

path. Buddha taught according to different mental

negative karma and actualized the supreme positive

dispositions of those whom he taught. Through

potential like Shakyamuni Buddha, the great Indian

the teachings of the Theravada, the Buddha taught

Pandits and the mahasiddhas all over the world.

the common path of refuge and refraining from committing non virtue and awakening oneself

The essence of all the 84,000 teachings of the

through realizing one’s own suffering and the

Buddha can be distilled into the Buddha’s 4 line

teachings of the Four Noble Truths. Through the

prayer –

teachings of the Mahayana, the Buddha expounded on the cultivation of great compassion and bodhicitta

“ Never commit non-virtue

and the practice of the 6 Perfections dedicated to

Commit only wholesome virtue

liberating all beings from suffering. Through the

Subdue one’s mind

Vajrayana teachings, Buddha presented the swiftest

This is the teaching of the Buddha”

method to enlightenment as we need to eliminate impure perceptions - how we look at ourselves and

The first 2 lines explore the impact of karma, of cause

at our world. We are presently dominated by wrong

and effect. The results of happiness or unhappiness

perceptions in respect of the “I” as an independent

are dependent upon karmic causes, which in turn

self, as well as the self cherishing mind – these are

are dependent on our ability to subdue our minds.

the fundamental causes for things falling apart in

The 3 line addresses our minds, which are filled

our lives. It is therefore obvious that if we rely on

with delusions of every kind but in particular,

only part of the Buddha’s teachings, it would require

the primary 6 root delusions (ignorance, anger,

countless aeons of lifetimes to overcome the entire

attachment, pride, doubt and wrong view). As long

aspects of suffering and gain full enlightenment. ...

as one does not subdue or transform these delusions with the antidotes, the resultant negative emotions

There is much emphasis on mindfulness during

will arise as the demon within oneself. The 4 line

the talks at this Conference. However, we need

says that transforming one’s mind is the teaching of

to be mindful of all aspects of Dharma and not

the Buddha. The Buddha established this verse to

just partially ... It is vital for us to cultivate in

enable us to gain conviction in the fact that there is

the manner that the Buddha adviced, namely to

liberation including full enlightenment, as long as

study, to contemplate and then meditate on the

one applies the antidotes to those delusions which

teachings. These are imperative for omniscience.

are the teachings of mind transformation ...

However, if we only study partially e.g. practicing

only Vajrayana and neglecting Theravada and The core teachings common to practitioners of the

Bodhisattvayana practices, it would be impossible

3 yanas are the teachings of karma, the Four Noble

to attain enlightenment; similarly, practicing only

Truths, the 8 Fold Path and the 3 Higher Trainings.

the 2 yanas and neglecting Vajrayana is not enough. Harmony and actualizing the full potential of the

It is very important for all traditions to engage in

Buddhist community can come from respecting,

the complete study of the Buddhadharma and

learning and applying these entire aspects of the

not only engage in partial study. This is vital for

Buddha’s teachings. EH

the preservation of the Buddhadharma and for

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Mindful Eating by Roshi Dr Jan Chozen Bays Roshi JAN CHOZEN BAYS has studied and practiced Zen Buddhism since 1973. She received Jukai (lay precepts) in 1975 and Tokudo (Priest’s Ordination), in 1979 from Taizan Maezumi, Roshi. From 1978 to 1983, she lived at the Zen Center of Los Angeles, studying with Maezumi Roshi and directing the Zen Center’s non-profit Medical Clinic. She finished formal koan study in 1983 and was given Dharma transmission and authorization to teach, the same year. Following Maezumi Roshi’s death in 1995, she continued her training with Shodo Harada Roshi, a Rinzai Zen teacher, abbot of Sogen-ji monastery, Japan. Since 1985, she has been the teacher for the Zen Community of Oregon. In 2002, Jan helped to found Great Vow Zen Monastery and currently is the co-abbot. She is the author of Jizo Bodhisattva, Guardian of Children, Women and Other Voyagers and Mindful Eating. Jan is also a pediatrician, mother and wife. She is particularly involved in teaching how to use meditation among those with eating disorders and grief. She was a speaker at the Global Conference on Buddhism held in Malaysia in 2007.

ur struggles with food can cause tremendous distress and suffering.

Whether we have a tendency to overeat or undereat, the practice of mindfulness can help us to rediscover a healthy and joyful relationship to food. Mindful eating is an experience that engages all parts of us, our body, our heart, and our mind, in choosing, preparing, and eating food. It immerses us in the colors, textures, scents, tastes, and even sounds of drinking and eating. Mindfulness allows us to be curious and even playful as we investigate our responses to food and our inner cues to hunger and satisfaction. Mindful eating is not directed by charts, tables, pyramids, or scales. It is not dictated by an expert. It is directed by your own inner experiences, moment by moment. Your experience is unique. Therefore you are the expert. In the process of learning to eat mindfully, we replace self-criticism with selfnurturing, and shame with respect for your own inner wisdom.

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As an example, let’s take a typical experience. On the way home from work Sally thinks with dread about the talk she needs to work on for a big conference. She has to get it done in the next few days to meet the deadline. Before starting to work on the speech, however, she decides to relax and watch a few minutes of TV when she gets home. She sits down with a bag of chips beside her chair. At first she eats only a few, but as the show gets more dramatic, she eats faster and faster. When the show ends she looks down and realizes that she’s eaten the entire bag of chips. She scolds herself for wasting time and for eating junk food. “Too much salt and fat! No dinner for you!” Engrossed in the drama on the screen, covering up her anxiety about procrastinating, she ignored what was happening in her mind, heart, mouth, and stomach. She ate unconsciously. She ate to go unconscious. She goes to bed unnourished in body or heart and with her mind still anxious about the talk. The next time this happens she decides to eat chips but to try eating them mindfully. First she checks in with her mind. She finds that her

Mindful eating is an experience that engages all parts of us, our body, our heart, and our mind, in choosing, preparing, and eating food.

mind is worried about an article she promised to write. Her mind says that she needs to get started on it tonight. She checks in with her heart and finds that she is feeling a little lonely because her husband is out of town. She checks in with her stomach and body and discovers that she is both hungry and tired. She needs some nurturing. The only one at home to do it is herself. She decides to treat herself to a small chip party. (Remember, mindful eating gives us permission to play with our food.) She takes twenty chips out of the bag and arranges them on a plate. She looks at their color and shape. She eats one chip, savoring its flavor. She pauses, then eats another. There is no judgment, no right or wrong. She is simply seeing the shades of tan and brown on each curved surface, tasting the tang of salt, hearing the crunch of each bite, feeling the crisp texture melt into softness. She ponders how these chips arrived on her plate, aware of the sun, the soil, the rain, the potato farmer, the workers at the chip factory, the delivery truck driver, the grocer who stocked the shelves and sold them to her.

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With little pauses between each chip, it takes ten minutes for the chip party. When she finishes the chips, she checks in with her body to find out if any part of it is still hungry. She finds that her mouth and cells are thirsty, so she gets a drink of orange juice. Her body is also saying it needs some protein and something green, so she makes a cheese omelet and a spinach salad. After eating she checks in again with her mind, body, and heart. The heart and body feel nourished but the mind is still tired. She decides to go to bed and work on the talk first thing in the morning, when the mind and body will be rested. She is still feeling lonely, although less so within the awareness of all the beings whose life energy brought her the chips, eggs, cheese, and greens. She decides to call her husband to say good night. She goes to bed with body, mind, and heart at ease and sleeps soundly. Mindful eating is a way to rediscover one of the most pleasurable things we do as human beings. It also is a path to uncovering many wonderful activities that are going on right under our noses and within our own bodies. Mindful eating also has the unexpected benefit of helping us tap into our bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural wisdom and our heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural capacity for openness and gratitude. In the Zen tradition we practice bringing skillful attention, curiosity, and inquiry to all of our activities, including the activities of tasting and eating. The Zen teachings encourage us to explore the present moment fully, asking ourselves questions like: Am I hungry? Where do I feel hunger? What part of me is hungry? What do I really crave? What am I tasting just now? These are very simple questions, but we seldom pose them.

Mindfulness Is the Best Flavoring As I write this I am eating a lemon tart that a friend gave to me. He knows how much I love lemon tarts, and he occasionally brings them to me from a special bakery. After writing for a few hours I am ready to reward myself with a tart. The first bite is delicious. Creamy, sweet-sour, melting. When I take the second bite, I begin to think about what to write next. The flavor in my mouth decreases. I take another bite and get up to sharpen a pencil. As I walk, I notice that I am chewing, but there is almost no lemon flavor in this third bite. I sit down, get to work, and wait a few minutes. 29!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!KBOVBSZ!3122

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Then I take a fourth bite, fully focused on the smells, tastes, and touch sensations in my mouth. Delicious, again! I discover, all over again (I’m a slow learner) that the only way to keep that “first bite” experience, to honor the gift my friend gave me, is to eat slowly, with long pauses between bites. If I do anything else while I’m eating, if I talk, walk, write, or even think, the flavor diminishes or disappears. The life is drained from my beautiful tart. I could be eating the cardboard box. Here’s the humorous part. I stopped tasting the lemon tart because I was thinking. What was I thinking about? Mindful eating! Discovering that, I have to grin. To be a human being is both pitiful and funny. Why can’t I think, walk, and be fully aware of the taste of the tart at the same time? I can’t do all these things at once because the mind has two distinct functions, thinking and awareness. When the thinking function is turned up, the awareness function is turned down. When the thinking function is going full throttle, we can eat an entire meal, an entire cake, an entire carton of ice cream, and not taste more than a bite or two. When we don’t taste what we eat, we can end up stuffed to the gills but feeling completely unsatisfied. This is because the mind and mouth weren’t present, weren’t tasting or enjoying, as we ate. The stomach became full but the mind and mouth were unfulfilled and continued calling for us to eat.

If we eat and stay connected with our own experience and with the people who grew and cooked the food, who served the food, and who eat alongside us, we will feel most satisfied, even with a meager meal.

If we don’t feel satisfied, we’ll begin to look around for something more or something different to eat. Everyone has had the experience of roaming the kitchen, opening cupboards and doors, looking vainly for something, anything, to satisfy. The only thing that will cure this, a fundamental kind of hunger, is to sit down and be, even for a few minutes, wholly present. If we eat and stay connected with our own experience and with the people who grew and cooked the food, who served the food, and who eat alongside us, we will feel most satisfied, even with a meager meal. This is the gift of mindful eating, to restore our sense of satisfaction no matter what we are or are not eating.

Common Misperceptions People get confused about mindfulness. They think that if they just do one thing at a time, like eating without reading, or if they move veeerrry slowly and carefully, they are being mindful. We could stop reading, close the book, and then eat slowly but still not be mindful KBOVBSZ!3122!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!2:

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of what we are eating. It depends upon what our mind is doing as we eat. Are we just eating or are we thinking and eating? Is our mind in our mouth, or somewhere else? This is a crucial difference. As we begin to practice mindfulness it does help a lot to slow down and to do only one thing at a time. In fact there are two essential aspects of becoming mindful as we eat. They are slowing down and eating without distractions. As we become more skilled in being present, we can be mindful and speedy. In fact we discover that when we are moving quickly we need to be much more mindful. To be mindful means to have the mind full, completely full, of what is happening now. When you’re chopping vegetables with a large sharp knife, the faster you slice, the more attentive you have to be, if you want to keep your fingers! It’s also important to understand that mindful eating includes mindless eating. Within the wide field of mindfulness we can become aware of the pull toward mindless eating and notice when and how we slip into it. We can also decide, according to this situation and time, how we’re going to approach eating. Part of my work as a doctor involves testifying in court cases as an expert witness. Maybe I’m on the way to court and I haven’t had time for lunch. I know it will be hard to stay clear on the witness stand and that court is unpredictable. I may be there for hours. I mindfully decide to undertake mindless eating and order a veggie burger from a fast-food window to eat in the car, trying to at least be mindful about not spilling the special sauce on my one good suit. Mindfulness gives us awareness of what we’re doing and, often, why we’re doing it.

Establishing a Healthier Relationship with Food When our relationship to food falls out of harmony, we lose our innate enjoyment of eating. When the relationship has been disordered for many years, it is easy to forget what “normal” eating is like. Actually it’s what “normal” eating was like, because in infancy almost everyone experienced a natural happiness with eating and an instinctive awareness of how much was satisfying. Here are some elements of a healthy relationship to food. • You feel happy and fully engaged in life when you are not eating. (Food is not your only reliable source of pleasure and satisfaction.) • If you are not feeling hungry, you don’t eat.

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• You stop eating when you feel full and are able to leave food on the plate. • You have intervals of at least several hours when you are not hungry or thinking about food, punctuated by (meal) times when you do feel hungry and take enjoyment in eating. • You enjoy eating many different kinds of foods. • You maintain a healthy weight that is steady or fluctuates within a range of five to seven pounds. You don’t need to weigh yourself more than once every few months or years. • You don’t obsess about food or count calories in order to decide if you can “afford” to eat something or not. If some or all of the items on this list don’t apply to you, you’re not alone. Many of us have developed unhealthy habits due to a variety of influences in our lives. Fortunately, mindful eating can help restore your natural sense of balance, satisfaction, and delight with food.

The Basic Mindful Eating Meditation Anything that we attend to carefully and patiently will open itself up to us. Once we are able to apply the power of a concentrated, focused mind, anything, potentially all things, will reveal their true hearts to us. It is that heart-to-heart connection with ourselves, with our loved ones, and with the world itself that all of us so dearly long for. All it takes is a little bit of courage and the willingness to begin

Anything that we attend to carefully and patiently will open itself up to us. Once we are able to apply the power of a concentrated, focused mind, anything, potentially all things, will reveal their true hearts to us.

the most delightful of all adventures, the journey of looking, smelling, tasting, and feeling. In this mindful eating exercise we will experiment with bringing our full awareness to eating a very small amount of food. It is best to have someone read this exercise aloud to you, one step at a time. Preparation: For this exercise you will need a single raisin. Other foods will also work, such a dried cranberry, a single strawberry, a cherry tomato, or an unusual type of cracker. 1.

