EH 58_May_2019 by Eastern Horizon YBAM

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Can Buddhists be Terrorists? Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the German philosopher, once said that we are not transparent to ourselves and can never exhaustively know why we do what we do. We can never be certain whether or to what extent we have acted for the reasons we think we did (whether because, for example, “it was the right thing to do”), or whether we are under the sway of psychological, neurophysiological or socioeconomic causes that are altogether opaque to us. This means that we cannot infer from, say, a society’s widely held belief about Buddhists been generally tolerant, peaceful, and compassionate that the actions of Buddhists in a particular society will be strictly guided by those beliefs. In fact, there is a big difference between merely believing that all sentient beings deserve kindness and compassion, as Buddhists are taught in Sunday Schools and in dharma books, and actually living in ways informed by that belief. To be really changed by a belief regarding one’s relationship to all other beings, one must cultivate that belief — one must practice it and experience it as vividly real — through the discipline of following the Noble Eightfold path.

In the midst of the April 2019 bombing in Sri Lanka where over 300 innocent lives were lost, and the earlier Christchurch massacre not so long ago, the question we should ask is whether Buddhists can also end up as perpetrators of such heinous acts? Already we have seen ugly semblance in Burma and Sri Lanka among certain Buddhist monks who appear to promote radicalized and even violent

views against other religions. So we cannot be sure that the “peace-loving Buddhists” will not end up as terrorists. However, for Buddhists to remain truly peaceful, compassionate and non-violent, they must constantly remind themselves through thoughts, words, and deeds the Buddha’s teaching on ahiṃsā or non-injury to all sentient beings. We can do this by first remembering the Buddha’s advice as mentioned in the scriptures:

“If, bhikkhus, others speak in dispraise of me, or in dispraise of the Dhamma, or in dispraise of the Sangha, you should not give way to resentment, displeasure, or animosity against them in your heart. For if you were to become angry or upset in such a situation, you would only be creating an obstacle for yourselves.” (DN 1) All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. ~ Dhammapada 129, 130

My all sentient beings be well and happy always!

CONTENTS 07

LEAD ARTICLE Dreams and their Significance

By Ven K Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera

TEACHINGS The ceremony for generating Bodhicitta

Your Best

12 16 18 21

By HH The Dalai Lama

By Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna

Rare things in the World By Venerable Dr H Gunaratana Maha Thera

The Fifth Precept and the power of Renunciation By Gil Fronsdal

Your mistakes are Progress By Lama Kathy Wesley

Medicine to benefit the World By Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche

ISSUE NO.58

MAY 2019

FACE TO FACE Applying the Buddha dharma in modern Times

FEATURES Knowing what Buddhism is not – overcoming Pseudo-Buddhist Cults

By Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero

By Tham Ah Fun

38 41 44 46

Is the secret to happiness at the top of this Mountain? By Katie Hope

The first yellow robes in the West By Venerable S. Dhammika

IBC International cuisine Day By Students of International Buddhist College, Thailand

Engineering change for greater Good A STAR Interview with Ven. Wei Wu

...................................................................... May 2019 ISSUE NO. 58 (Published 3 times a year)

48 51 57 60 62

REFLECTION Pray for Sri Lanka

By Venerable Hiriko Thera

FORUM When lay people Teach Dharma

By Venerable Āyasmā Aggacitta, Venerable Ming Wei & Geshe Dadul Namgyal

BOOKS IN BRIEF

DHARMA THOUGHTS What price Happiness? By Vijaya Samarawickrama

NEWS Buddhaland

By Carolyn Gregoire

EASTERN HORIZON PUBLICATION BOARD CHAIRMAN EDITOR SUB-EDITOR

: Dr. Ong See Yew

: B. Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> : Dr. Ong Puay Liu

MANAGER : Teh Soo Tyng

ART DIRECTOR : Geam Yong Koon

PUBLISHER : YBAM <ybam@ybam.org.my>

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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 Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia 9, Jalan SS 25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MAlAYSIA Tel : (603) 7804 9154 Fax : (603) 7804 9021 Email : admin@easternhorizon.org or Benny Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> Website : www.easternhorizon.org KDN PP 8683/01/2013(031165)

EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE

Dreams and their Significance By Ven K Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera

The late Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda is a household name in the Buddhist world. In more than 50 years as incumbent of the Buddhist Maha Vihara, Malaysia, he has brought the Buddha Word to countless numbers of devotees who otherwise would have no access to the sublime message of the Enlightened One. Fondly known as Chief Reverend, he has been able to reach an even wider audience through his publications which range from the voluminous “Dhammapada” to little five-page pamphlets. He has been able to reach all levels of readers from erudite scholar monks to young school children. His whole approach to the exposition of the Dharma is governed by his deep concern for giving the ancient teachings a contemporary relevance, to show that the Sublime Message is timeless and has a meaning that cuts across the boundaries of time, space, race, culture and even religious beliefs.

‘Life is nothing but a dream.’ One of man’s greatest unsolved problems is the mystery of dreams. From the very earliest of times man has tried to analyze dreams and has tried to explain them in prophetic and psychological terms, but while there has been some measure of success recently, we are probably no nearer the answers to the baffling question: ‘What is a dream?’

The great English Romantic poet William Wordsworth had a startling concept: that this life we live is merely a dream and that we will ‘awake’ to the ‘real’ reality when we die, when our ‘dream’ ends. ‘Our birth is but a sleep and forgetting: The Soul, that rises with us, our life’s star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar.’

A similar concept is expressed in a charming old Buddhist tale which tells of a deva who was playing with some other devas. Being tired, he lay down

LEAD ARTICLE | EASTERN HORIZON

to take a short nap and passed away. He was reborn as a girl on earth. There she got married, had a few children and lived to be very old. After her death again she was born as a deva amongst the same companions who had just finished playing their game. (This story also illustrates the world is very different from time in another plane of existence).

What has Buddhism to say about dreams? Just as in every other culture, Buddhism has had its fair share of people who claimed to be skilled in interpreting dreams. Such people earn a lot of money exploiting the ignorance of men and women who believe that every dream has a spiritual or prophetic significance. According to Buddhist psychology dreams are ideational processes which occur as activities of the

mind. In considering the occurrence of dreams it is relevant to remember that the process of sleeping can be regarded as falling into five stages. - drowsiness, - light slumber, - deep slumber, - light slumber and - awakening.

The significance and the cause of dreams were the subject of discussion in the famous book ‘Milinda Pañha’ or ‘The Questions of King Milinda’, in which Ven. Nagasena has stated that there are six causes of dreams, three of them being organic, wind, bile and phlegm. The fourth is due to the intervention of supernatural forces, fifth, revival of past experience and sixth, the influence of future events. It is categorically stated that dreams occur only in light slumber which is said to be like the sleep of the monkey. Of the six causes given Ven. Nagasena has stated positively that the last, namely prophetic dreams are the only important ones and the others are relatively insignificant. Dreams are mind-created phenomena and they are activities of the mind. All human beings dream, although some people cannot remember. Buddhism teaches that some dreams have psychological significance. The six causes mentioned earlier can also be classified in the following manner:

Every single thought that is created is stored in our subconscious mind and some of them strongly influence the mind according to our anxieties. When we sleep, some of these thoughts are activated and appear to us as ‘pictures’ moving before us. This happens because during sleep, the five senses which constitute our contact with the outside world, are temporarily arrested. The subconscious mind then is free to become dominant and to ‘re-play’ thoughts that are stored. These dreams may be of value to psychiatry but cannot be classified as prophetic. They are merely the reflections of the mind at rest. The second type of dream also has no significance. These are caused by internal and external provocations which set off a train of ‘visual thoughts’ which are ‘seen’ by the mind at rest. Internal factors are those

which disturb the body (e.g. a heavy meal which does not allow one to have a restful slumber or imbalance and friction between elements that constitute the body). External provocation is when the mind is disturbed(although the sleeper may be unaware of it) by natural phenomena like the weather, wind, cold, rain, leaves rustling, windows rattling etc. The subconscious mind reacts to these disturbances and creates pictures to ‘explain’ them away. The mind accommodates the irritation in a seemingly rational way so that the dreamer can continue to sleep undisturbed. These dreams too have no importance and need no interpretation.

Then there are prophetic dreams. These are important. They are seldom experienced and only when there is an impending event which is of great relevance to the dreamer. Buddhism teaches that besides the tangible world we can experience, there are devas who exist on another plane or some spirits who are bound to this earth and are invisible to us. They could be our relatives or friends who have passed away and who have been reborn. They maintain their former mental relationships and attachments to us. When Buddhists transfer merits to devas and departed ones, they remember them and invite them to share the happiness accrued in the merit. Thus they develop a mental relationship with their departed ones. The devas in turn are pleased and they keep a watch over us and indicate

EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE

something in dreams when we are facing certain big problems and they try to protect us from harm.

So, when there is something important that is going to happen in our lives they activate certain mental energies in our minds which are seen as dreams. These dreams can warn of impending danger or even prepare us for sudden over-whelming good news. These messages are given in symbolic terms (much like the negatives of photographs) and have to be interpreted skillfully and with intelligence. Unfortunately too many people confuses the first two kinds of dreams with these and end up wasting valuable time and money consulting fake mediums and dream-interpreters. The Buddha was aware that this could be exploited for personal gain and He therefore warned the monks against practising soothsaying, astrology and interpreting dreams in the name of Buddhism. Finally, our mind is the depository of all kammic energies accumulated in the past. Sometimes, when a kamma is about to ripen (that is, when the action we did in a previous life or early part of our life, is going to experience its reaction) the mind which is at rest during sleep can trigger off a ‘picture’ of what is going to happen. Again the impending action has to be of great importance and must be so strongly charged that the mind ‘releases’ the extra energy in the form of a vivid dream. Such dreams occur only very rarely and only to certain people with a special kind of mental make up. The sign of the effect of certain kammas also appears in our minds at the last moment when we are going to depart from this world.

Dreams can occur when two living human beings send strong mental telepathic messages to each other. When one person has an intense desire to communicate with another, he concentrates strongly on the message and the person with whom he wishes to communicate. When the mind is at rest, it is in an ideal state to receive these messages which are seen as dreams. Usually these dreams only appear in one intense moment because the human mind is not strong enough to sustain such messages over a long period of time. All worldlings are dreamers, and they see as permanent, what is essentially impermanent. They do not see that youth ends in old age, beauty in ugliness, health in sickness, and life itself in death. In this dreamworld, what is truly without substance is seen as reality. Dreaming during sleep is but another dimension of the dream-world. The only ones who are awake are the Buddhas and Arahats as they have seen reality.

Buddhas and Arahants never dream. The first three kinds of dream cannot occur in their minds, because their minds have been permanently ‘stilled’ and cannot be activated to dream. The last kind of dream cannot happen to them because they have eradicated all their craving energy completely, and there is no ‘residual’ energy of anxiety or unsatisfied desire to activate the mind to produce dreams. The Buddha is also known as the Awakened One because His way of relaxing the physical body is not the way we sleep which results in dreams. Great artists and thinkers, like the German Goethe, have often said they get some of their best inspiration through dreams. This could be because when their minds are cut off from the five senses during sleep, they produce clear thoughts which are creative in the highest degree. Wordsworth meant the same thing when he said that good poetry results from ‘powerful emotions’ recollected in tranquillity. EH

TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON

The ceremony for generating Bodhicitta By HH The Dalai Lama

HH The 14th Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet and world’s leading authority on Buddhism. He has written numerous books on Buddhism and a key advocate of peace in the world. In 1989 he received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts on world peace, including efforts for a peaceful settlement to Tibet’s differences with China.

HH The 14th Dalai Lama

Atisha Dipamkara (9801054)

Lama Tsongkhapa (13571419)

To participate in the ceremony for affirming and enhancing your generation of the altruistic intention, first visualize that Shakyamuni Buddha is here in person, surrounded by such disciples as Maitreya, Manjushri, Nagarjuna, Arya Asanga and the other great Indian masters of the past, whose writings we continue to enjoy and derive benefit from to this day and which serve to open our eye of awareness. Reflect upon the kindness of these masters, as well as that of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas. Also imagine the presence of the great masters from all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism—Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyü and Geluk—going back to when Buddhism first started to flourish in Tibet in the seventh to eighth centuries. Practitioners from other Buddhist traditions should visualize the lineage masters and historical teachers of their own traditions in the assembly.

Most importantly, visualize that you are surrounded by all other sentient beings. If this is difficult, simply reflect upon the fundamental equality of yourself and all other sentient beings insofar as the natural desire to seek happiness and overcome suffering is concerned. Just as you have the right and natural potential to fulfill this basic aspiration to be happy and overcome suffering, so too do all the other infinite sentient beings.

Then reflect on the fact that when you think of your own self-interest, regardless of your level of importance, you are simply thinking about the concerns of a single individual, but when you think of the interests of others, you are thinking about the welfare of an infinite number of beings. To sacrifice the welfare of countless others for the benefit of one, therefore, is not only foolish but also immoral. Furthermore, it is impractical, because it is a deluded way of trying to fulfill your own aspirations.

EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Next contemplate the idea that you have held this selfcenteredness and self-cherishing attitude at the core of your being since beginningless time, continually trying to fulfill your basic aspirations to be happy and overcome suffering from a self-centered perspective. But if you look at the situation you’re in today, you’ll see that actually, you haven’t made any progress, even after this infinite number of lifetimes. If self-centeredness really had the potential to bring you the benefits you seek, it should have done so by now.

Reflect upon the qualities of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, particularly the qualities of the Buddha’s enlightened body, speech and mind, such as his omniscient mind, his perfection of the altruistic aspiration and his perfection of the wisdom realizing emptiness. Then cultivate the aspiration to gain the wisdom of the Buddha yourself, and with reverence born from deep admiration and respect for the qualities upon which you have reflected, pay homage to the Buddha.

Offering

Conclude, therefore, that under the control of selfcherishing since beginningless time, you have made one mistake after another, and now, it’s enough. Generate the strong determination never to travel this deluded path again. Compare yourself with great beings such as the Buddha and the bodhisattvas on the path to enlightenment and realize that all their achievements have come from working for others instead of for themselves. Make this firm resolution: “As a Dharma practitioner, from now on, I must work for the benefit of all sentient beings. I will attain buddhahood for their sake, to liberate them from suffering and lead them to enlightenment,” and with that, participate in the ceremony for generating bodhicitta.

The Seven-Limb Practice

Offerings to the Triple Gem The second limb is that of making offerings. Imagine offering whatever you own, such as your body and resources, to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. You can also offer mentally everything else that exists in the universe. Most importantly, however, you should offer all your past virtuous actions of body, speech and mind. You can imagine these positive activities in the form of various articles of offering or you can reflect upon your entire collection of merit and, from the depths of your heart, offer it up to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Confessing Homage to the Triple Gem In the eighth verse of A Lamp for the Path, Atisha recommends that the bodhicitta ceremony be preceded by the seven-limb puja. If you are participating in this ceremony in order to generate bodhicitta, don’t simply listen to my explanations as a lecture, but fold your hands to your heart and pay attention with deep faith in the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Otherwise, you can just listen as normal. Homage The first of the seven limbs is the paying of Homage.

Confession of one’s faults for purification

TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON

The third limb is the practice of confession, or purification. Reflect upon all the negativities you have ever created through body, speech and mind and how they are all causes for future suffering. Each and every one of us confronts both physical and psychological problems and difficulties; we are beset with sufferings without end, like ripples on a lake, one after the other.

the threshold of buddhahood. Reflecting upon such beings, develop a deep sense of admiration for their realizations and other spiritual attainments.

Rejoicing

and hostility, they still have the courage to commit themselves to the ideals of bodhicitta.

As you think about this, understand that suffering does not arise without reason; every problem has its own cause, the root cause being your own negative actions of body, speech and mind. Imagining that you are in the presence of the noble assembly of buddhas and bodhisattvas, fully disclose all your negative actions and, cultivating a heartfelt sense of regret for them, commit yourself to purifying them.

Rejoicing in the qualities of the Buddha Next is the limb of rejoicing. Reflect upon the wonderful enlightened qualities of the buddhas, particularly those of the historical Buddha. We all know that Shakyamuni Buddha was not a fully enlightened being right from the start. Initially, he was just like us—an ordinary being struggling on the path, with the natural weaknesses and limitations that we all have. What distinguishes the Buddha from us, however, is that he took the practice of bodhicitta to heart. He then embarked upon the path and, as a result of his efforts, eventually attained the fully enlightened state. Therefore, in this practice, rejoice in the Buddha’s enlightened qualities and the entire path to enlightenment. Then focus your attention on the bodhisattvas on the last three of the ten bodhisattva grounds [Skt: bhumi], who have totally overcome their afflictive thoughts and emotions and are on

Then focus your attention on the bodhisattvas on the first seven grounds. Although they have yet to overcome the power of their afflictions, they are still arya bodhisattvas—bodhisattvas who have a realization of emptiness. Reflecting upon their qualities, develop a deep sense of admiration for them. Next, shift your attention to the bodhisattvas on the first two of the five paths, the paths of accumulation and preparation. They are almost at the same level as us, particularly those on the first path. In a sense, the bodhisattvas right at the beginning of the path are even more amazing than those who are more advanced, because despite being under the control of afflictions such as attachment

We should therefore feel the delight that parents do when their child takes its first faltering steps or speaks its first few words. They don’t criticize their child’s clumsy gait or limited vocabulary but instead are full of wonder. We can view bodhisattvas struggling at the beginning of the path in the same way, as amazing, aweinspiring beings.

Having developed a deep sense of admiration for all bodhisattvas, next rejoice at the achievements and qualities of the arhats, who have gained complete freedom from samsara. Also feel a deep appreciation for the attainments of practitioners on the path to liberation.

Finally, rejoice at the all virtue accumulated by your fellow sentient beings and reflect particularly upon your own collection of merit. The fact that you have received a human rebirth endowed with the opportunity to practice Dharma is clear evidence that you have created much merit in the past—encountering the precious, sacred teachings of the Buddha and having an interest in practicing them can only be consequences of past virtuous acts. You have also engaged in many positive, altruistic activities in this life, so, recalling all this virtue, dedicate it to the welfare of all sentient beings and rejoice in the opportunities you have had to create all this merit.

EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Requesting

Dedication

Dedication of merits Brahma requesting Buddha to teach the Dharma Fifth is the limb of requesting the buddhas to turn the wheel of Dharma. This practice is associated with the Buddha in his nirmanakaya form. Direct your attention to those newly enlightened buddhas who have not yet started to teach Dharma and beg them to turn the wheel of Dharma in order to fulfill their pledge to work for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Beseeching

Buddha at his parinirvana The sixth limb is that of appealing to the buddhas not to enter final nirvana. Again, this is mainly directed at buddhas in their nirmanakaya form, who have turned the wheel of Dharma and performed many enlightened deeds. Beg them not to enter final nirvana but to remain serving sentient beings.

The seventh and final limb is that of dedication. Dedicate all the merit you have ever accumulated, particularly that of taking the bodhicitta vow, to the well-being of all sentient beings and to the attainment of enlightenment for their benefit.

The Actual Ceremony for Generating Bodhicitta

The actual ceremony for generating the mind of enlightenment can be conducted on the basis of reading the following three verses. The first presents the practice of taking refuge in the Three Jewels; the second is the actual generation of the altruistic intention; the third helps enhance the mind that has been generated, to sustain it without degeneration. Kneel on one knee, if that is convenient; otherwise, remain seated. While reciting these verses, contemplate their meaning. Remember that as bodhisattva practitioners, when you take refuge in the Three Jewels, you are taking Mahayana refuge, engaging in this practice for the benefit of all sentient beings, and are motivated by the thought of attaining enlightenment for their benefit. Repeat the following verses three times: With the wish to free all beings I shall always go for refuge To Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Until I reach full enlightenment, Inspired by wisdom and compassion,

TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON

Today, in the Buddha’s presence, I generate the mind of full awakening For the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains As long as sentient beings remain Until then may I too remain And dispel the miseries of the world.

In this way, generate the altruistic intention of bodhicitta. Although you have not taken a formal pledge, since you have generated bodhicitta here today, it would be helpful to ensure that your practice of bodhicitta does not degenerate. Therefore, it would be very beneficial for you to recite and

think about the meaning of these three verses on a daily basis.

Source: Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment by Tenzin Gyatso His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama A Commentary on Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana’s A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment and Lama Je Tsong Khapa’s Lines of Experience, Translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa. Long Beach, California: Thubten Dhargye Ling, 2002, pp 113-119. EH

Your Best

By Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (982 - 1054 CE)

The best learning is realizing the truth of no-self. The best discipline is taming your mind-stream. The best excellence is to have great altruism. The best instruction is the constant observation of your mind. The best antidote is the recognition that everything is devoid of intrinsic existence. The best conduct is that which is at odds with the mundane world. The best higher attainment is the lessening of your mental afflictions. The best sign of higher attainment is a decrease in your attachment. The best giving is the absence of possessiveness. The best morality is a tranquil mind. The best forbearance is to uphold humility. The best joyful perseverance is to be able to let go of the endeavor. The best concentration is the uncontrived mind. The best wisdom is to make no identification of “I am” with anything. The best spiritual teacher is to challenge your weaknesses. The best instruction is to strike at your very own shortcomings. The best friends are mindfulness and introspective awareness. The best motivating factors are your enemies, obstacles, illnesses, and sufferings. The best skillful means is to be free of second guesses. The best beneficial deed is to help someone enter the Dharma. The best help given is to turn someone’s thoughts to the Dharma. From Wisdom of the Kadam Masters, edited by Thupten Jinpa © 2013. Reprinted with permission of Wisdom Publications. www.wisdompubs.org. EH

EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Bhante Gunaratana giving teachings at Bhavana Society

Rare things in the World By Venerable Dr H Gunaratana Maha Thera

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is the founding abbot of the Bhavana Society. Born in rural Sri Lanka, he has been a monk since age 12 and took full ordination at age 20 in 1947. He came to the United States in 1968. “Bhante G” (as he is fondly called by his students) has written a number of books, including the now-classic meditation manual Mindfulness In Plain English and its companion Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness. Bhante G regularly leads retreats on Vipassanā, mindfulness, Mettā (lovingfriendliness), concentration, and other topics both at the Bhavana Society.

Bhante Gunaratana is an internationally recognized author and meditation teacher. Prior to coming to the United States, he spent five years doing missionary work with the Harijanas (Untouchables) of India and ten years in Malaysia. He has taught in a number of settings, including the Buddhist Vihara of Washington D.C. where he served as president, the American University in Washington D.C. where he served as Buddhist chaplain and also earned a Ph.D. in philosophy, and at meditation centers worldwide. Bhante G has a strong scholarly background and lifelong commitment to dhamma.

In 1985, Bhante G co-founded the Bhavana Society and became its abbot. He wanted to teach meditation in an environment allowing for longer retreats and intense practice free from the trappings of a city vihara. He continues to teach in the direct, compassionate style that characterizes his books and articles. Bhante G conveys a wellrounded approach to Buddhist Dhamma, touching on all aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path. He emphasizes Mettā bhavana (the cultivation of loving-friendliness) as a basis for sammā-samādhi, or right concentration. As a teacher, he is known for his emphasis both on samadhi and on Mettā as part of spiritual training.

TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON

Ordination at the Bhavana Society

There are eight rare things in the world. They are:

(1) Dullabhañca manussattaṃ (2) Buddho ca dullabho loke (3) Dullabhā khaṇa sampatti, (4) Saddhammo paramadullabho (5) Saddhammasavaṇampi ca (6) Saṃgho ca dullabho loke, (7) Sappurisā atidullabhā (8) Kataññūkatavedi puggalo dullabho lokasmim

1. To be born as a human being is rare. There are many obstacles that prevent someone to be born as a human being. Even though there are billions of human beings, all the odds are against their birth compared to other living beings in this planet. It is even more difficult to live in good health that helps focus the mind on learning Dhamma. 2. Birth of a Buddha also is very rare. According to Buddhist tradition only seven Buddhas are listed by name in the Buddhist text such as Samyuttanikāya, Dīghanikāya. They are Vipassi, Sikhī, Vessabhu, Kakusand, Konāgama, Kassapa, and Gotama. Each of them has taken and prepared a very long time to attain Buddhahood.

3. Right moment to practice is very difficult. The right moment is obstructed by eight situations. (i) hell realm, (ii) animal realm, (iii) ghost realm, (iv) birth in a realm without perception, (v) birth in a region where nobody can understand four noble truths, (vi) birth with mental handicap that prevents comprehension, (vii) birth with total confused state of mind, and (viii) birth during time when the Buddha’s dispensation does not exist. 4. Saddhammo paramadullabho The true Dhamma (saddhamma) is even more rare. The Dhamma -impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and non-self (anattā) - exist all the time. Recourses for learning Noble Truth are very rare. They are mixed with fake truth. The Buddha has given two very meaningful similes. One is a simile of summoning drum (Āni Sutta) in the discourse called Āni Sutta. The other is counterfeited gold. When imitation gold comes to the market you don’t know

7. 8.

the difference between real gold and counterfeited gold. So, the value of real gold loses its value. Saddhammasavaṇampi ca. When the noble dhamma is rare, listening to noble dhamma is likewise rare. Saṃgho ca dullabho loke. When the above factors are rare, the noble Saṅgha (ariya saṅgha) also is rare. Those who have attained Stream entry, Once returner, Never returner, and Arahant are known as the noble Saṅgha (Ariya Saṅgha). Sappurisā atidullabhā; Kataññūkatavedi puggalo dullabho lokasmim. Listening to the Dhamma becomes very difficult. It is difficult not only because the appearance of the Buddhas in the world is rare, but because those who listen do not have proper attitude to listening. It is very difficult to focus the mind on the Dhamma teaching. One needs to be highly motivated to listen to Dhamma with an undivided mind.

Story: One day five people went to listen

to a sermon delivered by the Buddha. One of them was sleeping while sitting, one was scratching

EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Community of laity and Monastics at Bhavana Society

the ground with his fingers, one was looking up in the sky, one was shaking a tree nearby, and the last one was the only person who listened to the Dhamma attentively.

While the Buddha was delivering his sermon Ven. Ānanda, who was standing behind the Buddha, was fanning him. He saw what these people were doing. At the end of the sermon he told the Buddha how these five people behaved while the Buddha was delivering his sermon and asked the Buddha why they behaved that way.

Then the Buddha said that it is due to their own saṃsāric habit. One who slept during the sermon was a snake in 500 previous lives and he coiled up like a snake. One who was scratching the ground with his fingers was an earth worm in his previous life. One who kept on looking in the sky was an astrologer in his previous life. One who was shaking a tree was a monkey in the past life. The one who listened to Dhamma attentively was a learned Brahmin who had studied three Vedas. Ven. Ānanda asked the Buddha why while he was delivering a very wonderful sermon with remarkable

skill of delivery, and conveying the most beneficial message, the four people were not able to listen attentively to it?

The Buddha asked Ānanda, “Do you think this Dhamma is sweet to everybody?”

When Ānanda was silent, the Buddha himself answered his own question and said, “Ānanda, people are engaged more deeply in useless talks (tiracchānakathā). They are deeply trenched in these habits. It is most difficult for them to pay attention to Dhamma that leads them to liberation from suffering. For many people, the Dhamma is not very sweet. Attachment, hatred, confusion and craving have conditioned their minds. Even in many Kappas [an immensely long period of time] these people have not heard the word Buddha, Dhamma or Sangha. So in this life it is very difficult for them to hear the Dhamma. In this beginningless saṃsāra these people have been engaged in animal talks. Turning their mind to Dhamma all of a sudden is very difficult.

How to Listen to the Dhamma There are 15 steps to follow to

discover the truth from listening to the Dhamma. They are as follows:

1. First you investigate the teacher. 2. Then you place faith in him (Atha tamhi saddhaṃniveseti); 3. Filled with faith you visit him (saddhājāto upasaṃkamati) 4. Then pay respect to him (upasaṃkamanto payirupāsati); 5. Having paid respect to him, you give ear (payirupāsanto sotaṃodahati); 6. When you give ear, you hear the Dhamma (ohitasoto Dhammaṃsuṇāti); 7. Having heard the Dhamma, you memorize it (sutvā Dhammaṃdhāreti) 8. After memorizing, you examine the meaning of the teachings (dhāritānaṃ dhammānaṃattahṃ upaparikkhati); 9. When you have examined their meaning, you gain a reflective acceptance of those teachings (atthaṃupaparikkhato dhammā nijjhānaṃkhamati); 10. When you have gained a reflective acceptance of those teachings, zeal springs up (Dhammanijjhānakhantiyā sati chando jāyati);

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Bhante Gunaratana

11. When zeal has sprung up (chandajāto ussahati), 12. You apply your will (ussahitvā tuleti); 13. Having applied your will, you scrutinize (tulayitvā padahati); 14. Having scrutinized, you strive, resolutely striving, with the body the ultimate truth (pahitatto samāno kāyena c’eva paramasaccaṃsacchikaroti) 15. and see it by penetrating it with wisdom (paññāya ca taṃativijjha passati). In this way there is the discovery of truth. (Adopted from Canki Sutta)

How to Listen to Dhamma

The way how one should listen to Dhamma has also been stated by the Buddha. Attikatvā manasikatvā sabbacetaso samannāharitvā ohitasoto Dhammaṃ suṇāti. i. Listens to Dhamma (Dhammaṃ suṇāti). ii. This Dhamma is beneficial to me (Atthikatvā). iii, Pay mindful attention

(manasikatvā). iv. Listen wholeheartedly by paying total attention to Dhamma (sabbacetaso samannāharitvā).

v. Bending the ears, paying entire attention to the Dhamma one should listen to Dhamma (ohitasoto) as follows. a) what is heard (Sutā) b) remember it (dhatā) c) verbally recite (vacasā paricitā) d) reflect mindfully (manasānupekkhatā) e) penetrate it with right view or wisdom (diṭṭhiya suppaṭivijjhatā).

Three Kind of Listeners:

There are three kinds of individuals listening to Dhamma:

i) One who has turned his wisdom upside down (avakujjapañño) ii) One who keeps his wisdom in his bosom (ucchanga pañño) iii) One with wide wisdom (puthupañño). Suppose somebody goes to a monastery and listens to Dhamma delivered by bhikkhus. They preach the Dhamma excellent at the beginning, excellent in the middle and excellent in the end. Morality, concentration and wisdom are all excellent. This person who goes to the monastery to listen Dhamma does not pay attention to the

beginning of Dhamma, does not pay attention to the middle nor does he pay attention to the end of the Dhamma. He is compared to a pot turned upside down. When the pot is turned upside down it does not hold water no matter how much water you pour into it. His mind is just like this pot. So his wisdom is turned upside down.

Suppose somebody listen to the beginning, middle and the end of the Dhamma while he is sitting. But as he stands up, he forgets everything he heard. He is like a man who sits in a place keeping some fruit or nuts on his lap and eating them. Suddenly he stands up forgetting the fruits or nuts in his lap. Then all the fruits or nuts on his lap falls on the ground and scatters here and there.

The third person listens to Dhamma while he is sitting. He pays attention to the beginning of the Dhamma, middle of the Dhamma and end of the Dhamma. When he gets up to leave he remembers everything he heard. He is compared to a pot kept turning upside up so that when you pour water into it water stays in it. EH

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The Fifth Precept and the power of Renunciation By Gil Fronsdal

Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center.

Renunciation is one of the most beneficial, empowering, and freeing practices of Buddhism. As its purpose is to heighten the best qualities of our hearts and minds, renunciation is not meant to diminish our lives but rather to enhance them. Abstaining from intoxicating drinks and drugs—the fifth ethical precept—is an important Buddhist practice that can reveal the power of renunciation.

On the surface, the fifth precept differs from the first four in being more personal than interpersonal. Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying all directly involve other people. In contrast, consuming intoxicating drinks and drugs is a personal choice that does not inherently affect others. The immense personal and interpersonal damage that comes from alcohol and drugs is often invisible in the personal, seemingly innocuous decisions to consume them. This harm can be masked when intoxication, even mild inebriation, temporarily alleviates pain and brings longed-for relief. Its negative effects can also be invisible when intoxication’s temporary pleasure, relaxation, and lack of fear can seem preferable to less pleasant feelings. And yet, we’re all aware of the tremendous personal and social costs of intoxication. Under the influence of these substances—and in their aftermath—people frequently

make poor choices, often with long-term consequences. The cost of human lives lost or relationships destroyed due to intoxication are incalculable. The issue of intoxication is not only a

modern one. More than 2,500 years ago, the Buddha said that intoxication can lead to “the loss of wealth, increased quarreling, susceptibility to illness, disrepute, and weakening of wisdom.” What is modern is the incredibly wide range of addicting substances and unwholesome pleasures that are readily available.

With its emphasis on mindfulness and wise intention, Buddhism helps us see how intoxication clouds the mind and diminishes our ability to make wise choices. A traditional Buddhist reason for abstaining from alcohol and drugs is that intoxication increases the chances a person will violate the first four precepts. For example, we are more likely to speak what is not true or to flirt inappropriately, if we are even a little bit intoxicated. And, as wisdom is often lacking when intoxicated, these can easily lead to greater and more damaging problems. Children can grow up in fear when drunk parents are prone to anger, violence, and neglect. Our prisons are filled with people who committed crimes while intoxicated.

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The literal English translation of the fifth precept is “I undertake the training precept to abstain from alcohol, liquor, or spirits that are a cause for heedlessness.” The mention of heedlessness points to the way in which intoxication involves a loss in care, caring, and carefulness. While Buddhism links intoxication with heedlessness and lack of mindfulness, modern psychology discusses this in terms of decreased cognitive abilities, increased attention deficits, and poor judgment.

Abstinence also develops and supports wisdom. Through it we can better understand how the mind works, how it can delude us and how it can heal us. We’re better able to recognize the desire to get intoxicated as an indicator that something in our life is out of balance. Are we using alcohol as a way to deal with stress? Do we drink or take drugs due to social pressure from friends or colleagues who do so?

is not only about avoiding harm and heedlessness. Abstinence can also be motivated by the personal and interpersonal benefits it brings, which can be deeply nourishing. Any time the desire for intoxicating substances is strong and we refrain from acting on that desire, we strengthen our capacity for renunciation and self-mastery. The stronger the desire, the greater we need to rely on commitment and wisdom to avoid giving in to it. Doing so strengthens us. It also can improve our relationships with family, friends, and others.

happiness. It is a training in personal maturation and growth. Rather than relying on short-term pleasures and highs, the Buddhist path relies on an increasing selfunderstanding that brings enduring wisdom, on developing compassion that provides ongoing forgiveness, and on cultivating personal strengths that keep us steady in the face of life’s challenges.

Ideally, abstaining from intoxication

For those walking the Buddhist path, abstaining from intoxication is a strategy for our long-term

By refraining from drinking and drugs we maintain the mental clarity that is essential for mindfulness practice. Furthermore, mindfulness can be increased by staying alert to the ways in which desire for substances can get the upper hand. Restraining these desires strengthens our will power, a faculty that can free us from all kinds of compulsive desires, not just ones for alcohol or drugs.

One of the biggest supports for abstaining from intoxication is the faith that it’s worthwhile to do so, and confidence that we can do it. Such faith and confidence grow best in community with people who inspire it in us. To be around others who restrain themselves from drinking or taking drugs can inspire us to do the same. To be accompanied in our efforts by friends and other practitioners means we don’t have to rely solely on our own efforts. If we are less likely to consume alcohol or drugs when we have the support of others, making sure we have

this support may help us to relax effort that may be too forceful, and thus counterproductive. To have the loving acceptance of community can help us to be more self-compassionate and less moralistically harsh toward ourselves. All too often the regular use of alcohol and drugs ruptures relationships, and with them our own self-worth; practicing the precepts in a community of other practitioners can be a way to heal this wounded part of ourselves.

Practicing with the fifth precept has a lot to do with being truthful with

ourselves, which is a very significant form of mindfulness. One way we can know we’re being truthful is by having a friend or a community with whom we can tell the truth. If you are using alcohol and drugs and aren’t willing to tell this to your friend or community, you’re probably not being truthful even to yourself. Done wisely with people who support you, truthfulness is one of the most powerful supports for the fifth precept.

