To our readers: We are pleased to announce that you can now access both current and previous issues of Eastern Horizon online at www.easternhorizon.org. For existing subscribers who wish to have access to the magazine on-line, please send us an email at admin@easternhorizon.org and we will issue you with your username and password. Thank you for your support of Eastern Horizon.
The Right Aƫtude to Overcome NegaƟve EmoƟons The theme of the recently concluded World Buddhist Conference on November 5, 2012 was “How to Transcend Negative Emotions”. With a line-up of 10 international speakers, including a live telecast with Chamgong Kenting Tai Situ Rinpoche, the nature of negative emotions and how they arise were explained to conference participants.They were also provided with practical guidelines on how to develop the antidotes so that happiness and well-being can be experienced in their everyday lives. The keyword that recurred in most presentations by the speakers was “right attitude”. All of us have a range of attitudes. Some of them serve us well throughout the course of our lives, and this is usually the case when our attitudes lead us to develop positive emotions such as patience, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and discernment. But when our attitude is negative, it results in many unnecessary problems for ourselves and others. Buddhist practice, especially mind training, is all about developing the right attitude which aligns our mental thoughts with whatever is wholesome and skillful. Thus, our attitudes need adjusting, from negative to positive. A wrong attitude is just like a misaligned spinal column which has to be knocked back into alignment. So when we are able to change our attitudes, our minds become pure well-springs of joy instead of murky pools of problems, anxieties, fleeting pleasures, frustrations, hopes and fears. Not too long ago, a good friend celebrated her birthday. I wanted to wish her “Happy Birthday” by sending her a nice message because in the Buddhist tradition, our birthday is considered a particularly important, spiritually powerful day. We are also taught to regard our birthday with a sense of appreciation, poignancy and celebration. And, of course, the day serves as a good reminder that this precious life we have is also transient. Just as I was about to shoot off my “Happy Birthday” note, I remembered what Chogyam Trungpa said about developing the right attitude during one’s birthday. Trungpa said that Happiness was a state of mind that had Sadness or Unhappiness on its flip side. Cheerfulness, he said, better described a fundamental way or attitude of being. So instead of saying Happy Birthday, I wished her Cheerful Birthday. I also told her to have an attitude where she does not spend more than three minutes to regret her past actions but to think about what she’s doing in the present, how precious this human life is and our purpose here. As a fellow Dharma practitioner, I reminded her that according to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, our purpose in life is to benefit all sentient beings, including oneself. Thus, with this right attitude, we can all celebrate our birthdays meaningfully with positive thoughts for our friends, loved ones, indifferent ones, and even to those who fail to live up to our expectations. So to everyone celebrating their birthdays, may I wish them a Cheerful Birthday and to remember well the purpose for all us being here! EH December 1, 2012
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!2
EASTERN HORIZON CONTENTS JANUARY 2013 ISSUE NO. 39
04
Lead Article: Managing Anger in a Relationship by Venerable Thubten Chodron
30
Face to Face: Being Truly Happy by Ven Matthieu Ricard
08
Face to Face: Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun by Venerable Karma Tashi Choedron
34
Forum: Are Buddhists Passive?
14
Teaching: Is Depression Caused by Karma? by Āyasmā Kumāra
37
Face to Face: Integrating Compassion & Emptiness by Venerable Barry Kerzin
16
Teaching: Equanimity by Dr Gil Fronsdal
41
WBC Feature: Basic steps towards spiritual practice Reflections from World Buddhist Conference 2012 by Lim Seow Yuin
19
Teaching: The Fertile Soil of Sangha by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh
42
News: Bhikkhu Bodhi and Bhikkhuni Ordination at Dharma Vijaya in Los Angeles by Dr. Stephen Long
44
News: Kung fu nuns teach cosmic energy to CERN scientists
21
26
3!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Teaching: Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating by Ven Faxun
Teaching: Advice from the Dalai Lama on Overcoming Negative Emotions by Benny Liow Woon Khin
45
News: Battle-weary British troops find comfort in Buddhism by Ian Drury
EasTern HorIzon Radiating the Light of Dharma
46
50
Face to Face: Strict Discipline & Simple Living by Nina Yee
Teaching: The Gift of Gratitude by Ajahn Sumedho
....................................................................... JANUARY 2013 ISSUE NO. 39 (Published 3 times a year)
EASTERN HORIZON PUBLICATION BOARD CHAIRMAN
: Dr Ong See Yew
EDITOR
: Benny Liow
SUB-EDITORS : Tan Yang Wah / Dr. Ong Puay Liu MANAGER
: Teh Soo Tyng
ART DIRECTOR : Geam Yong Koon
52
Spotlight: The Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia by Chim Siew Choon
PUBLISHER
: YBAM <ybam@ybam.org.my>
PRINTER
: Vivar Printing Sdn Bhd(125107-D) Lot 25, Rawang Integrated Industrial Park, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, MALAYSIA. Tel : 603-60927818 Fax : 603-60928230
COVER DESIGN : Geam Yong Koon COVER PHOTOGRAPHER : Lim Chong Wei
56
Book Review
59
Books In Brief
EASTERN HORIZON is a publication of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM). A non-profit making project, this journal is non-sectarian in its views and approach. We aim to inspire, stimulate and share. The opinions expressed in EASTERN HORIZON are those of the authors and in no way represent those of the editor or YBAM. Although every care is taken with advertising matter, no responsibility can be accepted for the organizations, products, services, and other matter advertised. We welcome constructive ideas, invite fresh perspectives and accept comments. Please direct your comments or enquiries to:
The Editor
EASTERN HORIZON
63
Dharma Aftermath Whither The Dhamma? by Rasika Quek
Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia 9, Jalan SS 25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MAlAYSIA Tel : (603) 7804 9154 Fax : (603) 7804 9021 Email : ybam@ybam.org.my or Benny Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> Website
: www.easternhorizon.org
KDN PP 8683/01/2013(031165)
Lead Article | Managing Anger in a Relationship
Managing Anger in a Relationship by Venerable Thubten Chodron
Born in 1950, Thubten Chodron grew up near Los Angeles. She graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1971. After traveling through Europe, North Africa and Asia for one and a half years, she received a teaching credential and went to the University of Southern California to do post-graduate work in Education while working as a teacher in the Los Angeles City School System. In 1975, she attended a meditation course given by Ven Lama Yeshe and Ven Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and subsequently went to Kopan Monastery in Nepal to continue to study and practice Buddhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachings. In 1977 she was ordained as a Buddhist nun by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. She studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche and other Tibetan masters. She directed the spiritual program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy for nearly two years, studied three years at Dorje Pamo Monastery in France, and was resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore. For ten years she was resident teacher at Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle. She founded Sravasti Abbey, a Buddhist monastic community in Washington State, USA, and is currently the abbess there.
5!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Her books include Open Heart, Clear Mind; Taming the Mind; Buddhism for Beginners; Working with Anger; Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path (with CD); Cultivating a Compassionate Heart: The Yoga Method of Chenrezig; How to Free Your Mind: Tara the Liberator. She has also edited several books for her teachers, including Transforming Adversity into Joy and Courage by Geshe Jampa Tegchok; Choosing Simplicity by Bhikshuni Master Wu Yin; A Chat about Heruka and A Chat about Yamantaka, both by Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche. Many of her talks can be found on the web in both written and audio form as well as short daily talks on video, longer video talks and live internet teachings. Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by modern Buddhists. A regular Dharma teacher to Malaysia for many years now, she is well-known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. Benny Liow of Eastern Horizon discusses with Ven Chodron some of the common questions many couples raised with regards to issues they face in a relationship, especially on how to manage anger. The following is a summary of the responses Ven Chodron gave for couples facing anger in their relationships.
Lead Article | Managing Anger in a Relationship
Shantideva, an 8th century Nalanda pandit and author of Bodhicaryavatara, Sravasti Abbey Meditation Hall
Benny Liow: A key human emotion in any relationship is anger. In Buddhism there are two other words that are related to anger – hatred and ill-will. Are they similar from the perspective of Buddhist psychology? Chodron: Anger, hatred and ill-will are similar in that they’re all based on exaggerating the negative aspects of a person or situation or projecting negativity that isn’t there on a person or situation. Based on anger or hatred, ill-will goes further and makes plans to harm others. We’re angry, jealous, or spiteful and want others to “have a taste of their own medicine” so that they will know how we feel. However, harming them generally pushes them further away, and instead of regretting how they have treated us, they become angrier and the conflict escalates.
to them. This is true, isn’t it? If we didn’t care about them and want to be close to them, we wouldn’t get so upset. But our anger propels us to act in ways that bring about the opposite of what we want. For this reason, and also because anger is based on exaggeration and projection, it’s to our advantage to subdue our anger. What is the first step we should take to prevent anger from arising in us?
As anger is so much a part of our human emotions, is it possible to express a bit of anger that is not hurtful?
First, we must recognize our anger and acknowledge that we have it. Blaming our anger on others, saying, “You made me mad!” is not accurate. Our anger comes from the seed of anger inside of us; it comes from our self-centeredness that filters everything through the lens of “me, I, my and mine.” The other person is only the external condition. We’ve got to own our anger and take responsibility for it, instead of blaming others. Only then will we be able to work effectively to subdue it.
To answer this, let’s look at our own experience when someone else expresses a little bit of anger to us. What is our emotional response? We generally feel hurt, don’t we? How do we act when we feel hurt? Usually, we either attack the other person, or we disengage and refuse to talk to him or her. In the same way, this is the way others feel and respond when we express a bit of anger towards them.
After we recognize that we’re angry, instead of criticizing ourselves for being angry and releasing our anger on others, we need to reflect on the disadvantages of anger. Of course, this is more effective to do when we’re not angry! By reviewing our lives and seeing the adverse effect of anger on our relationships and our internal sense of wellbeing, we’ll want to learn the antidotes to anger.
Does our angry behavior bring about the results we want? Usually not. When we’re hurt and angry— especially with a family member or someone else we care about—what we really want is to be close
Once good source where you will find many antidotes to anger is Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, chapter 6. H.H. the Dalai Lama’s book Healing Anger and my book Working
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!6
Lead Article | Managing Anger in a Relationship
with Anger are both modeled on this. In the Pali tradition, Buddhaghosa’s Path to Purification and Dhammapala’s A Treatise on the Paramis are good resources as well. Reading these books or hearing teachings is a good start, but alone they won’t eliminate our anger. We have to put the teachings they give into practice. Doing that takes time and joyous effort, but it pays off. Divorce happens when two people in a marriage attack each other and say the nastiest words over the smallest things because they’re being driven by their feelings of anger. What is the best way to prevent such a situation from arising in the first place? In our modern society, people have a lot of myths about romantic love and marriage. In the rush of “falling in love,” they expect that feeling to last forever and neglect to see the other person as a whole human being who has faults as well as good qualities. Or if they do see the other person’s faults, they may think, “They will change because they love me,“ or “Our love is so pure that I will help them get over this problem.” This way of thinking blinds us to the reality of intimate relationships—they require work. Both people need to work together and learn to communicate wisely and kindly. When each partner is willing to do this, the couple will grow closer and more accepting of each other as time goes on. Releasing their false expectations, they will learn to genuinely wish for the other person to be happy and free of suffering. To improve our ability to communicate, I recommend Marshall Rosenberg’s Non-violent Communication. In books and DVDs of his seminars, he explains how to recognize and compassionately express our feelings and needs, and how to make requests—not demands—of other people. Like the Dharma, he tells us that instead of focusing on what the other person is doing and trying to get them to change and do what we want them to do,
7!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
look at what is going on inside of ourselves. Instead of judging others’ actions, he helps us learn to emphasize with their feelings and needs. When anger has arisen in one partner, how should the other partner react so as not to further aggravate the situation? Rosenberg discusses four possible ways of responding to another person’s anger –the first two aggravate the situation, the last two help us communicate well. (1) Blame the other person: “You’re totally untrustworthy! You’re always picking at me! Shut up and leave me alone!” (2) Blame ourselves: “I’m such a failure, no wonder my partner is treating me this way. All the problems in the marriage are due to my inability to open up and love.” (3) Give empathy to the other person, “Are you angry because you need understanding and acceptance? Are you upset because you need appreciation/ fairness / safety, etc.?” (4) Give empathy to ourselves, “I feel scared and insecure when my partner is angry. I take refuge in the Three Jewels and feel supported by the Buddha’s compassion. I, too, can face this situation with kindness and compassion.” How can one engage with the other partner in a relationship if he/she refuses to make the effort to curb the anger from arising but allows it to run uncontrolled? Instead of describing the situation as “He/she refuses to make the effort to curb his/her anger,” describe it as, “He/she lacks the tools to see the disadvantages of anger and to manage his/her anger.” In other words, instead of seeing the situation as the other person’s fault, see it as something they are not yet skilled in doing. That will give you and them the mental space to relax in the situation. It’s also worthwhile to examine the dynamics between the two of you. Are there things that you do that particularly annoy the other person or flame
Lead Article | Managing Anger in a Relationship
retaliation as acknowledgement of faults, and hence will further continue with more verbal or even physical abuse as a result of the anger. How should one react when this happens? That happens when we are afraid and therefore are passive. It doesn’t happen when we have a sense of our own dignity and self-worth.
Nuns at Sravasti Abbey
the fire of their anger? If so, you may want to look at your actions in more depth and see if there are other ways you could act or respond that would be less irritating or frustrating for the other person. Another suggestion is to remember that the other person’s suffering lies behind their anger and offer them understanding and compassion. In that way, see that their anger has little to do with you and so don’t take what they’re saying personally. See it as an expression of their internal pain and confusion. Or you could suggest that the two of you together or separately seek help in working with your differences. Shantideva said patience is a great virtue but how long can one maintain a relationship if the other partner is always angry and verbally abusive? Patience doesn’t mean being a doormat. It doesn’t mean we allow or even enable a person to be verbally or physically abusive. Patience means that we are able to remain calm and clear when confronted with harm and suffering. With that calm and clear mind we can then reflect on the various courses of action available and decide on the one that seems best. Patience can lead to being active and assertive; don’t confuse patience with passivity. They are very different. If someone is being physically or verbally abusive to you, for their benefit and your own, tell them that behavior is inappropriate and leave the situation. It is also possible that the other party in a relationship will regard this patience or non-
How can one develop the right wisdom through Buddhism to know the right time to break off a relationship because of the uncontrollable anger from the other partner? If we or our children or parents are in physical danger, it’s time to leave. If we are unable to handle the verbal abuse and lose our self-confidence and sense of self-worth, it’s time to separate from the person and work on rebalancing yourself emotionally and spiritually. If allowing the other person to continue to vent their anger damages them and makes them spiral downwards, it’s time to separate from the person. We can separate with firmness and compassion, doing what we need to heal and praying that the other person will seek out the help they need to heal. Try to do this with compassion for yourself and the other person and without blaming yourself or the other person. Avoid creating a hard and fast negative image of the other person and reacting to them as if they were 100% evil or untrustworthy. They still have good qualities. They are hurting as much as you are. When divorce occurs and children are involved, the parents still need to learn to cooperate for the sake of the children. That means not speaking badly of the ex-spouse in front of the children, and not using access to the children as a means to retaliate or to get what you want from the ex-spouse. It means respectfully coordinating with each other who will be with the children when, and how to raise the children. Readers can find more Dharma teachings by Venerable Thubten Chodron at www.sravasti.org and www.thubtenchodron.org EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!8
Face to Face | Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun
Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun by Venerable Karma Tashi Choedron
Venerable Dr. Karma Tashi Choedron is a Malaysian nun ordained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She obtained her Ph.D. in Environment and Resource Studies from Mahidol University, Thailand, and M.Sc. in Highway and Transportation Engineering, and B. Engineering in Civil Engineering from Universiti Sains Malaysia. She became a nun under Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche at Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery in Namo Buddha, Nepal, in June 2009. Prior to becoming a nun (Choela in Tibetan), she had coordinated several social development/sustainable livelihood projects for indigenous communities, i.e. the Orang Asli under the Small Grants Program by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UNDP/Global Environment Facility (GEF) Peat Swamp Forest (PSF) Project in Pahang, Malaysia. From time to time, Choela Karma contributes her expertise to social impact assessments, forest audits and high conservation value forest (HCVF) assessments with local communities in Malaysia and Indonesia while striking a balance between her spiritual life and volunteer work. Choela Karma has authored two books and several articles pertaining to community-based conservation in South-East Pahang. Venerable Karma has also delivered lectures on the environment, animal welfare, Buddhism and interfaith harmony in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. In recognition of her contribution to environment conservation and Buddhism, she received the Outstanding Woman in Buddhism Award in Bangkok on March 5, 2010. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Buddhist Studies at the International Buddhist College, focusing her thesis on comparative religion. Dr Lai Suat Yan interviewed Venerable Karma for the January 2013 issue of Eastern Horizon.