Begin by sitting quietly and assessing your baseline hunger: How hungry are you, on a scale of zero to ten? Where do you “look” in your body to decide how hungry you are?

Imagine that you are a scientist on a mission to explore a new planet. Your spaceship has landed and found the planet to be quite hospitable. You can breathe the air and walk around without any problem. The surface of the planet seems to be KBOVBSZ!3122!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!32

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bare dirt and rock, and no one has seen any obvious life forms yet. The food supplies on your spaceship are running low, however, and everyone is getting hungry. You have been asked to scout out this planet to look for anything that might be edible. As you walk around you find a small object lying on the ground, and you pick it up. Place the raisin (or other food item) on your palm. You are going to investigate it with the only tools you have, your five senses. You have no idea what this object is. You have never seen it before. 3.

Eye hunger First you investigate this object with your eyes. Look at its color, shape, and surface texture. What does the mind say that it could be? Now rate your eye hunger for this item. On a scale of zero to ten, how much hunger do you have for this object based upon what your eyes see?

Nose hunger Now you investigate it with your nose. Smell it, refresh the nose, and sniff it again. Does this change your idea of whether it might be edible? Now rate nose hunger. On a scale of zero to ten, how much hunger do you have for this object based upon what your nose smells?

Mouth hunger Now you investigate this object with your mouth. Place it in your mouth but do not bite it. You can roll it around and explore it with the tongue. What do you notice? Now you can bite this mysterious object, but only once. After biting it once, roll it around again in the mouth and explore it with the tongue. What do you notice? Now rate mouth hunger. On a scale of zero to ten, how much hunger do you have for this object based upon what the mouth tastes and feels? In other words, how much does the mouth want to experience more of it?

Stomach hunger Now you decide to take a risk and eat this unknown object. You chew it slowly, noticing the changes in the mouth in texture and taste. You swallow it. You notice whether there are still any bits in the mouth. What does the tongue do when you have finished eating it? How long can you detect the flavor?

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Now rate stomach hunger. Is the stomach full or not, satisfied or not? On a scale of zero to ten, rate stomach hunger. In other words, how much does the stomach want more of this food? 7.

Cellular hunger Become aware of this food passing into the body. Absorption begins as soon as we begin chewing. Are there any sensations that tell you that this food is being absorbed? How is it being received by the cells in the body? Now rate cellular hunger. On a scale of zero to ten, how much would the cells like to have more of this food?

Mind hunger Can you hear what the mind is saying about this food? (Hint: Often the mind talks in “shoulds” or “should nots.”) Now rate mind hunger. On a scale of zero to ten, how much would the mind like you to have more of this food?

Heart hunger Is the heart saying anything about this food? On a scale of zero to ten, how soothing or comforting is it? Would the heart like you to have more of this food? You might like to repeat this exercise with liquid. Pick a drink you have never had before, such as an exotic fruit juice. Take your time and assess each kind of thirst separately.

At first we might find this exercise difficult. As with all aspects of practice, the more you do it, the more your awareness opens up. If you try this exercise with many kinds of food and drink, gradually

As you continue to practice mindful eating you will develop skill and confidence in a new and more balanced relationship with food. You will be able to nourish the body, heart, and mind, and to regain a sense of ease and enjoyment with eating.

you will be able to sense and rate the different kinds of hunger more easily. As you continue to practice mindful eating you will develop skill and confidence in a new and more balanced relationship with food. You will be able to nourish the body, heart, and mind, and to regain a sense of ease and enjoyment with eating. Excerpted from Mindful Eating: Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food by Jan Chozen Bays © 2009 by Jan Chozen Bays. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, MA. www.shambhala.com.. and with special thanks to Roshi Jan Chozen Bays for her kind permission. EH

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As I See It – Facing up to Ego and the Soul by Low Chwee Beng, Chiangmai, August 28, 2010 Low Chwee Beng, a retired lawyer, has been serving as a volunteer English language teacher at a monastery in Chiangmai for the last 5 years. He is the editor of the quarterly newsletter of the Buddhist Library in Singapore (The Path of Joy) and has written Dharma articles for several publications such as Silkwinds, The Bangkok Post and Eastern Horizon.

Why are you a Buddhist? A simple question. But simple questions are often

We normally regard the soul as our innermost essence,

difficult to answer.

our indestructible identity. But when pressed to say where it is or where it resides, we’re dumbstruck.

Most Buddhists from traditional Buddhist families are ‘born Buddhists’. They inherit Buddhism the way

The Buddhist answer, on the other hand, is empirical

they do their family names.

and clear.

Or do they?

There’s no such thing.

As Sangharakshita once remarked, there is, in fact,

Closely associated with the soul is ego.

no such thing as a ‘born Buddhist’.

Because to

Ego and soul both strengthen or solidify our sense of

be Buddhists , we must have a particular mindset

permanence, uniqueness and importance. But they’re

accepting that the world has 3 characteristics –

also fundamentally different.

suffering, impermanence and non-self. Unlike the soul, ego is merely a sense of our own The words ‘Suffering’ and ‘impermanence’ are self-

importance or ability. But it does have a practical

explanatory. ‘Non-self’ means that all phenomena

function. It acts as an internal censorship board,

depend on causes and conditions to come into being

filtering all our experiences through the spectacles

and cease to exist. Nothing in this world exists or

of our likes and dislikes.

ceases to exist independently, without being caused or conditioned, including human beings.

As the Buddha explained, the only world that we know, or can ever know, is the one that we experience

The Buddha analysed the human personality into the

through our senses - the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body

body and different aspects of the mind.

and mind.

Conspicuously absent here is the soul or self, a

‘Friend, that in the world, by which one perceives the

permanent and unchangeable entity.

world, and conceives conceits about the world, is called ‘world’ in this noble training.

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And what is it in the world by which one does that? It is

we do, good or bad, we do so with an egocentric

through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind that

mindset.

one perceives the world and conceives conceits about the world.’

There’s perhaps no better illustration of the deleterious effects of humankind’s collective ego

Samyutta Nikaya, Vol 4, p 95

than the sorry state of the world today –animal and plant extinction, global warming, flash floods, you

Ego Is dangerous because it’s elusive and insidious.

name it.

And it always makes us feel good, at least for a while. Often, like Julius Caesar, we don’t even realise that

But Buddhism, despite its pessimistic image, is

it’s controlling us.

nothing if not hopeful. Change is indeed possible. Our mind, said the Buddha, in its original state is pure.

‘But when I tell him he hates flatterers, he says he does, being then most flattered’.

Brightly shining, luminous is this mind, but it is defiled by the stains which visit it. This the unlearned common

William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar

folk do not really understand; so for them there is no development of the mind.

Yet, Instead of achieving happiness through our egodriven achievements as we intend, we often get into

Brightly shining, luminous is this mind, and it is freed of

all sorts of problems.

the stains which visit it. This the learned noble disciples really understand; so for them there is development of

‘Passion and hatred spring from egoism. So do

the mind.

discontentment, attachment and terror. Speculative thoughts also spring therefrom and harass the mind as

Anguttura Nikaya, Vol 1, p 10

do boys a crow.’ The mind is developed when the stains of greed, Sutta Nipata, vs 271-2

hatred and delusion are replaced by wisdom and compassion.

Consequently, we make the same mistakes again and again as we drift from life to life in the endless cycle

This is a complete transformation, a paradigm shift

of birth, death and rebirth or samsara.

from love for oneself to unconditional love for all sentient beings.

This is to be expected. After all, we view the world, as the Buddha said, with ‘conceits’ which we ‘conceive

The Buddha compared the enlightened mind to a

about the world’.

deep ocean – ‘still’, ‘unbroken’, and ‘without any quiver of desire, without a remnant on which to build

Most religions see the world as a constant battlefield

pride and desire.’

between God and Satan. But, in Buddhism, the war is a psychological one between us and ego.

In Zen Buddhism, the enlightened mind is likened to water. Water, unlike the ice of our ordinary,

Thus our predicament is not so much that, as human

conceptual mind, flows into any container regardless

beings, we’re inherently evil or sinful. But that,

of shape. Likewise, the enlightened mind adapts

because we’ve become, over countless lifetimes,

to any situation to be of maximum and long-term

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The 14th century, Tibetan monk, Gyelsay Togmay

relationships, influence, talent, careers, clients, and

Sangpo expresses the bodhisattva’s readiness to

market share.’

serve sentient beings thus – ‘…the more important it is for you and your company ‘If my sickness is of benefit to living beings, then let

to progress, the more important it is for you to suspend

me be sick. If my death would benefit them, may I die

the focus on that progress and devote yourself to

but if my recovery would help, may I be cured. Bless

the progress of your clients first. The irony is that in

me to accept whatever happens with joy and use it as

suspending your own needs, you are more likely to

my path.’

meet your clients’ needs, which in turn advances the progress of your company, and you therefore become

Harbouring neither ego nor personal agenda, a

more likely to meet your own needs.’

bodhisattva can serve sentient beings without fear or obstruction.

Even animals, particularly insects, instinctively sacrifice their lives and serve the collective interest

A cynic may say that this is all very well and good

of the community.

- for monks. What about us, ordinary mortals, eking out a living in a stressful, ego-driven world? Isn’t ego

This resonates very much with the Buddhist doctrines

necessary for success, if not survival?

of emptiness and dependent origination. All sentient beings are in the same boat. All depend on a myriad

Well, yes. And no.

of inter-connected causes and conditions. No one is an island.

In their recent book, Egonomics – What makes Ego our Greatest Asset (or Most Expensive Liability), David

HH the Dalai Lama often says that if we want to be

Marcum and Steven Smith examine this issue in some

selfish, we should at least be ‘intelligently selfish.’

detail.

Since we can’t do without others’ help, why not help them to help us?

They conclude that ego is ‘both a valuable asset and a deep liability’.

We normally think of humility as the opposite of ego. But Marcum’s and Smith’s research shows

The authors compare ego to free radicals.

that humility is actually having a balanced mind, equidistant from the extremes of lack of confidence

‘To keep our body healthy, our immune system creates

or self-esteem, on the one hand, and overconfidence

molecules called free radicals that fight viruses and

and arrogance, on the other.

bacteria. However, when environmental factors such as pollution and pesticides cause free radical production

They quote Ralph Sockman -

to become excessive, the molecules attack not only viruses and bacteria but good cells and vital tissue as

‘True humility is intelligence and respect which keeps

well, causing illness, premature ageing, cancer, and

us from thinking too highly or too meanly of ourselves.

other diseases. Ego is a free radical.’

It makes us modest by reminding us how far we have

Contrary to conventional wisdom, putting self first is

come short of what we can be.’

not the best way to serve our personal interest. In brief, to be humble is to see ourselves realistically ‘Most of us don’t lose our lives when we momentarily

as always being a work in progress, no matter how

lose control of ego – but we lose a lot: trust, respect,

successful we’ve become.

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That’s why billionaire investor, David Rubenstein,

To be a Buddhist is to commit oneself to spiritual

in charge of a US$90 billion fund, when asked in a

improvement, in some form or another.

recent interview what led to his success, promptly cited controlling ego as an important factor.

It could be something simple like refusing to take shark’s fin soup, goose liver pate or any other kind of

And why Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, realising that

food that involves horrendous suffering to animals,

they could not have succeeded without the help of

even if we’re not yet able to become vegetarian. Or

society, donated billions of dollars to charity and

greeting people every day, especially the old, the sick

research.

and the lowly paid, even if they don’t reciprocate. Or making greater effort to be inclusive, rather than

This explanation of humility is entirely consistent with

discriminatory.

the Buddhist view that the path to lasting happiness is a middle one that transcends extremes.

Over time, we may well find ourselves able and willing to widen and deepen our spiritual commitment.

As Buddhists, we owe a duty to ourselves to become better human beings, even if we can only do so

Dr Alan Wallace, when asked how he first became

gradually. If we don’t make the effort, then our status

interested in Buddhism, said that he found in

as Buddhists is merely a label. The Buddha compared

Buddhism a world view.

someone like this to a shepherd who counts the cattle of other people.

Others may gravitate towards Buddhism for other reasons. It affects aspects of their lives. It can be

Years ago, I went with a friend on a tour of Sri Lanka

verified from their own experience. It’s rational.

. My friend went deep sea fishing. He hired a boat

It’s science compatible. It offers a most profound

complete with a guide. With the guide’s assistance,

understanding of the mind. It’s DIY. Or perhaps even

he managed to catch a few fishes which became

that they can enjoy the benefits of Dharma practice,

dinner that night.

without having to die first.

Being a vegetarian, I participated neither in the

A host of reasons. Take your pick.

fishing nor the dinner. Nevertheless, my being a vegetarian, for some reason, was a constant source

Personally, Buddhism complements my life with

of amusement for the others.

context, perspective, direction - and the knowledge to face up to the soul and ego for what they truly are.

Back in Singapore, I met my friend for lunch. He told

That’s why I’m a Buddhist.

me that he’d become a vegetarian. “Why, what happened?” I asked.

Acknowledgements: Quotation

from

the

Dhammapada

–

The

“Nothing,” he said, sheepishly. “Just that, on my

Dhammapada- The Path of Truth translated by Ven

deathbed, if I’d managed to do nothing else with my

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya

life, at least I would have practised non-violence.” Other quotations from Buddhist texts - The Essential My friend made my day. Not because he became a

Teachings of Buddhism (Ed. Kerry Brown and Joanne

vegetarian. But because he had committed himself to

O’Brien. Publisher Random Century Ltd). EH

spiritual improvement.

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The Second Precept:

Generosity

by Thich Nhat Hanh

“Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I undertake to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I undertake to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.”