While some people live by the fifth precept as a way to avoid the dangers that come with intoxication, it’s also helpful to be motivated by the benefits it can bring. Having increased clarity, wisdom, personal freedom and improved social relations can provide motivation to use every act of renunciation as an opportunity for much more than abstention. Renunciation has the power to bring out the best in us. It is an opportunity for making the world a better place for ourselves and others. EH

EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Your mistakes are Progress By Lama Kathy Wesley

Lama Kathy serves at the Columbus Karma Thegsum Choling Meditation Center as its Resident Teacher. She also travels to other Buddhist centers around the country to teach. Lama Kathy has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since 1977. She participated in the first three-year retreat led by Khenpo Rinpoche at Karme Ling Retreat Center in upstate New York, completing retreat in 1996. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband Michael.

It’s natural to be disappointed that you haven’t been able to vanquish your own worst faults. But do you have to continue feeling that way? The teachings of lojong say: No, you don’t have to continue feeling that way! In fact, you can use the mistakes you make to propel yourself further along the path.

solid and separate entity, we spend all of our time trying to protect and gratify it. Fixation is the engine that makes it “go.”

Lojong, which means “mind training” in Tibetan, is the term for a set of meditations and daily life disciplines that tame and transform our mental afflictions, simultaneously uprooting the source of our suffering—our egofixation. The practice set consists of 59 aphorisms written by the 12th-

But beyond the self, we can cling to anything— people, possessions, situations, ideas—and sometimes we may feel as though we’ll never gain control over ourselves. When we make a mistake as a result of attachment, we often beat ourselves up about it. Oh, there I go again, we may think. I can’t believe I lost my temper. That’s what I do, anyway. But then I remember something my teacher, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, taught me—my favorite lojong slogan:

Every one of us has ego-fixation. The Buddha’s teaching about this goes all the way back to the second of his Four Noble Truths—that the cause of suffering is clinging and fixation, and the greatest of these is fixation on our concept of self. Once we conceive of it, seeing it as a

In a 19th-century commentary on the lojong teachings, the Tibetan master Jamgön Kongtrül (1813– 1899) explains that the three poisons are attachment, aversion, and ignorance, which are always arising in the mind in response to the three objects: things you like, things

century Tibetan saint Chekhawa Yeshe Dorje; they’re also known as the Seven Points of Mind Training.

Three objects, three poisons, three seeds of virtue.

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you don’t like, and things you’re indifferent toward.

To take control of these poisons, Kongtrül says, we should notice them “as soon as they arise.” We may not actually be able to notice them as soon as they arise, but perhaps we can catch them after five minutes, or even two weeks down the road. Whenever it occurs, the moment you notice it, take hold of that mental affliction with your attention and purposefully turn it into an aspiration. It’s as though you see the mental affliction as raw material, the way a potter would view clay. You don’t see clay as a problem; you see it as an opportunity to create something. It’s as though you see the mental affliction as a raw material, the way a potter would view clay.

So if your emotional state is upsetting, try to step outside of it— even if it’s just for an instant—and say, “I am angry,” “I am jealous,” “I am competitive,” or “I am attached.” Whatever it is that you’re feeling, recognize it. In that instant of

separation and acknowledgment, you can use a formula Kongtrül

offered and say, “May my mental affliction contain the mental affliction of all sentient beings.” You use your imagination to recognize that there are other people on the planet at this very moment feeling just like you feel. You are no longer alone.

Furthermore, you’re no longer feeding the engine of the mental affliction with words like, “I am angry. I am bad,” or “That person is bad.” You’ve taken the energy away from those stories, allowing that energy to turn into something else— an aspiration for positive change. You do that by moving to the next step in Kongtrül’s formula, paraphrased here for brevity: By my working with this moment of mental affliction, may I and all sentient beings be freed from this mental affliction.

That’s powerful stuff. We aspire— just by stepping outside our affliction, engaging it, and working with it—to accrue for ourselves

(and all beings!) the seed of virtue to be free from this mental affliction. The final part of Kongtrül’s formula takes our aspiration higher: Through this, may we all become Buddhas, the complete freedom from mental affliction. The whole process may seem cumbersome at first, but with practice it will become second nature and give us a new way to view what we think of as faults and failings. Kongtrül’s technique allows us to take the energy away from our mental afflictions and transform that energy into an aspiration for goodness: May I be good, may all things be good, and may all beings be free.

We’ve made a conscious turn away from feeding our mental affliction and taken ourselves somewhere else. We’ve taken that thing that was dark and unworkable and turned it into something light and workable. That moment is my favorite moment. Even in my own feelings of disappointment with myself, I know

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that Kongtrül’s method will work. I know it will work. I’ve used it again and again. Of course, there are days when I’m so upset about something I don’t want to use it. But I have to. Because that’s the way to sanity. You can even use this method without full sincerity, through gritted teeth. Any way you use it will create a momentum of change within you.

This technique can also be used to generate compassion for yourself. “May my mistake, this thing I just goofed up on, contain the mistakes of all sentient beings, and by working through this feeling of mistake, may I and all sentient beings be free of it.

May we all become Buddhas.”

For me, this unhooks the feeling of “I’ve been practicing for so many years but I can’t get on top of my anger.”

If you have anger, it’s not the end of everything. You don’t have to stop practicing because you’re angry. Use the formula, take hold of the anger, and turn it into an aspiration. Don’t sit there and feel bad that you’re not further along in your practice. Do something with that feeling instead.

Source: Tricycle, Winter 2018. www. tricycle.com. Published with the kind permission of Lama Kathy. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche EH

Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche Jikmé Chökyi Senge was born in 1966, as the grandson of Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. A dream that Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche had one night while staying near the Bodhnath stupa indicated that his grandson was be the combined emanation of the three main lamas from Shechen Monastery who had all perished in Chinese prisons in the early sixties—the previous Shechen Rabjam, Shechen Kongtrul, and Shechen Gyaltsap, Gyurme Pema Dorje. This was later confirmed by the 16th Karmapa. Shechen Rabjam began receiving teachings from his grandfather, who raised him, at the age of three. For 25 years, he received teachings and empowerments and attended drupchen with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He first went to the West with him in 1976. In 1980, when Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche built Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Baudhnath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche became its abbot. Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche is the seventh in the line of the Rabjam succession. After Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche passed away in 1991, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche endeavored to secure the transmission of his teachings and his vision of Tibetan Buddhist culture. Over the last ten years, Shechen Monastery has been enriched with a shedra, a school for sacred dancing, rituals and chants, a thangka painting school, and a medical clinic. Rinpoche was in Malaysia in November 2018, and kindly agreed to be interviewed by Eastern Horizoon. We thank KL Lim for carrying out the interview.

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Medicine to benefit the World By Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche

You come from an illustrious family where your grandfather, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, is acknowledged as one of the enlightened masters in the modern age. Very briefly, can you share with us the most important teaching that you learnt from him for our benefit?

Being with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche is in itself a teaching. He did not become Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche because he was given a high title or he was recognized as a high Lama. It was not like that. His interest was in the practice of the Buddha Dharma. He had good family support in this. They had wanted him to carry on the family legacy but later realizing that all he wanted was to practice the Dharma, they supported him.

Many masters recognized Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as a reincarnation of their masters. Therefore, he had many good teachers who were very happy and willing to offer him any teachings he wanted. He met as many as 50 different masters from different Vajrayana schools of Buddhism. Because he was recognized as (reincarnation of) many Lamas, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was not just one Lama but many Lamas into one. On top of that, he was diligent in his efforts in practicing Buddha Dharma, like for example, spending about 20 years in isolated retreat. All put together, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche became what he was.

Therefore, one could learn a lot just being with him. The one main thing I always try to remember and follow is his humbleness. No matter how well known in the world he was then, no matter how many great masters became his student, he always remained humble. He

was always there for anybody who was interested in Dharma. No matter, whether one was rich or poor, a high Lama or an ordinary person, he was there to help in anything about Dharma. This is what I remember the most about him. With many Tibetans now born outside Tibet, how do you continue to secure the transmission of traditional Buddhist teachings and Tibetan Buddhist culture to the Tibetan diaspora community, especially the young ones who have little knowledge of what Buddhist Tibet was like when it was the center of pristine Buddha Dharma? It may be Tibetan culture or Tibetan tradition, but it is essentially, Buddhist tradition.

I think the Tibetan tradition or Buddhist tradition is not only for Tibetans or the Himalayan people but for this whole universe. It happened that Tibet managed to keep the authentic tradition for a while in Tibet, but now, due to circumstances, it has come out of Tibet and it is spreading all around the world. I feel the culture or tradition might change a bit, but, the essence of teaching remains the same. It is a universal kind of treasure. You are in Malaysia to give teachings and conduct the Medicine Buddha Empowerment. Can you tell us more about this ritual and the benefit of participating in it?

I have traveled to many different parts of the world and observed that Asians naturally have strong devotion and faith in the Dharma. Unlike in the West, the Dharma is not viewed in Asia as a new tradition or foreign to its cultures.

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Empowerments (the authorization to hear, study and practice the Vajrayana teachings) will be very beneficial for those with such devotion in the Buddha Dharma. Why Medicine Buddha Empowerment? Kunzang Chokhor Ling (Buddhist Society, Selangor) requested this Dharma Teaching and Medicine Buddha Empowerment for the benefit of Malaysian devotees.

[Editor’s Note: It is stated in the Medicine Buddha Sutra that the Medicine Buddha has made great vows to bless the devoted to live in prosperous land free from natural disaster and war and gain release from suffering of illness and other woes.] Personally, I don’t feel I am so qualified to give empowerments but since I have received teachings and blessings from many great masters and out of devotion to them, passing down the blessings and teachings of the lineage will be of benefit to more.

The practice of the teachings of the Medicine Buddha is not just good for health. It combines the whole practice of accumulation (of merit and wisdom) and purification (of obscuration). Even though it is called Medicine Buddha teaching, it is a complete practice within that.

Empowerment in Vajrayana Buddhism is a very scared ritual, and there are also requirements before a student may begin it, especially the commitment to the guru. Unfortunately, many people in Malaysia are only attracted to empowerment because they think of it as magical or that it can bestow good fortune for mundane purposes. Should Vajrayana masters be more cautious in offering empowerment rituals to anyone who wants it?

This is a very good question. This is related to my earlier answer. Asians, particularly those of Chinese descent naturally find it easy to adapt to the Dharma practice with devotion and faith. It is not a new culture coming to them and thus, tend to readily accept the Vajrayana Buddhist practice. There are different ways of receiving empowerment – either just as a blessing or as one’s own main practice. If it is receiving empowerment as blessing, anybody can be included in that mandala (literally, center and circumference).

In the case of taking it as a main practice, there can be many different levels, dependent on one’s capacity. For example, (integral) in receiving Vajrayana empowerment is the development of pure vision. If one can generate pure vision where one perceive one’s guru as the Buddha, one will receive the blessings as from the Buddha. If one’s capacity is visualizing Arahat/ Bodhisattva, one will receive blessings from Arahat/ Bodisattva or if one’s visualization is an ordinary monk or another human being, one will receive blessings from an ordinary monk or human being. It depends on one’s capacity and devotion. [Editor’s Note: Rabjam Rinpoche once told this story of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s youngest daughter making full prostration around Samye, the first monastery in Tibet built by Padmasambhava, Shatarakshita and King Trisong Detsen. There was garbage, urine and excrement everywhere.

After some time, Khyentse Rinpoche asked her wouldn’t she find it difficult and feel disgusted in doing

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prostration in such condition. She replied, “When I think that Guru Rinpoche actually visited this place and that the ground I am doing prostrations on is the very place his precious feet touched, I feel as if he just walked by and that the earth is still warm with his footprints. I don’t feel or notice anything else.”

Rabjam Rinpoche said that was an example of pure vision.

Malaysia has been blessed with many gurus and dharma masters from all Buddhist traditions who visit our country from time to time, and some stayed on to start centers and continue teaching. While it is always auspicious to meet authentic gurus, many Buddhists tend to go guru shopping, hoping that they will find the right guru. Obviously this is not the best way to study or practice the Dharma. What is your advice as a guru for such Buddhists? Google ‘guru’. (hahaha) As a guru? I always try to emphasize for practitioners not to see me personally as their guru. I’m like a bridge, a connection to my guru because my guru is authentic. That, I know. So what I try to do (for the connection with authentic gurus) is always mention the name of guru a few times, so that practitioners can hear and connect with my guru. From my point of view, my guru is no different from the Buddha or Guru Rinpoche. So I feel that I’m just making the connection.

Unfortunately, there are also fake gurus. How do we know if a guru is authentic or fake?

In anything or any products there are fake and real ones. Let me relate one example (of experience with real and fake). I translated one of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s teachings into Chinese and it was produced as a book. I was very proud of it but when I walked into a book store, it was placed next to a fake guru’s book.

I felt very discouraged. How can my guru’s book, which is like a real Buddha’s book be next to a fake guru’s book? But later, I received a lot of response from devotees in China who read the book and were inspired by Khyentse Rinpoche’s teaching. They were even spurred by this inspiration to go to Bhutan (to visit places related with Khyentse Rinpoche) even though they couldn’t speak a word of English. So it has to be karma to choose this or that (in their case, choice of book). It has to be karmic connection (in which one is drawn to either real or fake). You wrote a book called The Great Medicine, A Remedy That Conquers Clinging to Reality (Shambhala, 2007) which was very well received internationally. Can you tell us the essence of the book, and why you wrote it?

I didn’t really write the book. It is based on talks I gave on inspiring teachings by Shechen Gyaltsap Pema Namgyal, the first root teacher of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. [Editor’s Note: Ven Matthieu Ricard wrote in the Foreword of the book that volumes of Shechen Gyaltsap’s writings were found and brought out of Tibet. Among these was a collection of pieces of spiritual advice that included The Great Medicine that Conquers Clinging to Reality, a profound and elegant elucidation of the relative

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and absolute bodhicitta, the enlightened mind.] I did commentaries and tried to explain the teachings. These were then put together into a book. The commentaries condensed the teachings and made it easy to understand and made it practical too. In this book, you mentioned that Dhamma practitioners can lose sight of their goal of transformation of the mind. This happens when they get involved in many different kinds of practices and also fuel self-importance competing for power and fame in setting up and serving Buddhist centers. Is such form of spiritual materialism one of the greatest challenges to Dharma and Dharma practitioners today? What is your advice to these practitioners? Checking our motivation again and again is very important.

Everybody starts a religious practice, or a business, or whatever endeavors with the notion that they will be happier if they can achieve whatever they set out to do. Nobody thinks that it can bring suffering. This is the same with dharma practice. We think that through dharma practice, we can gain some happiness and ultimately, enlightenment. Sometimes, (unaware) we get into spiritual materialism. So, I think the best thing is to check our intention, again and again. [Editor’s Note: Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in his book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Shambhala, 2002) referred to spiritual materialism as “a distorted, ego-centered version of spirituality” in which we can “deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques”.]

I mentioned in the (Great Medicine) book that Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche will talk about motivation again and again before he goes into the main teaching. For example, if the main teaching is like five minutes, he will delve on motivation for five minutes. That really tells us that we have to check why we started in the first place and what is our motivation. We have to check our

motivation again and again. That way, we can get back on track.

Of late, there is much emphasis on urgency of practice for Dharma practitioners. For example, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche (the incarnation of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche) emphasized in a teaching in Singapore in late 2018 on the need for practice, to be better human beings, to use our time and our precious human life meaningfully. Is the urgency of practice on the decline? I don’t think it is on the decline. I would say it is more challenging for practice.

The world is becoming smaller, not shrinking physically but connected with technologically advanced equipment like the smart phone and social media platforms and channels like We Chat, Facebook etc.

We are connected everywhere. We have more power (in our hands). This makes it more challenging in commitment to Dharma practice. If one goes to Tibet, it will be boring if one doesn’t perform one’s practice as there is nothing to do. But here, one has to fight (with distractions) to practice. Isn’t this so? Distractions are just too much. Therefore, I would say it’s more challenging. Any final advice for Buddhists in Malaysia on how best they should study and practice the Buddha Dharma so that they can experience the true blessings of the Buddha’s teachings in their everyday life?

Like I have mentioned earlier, Buddha Dharma practice is not only for temporary gain or success. The real and genuine practice is to attain enlightenment.

Of course, there are some rituals to help us on the path of Dharma practice. And yes, one can be drawn towards temporary gain like success, but do not get sidetracked from the main purpose of practice for ultimate Buddhahood. That, we have to remind ourselves, again and again. EH

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Applying the Buddha Dharma in modern Times By Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero

The Most Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnānānanda Thero is the founder of the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastic Order. He was born into a Catholic family in Sri Lanka in 1961, and at the age of six months his whole family embraced Buddhism. At the age of eighteen, he was

ordained at Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara under the preceptorship of the Most Venerable Dambagasare Sumedhankara Mahā Thero, who was the Chief of the Sri Kalyaniwansa Nikāya and the Abbot of Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara at the time. After a traditional Sri Lankan monastic education, while studying for the Sinhala Honours Degree at Sri Jayawardhanapura University, he had the rare and unexpected opportunity to read the Buddha’s discourses in the Pāli Canon, and as a result, he abandoned temple life and began to frequent forest monasteries and hermitages, offering his life to the Dhamma with a great desire to practice it. Thereafter, having acquired a profound knowledge of the Dhamma by studying the Pāli Canon for a further ten years, Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnānānanda Thero accumulated manifold experiences in life while living in the Himalayas in India and the jungles of Sri Pāda in Sri

Lanka. Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnānānanda Thero, by utilizing his experience gained from many years in monastic life, began Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in August 1999. While teaching the Dhamma and holding Dhamma programs throughout various parts of Sri Lanka, he kindled in the people enormous faith in the Buddha’s Dispensation. Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnānānanda Thero has authored over 300 books in Sinhala and also several more books in English on the Buddha’s Teachings as recorded in the Pāli Canon, thus revealing the sacred Word of the Buddha to the public. Those Dhamma books, along with CDs containing his inspiring Dhamma talks and Vandana verses, which explain the Buddha’s discourses in simple

Sinhala language, have elicited much praise from the people. Moreover, Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnānānanda Thero’s translation of the Sutta Piṭaka into simple Sinhala language, helping it to be read and understood by people from any walk of life, is an unparalleled service to the Buddha’s Dispensation—undertaken by the Venerable Thero out of compassion for the world. Teaching the Dhamma devoid of capricious personal opinions, by revealing only the Pure Word of the Buddha, is the unique quality of the Most Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnānānanda Thero’s outstanding Dhamma service. Venerable Gnānānanda very kindly agreed to be interviewed on his many missionary activities for Eastern Horizon.