9!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Face to Face | Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun
Suat Yan: Can you provide the background as to how you came in touch with the Buddha Dharma since I understand you are not from a Buddhist family? I became a Buddhist by chance in May 2002 when I first went to Thailand to learn meditation because of my work stress as a civil engineer then. When I requested a Thai friend to recommend me a place to do meditation, he suggested Suan Mokkh, an international meditation center founded by Ajahn Buddhadasa (1906-1993). There, I came across Buddhism for the first time, taught by a Thai Maechee, Ajahn Aree. The basics of Buddhism were packed into the 10-day meditation course. I learnt about the Triple Gem, Four Noble Truths, the Eight Fold Path, Karma, and Dependent Origination. The Dharma just swept me off my feet. I had never heard anything so profound in my life. It was so clear and I saw the truth in all the teachings based on my own experience. And many of my lingering questions such as where do we go after we die, why are we born, how the universe works...they were all answered during the 10 days! That was the biggest eye-opener of my life. It was like getting an electric shock...I was suddenly jolted out of my slumber and a sense of urgency arose in me to practice the Dharma. It was like I finally remembered the purpose of my life and felt that the Buddhadharma was so familiar. It made perfect sense to me and to not practice it made no sense at all. So you decided to become a nun after this experience at Suan Mokh? After the 10-days retreat, for the first time in my life, I felt the great peace of the austere monastery-like environment and my mind was also clear and calm. When I came out, my friends, colleagues and parents said that I looked radiant. That was what they saw but what I felt was truly liberating. I was so much at peace with myself and could not think of going back to normal life. After the retreat, I was able to handle life better and began to practice the Dharma earnestly. I took the Five Precepts and tried my best to keep them. I began to work better and really had a renewed interest and motivation in life. I progressed speedily in my career and studies. But deep down inside I felt that I must become a nun as it would help me tremendously in my practice. I always remembered the peace, calmness, and freedom from all worldly affairs during the 10 days I was at Suan Mokh. Imagine if it was for life! Life is also very short and to squander it doing mundane things will not bring me closer to my goal. I felt that being a nun is most natural to me and began to make aspiration prayers. I was ready since day one but I knew that my parents were not. Seven years later, by some stroke of luck or perhaps by the power of seven years of aspiration prayers, I became a nun in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. Please share with us about the ordination, your preceptor, and where you were ordained. I went to Nepal in June 2009 to attend a teaching at Namo Buddha (Thrangu Tashi Choling Monastery), which is about two hours from Kathmandu. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, abbot and spiritual master of the monastery, was giving a 10-day teaching on Shantidevaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bodhicaryavatara. A lama from Sibu, Sarawak, Lama Ngawang invited me and my Dharma sister and spiritual guide, Venerable Sonam Wangmo to attend this teaching, and made the necessary arrangements for me to be a temporary nun. I did not know my preceptor before I was ordained as a pre-novice (Tib: genyen) nun. In fact, the first time I saw Rinpoche was during my pre-novice ordination and
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!:
Face to Face | Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (born 1933), preceptor of Venerable Karma Choedron.
The peace and quiet at Suan Mokh Meditation Center, Southern Thailand.
refuge ceremony, which was held in closed doors with only Rinpoche, Ven.Sonam, Lama Ngawang, Rinpoche’s attendant and I in the room. I first had to take refuge under Rinpoche who cut out a small lock of hair (tonsure ceremony) and then gave me the refuge and pre-novice vows. I was planning to be a temporary nun for four months as I took leave from work for that amount of time. After my preliminary practice of four months in Bhutan, I was supposed to return home as a lay person. But that never happened. I then decided during the four months that I will stay on as a nun for life. It was a liberating experience and nothing can be compared to the sheer liberty and spaciousness I feel as a nun. Less than a year later, on May 14, 2010, I took the novice (Skt: sramaneri; Tib: getsulma) ordination under the same Rinpoche. I flew to Sibu, Sarawak to attend the Kalachakra teaching by Thrangu Rinpoche. Lama Ngawang arranged for my ordination as I had requested Rinpoche one week earlier in Kuala Lumpur during the Malaysian Kagyu Monlam to confer ordination. As Thrangu Rinpoche is from the Karma Kagyu lineage, my ordination name is Karma Choedron which means “Activity of the Dharma Lamp”. Did you know Thrangu Rinpoche and was it a conscious decision to have him as your preceptor? Taking the sramaneri ordination was a conscious decision on my part as this ordination seals my status as a nun. It is not easy to find a preceptor in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and even more so, a learned scholar and enlightened master like Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. When Lama Ngawang brought up the subject of sramaneri ordination for me in February 2010, I thought a lot about it especially since I would be living in Malaysia and my relatives are not Buddhists and will not accept me as a nun. Weighing all the pros and cons, I decided to take ordination as it is extremely important, and with all the precepts I can practice more seriously. Besides, it is very rare for a Malaysian to be able to be ordained in her homeland by a very high master. Ven. Sonam had to wait six years before becoming a sramaneri as she waited for HH the 14th Dalai Lama to ordain her in a mass ordination ceremony in Dharamsala. So I thought I was very fortunate, the master himself is in the country and I will get an exclusive ordination, all because of Rinpoche’s and Lama Ngawang’s kindness. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, once one takes the novice ordination, it is for life. The only way to get out of monastic life is to disrobe and return my vows, which is certainly not an option.
21!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Face to Face | Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun
Namo Buddha Monastery, about 45 kilometers outside of Kathmandu in the Kavre District, founded by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche in 1978.
Ajahn Buddhadasa (1906-1993)
I understand there is little institutional support for women ordained in the Tibetan tradition in Malaysia. So how do you support yourself as a nun? I am fortunate to have my own apartment, which I bought before I became a nun. This helps tremendously as I do not have to look for a place to stay. However, I do face financial constraints in maintaining the apartment and also in my daily living, traveling, and maintaining my basic requisites. This limitation is not only among those who practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Many nuns living in Malaysia also have difficulties supporting themselves. I do not live in a nunnery or a center because there are simply no nunneries in Malaysia for Tibetan nuns. However, some local Buddhist devotees have recently started Gotami Vihara as a center for nuns in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur. Tibetan Buddhism has many lineages and centers in Malaysia are established under a specific Rinpoche. Thrangu Rinpoche has a center in Kuala Lumpur but it is not available for nuns since two monks live there. I am happy to live and practice in my own apartment which is secluded and quiet, thus ideal for spiritual practice. However, the challenges are maintaining the place, utility bills, transportation, and my basic requisites. So you live alone? I live with my Dharma sister and Tibetan language teacher, Ven. Sonam Wangmo. Both of us support each other spiritually and emotionally in our Dharma practice, and in our studies. In the initial three years since my pre-novice ordination, I worked about 70-80 days a year. I managed to save some money that will last till the end of this year. I may have to take additional work to sustain me for another few years while I am in Malaysia. Before I became a nun, I was an environmental sociologist and worked extensively conducting social impact assessments (SIA), forestry and oil palm audits. I sometimes write reports or edit work in order to earn some money. But I would rather not work as it requires me to compromise my daily practice and it disturbs my practice. Ven. Sonam and I have three lay Dharma friends who sometimes sponsor our basic requisites, especially food and medicine, and provide transport and help to feed our cats when we travel. Apart from that, both Ven. Sonam and I receive donations when we give teachings or are invited for danas and prayers for the sick and deceased. We cannot rely solely on our friends as they have their own families to take care too. When we attend conferences or travel, we use the donations we receive. Some are kind to provide partial sponsorships though we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get full sponsorship for our daily living and travels. Our cash flow fluctuates and our survival depends on how well we can manage our finances.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!22
Face to Face | Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun
What are the joys of living an ordained life? Every living moment is a joy if I practice well. Especially memorable are the group prayers during large congregational prayers where monks and nuns gather to recite sutras. My time spent in retreat is also very joyful. I find teaching the Dharma and helping people during difficult times when they need spiritual support, e.g. during sickness and death of relatives, very satisfying. I feel that my role is especially important as a nun in guiding Dharma friends and their families during times of duress. This is when I see lay people needing the presence of the sangha and to be around for them gives me much joy. What about the challenges that you encountered? Life is a challenge, whether lay or ordained. But since my ordination, I have struggled to stay afloat financially. To have the peace of mind to practice and not worry about meeting basic needs is still elusive. I have peace of mind for a couple of months and then the financial reality sets in again and I tend to worry about how to support myself and my teacher, Ven. Sonam. That is the single biggest challenge living outside a nunnery or a center. I have the freedom to practice according to my own ability and in my own space, but at the price of not having financial security. I also struggle to learn to read, write and communicate in the Tibetan language which is imperative in order for me to be able to study Buddhist philosophy at a deeper level since I am in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition after all. Living in Malaysia is ideal to receive so many teachings and empowerments from very highly qualified masters and for that, I am grateful. However, since I am living outside of the nunnery, most of my studies are piece-meal. But I do have a systematic training in my spiritual practice which I believe is most fortunate for me and keeps me busy. Maybe because I do not live in a nunnery and became a nun only in my mid 30-s, I get the vibes from some people that I am not an ‘authentic’ nun. I have no idea what ‘authentic’ means and as long as I can serve sentient beings, learn the Dharma and have the opportunity to practice it on a daily basis, it is more than enough for me.... without having to worry about my next meal though. When I used to work on short assignments even after ordination, many Dharma friends were very supportive and understanding and never raised their eyebrows that a sangha member is working. Even my preceptor gave his full support. However, the setback is that people also take it for granted that I have the ability to earn an income and leave it at that. I worked because I had no choice but many Dharma friends around me assumed that I was managing well. They tended not to ask about my basic sustenance and left me to fend for myself. Things became so bad that I just stopped working and told friends that I no longer work. If I continue to work, dana will not be forthcoming and it will be counter-productive. What can be done so that women like you are supported as Buddhist nuns? I think that most people have a good heart and want to contribute to the sangha. However, I believe that most are unaware of the difficulties nuns face in securing basic requisites. Most assume that we are funded by our spiritual masters or respective nunneries. The first thing people ask me is, “where is your nunnery/center?” When I reply that I do not have a center, people stare
23!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Face to Face | Joy amidst Challenges of Being a Nun
at me and ask me where do I live then? This concept of living outside of nunneries/temples/ monasteries is very alien to Malaysians. Somehow, it is not as alien in the Himalayan region as there are many practitioners who live on their own. As such, many in Malaysia do not know that there is a real struggle for survival amongst “freelance” sangha members. Many people ask, “why don’t you go and stay in a nunnery in India/Nepal/Tibet?” My reply is, “Malaysia is my country and if I cannot live here, where else should I go?” The sangha is needed in every country and India and Nepal have many monastics. Malaysians need the sangha too, so why should we leave just because we struggle to survive here? I think the first step is for an umbrella organization under Vajrayana Buddhism in Malaysia to reach out to nuns like myself. I believe there are also monks who have to survive in a similar manner, but I think nuns outnumber them. Individuals want to help but how much can they contribute and for how long? It is just not practical. An organization that can look into the welfare of nuns will be the best option. The Theravada Bhikkhunis finally have such an organization in Malaysia. I am working towards finding out how many Vajrayana Buddhist nuns there are in Malaysia who struggle to survive like me and to network with them. Once I have the full list of nuns, I hope that the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia or any other Buddhist organization can reach out to the nuns and help us. At present, I am very grateful to the Tzu-Chi Buddhist Welfare Organization for organizing free health screening for the sangha. I have benefited from them and hope that such organizations will go a step further and also help the so-called “freelance” sangha to survive. What are your plans for the future? Honestly, I simply haven’t thought too much about it. But I am helping Ven. Sonam to set up a retreat center for nuns in Bhutan as this will be very helpful for elderly nuns and nuns who have no place to practice. I will be using all my energies to help Ven. Sonam to achieve her dream. Once the retreat center is completed, I hope to be able to go into long retreat. What are your aspirations? That I can practice the Dharma without worrying about my finances. I hope to be able to enter into a long retreat and practice the stages of the path as instructed by my teachers. Oh yes, I also hope to be able to finally speak and fully understand the Tibetan language and learn Buddhist philosophy more deeply. Finally, I wish that I will make full use of my precious human life to be able to benefit all sentient beings, especially my fellow citizens and to help uplift the status of Buddhist women practitioners, especially nuns. EH
Dr Lai Suat Yan is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya. She received her Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, USA, M.A. from Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands, and B.Comn from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her expertise is in Gender Studies, Religion and Development Studies. She is also a regular contributor to Eastern Horizon.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!24
Teachings | Is Depression Caused by Karma?
Is Depression Caused by Karma? by Āyasmā Kumāra
W
hen having a discussion on the issue of depression, as a Buddhist monk, I’m often asked if it’s caused by karma. Since by karma the person asking most likely means “something bad I did in my past life”, I usually start off by saying, “I don’t know.”
Not getting what we want is suffering enough. When we still want to get it anyhow, it’s more suffering, isn’t it?
What I can say though is that things happen due to causes and conditions, of which karma is one. And karma doesn’t mean what you’ve done in your past life. It means literally action, be it done aeons ago, just now or in the future. What we experience now is partly caused by what we have done, which includes what we have just done, even if it’s just in the mind.
Haven’t you noticed? If noticing this impossibility doesn’t stop the wanting, just keep noticing, until the mind is convinced of what’s true, and enlightens itself.
What is done is done. That seems like an obvious statement, but when we are unable to let go of what we’ve done in the past, it’s a statement worth reminding ourselves of, not with the desire to forget— which is an act (a karma) of aversion—but with a desire to recognize that it’s over. When we think of what we’ve done, it’s sanity to recognize that it is not what we’ve done, but just a memory of that, even if it is done just a moment ago. They aren’t the same thing. What we’ve done is over. All of it! We can’t change any of that, and we don’t have to. What’s more important to ask is “What can I do now?” In other words, it’s important to pay attention to our present karma, new karma. Depression is suffering. Agree? And what’s the cause of suffering? Craving, so the Buddha has told us. Desiring. Wanting. Wanting, wanting, wanting. (This includes wanting to not be wanting.) We don’t always get what we want. Have you noticed?
25!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
This includes wanting what has happened to be different. You can’t have that.
Wanting, wanting, wanting. I want my father’s attention. I want my mother to love me. I want my son to respect me. I want my boss to stop pushing me. I want to be thinner, fairer, taller, shorter, have straight hair (or whatever that’s in fashion). Some of our wants seem reasonable enough. Besides, it’s not wrong to want, isn’t it? Of course it’s not wrong to want. It just causes some suffering; that’s all. And a little bit more for every additional bit of wanting. Bear in mind though that wanting doesn’t go away just because we want it too. However, not being willing to give up wanting would certainly keep it going, and make us really depressed. Have you noticed that, such as when you want people or things to be different from the way they are, to suit your requirement list? He shouldn’t be like this. He should be like that. I shouldn’t have done that. They should have done that. Really? Since when are people—including ourselves— supposed to follow the rules we make? When we make rules for the world, that’s karma. When we want people to meet our requirement list, that’s karma. When we don’t get what we want from them, we may try harder: we scheme, we try to please, we manipulate, we force, we trick, we put down, we flatter, we threaten, we punish, we sulk, we give them
Teachings | Is Depression Caused by Karma?
the cold shoulder. That’ll make them change or That’ll make me change. All of that is karma—negative karma, since they are born out of defilements. Then maybe things don’t turn out the way as we hope they would. We get disappointed, anxious, and we try even harder. More karma. As we go on like this, we eventually find ourselves in a deep chasm of despair, of hopelessness. So, in a way, we can say that wanting is wrong, not that it’s a ‘bad thing’, but that it causes pain. We wrong ourselves by wanting, wanting and wanting. Depressing, isn’t it? So, you see, we make depression. I don’t mean that we do that on purpose. (Some who are depressed don’t even know why.) Who wants to be depressed? Everybody wants to be happy. Everybody tries to be happy, though they may do things (i.e.create karma) that bring about the exact opposite, such as wanting others to fulfill their requirement list. I do really mean though that we create depression, and that’s the good news. If depression was something that’s entirely caused by the circumstances that we’re in, or determined by our past life, or dictated by some higher authority, or just happens to us for no reason; then we’ve had it, because it would then be beyond us to do anything about it. But because depression is
something that we create—due to a lack of spiritual maturity—we can do something about it. We can develop our minds spiritually to comprehend the suffering that we create, so that we know how not to provide the fuel for more suffering. And that’s karma too; the karma to end the karma of wanting. Depression is a wake-up call—a very loud one. It’s telling us that we are doing something, a lot of something, that’s not working for us. The Buddha has done us a big favor by telling us that it’s the wanting. That’s the karma that causes depression. Note: While this article provides some understanding of depression, it is far from being a complete guide on how to be free from it. Should you be suffering from depression, do seek a sincere mental health professional to help you cope and explore the causes. The writer recommends Dr Phang Cheng Kar (pckar@yahoo.com). Āyasmā Kumāra, having being depressed with suicidal thoughts when he was about 10, is fascinated by the phenomena. He recalls wanting his father to love him in the way he wanted him to, which wasn’t what his father could do at that time. As a monk of 14 years now, he is happy to write and talk about depression to help people who suffer from it. By the way, he has realized that actually he loves his father, and that his father loves him too. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!26
Teachings | Equanimity
Equanimity by Dr Gil Fronsdal
E
quanimity, one of the most sublime emotions
of Buddhist practice, is the ground for wisdom and freedom and the protector of compassion and love. While some may think of equanimity as dry neutrality or cool aloofness, mature equanimity produces a radiance and warmth of being. The Buddha described a mind filled with equanimity as “abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility, and without ill-will.”
Gil giving teachings on Buddhism
The English word “equanimity” translates
Gil Fronsdal (born in 1954) has practiced
two separate Pali words used by the Buddha,
in the Soto Zen and Vipassana tradition
upekkha and tatramajjhattata. Upekkha, the more
since 1975.He was trained as a Vipassana
common term, means “to look over” and refers
teacher by Dr Jack Kornfield and is part of
to the equanimity that arises from the power of
the Vipassana teachers’ collective a Spirit
observation—the ability to see without being caught
Rock Meditation Center in California, USA.
by what we see. When well developed, such power
He was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the
gives rise to a great sense of peace.