Exploitation, social injustice, and

stealing,

stealing come in many forms. Op-

undertake to cultivate loving

pression is one form of stealing

kindness and learn ways to work

that causes much suﬀering both

for the well-being of people,

here and in the Third World. The

animals, plants and minerals.”

moment we undertake to cultivate

Even with maitri as a source of

loving kindness, loving kindness is

energy in ourselves, we still need

born in us, and we make every ef-

to learn to look deeply in order to

fort to stop exploitation, social in-

find ways to express it. We do it

justice, stealing, and oppression.

as individuals, and we learn ways

and

oppression,

to do it as a nation. To promote In the First Precept, we find the

the well-being of people, animals,

word “compassion.” Here, we

plants, and minerals, we have to

find the words “loving kindness.”

come together as a community

Compassion and loving kindness are the two aspects of love taught by

the

Buddha.

Compassion,

karuna in Sanskrit and Pali, is the intention and capacity to relieve the suffering of another person or living being. Loving kindness, maitri in Sanskrit, metta in Pali, is the intention and capacity to bring joy and happiness to another person or living being. It was

Compassion and loving kindness are the two aspects of love taught by the Buddha. Compassion, karuna in Sanskrit and Pali, is the intention and capacity to relieve the suffering of another person or living being.

and

examine

our

situation,

exercising our intelligence and our ability to look deeply so that we can discover appropriate ways to express our maitri in the midst of real problems. Suppose you want to help those who

are

suffering

under

dictatorship. In the past you may have tried sending in troops to

predicted by Shakyamuni Buddha

overthrow their government, but

that the next Buddha will bear

you have learned that when doing

the name Maitreya, the Buddha of

“Aware of the suffering caused

that, you cause the deaths of many

Love.

by exploitation, social injustice,

innocent people, and even then,

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you might not overthrow the

dust of life.” They are homeless,

much money. There are so many

dictator. If you practice looking

and they wander the streets by

simple things like this we can do to

more deeply, with loving kindness,

day and sleep under trees at night.

help people, but because we cannot

to find a better way to help these

They scavenge in garbage heaps to

free ourselves from our situation

people without causing suffering,

find things like plastic bags they

and our lifestyle, we do nothing at

you may realize that the best time

can sell for one or two cents per

all. We need to come together as a

to help is before the country falls

pound. The nuns and monks in Ho

community, and, looking deeply,

into the hands of a dictator. If you

Chi Minh City have opened their

find ways to free ourselves so we

offer the young people of that

temples to these children, and if

can practice the Second Precept.

country the opportunity to learn

the children agree to stay four

your democratic ways of governing

hours in the morning -- learning

by giving them scholarships to

to read and write and playing with

come to your country, that would

the monks and nuns -- they are

be a good investment for peace in

offered a vegetarian lunch. Then

the future. If you had done that

they can go to the Buddha hall for

thirty years ago, the other country

a nap. (In Vietnam, we always take

might be democratic now, and you

naps after lunch; it is so hot. When

would not have to bomb them or

the Americans came, they brought

send in troops to “liberate” them.

their practice of working eight

This is just one example of how

hours, from nine to five. Many of

looking deeply and learning can

us tried, but we could not do it. We

help us find ways to do things

desperately need our naps after

that are more in line with loving

lunch.)

kindness. If we wait until the situation gets bad, it may be too

Then at two o’clock, there is more

If we practice the

late. If we practice the precepts

teaching and playing with the

precepts together

together with politicians, soldiers,

children, and the children who

with politicians,

businessmen, lawyers, legislators,

stay for the afternoon receive

soldiers, businessmen,

artists, writers, and teachers, we

dinner. The temple does not have a

lawyers, legislators,

can find the best ways to practice

place for them to sleep overnight.

artists, writers, and

compassion, loving kindness, and

In our community in France, we

teachers, we can

understanding.

have been supporting these nuns

find the best ways to

and monks. It costs only twenty

practice compassion,

It requires time to practice

cents for a child to have both

loving kindness, and

generosity. We may want to help

lunch and dinner, and it will keep

understanding.

those who are hungry, but we are

him from being out on the streets,

caught up in the problems of our

where he might steal cigarettes,

own daily lives. Sometimes, one pill

smoke, use delinquent language,

“I undertake to practice generosity

or a little rice could save the life of

and learn the worst behavior. By

by sharing my time, energy, and

a child, but we do not take the time

encouraging the children to go to

material resources with those who

to help, because we think we do

the temple, we help prevent them

are in real need.” This sentence is

not have the time. In Ho Chi Minh

from becoming delinquent and

clear. The feeling of generosity and

City, for example, there are street

entering prison later on. It takes

the capacity for being generous

children who call themselves “the

time to help these children, not

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express our generosity. We may

and hide. But Bac Sieu had nothing

in the villages to each take care of

feel that we don’t have the time

to take. He was truly a bodhisattva,

one orphan, then we sent $6 every

to make people happy - we say,

working for the well-being of

month to that family to feed the

“Time is money,” but time is more

others. I feel more humble now

child and send him or her to school.

than money. Life is for more than

concerning the ways of practicing

Whenever possible, we tried to

using time to make money. Time

generosity.

place the child in the family of an

is for being alive, for sharing joy

aunt, an uncle, or a grandparent.

and happiness with others. The

With just $6, the child was fed

wealthy are often the least able

and sent to school, and the rest

to make others happy. Only those

of the children in the family were

with time can do so.

also helped. Children benefit from growing up in a family. Being in an

I know a man named Bac Sieu in

orphanage can be like being in the

Thua Thien Province in Vietnam,

army -- children do not grow up

who has been practicing generosity

naturally. If we look for and learn

for fifty years; he is a living

ways to practice generosity, we

bodhisattva. With only a bicycle,

will improve all the time.

he visits villages of thirteen provinces, bringing something for

“I am determined not to steal

this family and something for that

and not to possess anything that

family. When I met him in 1965, I

should belong to others. I will

was a little too proud of our School

We may feel that

respect the property of others,

of Youth for Social Service. We

we don’t have the

but I will prevent others from

had begun to train three hundred

time to make people

profiting from human suffering

workers, including monks and

happy - we say, “Time

or the suffering of other species

nuns, to go out to rural villages

is money,” but time is

on Earth.” When you practice one

to help people rebuild homes

more than money. Life

precept deeply, you will discover

and modernize local economies,

is for more than using

that you are practicing all five.

health-care

and

time to make money.

The First Precept is about taking

education. Eventually we had ten

Time is for being alive,

life, which is a form of stealing

thousand workers throughout the

for sharing joy and

-- stealing the most precious

country. As I was telling Bac Sieu

happiness with others.

thing someone has, his or her life.

about our projects, I was looking at

The wealthy are often

When we meditate on the Second

his bicycle and thinking that with

the least able to make

Precept, we see that stealing, in

a bicycle he could help only a few

others happy. Only

the forms of exploitation, social

people. But when the communists

those with time can

injustice, and oppression, are

took over and closed our School,

do so.

acts of killing -- killing slowly by

systems,

Bac Sieu continued, because his

exploitation, by maintaining social

way of working was formless. Our

injustice, and by political and

orphanages, dispensaries, schools,

The war created many thousands

economic oppression. Therefore,

and resettlement centers were

of orphans. Instead of raising

the Second Precept has much to

all shut down or taken by the

money to build orphanages, we

do with the precept of not killing.

government. Thousands of our

sought people in the West to

We see the “interbeing” nature of

workers had to stop their work

sponsor a child. We found families

the first two precepts. This is true

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of all Five Precepts. Some people

all concepts. When we realize the

arrived. His daughter Laura tried to

formally receive just one or two

interbeing nature of all things --

wake him up, but she couldn’t. So

precepts. I didn’t mind, because if

that even birth and death are just

I asked Sister Chan Khong to sing

you practice one or two precepts

concepts -- we transcend fear.

Alfred the Song of No Coming and

deeply, all Five Precepts will be

No Going: “These eyes are not me,

observed.

I am not caught by these eyes. This body is not me, I am not caught

The Second Precept is not to steal.

by this body. I am life without

Instead of stealing, exploiting, or

boundaries. I have never been

oppressing, we practice generosity.

born, I will never die.” The idea is

In Buddhism, we say there are three

taken from the Samyutta Nikaya .

kinds of gifts. The first is the gift of

She sang so beautifully, and I saw

material resources. The second is

streams of tears running down the

to help people rely on themselves,

faces of Alfred’s wife and children.

to offer them the technology and

They were tears of understanding,

know-how to stand on their own

and they were very healing.

feet. Helping people with the Dharma so they can transform

Suddenly, Alfred came back to

their fear, anger, and depression

himself. Sister Chan Khong began

belongs to the second kind of gift. The third is the gift of non-fear. We are afraid of many things. We feel insecure, afraid of being alone, afraid of sickness and dying. To help people not be destroyed by their fears, we practice the third kind of gift-giving. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is someone who practices this extremely well. In the Heart Sutra,

In Buddhism, we say there are three kinds of gifts. The first is the gift of material resources. The second is to help people rely on themselves, to offer them the technology and know-how to stand on their own feet.

to practice what she had learned from studying the sutra The Teaching Given to the Sick. She said, “Alfred, do you remember the times we worked together?” She evoked many happy memories we had shared together, and Alfred was able to remember each of them. Although he was obviously in pain, he smiled. This practice brought results right away. When a person is suffering from so much

he teaches us the way to transform

physical pain, we sometimes can

and transcend fear and ride on the

alleviate his suffering by watering

waves of birth and death, smiling.

In 1991, I visited a friend in New

the seeds of happiness that are in

He says that there is no production,

York who was dying, Alfred Hassler.

him. A kind of balance is restored,

no destruction, no being, no

We had worked together in the

and he will feel less pain. All the

nonbeing, no increasing, and no

peace movement for almost thirty

while, I was practicing massage

decreasing. Hearing this helps

years. Alfred looked as though he

on his feet, and I asked him

us look deeply into the nature of

had been waiting for me to come

whether he felt my hand on his

reality to see that birth and death,

before dying, and he died only a

body. When you are dying, areas

being and nonbeing, coming and

few hours after our visit. I went

of your body become numb, and

going, increasing and decreasing

with my closest colleague, Sister

you feel as if you have lost those

are all just ideas that we ascribe

Chan Khong (True Emptiness).

parts of your body. Doing massage

to reality, while reality transcends

Alfred was not awake when we

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dying person the feeling that he

been absorbed into other waves,

is alive and being cared for. He

and somehow, time will bring

knows that love is there. Alfred

the wave back again. There is no

nodded, and his eyes seemed

increasing, decreasing, birth, or

to say, “Yes, I feel your hands. I

death. When we are dying, if we

know my foot is there.”

think that everyone else is alive and we are the only person dying,

Sister Chan Khong asked, “Do

our feeling of loneliness may be

you know we learned a lot from

unbearable. But if we are able to

you when we lived and worked

visualize hundreds of thousands

together? The work you began,

of people dying with us, our dying

many of us are continuing to

may become serene and even

do. Please don’t worry about

joyful. “I am dying in community.

anything.” She told him many

Millions of living beings are also

things like that, and he seemed

dying in this very moment. I see

to suffer less. At one point, he

myself together with millions of

Time is for being with

opened his mouth and said,

other living beings; we die in the

others -- being with

“Wonderful, wonderful.” Then,

Sangha. At the same time, millions

a dying person or

he sank back to sleep.

of beings are coming to life. All

with someone who is

of us are doing this together. I

suffering. Being really

Before we left, we encouraged

have been born, I am dying. We

present for even five

the family to continue these

participate in the whole event

minutes can be a very

practices. The next day I learned

as a Sangha.” That is what I saw

important gift. Time

that Alfred passed away just 5

in my meditation. In the Heart

is not just to make

hours after our visit. This was a

Sutra,

money. It is to produce

kind of gift that belongs to the

this kind of insight and helps us

the gift of Dharma and

third category. If you can help

transcend fear, sorrow, and pain.

the gift of non-fear.

people feel safe, less afraid of

The gift of non-fear brings about

life, people, and death, you are

a transformation in us.

Avalokitesvara

practicing the third kind of gift. The Second Precept is a deep

During my meditation, I had a

practice. We speak of time,

Hanh. Reproduced from For a

wonderful image -- the shape of

energy, and material resources,

Future to Be Possible: Commentaries

a wave, its beginning and its end.

but time is not only for energy

on the Five Wonderful Precepts (1993)

When conditions are sufficient,

and material resources. Time is

by Thich Nhat Hanh. Parallax

we perceive the wave, and

for being with others -- being with

Press, PO Box 7355, Berkeley, CA

when conditions are no longer

a dying person or with someone

94707. EH

sufficient, we do not perceive

who is suffering. Being really

the wave. Waves are only made

present for even five minutes can

of water. We cannot label the

be a very important gift. Time is

wave as existing or nonexisting.

not just to make money. It is to

After what we call the death

produce the gift of Dharma and

of the wave, nothing is gone,

the gift of non-fear.

nothing is lost. The wave has 43!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!KBOVBSZ!3122

NEWS

Living in Harmony When Things Fall Apart: Notes from the World Buddhist Conference 2010

Coming together by Gary Gach Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- FOLLOWERS of the teachings of Buddha encircle our blue planet. Like the migration of birds, their activity (and non-activity) proceeds without any single, central leader. What it is, is – up to its communities and practitioners ever seeking harmony with life. The Buddha once declared that whenever three or more people sincerely gathered in his name, he’d be there. A year after his final continuance

More than 800 participants attended the World Buddhist Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 25, 26, 2010 (Photo by Lim Kooi Fong)

(paranirvana), 500 of his realized disciples convened to discuss the preservation of their practice. Three of four more such summits were held, over the years. Gathering together to learn from the past and renew our vows for the future, all in the present moment, can be wonderfully salutary. Such was the case on the weekend of September 25-6, when the 2010 World Buddhist Conference (WBC) convened in Kuala Lumpur. This important gathering could be typified by its marriage of broad scope with relevance to everyday life. Here follows the first of a series of exclusive reports on this invigorating wind.