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You established Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in 1999 to benefit human beings through the teachings of Buddha. In what way is this monastery different from the many other thousands of monasteries in Sri Lanka? When I established the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastic Order, I did not seek to emulate any other institution in the world. Before I began Mahamevnawa, I had spent many years in forest monasteries associating with various monks. During this period, I gained a lot of experience regarding monastic life and the organizational structures of different forest monasteries. It is with these years of experience that I founded this organization. Mahamevnawa is unique in the sense that it is an organization based solely on the Buddha’s Teachings. I did not model Mahamevnawa after the methodologies of any other organization. Even now, my continued motivation is to create an organization where the Buddha’s Teachings can flourish. In the book, Dharmapradīpikā, authored by the great Sri Lankan literary scholar and lay-disciple of

the Buddha, Gurulugomi, in the 12th century, there is a beautiful simile for the Teachings of the Buddha: A messenger of the King arrives at a village with a royal decree. Thereafter, all the villagers assemble to listen to this royal decree. From amongst the villagers, they find only one person who can read, and they choose him to read the royal decree. Then he reads out the royal decree to the people and they praise him for reading it out, but it actually carries the words of the King. How is he praised? They praise him thus: “Well said!” That’s all. They praise him for properly reading out the royal decree. The decree doesn’t belong to him though, it belongs to the King. Likewise, the one who gives a Dhamma talk is just like the one who reads out the royal decree. Beginning even with the Great Arahant Venerable Sāriputta, anyone who gives a Dhamma talk is simply a person who reads out the royal decree, not one who enacts it. The Buddha out of respect regarded the Dhamma as His Teacher. It is through the practice of Dhamma that a person realizes the fruits of the path and that Dhamma belongs only to the Buddha, not to anyone else. Everyone else who gives Dhamma talks merely receives the

praise that it was well said; the true credit goes to the Buddha. If he who gives a Dhamma talk were to tell his own thing in the name of the Dhamma, he will misguide his listeners and thus exploit the natural tendency of people to choose a person as their savior. Here in Mahamevnawa, we have no intention to enact our own decree; we teach the royal decree, the decree of the Buddha, the Lord of the Dhamma—that’s what sets apart Mahamevnawa from other monasteries in Sri Lanka.

You mentioned you wish to present the Buddha Dharma in modern language so that it easy for people to understand. How would you communicate an ancient truth such as the Four Noble Truths or Dependent Origination to modern lay Buddhists? Both teachings—the Four Noble Truths and Dependent Origination—are timeless truths that the wise can realize even today provided they are conveyed properly. In the Vinaya, the Buddha declared that disciples may learn the Dhamma in their own language, which is why I translated the Sutta

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Piṭaka from Pāli into lucid Sinhala. Though a Sinhala translation of the Sutta Piṭaka is already available in the Buddha Jayanti Tripiṭaka, it uses an old style of Sinhala used in the Polonnaruwa Era (circa 12th century) making it difficult for the average person to understand. With the new translation, one doesn’t have to be a Pāli or Sinhala scholar to study the Teachings of the Buddha. Lay Buddhists may now learn the Dhamma by studying translations of the Pāli texts. Since reliable translations of the Sutta Piṭaka are available in other modern languages too (English, German, etc.), the rare chance to learn the marvellous Dhamma of the Buddha is now widely accessible. I believe in using modern, simple language in translations, exercising special care so as not to distort the meaning of the original text nor introduce personal views that misrepresent the Dhamma. I understand Mahamevnawa Monastery wants to teach the Buddha’s message in its original form. How do we know what are the original teachings of the Buddha, for even the Theravada

tradition developed many centuries later in Sri Lanka after the Buddha’s passing away? To say that the Theravāda tradition developed many centuries later in Sri Lanka after the passing away of the Buddha is a major misconception. Since the Pāli Canon is the earliest surviving record of the Buddha’s Teachings, preserved in a single school of Buddhism, the Theravāda, it is our most reliable source for the original Teachings of the Buddha. Theravāda is known as the “Doctrine of the Elders,” because the Teachings and history of the Buddha’s Dispensation, as recorded in the Theravāda Tipiṭaka, date back to the First Buddhist Council. At the First Council, which took place three months after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, 500 Arahants led by the Great Arahant Mahā Kassapa convened at Rājagaha, India in a magnificent hall erected in front of the Sattapanni Cave to preserve the Buddha’s Teachings for posterity. Venerable Arahant Upāli recited the Vinaya and Venerable Arahant Ānanda recited the Suttas. For seven months the 500 Arahants conducted the First Council in order to establish the definitive body of the Buddha’s Teachings. At the

First Council, it was decided that the Dhamma and Vinaya should be committed to memory and passed on from one generation to the next as an oral tradition.

The Second Buddhist Council occurred 100 years after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, after disputes arose over controversial points of Vinaya. Monks from Vesālī were engaging in ten practices which other prominent, esteemed monks considered contrary to the Vinaya. The dispute was later settled, and the ten points were denounced by the Elders as contrary to the Vinaya. Thereafter, Arahant Revata determined that it was necessary to convene another Buddhist Council so as to prevent the further occurrence of such disputes and so that the Buddha’s Dispensation may last long. Presided over by Arahant Revata, with the participation of 700 Arahants under the patronage of King Kālāsoka, the Second Buddhist Council took place in Vesālī and lasted for eight months. Thus, for the first 100 years after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, only Theravāda Buddhism existed, that is, the Buddhism according to the

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Elders, preserved from the First Council up until the Second Council. The 10,000 monks whose views on the Vinaya were denounced in the Second Council formed a new faction, calling themselves the “Majority Saṅgha” (Mahāsaṅghika, the predecessor to the Mahāyāna). Thus, two schools of Buddhism formed: the Mahāsaṅghika and the Theravāda. Furthermore, 236 years after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna the Third Buddhist Council was convened by Indian Emperor Asoka in Pātaliputta. Headed by Arahant

Moggalīputta Tissa with the participation of 1,000 Arahants, it lasted for nine months. Later on, Arahant Mahinda, son of Emperor Asoka, who was fortunate enough to become Enlightened the very day he received ordination, and who learned and committed to memory the entire Tipiṭaka in only three years, came to Sri Lanka to spread the Dhamma. As a result of Arahant Mahinda’s successful Dhamma propagation, millions of Arahants were born in Sri Lanka.

Later, however, a famine struck Sri Lanka. Many Arahants died during this famine while the few who escaped to South India survived. The monks who survived the famine realised that the continuance of the teaching as an oral tradition was no longer safe. The surviving Arahants convened and recited the teachings in a landmark event in the history of Buddhism at the Fourth Buddhist Council, where arrangements were made to commit the Dhamma to writing. Then, at the Alu Vihāra,

Matale, Sri Lanka from 440-454 B.E. during the reign of King Valagambā; 500 Arahants presided over by Arahant Kuntagatta Tissa wrote down the Dhamma and Vinaya in Pāli for the first time on palm leaves. Thus, the Dhamma and Discipline transmitted through the oral tradition beginning at the First Council comes down to us today in written form in the Theravāda Tipiṭaka. Many young people tend to think of Buddhism as more suited for older people or those who are interested in a monastic lifestyle. While this is not true, how do we change this public misconception and explain that the Buddha’s teachings are for all mankind?

It is clear when studying the suttas that the Buddha taught the Dhamma with three distinct goals in mind. First, to guide his disciples to achieve success in this life. Second, to gain rebirth in the heavenly worlds after death. Third, to realize the Dhamma and gain liberation from all suffering. With these objectives in mind, not only did he teach his Dhamma to monks and nuns who had renounced the household life, but he also taught lay people living amidst society with jobs, family, and various obligations. Having heard the Dhamma, some gave up lay life and ordained as monks and nuns to fully commit to the practice, whereas most practiced the Dhamma as lay disciples while leading their day-

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as one who seeks wealth both righteously and unrighteously: though skilled in amassing wealth and achieving financial success he lacks the eye that aids in spiritual development. He therefore indulges in sensual pleasures with wealth gained by unrighteous means, resulting in rebirth in the planes of misery after death. The Buddha only praised the two-eyed person who possesses the eye to gain wealth righteously by one’s own exertion, and also has the eye to discern merit from demerit, wholesome from unwholesome. He alone is destined to be born in a good destination, a place of happiness. Thus, possessing both eyes he enjoys both financial and spiritual success.

to-day lives. Many were even successful in attaining fruits of the path. In fact, out of the population of 80 million that lived in the Kingdom of Kosala in the time of the Buddha, 50 million had attained fruits of the path. What is even more remarkable is that many among them were young. A read through the Sigālaka Sutta or a peek into the Aṅguttara Nikāya, containing a host of suttas addressing the concerns of household life, would rectify the misconception that Buddhism is only for those with a predilection toward monasticism. The Buddha’s peerless wisdom not only encompassed the attainment of Nibbāna but also ranged such mundane matters as how to live a

happy family life, how to manage one’s finances, and what qualities to look for in friends. Another classic example of the light of wisdom the Teachings of the Buddha shine upon all mankind, irrespective of age or occupation is the Andhūpama Sutta in Aṅguttara Nikāya. In this sutta the Buddha describes three kinds of persons found existing in the world: the blind person, the one-eyed person, and the two-eyed person. The Buddha describes the blind person as one who has failed to achieve either financial or spiritual success in life. Thus, he lives unsuccessful and unhappy in this life and also destined to be born in the planes of misery after death. The Buddha describes the one-eyed person

Hence the Teachings of the Buddha are not limited to the elderly or the monastic, they are rather a treasure trove of advice and guidance from which all can benefit. You have started many monasteries overseas, including the first Buddhist centre in the UAE (Dubai), a Muslim country. I understand the targeted group is the Sri Lankan community overseas. What about the missionary activities targeted at the local people in these non-Buddhist countries? How are these missionary activities carried out?

We have established 30 monasteries overseas in countries such as USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Cyprus, UAE, India, and South

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Korea. Though the Sri Lankan expatriate communities living abroad are the benefactors of these monasteries, the Dhamma Service conducted by the monasteries is not limited to these communities. Apart from programs conducted in Sinhalese, there are many Dhamma programs, meditation programs, chanting sessions, and other religious activities conducted in English for the benefit of the local communities living in those countries. On invitation, monks and nuns residing abroad travel to various venues to give talks on Buddhism and teach meditation. Our vision is to advance the Buddha’s Teachings on generosity, morality, and meditation, to enhance the spiritual life of the local Buddhist community and the general public by cultivating amity, compassion, and wisdom. The services of Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monasteries overseas are open to any member of the public interested in learning and practicing Theravāda Buddhism. Our mission is to spread the Buddha’s Teachings to as many people as possible, staying true to the Buddha’s words: “The Dhamma and Vinaya proclaimed by a Tathāgata shine when exposed, not when concealed.”

I understand the Mahanevnawa Monastery has over 650 monks and more than 100 anāgārika nuns. Do they all undergo a standard training program where they are certified as teachers before they can be allowed to teach the Buddha Dharma, since

your mission is that Buddhism must be taught in a systematic and concise manner from a modern perspective? Yes, they do. Mahamevnawa has a structured training plan by which lay postulants are gradually moulded, first into virtuous laymen and laywomen with good qualities like respect, gratitude, obedience, and loving-kindness, and then into monks and nuns. The training plan is mandatory for a lay person to be ordained as a Theravāda Buddhist Monk (or Nun) at Mahamevnawa Monastery. This

systematic training continues until a novice monk qualifies to receive the Higher Ordination and extends further for a minimum period of 5 years thereafter. A well-structured, thorough training is required before one is competent enough to act independently as a fully trained Buddhist Monk. During the probationary period, the postulant who aspires to become a competent monk in Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery will go through organisational induction. This process introduces the techniques employed in adapting the postulant to monastic life: learning the fundamentals of Theravāda Buddhist doctrine, acquiring basics skills in meditation, organising and conducting events by way of effective teamwork, and applying basic principles of Buddhist Teachings to develop wholesome qualities and enjoy the peace of monastic life. Once the postulant has successfully

completed anāgārika training, along with approval from myself and the senior monks, he will be chosen for the Novice Ordination. Novice monks are expected to learn the Ten Precepts and protect them all. During their time as novices they develop their skills in practicing different types of meditation techniques taught in Theravāda Buddhism, chanting discourses in Pāli, giving Dhamma talks, and conducting meditation sessions for the laity. Once the novice monks have successfully completed their

training as novices, along with my and the senior monks’ approval, they qualify to take the Higher Ordination. Upon receiving the Higher Ordination, the training continues for a minimum of five years thereafter. These monks are guided by experienced Senior Monks according to a strict training plan: practising the basic code of monastic discipline which consists of 227 precepts, learning the discourses in the Pāli Canon, practising meditation under the guidance of Senior Monks, participating in Dhamma discussions with Senior Monks, undertaking responsibilities in organising programs, events, and activities conducted at the Monasteries, and giving Dhamma talks to the laity. All the while, monks continue to develop their spiritual life in the Buddha’s Dispensation by building on the knowledge and competencies they have already achieved by associating with senior monks.

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One of the drawbacks of many of our monastic teachers is that while they are well-qualified in the traditional scriptures of the Pāli Canon, they are not welleducated in secular subjects; hence, they are unable to respond to issues raised by lay people with families and modern careers in today’s complex world. How do you overcome this problem? The texts of the Pāli Canon, the Teachings of the Buddha, address the root causes of all the problems in human life. Though today’s modern world is quite different

compared to ancient India in the time of the Buddha, though many new challenges have arisen in the modern era, the workings of the human mind are the same. No matter how complex and diverse the problems of the modern world might be, still, these problems all stem from the defilements of the mind: greed, hatred, and delusion. Since the Buddha’s Dhamma aims at purifying the mind through the eradication of all defilements, it is as applicable now as it was in the time of the Buddha. This is a salient characteristic of the Dhamma, akālika—timeless. For example, one might think problems of exploitation between management and worker, employer and employee are peculiarly modern. But the Buddha addressed this issue in his advice to Sigālaka as recorded in the Sigālaka Sutta. In the section of the discourse devoted to the employeremployee relationship, the Buddha enumerates five duties of the

employer towards the employee, and five duties of the employee towards the employer.

The employer must 1) give the employee work according to his bodily and mental strength, i.e. he should not be overburdened with work so as to cause physical or mental stress; 2) give the employee sufficient food and pay; 3) provide the employee with special care and treatment when sick; 4) share special delicacies with the employee; 5) grant leave to the employee when needed. The employee thus ministered to by

his/her employer will reciprocate compassionately by 1) waking up early and being ready for work even before the due time; 2) being the last to go to bed and working late; 3) abstaining from stealing and taking only what is given; 4) doing his/her work properly; 5) willingly spreading good word of the employer.

Though these are ethical guidelines laid down some 2500 years ago by the Buddha to form harmonious relationships between employers and employees, even today these can be used to formulate a general guide to labour relationships, and a business code of economic ethics that would lead to a happy, harmonious, employer-employee relationship without exploitation on either side. Thus, owing to the Buddha’s omniscience on matters both spiritual and mundane, a monastic well-versed in the scriptures of the

Pāli Canon is capable of navigating any modern-day conundrum using the Dhamma as a guide.

I must congratulate you for your pro-active approach to spread the Dharma and for having set up over 70 branch monasteries in Sri Lanka and overseas. What would be your next major dharma propagation activities for the benefit of the world? People fall into two exclusive categories: those who live for pleasure’s sake alone and those who seek meaning in life. Those who seek meaning in life can be divided further into another two categories: those who possess the faculty of wisdom and understanding and those who lack the faculty of wisdom and understanding. Our Dhamma propagation activities both present and future focus on reaching out to the former group — those who seek meaning in life and possess the faculty of wisdom and understanding—and establishing them in the salient qualities of stream-entry. These are none other than 1) steadfast confidence in the Buddha; 2) steadfast confidence in the Dhamma; 3) steadfast confidence in the Saṅgha; 4) and virtue dear to the noble ones. A person who fosters in him or herself these four qualities is on the doorstep of the path to Nibbāna. Wherever he or she might be in the world, no matter how far, he or she is close to us, as he or she is one close to the Dhamma. EH

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Knowing what Buddhism is not – overcoming PseudoBuddhist Cults By Tham Ah Fun

Tham was the initiator of the Malaysian Dharma-Stream Forums, 2017 & 2018, and a Committee member of the Malaysian Buddhist Kulapati Association. He has been a Dharma speaker at various National Service camps, as well as at many temples and Buddhist associations. He has also served in various capacities in the Malaysian civil service, including the National Unity Board, (1977-1980) and Economic Planning Unit (1981-1993), and has worked as a consultant at various private sector corporations. Thum holds a B. Econs from the University of Malaya, and M. Economics from the University of Canterbury, Kent, UK.

Introduction Nowadays, we frequently hear people mention a lay person by the name of Lu Tai-Zhang. He claims to be propagating Buddhism but unfortunately he is more a cult leader than a true Dharma master. His “Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door” has gained wide popularity over the years recently. As a master proponent of pseudoBuddhism, Lu Tai-Zhang is not alone. The emergence of several pseudo-Buddhist cults in Malaysia and Singapore is an issue which cannot be ignored. It is unfortunate that some Buddhists in Malaysia regard the issue of pseudo-Buddhist cults as essentially a Mahāyāna Buddhist problem. However, the “Guan Yin Citta” cult affects not only Mahāyāna Buddhists but also Buddhists from the Theravāda and Vajrayāna traditions. This is because the cult’s teachings twisted some core teachings of the Buddha which constitute the foundation of Buddhism cherished by all the three traditions. Therefore, all Buddhist traditions cannot afford not to be alert. In this paper I will examine the pseudo-Buddhist teachings of Lu Tai-Zhang, a lay person stationed in

Australia who considers himself an incarnation of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. Lu has produced a number of books on Buddhism for free distribution. The original versions are in Chinese but some of them have been translated into English. These books are freely available in many public places such as coffee shops and vegetarian restaurants. (The same is true of another pseudo-Buddhist group whose master, Jin Bodhi, is stationed in Canada). Although at the moment Lu TaiZhang is aiming mainly at the Mandarin-speaking group, the English-speaking group will soon be his next target if we are not careful. Lu’s followers admire him with great enthusiasm for two main reasons. Firstly, his “Little House” method is efficacious as far as they are concerned; and secondly, he is seen as a dedicated and compassionate propagator of Buddhism. I will focus on these two aspects. What is the “Little House” method invented by Lu Tai-Zhang?