San Francisco Zen Center in 1982 and was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985. In 1995 he received Dharma transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) of Redwood
Upekkha can also refer to the spaciousness that comes from seeing a bigger picture. Colloquially, in India the word was sometimes used to mean “to see with patience.” We might understand this as “seeing with understanding.” For example, when we know not to take offensive words personally, we are less likely to react to what was said. And by not reacting there is greater possibility to respond from
City, California.. He has a PhD in Buddhist
wisdom and compassion. This form of equanimity
Studies from Stanford University. His many
is sometimes compared to grandmotherly love. The
dharma talks available online contain basic
grandmother clearly loves her grandchildren but,
information on meditation and Buddhism,
thanks to her experience with her own children,
as well as subtle concepts of Buddhism
is less likely to be caught up in the drama of the
explained at the level of the lay person.
grandchildren’s lives. Still more qualities of equanimity are revealed by the term tatramajjhattata, a long compound made of simple Pali words. Tatra, meaning “there,” sometimes
27!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Teachings | Equanimity
refers to “all these things.” Majjha means “middle,”
indifference, aloofness, rigidity, or complacency. But
and tata means “to stand or to pose.” Put together,
when the obstacles are understood and removed,
the word becomes “to stand in the middle of all
then the resulting equanimity can be the foundation
this.” As a form of equanimity, this “being in the
for caring, presence, flexibility and diligence.
middle” refers to balance, to remaining centered in the middle of whatever is happening. This form of
Seven Supports for Equanimity
balance comes from some inner strength or stability.
One approach to developing equanimity is to cultivate the qualities of mind that support it. Here
The strong presence of inner calm, well-being,
are seven supports for equanimity:
confidence, vitality, or integrity can keep us upright, like ballast keeps a ship upright in strong winds (see
1. Integrity
“Seven Supports for Equanimity,”). As inner strength
When we live and act with integrity or virtue, we
develops, for example, from the accumulation
feel confident about our actions and words, which
of mindfulness in the ordinary moments of life,
results in the equanimity of blamelessness. The
equanimity follows.
ancient Buddhist texts speak of being able to go into any assembly of people and feel blameless.
Equanimity is a protection from what are called the Eight Worldly Winds: praise and blame, success
2. Faith
and failure, pleasure and pain, fame and disrepute.
While any kind of faith can provide equanimity,
Becoming attached to or excessively elated with
faith grounded in wisdom is especially powerful.
success, praise, fame, or pleasure can be a setup
The Pali word for faith, saddha, is also translated as
for suffering when the winds of change shift. For
“conviction” or confidence. If we have confidence,
example, success can be wonderful, but if it leads to
for example, in our ability to engage in a spiritual
arrogance, we have more to lose in future challenges.
practice, then we are more likely to meet its challenges with equanimity.
Becoming personally invested in praise can tend toward conceit. Identifying with failure, we may feel
3. A well-developed mind
incompetent or inadequate. Reacting to pain, we
Much as we might develop physical strength,
may become discouraged. If we understand or feel
balance, and stability of the body in a gym, so too
that our sense of inner well-being is independent of
can we develop strength, balance, and stability of the
the Eight Winds, we are more likely to remain on an
mind. This is done through practices that cultivate
even keel in their midst.
calm, concentration, and mindfulness. When the mind is calm, we are less likely to be blown about by
A simple definition of “equanimity,” considering
the worldly winds.
the various Pali roots, is the capacity to not be caught up with what happens to us. We can practice
4. Well-being
with equanimity by studying the ways that we get
In Buddhism, it’s considered appropriate and helpful
caught. Instead of pursuing the ideal of balance
to cultivate and enhance our well-being. It is all
and nonreactivity directly, we can give careful
too easy to overlook the well-being that is easily
attention to how balance is lost and how reactivity is
available in daily life. Even taking time to enjoy one’s
triggered. Trying to fit into some idealistic model of
tea or the sunset can be a training in letting in well-
what being equanimous is supposed to look like can
being.
all too easily produce such threats to equanimity as
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!28
Teachings | Equanimity
Berkeley Zen Center where Gil receives Zen teachings.
Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City
5. Wisdom
reactive tendencies. We can get a taste of what
Wisdom can teach us to separate people’s actions
this means by noticing areas in which we were
from who they are. We can agree or disagree
once reactive but are no longer so. For example,
with their actions, but remain balanced in our
some issues that upset us when we were teenagers
relationship with a person. Or we can understand
prompt no reaction at all now that we are adults. In
that our own thoughts and impulses are the result
Buddhist practice, we work to expand the range of
of impersonal conditions. By not taking them so
life experiences in which we are free.
personally, we are more likely to stay at ease with their arising.
The Buddha on Equanimity As a solid mass of rock
One of the most powerful ways to use wisdom
Is not stirred by the wind,
to facilitate equanimity is to be mindful of when
So a sage is not moved
equanimity is absent. Honest awareness of what
By praise and blame.
makes us imbalanced helps us to learn how to find
As a deep lake
balance. Wisdom can also be an important factor
Is clear and undisturbed,
in learning to have an accepting awareness, to be
So a sage becomes clear
present without the mind or heart contracting or
Upon hearing the Dharma.
resisting.
Virtuous people always let go. They don’t prattle about pleasures and desires.
6. Insight
Touched by happiness and then by suffering,
Insight is a deep seeing into the nature of things as
The sage shows no sign of being elated or depressed.
they are. One of the primary insights is the nature of
—Dhammapada 81-83
impermanence. In the deepest forms of insight, we see that things change so quickly that we can’t hold
When a practitioner has discerned formations
onto anything, and eventually the mind lets go of
by attributing the three characteristics [non-self,
clinging. Letting go brings equanimity; the greater
impermanence, and suffering] to them and seeing
the letting go, the deeper the equanimity.
them as empty in this way, he abandons both terror and delight, and becomes indifferent to them and
7. Freedom
neutral. The practitioner neither takes them as ‘’I’’
Freedom comes when we begin to let go of our
nor as “mine” and is like a person who has divorced
29!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Teachings | The Fertile Soil of Sangha
The Fertile Soil of Sangha by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh
Spirit Rock Meditation Center where Gil teaches Buddhism
a spouse [and in so doing become unaffected by the doings of the ex-spouse). —Visuddhimagga 21.61 Equanimity is characterized as promoting neutrality toward all beings. Its function is to see equality in beings. It is manifested as the quieting of resentment and approval. Its proximate cause is seeing ownership of deeds [karma] thus: “Beings are owners of their deeds. Whose [if not
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, a renowned Zen master, a poet, and a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness. He visited Malaysia in 2010 where he was the Keynote Speaker at the World Buddhist Conference in Kuala Lumpur.
theirsl is the choice by which they will become happy, or will get free from suffering, or will not fall away from the success they have reached?” It succeeds when it makes resentment and approval subside, and it fails when it produces the equanimity of unknowing. —Visuddhimagga 9.96 Rahula, develop meditation that is like the earth, for then agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions will not take charge of your mind. Just as when people throw what is clean and unclean on the earth—feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood—the earth is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it; in the same way, agreeable and disagreeable sensory impressions will not take charge of you mind when you develop meditation like the earth. —Majjhima-nikaya 62 EH
TWO THOUSAND five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha proclaimed that the next Buddha will be named Maitreya, the “Buddha of Love.” I think Maitreya Buddha may be a community and not just an individual. A good community is needed to help us resist the unwholesome ways of our time. Mindful living protects us and helps us go in the direction of peace. With the support of friends in the practice, peace has a chance. If you have a supportive sangha, it’s easy to nourish your bodhicitta, the seeds of enlightenment. If you don’t have anyone who understands you, who encourages you in the practice of the living dharma, your desire to practice may wither. Your sangha— family, friends, and copractitioners—is the soil, and you are the seed. No matter how vigorous the seed is, if the soil does not provide nourishment, your seed will die. A good sangha is crucial for the practice. Please find a good sangha or help create one.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!2:
Teachings | The Fertile Soil of Sangha
Entrance to Plum Village in France where Thich Nhat Hanh stays.
Thich Nhat Hanh and his Sangha members in France
Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are three precious jewels in Buddhism, and the most important of these is Sangha. The Sangha contains the Buddha and the Dharma. A good teacher is important, but sisters and brothers in the practice are the main ingredient for success. You cannot achieve enlightenment by locking yourself in your room. Transformation is possible only when you are in touch. When you touch the ground, you can feel the stability of the earth and feel confident. When you observe the steadiness of the sunshine, the air, and the trees, you know that you can count on the sun to rise each day and the air and the trees to be there. When you build a house, you build it on solid ground. You need to choose friends in the practice who are stable, on whom you can rely. Taking refuge in the sangha means putting your trust in a community of solid members who practice mindfulness together. You do not have to practice intensively—just being in a sangha where people are happy, living deeply the moments of their days, is enough. Each person’s way of sitting, walking, eating, working, and smiling is a source of inspiration; and transformation takes place without effort. If someone who is troubled is placed in a good sangha, just being there is enough to bring about a transformation. I hope communities of practice in the West will organize themselves as families. In Asian sanghas, we address each other as Dharma Brother, Dharma Sister, Dharma Aunt, or Dharma Uncle, and we call our teacher Dharma Father or Dharma Mother. A practice community needs that kind of familial brotherhood to nourish practice.
Thich Nhat Hanh delivering his Keynote Address at the World Buddhist Conference 2010 in Kuala Lumpur
Source: Cultivating the Mind of Love, by Thich Nhat Hanh. Parallax Press, 2008. US$14.95. To purchase a copy of this book, please access the website: www.parallax.org
31!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
If you have a sangha that is joyful, animated by the desire to practice and help, you will mature as a bodhisattva. I always tell the monks, nuns, and lay practitioners at Plum Village that if they want to succeed in the practice, they have to find ways to live in harmony with one another, even with those who are difficult. If they can’t succeed in the sangha, how can they succeed outside of it? Becoming a monk or a nun is not just between student and teacher. It involves everyone. Getting a “yes” from everyone in the sangha is a true dharma seal. EH
Teachings | Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating
Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating by Venerable Faxun
Born in Singapore, Venerable Fa Xun graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic where she was President of its Buddhist Society. In 1992 she was ordained in Taiwan by Venerable Wu Yin of Luminary Bhikshuni Sangha（香光妮 僧团）, where she also went through five years of monastic training in the institute. Upon completion of her monastic training, she returned to Singapore and conducted adult’s and children’s Dharma classes in English and Mandarin. In 2001, Venerable continued to pursue her education by doing a Bachelor of Arts and Education degree at University of Western Australia and in 2009 she completed her Honours Degree with a thesis entitled “The Other Path: The Bhikkhuni Quest for Liberation.” In 2011, Venerable authored the book “One Life, Five Precepts: Buddhist Ethics for Modern Living”. Currently Venerable is teaching at various Buddhist centres in Singapore, Malaysia and Western Australia, and is a regular contributor to Eastern Horizon and various other Buddhist magazines.
How relevant is Mindfulness in the modern world? What does Buddhism says about mindful eating? How do we apply it in the contemporary world where over-eating is an issue?
M
indfulness as a concept and practice occupies a significant place in the overall scheme of Buddhist meditative training. It is practiced and emphasized in all Buddhist schools/traditions (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana) and is considered a key aspect of the path to realization and liberation. In recent decades, there has been great interest in the application of mindfulness training in the West, ranging from Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn’s ground-breaking work on mindfulnessbased stress reduction (MBSR) to new research taken up by nutritional science. In their recent book, Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, Dr. Lilian Cheung and Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh applied the ‘science’ of Buddhist mindfulness practice to bring about healthy eating.
Mindfulness is translated from the Pali word Sati. While it is translated as mindfulness in English, it is translated into Chinese as 念 which is made up of the radical 今 which means ‘now’ and the radical 心 which means ‘heart’. In essence, it means the present heart (mind). It has the connotation of awareness, introspection/reflection, as well as recollection depending on the context it is being used. For example, to place the heart on what one is doing is to be aware, to place the heart on what one is thinking is to reflect, and to place the heart on the teachings of the Buddha is to recollect or remember. Pali words relating to the mind such as citta and mana are commonly translated as heart (心) in Chinese.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!32
Teachings | Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating
Ven Thich Nhat Hanh
Dr Lilian Cheung
According to H. Gunaratana1, mindfulness (Pali. sati) is an activity and is pre-symbolic whereas the word is symbolically devised out of the symbolic levels of the mind. The actual (mindful) experience lies beyond words and symbols. In essence, there is a limitation to translation and there is no equivalent word to the Pali term Sati. However, within all Buddhist traditions, regardless of language, there is a common understanding that Sati is an “intrinsic awareness” that is not dependent on the body organ, be it the brain or the heart.
connotation of judgement and duality. As discussed, language and culture affects the way we understand and interpret Buddhism. In Buddhism, samma has the sense of skilful/wholesome, leading towards genuine happiness and ultimately the awakening/liberation of beings.
As language affects the way we think and the way we think affects language use, language will affect the way we understand and interpret Buddhism. Hence, mindfulness has been treated and applied differently across the Buddhist schools/traditions throughout Buddhist history.
Verse 1: Those who wish to guard their practice Should very attentively guard their minds For those who do not guard their minds Will be unable to guard their practice3.
“Mindfulness” occupies a significant place in the overall scheme of Buddhist doctrine, occurring in various Buddhist scriptures and in different contexts. “Right mindfulness” (Pali. samma-sati) is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths leading to the extinction of suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path is traditionally divided into three inter-dependent divisions – ethics (right action, speech and livelihood), concentration/ meditation (right mindfulness, effort, meditation), and wisdom (right view and understanding). In right mindfulness, a prefix “right” (Pali. samma) is added to “mindfulness” (Pali. sati). In the West, influenced by the Christian Old Testament, “right” is tangled up with the word “righteous” which has the
33!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Right mindfulness is a key aspect on the path of liberation. The eighth century scholar Shantideva, wrote in Chapter 5 of his A Guide to Bodhisattva way of Life2 , on guarding the mind:
Shantideva maintained that the cultivation of mindfulness is central to leading an awakened life. The “practice” which he is concerned here is the bodhisattva’s training. However, this practice can be applied in daily life, especially during our eating. He insisted it is impossible to achieve or maintain our “practice” without mindfulness. This is because it is possible to remain utterly inattentive to one’s own lifestyle or failing to notice situations that call for skilful response (sense restraint). It is possible not to recognize one’s eating attitude and habit even if one is obsessed with the idea of eating healthily. Recently, nutritionist Dr Lilian Chung applied the ancient wisdom of mindfulness from Buddhism to bring about healthy eating. Instead of a prescribed health menu, nutritionists now begin to see mindfulness as an
Teachings | Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating
important element to bring about healthy eating. Engaged Buddhism Traditionally, mindfulness is a practice of introspective withdrawal. But Buddhism also means energetic engagement. Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh coined the term “engaged Buddhism” as he believes that the way to achieve enlightened freedom from the confines of the physical realm comes directly from how consciously we engage with it. In his book Peace is Every Step he states that mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what is the use of seeing? We must be aware of the real problems of the world. Then, with mindfulness, we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.
The latest book by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
Mindful Eating We are living in an era where more and more people are over eating and getting overweight. Obesity has become a trend and a health issue. According to Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, obesity is created by unmindful production and unmindful consumption. He introduces the teaching of Mindful Eating as a response to the suffering of obesity. He skilfully phrased it as follows: “Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society.” When one is aware of suffering caused by unmindful consumption, one begins to recognize exactly what to consume and what not to consume in order to keep our bodies, our minds, and the earth healthy, and not cause suffering for ourselves and for others.
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Chozen Bays, a Zen roshi in the US
Mindfulness means to be “aware”. We need to be aware that being overweight will increase the risk of many health problems such as heart attack, hypertension, etc, causing suffering to individuals, family, society as well as our world as a whole. We need to be aware of the root cause of the problem (craving) - and the elements (consumerism and advertising) that contribute to it. We need to question ourselves, in terms of food and eating, “Who is doing the saying?”, “What is being said?” and “Through what channel?” Traditionally, religion had great influence over society and religious scriptures provided the guidelines to conduct our lives – what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, how much to eat. Today, the role of religion has weakened tremendously, and capitalist values have invaded almost every aspect of society. David Loy highlighted that ‘our present economic
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!34
Teachings | Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating
A mindful meal at Blue Cliff Monastery, New York, USA
system institutionalizes greed’, which nourishes the seeds of desire and indulgence. In this capitalist era, we are constantly bombarded with a myriad of persuasive advertisements. A quick survey on food advertisements will show that “indulgence” is constantly used as a slogan and catch phrase. These advertisements persuade us to crave and indulge in unhealthy food and drinks such as sweetened beverages and deserts loaded with saturated fat and sugar. While the advertisers promote “indulgence”, from the religious (Buddhist) perspective “indulgence” is non-virtuous and will bring suffering to one-self and others. In essence, mindfulness enables us to be aware of what the advertisers say and check if what the advertisers say is leading us to genuine happiness so that we do not buy into the consumerist culture and end up over eating or eating unhealthy foods. Awareness during eating In addition, we need to be aware of how we eat. The pace of life in modern living is so fast that we need to be multi-taskers. We are eating while watching or listening to our i-phone and i-pad instead of eating with mindfulness. We need to slow down and stay at the present moment and be engaged with the food we eat. This “simple awareness” is commonly known as “bare awareness” in classical Buddhist scriptures. It is a bare and exact registering of object (in this case the food and taste) without concepts and judgements. By slowing down and staying in the present moment, such moment to moment awareness enables us to de-
35!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
automize our impulse to food. It enables us to relearn how to eat and change our bad eating habits. We begin to eat with awareness, truly tasting and enjoying the food. This is the type of joy that brings genuine happiness. It is nourishing and helps us to remain clear and lucid. This is the kind of joy that we need as compared to the happiness (indulgence) promoted by the advertisers. Mindfulness enables one to realize that indulgence in eating will bring toxins into the mind and body that may ultimately bring suffering to one-self and others. Mindfulness has the element of “protective awareness” where it acts as a “gatekeeper” that exercises sense constraint over the stimuli of the six sense bases. With mindful eating, we begin to look deeply at what we eat and why we eat, for which we have taken for granted. We begin to see our desire and thus guard against it. It then de-automize our impulse to the stimuli (food), thereby empowering us to free ourselves from being “enslaved” to craving for certain food. Mindfulness has also the element of “introspective awareness”. In this case mindfulness acts as a kind of introspective vigilance whereby the mind directs its attention to wholesome/skilful states. With mindfulness one begins to develop the power to choose healthy food and eat moderately.