Roshi Joan Halifax demonstrating a healing session at the WBC 2010

Coming Together Under One Banner Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold … — William Butler Yeats

Things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. — Pema Chodron

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Ufbdijoht Ofxt }!Malaysian !}!!Njoegvmoftt!Qsbdujdft!jo!Xftufso!Qtzdipmphz Institution Bestowed World Renown Pāli Tipitaka

The World Buddhist Conference was initially

savings built up over years can be wiped out in a

organized to provide a contemporary approach

single day. An entire family is placed in jeopardy

to issues affecting Buddhism. It continues to

when its breadwinner meets an accident on the

illuminate the timeless Dharma through the lights

road. A bird with a broken wing fears being target of

and lives of male and female monastic and lay

other birds. A war veteran, haunted by memories of

practitioners from all traditions –including such

killing in battles fought in a distant land, is unable

notables as Pra Ajahn Brahm, Geshe Thubten Jinpa,

to return to normal life.

Roshi Jan Chozen Bays, and Bhante Gunaratana. Thinking it through, the organizers realized Originally entitled ‘Global Conference on

their initial phrase, alone – ‘things fall apart’

Buddhism,’ it’s also been held in Auckland and

-- might seem like too bleak a prospect. Further

Perth as well as Kuala Lumpur. Topics have

contemplation yielded ‘Living in Harmony.’ The

included Buddhism and technology; death, dying,

two phrases fit in a perfect balance, as of Ying and

and rebirth; euthanasia; karma vs fate; ending war,

Yang. Living in Harmony: When Things Fall Apart.

making peace; and revelation and realization.

After all, the Buddha tells us he offers but one teaching: the nature of suffering, and liberation

Such a grand undertaking is fruit of many hands,

from suffering.

seen and unseen. Spearheaded by the Buddhist Gem Fellowship, the Buddhist Missionary Society

Instead of living on autopilot, driven by stress and

Malaysia, and the Young Buddhist Association of

anxiety, we can look into the roots of our suffering,

Malaysia, support also came from Bandar Utama

to gain deep insight into its cause and remedy. We

Buddhist Society, Buddhist Channel, Losang Dragpa

can know ourselves better and more profoundly by

Buddhist Society, Nalanda Buddhist Society, Shah

cultivating and tapping the potential of the mind –

Alam Buddhist Society, Subang Jaya Buddhist

training mind as a tool to transform mind. We can

Association, Than Hsiang Temple, and World

mobilize our wealth of inner and outer resources

Fellowship of Buddhist Youth.

for learning, growing, healing, and transformation, regardless of our situation – and participate in the

When the 2010 conference was first conceived,

common wealth of friends along the path.

the catastrophe of 9/11 and collapse of America’s debt chain were still of recent memory. The phrase,

The next step for the conference organizers was

“when things fall apart” came to mind.* Indeed,

finding speakers for the year’s theme. Benny Liow,

people often turn to the Buddha’s teaching from

of Buddhist Youth Association, deserves a deep

personal disappointment, such as experience of

bow for assembling a well-rounded roster of high-

divorce, disaster, or death.

caliber presenters, capable of connecting with a diverse, savvy audience. No doubt, his ongoing

We may hold life to a model of perfection, but

tenure as editor of Eastern Horizon helps him keep

impermanence is a fact of nature. An intricate

his finger on the pulse of international Buddhism.

spider web can blow away in a storm. A life’s

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NEWS

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Living in Harmony When Things Fall Apart: Notes from the World Buddhist Conference 2010

As is the custom of the series, the final line-up

On Saturday morning, September 25th, years of

not only represented the three major groups of

hard work paid off. The palatial grand ballroom

traditions, Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana,

of the Hotel Istara was filled to capacity with 800

but also a healthy blend of gender, age, profession,

attendees, from across 12 countries. The audience

etc. Relative status ranged from one of the most

mirrored the diverse presenters, in reflecting a

beloved spiritual leaders of our time, Ven. Thich

balance of both women and men, young and old; a

Nhat Hanh, to the relatively unknown but potent

cross-section of seekers from everyday society. All

Anchalee Kurutach who has been involved in

there welcomed the conference’s practicality, on

refugee work and survivors of torture for over twenty

how to live in harmony and lead peaceful, happy

years in her native Thailand as well as in the US.

lives. As the Malaysian Buddhist community has a penchant for wearing white, in the sea of attendees

This Writer was particularly honored to meet two

there was fine contrast of white clothes, bordered

Malaysian presenters. Venerable Wei Wu from Than

by the grey and red, saffron and orange, of the

Hsiang Temple, Penang, is best known for setting up

robes of monastic attendees from various sanghas.

Malaysia’s first International Buddhist College, and

The palatial crystalline chandeliers in the ballroom

many welfare projects such as kindergartens and

seemed, to this Writer, like bright nodes from the

orphanages throughout the country. Very present

Net of Indra, infinitely interpenetrating luminosity

too was Buddhist psychotherapist Dr Tan Eng Kong

and bliss, overhead.

is a key figure in the alloy of psychology (soul-study) and Buddhism (the art of awakening).

Prof Loy spoke for hundreds there when he told us, after the event, ‘I found it very moving, not

Other speakers included Venerable Tenzin Zopa

only because of what people said, but how they

from Nepal, a resident teacher at Losang Dragpa

said it. Everyone spoke from the heart, and you

Center, Petaling Jaya — who we instantly recognized

could feel it.’

from the widely acclaimed, new documentary The Unmistaken Child, about his search for his

Gary Gach is author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to

reincarnated teacher Lama Konchog. Speakers from

Buddhism, editor of What Book!? : Buddha Poems

the West included Dr Joan Halifax, internationally-

from Beat to Hiphop, and translator of three books

reknowned medical anthropologist and Zen master;

by the Korean Buddhist poet Ko Un, SSN. He cur-

Venerable Tejadhamma, a pioneer in hospice work

rently hosts Haiku Corner online for Tricycle: The

in Sydney, Australia; Venerable Thubten Chodron,

Buddhist Review. Gary’s homepage:http://word.to.

well-known author and spiritual teacher from the Pacific Northwest of America; and Prof David Loy,

Coming Together by Gary Gach, reprinted from The

gifted scholar practitioner from the US and co-

Buddhist Channel, by permission of the author and

founder of Buddhist Global Relief.

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THICH NHAT HANH Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- VEN. THICH Nhat Hanh is one of the most beloved living spiritual leaders of our time - known to his followers as just Thây (pronounced “tye”, Vietnamese for “teacher”). The World Buddhist Conference, held on Sept 25-26, 2010, welcomed him to the 2010 proceedings by standing up as one body. He was calmly radiant in his happiness to be there. Thich Nhat Hanh delivering his keynote address at the World Buddhit Conference (WBC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Following a dedicatory recitation

both of them are, by their nature,

without you: in this moment is the

of vows, several dozen of his monks

empty.’ That is why communication

proof. Interbeing is not a word in

and nuns, from his root sangha

can be very deep.”

the dictionary, but Ven. Thich Nhat

in Plum Village, France, treated

Hanh has suggested it ought to be.

us to a massive, lilting, heartfelt

After elaborating on this a bit, he

We inter-are, with each other, and

choral chant to Avalokiteshvara,

went on to typify our century’s

with every thing. Consciousness

Bodhisattva of Compassion. Then,

thinking as still dualistic:

of this reality is a cornerstone of

after a truly sterling introduction

believe there is a consciousness

by Datuk Dr Victor Wee, President

inside, reaching out to understand

of Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Thây

the world outside.” From this

Thây then showed us the Buddha’s

took to the platform.

mis-taken view, stems separation:

central teaching, the Four Noble

discrimination,

hate,

Truths, from the nondual vantage

“We

anger,

Zen.

Thây began in his quiet voice by

violence, and war

within

of interbeing. When we contact our

declaring the present moment as

ourselves and within the world.

suffering, we contact the suffering

a happy moment. He smiled as he

That is why we need to go in the

of the world. (No separation.)

then recalled that when he was

direction of Right Thinking, which

Recognizing and understanding

ordained at 16 as a novice monk,

is the direction of understanding

our own suffering is to recognize

he was taught how to bow to the

and compassion.

and understand the world’s. (Not

Buddha. He said: “One verse in

different.) And, as he put it, “in

classical Chinese which I had to

For instance, right now - writing,

understanding a path opens up.”

memorize went: ‘The One who

writer,

not

What an elegantly simple way of

bows and the one who is bowed to,

independent.

There’s no me

saying the Fourth Noble Truth of

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and

reader

are

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IN MALAYSIA

Nuns from Plum Village leading the choral chant to Avalokiteshvara

by Gary Gach

Sis Chan Khong from Plum Village at the WBC

suffering is the Eightfold Path.

Thây touched on many points, in

but it doesn’t take up an attitude of

Having branched off into the Four

less than an hour, all framed by

superiority to the left hand. When

Noble Truths, and the Eightfold

his initial point of departure: the

hammering a nail, if our right

Path, he maintained focus all

present moment as happiness,

hand accidentally hits the left, we

the while on Right View, Right

and nondualism. Since his books

might cry out, even curse, but left

Thinking, traditionally the initial

are often edited transcripts of his

hand does not pick up the hammer

point upon the Path.

dharma talks, perhaps one reason

to retaliate: rather, the right hand

they invite a very slow reading

immediately goes to embrace

Each sphere or step of the Path

is this gift he has of speaking

the left hand. He juxtaposed this

“inter-is” with every other. When

from within the experience of

anecdote from everyday life with

we know how to practice right

interbeing, the interconnectedness

the example of the retreats he’s

thinking, we can practice right

of all things, and with a genius for

been organizing for Israelis and

speech and right action. Through

skillful and appropriate means,

Palestinians, where they can sit

right thought we can find healing

while keeping everything all on a

down together in mindfulness, see

within our self and within our

level. For example, one moment

past their discriminatory thinking

world. We can transform suffering

he offered a graphic but familiar

through and deep listening and

and produce happiness as naturally

analogy for nondiscriminatory

right speech, and realize harmony

as an orange tree blossoms. Yet

thinking.

and peace together.

to cover up, avoid, and flee from

Consider your own right and left

Along with the wisdom component

suffering.

hand. Your right hand might write

of right view and right thought,

or paint, sound a bell or lift a fork,

and the meditative art of awareness

daily life’s customs and habits try

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(mindfulness, concentration, and

myself, my family, and my society by

The Sangha from Plum Village in

insight), another way we can train

practicing mindful eating, drinking,

mindful listening mode

ourselves in the Buddha’s wisdom

and consuming. I will practice looking

of nondiscrimination is through

deeply into how I consume the Four

Many present took that as call for

the Precepts, the cornerstones of

Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible

different traditions to continue

Buddhist ethics (Vinaya). Indeed,

foods, sense impressions, volition, and

to come together, as Malaysia is

traditionally

and

consciousness. I am determined not

now doing. True, in Thây’s own

adoption precedes meditation.

to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs,

Southeast Asian, diverse tradition,

Thây has always stressed the

or any other products which contain

Theravada

Precepts

toxins, such as certain websites,

intermingle, and with just a dash

since

electronic games, TV programs, films,

of Vajrayana. Yet, besides evoking

“precepts” sounds like an outside

magazines, books, and conversations.

spiritual pluralism (and interfaith)

order. For the past five years, with

I will practice coming back to the

as well as a call for collective

his sangha, he’s been retranslating

present moment to be in touch with

awakening, the phrase now also

the traditional first five anew for

the refreshing, healing and nourishing

refers to a recent key moment in

our time. He spoke with conviction

elements in me and around me, not

Thây’s own story, worth relating.

of their being path that can lead us

letting regrets and sorrow drag me

Listening deeply, it underscores

out of discriminating thought, and

back into the past nor letting anxieties,

the preciousness of his addressing

transform our daily life.

fear, or craving pull me out of the

the World Buddhist Conference as

present moment. I am determined not

part of his last tour of Asia.

their

study

which he calls

“mindfulness

trainings,”

and

Mahayana

the prohibitive

to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety,

framework of “Thou Shalt Not”

or other suffering by losing myself

Followers of Thich Nhat Hanh are

is rephrased, so not killing can

in consumption. I will contemplate

keenly aware of their teacher is

be seen as reverence for life. No

interbeing and consume in a way that

now chronologically 84, though

sexual misconduct can be seen as

preserves peace, joy, and well-being in

he still can evidence the zest of

true love. Loving speech and deep

my body and consciousness, and in the

a youngster. Just last year, +1,000

listening are really extensions of

collective body and consciousness of

people were gathered together in

not lying. This extensive relevance

my family, my society and the Earth.

Colorado for a retreat with him

For one thing,

and his sangha, only to learn he

of the precepts in our daily lives, Just a week prior, over a hundred

was unexpectedly called away

is also elaborated in each. Not

people

transmission

to a hospital, instead, due to a

stealing also refers to exploitation,

from Thich Nhat Hanh of the

lung infection. The retreat had

social injustice, and oppression

Five Mindfulness Trainings at

been entitled “One Buddha Is

negative instincts which can

his retreat in Malaysia, “This

Not Enough” but soon became

be countered with generosity

Is a Happy Moment.” Today,

affectionately known as “One

(<I>dana</I>) and right livelihood.

Thây invited practice of these

Thây Is Not Enough.”

Non-intoxicants opens out into

mindfulness trainings in families,

his retreats are always billed as

the wider realms of consumption,

schools,

religious

being led by Thich Nhat Hanh

and consumerism.

bodies, corporations, and political

and the Plum Village Sangha, this

entities. In so doing, he sounded

time the sangha conducted the

Aware of the suffering caused by

the need for collective awakening,

retreat without Thây physically

unmindful

consumption,

since, to save our planet Earth,

there, yet he was present. Some

committed

“one Buddha is not enough.”

might call it awakening of mind;

individually

and

collectively,

cultivating

am good

health, both physical and mental, for 49!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!KBOVBSZ!3122

received

hospitals,

While

a collective awakening of mind.