Lu instructs his followers to use a piece of yellow paper on which a diagram of a “Little House” is drawn. Inside

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the paper, there are 247 small circles. His followers are instructed to use a black or blue pen to write the names of the sūtra reader and “sūtra seeker”, and then recite the Great Compassion Mantra, Heart Sūtra and some mantras. Upon completing each recitation, they make a red dot in a small circle. When all the 247 circles have been marked, they burn the “Little House” in a particular way prescribed by him. The Great Compassion Mantra and Heart Sūtra are important teachings in Mahāyāna Buddhism but the abovementioned superstitious rules made by Lu has nothing to do with Buddhism. His “Little House” is not based on any Buddhist scripture nor approved by any Buddhist master. But then, a question arises: “Mahāyāna Buddhists are

taught to recite the Great Compassion Mantra and Heart Sūtra faithfully. Why can’t followers of Lu Tai Zhang do the same? Why do we have double standards?” If recitation is done with deep devotion and with the right attitude, it may result in miraculous blessings if conditions are right; for example, a “karmic sickness” which doctors had failed to diagnose or provide prescription is suddenly cured. It is not uncommon among Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhists to share such belief and experience.

However, such “miracles” result from the blessings of Buddha or Bodhisattvas, or from a sūtra or mantra that had been chanted with the right frame of mind. It is definitely not the result of Lu’s blessings nor the burning of piles of “Little Houses”. Obviously, the continuous chanting of Lu’s name or the two words “Little House” is of no avail. Buddhists must be grateful, but it is most unwise to be beholden to a mistaken party. Another commonly asked question is that “Dharma assemblies of Lu Tai-Zhang held in different cities of Malaysia attract thousands of people. Thus, isn’t it fair to assume that there must be truth in his “Little House” method?” It is true that Lu’s assemblies are always packed, but the majority of those who attend are foreigners, mainly

from Mainland China, who do not understand much of Buddhism. Malaysians and Singaporeans are greatly out-numbered by Chinese coming from other parts of the world in the assemblies of Lu Tai-Zhang. We know that the Cultural Revolution during 1966–1976 almost uprooted Buddhism in China. Because of that not many Mainland Chinese really understand Buddhism now. Since 1979, new policies have resulted in rapid economic development in China. However, the noneconomic aspects, such as spiritual development, were seriously lacking. Such an imbalance created great opportunities for pseudo-Buddhism, including that of Lu Tai-Zhang, to creep into the minds of the people in China. Even if they have migrated to other countries, many of them continue with their pseudo-Buddhist thoughts.

Is Lu Tai-Zhang a genuine propagator of Buddhism? Let us answer this question by looking at just a few of the many books which contain the basic teachings of Lu Tai Zhang. A cursory look at these books is more than sufficient to reveal that Lu makes all kinds of false statements in the name of Buddhism. In fact, he challenges many core teachings of the Buddha. (The page numbers mentioned in the various paragraphs below refer to those found in the original Chinese version of Lu’s books.)

Metaphysics Q&A, page 63: Lu Tai Zhang advice is that “people who recite sūtras should not frequent graveyards, funeral parlors, hospitals, or visit seriously ill people because spirits (demons) appear at such places. Those who recite sūtras give off light, and that will easily attract spirits who will come and possess their bodies.”

Introduction to the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, page 18: Lu warns that “It is best not to recite the Heart Sūtra and Amitābha Pure-land Rebirth Mantra after 10pm, or during a heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning.” This nonsensical statement is quite similar to the one above that “demons will appear and possess the bodies of sūtra reciters”.

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Buddhism in Plain Terms, page 237: Lu claims that when human beings pass away, for example in hell where they are being tortured in a pot of boiling oil, their Buddhanature will be totally destroyed, and no longer exist.

nature and impact if they are allowed to circulate freely as if they are consistent with Buddhism.

This statement of Lu is trying to influence people that Buddhist cultivation and practice is irrelevant as far as rebirth is concerned because “the assignment after death” is entirely decided according to the color of the skin of the deceased.

All orthodox religions remind people to avoid evil and do good. So superficially, all religions are the same. But, the criteria for evil and good deeds are not entirely the same for all religions. Not all religions have the same set of precepts. Furthermore, the concepts of suffering,

This is clearly against the Buddha’s teaching that the Buddha-nature of all sentient beings will not disappear. Metaphysics Q&A, page 30: Lu claims that “everyone (including those without religion) upon death will receive judgment. They will be judged according to whether they are Westerners or Orientals.”

Metaphysics Q&A, page 156: Lu says “The good or bad retributions arising out of good or bad deeds committed in a person’s past life will end upon the person becoming 45 to 50 years of age”. According to Buddhism, karmic retributions will take place either during this life time, next lifetime, or after many lifetimes. There is no such thing as a cut-off point at the age of 45 or 50 years.

Buddhism in Plain Terms, page 47: Lu stresses that “The Heart Sūtra will be converted to “hell currency” during the night. Many small demons will come to grab the hell currency.” Surely no right-thinking Buddhist will view the Heart Sūtra as “hell currency” and that no right-thinking follower of any religion will make such a blasphemous statement about his or her holy text.

Buddhism in Plain Terms, page 111: Lu implies that the “Heavenly Realm” is higher than the “Buddha Realm”, meaning heavenly beings are more enlightened than Buddhas; and he regards a Śrāvaka (arahat) as a “highclass Asura”. Such statements are very damaging to the Buddha’s teachings. We should not overlook their slanderous

Buddhism in Plain Terms, page 21: Lu opines that “Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Hinduism also believe in deities and God, and hence are all the same.” In the same book, page 146: Lu repeats “There is only one God. Jesus Christ, the Holy Mother and Bodhisattvas serve the same God in heaven. So, belief in God and belief in Bodhisattvas are the same.”

emptiness (Śūnyatā), non-ego and impermanence, which are core teachings of Buddhism, are not found in other religions. Buddhists believe that gods and heavenly beings (devas) exist but do not believe in a Creator God. On the other hand, followers of other religions believe that God is the Creator. These few examples make it abundantly clear that Buddhism is not the same as other religions. Precautionary and Counter Measures

In the process of debunking deviant teachings such as those of Lu Tai-Zhang, we must be mindful that followers of pseudo-Buddhist cults do have some affinity with Buddhism. If they have no affinity at all, they will not pay homage to Buddha and Bodhisattvas or chant Buddhist sūtras and mantras in the first place. Therefore, we must not be confrontational but compassionate towards them and guide them with empathy to return to the right path.

The majority of Lu Tai-Zhang’s followers merely listen to his words blindly. They have been misled to believe that Lu’s teachings are consistent with Buddhism because his two main publications are titled “BuddhaDharma in Plain Terms”, and “The Buddha’s Words”. It is unfortunate that people tend to judge the contents of Lu’s books by their covers and titles.

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Why Cults arise?

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Many nominal Buddhists know little of the basic tenets of Buddhism. Some of them are gullible and thus vulnerable to the influence of cult leaders. Thus, during the past few years, we have witnessed the emergence of various pseudo-Buddhist cults in this region and a mushrooming of their centers in different parts of Malaysia. The number of followers of pseudo-Buddhist cults have grown very rapidly lately. These are facts which we cannot deny. To counter pseudo-Buddhist cults, we must not just point fingers at them. We have to do some honest soul-searching ourselves. The emergence of pseudoBuddhist cults is a reflection of our failure to carry out Buddhist missionary work effectively. Thus, we have

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to review our current missionary work and improve on it. It is only when the internal “immune system” of Buddhists has been reinforced, that they will be able to resist pseudo-Buddhist cults. Buddhists with proper understanding of the Dharma must assist in countering these pseudo Buddhists by helping to spread proper Buddha Dharma to their relatives and friends. Suggestions to overcome Cults

The following suggestions are made: • Dharma assemblies. Such activities attract many Buddhists even though they do not know their significance or have only superficial knowledge about them. Thus, it is common to see a big crowd in a Dharma assembly. Organizers of Dharma assemblies should ensure that as part of the program, time is given for explanations of the texts recited at the assembly. It is important that the current superficial emphasis on form by devotees be re-oriented to a focus on the substance. Buddhism should not be looked upon as just a religion but more as an education of the mind. While encouraging Buddhists to donate and support temples is important, it even more important to educate them on the true Buddha Dharma.

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Weekly or fortnightly prayers. Such prayers are conducted by many temples on a regular basis where devotees recite the Amitābha Sūtra, Universal Gate Chapter of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and many other sūtras. Such prayers and activities are good practices and should be encouraged. However, in most cases, participants recite the sūtras without any understanding of their meaning as there are no explanation from the teachers. It is thus important for the organizers to invite monastics or lay teachers to explain the contents of the sūtras to the participants after the chanting. If this is done frequently, participants who recite the sūtras will understand the full meaning of the entire sermon. Outdated traditional rituals. Any form of rituals that increase the three poisons of greed, hatred, and

ignorance should be discarded. Unfortunately, many of these superstitious and undesirable rituals are still around. They should be replaced with meaningful rituals or practices that are in accordance with the tenets of Buddhism so that they will attract the younger generation. If we are unwilling to change to new ways of spreading the Dharma, we must not complain about the lack of young members in our ranks. We cannot be talking about “impermanence” and at the same time treat outdated rituals as if they are “permanent” features of Buddhism. Lay committee members. They are key to ensuring that Buddhist organizations remain relevant for the community. As leaders, they have to manage Buddhist organizations in accordance with values derived from the Buddha-Dharma, and not manage them like other secular organizations or NGOs. They need to be familiar with the Buddha’s teachings and constantly upgrade their Dharma knowledge by frequently attending lectures, seminars, and training camps. Unfortunately, many committee members do not see the need to learn the Dharma. Their lack of understanding Buddhism is a problem while their unwillingness to spread the Dharma is an even bigger problem. Their silence on the issue of pseudo-Buddhist cults is also deafening. In fact, they have inadvertently contributed to the emergence of pseudo-Buddhism.

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Front desk volunteers. They are the first line of contact when Buddhists come to the temples. As volunteers, their understanding of the core Buddhist teachings is very important. While they are most welcomed to assist in the temples, they must ensure that they are well trained in public relations and have a good understanding of the Buddha Dharma because they will create a good impression on the visitors. If as volunteers they know little of the Dharma, it will be difficult for them to provide the right information when certain questions on Buddhism are posed to them. The situation of “a blind leading the blind” must be avoided. Like Committee members, they too should attend Dharma talks and participate in Dharma workshops regularly. Likewise, employees who work in the temples must also understand Buddhism and have a sense of mission in what they do.

Conclusion It is a fair assessment that at the moment, the Buddhist community adopts a half-hearted or lackadaisical attitude towards the emergence of pseudo-Buddhist cults. Such a passive mindset has a serious and detrimental impact on the development of Buddhism. Only a few monastics and lay persons are actively and persistently involved in countering pseudo-Buddhist cults. It is hoped that in the near future more learned members of the Saṅgha, both Mandarin-speaking and English-speaking, will actively spread the Dharma among the nominal Buddhists so as to expose the deviant teachings of the pseudo-Buddhist cults. With proper understanding of the Buddha Dharma, they will realize that true Buddhism is not merely the performance of rituals but a practical way of life that gives true meaning and happiness in life.

(This article is based on the author’s presentation titled “Knowing What Buddhism Is” delivered at the Intra-Faith Forum at the Buddhist Maha Vihara, Kuala Lumpur on Sept 1, 2018.) 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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Katie Hope made the long journey to the Rinerhorn Base Camp to “discover happiness”

Is the secret to happiness at the top of this Mountain? By Katie Hope

Katie is a BBC business website editor and reporter.

“Everyone assumes that everyone else feels really awesome, but it’s generally not true,” says Laurie Santos, a psychology professor at Yale University. Prof Santos has more insight than most into how happy people are.

At the beginning of last year, she designed a new course called Psychology and the Good Life. It was aimed at teaching students how to lead a happier, more satisfying life in twice-weekly lectures. She expected about 40 students to sign up. In fact, a quarter of Yale’s undergraduates enrolled, making it the most popular course ever in Yale’s 300-year history.

“It went viral,” laughs Prof Santos, who has now made the course available online for free.

She says the fact that even students at one of the top universities in the world weren’t happy shocked everyone. But it’s not just students that aren’t happy.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, amid all the high-powered meetings, networking and speeches, there’s barely enough time for lunch. Yet when I make the long journey via coach and ski lift to the very top of the mountain, which is known as the Rinerhorn Base Camp, for a three-

hour workshop on “discovering happiness”, I’m accompanied by a European royal family member and several chief executives from large multinational companies.

Some of the people in the room earn hundreds of thousands of pounds each year, but still want to feel happier.

Three steps to happiness

The session starts on the journey when we are told to sit next to someone we don’t know and tell them what is going well in our life, and what we thought about when we first woke up.

It’s an uncomfortable exercise. Yet it provides three things that are meant to improve happiness:

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Prof Laurie Santos (far right) led a panel on happiness at the World Economic Forum

• Social interaction with people, even strangers, makes you feel happier • Being grateful for what you have improves how we feel • Feeling our lives have a purpose has been linked to a healthier, longer life Humans have always wondered about how to improve their happiness, but for a long time thought they had no control over it. The root stem of happiness is “happenstance” - chance, luck or fortune.

Research shows that while genetics plays a large part, accounting for half our happiness, what we do each day accounts for 40%, with just 10% down to our life circumstances. “We have the potential to acquire happiness even when we were not born happy,” says Emiliana SimonThomas, director of the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley, who is running the workshop.

You don’t need to smile all the time, says Emiliana Simon-Thomas (though she did smile for this picture)

Tips for happiness • Make more time for social connection even if it’s with a stranger • Do nice things for others, even small things like making someone a coffee will improve your happiness • Count your blessings - think about what you are grateful for • Get enough sleep • Stay in the moment - when our mind wanders we are less happy • Meditate - people who meditate tend to be happier • Stop criticising yourself - it makes you feel worse and you will achieve less • Don’t keep chasing more money - after you reach $75,000 (£57,000), studies show earning more won’t make you any happier

It’s OK to feel sad

She thinks a big problem is that we often don’t understand what being happy means. She says it is a specific emotion, usually in reaction to something, and comes and goes. A general sense of wellbeing is a more realistic aim, she says.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche advises taking a break from texting and constantly checking emails

That means it’s OK to feel negative emotions, such as sadness or anger, but that we should have enough resilience to bounce back. “Many of us think we need to be enthusiastic and smiling all the time. We don’t have that kind of life. Things happen,” she says.

But how do we know if we’re happy? Mrs Simon-Thomas says most measurements are based on self-assessment but appear to be broadly accurate.

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“It’s not a perfect science, but I do kind of know if I am,” she says. Such measurements are being seen as increasingly important. New Zealand recently announced that its 2019 budget would report on how national spending impacts on wellbeing.

“This is not woolly, it’s critical,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, arguing it was more important than GDP, the common measure of growth that countries use to measure progress.

Close your eyes and relax

The science also shows that wellbeing is something companies should care about, because of its impact on improving productivity. Tsoknyi Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist and founder of the Pundarika Foundation, also at

the workshop, says happiness is something you can find within yourself.

He describes it as rediscovering the “spark” you had as a child, and advocates regular meditation.

Being in the moment, not texting or checking emails or thinking about other things, will bring you a sense of contentment over time, he says. He asks us to breathe out sharply and then close our eyes and relax. For me it doesn’t work at all. My

mind is jumping and I’m thinking about other things. Other attendees say the same.

Rinpoche says it’s worth persevering, and that like most things, the more you do it the better you will get.

As we head back down the mountain, scrolling through our emails, it is clear it’s going to take more than one workshop to change our mindsets. But the more we practise, the happier we are likely to feel, says Prof Santos.

And she is an inspiring example. Ironically, for someone who has been dubbed the “professor of happiness”, she describes herself as a naturally “morose person”. “But I have to practise what I

preach. I’ve gone up a whole point in the measurement of happiness scale in the year I’ve been teaching the class,” she says. Source: BBC News, Davos, 25 January 2019 EH

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The first yellow robes in the West By Venerable S. Dhammika

Venerable Shravasti Dhammika was born in Australia in 1951 into a Christian family, and became a Buddhist at the age of 18. In 1973, he went to Thailand with the intention of becoming a monk then to Laos, Burma and finally to India. For the next three years, he traveled around India learning yoga and meditation, and finally ordaining as a monk under Venerable Matiwella Sangharatna, the last disciple of Anagarika Dharmapala. In 1976, he went to Sri Lanka where he studied Pali at Sri Lanka Vidyalaya, and later became a co-founder and teacher of Nilambe Meditation Centre in Kandy. Since then, he has spent most of his time in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Bhante Dhammika is a prolific writer and his books and essays have been translated into more than 30 languages. He is also well-known for his public talks and represented Theravada Buddhism at the European Buddhist Millennium Conference in Berlin in 2000. Bhante Dhammika was the spiritual advisor to Singapore’s Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society until his return to Australia in early 2017.

After the Buddha preached his first sermon at Isipatana he gave this commission to his audience; “Wander forth for the good of the many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion for the world. Let no two of you go in the same direction. Teach the Dhamma that is lovely, in the beginning, the middle and the end.” From its very beginning Buddhist Sangha took this call to heart and because they did the Dhamma eventually spread to every corner of Asia. And of the monks who undertook to proclaim the Dhamma far and wide none have been more energetic and ready to do so than those of Sri Lanka.

It was Sri Lankan monks who spread Theravada to Burma and the various kingdoms which made up what is now Thailand. It was they who probably helped Buddhism survive in south India for as long as it did. While most Sri Lankan monks left their island home as missionaries, others travelled as pilgrims, some did so out of curiosity and a few were just looking for greener pastures. The history of Asia is littered with snippets of information mentioning Sri Lankan monks in the most unexpected places.

The Japanese monk Ennin was in China during the emperor Wuzong’s persecution of Buddhism in 842-846. He was ordered to report to the local police office to have his permit cancelled and when he turned up there were two Sri Lankan monks there. What they were doing in China we do not know. When Xuanzang was in India in the 5th century he travelled through parts of southern India with a group of 70 Sri Lankan monks who were heading for the north. A Sri Lankan monk named Anandasri was in Bodh Gaya in the early 14th century from where he later visited Tibet. One Tibetan source describes him as “foremost on the Sangha of the island of Simhala … skilled in two languages, one who seeks the benefit of the Dharma.” Numerous similar examples could be given testifying to the fact that Sri Lankan monks were great

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travellers. But given this, did any of them ever make their way to Europe before the modern period, i.e. before the late 1890s?