Teachings | Mindful Eating, Healthy Eating
Mindfulness is also seen as “recollection”, “remembrance”, and ” memory” which allows us to recollect and reflect on the Buddha’s teachings to bring about wholesome thoughts and images to restructure the mind positively. In the Samyutta Nikaya the Buddha described sati thus: “And what, bhikkhus [monks], is the faculty of mindfulness? Here, bhikkhus, the noble disciple is mindful, possessing supreme mindfulness and discretion, one who remembers and recollects what was done and said long before.”4 The Theravada monastic will recite and reflect on the following verse before eating: “Wisely reflecting, I will take this food. Not for fun, not for pleasure, not for fattening, not for intoxication, but for the maintenance and nourishment of this body. Thinking thus, I will allay hunger and not give rise to new feelings of greed through overeating. Reflecting wisely, may I live comfortably and lead the holy life that is blameless.” In the Han-Mahayana Tradition, the following Five Reflections are considered: 1. Consider the amount of effort and work that goes into preparation of the food (计功多少，量彼来 处) 2. Reflect on one’s cultivation and consider whether one is befitting of this offering (忖己德行，全缺应 供) 3. Guard against the arising of defilements such as greed, anger or delusion while consuming food (防 心离过，贪等为宗) 4. Consider food and drinks as a medicine to cure the disease of hunger and thirst (正事良药，为疗形 枯) 5. For the sake of cultivation, we take this food (为成 道业，故受此食) Monastics use the alms bowl to eat and reflect on the meaning of the bowl. The term for the bowl is “the vessel of appropriate measure”（如来应量器）. In
1
addition, in 佛遺教經 [Fo Yi Jiao Jing, Parinibbana Sutra Chinese Version] (Cebta, T12n0389_001), the Buddha advised his disciples to treat food/drinks as medicine; not to increase or decrease its quantity based on the taste, rather to consume the “right quantity”. Just as medicine cures sickness, food/drinks is meant to quench our thirst and allay our hunger. In essence, such reflections enable us to stay focus on our “practice” to eat healthily. Eating with recollection and reflection, we begin to eat with right understanding. Food is for the nourishment of the body, not for sensual pleasure, and we also eat with moderation. In addition, we eat with gratitude and compassion. We appreciate that food is a gift from mother earth and are aware of the tremendous hard work and loving kindness that has gone into its preparation. We are thus nourished physically as well as mentally and spiritually by eating with mindfulness. There is much to draw from the Buddha’s teaching on mindfulness to gain an insight into contemporary health issues. Modern scientists have now begun to regard food as the best medicine as compared to pills and drugs. Likewise, nutritionists now view mindfulness as an important tool to bring about healthy eating. Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching on mindful eating is practical and a timely approach to the obesity epidemic affecting contemporary society. It enables us to step back and take a look inwardly at our inner most desires and craving which are the root cause of our problems. As Shantideva emphasized, mindfulness is central to our “practice”. In maintaining our well-being, mindfulness is essential to help us become fully aware of what to eat, how to eat, and how much to eat, to cultivate a healthy and positive relationship with food. In mindful eating, we engage with what we are eating, we stay with the food and truly enjoy what we eat, yet not indulge in it. So we eat in moderation. As Andrew Olendzki commented, “true mindfulness is deeply and inextricably embedded in the notion of wholesomeness”. EH
Gunaratana, H., 2002, Mindfulness in Plain English, Wisdom Publication, Boston. A Guide to Bodhisattva way of Life is a very important text still studied by practitioners in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. 3 http://server.dream-fusion.net/jamchen/files/PDF%20Files/19361420-A-Guide-to-the-Bodhisattvas-Way-of-Life.pdf 4 See Bodhi, B, 2000 The connected Discourse of the Buddha: a new translation of the SamyuttaNikaya (p. 1671) FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!36 2
Teachings | Advice from the Dalai Lama on Overcoming Negative Emotions
Advice from the Dalai Lama on Overcoming Negative Emotions by Benny Liow Woon Khin His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (b. 1935)
On August 31, 2012, thirty Malaysian Buddhists from the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia www.vbcm.org (VBCM) and the Organizing Committee of the World Buddhist Conference (WBC) met His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in his office in Dharamsala, India. VBCM, led by its President, Allan Koo, went to meet His Holiness to invite him to be its Spiritual Advisor, which he gladly accepted. The WBC members who attended the meeting wanted to interview His Holiness about the theme of the Conference which is “Transcending Negative Emotions: Creating Happiness and Well-Being in our Lives.” Benny Liow, the Program Director, was able to meet His Holiness and posed the following three questions: 1.
What are positive and negative emotions?
2.
How do we overcome them in our daily life?
3.
Which positive emotions are most essential for us to cultivate initially?
His Holiness gave the following response:
Infinite Altruism in Life In practicing the Buddha’s teachings, we must develop infinite altruism towards all sentient beings, in particular to human beings. The opposite is attachment. With attachment, it immediately brings us into a “we” and “they” situation. We will always take care of our “we” or “me” but we usually don’t care about the others. At times we even exploit and bully others. In democratic countries, we supposedly do not bully others but in a clever way, we sometimes exploit them. Problems arise if we have attachment which is a negative emotion. His Holiness explained that we should therefore develop some conviction, “For my own long term interest, I must develop the right kind of action. But in order to have the right kind of action, I must develop the right motivation.” He then added that right action includes being honest and truthful based on an altruistic attitude.
37!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Teachings | Advice from the Dalai Lama on Overcoming Negative Emotions
Making our Present Life Meaningful His Holiness explained that one of the aims of Buddhism is to improve this life in order to be happy. He joked that most of the time we Buddhists like to talk about the next life. Of course, we cannot ignore this life of course but the next life should also be a nice life. His advice is that the realistic way to make preparation for a good next life is to ensure that this present life is meaningful. This means you cannot Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala, private residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
His Holiness further elaborated that as soon as we have this division of “they” and “we”, negative emotions such as hatred, jealousy and anger towards others will naturally arise. Pointing to himself, he said sometimes anger arises in oneself too though this may not be very serious. But when there is a “me” and “they” in our anger, thoughts such as “I want to eliminate that person, I want to beat that person” will arise. But with altruism, we can reduce the gap between “me” and “they” that arise in our minds. Attachment can look very nice. For instance, you can say, “I love my friends, I love my family. I love my nation.” This is good. But then again, such thoughts are actually dividing us into “me” and “they”, or “we” and “they”. His Holiness explained that in order to be a 21st century Buddhist, we must spend more time studying Dharma, not the rituals. In the Tibetan case, he said they have a thousand years of rituals but there is not much benefit here. He joked that perhaps lamas who carry rituals may get some money out of it! (Laughter). He continued to emphasize that study is more important. Ultimately, Buddha himself told us that “you are your own master”. So His Holiness’s advice is that we should carry out the right kind of actions in life but in order to do that, we need to have full knowledge of our mind. Then we will have the ability to check our own emotions, especially the negative ones.
do negative actions like cheating or bullying others or telling lies. With a hint of sarcasm, he said this also applies to those sitting on high thrones! He said that sometimes he thinks some religious teachers act with hypocrisy - they say nice things but act differently. He felt we must be realistic and frank in our behavior. He then paused shortly and said that all these negative emotions arise due to lack of knowledge of the mind.
Human Emotions His Holiness then explained about the different emotions being part of our mind. He said these emotions are mainly there for survival. He gave the example of anger – it expels causes or forces that harm us. Then he gave the example of attachment - it can be useful for survival. When we think something is good for us, we get attached to it. Animals survive very much on these two emotions of anger and attachment (as well as fear). For survival, animals make use of attachment for sexual reproduction. All these emotions are part of our mind. However, His Holiness emphasized that as human beings we have the marvelous human intelligence and thus, our emotions should not be like animal emotions. Our emotions should not be just for our immediate survival like the animals but emotions should have a wider and longer term purpose. Also, our human emotions such as anger not only to expel negative forces for survival but have repercussions on the community and even on a national and global level. Though animals have emotions such as anger, they are not able to harm human society. But human anger has the far-reaching ability to harm both
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!38
Teachings | Advice from the Dalai Lama on Overcoming Negative Emotions
animals and humans. It is the same with our attachment. His Holiness then cautioned us that because of our intelligence and capabilities, our negative emotions such as attachment, anger and fear can transcend far and wide, creating many problems for humanity.
How to Control Negative Emotions How do we control these harmful emotions? His Holiness His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama having a group photo with members of the Organizing Committee of the WBC.
said firstly, we need to understand there are different types of emotions - negative or harmful emotions, and positive or good emotions. For example, anger and hatred are emotions which are negative to oneself and to others. Love, kindness and a sense of caring or concern for the well-being for others are positive emotions. He clarified that these two categories of emotions are directly opposite to each other. Positive emotions can change destructive emotions such as anger and hatred. So we need to cultivate these positive emotions all the time.
Allan Koo, VBCM President, with Benny Liow (L) and Loh Yit Phing, WBC Secretary, offering Dharma books to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
His Holiness said that there is no other way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no injection, tranquilizers nor alcohol can help us overcome our negative emotions. The only way is to gain full knowledge of the power of utilizing emotions which oppose these destructive emotions. Therefore, we must try to strengthen and develop these positive emotions to destroy the negative emotions. When there is more anger, loving kindness is reduced but when there is more loving kindness, anger will be reduced. This is a mental law of the universe.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama offering katha to Dr Goh Pik Pin, President of Losang Dragpa Center, Petaling Jaya, as Dr YK Chin of VBCM waits his turn.
So how do this? How do we cultivate positive emotions? His Holiness explained that we must use our human intelligence. He gave the example of anger. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say if you really want to hit someone, you would first analyze the situation to find his weakest spot and then hit him there. But if strong anger develops in your mind, you become like mad and cannot judge properly how to hit him. So if you analyze it this way, anger can be seen as harmful because it not only destroys your own peace of mind but also destroys your ability to function properly or make good judgments.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama signing copies of photographs of the 18 Nalanda Pandits to be presented to all Malaysian delegates.
Thus, Holiness said we should think along this line to overcome anger. His Holiness then mentioned a recent article which described how a person who tells lies has a higher risk of
39!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Teachings | Advice from the Dalai Lama on Overcoming Negative Emotions
developing more stress. This is very true. When one
will have a great impact on the future development
tells a lie, even if the other person does not know it,
of the child. His Holiness cited research which
deep inside the liar is the thought that “I have told a
reveals that those who have received much affection
lie” and one will feel uncomfortable. This destructive
in their early years are much happier persons in
feeling is harmful to our lives, as it destroys peace
their adult life. There are individuals who may be
of mind and in the long term it is also bad for our
powerful and rich but if they lacked affection from
health.
their mothers or family members in their early years, they have a deep seated sense of unhappiness
Some scientists have said that negative emotions
or insecurity in them. If there is affection within
such as hatred, anger and fear eat into our immune
the family, every family member will feel happy. So
system. On the other hand, positive emotions
having an altruistic attitude is immensely good and
like loving kindness, truthfulness, honesty and
beneficial for ourselves and others. Infinite altruism
transparency give us inner strength and self
or Bodhicitta or jangchub sem in Tibetan is also the
confidence. Such positive emotions also bring peace
essence of the Buddha’s message.
of mind. So as a human, our intelligence plays an immense role. His Holiness said that we should
When infinite altruism is combined with the wisdom
analyze the short term and long term consequences
understanding ultimate reality or emptiness
of emotions, their advantages and disadvantages.
(sunyata), then one’s life truly becomes meaningful. It is important to combine these two qualities. From
His Holiness than explained that Buddhist
the Buddhist viewpoint, particularly the view of
psychology is about training the mind. We use
the Nalanda tradition, the ultimate destination is
our intelligence to familiarize with positive states
Buddhahood. So the practice of the combination of
of mind – this is called mind training and is the
infinite altruism and sunyata is the proper way to
most important part of Buddhism. In this life, we
reach Buddhahood.
should be peaceful and truthful and become more compassionate. If possible, we should also serve
His Holiness shared with the audience his daily
others. If this is not possible, then we should at least
schedule. He said that every morning as soon as he
refrain from harming others. Such actions create
wakes up at 3.00 am, he would practice Bodhicitta
good karma, genuine causes for a good life in the
meditation. He said that even though he still has
next rebirth and ultimately Buddhahood.
anger, he will always remember the Buddha’s teachings on bodhicitta and ultimate reality. This
Developing the Positive Emotions
has been his daily practice and he finds that it is of
His Holiness said that it he believes it is very useful
immense help to him. Obviously this is something we
to develop the altruistic attitude which is based
can learn from His Holiness for our everyday life.
on loving kindness. It doesn’t matter whether one believes in Buddhism or not, since all the world
At the close of the meeting, we all gave prayer shawls
religions practice love and compassion; tolerance
and scarfs to the Dalai Lama, and he gave gifts and
and forgiveness. All religious traditions teach these
blessings back. Then His Holiness looked at all of
values, which he calls basic secular human values.
us, thanking us for the time, and smiling as always.
Warm-heartedness and the altruistic attitude are
With his words of wisdom still in our minds, we left
also very good for even our health. A person needs
the room and took a group photograph with His
to receive constant affection from others, just like
Holiness – a wonderful memory that all thirty of us
our children do. According to scientists, a mother’s
would surely cherish. EH
constant touch of the baby with affection after birth
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!3:
Face to Face | Being Truly Happy
Being Truly Happy by Ven Matthieu Ricard
My favorite line from the interview with Matthieu Ricard was “Thinking about your death gives extraordinary quality to every moment of your life.” Vadivu Govind. Image Copyright: Joy Works
Ven Matthieu Ricard (born 1946) is a monk, photographer and best-selling author of “Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill” and “Why Meditate?” among other books. He is the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama. After completing his Ph.D. degree in molecular genetics from Pasteur Institute in France, he decided to forsake his scientific career and concentrate on the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. He lived in the Himalayas studying with many great Tibetan masters and became the close student and attendant of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche until his death in 1991. Ven Ricard started Karuna-Shechen (www. karuna-shechen.org)in 2000 with the ideal of compassion to oversee projects that provide health care, education, and social services for the under-served populations of India, Nepal, and Tibet. He is dubbed as the happiest person in the world by popular media but do read about how he feels about this on his blog. Vadivu Govind, Director of Joyworks Works (joyworks.sg), interviewed Ven Ricard at Poh Ming Tse Temple when he was in Singapore on 13 Sept 2013. She blogs at happiness.sg. Eastern Horizon thanks Vadivu for her permission to reprint this interview with Ven Ricard.