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One can appreciate in this event the power of the Sangha. And for a decade now, Thây has been saying the Buddha of our time will be manifest as Sangha. Our initial report referred to the Buddha saying that when two or more people gather in his name, he’d be present. In that light, one can more deeply hear Thich Nhat Hanh saying for over a decade that in our time the Buddha will be seen in Sangha. Just as he declared we do not need to die to enter the Pure Land - which is present here and now - so might we look to Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, in our midst, in our coming together. Gary Gach is author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism, editor of What Book!? : Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop, and translator of three books by the Korean Buddhist poet Ko Un, SSN. He currently hosts

Testimonies of Participants of

Mindfulness Retreat

Haiku Corner online for Tricycle: The

Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh conducted a five-day

Buddhist Review. Gary’s homepage:

mindfulness retreat in Malaysia from September

http://word.to.

15-19, 2010 in Port Dickson with the theme “The

Originally titled Coming Together

Walk of Peace and Joy”. More than 400 participants

2: One Buddha is Not Enough by

attended the retreat. It was the first time for most

Gary Gach, reprinted from The

participants to meet the great master face to face

Buddhist Channel, by permission

though they would have studied his teachings or

read about him in books. We invited two of the participants who attended the retreat to share

Source: The Buddhist Channel, Oct

with us their experiences. Lee Chung Yen is the

24, 2010

Executive Secretary of the YBAM while Kek Chin Wu is an active dharma worker in Malaysia.

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The Mindfulness Bell by Lee Chung Yen “静听，静听，美妙的钟声把我带回真正的家园”

“Listen, listen, the wonderful sound of the bell is bringing me back to my true home.” 这也许是我有生以来听到最多次钟声的几天了。在一行禅师的静修营中，每当我们听到钟声，我们停下正在做的事情，停止走动，停止说话，回到我们的呼吸上，让我们的思绪静止下来。

I have never listened to so many bells chiming in my lifetime. In Thich Nhat Hanh’s meditation retreat, whenever we hear the sound of the bell, we are supposed to stop whatever we are doing - stop walking, stop speaking and pay attention to our breath and calm our thoughts. 我需要一些提醒，来回到我的呼吸上，回到我心中的那岛屿。

I need reminders for me to come back to my breath and the island in my heart. 在红尘中打滚的人都知道，这世间太多声音了，有车子的鸣笛声、有电话的铃声、有接到手机短讯的讯号声、有MSN短消息的声音，我们都太熟悉这些声音代表的意思，直接的反应在我们的动作上：把车子开动、拿起电话、打开讯息箱等等；但是呼吸，不就是多么自然的事情，我需要有人来提醒我回到呼吸上？

Living in this busy world, we know that the world is filled with a myriad of sounds, such as the horns of cars, the ringing of phone calls, the message tones. We are so familiar with these sounds that we immediately respond to them with an action, e.g. to pick up the calls, read messages or start our cars. Why then, would I need someone to remind me to come back to breathing when breathing itself is such a natural thing?

若没有正念钟声的提醒，我们绝对不清楚我们的思绪，是多么的心猿意马？有时候，它飘到了千万里外，有时候，它又回到了几年前的那个夜晚，追忆着一件令我懊恼不已的事情，纵然后悔却已经于事无补的。

If there is no reminder with the bell of mindfulness, we would not be able to realize that our minds are so muddled. Sometimes, it is thousands of miles away. Sometimes, it went back to a particular night a few years back regretting an incident. 一行禅师说：真正的家园是我们的心，也就是当下此刻。只要能够停下来，觉观呼吸，就能够感受自由。

Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Your true home is in your heart. It is now at this moment. If you can stop and watch your breath, you will realize freedom right away.” 我们本身就是悬挂在虚空中的明月，任它万古晴空。

We ourselves are the bright moon in the universe. 当然，当下此刻，也是不能执着的。茶店婆婆的一句话：金刚经说的过去心不可得、现在心不可得、未来心不可得，不知道你点的是哪个心？就把德山禅师问得哑口无言，落荒而逃了。

However, we should also not be attached to the present moment. In the Diamond Sutra, it says that, “The mind of the past is ungraspable, the mind of the present is ungraspable and the mind of the future is ungraspable.”

是的。我们需要正念的钟声，来提醒我们。

Yes. We need the bell of mindfulness to remind ourselves.

在这条河流中，让我们化身为一滴水，随着它奔向大海去吧！

In the flow of the river, let us transform into a drop of water and flow into the ocean. EH 51!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!KBOVBSZ!3122

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The Walk of Peace and Joy by Kek Chin Wu

What impressed me the most was the way Thay has adapted traditional Buddhist practices to suit the modern world and Western culture. For example, the 5 precepts has been rephrased as the 5 Mindfulness Trainings. The precepts have been given a more extensive elaboration and the instructions on how to practice the precept are clear. Precepts now become a training for us. It is also a form of Buddhist ethics that we follow. I am also attracted to the Plum Village Sangha’s way of cultivation – simple, direct and easy to follow. I could feel the result of the Sangha’s cultivation which is higher happiness and inner The theme of the 2010 Mindfulness Retreat was

peace and contentment.

“The Walk of Peace and Joy”. I was attracted to the retreat as it was a good reminder of the objectives

I enjoyed Thay’s talks which I felt was enlightening

of our Buddhist practice. We need inner peace in

and clear. The message of inter-being and inter-

our minds first in order to have peace in the world.

dependence, how to transform our feelings and

The Buddha taught a path to the highest happiness

how to live happily by being in the present moment

– Nibbana. Sometimes we stress too much about

gives me new perspectives to overcome problems

unsatisfactoriness or suffering, whereas we could

of life. Thay’s reminder that we all have enough

instead focus on joy – our inner spiritual happiness

conditions of happiness inside reminds me not to

that arises from bodhi or wisdom.

over-consume beyond life’s necessities, that I should not use consumption or fulfilling sensual desires as

The retreat was very relaxing and was held at an

a means of happiness. Thay also gave me a different

easy to follow pace. I had no trouble adapting from

impression of Chan masters, as I had thought Chan

my busy daily schedule to the retreat’s timetable.

masters as people who don’t smile. Thay certainly

Though it was not a meditation retreat, I felt that my

has a sense of humour with his teachings on how

mindfulness was elevated throughout the retreat due

spouses should communicate when they are hurt!

to the practices and reminders during the day. I think this was achieved as I was more relaxed, and my

I experienced a higher level of happiness from

mind was not stressful. The Total Relaxation exercise

following the simple practices taught by the Plum

certainly helps! A simple ring of the bell reminds us

Village Sangha. I have now installed a Mindfulness

to go back to our breath! How wonderful! We were

Bell in my laptop which reminds me to go back to

reminded to observe mindfulness throughout the

mindful breathing every hour. Each breath reminds

day - during morning chanting, meditation sessions,

me that I’m truly alive! As I’m alive, happiness is here

meal times, sharing sessions, evening exercise,

and now! EH

singing songs and Plum Village presentations.

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The challenge of being a

Bodhisattva by Venerable Jue Cheng

Ven Jue Cheng was born in 1960 in Johor. She was a teacher for ten years before she attended the English Buddhist College at Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Tsung Lin University, Taiwan, in 1989. In 1990, she became a novice nun, and in 1991 received her full ordination. In 1992, she was assigned to FGS Brazil, where she also studied Portuguese and Education at the University of Sao Paulo. Under instruction of Ven Hsing Yun, she established Zu Lai Temple in Brazil which was opened in 2003. As the Abbess, she established Zu Lai Buddhist College and carried out various education and charity programs for children in Brazil. She was awarded the Civilian Honor by Cotia City, Brazil. In 2005, she was appointed Vice Secretary General at Buddhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Light International Association, South America Chapter, and represented Brazil at the 1st World Buddhist Forum in Hanzhou, China in 2006. She became Abbess of FGS Argentina in 2006, and in 2007, became Abbess of FGS Malaysia. Ven. Jue Cheng is keen in propagating Dharma through cultural and educational activities. She is fluent in Mandarin, English, Malay, and Portuguese. Chan Ping Ping from FGS interviewed Ven Jue Cheng about her family background, her early encounters with Buddhism, motivations that sustained her monastic journey despite the many challenges, her spiritual mentor, and her own spiritual quest.

Tell us about your family I was born in a small village. My father was a

Although I was young, I realized the hardship of

businessman. He passed away when I was eight.

my mother. My motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachings had nurtured

Then our family shifted to Johor Bahru. My mother

us to be understanding, disciplined and not to

brought us up with very strict moral discipline. Every

hurt others. My mom told us that if we had the bad

morning my mother would prepare meals before

intention of stealing sweets in the candy shop, she

she went out to work. I would go to the bushes and

would chop off our hands. She told my brother that

collect some fire wood for my mom. My mom also

if he learnt the bad habit of gambling, she would

undertook chores like washing and sewing to make

chase him out of the house and disown him.

ends meet.

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established a kindergarten with my friends where I spent 10 years in children education. During these years, I also volunteered at the St John’s and the Police Reserve Unit. I came across people indulging in alcohol, drugs and sex during the police patrols and wondered why human minds are so deluded and I started to contemplate on the causes of suffering. Why did you choose FGS? What training did you receive in the FGS Order? My mom’s happiest moment was when we handed our report cards to her and showed her the prizes that we were awarded in school. I studied diligently to repay the kindness of my parents. She knew that I did not like to eat bitter gourd. She taught me how to plant the bitter gourd and cook them. She taught us by being a role model herself. I learnt that even though we were poor, we should never be poor in morality. Where did you study when you were a student? When I went to secondary school, she allowed me to study in the Chinese independent high school and never asked me to switch to the government school despite financial difficulties. Tell us about your first encounter with Buddhism. Were you immediately drawn to it or did you grow into it? My eldest brother passed away when I was in high school. A monk conducted the funeral service and I began to ponder upon the issue of life and death and I realized the fact of impermanence in life. I began to search for the answer. When I saw my mom’s deep sorrow due to my brother’s passing away, I promised my late brother that I would take good care of my mom. Hence, I let go of the opportunity to further my studies in Taiwan and

One of my teachers in school introduced a Buddhist magazine published by Fo Guang Shan to me and I read these words, “Do you have doubts in life? You may find the answe rs from Tsung Lin Buddhist College”. I also read that Fo Guang Shan has a kindergarten unit. Initially, I planned to further my studies in my specialization in Australia. Then I changed my mind and wanted to go to Fo Guang Shan Taiwan instead. I discussed with my mom and she approved my decision. Although she was illiterate, she wished that I could fulfill my goals in life. I went to Fo Guang Shan with the objective to learn about its children education system and also Buddhist studies. There was an entry examination and I believed I did not do well because I did not have much Buddhist knowledge then. I am grateful that the teachers gave me the chance even though I did poorly in the Buddhist exam. It took me some time to re-learn walking, eating, talking and conducting myself in daily practice at Fo Guang Shan Monastery. Fo Guang Shan’s training aims to coach us to conduct daily activities with a meditative and composed mind. The mind is like a monkey mind. We may seem to be washing the toilets or sweeping the floor, but our minds are not with us.

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Fo Guang Shan for two weeks and we visited many branch monasteries. I was grateful to the abbesses of these monasteries who had spiritually inspired my mother. The third person is my mother. One night, we were chatting at the bridge near a pond in Fo Guang Shan Taiwan and my mom said to me, “It seems that you are considering renouncing as a monastic.” I timidly answered the affirmative. Then she said, “I will approve but you must agree to undertake two Was there a certain person or event that encouraged

promises.” I was anxious and then she said, “First,

you to embark on the Buddhist path? What’s so

you must ensure that your mind is always as clear

special about this particular person or event?

as the water underneath this bridge”. I looked at the water and indeed it was crystal clear. Then she

Once when I was washing the toilet, my teacher,

said, “You must be filial to your master teacher like

Ven. Yong Fu, yelled at me, “Are you washing

you are to me.” I was overjoyed and immediately

the toilet or washing your heart?” These words

applied for renunciation. Co-incidentally, there was

struck me deeply. I thought about her words for

a Monastic Tonsure Ceremony two days later and

three days. I realized that I was always looking

my mother witnessed the ceremony. The next day

externally instead of cultivating my mind. I was

she flew back to Malaysia.

thinking about external issues such as societal injustice, discrimination, chaotic phenomenon and

What aspects of Buddhism did you find most

thought I was superior. I started to be aware of the

enriching for your life that it made you decide

afflictions within and tried to transform the selfish

to become a nun? Was it an easy decision to

I to the selfless I and ultimately to realize non-self.

renounce?

One year of training the mind and bodily actions, the teachers noticed my changes from being very

The concept of Bodhisattva. To conduct ourselves

“worldly” to more transcendental. As the selfish

in humility and magnify our hearts so that we can

part of me diminished, I began to ponder on my

encompass all beings. The teaching of transformation

path in life whether to get married and take care of

from selfish to selfless and eventually to non-self.

a family or to renounce worldly life to be a nun and

To radiate light and energy upon others.

take care of a bigger humanity family. Tell us about the challenges you faced as a nun, My master, Ven. Master Hsing Yun is a key person in

especially when you were in other countries,

my monastic life with his role model and teachings.

especially in Brazil.