Shipping records in South Africa mention that in 1790 a Dutch frigate sailing from Ceylon to Holland was wrecked off the Namibian coast and after great difficulties the survivors managed to make there their way to Cape Town. The records further mention that amongst these survivors was a “Ceylonese native” dressed in a yellow garb. Was this individual a Buddhist monk trying to make his way to Europe? Or was he a Hindu swami? Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing, but if he was a Buddhist monk he may have been the first to attempt to go there although there is no record of what happened to him after his arrival in Cape Town.

In 1818, the wife of the first Chief Justice of Ceylon, Sir Alexander Johnston, became seriously ill and he decided to hire a ship to take her back to England. Just before the ship left, two Buddhist monk, Venerable Sri Gunamuniratana and his cousin Venerable Dhammaratana, turned up at the port and asked if they also could also go in it to England. The monks were from Silabimba Vihara, on the edge of the lake at Dodanduwa near Galle, where on an island in the lake one of the first Western monks, Nyanatiloka, was to establish a monastery in 1911. The two monks were told they could come if they were prepared to work on the ship which they agreed to do. When the ship arrived in England in May 1818 Johnson contacted the Reverend Dr. Adam Clark, a well-known Wesleyan clergyman, and asked him to look after the monks, which he was happy to do. With their striking yellow robes and exotic origins the monks were the talk of the town for a few months and were in demand in society. Eventually, they announced that they wished to become Christians and to Clark’s delight he baptized them and gave them the names Adam and Alexander. Was Sri Gunamuniratana and Dhammaratana conversion genuine? There are good reasons to doubt it. One might suspect that they feigned interest in the religion to please Clark or because they thought it might be to their advantage when they returned to

their homeland. Of course, it is also possible that Clark pressured them into converting. Further, in an account of the monks’ instruction in Christianity and baptism it says, “the teacher and his pupils formed, in effect, a language for themselves, and that principally out of the Portuguese, Cinghalese and Sanscrit [sic]: these helps, however proved insufficient; but Dr. C had the high satisfaction of frequently witnessing, that his pupils, under the immediate influence of a Divine Teacher, comprehended his meaning.” Reverend Clark in his enthusiasm may well have believed that the monks understood and accepted what he was telling them about the Gospel but it’s hard to imagine that they did if they knew no English and he no Sinhala. In 1820, Gunamuniratana and Dhammaratana, aka Adam and Alexander, returned to Ceylon with a letter from Clark to Governor Edward Barnes stating that he believed that their conversion was genuine and asking that they should be given all assistance. Their ship docked in Trincomalee where Alexander disembarked and Adam stayed on board. Adam wished to proceed to Calcutta where he intended to train as a missionary, or so he said. A few hours out of port his ship was struck by lightning, it returned to Trincomalee and no other records of Adam survive. Perhaps, he thought that the gods were angry at him for renouncing the faith of his fathers. Jehovah is not the only deity who hurls thunder bolts! Alexander got a minor job in the government and there is no record of his involvement with Christianity or the church. Beyond that we know nothing of the two former monks.

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Fortunately, there are at least two pictorial records of these first two Buddhist monks who we know of who arrived in Europe. The largest is a painting showing the Reverend Clark in his book-lined drawing room together with the monks. Behind Ven. Sri Gunamuniratana, who is standing, can be seen a cloth painting of the type that were once common in Sri Lankan temples but few of which survive. It depicts the

Buddha with a halo around him and sitting beneath the

Bodhi Tree. Perhaps the monks brought it with them when they came to England. The original of the fine portrait of the three men is in the John Wesley House and Museum in London and a copy of it, I am told, is in Colombo’s National Museum. The other pictorial record is a portrait of Gunamuniratana, aka Adam. He is shown after he disrobed dressed in early 19th century coat and with long glossy-black hair. His handsome features and attentive gaze gives the impression of poise and intelligence. This sketch is now in the British Library.

Although to the best of our knowledge Gunamuniratana and Dhammaratana did not go to Britain to teach the Dhamma they still stand as the first Buddhist monks to arrive in Europe, an extraordinary adventure in itself. It would not be until the early 20th century that the first ‘dhamma dhuta’ monks came with that intention. EH

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IBC International cuisine Day By Students of International Buddhist College, Thailand

Food has a thousand connotations. How do we view food? Something to fill the stomach? Does food help identify a cultural ethos? Or is food a tool to bridge or divide us in our interactions with others? We all come from different backgrounds and have many differences in how we view the world and how we live our lives. We may come from different cultures but we are all united by our biological need to eat. The International Buddhist College (IBC) is a place where people from different countries come together to pursue their education in Buddhism. This diversity in culture not only influence but challenges food preparation by the kitchen staff. As sharing food is a profound experience, students and faculty staff are given the opportunity to prepare food that is unique to their country and culture during weekends or on special occasions.

One such occasion was the first day of 2019. This is a day when people around the world welcomed the New Year with fireworks and various types of celebrations. At IBC, the New Year was celebrated with everyone in campus being treated to a community feast prepared specially by the male students and staff. This was because the female students and staff had earlier prepared a sumptuous lunch on December 23, 2018 for everyone in campus.

The meal was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone - both the cooks as well as the students in campus. Those preparing the food had a good time as they enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together and acquire new skills in cooking. It is no surprise that the whole campus became more alive with a giggle here and a chuckle there. Everything went smoothly and there were happiness and joy. Praises and compliments came flowing from all and it was amazing to see that friendships are strengthened, and individualism is diminished.

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The dishes served were as follows: No

Country

Dish

Person in-charge

Bangladesh

Roti Canai

Ven. Anirban

Sri Lanka

Jackfruit Curry

Ven. Vinayadhaja

Laos

Papaya Salad

Ven. Silar

Malaysia

Rendang

Ven. Zhi Sheng

Cambodia

Fresh Raw Vegetables

Ven. Buntam

Bhutan

Chili Cheese Mushroom

Ven. Penjor

Myanmar

“Tomatoes”

Ven. Alawka

Thailand

Tom Jued Soup

Mr. Jaroon

India

Pilaf (Nasi Biriyani)

Dr. Krishna

Korea

Kinzi

Dr. Dhammanandhi

Ladakh

Puli (Ladakhi Cookies)

Ms. Puntsos Angmo

USA

Mixes Fruits

Ms. Margot

Malaysia

Pasta Noodle

Bro. Khoo

Thai

Ka Nun Jin (Green curry noodle)

IBC Chefs

Bangladesh

Vegetable Dal

Ven. Satyajit

Malaysia

Mixed Vegetables

Ven. Zhi Sheng

Malaysia

Lotus Root Soup

Ven. Dao ke

Malaysia

Ice-cream

Ven. Zhen Ti

Some of the positive feedbacks received were as follows: 1. Students enjoyed having the opportunity to create something they were passionate with and a chance to cook for their fellow students and teachers. 2. It was really wonderful to experience different cultural cuisines. 3. They were happy to share their food culture and grateful for the opportunity to learn more about food from other cultures. 4. Many expressed the hope that there would be more opportunities to prepare and share their favorite dishes in future 5. There is no end to learning how the same ingredient would taste differently when cooked with different techniques.

To conclude it would be safe to say that food really does transcend all boundaries. It brings people together, gives us something to share, encourages conversation, and reminds us that even in diversity and variety we have much in common. Bon Appetit. EH

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Engineering change for greater Good

A STAR Interview with Ven. Wei Wu BEFORE answering his calling to serve as a Buddhist monk, Neoh Kah Thong was a successful engineer, having done very well in Penang’s pioneer high-tech sector. He learned Total Quality Management (TQM) from his Japanese teacher and friend, Prof Noriaki Kano, and implemented it successfully at his workplace in Penang, a sales office in Kuala Lumpur, and many government and private organisations.

For 19 years after graduating from a New Zealand university, Neoh worked tirelessly as an engineer, manager and consultant in New Zealand, Malaysia, Asia, the United States and Europe. He also travelled extensively during this period and learned about the various cultures and acquiring knowledge while building up a wide network.

When he became a monk at 43, Neoh took up the name Venerable Wei Wu and continued to implement the TQM system at Bayan Baru’s Than Hsiang Temple which he founded with a group of friends working in Penang’s multi-national companies, mostly from Hewlett Packard. “There was no looking back. With the help of my colleagues, friends, benefactors and supporters, we embarked on the mammoth task to build up the Buddhist organisation till today,” he said.

For many years, the Buddhist fraternity, especially those staying in Penang and the northern states, have regarded Ven Wei Wu as synonymous with Than

Hsiang and vice versa. He is highly revered as a fatherly religious figure.

However, come March 16 this Saturday, Ven Wei Wu will retire as the Than Hsiang abbot at a ceremony where Ven Zhen Dian will be installed as the new abbot.

Born into a wealthy family, Ven Wei Wu, now 70, said his parents passed away before he was ordained. “My eldest sister and foster mother were initially concerned about me abandoning my successful career. But they soon came to accept my decision and happily witnessed my ordination by Senior Ven Xiu Jing.”

Than Hsiang now has extensive ‘cradle to grave’ services and facilities including 10 kindergartens, Dharma classes for children and adults, Taiji classes, pre-marital courses, free clinics, vegetarian canteen, counselling centres, homes for senior citizens at several branches in the country as well as the International Buddhist College in Thailand.

He recalled that Than Hsiang was mooted at the Hewlett Packard canteen when his colleagues questioned him about his vegetarian diet. “They also questioned me about Buddhism and its practices. We then started meditating and doing puja together in a colleague’s house before setting up a center in Bayan Baru, which later became Than Hsiang. “I received my higher ordination at the Hsi Lye Temple in the United States. I later received my Chan (Zen)

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He would also like to share the Dharma with friends in China and Western countries; if necessary to continue in future lives. Than Hsiang started with about 20 members in the 1980s. Today, it has 20,000 members and some 200,000 who support the organization directly or indirectly in and outside Malaysia.

They have set up facilities such as a Metta Free Clinic, 10 kindergartens, two Mitra counseling centers and four senior citizens’ homes. In Malaysia, there are branches in Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Wilayah, Negri Sembilan and Perak. In Thailand, they have a Foundation and the

International Buddhist College (IBC) which will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Dharma transmission from Senior Venerable Bo Yuan in the Zhaodong Chan Dharma lineage,” he added. Than Hsiang Temple was initially a place mainly for spiritual practice. Later, it extended to play a social role in promoting education, welfare and cultural activities.

According to Ven Wei Wu, although Than Hsiang is a spiritual organisation, it is also active in education, social and cultural work.

“I believe that Than Hsiang will become better when I retire as abbot but I will still play a different (advisory) role.

“My successor Ven Zhen Dian was among the first batch of monks and nuns to be ordained at Than Hsiang Temple after me, so he is no stranger to the older devotees,” he said. On his future plans, Ven Wei Wu said he would want to attain spiritual liberation, ultimately Buddhahood.

IBC is an accredited institution offering BA, MA and PHD degrees in English and Chinese mediums. They have produced graduates from more than 30 countries. The students were recruited from top schools and universities such as Yale, Columbia, HKU, MU and NUS. IBC graduates have been accepted into top universities of the world. Currently, Than Hsiang is supporting the four Phor Tay schools financially as well as providing teachers with Buddhist classes.

The good work of Ven Wei Wu is the visible outcome of Than Hsiang’s noble mission: “For the young to learn, the strong and healthy to serve, the aged and sick to be cared for, and the departed to find spiritual destination.” Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/ metro-news/2019/03/14/engineering-change-forgreater-good/#CQAyYozRUMexKyvi.99 Source: STAR, Thursday, 14 Mar 2019 EH

EASTERN HORIZON | REFLECTION

Pray for Sri Lanka By Venerable Ajahn Hiriko Thera

Ajahn Hiriko is the founding Elder and the abbot of Samanadipa Hermitage in Slovenia. He was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1985. He started to practice Buddhist meditation since he was 12 years old. He took anagarika (postulat) precepts in Santacittarama Monastero Buddhista in Italy at the age of 19. In the same year he went to England to take samanera (novice) ordination, and in 2006 he become bhikkhu (fully ordained monk). His preceptor was Venerable Luang Por Sumedho (Phra Chao Khun Sumedhajahn) and Ajahn Hiriko remains to be under Ajahn Chah lineage. Ajahn Hiriko is also the chief editor and the administrator at Path Press and the author of The Hermit of Bundala, the biography of an English monk from Sri Lanka, Ñāṇavīra Thera. He is also writer of Slovenian articles and translator of Buddha’s talks or Suttas.

When tragedies strike, such as the recent attacks in Sri Lanka, inevitably a sense of horror and fear arises. Due to our confusion concerning the nature of existence, we then may feel a deep urge to respond, to act – to do something – no matter what. And this urge can arise from a deep anger, a search for someone to blame. Perhaps this urge can even expand and lead to a communal act of rebellion or to create a violent counter attack. But some people, experiencing the shock and distress of these events, will remember the Buddha’s wise words that “hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world, but by non-hatred alone” (Dhp 5), and will not want to be part of such an unwholesome reaction. Still, the urge to act will likely remain. So, what to do? We don’t know. We don’t want to just do nothing, so perhaps the response to “Pray for...” is felt to be the best action. But what does “praying” mean? What does it do for the actual problem? Is it the right attitude? In the Buddhist scriptures there is nothing about prayer, it’s not even found among other ideologies during the Buddha’s time. It seems that acting for divine intervention was a rare concept in those days. Generally speaking, society understood that there is personal responsibility for one’s actions by body, speech, and mind, and that even if there was something greater than the “little self”, individuals still shared a role in it. “Prayer” for them seems not to have meant asking God to do something solely for themselves as individuals, but was rather the expression of a personal wish for something that is good, wholesome and kind for the welfare of all. Asking for sensual pleasures or for harm to one’s enemies – that would not really be prayer for them. The problem with “prayer” is that it usually becomes “wanting”. This problem arises from how our intentions are directed. Wanting is usually directed towards some specific object or idea: “I want this, not that”. With such an attitude, no matter how wholesome it might seem, desiring one

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thing over something else that we don’t like is not beneficial. That kind of prayer has an element of hatred in it, and the despising of others. If we understand “prayer” as the specification of personal wishes, it could not be regarded as a wholesome action. The Buddha taught that a rightly directed mind (samma-saṅkappa) is not involved with sensuality, ill-will or cruelty, but that right thinking is based on renunciation, non ill-will and non-cruelty. Therefore, searching for sensual objects should be replaced by renunciation: we give up, we don’t try to gain or get anything. And ill-will and cruelty are replaced simply by nonill-will and non-cruelty. Note that it doesn’t say that they are replaced by love, or anything of the kind. Love is simply a reaction to hatred, and therefore its existence stands on the foundation of hate; it exists as a response to hate. Thus love is not able to extinguish hate, since love depends upon it. We can see this expressed in the verse above, “by non-hatred alone is hatred appeased”, and not “by love is hatred defeated”. Love and hate co-exist, are inter-dependent, and are two “worldly winds” that constantly move our minds. But what would the Buddha do in a situation such as what has just happened in Sri Lanka, where over 250 people have died in explosions? That hundreds and thousands of people are killed in the world was not unknown to him. Not just recognizing the endless samsara of shedding blood and tears, the Buddha also observed mass killings near his own home. In fact, his own Sakyan nation had been massacred in his lifetime! But the Buddha was at peace. He knew that nobody can win the battle with hatred and violence. He did not act like a vengeful “God” to punish the wicked, but taught his disciples and all who would listen to him that killers will bear the fruits of their evil actions. They will experience painful consequences without our intervention.

Even when it came to others criticizing himself, the Buddha told his followers to not be angry with the offenders. “If, bhikkhus, others speak in dispraise of me, or in dispraise of the Dhamma, or in dispraise of the Sangha, you should not give way to resentment, displeasure, or animosity against them in your heart. For if you were to become angry or upset in such a situation, you would only be creating an obstacle for yourselves.” (DN 1) And in one of his most well know discourses the Buddha said: “Even if low-down bandits were to sever you limb from limb, anyone who had a malevolent thought on that account would not be following my instructions. If that happens, you should train like this: ‘Our minds will remain unaffected. We will blurt out no bad words. We will remain full of compassion, with a heart of kindness and no internal hate. ‘We will meditate spreading a heart of kindness to that person. And with them as a basis, we will meditate spreading a heart full of kindness to everyone in the world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.’ That’s how you should train.” Such is “prayer” that is not specific to an event, but refers to the nature of the mind as “abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will”, that encompasses a space that manifests nothing but kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. No matter what enters that space, it is imbued with those limitless qualities.

There is a similar message with reference to heavenly beings. There have always been battles between devas and asuras. Both types of beings actually desire goodness and righteousness, but their methods in response to evil are quite different. Sakka, the Lord of the devas, prefers

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patience, while Vepacitti, the lord of asuras, desires revenge and punishment. In the texts, Vepacitti warned Sakka that if he didn’t immediately punish bad mannered beings they would take advantage (SN 11.5):1 “Fools would vent their anger even more If no one would keep them in check. Hence with drastic punishment The wise man should restrain the fool.” But Sakka responded: “I myself think this alone Is the way to check the fool: When one knows one’s foe is angry One mindfully maintains one’s peace.” Vepacitti was not convinced, warning: “When the fool thinks of you thus, ‘He endures me out of fear,’ The dolt will chase you even more As a bull does one who flees.” But Sakka remained unconcerned: “Let it be whether or not he thinks, ‘He endures me out of fear,’ Of goals that culminate in one’s own good None is found better than patience. “When a person endowed with strength Patiently endures a weakling, They call that the supreme patience; The weakling must be patient always. “They call that strength no strength at all— The strength that is the strength of folly— But no one can reproach a person Who is strong because guarded by Dhamma. “One who repays an angry man with anger Thereby makes things worse for himself. Not repaying an angry man with anger, One wins a battle hard to win. “He practises for the welfare of both, His own and the other’s, When, knowing that his foe is angry, He mindfully maintains his peace. “When he achieves the cure of both— His own and the other’s— The people who consider him a fool Are unskilled in the Dhamma.” 1

Translation by Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Connected

Discourses of the Buddha, Wisdom Publications, 1999.