41!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Vadivu: There’s often a split between what we know is compassionate, wise and truthful and what we do. And sometimes we think we are growing because we keep going to spiritual events or our place of worship but our daily life actions may not reflect that. What are your reflections on this and how can we heal this gap? Ricard: That’s the main challenge. We can deal with this by recognizing the truth of the teachings. After all, it’s not an obligation. You don’t have to practice meditation or live a spiritual life, like you pay tax. Who’s going to keep those accounts? Nobody. So it’s really a way to become a better person and live a more fulfilled life. When you don’t live with spiritual awareness, you may get a slap on the face. These are not just rules by anyone to just annoy us. They indicate what need to be accomplished so we can avoid suffering. You don’t see a bird as “renouncing” its cage but it’s freeing itself from its cage. There’s nothing sad to abandon one’s cage. So the ultimate criteria for healthy spiritual practice is to blend one’s mind and life with the teachings. That comes slowly and with that comes happiness. What are your favorite movies? I like movies that give hope in the human nature… so any movie that brings the best out of yourself..there are quite a few like Groundhog Day…so it [Phil’s way] fails, it fails, it fails, until compassion comes in. I like this kind of movie with the message of compassion. There’s another one in French – The intouchables. Many movies now have meanness and violence. It seems there’s nothing except the gratuitous will to
Face to Face | Being Truly Happy
harm. This is a wrong presentation of human nature. Pure evil is very very rare in humanity. Even people who commit terrible acts always think they have a reason. It’s never just doing evil for the sake of evil. This is really wrong. Unfortunately [these movies] have great influence on everyone, especially the children, but also adults. It increases their aggression and gives them a pessimistic outlook on life. It’s extremely negative. There was a very interesting study by Ed Diener and Darlene DeFour which showed that when people were shown a program with violent scenes deleted, it didn’t significantly affect the popularity of the program. So the idea that you gain more audience because it’s violent is morally wrong and isn’t true. If you knew you had one year left to live, what would you do more of? What would you do less of? I’d stop mending my socks! I would very quickly hand over this charitable organization, KarunaShechen, in a few weeks. And then I will entirely spend that time getting instructions from my teachers and then go into hermitage. There are different definitions of happiness. Could you describe what it feels like to be truly happy? Inner peace. Inner peace comes with inner freedom. What is inner freedom? It’s not just to do what comes to your head. That would be being a slave of your thoughts. Inner freedom is to be free from constantly ruminating over the past or constantly anticipating the future with lots of grasping, hopes and fears, expectations and doubts. It is to be able to remain in the present moment without being disturbed by craving, anger, jealousy and so forth. So it is a state of freedom from such mental toxins. Hatred is toxic to happiness. Craving is toxic to happiness. Arrogance is toxic to happiness. Contrary to what people might think, this is not a dull state. It is not that if you got rid of all those afflictive emotions , life becomes boring and
colorless. Not at all. This is the most vivid, luminous, aware state of peace and out of that comes loving kindness and compassion. In short, it is inner peace from disturbing thoughts linked with some understanding of reality (wisdom) and it is pervaded with love and compassion. All that together – that’s genuine happiness. As you can see, it is very different from looking for an endless succession of pleasurable experiences. Those are recipes for exhaustion. That’s what people try to do. Another one….another one…another one….then they collapse out of exhaustion. And also that doesn’t bring happiness. I’m at that point of exhaustion…I have a very stressful and hectic lifestyle. What are some daily practices that you can recommend for me? Even if you have a very hectic lifestyle, you probably find time to go to a very nice gym in the early morning and exert yourself on a bicycle or treadmill because you are convinced that it’s good for your health and that you will lose less hair, get rid of your tummy and look good and young. Imagine that for 30 minutes a day you learn how to deal better with your mind and emotions and that this will change the quality of the 23 hours and thirty minutes left in your day. You can become familiar with your own mind and learn through simple methods of mind-training how to distinguish between thoughts and emotions that undermine your wellbeing and those that nurture it. You can learn how to cultivate inner joy and inner peace. This mind training will diminish your stress and bring you more serenity and above all will give you the inner resources to deal with the ups and downs of life. Because however powerful you might be, your control of the world is very limited, temporary and illusory…there are ups and downs in the stock market or you may lose your job. You think you are the boss and the next day, everybody throws you out
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!42
Face to Face | Being Truly Happy
so if you put all your hopes and fears on that and you think that if you don’t have that, you cannot be happy, it’s like hoping to win the lottery.
of your enterprise and life is to make profit, and is totally devoid of the human dimension, you’re drying up your life.
If you look at the inner conditions of your mind, no matter what, you can keep your serenity, strength of mind and confidence. Because it’s in your mind. Nobody can take that away from you. Nobody. So if you cultivate that, then you know it’s like a cat. If you throw a cat in the air, it will fall back on its four legs. You know that no matter what happens, you will have the inner resources to deal with that.
This is a recipe for sorrow, selfishness, and misery. And when things go wrong and your enterprise doesn’t do well financially, since there’s no human dimension, then everybody would run away.
When you are feeling vulnerable or insecure, and the insecurity causes you to withdraw into yourself, you could become self-centred or arrogant. If you know that you have the resources to deal with the world, then you don’t have to be insecure. You don’t just depend on your image, what people think of you, your rank, your position as a CEO… With inner confidence, you are open to others because you’re not occupied with “me, me, me” all the time. Inner strength naturally opens you to kindness, benevolence, so then you’re ready for really constructive activity in the word and not just ceaselessly and mainly promoting self-interest. My Thoughts. But you know, as a leader, my main responsibility is to bring profit to my shareholders, not to look at things like compassion or the happiness of my employees. That’s their personal matter. That’s a recipe for making a hell of your whole company. Nobody would be happy. Some people would fear you. Some people would hate you. Well, as long as they get the work done… And then what? At the end of the day? I met someone in Hong Kong some years ago…He said “Well, you know, when I started, I wanted to have a million US dollars, now I have five after fifteen years…and I wasted fifteen years of my life.” [Nobel Laureate] Muhammad Yunus also said in the Davos Economic Forum that if the whole purpose
43!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
However, if there is, in your enterprise, a sense of community, a sense of sharing human values, and if on top of that, you have a social component so that you dedicate some of your effort, resources, skills to benefit some sector of society, and the CEO and everyone is participating, then in rough times, your company will do better . It’s like travelling somewhere on a bumpy road. If the destination is somewhere people really want to go to, and there’s purpose and meaning beyond profit, they don’t mind the bumpy road. If it’s just to take you round and round for no reason, they don’t like bumpy roads. My Thoughts. How about my competitors? How can I show compassion to my competitors? Because if they do well, it means I can’t do well. Healthy competition is an emulation to do well. First of all, there should be no competition within the enterprise. That’s a recipe for self-destruction. Competition between enterprises is healthy because it pushes you to bring out the best of yourself. So you can want to do something of quality and to always do better, but not at the cost of harassing your employees and not at the cost of doing dirty tricks. Don’t think, “If I don’t do dirty tricks and if I don’t push too hard, I would be a loser.” Because over time, relationships are based on trust. If everyone distrusts each other, again, we poison the situation and things become dysfunctional. It’s like if you thought you were a good tennis player
Face to Face | Being Truly Happy
and you saw someone extraordinary. You could say, “Wow! I have so much more to learn! I can improve myself. This guy really knows what he’s doing”. So then you improve yourself but constantly trying to kick others in the leg…that’s in the end, a lose-lose situation. There are some people in my life – very few of them – who have spoken the truth to be about my weaknesses. But it was very uncomfortable and I asked them to leave. The kindest person is the one who brings to the surface your weaknesses and hidden faults because it gives you a wonderful opportunity to improve. Let’s look at what a very kind teacher in sport or music would look like. The kindest teacher cares so much for you that he will point out every defect of your play so that you can improve it…If you really want to play the piano well, and you had a teacher who, no matter what you do, just says, “That’s nice, that’s nice, that’s nice”, then you’ll never progress. If praise is unjustified, you wouldn’t feel good about that because you know you don’t have those qualities. So maybe temporarily it flatters your narcissism. But ultimately it doesn’t feel comfortable.
Death is certain but the time it comes is uncertain. It is the best way to make sure that you fully appreciate every moment of life. Sometimes you’re bored and just sitting there. Hey if that were the last day of your life, it wouldn’t be boring. Even 10 boring minutes would look so extraordinary….I can just look outside and think that this day is so precious instead of having time just go by, colourless and boring. Thinking about your death gives extraordinary quality to every moment of your life. How do I have a peaceful death? Prepare yourself so that you have no regrets. Think now. The things that you do… like trying to kick off your competitors, and making one more million dollars. Is this going to bring you a peaceful death? Are you really going to be happy when you die? Now imagine that you spend quality time with your family and think, “I have accumulated some wealth but I use it in such wonderful, compassionate ways. I’ve contributed to society. Then when the last moment comes, I can rejoice in that and think “Ah, that was well done!””
This is provided the feedback is not given in a demeaning way to put you down and the person has a good intention. This is the best way to improve so you are missing a big opportunity by not accepting such truthful feedback.
But if you just have this big bank account, no one sees a coffin going out with a coffer. ..you’re not going to take it with you for sure….
My Thoughts.
(On his blog, Matthieu writes: Recently, I met an elder person who was expressing her sadness that many of her friends where so attached to their money, even as death was coming near. She concluded: “What is the point? One has never seen a safe on a coffin. Thanks to him for giving me permission to publish these cartoons by Gabs here.)
I am afraid of death…I try not to think about it. You should think about it but not in a morbid way and get depressed. Imagine that you have one month to live. It’s not very nice but would you want to distract yourself for the last month or make it the most extraordinary month of your life? You can spend time with your dear ones, enjoy looking at flowers, the sky, meditating…
My Thoughts.
Interview conducted by: Vadivu Govind, Director, Joy Works (joyworks.sg) on 13 Sept 2012, Poh Ming Tse Temple, Singapore. (Deep gratitude to Matthieu Ricard for the gift of his time.) EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!44
FORUM: Are Buddhists Passive? Due to the emphasis on kindness, patience and compassion, it has sometimes been said that Buddhists have become too passive even when the religion is threatened or ridiculed. For instance, when the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed, Buddhists kept rather quiet. When the much venerated Buddha statues appear in pubs or on beer mugs and on slippers in the West, there was only a tiny whisper of regret from some more vocal Buddhist groups. Even when Buddhist monks were killed in Burma by the military junta or Tibetan monks immolated themselves, there was no organized Buddhist protests against such actions. And in Malaysia and Singapore, it is always the case that when a Buddhist marries a non-Buddhist, he/she will automatically convert to the faith of the other partner. Is this not true then to say that Buddhists are just passive and allows others to easily take advantage of them? How should Buddhists respond? Eastern Horizon has invited three teachers from each Buddhist tradition to provide their response to the question.
Geshe Jampa Tunduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response: Geshe Jampa Tsundu is the Resident Teacher at Losang Dragpa Center since 2012. Born in Kham, Tibet, Geshe Tsundu received his full ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He studied at Sera Monastery and completed the Geshe Lharampa course and passed with First Class honors in 2006.
When we talk about being patient, it means restraining ourselves from harming another person, despite the fact that the other person may be trying to harm us. However, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that one cannot adopt a strong response but it has to be properly motivated by compassion and the understanding that if one allows that person to carry out that harmful action, he/she will incur heavy, negative consequences. On these bases, one may proceed to take strong action. Note however, that to do so requires some level of strength of mind, which most of us do not possess. Further, there is the concern that an immediate forceful response may lead to an escalation of violence and aggression. To avoid this, restraint is exercised. In the Vinaya, it mentions that when there is a problem or conflict, the first step is to solve it in accordance with Dharma. So for example, if I saw a stupa being destroyed, I would appeal to them to stop and explain why they should stop. But if this is not possible or my appeal is unsuccessful, I would withdraw and seek out someone who has the power to stop them. Otherwise, anger would be fuelled and there is a danger of the harm-giver killing me (and killing an ordained monk incurs even heavier heavy negative karma). Similarly with Buddha images on beer mugs and slippers. As a Buddhist holding refuge, it saddens me deeply and it would be good to approach these companies producing such merchandise to stop because these products hurt the sentiments of the Buddhist community. On the subject of immolation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to see someone committing suicide
45!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
and ending one’s life is really sad. However, it is difficult to be judgmental about it because one needs to know the state of mind of the person taking that action. If it is done out of anger, it would be a pure negative act; if it is done solely for the greater purpose of helping living beings to be free from suffering, is it then still negative? One possible solution to incidents of violence and disrespect lies in education – expanding Dharma education.
Not Passive When such issues are raised, it is easy for some, especially the dominant type, to get caught up with the idea that we should do something. Otherwise, it means we’re passive. Indeed this may be true sometimes. However, this is an assumption and deserves a closer look.
Bhante Kumāra’s response Ven Kumāra Bhikkhu was
Let’s take the case of the Bamiyan Buddha statues. As it turned out, the Buddhist communities worldwide were rather quiet about it. Should they have been so passive? Were they being passive?
ordained in 1999 at the age of 27 by Sayadaw U Revata at Subang Jaya Buddhist Association. Currently, he resides in Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary (www.sasanarakkha. org), and serves as Ven Aggacitta Mahāthera’s personal assistant. The venerable graduated with a degree in education (Teaching English as a Second Language) from the University of Malaya.
As I see it, the seeming ‘passivity’ may be born of very different attitudes. Most Buddhists are nominal Buddhists. For them, such matters aren’t within their scope of concern. This passivity is indifference. What about the other group of Buddhists then, who have more faith and concern (and who are more likely to be reading this)? They were just as passive and indifferent, weren’t they? I believe not. I believe that they saw the right thing to do: nothing. And what a beautiful response that was! I rejoiced day after day noticing no news of any violent response from the Buddhists, except that of one monk in India, which marred the joy little. (What a disgrace, I thought.) In my mind, the lack of retaliation showed the world how peaceloving and unattached to mere idols the Buddhists were. So, in a way, it was wonderful that the statues were destroyed! Fortunately for us, Buddhism has remained relatively pure, not having sunk to fanaticism that would have elicited a violent reaction.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!46
FORUM: Are Buddhists Passive? I would like to clarify though that being kind and patient doesn’t exclude the use of force. If we see a kid beating up a smaller kid, wouldn’t it make sense to wield some force? We don’t need anger to do that. We can do it out of love for both of them. So, ultimately, it is not whether we should do something or not, but what would be the right thing to do, which can range from seeming inaction to using necessary force.
In the incidents you mentioned, there were some outspoken Buddhists who expressed very strong opinions on them. I appreciate them for their concern for Buddhism. There was a need for the respective culprits to know that their lack of respect for the Buddha was not appreciated by many Buddhists and even followers of other religious faith. For others who knew about the above incidents and responded by not getting agitated or provoked, I also appreciate them equally. I believe that many who remained calm also have concern for the Buddha Sasana. The Buddha has taught us that keeping quiet is sometime the most appropriate response. Ven Wei Wu’s Response Venerable Wei Wu is the abbot of Than Hsiang Temple in Penang and founder of the Than Hsiang Foundation and the International Buddhist College. He graduated from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree in 1973. He was ordained a Buddhist monk in the Mahāyāna tradition in 1992.
47!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Kindness, patience and compassion are virtues that we shall develope and cherish. We never need to regret to be kind, patient and compassionate. In human history, there were many instances of religious persecutions in different parts of the world; none of the major religions of the world was completely destroyed after these persecutions. There are now better acceptance in marriages of couples with different religious faiths. On several occasions, I had been asked to perform Buddhist blessings when one of the newly wed was a Buddhist and the other a Christian. In one case, the couple also went to a church for Christian blessings. In these marriages, I always advise our own devotees to be faithful to Buddhism but respect the religious faiths of their respective spouses. If husband and wife cannot respect the different religious faiths of each other, then they should think twice about the marriage and not have a bad start of a married life. EH
Face to Face | Integrating Compassion & Emptiness
Integrating Compassion & Emptiness by Venerable Barry Kerzin
Ven Barry Kerzin participating in the neuroscience meditation research in the US to bring the two worlds of medicine and meditation closer.
Venerable Barry Kerzin received his BA in philosophy at University of California Berkeley and a medical degree from the University of Southern California. He also completed a residency in Family Medicine at the Ventura County Medical Center in California. Seven years of private medical practice in Ojai, California, deepened his experience of human suffering. He then pursued academic medicine as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. After nineteen years of study and meditation, Barry was ordained as a Buddhist monk by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya in 2003 and given the Buddhist monastic name of Tenzin Choerab. He is today one of the personal physicians of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Ven Barry Kerzin is also Chairman of the Human Values Institute (http:// humanvaluesinstitute.org) of Japan. Ven Barry Kerzin was in Malaysia to conduct a retreat and workshop on “Meaningful Living and Dying” at the Bodhi Utama Vihara in Petaling Jaya on August 16-17, 2012. He was subsequently interviewed by Benny Liow of Eastern Horizon on August 17 afternoon at Wat Chetawan Buddhist Temple, Petaling Jaya.