When I was contemplating the idea of renunciation, I received calls from my mom asking me to go home. I sought Ven Master Hsing Yun’s advice and told him that I’d like to stay. He said, “If you could let your mom understand, go back. Otherwise, bring your mom to Fo Guang Shan.” I really brought my mom to

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I was young at that time and was somewhat fearless. I took the assignment from Ven Master Hsing Yun in 1992 and Master gave me two lines of advice, “Jue Cheng, settle down and be patient.” That began my 14 years of Dharma propagation in Brazil. Everything started anew. I learnt the local culture and studied

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Zu Lai Temple and Buddhist College in 2003 and carried out an education and charity programme for Brazilian children. I came across many street kids in the underprivileged areas and they were spending time committing crime as no one taught them the right things to do. Hence, I attracted them to come to the temple by providing food to them and helped them to keep clean and tidy. At the same time, I taught them some good conducts, morality and self-management. We also organized a football team for the street kids and I invited a trainer to train them. The numerous tests and trials during my stay in Brazil were the source of motivation for me to continue to strive on zealously. The Buddha Dharma is so rich that they have helped me resolve numerous problems. The Buddha Dharma is so wonderful and I really like to share with them and let them know that they too, have the Buddha nature. Portugese and Education at the University of Sao

You are now an Abbess â&#x20AC;&#x201C; life must be very hectic

Paulo. It is a society of extreme differences in

managing a monastery. How do you balance your

wealth. The rich ones take flights to work whilst the

own spiritual practice with that of an Abbess?

poor ones live by the river banks. Initially I stayed at a place offered by a devotee in a remote area among

To me, my daily busy schedule is my spiritual

the locals far away from the city.

practice. To be able to keep a tranquil and mindful mind amidst the hectic daily chores is my spiritual

I encountered robbery a few times. Once, a

practice.

robber even pointed a gun at my head asking for possessions. However, my confidence in the

How do you train the young nuns (monks?) under

Dharma was not affected by the robberies. On the

your care? What about young people - how do you

contrary, I realized that the people there are in

get them to be interested in the Dharma?

urgent need of the Dharma due to their sufferings. Buddhism was new to them and many of them had never seen a Buddhist nun. So I kept thinking of the different ways and methods of communicating the

All Fo Guang Shan temples follow the same system of monastic management set by Ven Master Hsing Yun. We all obey the monastic code of conduct. We

Dharma to the local people.

maintain harmony by practicing universal views,

Eventually with the help of Fo Guang Shan Monastic

mindfulness, and adherence of precepts.

Order, many devotees and volunteers, we built the

equal benefits, loving speech, beneficial action, Self-

management is encouraged by Ven. Master Hsing Yun.

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Every year, we have an annual monastic conference

the challenges we face in our respective countries.

If You Wish to Become a Buddha, First Learn to be a Good Person

Democratic voting is practiced whenever decisions

by Venerable Master Hua (1918 – 1995)

where all Fo Guang Shan monastic disciples will meet and exchange experiences and we also take the opportunity to seek advice from the order on

need to be made. As for young people, they are the hope of the society as well as Buddhism. We have many lay Dharma speakers propagating Dharma and organizing Buddhist camps in local colleges and universities. We also use the modern methods such as Facebook and Internet to reach out to the youth. Our Dong Zen Institute of Buddhist Studies also carries out road shows in various cities and towns nationwide to encourage young people to study short term Buddhist courses. If they find it beneficial, they may choose to further their Buddhist studies in Tsung Lin Buddhist College in Fo Guang Shan Taiwan. If you have a wish-fulfilling jewel and can make

Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (宣化) was a Chan (Zen) Buddhist monk and

three wishes, what would you wish for?

an important figure in bringing Chinese

Firstly, I hope that everyone’s wishes are granted.

20th century. He founded several

Secondly, I hope that everyone’s bodhicitta will

Buddhist institutions in the US. The

develop and flourish. Thirdly, I hope that I will continue my mission and complete the task which I may not be able to complete in this lifetime. Any final words for readers of our magazine? I hope that everyone will practice the three acts of goodness that is: To speak good words, do good deeds and think good thoughts.

Buddhism to the United States in the

Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA) is a Buddhist organization with chapters in North America and Asia. The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah, California, is one of the first Chan Buddhist monasteries in America. The Dharma Realm Buddhist University is a Buddhist college, and the Buddhist Text Translation Society works on the phonetics and translation

I also hope that the readers will continue to

of Buddhist scriptures from Chinese

support Eastern Horizon. Thank you. EH

into English, Vietnamese, Spanish, and many other languages. Many of his students remember Master Hsuan Hua as an eminent monk, a leader in sutra translation, and as an educator.

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There are some buddhists who when they first set out

Not only are they devoide of any sincerity to speak

to study the buddhadharma, are extremely sincere.

of, they go so far as to commit acts of killing, theft,

But as time goes on, they forget their initial resolve.

lust, and lying, stopping at nothing. Not only do they

Not only are they devoid of any sincerity to speak of,

lose their resolve, but they dare to do anything. They

they go so far as to commit acts of killing, theft, lust,

blithely kill, steal, engage in sexual misconduct,

and lying, stopping at nothing. They become hundreds

false speech, and so forth, and it does not bother

of thousands of millions of times worse than people

them at all.

who do not understand the buddhadharma, or who deny cause and effect.

They become hundreds of thousands of millions times worse than people who do not understand the

Nothing fazes them. It is a painful state of affairs.

buddhadharma, or who deny cause and effect. Such

People like that clearly know that something is wrong,

people are even hundreds of thousands of millions

but go ahead and do it anyway. And it will be hard for

times worse than those who have never heard the

them to escape their retribution. They cut off the broad

buddhadharma, or who have never believed in cause

and open path that leads to the buddha’s country,

and effect.

and instead create deep causes for the hells. Nothing fazes them. They don’t fear cause and I now have a message for all buddhists: do not

effect and they don’t fear retribution. They don’t fear

mislead yourselves or mislead others, thereby falling

anything at all.

into a perilous path from which you will have difficulty extricating yourselves. I hope that each one of you will

It is a painful state of affairs. Those people are past

force yourself to be careful.

saving. They think, “whatever you say, i have already understood, and my buddhadharma is more lofty and

Commentary:

profound than yours. What can you tell me?” they

‘Whoever wants to become a buddha first has to be a

casually lie.

good person. If one does not have a good personality, that is, if one does not establish the foundation for

People like that clearly know that something is wrong,

being a person, and yet wants to become a buddha,

but go ahead and do it anyway, and it will be hard for

that is like cooking sand hoping it will turn into rice-it

them to escape their retribution. They know clearly

will never happen.

that something is wrong, but they still commit the offense. They certainly will have to undergo their

There are some buddhists who…..basically the

retribution in the future.

word “some” indicates a minority; however, here it means the majority. As a matter of fact, “almost all

They cut off the broad and open path that leads to the

buddhists” is the actual meaning. But in order to

buddha’s country, and instead create deep causes

save face for everyone, i’m not saying it so overtly….

for the hells. They make the level, flat and broad road which leads to the buddha’s country rough

When they first set out to study the buddhadharma,

and uneven and hard to travel. Moreover, they build

are extremely sincere. Right at the start, they study

themselves a highway to the hells.

the buddhadharma with great sincerity. They like to follow the buddha’s teaching.

‘I now have a message for all buddhists: do not

But as time goes on, they forget their initial resolve.

mislead yourselves or mislead others. Now i have a

In the course of time, they forget their original

message for all of you: don’t commit killing, stealing,

earnestness.

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the precepts themselves and in addition urge others

buddhahood. It is impossible for someone to achieve

to tell lies. They say, “it doesn’t matter if you lie; it’s

buddhahood if he or she has not yet become a good

simply being expedient. It’s okay to kill cockroaches

person.

and bed bugs. It’s just exterminating pests.” they invent all sorts of rationalizations for themselves.

Diligent at the start, but lazy at the end, one expends one’s efforts in vain! You might be very diligent and

Thereby falling into a perilous path from which you

vigorous in the beginning, but you get lazier as

will have difficulty extricating yourself. Those people

time goes on. In that case, all the effort you applied

will fall into the three evil paths: those of hell beings,

previously is wasted.

hungry ghosts, and animals, and they won’t be able to get out again. Sincere at first, but phony after, one imagines one I hope that each one of you will force yourself to be

equals the worthies! You start out being sincere, but

careful. Make yourself on a watch out. Be careful and

you are hypocritical in the end. You use “expedient

cautious.

speech”, thinking that means you understand the buddhadharma. You are laboring

‘The verse says:

under the delusion that you have reached the level of

Being a good person is the foundation for becoming

the sages and worthies.

a buddha. ‘Knowing better, but doing it anyway, one creates Before you’ve completely become a person, you

limitless offenses. When you know the principle

cannot expect to realize buddhahood.

clearly, but nonetheless still commit the violation, your offenses are said to be tripled. Actually, they are

Diligent at the start, but lazy at the end, one expends

not just tripled, they become infinitely greater.

one’s efforts in vain. Recognizing principle but going against it, one errs Sincere at first, but phony after, one imagines one

to the utmost! Although you understand the law of

equals the worthies.

heaven, the proper way, and the buddha’s teaching, you do not follow them. Instead you do the exact

Knowing better, but doing it anyway, one creates

opposite, and act contrary to the law of heaven, the

limitless offenses.

proper way, and the buddha’s teaching. In that way, you err to the utmost.

Recognizing principle but going against it, one errs to the utmost.

‘Be careful to examine the road ahead of you! All of you who are buddhists should very carefully look into

Be careful to examine the road ahead of you.

yourselves to see whether you are going on a bright and proper road, or on a narrow, deviant, and dark

At the gates of the hells it will be too late for regrets.

path.

Commentary:

At the gates of the hells it will be too late for regrets!

The verse says: being a good person is the foundation

By the time you fall into the hells, regrets won’t do

for becoming a buddha. Before you’ve completely

you any good. It will be too late. EH

become a person, you cannot expect to realize

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Spectrum of Merits by Venerable Ayasma Aggacitta Bhikkhu

Venerable Aggacitta is a Malaysian monk ordained at Mahasi Meditation Centre, Rangoon, Burma, in 1979. He has trained under various teachers, notably Sayadaws U Pandita (Panditarama), U Tissara (Yankin), U Acinna (Pa Auk) and U Tejaniya (Shwe Oo Min). Besides practicing meditation, he studied advanced Pāli and translation in Thai and Burmese under Sayadaw U Dhammananda at Wat Tamaoh, Lampang, Thailand, from 1983 to 1984. He continued to study the Pāli Tipitaka in Burma and researched on its interpretation and practice until his return to Malaysia at the end of 1994. While doing so and until 2000, he lived as a solitary forest monk for some 10 years. In 2000, he founded Sāsanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary (SBS), a Buddhist monk training center at the edge of forested hills near Taiping, Perak. With a gift for writing, Ven Aggacitta has produced significant literary works in the form of articles, research papers, translations and other writings in English. In recent years, he has spent time investigating popular interpretations and practices of Buddhism in the light of the Pāli scriptures, real-life experiences and contemporary research findings. Using a critical yet constructive approach, he hopes to share his findings with Dhamma practitioners and bring them closer to a practical reality they can more easily connect with.

large majority of Buddhists in Malaysia tend to place their interest and faith mainly on giving dana and attending festivals. They do not have the same interest and faith in Dhamma talks, let alone meditation classes. This spirit of generosity has frequently been taken advantage of by not-so-virtuous people, such as bogus monks and nuns, and sometimes even validly ordained ones from poorer countries. They capitalise on our inherent generosity. In our effort to counter this unhealthy state of affairs, the SBS monastics have been regularly going to the markets around Taiping for pindapata (alms). We have also been trying to educate the devotees on the proper way to make offerings and donate allowable requisites to monks. Today’s talk is to encourage devotees to go beyond giving dana and to instil a level of awareness that there is an entire spectrum of merits. Giving dana is actually at the lower end. This talk is based primarily on two suttas – Velama Sutta (AN 9:20) and Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta (MN 142 – Exposition of Offerings).

Velama Sutta This sutta, about a Brahmin of the past called Velama, was expounded by the Buddha to Anathapindika in Jetavana monastery near Savatthi. Anathapindika was a great philanthropist who gave free food without discrimination. On one particular occasion, Anathapindika told the Buddha he did not feel satisfied because the dana consisted of inferior food. The Buddha then told him that regardless of the quality of the food offered for dana, there are five ways of giving dana that will bring undesirable kammic results. The giver will be disinclined to appreciate quality food, clothes, vehicles and other pleasures of the five senses. His family

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and servants will also not respect him. His mind will not be aroused to understand what he has been told. This refers to dana that is given: 1. not carefully 2. disrespectfully 3. not personally 4. with rejected items 5. with a view of not coming.

of a man who had died without an heir. This man had lived the life of a pauper, not inclined to make use of his wealth. The Buddha explained that in a remote past life, the man had given alms to a Pacceka Buddha but subsequently regretted it. As a result he was reborn in the heavenly world for the next seven lifetimes, but also had seven rebirths as a wealthy householder whose mind was not inclined to enjoy his fortune.

3. Dana not given personally Some people have the faith but not the time. They therefore entrust others to give on their behalf. When such kamma ripens, they will not be inclined to enjoy its fruits.

1. Dana not given carefully Such dana is given without faith. The donor does not have the desire to give but does so out of obligation (common among businessmen who give because they do not wish to offend someone) or with an ulterior motive.

Payasi Sutta (DN 23) tells us of Payasi, a sultan who ruled under King Pasenadi of Kosala who did not believe in the hereafter, spontaneous rebirth or kamma. One day, he met Ven Kumarakassapa, a wellknown orator monk who was passing through the village. Using various similes, the monk managed to convince the good sultan that rebirth does occur according to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions (kamma). The sultan decided to give a dana to the public and delegated the task to his servant, Uttara who proceeded to do so with joy, preparing it personally and offering it respectfully and with complete faith.

2. Dana given disrespectfully This occurs when the dana is given without respect for the recipient. During our Sunday pindacara in the marketplaces around Taiping, we find that many know how to give in a respectful manner. Some even kneel and bow to us. However, a few will just dump the food into our bowls. The commentaries describe it as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;not giving with a refined mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It lacks care and respect. Here is a story to illustrate the consequences of giving with little faith and respect, and of regret after having given. According to Dutiya-aputtaka Sutta (SN 3:20), King Pasenadi of Kosala inherited the substantial fortune

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Subsequently, the sultan was reborn in an empty celestial mansion within the realm of the Four Great Kings, while Uttara was reborn one level higher in Tavatimsa Heaven because he had offered the dana personally, carefully, respectfully and with complete faith whereas Payasi had only delegated the job.

4. Dana given with rejected items This means giving or donating rejected or discarded items. During the tsunami disaster last year, many relief centres received unwanted, irrelevant items from so-called donors. It is still giving but the donor will not be inclined to enjoy the kammic returns.