Patience is the greatest “action” that we can take. With this action we will always be the winners since we will not have allowed our minds to be moved by the “worldly winds”, but will thereby have gained and maintained control over ourselves. But if we act against an enemy, we’re not just acting out of weakness, we continue to feed them. Finally, with respect to this particular tragic situation in Sri Lanka, I recall a story from the well known Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16). There was a war between King Ajātasattu Vedehiputta of Māgadha and the neighboring Republic of Vajji. The leaders of the Kingdom of Māgadha realized that they could not destroy the Vajjians directly, for Vajji was a republic which followed the Buddha’s advice to hold frequent meetings, to carry on their business in harmony, to respect the laws and traditions, to honor their elders and think them worth

listening to, to respect and support women and noblemen. And because of that, they remained a strong nation, living in prosperity and peace. So it would not be possible to destroy them, because they were united and would act in unison! The Kingdom of Māgadha realized: “The Vajjians cannot be overcome by the Magadhan King Ajātasattu by war, but only through diplomacy, or by sowing dissension.” They realized that the only way to win was to cause division within the Vajjians! That is, by provoking clashes of views and false accusations, even to the extent of plotting to cause anger against themselves just to stir up emotions and cause division! This discourse is a really powerful and important warning for Sri Lanka. External forces will try desperately to destroy unity and peace by causing internal divisions, and in that way make the country weak and fragile. When it is weak and fragile it becomes vulnerable to those malicious external forces. Such challenges will probably always exist, but, no matter what happens, it’s important to always follow the advice of the Buddha: to not use anger and cruelty as weapons, to stay united no matter what ideology one’s fellow citizens hold and – as Sakka said – to be patient. In that way, you will help unify people, you will collectively be one, and thereby defeat those who would seek to harm or even destroy you. EH

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When lay people Teach Dharma

The Buddha and many of his immediate disciples - many of whom were great teachers - were all monastics. Likewise, some of the greatest masters after the passing of the Buddha were also monastics. And the teachings of the Buddha have been preserved and handed down through the centuries mainly by monastics. However, as Buddhism continues to grow in different parts of the world, the number of monastics who can teach the sublime Buddha Dharma has not grown as many as it should be. In many countries where Buddhism has spread, it is the lay leaders and lay teachers who are now teaching Buddhism instead of the monastics. We ask our three panelists from the three Buddhist traditions their views on how lay Buddhist teachers can be effective messengers of the Buddha Dharma in the new millennium. The Buddha mentioned the four fold assembly of monks, nuns, male lay disciples, and female lay disciples. It is generally understood that the laity provides material support to monastics, who in turn teach the Dharma to them. Are there instances during the Buddha’s time or a few centuries after that where the laity teach the Dharma to the monastics or other lay people, alongside the monastics? Aggacitta: In AN1 the Buddha gave a long list of his monastic and lay disciples outstanding in their respective fields. Citta was declared foremost among the male lay disciples in preaching the Dharma and Khujjutarā among the female lay disciples in learning. However, there is no mention of either of them preaching to or teaching monastics. In the Pāli tradition, it seems that only the monastics, particularly monks, monopolized the teaching of the Buddha during the abovementioned period. Ming Wei: According to the Mahāyāna tradition, many bodhisattvas are lay people. Among the great bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra,

Avalokiteśvara and Kṣitigarbha, only Kṣitigarbha presents himself as a member of the Saṅgha. All the others present themselves as lay people.

A bodhisattva will relate his or her practice of insight with the bodhicitta aspiration, the bodhisattva vows, and the spirit of great compassion. Among these are the perfection of giving and the conferring of benefits on sentient beings. However, the greatest gift that one can give is the gift of the Dharma, and the kindest benefit one can confer on sentient beings is teaching them the Dharma and guiding them in the Dharma

Geshe Namgyal: The four-fold assembly is comprised of fully ordained monks (bhikṣus) and nuns (bhikṣuṇīs), and male and female lay practitioners holding the fiveprecept lay vows. Vimalakīrti was a lay practitioner, during the time of the Buddha, and his virtue and skill as a teacher are described in the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra. He demonstrated such great depth of knowledge and realization that Buddha Sakyamunī recommended to the monks that they go and listen to and learn from him. Also, of note, in the Pāli tradition are the lay teachers Citta of Macchikasanda and Hatthaka of Alavi. Buddha is said to have encouraged his ordained disciples to emulate them as well. A few centuries after the parinirvāṇa of the Buddha, another famous lay master is Chandragomin. He is said to have engaged in debate with Chandrakīrti and that debate is said to have lasted many years. Among his writings, he is especially known for his work, Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow which is considered a root text. He also wrote, Letter to a Disciple, and Śūraṅgama Mantra Sadhana. He was an undisputed teacher and held in high regard by Chandrakīrti and others. Likewise, many among the 80 great Indian siddhas were lay masters of great accomplishments. While by general assumption, monks teach the laity and the laity serve them, it’s not necessarily the case, nor is it binding.

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Is today’s environment when there is not enough monks or nuns teaching the Buddha Dharma, should lay people be encouraged to teach the Dharma? Aggacitta: Certainly. Why not, if they are learned, experienced, and committed to share facts and inspiring experiences resulting from their study and practice of the true Dhamma? Ming Wei: Traditionally speaking, members of the Saṅgha are forbidden from dealing in business or holding Government positions. The only role of the Saṅgha is to spread the Buddha Dharma. The teaching of the Buddha is then propagated from generation to generation with the Order as the backbone of this continuity. However, in some Mahāyāna texts reflecting a nonmonastic context, we find the lay bodhisattva ideal

presented not in close dependence on the forest renunciant but as a more freestanding ideal. This is mentioned in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. Another type of non-monastic is implied by the text Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra in which a lay bodhisattva ideal is advanced as preferable.

Geshe Namgyal: Everyone should be encouraged to learn Dharma and once learned, everyone should be encouraged to share it, irrespective of being an ordained member or a lay person. It is particularly encouraged that Dharma be practiced by everyone. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has put out a call for everyone to study the Dharma and to treat the canons as text books; we should learn the Dharma because it is for everyone. It’s the best and most precious gift that one could ever give another. The Dharma is to be given, and not held onto. As a matter of fact, within the precepts of the Bodhisattva vows taken, one would impair the vow if one does not share the Dharma out of stinginess. What are the qualities a lay teacher should have before he/she is allowed to teach the Dharma? Aggacitta: According to AN 5.159, one should teach the Dharma: (1) progressively, (2) in a logical manner, (3) out of compassion, (4) without hoping for material gains and (5) without harming oneself or others. Ideally, I think “not harming oneself” means one should walk one’s talk, as implied in Dhammapada #158:

One should first Establish oneself in what is proper Then only should one instruct another Thus the wise would not be reproached/defiled. By “not harming others” I understand it to mean not disparaging others, e.g. instead of saying, “So-and-so is talking nonsense,” one should say that such a teaching is not consonant with the scriptures in such-and-such a way. Additionally, I would expect any Dharma teacher, whether lay or monastic, to honestly distinguish the sources of his or her teaching: whether it is according to the canon, commentary, teacher’s interpretation or personal opinion. This is a corollary to the advice given by the Buddha in Caṅkī Sutta (MN 95) on how to guard the truth.1

Ming Wei: A basic knowledge of Buddhist theory and practice is an essential prerequisite for being a Buddhist teacher, e.g. someone who has studied or trained in Buddhist institutions and colleges. However, theory alone is not sufficient for one to teach the Buddha Dharma – it should be combined with practice. If we listen to the Dharma to gain an intellectual understanding but do not put the teachings into practice, it is like beautiful flowers that are colorful but have no fragrance, and we certainly won’t benefit from it. Therefore, a qualified lay teacher is one who study and practice the Dharma. Geshe Namgyal: In general, it isn’t a case of allowing or 1 “If a person has faith, Bhāradvāja, he preserves truth when he says: ‘My faith is thus’; but he does not yet come to the

definite conclusion: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’ In this way, Bhāradvāja, there is the preservation of truth;

in this way he preserves truth; in this way we describe the preservation of truth...

“If a person approves of something… if he receives an oral tradition… if he [reaches a conclusion based on] reasoned

cogitation… if he gains a reflective acceptance of a view, he preserves truth when he says: ‘My reflective acceptance

of a view is thus’; but he does not yet come to the definite conclusion: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’ In

this way too, Bhāradvāja, there is the preservation of truth; in this way he preserves truth; in this way we describe the preservation of truth...” [Excerpts from The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima

Nikāya, translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2005.]

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not allowing. Buddhism is a tradition of self-responsibility and anyone can teach it. However, there are guidelines laid out in the sūtras that guide teachers to check into their own minds to see if they have the required qualities, before teaching, as well as what students should look for in a teacher. Aside from the qualities specific to being ordained, there’s no difference regarding the qualities of a teacher. These ten qualities, regarding Mahāyāna teachers, can be found in the Mahāyāna Sūtrālaṅkāra said to be transmitted to Arya Asaṅga by the bodhisattva Maitreya-nātha. Likewise, one finds the qualities of a tantric master laid out in the tantric treatises which also apply to both the ordained and the laity equally, except for those specific to either the ordained or the laity. The main emphasis is to be steeped in the three higher trainings of ethics, concentration, and wisdom. Regardless of being ordained or a laity, one should take care to teach within one’s level of practice. Should there be some sort of certifying board or authority that certifies that someone is qualified to be a dharma teacher? How should such a body function effectively?

Aggacitta: Ideally, perhaps, but practically quite impossible to implement. Even renowned Dharma teachers within a single school and esteemed Buddhist scholars differ in their views and interpretations. How then to form a certifying board, let alone implement its policies and guidelines?

Ming Wei: As I know so far, we don’t have such authority to certify the quality of a Dharma teacher, but there are many Buddhist centers in the universities or colleges all over the world where we can study and gain diplomas or degrees in Buddhism.

Geshe Namgyal: That would be very difficult as there are qualities that would be hard or impossible for a governing body to measure. Specifically, for someone aspiring to be a Dharma teacher, they would have to be the first one to check if they themselves are qualified. Having a certifying board could give way to so many pitfalls of corruption and would place the emphasis and responsibility on others, rather than self-responsibility. Besides, one might even say that in order to accurately judge someone’s level of understanding, one would require

the mind of an enlightened one.

How can lay teachers be effective as Dharma teachers in today’s context? Aggacitta: (1) Be well-versed and confident in your subject. (2) Walk your talk. (3) Practice principles of good public speaking. (4) Use contemporary vocabulary and imagery to further explain doctrinal concepts illustrated in the scriptures by similes and examples of ancient Indian culture and society. (5) Bear in mind the Buddha’s advice on how to preserve or guard the truth1 and do not be fanatical or overenthusiastic in promoting a certain interpretation or practice of the Dharma. It is always safer to confess ignorance rather than profess cognizance of things beyond your ken. (6) Try to illustrate your teaching with actual examples from life experiences because the Dharma is meant to be applied and practiced, not just understood theoretically.

Nowadays many Dharma teachers increasingly use video clips and slides to engage the attention of today’s audience who are mostly exposed to easily available, dynamic audio-visual stimuli and impressions. However, some presentations are more efficacious than others when presented as follows: (1) Essential phrases are set in large san serif fonts and presented in point form, each point being animated and shown in sequence and in sync with the verbal discourse, not simultaneously. Most people these days are more visual than auditory in their ability to retain the information presented to them. When faced with wordy text and articulate speech simultaneously, the level of their comprehension and retention would be greatly reduced. (2) Having white or light-colored text on a dark background helps to reduce glare for the audience, thus improving attention on what is projected and said.

With modern technology so globally pervasive in society, Dharma teachings need no longer be confined to live events in specific localities. If well-edited videos of your teachings are uploaded to YouTube, many, many more people worldwide will be able to benefit. You can then create snippets of highlights from the videos and broadcast through social media, with links to the fulllength videos; this could be a very efficacious strategy to disseminate the Dharma in a pervasive way.

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Ming Wei: They should consist of the following features: 1. Combination of theory and practice; 2. Combination of tradition and modernity; 3. Propagation activities that benefit all beings; 4. Consideration of environment and ecology.

Geshe Namgyal: To be an effective teacher, regardless if one is ordained or lay, requires one to be genuinely grounded in the three higher trainings, backed up by scholarship and practice, and to the extent possible, teach from their own experience. In some cases, especially where Buddhism hasn’t been part of the dominant culture, a lay teacher may appear as more relatable to the students. In that way, the students may more easily approach the teacher and see that they too could learn and practice the path. Is it appropriate for lay people to charge a fee for teaching the Dharma, especially if they are full-time dharma workers or teachers? If not, how should they support themselves? Aggacitta: Some full-time Dharma teachers do not charge any fees but depend on sponsorship of transport cost and donations. Buddhist organizations could also help to provide food and lodging and some allowance for their resident lay Dharma teachers. The Goenka Vipassana and Isha Yoga traditions are two contemporary models with numerous international centers run almost solely by committed volunteer teachers and staff.

Ming Wei: Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch and nothing in life is free. They deserved to be paid for their work unless they volunteer their service willingly. Geshe Namgyal: I would rather suggest that Dharma teaching, irrespective of who is teaching it, ordained or lay person, to remain true to the spirit of Dharma sharing and let others make a teacher offering, based on their level of generosity and capacity. There may be some factors in terms of costs and expenses to provide for the logistics that would need to be supported, but one must make sure it’s understood that the cost is for that and not for the teaching itself.

In what ways can lay teachers work together with monastics so that there can be greater synergies in bringing Buddhism to the community? Aggacitta: Mentorship under learned, well-practiced and experienced monastic Dharma teachers would be ideal. This entails studying the scriptures and practicing the Dharma under their guidance. But karmic affinity with them and their availability are also important determinants.

Ming Wei: The relationship between the lay people and the community should be very intimate as this will make the task of spreading the Buddha Dharma easier. This is an important role which can be played by lay people in Buddhism. Lay people should particularly learn about the aspects of the Dharma that emphasize on the way to live peacefully with others in the community. In this way, they may help those who are in need, look after them as well as enhance the well-being of other sentient beings. Therefore, lay teachers should work closely together with monastics to spread Buddhism for the sake of saving all suffering sentient beings.

Geshe Namgyal: It has been happening already, organically in relationship with lay students and monastic teachers. It’s proven helpful when students, who have had ordained teachers, achieve the level of training and circumstances where they see themselves as able to teach, or share the Dharma, to maintain connection with their own teachers to continue their own growth, to increase their wisdom and skill. There are Dharma centers where both monastic and lay teachers are invited to teach. Sravasti Abbey, in Washington State, USA, is one such place. The Abbess, Ven. Thubten Chodron, often invites ordained and lay teachers to share their wisdom and skill. Are there any prominent lay teachers in the various Buddhist traditions that can be role models for today’s generation of lay teachers?

Aggacitta: I am not exposed to the teachings of lay teachers, and am therefore not qualified to comment on this.

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Ming Wei: It is obvious that there are many outstanding Buddhist writers or scholars who are not monks or nuns, and some of them may not even be Buddhists. Let us take Etienne Lamotte for example who was a Roman Catholic clergyman. He was an Indologist and is one of the greatest scholars on Buddhism in the West. Lamotte is also known for his French translation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa (Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom), a text attributed to Nagarjuna, and many other great works. Lamotte’s importance as a scholar in general and his contributions to improve mutual understanding between Buddhists and Christians has also been acknowledged by the ecclesiastic authorities of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a modest, amiable, and generous man who lived up to the highest ideals of the two great religions.

Geshe Namgyal: There are so many prominent lay teachers, past and contemporary. In the Nyingma lineage, we have Guru Padmasambhava and his 25 chief disciples, many of whom were either male or female lay practitioners of very advanced stages. In the Kadam school founded by the Indian master Atisha, there was Dromtonpa who was Atisha’s main disciple, and many others. Dromtonpa founded Reting Monastery and had many disciples himself. In the Sakya lineage, of the five prominent Sakya masters, two were ordained and the other three were lay people. Within the Kagyu lineage, there are Marpa, Milarepa as well as Gampopa, who was initially a lay person until he was ordained. In the Gelug lineage, traditionally a strong emphasis has been placed on monastic ethics, and thus there are relatively fewer lay teachers who were mostly ones who ‘entered the conduct’ upon achieving high levels in sūtra practices, Venerable Āyasmā Aggacitta is the founder of the Sāsanārakkha Buddhist

Sanctuary (SBS) in Taiping, Perak, a Pāli scholar and a meditation teacher.

ripe for entering into tantric practices. Among the many contemporary Gelug teachers and practitioners are Dagyab Rinpoche, Rato Kyongla Rinpoche, Alexander Berzin, Alan Wallace, Jeffery Hopkins, and Robert Thurman, to name only a few. Similarly, there are even more contemporary lay teachers and practitioners in the other three lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. Are there specific topics in Buddhism that lay people should avoid teaching, and leave such topics to the monastics?

Aggacitta: None, if they are well-versed in them theoretically and experientially. But perhaps certain topics pertaining to the practice of Vinaya rules because they may lack the practical experience of a practicing monastic. Ming Wei: In Mahāyāna tradition, lay devotees are normally not allowed to read or teach the Vinaya rules of monks and nuns.

Geshe Namgyal: The monastic Vinaya should be taught only by a monastic; aside from that, there is no other restrictions. All the other topics within Buddhism may be engaged with and taught, from the specific teacher’s level of skill and wisdom, irrespective of whether the teacher is ordained or a laity.

Written by Geshe Dadul Namgyal, and edited by Martha Leslie Baker. EH

Geshe Dadul Namgyal is a Geshe Lharampa and senior resident teacher at

Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Ven. Ming Wei is a teacher of e-learning at the International Buddhist College (IBC) and an independent translator of Buddhism.