Benny Liow: Could you tell us how you became interested in Buddhism? Barry Kerzin: I was raised in an open-minded American Jewish family in California. My family was not particularly interested in religion though they were very much involved in humanitarian and social welfare work. When I was 14 I was mysteriously introduced to two Buddhist books written by Dr D.T. Suzuki and Alan Watts. Though I did not understand Buddhism then, nevertheless I was deeply moved by these two books that I had read. Then when I was 17 and studying philosophy at UC Berkeley, I found a poster of a Ladakhi Buddhist lama sitting in a cross-legged position and the word “meditation” written at the bottom of it. I was immediately attracted to the image though I had no clue what meditation was. But I felt
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!48
Face to Face | Integrating Compassion & Emptiness
reached the cave at the top over 13,000 feet above sea level, after trekking several days and carrying Gurudev on a platform supported by four posts, some of the disciples were passing out and falling to the ground. I had to catch them before they fell and hit their heads on the rocks. Later I realized that they were falling unconscious due to the intense bliss. They called it NirvIcal Samadhi, a deep type of Shamatha or Samadhi meditation filled with intense bliss. Ven Barry Kerzin receiving well-wishes from HH The Dalai Lama
extremely happy when I saw the poster and I kept it with me for many years. I may still have it packed up somewhere. Were you also exposed to other Eastern religions besides Buddhism as this was a time when Eastern mysticism was very popular on US College campuses? Yes, many religious teachers from the East, especially India, were then very popular among college students. I remember a talk by a Hindu swami called SatchiDananda when I was at the UCLA. During this talk I had a rather strange experience that someone had taken a dimmer and slowly dimmed the lights in the auditorium until it became almost pitch dark. At the same time it felt like someone increased the dimmer so that the light on Swamiji was glowing like a thousand suns. It was as if he was self-illuminated! While experiencing this strange phenomena, I felt incredible bliss throughout my body and mind, although I had no idea what was happening. Shortly after that I was introduced by my Indian neighbor at UC BERKELEY, an electrical engineer graduate student, to a Hindu guru from Gujerat, known as Gurudev. His full name was Somvar Girigi. He was an illiterate farmer, barefoot, with a pot belly and a shaved head. He was always wearing a white loin-cloth, and smoking beadies! Yet he had a group of highly educated Indian disciples, most of whom were physicists, engineers and mathematics professors. I went on a pilgrimage to Amarnath in Kashmir near Ladakh with Gurudev and his disciples. Our group consisted of about 30 to 40 disciples. When we
49!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
So where did you receive your first teachings on Buddhism? Was it a great experience? It was in 1984 when I visited Kopan Monastery in Nepal to attend a teaching on emptiness by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. After the talk, we broke for lunch and I climbed a tree-like ancient carved out ladder to sit on the roof to have my meal. Soon after, I had a rather strange experience. In my mind I saw a big black water buffalo standing in front of me and then suddenly a huge sword appeared from nowhere and fell on the buffalo, slashing it diagonally causing its blood to spurt all over. After this rather frightening experience, another vision appeared. A large Native American teepee appeared in my mind. Normally I am not prone to hallucinations. In fact, I have never had these before. Yet, I saw myself crawling up the side of the teepee, trying to get to the top. I knew the reason I was trying to climb to the top of the teepee was to see whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside. I was trying to see what is inside Barry! What is Barry made of? It was so real. I looked into the teepee and saw there was nothing in there. Immediately without thinking I experienced that there was no Barry! I was deeply frightened by these two experiences and started shaking all over uncontrollably. People around me noticed I was in trouble. My heart was racing. I was sweating profusely. The people nearby tried to help me by guiding me down the tree-ladder and laying me down on the grass. These experiences continued occasionally for about a year. Did you ask your teachers what all these experiences mean? Yes, indeed I had an opportunity to ask my teachers about my strange encounters, which were deeply
Face to Face | Integrating Compassion & Emptiness
Ven Barry Kerzin speaking at a Human Values Institute function in Japan
moving experiences for me. His Holiness the Dalai Lamas told me that I was too ambitious in my practice of emptiness. Subconsciously, I was trying to negate my “self” completely, and therefore when trying to find “Barry” inside the teepee, I found nothing. His Holiness advised me to be more balanced in my practice and not forget that there is someone there who is meditating. HE advised me to remember that reality is not nihilistic. Furthermore adding the practice of Bodhicitta as a motivation flavoring my meditation on emptiness would also be of immense benefit. His Holiness the Dalai Lama again reiterated the importance of integrating bodhicitta, the universal compassion, or altruism into my sunyata (emptiness) practice when I met him during a break in the small gathering of about 20 to 25 people for the Mind Life Institute in the summer of 1989 in Newport Beach, near Los Angeles. When I told His Holiness the Dalai Lama that I wanted to do a retreat on emptiness, he looked at me straight in the eyes, and said, “sunyata and bodhicitta, 50/50”. It felt like a thunderbolt of lightning struck my heart. It was confirmation that bodhicitta was my path. This advice from His Holiness stayed with me ever since. Nearly 25 years later I can remember the advice and the feeling like it was yesterday. In fact, His Holiness has been incredibly kind to me, and has been my personal teacher for more than 20 years now. I am glad that I am now able to repay his kindness by being one of his personal physicians. So how do we practice Bodhicitta and Sunyata equally on a 50/50 basis?
We should alternate. At some point in our life, we may emphasize one more than the other. At some point as we go deeper into the practice, we will realize that they are not separate. Bodhicitta includes sunyata, and sunyata includes bodhicitta. They are mutually supportive and at some point are like the two sides of the same coin. For instance, we develop compassion to overcome the three levels of suffering that are taught by the Buddha. The deepest level of suffering is the all pervasive suffering. This deepest level of suffering has its source in ignorance. In order to overcome this deepest level of suffering, a proper understanding and experience of sunyata is needed. At that level of practice compassion and emptiness become part of the same practice. They become fully integrated. Bodhicitta can be practiced both as a form of meditation training of the mind, and also as socially engaged action to alleviate the suffering of other sentient beings. Though these two mental and physical actions seem different, they are actually complementary and designed to enhance each other. One is the motivation and the other is carryig out that motivation through action. When we practice bodhicitta, we engage in the Six Perfections. This means we practice generosity, morality, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom. Practicing the first five perfections is the practice of compassion. Combining these five perfections with wisdom makes these practices actual perfections. At that point we are perfectly integrating bodhicitta and sunyata. For example, say you give RM 1 to a beggar outside the temple. When we consider the person giving or making the offering, which is our self or the “I”, and the object of the giving or the beggar, and the action of giving in their ultimate sense, all these three don’t have even an iota of objective existence. In reality ALL three are by their nature empty. None of them exist from their own side. This is true of all things. This is the ultimate nature of everything. Besides His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I understand you also studied under Gen Lamrimpa who was one of your early teachers.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!4:
Face to Face | Integrating Compassion & Emptiness
Yes, Gem Lamrimpa was one of my teachers during the 1986-1988 period when he was in America. At that time I was then teaching at the University of Washington. Gen Lamrimpa was a well-known Tibetan yogi who was born in Tibet in 1936. He became a refugee in India after the 1959 uprising against Communist Chinese rule and subsequent Chinese military occupation. In 1985, he was invited by Dr Alan Wallace to lead a calm abiding meditation retreat near Seattle and teach there for two years. An accomplished meditator and a true yogi, he was always humble, living very simply. For most of his life, he was meditating in a single room stone and mud hut in the mountains above Dharamsala, India, and later above Gangtok, Sikkim. I attended several retreats led by him on emptiness and Kalachakra Tantra. I became quite close to him, and accompanied him back to Dharamsala in 1989. Dharamsala then became my home also, remaining there for now nearly 24 years. Gen Lamrimpa fully embodied the true meaning of lam rim. He was lam rim! Genla also wrote numerous books including Calming the Mind (Snow Lion, Ithaca New York), and Realizing Emptiness (Snow Lion), and Transcending Time, The Kalacakra Six-Session Guru Yoga (Wisdom Publications, Boston, MA). These are all in English. After teaching in the USA for two years, Gen Lamrimpa returned to India to continue his practice in solitary meditation. I accompanied him back to Dharamsala. My teacher passed away in meditation in 2004. He remained fresh in tukdam for five days after his heart stopped beating and his breathing stopped. I was with him for five months while he received treatment for a chronic illness, and was with him when he stayed in tukdam prior to dying. Tukdam literally means “Sacred Mind.” It is the subtlest mind that manifests at the time of death. An accomplished yogi or yogini can meditate on this subtlest mind and remain without dying for weeks or longer. When were you ordained and who was your preceptor? I was ordained in February 2003 in Bodhgaya, during the Kalachakra Empowerment by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. My ordination came after 19 years of long and short meditation retreats. In fact, during my 3-year retreat, I was living like a monk, keeping many 51!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
vows, but not yet officially ordained. Every time I asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama for ordination, he would laugh and give me instructions. Finally His Holiness laughed three times and agreed to ordain me. One cold morning in February in Bodh Gaya at 5.00 am, a group of Tibetan Lamas, Geshes, and monks came to fetch me to bring me to my novice novice (Getsel) ordination with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He was ordaining me alone without others. I was deeply moved and happy that I finally I could become a monk. Thinking that the novice ordination was complete, I was offered breakfast and was about to leave, thinking that perhaps after 1 or 2 years I would take the higher ordination as a Bhikshu. Soon after breakfast, His Holiness’s ritual master called me back to see His Holiness. Surprised, I went back in to see His Holiness again. He decided to give me the second, Bhikshu, full ordination vows right there on the spot. Thus without expecting it, I was ordained twice in the same day. I was the only person ordained that morning by His Holiness. It was truly auspicious. The smell of tsampa (roasted barley) on His Holiness’s breath I can still remember vividly. When he ordained me I was standing very close to him! Part of the ritual involved bringing our hands together. I understand you are also one of personal physicians of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Do you also provide medical support to other lamas in Dharamsala? Over the last nine years I have been privileged to provide medical care to three great meditation masters during their dying days. All three stayed in meditation called tuk.dam, or clear light, for days to weeks following clinical death. Their bodies remained fresh, supple, and warm. An atmosphere of serenity and meditation surrounded them. When their meditations were completed and their consciousnesses departed, the bodies rapidly decayed. Warmth, freshness, and flexibility quickly disappeared. Copious amounts of watery and blood-like fluids poured from the nostrils. Two of the yogis had their bodies dried and preserved in salt as holy sacred objects of worship. Yes, I will continue to provide medical support to the many lamas including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Thank you very much for a wonderful interview. EH
WBC FEATURE Basic steps towards spiritual practice Reflections from World Buddhist Conference 2012 by Lim Seow Yuin Seow Yuin graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology. Seow Yuin has been active in community work, with over 5 years of experience in the non-prof it sector. Mindful living is her motto and she hopes to communicate an attitude of gratitude.
Sangha Members from three traditions at WBC 2012
Living in the modern society, it is a challenge to mindfully put our Dharma “knowledge” into practice. When the conference started with the puja, I was touched and grateful that I was present in the audience. The importance of taking (and having) refuge arose in my mind, and I felt I was back under the blessing and guidance of the Triple Gem after a long hiatus (due to work and other commitments). Negative thoughts and emotions are a daily occurrence in my life, and transcending them is easier said than done. How often do we feel that we are the victim, bullied by our colleagues and superiors, or even our family? Like a good student, I can recite that wisdom and compassion are the antidotes to our ignorance, but translating it into practice, or having that real realization, is a different ballgame altogether. From the conference, I took away a few insights that we can apply in our daily life, to reduce our
Sangha Speakers of WBC 2012
negativities, and bring us one baby step nearer enlightenment. A basic foundation for spiritual practice is a healthy body, a factor we often overlook and neglect. Optimal health can be achieved with the right attitude, sufficient rest, exercise, and a proper diet and nutrition. With good health, we can move on to actualizing spiritual well-being. The best place to start is here and now, where we are. It begins with the acceptance of oneself, of our potential, strengths and weaknesses. To truly understand and accept ourselves, we have to face our own ego and internalized constructions. Having a realistic (and not grasping) perception of where we are will facilitate and bring greater clarity on our Dharma journey. Similarly, transcending our negative emotions can be achieved with the understanding that emotions are our mental interpretations
and habits formed through repeated conditioning. Viewed from this perspective, we should apply mindfulness, and reframe, recondition or replace our negative thoughts and reactions with positivity and metta. In listening to the segment on “Creating Conditions for a Peaceful Death”, one is reminded of our precious human rebirth, that not all human beings have the conditions to learn the Dharma. It is all the more urgent that we should make the aspiration, and strive to practice in the here and now. It was also wonderful to catch up with friends; true spiritual friends who support each other and remind us about our ego and practice. My gratitude to all the Venerables, organizers, speakers and volunteers that made this event possible. May we all continue to be guided by the Triple Gem. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!52
NEWS Bhikkhu Bodhi and Bhikkhuni Ordination at Dharma Vijaya in Los Angeles by Dr. Stephen Long
BGR Walk Santa Monica
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, one of the most brilliant and prolific Buddhist scholars of our time, was a guest at Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara in Los Angeles this past weekend. Ven. Bodhi, author of approximately 25 books – many of them important translations of the Nikayas and other ancient Pali texts – was ordained as a Theravada monk in Sri Lanka in 1972 under the aegis of Ven. Ballangoda Ananda Maitreya Maha Nayake Thera.
Buddhism, but to combat chronic hunger and malnutrition. Bearing in mind the Buddha’s statements that “hunger is the worst kind of illness” and “the gift of food is the gift of life,” BGR sponsors projects that:
He spent many years as editor of the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy under the direction of Ven. Nyaponika Maha Thera, and later served as BPS’s second president. The immense contribution he has made to the Buddha Sasana and Buddhist literature is immeasurable, and we are all grateful for his 40 years of selfless service and his vast body of work. Bhikkhu Bodhi currently lives and teaches in upstate New York.
•
He arrived in LA this past Friday to lead a three-mile walk through Santa Monica on Saturday to raise funds for Buddhist Global Relief, the non-profit he founded whose mission is not to proselytize for
53!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
•
•
•
•
promote hunger relief for poor communities around the world. It pursues its mission by: providing direct food aid to people afflicted by hunger and malnutrition helping develop better longterm methods of sustainable food production and management appropriate to the cultures and traditions of the beneficiaries promoting the education of girls and women, so essential in the struggle against poverty and malnutrition giving women an opportunity to start right livelihood projects to support their families.
BGR also seeks to raise awareness of global hunger and advocate for an international food system that exemplifies social justice and conduces to ecological sustainability.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and Ven. Walpola Piyananda, abbot of Dharma Vijaya, led a group of over 250 participants, both laymen and monks, in the Santa Monica walk, which was one of a dozen BGR fund-raising walks held each year in various cities of the United States. (Please visit www. buddhistglobalrelief.org to learn more and/or make a donation) On Sunday, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi presented a fascinating twohour lecture at Dharma Vijaya to approximately 200 mostlyAmerican guests, in addition to members of the Maha Sangha from various temples in the region. I gave a welcome speech, as did one of my Dhamma School students, Kalpa Samasinghe. The event was emceed by Ven. Maitipe Wimilasara, and organized by Ven. Kalabululande Dhammajothi and Ms. Cynthia Shimazu. A speech of gratitude was given by Dr. Ananda Guruge, and at the conclusion of the event Dr. Gamani Jayasinghe presented a gift to Buddhist Global Relief on behalf of Dharma Vijaya. Ven. Bodhi’s talk, which had been promoted in the Los Angeles Times, was entitled “A Path of Guidance Fitting for Our Time.” In
NEWS upcoming documentary film about Buddhism in America.
Bhikkhu Bodhi giving a lecture
the lecture Ven. Bodhi identified the three most serious problems that he feels currently challenge our global community (inequality of wealth, drone missile warfare, and global climate change), and he offered solutions for solving them based on teachings from the Buddha Dhamma. An insightful question and answer session took place after Ven. Bodhi’s revealing talk. The following day Ven. Bodhi participated in a bhikkhuni ordination ceremony, which was officiated by Ven. Piyananda. During the past three decades both of these venerables have been strong supporters of the ordination of women into the Sangha, and on Monday four new bhikkhunis were added to the Order. Three of the women were of American origin, and one is from Sri Lanka. It is interesting to note that since the ordination of bhikkhunis began in America, thanks to the efforts of Ven. Piyananda, the late Ven. Dr. Hawanpola Ratanasara, and Ven. Henepola Gunaratana in 1986, the Order has grown each year so that now there are approximately 25 Theravada bhikkhunis in various
monasteries in America. The ordination of American Theravada monks, however, continues to be quite rare, and is not a growing phenomenon. The moving, two-part ordination ceremony was attended by approximately thirty-five male and female Sangha members, and 25 lay guests. A very special guest was Ruth Denison, the legendary 90-year-old pioneer Vipassana meditation teacher. She was the first Buddhist teacher in the United States to lead an all-women’s retreat for Buddhist meditation and instruction. Her center, Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center, is located in the Mojave Desert, in Joshua Tree, California. She was also a teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and she sometimes still teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Her presence was an inspiration to the female Sangha members to whom she offered words of encouragement. Ven. Piyananda and Ven. Bodhi offered special messages of advice to the new nuns, and the entire event was filmed by a Los Angeles filmmaker for inclusion in his
Of particular interest – and mostdefinitely a historic first – was the ordination of Bhikkhuni Santussika. She is a white American, originally from Indiana, who now lives at the Karuna Buddhist Vihara in Millbrae, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Her son, Ven. Ajahn Guna, has been a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition for the past thirteen years, and is a student of Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and his traveling assistant during his current visit in California. Ven. Guna was not only present at his mother’s ordination; he also played a key role in the ceremony. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of an American mother joining her ordained American son in the Theravadan Sangha. Mother and son joined each other Monday night – along with Bhikkhu Bodhi and many of the bhikkhunis – at a five-day Western monastics conference at Thich Nhat Hahn’s Deer Park Monastery near San Diego. Ven. Piyananda and the monks of Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara are grateful to have been able to participate in such a Dhammafilled three days with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi as their resident guest. All of them bless Ven. Bodhi for his work for the Sasana, and wish him good health and a long life in which to continue to write, translate, and interpret the teachings of the Buddha. - Asian Tribune -
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!54
NEWS Kung fu nuns teach cosmic energy to CERN scientists November 17, 2012 GENEVA, Nov 17 — A dozen kung fu nuns from an Asian Buddhist order displayed their martial arts prowess to bemused scientists at CERN this week as their spiritual leader explained how their energy was like that of the cosmos.
The 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen, (left) poses with kung-fu trained nuns accompanying him at CERN in Meyrin near Geneva November 15, 2012. — Reuters pic
The nuns, all from the Himalayan region, struck poses of hand-chops, high-kicks and punches on Thursday while touring the research centre where physicists at the frontiers of science are probing the origins of the universe. “Men and women carry different energy,” said His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, a monk who ranks only slightly below the Dalai Lama in the global Buddhist hierarchy. “Both male and female energies are needed to better the world.” This, he said, was a scienti ic principle “as fundamental as the relationship between the sun and the moon” and its importance was similar to that of the particle collisions in CERN’s vast “Big Bang” machine, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The nuns, mostly slim and it-looking teenagers with shaven heads and clad in lowing burgundy robes, nodded sagely. But the 49-year-old Gyalwang Drukpa, head since the age of four of one of the new independent schools of Tibetan Buddhism centred in India and Nepal, stressed that their visit to CERN was not just scienti ic in purpose. Gender equality By taking the nuns around the world and letting people of other countries enjoy their martial displays, he told physicists and reporters: “I hope to
55!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
The group visits the universe of particles exhibition at CERN. — Reuters pic
raise awareness about gender equality and the need for the empowerment of women.” The nuns themselves — who star on YouTube videos — have bene ited from this outlook, he said. For centuries in Tibet — incorporated into communist China since 1951 — and its surrounds, women were strictly barred from practising any form of martial art. In his homeland Himalayan region of Ladakh, the Gyalwang Drukpa said, women were mainly servants, cooks and cleaners to monks. About three years ago he decided to break out of this pattern and improve the health and spiritual well-being of women by training them in kung fu and even allowing them to perform sacred rites once also restricted to men. “And a very good thing too,” declared CERN physicist Pauline Gagnon, who recently wrote a blog study
NEWS pointing to the low, although growing, proportion of women in scienti ic research around the world. The visit to CERN, whose director general Rolf Heuer recently sponsored a conference of scientists, theologians and philosophers to discuss the tense relationship between science and religion, was not the irst by a top religious leader.