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5. Dana is given with a view of not coming

hierarchy in the merits obtained, depending on the virtue of the recipient—a spectrum of merits.

This is a literal translation of the Pali word anagamana-ditthiko. Twenty-five years ago, when I was just a young monk who had recently returned from Burma and Thailand, I continued my practice of going for pindapata. At that time, it was uncommon to see monks doing that here. I discovered that if I were to go to the same place too often, the doors of households that had earlier been opened to me would be slammed shut in my face. Some people give to monks with the hope of getting rid of them. The Commentaries however explain this word as ‘giving without believing in kamma and its result’. In Vacchagotta Sutta (AN 3:57), the wandering ascetic Vacchagotta approached the Buddha and said he had heard that the Blessed One had said this: “Gifts should be given to me only and not to others. They should be given only to my disciples and not to the disciples of others. Only what is given to me and my disciples bring great fruit; not what is given to others.” He then asked the Buddha, “Do those who say thus report the Master’s actual words and not misrepresent him?” The Buddha replied: “What I actually teach is this: when a person, after rinsing his bowl, throws away scraps in a pond wishing that the living beings there may feed on them – even that too is a source of merits, not to speak of giving a gift to human beings. However, I do declare that giving to a virtuous person who is free from greed, hatred and delusion will bring greater fruit than giving to the immoral.” Thus, the Buddha was implying that there is a hierarchy of merits depending on the virtue of the recipient. Now, let us continue with Velama Sutta. The Buddha told Anathapindika the story of one of his past lives when he was the Brahmin Velama. He gave a sumptuous dana but none of the recipients was worthy of it. The Buddha then expounded a

Beginning with Velama’s great dana at the lower end of the spectrum, the Buddha listed in ascending order, a hierarchy of merits, thus: It is more meritorious giving a meal to • • • • • • •

a sotapanna than the great dana of Velama. a sakadagami than a meal to 100 sotapannas. an anagami than a meal to 100 sakadagamis. an arahant than a meal to 100 anagamis. a paccekabuddha than a meal to 100 arahants. a sammasambuddha than a meal to 100 paccekabuddhas. the bhikkhu-sangha headed by the sammasambuddha than a meal to one sammasambuddha.

Making a dwelling for the sangha from the four directions is more meritorious than giving a meal to the bhikkhu sangha headed by the sammasambuddha. Compared to the above, it is even more meritorious to take refuge in the Triple Gem with understanding, conviction and commitment (not when it is just recited parrot-like). One step higher than taking refuge in the Triple Gem is observing the Five Precepts. It is easy to chant the Five Precepts but real effort is required to observe them. Developing loving kindness even for just a few moments is the next lofty step.

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Finally, the highest merits is when one is able to perceive the impermanence of phenomena, as during vipassana (insight) meditation, even if it is only for the period of time required to snap your fingers.

Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta A further breakdown of the spectrum of merits can be found in Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta (MN 142). In this sutta, the Buddha said that if a person gives dana to an animal, he will receive kammic returns of a hundred-fold. If it is given to a normal person who does not observe the five precepts, it is a thousandfold. If it is given to a virtuous, ordinary person (one who observes the five precepts but is unattained), it is one hundred thousand-fold. When it is given to one who has attained the jhanas, it is ten billionfold.

merit-makers’! We just want to make merits but do not care about the immediate consequences. Let us take, as just one example, the issue of robes. We monks are swamped with them every Kathina even though we don’t need so many sets. One should use one’s wisdom and discretion when doing dana. The law of kamma works on the principle that you reap what you sow. If you give something that is not needed, in future you might receive a lot of things that you do not need or want. Who knows, maybe we monks gave a lot of robes indiscreetly in our past lives, so now we receive so many sets that we have to worry about finding a storeroom that is rat-proof and termite-proof in order to store them! At SBS, devotees are encouraged to contribute instead to a common kathina fund that can be used to procure the quantity of robes that are required for the number of Sangha present. The rest of the money is used to maintain and run the monastery for the rest of the year.

Any personal dana given to a disciple on the path to stream-entry and onwards (until arahantship and beyond that to a paccekabuddha and to a sammasambuddha) is immeasurable following the hierarchy of merits mentioned earlier. However, if one offers dana to the Sangha, even though the recipients may be immoral or bogus monks, this offering bears greater fruit than any dana to an individual, however worthy. (This is according to the Pali tradition. For a more complete picture, please see the accompanying passage by Analayo.)

Such preoccupation with the kammic returns of merits have led to a kind of reaction towards it. As Buddhism evolved after the Buddha’s demise, the concept of paramis (perfections) was introduced. This word, in the sense of our present understanding of it, cannot be found in the early scriptures of the Pali Canon. It started to appear in the later scriptures now found in the Khuddaka Nikaya (Minor Collections). According to this concept, if you give dana with the hope of getting some form of worldly return, it is not parami, but just mundane merits. When something is done without thinking of the returns one can get but done just for the sake of doing good, that is parami. One good example is giving something useful to someone who needs it at the right time, without considering how much kammic returns the dana will bring. It is also parami when the motive is to gain liberation from greed, hatred and delusion; to become free of any notions of selfishness or conceit.

All this talk of kammic returns appears to be calculative and not very good in the context of the typical Chinese mentality. In fact, I have heard the Chinese Buddhists in Malaysia being dubbed ‘greedy

In conclusion, I hope everyone here will not merely be contented with just dana – which is a low-end type of merit – but will try to perform the full spectrum of merits. Do study the Dhamma and put it

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into practice especially in applying loving-kindness in your thoughts, speech and actions. In addition, every effort should be made to practise vipassana meditation—which is at the highest end of the spectrum of merits—so as to eventually be liberated from samsara (round of birth and death). Quoted from Some Pali Discourses in the Light of Their Chinese Parallels, Part Two, by Analayo (Buddhist Studies Review 22 (2005), 93–105) Another case where a passage in a Pali discourse may have been influenced by later developments can be found in the Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta. In the context of a treatment of different types of offering, the Pali version states that even if an individual monk should be of evil character and of bad morality, as long as a gift to him is given on behalf of the whole community, such a gift will be of immeasurable merit. Its Madhyama Agama counterpart does not speak of a monk who is of evil character and of bad morality, but only of a monk who is not energetic. A quotation of this passage in Samathadeva’s commentary on the Abhidharmakosa also does not envisage that a monk worthy of offerings could be of evil character and of bad morality. The Madhyama Agama version continues by explaining that as even a gift to a monk who is not energetic is of much merit, what to say of the merit of giving to a monk who practises and has reached various accomplishments. The Pali

version instead continues by stating that a gift to an individual will never be as meritorious as a gift given to the whole community. The commentary adds that even a gift given to an arahant individually will not measure up to a gift given to someone of bad morality, as long as the gift is given in the name of the community. This presentation in the Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta and its commentary is surprising. If mere membership of the Buddhist order would suffice to ensure the worthiness of receiving a gift, one would be at a loss to understand why in the Pali and Chinese versions of the Maha-Assapura Sutta and the Cula-Assapura Sutta the Buddha gave recommendations on proper conduct to the monks in order to ensure that gifts given to them will be fruitful, or why the Pali and Chinese versions of the Akankheyya Sutta stipulate morality as a factor required to make the services and support a monk receives become fruitful. As the declaration about the meritoriousness of a gift given to an evil monk of bad morality in the Dakkhinavibhanga Sutta seems difficult to harmonize with other discourses, one might wonder whether the need to ensure a constant supply of gifts even for less well-behaved monks may have led to a conscious change of the wording of this discourse.

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The Sound of Silence

by Sumi Loundon Kim

Sumi is a Buddhist writer and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, where she chaired the Harvard University Buddhist Community. Her writings have appeared in Tricycle Magazine, Shambhala Sun and previous issues of Eastern Horizon. She now lives with her husband at Duke University, North Carolina, USA, where he teaches Buddhism.

I was driving my two kids to the park and as I pulled up

So often in a family, silence comes when people

to a stoplight, I suddenly became aware of how quiet

are so angry with each other they can’t even speak.

we three were. I looked in my rearview mirror to see

Silence comes to signify that something is wrong,

both kids looking out the window, lost in thought. For

and so kids become afraid of silence. Or, silence

a moment I worried about whether I was being a bad

happens when people are disinterested in each

or lazy mother, because perhaps I should be singing

other, absorbed only in their own plans, their smart

educational songs to them, or teaching them how to

phone or mp3 player. Silence in this case signifies

spell, or learning colors together. A few years before,

disconnection or absence. But I was taught, when I

I had had a nanny who was continuously engaging

was a child in the Zen center, that it is possible to

Priya in learning activities, and as a new mother, I

be more profoundly connected to someone by being

took this educational mode as what good mothers

with them in silence than in conversation.

ought to do. But as I looked at my kids in the mirror, I remembered my own childhood, when the family

Over the past year or so, I have tried eating lunch

would be driving somewhere and I would look quietly

with my kids in silence, but instead of getting lost

out the window, observing many things as we sped

in thought, I stayed connected with them through

along, and thought about many things. Did I really

the eyes and through being in the present moment.

want my children to be without that experience, too?

They instinctively become quiet, too, and don’t seem to zone out as a reaction. While we were stopped at

Sometimes, when we’re driving to school, I debate

the red light, however, I briefly wondered whether

whether to turn on the radio or not. Most of the time,

my children would interpret my silence as that I was

I resist it, and let the car be silent. My kids have so

not interested in them. In fact, during our travel I

many things filling their ears in daily life: radio, CDs,

was just feeling their presence and radiating a heart

television, the chatter of friends. In silence, they have

of affection, pride, and delight in their being. But

the opportunity to turn inward rather than constantly

I wasn’t sure if that’s what they thought about the

be pulled outward. In silence, they can listen to their

silence. Then, just as I was finishing wondering and

own thoughts more clearly, even become aware that

the light turned green, out of the silence my daughter

they have thoughts. In silence, we reset the volume

said, “I love you, mama.” EH

of life back to zero so that we can learn to distinguish noise from meaningful words and music.

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

Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyae Rinpoche, The Buddhist Path. A Practical Guide from the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. 2010. P 111. US$15.95 This is a very accessible and practical introduction to Tibetan Buddhism as practiced in Nyingma, or “ancient,” tradition, especially about the Dzogchen path. This book presents for us the proper way of cultivating intellect and heart so that our true nature can easily manifest. The authors provide clear explanations and methods that reveal how the mind functions and what its essence, our primordial nature, is. They impart detailed instructions on how to meditate using methods ranging from generating calm abiding up through the tantric techniques of visualization and mantra. Both Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang are founders and directors of Padmasambhava Buddhist Center (PBC), based at Padma Samye Ling in upstate New York, and they have built a reputation for their vast knowledge of the Nyingma tradition and their pragmatic and lucid style of teaching. PBC is a world-wide Buddhist meditation and study network that includes local centers as well as retreat centers and monastic institutions. EH

B.Alan Wallace, Four Immeasurables. Practices to Open the Heart. 2010. pp 186. US$16.95 This book focuses on cultivating the brahma-viharas: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Wallace offers incisive insights on these topics, as well as a nice summary of the meditation practice of samatha. Samatha is geared towards sharpening one’s attention, which on the surface may not seem to have much in common with the four positive emotions that are the core of this book. Wallace demonstrates however that they are inextricably linked, and cultivation of attention serves as a foundation for achieving greater emotional virtue. He gives several examples for deepening understanding and practicing guided meditation. Wallace trained in the east but he is a Westerner and also a scholar. Nonetheless, his writing is very articulate and reader-friendly. As such he is very qualified to bring these practices to the west. If these types of practices were made widely available, my guess is that many psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, anger-related problems, and ADHD would significantly diminish. EH

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Gen Lamrimpa, How to Realize Emptiness. Translated by B. Alan Wallace. 2010. pp 133. US$15.95 People have pondered the true nature of existence through recorded history. Buddhism’s philosophical take on this is known as emptiness - the single most important and unique concept for practitioners to study and understand. This book gives an inspiring presentation that is aimed at the beginning student. Gen Lamrimpa’s down to earth approach, combined with Alan Wallace’s skillful translation, introduces students to this key topic by combining practical exercise with analytical thought, gently guiding them to truly develop a foundational understanding for themselves. “How to Realize Happiness” would be helpful to non-religious readers who are looking for answers to the age-old question of existence. This book is not quite ‘emptiness made easy’ (an impossibility) but it is at least ‘emptiness made comprehensible’. gives accurate directions to explore the nature of reality and come to the correct view of the Middle Way. It also gives accurate directions to explore the nature of reality as taught in Buddhism. EH

Jamgon Kongtrul, The Treasury of Knowledge. Journey and Goal. Books 9 and 10. 2011. pp 702. Hard cover. $49.95 In Tibetan religious literature, Jamgon Kongtrul`s Treasury of Knowledge in ten volumes stands out as a unique encyclopedic masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings. This volume, from books nine and ten of the Treasury, focuses on the spiritual path itself - the spiritual “journey” and the resultant state of enlightenment where it leads - the “goal”. Extensively varied perspectives are offered, not only from within many schools of Buddhism, but also from the different levels of practice and attainment. This is the most comprehensive treatment of these themes to appear in English. According to Dudjom Rinpoche, “The Treasury of Knowledge excellently presents the entire corpus of the sutra and mantra traditions, from the path of the common sciences all the way up to the uncommon Great Perfection, or Atiyoga (Dzogchen), which is the culmination of the nine vehicles.” EH

John Myrdhin Reynolds, Self Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness. Foreword by Namkhai Norbu. 2010. pp 170. US$18.95 This is about the Tibetan Book of Great Liberation, an important Dzogchen text introducing the nature of one’s own mind. As Namkhai Norbu said, “The nature of mind is like a mirror which has the natural and inherent capacity to reflect whatever is set before it, whether beautiful or ugly; but these reflections in no way affect or modify the nature of the mirror. What the practitioner does when entering into contemplation is simply to discover himself in the condition of the mirror. This is our primordial state. But in order to recognize it, we first need transmission from a realized master in the form of an introduction to the state of presence and awareness which is the capacity of the nature of the mind.” This text belongs to the same cycle as the Tibetan Book of the Dead and this instruction on the method of self liberation presents the essence of Dzogchen. EH