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BOOKS IN BRIEF Shambhala Publications, Inc. (including Snow Lion, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc)

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Falling Is Flying. The Dharma of Facing Adversity. Ajahn Brahm and Chan Master Guojun. 2019. pp 136. US$15.95 Most of us tend to live each day as if it will be just another day—like nothing will change. It always comes as a shock when we lose a job, a loved one, a relationship, our health—even though we’ve seen it happen again and again to those around us. Once we finally realize we’re not immune, then we wonder: what now? How do we continue when the terrain suddenly gets rough? The answers to life’s angst are provided in this little text by two well-known Buddhist masters: Ajahn Brahm, a teacher in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, and Chan Master Guojun, a teacher in the Chinese Zen tradition. These two beloved meditation masters share personal stories and anecdotes from their own experiences of dealing with life’s pitfalls. You’ll learn from their honest, generous teachings how you can live fully—even flourish—even when the road ahead looks steep and lonely. Personal, poetic, instructive, and often laugh-out-loud funny, this is inspiring advice for people from all walks of life. EH

Finding Rest in Illusion. The Trilogy of Rest, Volume 3. Longchenpa. Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. 2018. pp 298. US$26.95. Hardcover This is the third volume of the Trilogy of Rest, Longchenpa’s classic exposition of the Buddhist path. The purpose of these teachings is to introduce us to our most basic nature—the clear and pristine awareness that is the nature of the mind. According to the traditional Tibetan Buddhist formula of view, meditation, and action, this volume follows Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind, which establishes the view of the Buddhist path generally, and specifically that of the teachings of the Great Perfection, and Finding Rest in Meditation, which outlines the main points of meditation, namely, where one should meditate, what qualities a practitioner should possess and develop, and what should be practiced. The Padmakara Translation Group has provided us with a clear and fluid new translation of the final volume of the trilogy, Finding Rest in Illusion, along with its auto-commentary, The Chariot of Excellence, both intended to elucidate the appropriate action of a Buddhist practitioner. EH

The World Could Be Otherwise. Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. Norman Fischer. 2019. pp 207. US$17.95 An imaginative approach to spiritual practice in difficult times, through the Buddhist teaching of the six paramitas or "perfections"--qualities that lead to kindness, wisdom, and an awakened life. In frightening times, we wish the world could be otherwise. With a touch of imagination, it can be. Imagination helps us see what’s hidden, and it shapeshifts reality’s roiling twisting waves. In this inspiring reframe of a classic Buddhist teaching, Zen teacher Norman Fischer writes that the paramitas, or “six perfections”—generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, meditation, and understanding—can help us reconfigure the world we live in. Ranging from our everyday concerns about relationships, ethics, and consumption to our artistic inspirations and broadest human yearnings, Fischer depicts imaginative spiritual practice as a necessary resource for our troubled times. EH

BOOKS IN BRIEF | EASTERN HORIZON

BOOKS IN BRIEF Buddhist Publication Society P.O. Box 61, 54 Sangharaja Mawatha, Kandy, SRI LANKA www.bps.lk

The Navel of the Earth. The History and Significance of Bodh Gaya. S. Dhammika. 2018. pp 137.

Nature and the Environment in Early Buddhism. S Dhammika. 2018. pp 259.

The town of Bodh Gaya in the northern Indian state of Bihar is the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment and the most sacred place in the Buddhist world. For over 2000 years pilgrims have made their way to Bodh Gaya from every corner of Asia, often leaving records of their visits in inscriptions, memoirs, travelogues, and even graffiti. Using these and other sources this book chronicles the place’s long and fascinating history. It recounts the magnificent ceremonies that once took place there, the saints and scholars associated with it, and the various legends that grew up around it. Including previously overlooked information, the book also challenges the popular belief that Bodh Gaya was destroyed at the end of the 12th century and was forgotten and unvisited by Buddhist pilgrims for the next 700 years. The author of this fascinating book was born in Australia and was ordained as a monk in India in 1976. Since then he has lived and taught Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Singapore and now resides in Australia. EH

This book is an in-depth investigation of the natural environment that the Buddha lived in, as depicted in the Pāli texts. It discusses the contribution of Buddhism to environmental awareness and the development of environmental ethics in three sections. The first part examines how north Indian Buddhists tried to explain, define, and classify their natural world: everything from its topographical features to metrological phenomena and of course its flora and fauna. The second and largest part lists alphabetically the Pāli names of every animal and plant mentioned in early Theravāda scriptures. The last part lists the medicinal herbs mentioned in the scriptures together with their traditional application and modern usage. Comprehensive, detailed, and well-referenced, this book will be an essential companion for anyone interested in the early Buddhist understanding of the natural world. EH

EASTERN HORIZON | DHARMA THOUGHTS

Dharma Thoughts Vijaya Samarawickrama is an accomplished Dharma educator, teacher, and author. He retired after 60 years of teaching in schools, colleges and universities. However, he continues to give Dharma talks throughout the country, participates in inter-faith dialogues, speaks at various international seminars, and writes for Buddhist books and journals.

What price Happiness? By Vijaya Samarawickrama If Forbes magazine is anything to go by it would seem as if most of humanity measures success (and by association, happiness) by the amount of wealth a person amasses in a lifetime. Each time the list of the world’s richest men (and, rarely, women) is published, the rest of us gasp and imagine what wonderful lives they must lead, having the power to control what they want anytime, anywhere. But let us pause a moment and ask, “Does wealth necessarily guarantee happiness?” The dictionary defines happiness as “delighted, pleased or glad as over a particular thing”. This implies that we experience happiness when we gain possession over some tangible or intangible thing. By this token, given the mind-boggling advancements made by modern science and technology since the industrial revolution we should expect that at least a good proportion of the ‘developed’ world’s population should be considered ‘happy’. On the contrary they seem to be more miserable than their fellow humans in the ‘undeveloped’ parts of the world. One does not need to go far to look for an explanation. The vast majority of us are desperately seeking happiness but unfortunately they mistake sensual pleasure for happiness thinking that they can be happy simply by pandering to the demands of the senses. But the senses are subject to the laws of impermanence so that as soon as one desire is satisfied it is immediately replaced by another and we are left desperately searching for more, like a dog with a severe skin irritation which simply cannot be relieved by mere scratching alone. The solution is to get at the source of the irritation and to eradicate it permanently. The root cause of suffering is ignorance.

In Buddhism ignorance (avijjā) is the inability to see things - as- they- really -are. So long as there is Ignorance we will be unable to discern that what we mistake for a ‘self’ (what makes us self-ish) is only a coming together of diverse processes which are in a continuous state of change with no enduring reality at the core. One of the hardest things for us to understand is that characteristic of existence which the Buddha calls anattā, not-self. Deluded by an idea of a real entity called a self we create desires which can never be satisfied because they are not real. Our ignorance of this fact gives rise to dukkha – ‘unsatisfactoriness’. In verse 62 of the Dhammapada the Buddha says “Sons have I, wealth have I Thus the fool assures himself, But when self is not one’s own Where are sons, where is wealth?

Unfulfilled desire is at the root of the suffering of mankind. To end suffering we must learn to understand the true nature of things which are empty of self, impermanent, and unsatisfactory and learn to give up, to renounce and practice non-attachment. This is the way to wisdom. It is not an exaggeration to say that all the religions of the world take this all-pervasive unsatisfactoriness of the human condition as their starting point to persuade their followers to subscribe to their teachings. All religions agree that life on earth leaves much to be desired but they promise that if people would obey

Dharma Thoughts the laws dictated by their religion then they would be rewarded with happiness in some heavenly state in the next life. The problem with this is that there is no way of proving empirically that there is indeed such an ideal life waiting for us. After all, has there been anyone who ever returned with the evidence? We are further told that the prerequisite to enter this happy abode is to follow some divinely ordained laws. It seems suspiciously like a trade- off: to demand something in return for something else. Should the hope of going to heaven be our only reason for obeying the moral laws in this life? The Buddha says that doing good should be its own reward because it ennobles us as intelligent beings. Towards the end of the Kālāma Sutta, AN 3.65, he declares:

spiritual progress by waiting for a hungry farmer to be fed before he gave his sermon. The Buddha lists four kinds of happiness in the Anaṇa Sutta, AN 4.62, which we can gain on a mundane level 1. Possessing wealth (atthi sukkha) 2. Enjoying that wealth (bhoja sukkha) 3. Freedom from debt (anaṇa sukkha) 4. Living blamelessly (anavajja sukkha)

malevolence, who is not confused but is self- controlled and mindful with a heart of compassion, friendliness, equanimity is assured of these four benefits in this life itself 1. If there is a world beyond and there is a fruit of karma, then after death I shall be born in a happy place 2. If, however, there is no such place then I shall dwell free from hostility and affliction, sorrowless and happy 3. Again, if having done evil one is destined for hell, I will not go there as I have not done any evil 4. Finally, even if there are no effects of karma, either good or evil, then as I have not done any wrong I hold myself pure.

resources not only for ourselves but for the generations to come. As Gandhi says, ’the world has enough for everyone’s need but not enough even for one man’s greed’. We need to differentiate ‘wants’ from ‘needs’.

“A noble disciple who is free from greed and

Buddhism teaches that happiness is a mental state which can be experienced in this life itself as it has little to do with wealth or material success. The implication is that if one lives a noble blameless life here then this state will continue even into the next life, if there is one. If there isn’t such a life, well then, we have lived a good life anyway!

Does this amount to a total rejection of material wealth and possessions? Certainly not. On several occasions the Buddha praised the possession of rightly earned wealth because it gives us the opportunity to provide for the material well-being of needy relatives, to support family and contribute to social welfare. On one occasion the Buddha demonstrated that poverty is a hindrance to

How much wealth does one need to enjoy life? In Dhammapada verse 204, The Buddha says “Sanṭṭuti paramaṁ dhanaṁ” – contentment is the highest wealth. Really what do we need to be comfortable: food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. How much wealth do we need to provide for ourselves and others with these basic necessities? Needless to say if we learn to limit our desires we can go a long way to protect the world’s

However, as we strive to acquire material wealth and mundane happiness we should never lose sight of our ultimate goal which is spiritual wealth and the attainment of the Ultimate Happiness, Nibbāna, which recognizes no self and which eliminates ignorance and craving. In the Sakka-pañha Sutta, DN 21, the Buddha tells the King of the gods about the two kinds of happiness we can enjoy:

“Ruler of the gods, I declare that there are two kinds of happiness: the kind to be pursued, and the kind to be avoided. When I observed that in the pursuit of such happiness, unwholesome factors decreased and wholesome ones increased, then that happiness was to be sought after. And when I observed that in the pursuit of such happiness wholesome factors decreased and unwholesome factors increased such happiness was to be avoided.” The Buddha enumerates seven kinds of ‘noble wealth’ which lead to the first kind of happiness described above:

EASTERN HORIZON | NEWS

Faith (saddhā) Moral conduct (sīla) Moral shame (hiri) Moral fear (otappa) Character development (bhāvanā) Generosity (dāna) Insight into the three characteristics (anicca, dukkha, anattā).

BuddhaLand

A Buddhist haven emerges in rural Kentucky, thanks to a generous retiree. By Carolyn Gregoire SPRING 2019

The Buddha succinctly summarizes the relationship between mundane and transcendental happiness in this beautiful verse (204) of the Dhammapada

Arōgyā paramā lābhā Health is the greatest gain

santutthi paramam dhanan Contentment is the highest wealth

vissāsa paramā nāthi The trustworthy are the best relatives Nibbānan paramam sukhan Nibbāna is the highest happiness. EH

Illustration by James Noel Smith

If you drive just an hour up Highway 71 from Louisville, Kentucky, toward Cincinnati, Ohio, you’ll come upon 200 acres of gently rolling hills and pristine countryside—an area that’s emerging as an oasis of Buddhist spiritual life.

Appropriately dubbed “The BuddhaLand,” the Kentucky property has been turned into an offering to the Buddha and his teachings by its proprietor, Nam Do, a 70-year-old retired engineer and Louisville resident originally from Vietnam. Since buying the property in 2002, Do has been offering

NEWS | EASTERN HORIZON

Carolyn Gregoire is a senior writer at the Huffington Post, where she reports on psychology, mental health, and neuroscience. She has spoken at TEDx and the Harvard Public Health Forum, and has appeared on MSNBC, the Today show, the History Channel, and HuffPost Live. Gregoire lives in New York City. She is also a co-author of Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind.

free land that Buddhist organizations and individuals can build upon with their own funds. His mission is to nurture the American Buddhist community by providing more dedicated spaces to practice in areas where they can connect with nature.

Do arrived in Kentucky as a young man in 1975 after fleeing Vietnam on a US Navy plane, just one day before communists took over the country. His family settled in Louisville, where he went on to study engineering, then work at Ford Motor Company for 30 years. From a deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to the country that supported him and his family, Do dedicated his retirement to service, which he sees as part of his spiritual practice. Do comes from a family of temple builders. In 1920, his grandfather built the 10,000-square-foot Buu Thanh Temple, which today continues to serve more than a thousand families in two villages in southern Vietnam. His uncle and great-uncle both constructed temples in a neighboring village, and two monks and one nun in his family serve as abbots in temples elsewhere in the country. The BuddhaLand was created especially for groups associated with the lineage of Do’s lifelong teacher, the Vietnamese master Thich Nhat Hanh.

“Most of [their centers] in the US are in cities,” he said. “For the mind, we have to seek out mountains and forests.”

Six major projects are currently under way at the center, including the Deer Mountain Retreat Center, which can house up to 500 guests. (Do hopes it will become “a Plum Village for the United States.”) So far, three local sanghas— as well as France’s Plum Village— have pledged their support, and it is expected to be completed in three to four years. Other projects in various stages of development include a chanting hall, scenic overlook and meditation deck, three villages (including a cave village for extended periods of solitary silent retreat), the Stupa of Enlightenment, and the Mindful Forest Monastery, all of which are associated with Thich Nhat Hanh’s sangha. The first monk to join the monastery, Louisville native Michael Kavish (Thich Tinh Tri), now serves as its abbot, and four other monks are slated to take up residence there by the year’s end.

The BuddhaLand is also open to other traditions, not just those that follow Thich Nhat Hanh. A small temple is being built to serve Vietnamese Buddhist families, and the monks at Mindfulness Forest Monastery host retreats and teachings for Vipassana and other local groups. “It’s a very peaceful place to practice,” said Kavish. “There’s a lot of good energy here.” Source: www.lionsroar.com, Dec 3, 2018. EH

Dharma Talks by Ven. Jiru Born in Malaysia, Ven. Jiru learned about TheravÄ da Buddhism and ordained in Thailand in 1980. He later studied Chinese Buddhism and ordained in that tradition under the late great Buddhist Master Venerable Zhumo in Penang, in 1986. He was supervisor of Triple Wisdom Hall and vice-chairperson of Buddhist Association of Malaysia Youth Division. He was a speaker at the Triple Wisdom Hall's Buddhist research class and several youth training camps. In 1991, he held the post as the religious advisor of the Sabah State Liaison Committee of Malaysia where he helped establish the "Sabah and Labuan Buddhist Educational Foundation". Venerable Jiru came to the United States in 1992 to give Dharma Talks, and shortly thereafter he was appointed the Abbot of Great Enlightenment Temple of Buddhist Association of U.S. in New York. In 1993 he became Secretary of the "Buddhist Union of New York". He was later invited to St. Louis, Missouri in 1995, and was appointed as the vice-chairperson of Mid-America Buddhist Association in 1996. He formed the Youth Buddhist Educational Foundation in the following year. He became the Abbot of Mid-America Buddhist Association since 1999, and Chairman of International Buddhism Friendship Association since 2000.

Dharma Talks No 1

Date 29/6/2019 (Sat)

Time 8:00pm - 9:30pm

Dharma Talk Youth....Outlook and Prospect Mandarin

Venue Selayang Buddhist Association No. 2, Jalan 8F, (di Jln 2), Selayang Baru, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor

Contact Yap Chee Voon 017-677 6106

30/06/2019 (Sun)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

Destination of Dharma English

Chempaka Buddhist Lodge 60, Jalan SS23/25, Taman SEA, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tanya 017-318 7780

01/07/2019 (Mon)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

Talk about Meditation Mandarin

Butterworth Buddhist Association 7156, Tingkat Mak Mandin 3, Mak Mandin, 13400 Butterworth, S. Perai

Chan Poh Giak 012-485 3222

02/07/2019 (Tue)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

Cultivating the Right Mindfulness Mandarin

The Buddhist Triple Wisdom Hall No. 5, Pangkor Road, 10050 George Town, Penang

04-226 4975 04-226 9384

03/07/2019 (Wed)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

My New Thought of Buddhist Teachings to Public Mandarin

Than Hsiang Temple 132, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Bandar Bayan Baru, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang

Mr Lim 012-488 6034

09/07/2019 (Tue)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

Three Major Civilizations in the World English

Shah Alam Buddhist Society No. 9, Jalan Sg Congkak 32/41, Bukit Rimau, 40460 Shah Alam, Selangor

Bro Woo 012-236 2460 03-5121 5186

10/07/2019 (Wed)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

Two Paths and One Fruit English

Klang & Coast Buddhist Association Lot 465. KM 2, Persiaran Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, 41200 Klang, Selangor

Bro Lee 016-662 6030 Sis Tina 03-3372 1902

13/07/2019 (Sat)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

Spiritual and Livelihood Mandarin

Persatuan Buddhist Malaysia Cawangan Kecil Port Dickson 222, Bukit Tuan Sheikh, 71000 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan

Tan Siew Choo 019-215 1151

16/07/2019 (Tue)

8:00pm - 9:30pm

To Care, Dare to Care Mandarin

Young Buddhist Association Of Malaysia No. 9, Jalan SS25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Ting Yik Hwa 017-377 1210

Meditation Retreat No 1

Date 30/06/2019 (Sun)

Time 9:00am - 6:00pm

Meditation Retreat One Day Meditation Retreat: Four Foundations of Mindfulness English

Venue Buddhist GEM Fellowship Block D-G-2, Block D Jalan PJU 1A/3K,Taipan 1, Ara Damansara, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Contact Benny Liow 012-318 0344

05/07/2019 (Fri) 06/07/2019 (Sat) 07/07/2019 (Sun)

05/07, 8:00pm 07/07, 12:00nn

Three Days Meditation Retreat: Four Foundations of Mindfulness Mandarin

Persatuan Pengurusan Tokong Teng Wai Koi No 1, Jalan Ampang Permai, (Off Jalan Ampang Baru 6), 31400 Ipoh, Perak

Shit Meng Rap 016-543 9290

11/07/2019 (Thu) 12/07/2019 (Fri) 13/07/2019 (Sat) 14/07/2019 (Sun)

11/07, 8:30am 14/07, 3:00pm

Four Days Meditation Retreat: Four Foundations of Mindfulness Mandarin

Persatuan Buddhist Malaysia Cawangan Kecil Port Dickson 222, Bukit Tuan Sheikh, 71000 Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan

Tan Siew Choo 019-215 1151