Buddhism’s most revered igure, who argues that most scienti ic discoveries prove the truth of the view of the cosmos expounded by his faith — sometimes dubbed by outsiders an “atheistic religion.” Pope John-Paul II preceded him in 1982 and the present Pope Benedict has a standing invitation from Heuer. — Reuters EH
In 1983 the sprawling campus on the border of France and Switzerland hosted the Dalai Lama,
Battle-weary British troops find comfort in Buddhism by Ian Drury, Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), Oct 21, 2012 London, UK -- Buddhism is experiencing an extraordinary upswing in popularity in the armed forces. Since 2005, the number of servicemen and women practising the religion has risen from 200 to 3,800. Around 2,800 are Gurkhas, whose home nation Nepal has pockets of Buddhism. But the other 1,000 are British, with many converting since they joined the military. According to spiritual leaders, the reason behind the phenomenon is that Buddhism allows service personnel to escape the stresses and strains of military life. Sunil Kariyakarawana, the Buddhist chaplain for the armed forces, said: ‘Buddhism has a different perspective about things.
‘The military is a very stressful place. People go to war, that is one factor, and have to fight.
Approximately 25 per cent of young people are no longer white Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
‘Personnel see a lot of suffering in theatre. People are finding that Buddhism can help with these mental agonies.
‘They are the future. They are the people who represented the country at the Olympics, at football and they are the people we need for the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force of the future.’
‘It is laid back and they can practise their own way.’ Dr Sunil said Buddha, who lived 2,500 years ago, never ruled out force: ‘Sometimes you have to choose war as the least bad option.’ Lieutenant Colonel Peter Straddings, who heads up cultural diversity for the Army, said the society was ‘hugely important’. He said: ‘British society today is hugely different from the Army I joined 25 years ago.
In 2005, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh chaplains were appointed by the armed forces for the first time. The appointments reflect the increase in ethnic minority recruitment to the Army, Navy and RAF in recent years. Source: Buddhist Channel, Oct 21, 2012. www.buddhistchannel. tv. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!56
Face to Face | Strict Discipline & Simple Living
Strict Discipline & Simple Living by Nina Yee
Nina Yee was born in Bandung, Indonesia, in 1953 to an Indonesian Chinese family. In 1973 she went to Sydney to study fashion design and subsequently married John Yee in 1976 where they have three children. Introduced to Buddhist teachings at a young age, she founded Bodhikusuma Buddhist Center in Haymarket, Sydney, in April 2002. She is currently its President. In April 2012, she founded Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery in Wilton, an hour’s drive from Sydney. She has also authored BEHIND THE ALTAR (Bodhikusuma, 2012, pp 250), a candid account of the successes and failures Nina has encountered in her life, including her gift of Dharma and the development of Bodhikusuma Buddhist Meditation Center. Benny Liow attended the opening ceremony of the Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery in Wilton and interviewed Nina for Eastern Horizon. Ven. Larry Varadhammo, eldest son of Nina Yee was born in Sydney, Australia in 1981. He attended Sydney Grammar School and later graduated with an Honours Degree in Marketing from University of New South Wales, and a Masters in Applied Finance from Macquerie University. While pursuing a career for a short period of time, his Dhamma practice took him to the point where he felt there was no other way than to ordain as a Buddhist monk. In 2006, he went to Thailand to take his higher ordination under Than Ajahn Anan, one of Ajahn Chah’s close disciples.
Benny: Can you tell us how the idea of establishing Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery in Wilton, New South Wales first came about? Nina: 10 years ago we established Bodhikusuma Buddhist & Meditation Centre in the heart of Sydney. We started with only a small group of interested people, but today it has grown to a place where many well-respected monks and teachers come to give Dhamma talks to a large audience of many nationalities. A few years back we believed that it would be of great benefit to have a forest monastery that was not too far from the city where the monks and laypeople could practice peacefully. It wasn’t easy to find a suitable place. It took me almost 4 years to finally find this wonderful place of 70 acres which contains a vast forest, many caves, a waterfall and a river. This makes it very conducive for meditation practice. Also, it was amazing that the completion of the acquisition of the Bodhisaddha land fell exactly on the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of Bodhikusuma.
57!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Face to Face | Strict Discipline & Simple Living
You are now the President of Bodhikusuma Buddhist Meditation Centre and Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery. What motivates your continuous commitment to supporting the Buddha Dhamma? I think faith is what makes me continue to support the Buddha Dhamma. I am lucky to have been guided and taught by many well-respected and well-practiced monks from the Thai Forest Tradition and others. I would regularly go overseas to visit these monks and pay respects to them. This not only gives me more strength and faith to continue helping Buddhism, but it has always made me feel very fortunate to have these blessings. One of the main reasons I started Bodhikusuma and now Bodhisaddha was so that others may have access to these teachings of the Buddha in a place that was convenient and accessible. When I see that many people have benefited, I get even more inspiration to continue helping as many as I can in this way. As this is a Forest Monastery in the Ajahn Chah tradition, what will be the main and regular activities to be carried out here? Would there be resident monks? The main activities will be the same as any typical forest monastery which focuses on the morning as a time of practice. Usually, this is when the laypeople will have a chance to come and make offerings to the resident monks, listen to Dhamma teachings, participate in Buddhist chanting, and have a place for meditation. There will also be celebrations of the Buddhist holy days and meditation retreats where senior monks will lead the laypeople in a 3-7 day period of intense practice. During the recent rains retreat (vassa), we had 2 monks that came from Ajahn Ananâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monastery in Thailand, Ajahn Dtui, a Thai monk of 20 years, and Than Greg, an American monk. In future, when we have more monastic dwellings, we aim to have more permanent monks staying and practicing here. What about facilities for lay people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; male and female â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to stay in the monastery for meditation practice or Dhamma study camps? Since the opening of the monastery in April this year we have held two meditation retreats led by Ajahn Gaveseko and Ajahn Anan, both are well-respected monks of the Ajahn Chah tradition. For the opening we had 9 Novice ordinations and 30 Upasika (lay female wearing white clothes) participate. Although this monastery is still new and there are no proper dormitories as yet, we were able to fit this many people in temporary dormitories comfortably. There is also the option to stay in a tent, since we have many beautiful sites around the monastery. In the future, we are planning to build a proper dormitory for male and female guests.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!58
Face to Face | Strict Discipline & Simple Living
How would you encourage someone new to Buddhism to appreciate the Buddha’s teachings in the context of the forest tradition, especially its emphasis on strict discipline and simple living? The Forest Tradition originates from the Buddha’s teachings 2600 years ago, but has been revived in Thailand since the time Nina welcoming Sangha members and guests during the opening ceremony of Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery.
of Venerable Ajahn Mun about 120 years ago. It emphasized to the monks strict adherence to the monastic discipline called Vinaya. The senior teachers often encouraged their students to seek out secluded places that were conducive for meditation practice and to use certain ascetic practices such as eating one meal and staying at the root of a tree to purify the mind. This correct mode of practice led to many of his disciples becoming accomplished in the practice of Dhamma. They later become respected teachers to other students and laypeople. To us laypeople, these teachings are extremely relevant, especially in these busy times. Teachers of the Forest Tradition emphasize a strict keeping of the five moral precepts—abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants—an
Makeshift Buddha image during opening ceremony of Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery
emphasis of daily meditation to reduce stress and developing peace in the mind, and a practice of letting go to overcome our problems and inner negative qualities. You are the mother of Venerable Larry Varadhammo who was ordained in the Ajahn Chah tradition in 2006. What values did you inculcate in him when he was young? I always teach all my children to be humble, kind to others,
Ajahn Samai leading monks and 9 Novices going for a 7-day ordination.
honest and to practice generosity. This is what my parents taught me since I was young. Venerable Larry reflected on this habit till now as a monk, as he is not only kind to others but caring and helpful. For example, when I offered him a pair of sandals, he would offer it to the other monks whom he thought needed it more than him, even though he only had a pair of worn out sandals. You displayed an exemplary attitude by supporting your own son to become a monk. Can you tell us your initial reaction as a mother when you knew your own
The Bodhisaddha Forest Monastery in Wilton, NSW
59!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
son has decided to renounce?
Face to Face | Strict Discipline & Simple Living
Of course being my only son, when he told me that he wanted to become a monk, I was at first surprised and thought that he was only joking. He asked me to give him a chance and said that I should be happy to hear that he wanted to ordain rather than giving me bad news like he was going to jail or he was on drugs. He added, “Even the Buddha himself, if he did not leave the palace, he would only become a King to replace his father, but instead he went to the forest and became the Buddha and helped many millions of people .” I have written a book “Behind the Altar” about the story of Larry becoming Bhikkhu Varadhammo. How do you relate to Venerable Larry Varadhammo now as you are still his mother, and yet you have to pay respect to him as a member of the Sangha? I do not look at him as my son anymore, because he is a Sangha member. Of course when we bow to the monks, we don’t bow to that person but to the Sangha. I feel very blessed to have a son as a monk. After six years as a monk, do you as a mother see any significant changes in him compared to when he was just a lay person? There are definitely a lot of changes. He is now more patient, hardly or never gets angry, and is always contented with what he receives, even with food. He used to like all the expensive foods and now when I ask him what he really likes to eat, he always said that the food is not for the taste but just to sustain the body. Also when he came back to Sydney and stayed at Bodhikusuma, he would clean up his dwelling and wash all the laundry before he left. He would say that he was taught to make the place cleaner than when he came. Any final advice to encourage more young people to emulate what Venerable Larry has done? I always encourage many young people to follow his footstep, that is if their conditions make it possible to do so. But it seems that usually the parents are their problem because not many parents understand or can accept their son becoming a monk. When Venerable Larry was visited by many relatives and friends, they would consult him about their problems, like about their job, relationships, money and getting along with their parents. I think a person is much happier and peaceful when he becomes a monk. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!5:
Teachings | The Gift of Gratitude
The Gift of Gratitude by Ajahn Sumedho
Ajahn Sumedho recounts the joyful unfolding of a deep appreciation for his teacher and parents.
Luang Por Ajahn Sumedho (Robert Jackman) was born in Seattle, USA on July 27, 1934. He is the senior Western representative of the Thai forest tradition of Ajahn Chah. He was the abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in UK, from its establishment in 1984 until his retirement in 2010 A Buddhist monk for 45 years, Sumedho is considered a seminal figure in the transmission of Theravada Buddhism to the West. “Even if one should carry about one’s mother on one shoulder and one’s father on the other, and so doing should live a hundred years . . . moreover, if one should set them up as supreme rulers, having absolute rule over the wide earth abounding in the seven treasures—not even by this could one repay one’s parents. And why! Bhikkhus, parents do a lot for their children: they bring them up, provide them with food, introduce them to the world. Yet, bhikkhus, whoever encourages their faithless parents, and settles and establishes them in faith; or whoever encourages their immoral parents and settles and establishes them in morality, or whoever encourages their stingy parents, and settles and establishes them in generosity, or whoever encourages their foolish parents, and settles and establishes them in wisdom—such a person, in this way repays, more than repays, what is due to their parents.” Anguttara-nikaya 2.32
61!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
My father died about six years ago. He was then ninety years old, and he had never shown love or positive feelings toward me. So from early childhood I had this feeling that he did not like me. I carried this feeling through most of my life. I never had any kind of love, any kind of warm relationship with my father. It was always a perfunctory “Hello son, good to see you.” And he seemed to feel threatened by me. I remember whenever I came home as a Buddhist monk he would say, “Remember, this is my house, you’ve got to do as I say.” This was his greeting—and I was almost fifty years old at the time! I don’t know what he thought I was going to do. My father was an aspiring artist before the Depression. Then in ’29 the crash came and he and my mother lost everything, so he had to take a job selling shoes to support us. Then the Second World War started, but my father was too old to enlist in the military. He wanted to support the war effort, so he became a ship fitter in Seattle. He didn’t like that job, but it was the best way he could help in the war. After the war he went back to his shoe business and became a manager of a retail store. He never really liked that work either, but he felt he was too old to find another profession. He had sacrificed his own preferences to support my mother, my sister, and me. When I was at university in the 1950s, it was fashionable to study psychology. At that time the trend was to blame your mother for everything that went wrong in your life. The focus was on mothers and what they had done to cause us to suffer now. I didn’t realize then that suffering was natural. Of
Teachings | The Gift of Gratitude
Western monks of Ajahn Chah’s Forest tradition at the home of a 80-year old Thai devotee in Wincanton, UK, who offered lunch dana during her birthday.
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK.
course my mother was not perfect, so naturally there were things she could have done better. But generally speaking, the dedication, commitment, love, and care were all there—and directed mainly to making the lives of my father, my sister, and me as good and as happy as could be. She asked very little for herself, and when I think back like this, katannu, Pali for gratitude, arises in my mind for my mother and father.
mind that we should be able to forgive our enemies
The Buddha encouraged us to think of the good things done for us by our parents, by our teachers, friends, whomever; and to do this intentionally, to cultivate it, rather than just letting it happen accidentally. My students who have a lot of anger toward their parents ask me how they can develop gratitude toward them. Teaching lovingkindness, or metta, on too sentimental a basis can actually increase anger. I remember a woman on one of our retreats who, whenever it came to spreading metta to her parents, would go into a rage. Then she felt very guilty about it. Every time she thought about her mother, she felt only rage. This was because she used only her intellect; she wanted to do this practice of metta, but emotionally felt anything but lovingkindness. It’s important to see this conflict between the intellectual and the emotional life. We know in our
and love our parents, but in the heart we feel “I can never forgive them for what they’ve done.” So then we either feel anger and resentment, or we begin to rationalize: “Because my parents were so bad, so unloving, so unkind, they made me suffer so much that I can’t forgive or forget.” Or: “There’s something wrong with me. I’m a terrible person because I can’t forgive.” When this happens, I’ve found it helpful to have metta for my own feelings. If we feel that our parents were unkind and unloving, we can have metta toward the feeling we have in our hearts; without judgment, we can see that this is how it feels, and to accept that feeling with patience. Once I began to accept my negativity about my father rather than suppress it, I could resolve it. When we resolve something with mindfulness, we can let it go and free ourselves from its power. The resolution of such a conflict leads us to contemplate what life is about. A life without gratitude is a joyless life. If life is just a continuous complaint about the injustices and unfairness we have received and we don’t remember anything good ever done to us, we fall into depression—not an uncommon problem these days. It is impossible to imagine ever being happy again: we think this misery is forever. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!62
The Theravada Buddhist by Chim Siew Choon
The Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia (TBCM) was recently formed to represent the interests of Buddhist societies following the Theravada tradition. While the Tibetan Buddhists have the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia (VBCM) and the Chinese Mahayana the Malaysian Buddhist Association (MBA) to represent their interests, the establishment of TBCM is a milestone in the history of Malaysian Buddhism for the Theravada Buddhist groups in Malaysia. Benny Liow interviewed Chim Siew Choon who was elected the first president of TBCM on September 1, 2012 for Eastern Horizon. Chim is a Founder Member of the Subang Jaya Buddhist Association (SJBA) and has been its President since 1992. Chim is also a Professional Mechanical Engineer and founder and CEO of Mega Energy Sdn Bhd.
Benny: You are elected the first President of the Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia (TBCM). Can you tell us how did the idea of TBCM was first mooted? Chim: The idea of forming a cooperative body to represent the Theravada Buddhist Community in Malaysia has been floated in a number of occasions for the last 10 years or so. Somehow, it did not materialize. Nevertheless, the various challenges encountered by the Theravada Buddhist organizations necessitate the formation of a consultative council to provide support to them and also to safeguard their interests. On December 25, 2011, representatives from 23 Theravada Buddhist organizations from nine states of Malaysia met at the Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. At the Meeting, the concerns of the various organizations were freely discussed and there was unanimous agreement on the need to establish the Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia (TBCM) as a platform to unite
63!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
the Theravada organizations and devotees, to share resources and synergize effort in Dharma propagation and to provide direction to member organizations as a community as well as to work together with the other Buddhist federations to safeguard the overall interest of the Buddhists in Malaysia. Who are the prime movers of this body â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are they also in the main committee? The Meeting on December 25, 2011 was chaired by Dr Tan Ho Soon (representing Nalanda Buddhist Society). Sangha Members who were present at the Meeting include Ven. Saranankara Maha Nayaka Thero, Ven. Dhammavuddho and Ven. Ratanasiri Thero. At that Meeting, a Pro-tem Working Committee headed by myself (representing Subang Jaya Buddhist Association) and a Constitution Drafting Committee headed by Mr Don Premaseri (representing Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society) were formed. The Constitution Drafting Committee prepared the Constitution for the TBCM
Council of Malaysia
L-R Ven Saranakara, Ven Aggacitta, Ven Dhammavuddho and Chim Siew Choon at the inaugural meeting of TBCM
TBCM Council Meeting
with guidance from Ven. Aggacitta, Ven Saranankara and Ven Dhammavuddho. TBCM’s Pro-tem Secretary, Mr Tan Buck Soon (representing Bandar Utama Buddhist Society) applied to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for registration of the TBCM. We received official approval of TBCM incorporation from the ROS on May 9, 2012.
consideration and approval. A Theravada Society is one which propagates the Teachings of the historical Buddha Gotama in accordance to the Pali Scriptures.