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Ringu Tulku, Daring Steps, 2010. pp 223. US$16.95 Ringu Tulku, renowned for his friendly, skilfull approach in teaching Westerners, has produced a dynamic overview of the Buddhist path that embraces all three Buddhist traditions. He weaves his teaching intricately through all three, revealing the vital role of each path in the attainment of genuine realization. To quote him, “To begin with, it is very important to understand that the three sets of teachings called Shravakayana (Theravada), Mahayana, and Vajrayana or tantra are not to be considered as separate entities. They are one and the same subject presented as different entities as well as at different levels.” Formerly titled Daring Steps to Fearlessness, Ringu brings the teachings back repeatedly to the reader’s own experience. He tries to connect the Dharma’s profundity with the spirit of the Buddha’s awakening by explaining the most basic meditation practice to the rarefied realm of Mahamudra. Overall, this is a good practice manual for Buddhist readers of all traditions. EH

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

David Loy, The World is Made of Stories. 2010. pp 116. US$15.95 This is a modern retelling of the Buddha’s diagnosis of human suffering which might be told this way: you are trapped in stories, but the stories aren’t the real problem; it is your attachment to stories that keeps you trapped. So Loy explores the fascinating proposition that the stories we tell—about what is and is not possible, about ourselves, about right and wrong, life and death, about the world and everything in it—become the very building blocks of our experience and of the universe itself. As we come to see that the world is made—in a word—of stories, we come to a richer understanding of that most elusive of Buddhist ideas: shunyata (emptiness) that is the very essence of our ever-evolving world, and is responsible for the vast array of mental and physical forms. Reminiscent of Zen koans and works of sophisticated poetry, this book will reward both a casual read and deep reflection. EH

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

Jack Kornfield, Living Dharma. Teachings and Meditation Instructions from Twelve Theravada Masters. Foreword by Chogyam Trungpa and Ram Dass 2010. pp 320. US$18.95 In this book (previously titled Living Buddhist Masters), Kornfield presents Buddhist practices as taught by twelve highly respected masters from Southeast Asia. He introduces the meditation techniques—practices that can lead to the dissolution of a limited sense of self, an awakening of insight, compassion for all beings, and the realization of Nirvana – by Mahasi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin, Mohnyin Sayadaw, and Achaan Maha Boowa. He then introduced Achaan Chaa, Achaan Buddhadasa, and Sunlun Sayadaw who offer practices clarifying the essential attitude that will allow each person to discover the truth of the Buddha’s teaching here and now—the living Dharma. There is also an introduction to Theravada Buddhism as taught in Burma, Thailand, and Laos. Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and has taught meditation internationally since 1974. EH

Jack Kornfield, The Buddha is Still Teaching. Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom. 2010. pp 288. US$19.95 When the Buddha set in motion the wheel of Dharma, he knew that the teaching he gave was inexhaustible—that every future generation would find its own skillful ways to convey it to the hearts and minds of those ready to hear. The Buddha Is Still Teaching is testimony to the fulfillment of that promise today. The selections it contains, from today’s most highly regarded contemporary Buddhist teachers, bring the Dharma eloquently to life for us in our own time, place, and culture. They demonstrate that two and a half millennia have done nothing to diminish the freshness of the Buddhist teachings, or their universal applicability to our lives. Contributors to this volume are Ajahn Chah, Joko Beck, Sylvia Boorstein, Tara Brach, Pema Chödrön, the Dalai Lama, Ram Dass, Mark Epstein, Norman Fischer, Natalie Goldberg, Joseph Goldstein, Dilgo Khyentse, Jack Kornfield, Noah Levine, Stephen Levine, Sakyong Mipham, Sharon Salzburg, Suzuki Roshi, Robert Thurman, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Tulku Thondup. EH

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Padmasambhava, Secret Teachings of Padmasambhava. Essential Instructions on Mastering the Energies of Life. Translated by Kennard Lipman. 2010. pp 127. US$18.95 These are two brief works of Padmasambhava - Fivefold Essential Instruction, and a Section of Hidden Instruction: the Innermost Essence of the Dakini. They not only present the tantric teachings on the channels (tsa), energy (lung), and potencies (tigle) in a clear and practical way, but also offer a unique Dzogchen perspective on them. These advanced Tibetan Buddhist teachings provide instructions for gathering and harnessing basic life energy, especially concerning transforming sexual energy and re-directing the essence of that energy toward spiritual realization - when used skillfully by committed practitioners with appropriate training. So it explores three key questions: what is the natural energy of the cosmos, how is this energy present in our human embodiment, and what role doe sexuality play in healing and liberation Also here are teachings on the fundamental elements that make up our world. The commentary by Dr. Kennard Lipman describes how to use these life energies for personal development. EH

Audrey Yoshiko Seo and Stephen Addis. The Sound of One Hand. Paintings and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin, 2010. pp 287. Hardcover. US$65.00 Hakuin Ekaku (c. 1685-1768), who is famous for the koan “what is the sound of one hand?” used his expressive and spontaneous art as Dharma teaching. He is one of the most influential figures in the history of Zen. He is considered the founder of modern Japanese Rinzai tradition. He emphasized the importance of koan practice in awakening, and revitalized the monastic life of his day. But his teaching was not limited to the monastery. Hakuin was the quintessential Zen master of the people, renowned for taking his teaching to all parts of society, to people in every walk of life, and his painting and calligraphy were particularly powerful vehicles for that teaching. In his long life, Hakuin created many thousands of paintings and calligraphies This beautifully produced, largeformat book brings together more than one hundred of Hakuin’s greatest works, from Japanese national treasures such as “Blind Men Crossing Bridge” to incidental pieces brushed in moments of inspiration and given as gifts to his students. EH

Thomas Cleary, The Undying Lamp of Zen. The Testament of Zen Master Torei Edited by Thomas Cleary. Translated by Thomas Cleary. 2010. pp 144. US$16.95 This is a complete explanation of Zen practice written by one of the most eminent masters of pre-modern Japan. The author, Torei Enji (1721–1792), was best known as one of two “genius assistants” to Hakuin Ekaku, who was himself a towering figure in Zen Buddhism who revitalized the Rinzai school. Torei was responsible for much of the advanced work of Hakuin’s later disciples and also helped systemize Hakuin’s teachings. The Undying Lamp of Zen includes a range of principles and practices, from the most elementary to the most advanced. It is an indispensable aid to the practice of Rinzai Zen, and provides an accessible entrée to the Zen experience in general. Torei is a compelling guide; his tone is energetic, no-nonsense, and full of personality. Premier translator Thomas Cleary provides a thorough introduction and illuminating footnotes throughout, and his masterful translation allows Torei’s distinctive voice to shine through. EH

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Elizabeth Mattis Namgyal, The Power of an Open Question. The Buddha’s Path to Freedom. 2010. pp 114. US$19.95 Hardcover. Mattis-Namgyel points out that one of the purposes of meditation practice is to witness the tug-of-war we have with our reactive mind: “When we exaggerate experience, we see what isn’t there. And when we deny it, we don’t see what is.” In both cases, we are disengaged from the present moment. The author salutes the art of embracing all of our experience and that means not excluding things, people, or places that we find disagreeable or disgusting. She also suggests that we embrace complexity. Part of this practice involves an honest admission that the world of things is basically unfixable. This frees us from dangerous messianic desires and liberates the mind from the stifling rigors of judgment and fundamentalism. A far better course is engagement which takes us beyond ego-centered fixing or the trap of complacency. In each of these paths, the emphasis is on the wisdom of the Middle Way of the Buddha. Other topics covered in this edifying examination of openness are the practice of emptiness, not believing everything we think, dealing with he culture of truth, enjoyment beyond preference, the meaning of boundryness, meeting the perfect teacher, beyond “Blindism” and “Doubtism,” and walking by faith. EH

Melvin McLeod, The Best Buddhist Writing. 2010. pp 17.95. US$17.95 The Best Buddhist Writing 2010 is an eclectic, inspiring collection of writings from the Buddhist perspective. Selected by the editors of the Shambhala Sun, the essays, articles, and interviews in this anthology offer an entertaining mix of writing styles and reflect on a wide range of issues. This volume includes a question and answer session between children and Thich Nhat Hanh, Stan Goldberg becoming a hospice volunteer shortly after his own diagnosis of prostate cancer, Buddhist author and death-row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters on experiencing a few unexpected hours of freedom, Jan Chozen Bays on eating mindfully, Norman Fischer on contemplating the death of his best friend, Carolyn Rose Gimian on the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s advice to “smile at fear”, Pema Chödrön on being open to the opportunities that arise when we experience pain and discomfort in our lives, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on finding joy in the midst of life’s difficulties, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche on meditation that directs our thoughts and intentions in a positive direction, and Lauren Fraser on the Zen-inspired cooks who have influenced the way we cook and eat. EH

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Dharma Aftermath by Rasika Quek

A Pilgrim’s Tale It is not every day that we are in the company of congenial people sharing a spiritual journey in the land of buddhas, bodhisattvas, rishis and devas. So when the BGF organized a pilgrimage to India in December led by Datuk Victor Wee, my family jumped at the opportunity. There were 36 of us in the entourage, mostly “aunties” and “uncles” and youngsters in their twenties and thirties. My son was the only twelve year old around. For my daughter, it was a “reward” for passing her professional exams. Half the entourage completed the 10 day circuit comprising Delhi, Chandigarh, Bodhgaya, Rajghir, Nalanda, Varanasi and Sarnath. The rest covered Saravasti, Vaishali and Kushinara as well. The new airport at New Delhi is twice the size of KLIA. Almost all the floors are carpeted and costs a fortune in maintenance. As you enter the immigration section, you cannot but help marvel at the giant hand sculptures in various mudras high above the walls. Although the whole of India is quite dusty, the streets of New Delhi and Chandigarh, the union capital of Punjab and Harayana respectively, are relatively clean. The great French Architect, Le Corbusier did the master plan for Chandigarh, a garden city, almost 60 years ago. We were hosted in Chandigarh by Venerable Sanghasena of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Center. We were in time for the opening of the girls’ hostel as well as an international Buddhist conference. The Ladakhi folk dance performances were memorable and the Malaysians sportingly joined in during the finale. Not only can Datuk Victor sing, he can dance too. It was there that the patron saint of Ladakh, Brother Charlie Chia was recognized. He provided us plenty of tit-bits and laughs on board the bus. As we traveled to Bodhgaya, it was obvious to me that the northern part of India had more poor people compared to the south where I had traveled years before. You find more street children begging incessantly and homeless people sleeping in railway stations and in the streets. Then you realize why the bodhisattva was moved to renounce his princely life when he saw the four sights outside the confines of his palace. Datuk Victor is a great story teller and he held the entourage spell-bound by his narration of the events in the Buddha’s life, moving from place to place. The energy at the Mahabodhi in Bodhgaya was still strong despite the cacophony of sermons and chants in Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, etc. blaring incessantly. I stood rooted for a few moments, overwhelmed by the great peace and bliss as I approached the Bodhi tree respectfully, ignoring the noisy environment. We had a few meditation and chanting sessions there without the loudspeakers, of course.

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While in Bodhgaya, we had an audience with the 17th. Karmapa, a boyish looking Rinpoche of great wisdom. He obliged with a short Dharma talk and a photographic session. We also met up with the Abbot of the Kargyu sect. The Vulture’s Peak at Rajghir was memorable as I felt great peace and awareness as we stood at the highest platform. All around us in the horizons stood serene hills in their scenic repose. No wonder, the Buddha chose this place for meditation. On the way to Nalanda, we stopped by the Sujata stupa which was unearthed only in recent years. A tribute to the lady who offered milk rice to the bodhisattva. The spot where the Buddha met the Kassapa brothers is not far from here. The site of the ancient Nalanda University is incredibly vast, some 10Km by 5Km in area. Only 11 out of its 108 university buildings with its one foot thick walls have been found. The Sariputta stupa is easily the most distinguished. Invaders from West Asia razed this fine university to a rubble and killed thousands of scholar monks who came from all over India, China and South-east Asia 1,000 years go. It took 6 months for all the books in the library to burn! Varanasi, known as Benares in ancient times has its quaint charm. Famed for its kasi cloth, it is the holy site for Hindus. We took a boat ride before sunrise and were rewarded with the spectacular sight of the golden orb emerging from the far shore of the Ganges river which is 4Km wide. At the near shore, stretching a kilometer or two were stately mansions or temples built by Maharajas or wealthy brahmins overlooking the mighty river. We could never imagine that we would be boating along the 2,500Km long Ganges feeding white plumed sea birds swooping around our boats. The old derelict stupa at Sarnath marked the spot where the Buddha gave the First Sermon to the Five Ascetics. The “newer” stupa not far away is supposed to mark the place where the Fire Sermon was given. After a memorable visit to the Sarnath Museum where rare and exquisite Buddha images were displayed, we were hosted by the Abbot of the Mahabodhi there. This temple was the seat of Buddhist resurgence in modern India graced by none other than the great Anagarika Dharmapala who passed away more than 70 years ago. All too soon it was time for us to come home. We should not complain about paying for toll roads or public toilets anymore after visiting India. A question remains. Why has a large section of the local populace not benefited from pilgrim tourists? The grinding poverty and the wretched conditions are plain for all to see. May you all beings be happy! Rasika Quek

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Keynote speaker Ven.Thich Nhat Hanh

Ven.Thich Nhat Hanh

From left Ven.Wei Wu, Datuk Dr.Victor Wee,Dr.David Robert Loy

From left Dr.Tan Eng Kong,Ven.Geshe Tenzin Zopa,Mr.S.Vijaya and Ven.Tejadhammo

From left Dr.Roshi Joan Halifax and Ven. Tejadhammo