The TBCM held its Inaugural Annual General Assembly on September 1, 2012 to elect its first Executive Committee for 2012/2014. A few of the participants of the December 25th Meeting are also in the current Executive Committee. Other prime movers of this body can be found in our TBCM website, www.tbcm.org.my
TBCM’s membership consists of only 2 categories, Ordinary Member and Associate Member. There is no membership for individuals.
How does a Buddhist society apply to join the Council? Are there criteria on what’s defined as a “Theravada society”? Membership is open to all Buddhist organizations in Malaysia which accept and practice Theravada Buddhism and are registered with the ROS of Malaysia. Applicants need to fill in the prescribed membership forms (which can be downloaded from TBCM’s website) and submit to the Hon. Secretary, who shall them bring to the Executive Committee for
What about individuals who profess to practice Theravada Buddhism? How can they benefit from membership in the Council?
What would be the main activities lined up by the Council for 2013? For a start, we are now focusing our effort and attention on: • Establishing a Secretariat for the Council, which also serves as the Resource Center for TBCM • Membership recruitment and enhancing liaison and networking among Member Organizations • Dharma education and training. Once we have established ourselves in the above, we shall work together to move forward with more proactive programs to strengthen the Buddhist missionary work in Malaysia.
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!64
Theravada monks receiving food from a lay disciple
Are there any issues of high priority that TBCM wishes to bring up to the attention of the Government, especially those affecting the Theravada Buddhist Community in Malaysia? We are still new and in the process of establishing ourselves. For a start, we wish to avoid being bogged down by various issues that can drain too much of our energy. Over the longer term, we shall map out strategies to deal with such issues such as lack of land for religious and burial purposes, the need to promote inter-religious harmony and understanding through the primary and secondary school education system, etc. We wish to work together, as much as possible, with other national Buddhist organizations in the Malaysian Buddhist Coordination Committee (MBCC) to deal with such issues. How would the TBCM deal with bogus monks in Theravada robes who are becoming increasing common in wet markets and restaurants in Malaysia today?
We shall deal with this issue once we are ready. One strategy is to leverage on Dharma education. Actually some Buddhist organizations such as Vihara Buddha Gotama, Nalanda Buddhist Society and Taiping Insight Meditation Society (who are three of the prime movers of TBCM, have already regularly organized Pindacara (alms round by the members of the Sangha) at various wet markets and other places to create wholesome conditions for people to offer food dana as well as to educate the people what is proper to offer when they see monks on alms-round. TBCM will publicize such an approach to educate the public. How will TBCM work with the other major Buddhist groups in the country such as the Malaysia Buddhist Association (MBA) and the Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia (VBCM)? TBCM looks forward to work with the Malaysian Buddhist Association, Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia and other national Buddhist organizations to safeguard the overall interests of the Malaysian Buddhists. Being new, TBCM looks forward to their advice and assistance where necessary. What is your personal vision for the Council since you are elected the first president of this national body? I share the collective vision of the prime movers of this Council for a united Buddhist Community, living in peace and harmony while propagating Theravada teachings (doctrines compiled by the Elders of the Order), practices and heritage. EH
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The photograph on page 22 of the September 2011 issue of Eastern Horizon should be the monastery of Beru Khyentse Rinpoche. We apologize for the mistake.â&#x20AC;?
65!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
EasTern HorIzon needs your support!
Teachings | Mindfulness Practices in Western Psychology?
The Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia publishes the EASTERN HORIZON journal every four months. The journal is a non-profit making project and needs the support of wellwishers like you to ensure that the Buddhist com munity continues to have a good quality Buddhist journal for their reading pleasure. You can support the EASTERN HORIZON through the following means. Be an Honorary Patron of EASTERN HORIZON and receive 3 copies of each issue published for one year by contributing RM500/SGD250/USD150. Be an Honorary Director of EASTERN HORIZON and receive 2 copies of each issue published for one year by contributing RM200/SGD100/USD60. Be a Sponsor of EASTERN HORIZON and receive 1 copy of each issue published for one year by contributing RM 100/SGD50/USD30. Any General Donation. Subscribe EASTERN HORIZON as a gift for your love ones/ friends/colleagues.
EasTern HorIzon Radiating the Light of Dharma .......................................................................
Published every January, May & September Newsstand price: RM10 per copy (Malaysia) Subscription Yes! I want to subscribe for 1 year 3 Issues (RM25/SGD27/USD27) 2 years 6 Issues (RM50/SGD50/USD50) 3 years 9 Issues (RM70/SGD70/USD70) Please commence my personal subscription with the next issue with issue no. renewal; subscription no.
I would like to be an Honorary Patron/ Honorary Director/ Sponsor* year/s.
of EASTERN HORIZON for
via cheque/bankdraft no.
Enclosed is RM/SGD/USD
as my contribution to EASTERN HORIZON. Name (Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms) : Add : Postcode : Tel :
(Off)
(Hse)
(H/P) Email : Date :
Signature :
All payment to be made payable to EASTERN HORIZON. Please send your payment to: EASTERN HORIZON 9, Jalan SS 25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA Tel : (603) 7804 9154 Fax: (603) 7804 9021 Email : ybam@ybam.org.my
Name:
M
F
Add : Postcode : Tel :
(Off)
(Hse)
(H/P) Email : Date : Gift | Please send to the following as a gift. Name:
M
F
Add : Postcode : Date : I herewith enclosed
RM
SGD
USD
crossed cheque/bankdraft
no All payment to be made payable to EASTERN HORIZON. Please send your payment to: EASTERN HORIZON 9, Jalan SS 25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA Tel : (603) 7804 9154 Fax: (603) 7804 9021 Email : ybam@ybam.org.my
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!66
BOOK REVIEW by Vijaya Samarawickrama Ajahn Amaro Bhikkhu. Small boat, Great Mountain. Amaravati, Hertfordshire. UK.2012. pp194. (Limited copies of this book are available from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society, www.bubsoc.org). Writing a review for this book seems very much like trying to empty the ocean into a teacup because there is so much information packed tightly into its almost 200 pages. Its basic purpose is to attempt an alignment of the Tibetan Dzogchen teachings with the Theravadin teachings as contained in the Thai forest tradition. This particular forest tradition includes teachers such as Ajahn Mun (1870-1949), Ajahn Chah (1918-1992), Ajahn Sumedho (b. 1934) and finally the author of this book, Ajahn Amaro bhikkhu himself. The book saw its origins in a series of lectures conducted by Ajahn Amaro Bhikkhu at Spirit Rock Center in California. Ajahn had been invited to complement a series of teachings on Dzogchen at a retreat conducted by Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Initially there were misgivings about whether there could be any points of convergence between such divergent traditions but the convenors expressed their confidence in the universality of the essential Dhamma because in the final analysis, “There may be 84,000 different dharma doors, but fundamentally there is one dharma”. However, one problem they did anticipate was regarding the way the teachings were imparted: the Tibetan method was very structured and controlled whereas in the Thai forest tradition Dhamma speakers were required to speak from the heart, with very little structure so that the Dharma emanated spontaneously from the teacher. Would it be possible to avoid confusion by bringing the two diverse methods together? As it turned out, Ajahn Amaro was not only able to complement Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s teachings but also shed more light on the most essential teachings of the Buddha which are recognized in all the traditions. Ajahn Amaro emphasizes at the outset the need to attain Freedom by breaking away from the shackles created by one’s dualist approach to phenomena: “It is not like we need to become free. It is a matter of discovering that quality of being that is inherently unhindered and bounded”. And both traditions agree that when grasping stops there is dukkha-nirodha or rigpa, cessation. We are warned (with examples given by Ajahn Chah) not to look for the unconditioned with a conditioned mind that confuses self and other. Two vivid examples, that of oil and water and the reflection one sees in a mirror both illustrate that ‘they will separate themselves out if we let them’. The world is not out there, but within ourselves which we have to discover. As the Buddha explained to Rohitassa: “In this fathom long body is the beginning and end of the world”. To train the mind it is necessary to develop non-abiding, not allowing anything to stick. Ajahn Amaro illustrates this graphically by recalling how the Bodhisatta Gotama remained impervious to Mara’s attacks just before his Enlightenment. He stayed undeluded, he did not react against what was happening, he did not allow outside influences to stick. As a result, “all their weapons turn to flowers and incense.” The resulting sense of freedom is uninterruptible, incorruptible, unconfusible by any sense experience. In this state, who, where, what, and when do not apply. “Birth and Death therefore come to a standstill: “the body is moving, the world is coming and going, but it is absolutely going nowhere”.
67!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
BOOK REVIEW by Vijaya Samarawickrama It goes without saying that both traditions clearly emphasize the utter importance of meditation in order to rid the mind of its confusion. But in a humorous anecdote, Ajahn Amaro relates how Ajahn Chah skillfully showed him what meditation really is. It is not just sitting secluded, cut off from the world. Rather, “when we give our hearts to whatever we do, to whatever we experience, or to what is happening around us, without personal agendas or preferences taking over, the space of rigpa, the space of awareness is exactly the same”. Such a mind has Wisdom, and the result of wisdom is compassion. In the preface Guy Armstrong quotes Tsoknyi’s assessment of Ajahn Amaro, “I’ve never met anyone like him before. His Vinaya is very strict. Usually when the Vinaya is strict, inside the monk is very tight. But he is very loose inside and always very happy”. Reading Small Boat, Great Mountain, one will be able to apprehend this Ajahn Amaro quite clearly. He is certainly very steeped not only in the Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah, but also completely at ease with the Pali Canon, quoting as he does from an incredibly wide range of sources. But not only does he expound this deep knowledge clearly, but he also juxtaposes it with the Dzogchen practice by pointing out the parallels and divergences with consummate skill and ease. And all of this with a delicious sense of English humor which makes this book a joy to read.
HH the Dalai Lama, Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, Harper Collins Publishers, India. 2012. pp187. Vijaya Samarawickrama We live in a world where a sizeable proportion of its population has grown weary (and wary) of those who proclaim that their religion alone has the monopoly to the Truth and all those who think otherwise are destined for the fires of hell. Beyond Religion: ethics for a whole world by HH Holiness the Dalai Lama comes as a welcome breath of fresh air which boldly declares that all religions subscribe to a common set of core values which can ennoble us as human beings without the binding restrictions of dogma and faith. He urges us to view religion from the viewpoint of the knowledge we have at our command in the 21st Century: “Certainly religion has helped millions of people in the past, helps millions today and will continue to help millions in the future. But for all its benefits in offering moral guidance and meaning in life, in today’s secular world religion alone is no longer adequate as a basis for ethics. One reason for this is that many people in the world no longer follow any particular religion.” And that coming from one of the most influential religious leaders alive today! However, The Dalai Lama observes that just as in the past, man does not live by bread alone. The failure of modern civilization is that despite the breathtaking advances we have made in the areas of science and technology, humans are no happier than they were in the past. Spiritual development has not kept pace with material progress. The result is a world population of more than seven billion people struggling to cope with environmental and social problems, “with stress, anxiety, depression and increasing loneliness”. What we need is a ‘whole’ world. FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!68
BOOK REVIEW by Vijaya Samarawickrama His Holiness declares that over the several decades he has studied religion on a global level he has come to the conclusion that for most religious practitioners “the pursuit of an ethical life and their ultimate spiritual aspirations are inseparable”. But this does not mean that religion is indispensable to the spiritual life. Even without religion we can develop inner values which we can identify as ethics which are to be understood as ‘principles of self- regulation” which conduce to our own well- being as well as to that of others. Therefore the basis of universal ethics is to recognize our shared humanity and our interdependence. These of course provoke in us the quality of compassion – not only for ourselves but for all other beings that share this planet with us. This compassion is innate, as demonstrated by the love a mother shows her only child, but it is also something that can be nurtured deliberately and consciously through correct education. Compassion is not merely empathy, but wanting to DO something about it.The Dalai Lama argues that ethics is basically do-ing through Restraint, Virtue and Altruism. All of these are certainly not impractical, he insists, because humans have a capacity for selfimprovement. If ethics is to have a meaningful impact on human lives then we must ground it on the consideration of motivation. In order to act ethically we must ensure that our motivation is pure and genuinely directed towards the benefit of others. Which of course leads us back to compassion. From compassion will spring all positive values—patience, kindness, forgiveness, self- discipline, contentment and so on. To prevent compassion from descending into mere pity, we must also exercise wisdom, or discernment, as The Dalai Lama calls it. Discernment is necessary to examine our motives and our ethical awareness to decide what will benefit others as well as ourselves. Discernment is also necessary for us to weigh the consequences of our actions in the long as well as the short term. Instead of merely abstaining from the universally recognized evils of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and slander, we need discernment to go further and explore the dangers of other kinds of more subtle negative behavior which are not so easily recognized, the exploitation of nature, for example. As examples of the Key Inner Values we need to develop on a global scale, the Dalai Lama suggests Patience and Forbearance, Contentment, Self discipline, Generosity. Of course meditation is strongly recommended to develop clarity of thought to distinguish the beneficial from the unprofitable. How is this to be achieved? The Dalai Lama is clear on the point: we need to look at our education system and develop one that focuses on Educating the Heart. This is an eminently readable book, the language is clear, simple and witty. The Dalai Lama’s compassion and humanity comes through every word. Recommended reading for religious leaders of all stripes. EH
69!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
BOOKS IN BRIEF Wisdom Publications 109 Elms Street, Somerville, MA 02144, USA. www.wisdompubs.org
Thupten Jinpa, Essential Mind Training. Tibetan Wisdom for Daily Life. 2011.pp 279. US$16.95 Essential Mind Training is drawn from the earliest collection of Tibetan spiritual literature known as “mind training” or lojong in Tibetan. Tibetans revere the mind training tradition for its pragmatic and down-to-earth advice, especially the teachings on “transforming adversity into opportunity.” This volume contains eighteen individual works, including such renowned teachings as Atisa’s Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland, Langri Thangpa’s Eight Verses on Mind Training, and Chekawa’s Seven-Point Mind Training, together with the earliest commentaries on these seminal texts as well as other independent works. These teachings expound the cultivation of such altruistic attitudes as compassion, love, forbearance, and perseverance, and provide numerous techniques for uprooting our habitual self-centeredness and giving us the freedom to embrace the world. EH
Lobsang Gyatso and Graham Woodhouse, Tsongkhapa’s Praise for Dependent Relativity. 2011. pp 127. US$16.95 Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), the author of The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment and the teacher of the First Dalai Lama, is renowned as one of the greatest scholar-saints that Tibet has ever produced. He composed his poetic Praise for Dependent Relativity the very morning that he abandoned confusion and attained the final view, the clear realization of emptiness that is the essence of wisdom. English monk Graham Woodhouse, a longtime student of Buddhism who lives near the Dalai Lama’s residence in northern India, translates Tsongkhapa’s celebrated text and conveys for modern readers the teachings he received from his teacher, the late Venerable Losang Gyatso on the 12 aspects of dependent origination. EH
Taigen Dan Leighton, Faces of Compassion. Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression. 2012. pp 348. US$18.95 This wonderful book is also sub-titled “An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism.” From Ali to Gandhi, Dylan to Thoreau, and from Gertrude Stein to Mother Theresa, Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They’re not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities, but shining examples of our own highest potential. Zen teacher and scholar Taigen Dan Leighton takes us through the ages to meet the people who have shaped history and society with their compassion and wisdom. Faces of Compassion emphasizes the universality of spiritual ideals, and the power each of us has to change our world. A total of 6 well-known bodhisttavas in the Mahayana tradition and Sakyamuni Buddha is featured in this book. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!6:
BOOKS IN BRIEF
Geshe Tashi Tsering, Tantra. The Foundation of Buddhist Thought, Volume 6. 2012. Pp216. US$16.95 There are many good books now available describing the complex rituals and esoteric significance of the ancient practices of Buddhist tantra, and the difference between Buddhist and Hindu Tantra. Geshe Tashi Tsering’s Tantra is the sixth and final volume in the Foundation of Buddhist Thought series. Understanding the many questions new Buddhists have upon first encountering tantra’s colorful imagery and veiled language, Geshe Tsering gives straight talk about deities, initiations, mandalas, and the various stages of tantric development. He even goes through a simple tantric compassion practice written by the Dalai Lama, using it to unpack the building blocks common to all such visualization techniques. This book is relevant for both the advanced practitioner and beginner to Buddhism. EH
Shambhala Publications, Inc 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USA www.shambhala.com (Snow Lion Publications is now part of the Shambhala Group)
The Dalai Lama, For the Benefit of all Beings. A Commentary on the Way of the Bodhisattva. 2009. pp 141. US$15.95 The Dalai Lama, who is a living embodiment of the bodhisattva ideal, presents here detailed practical guidance based on sections of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara or The Way of the Bodhisattva, a best-known text of Mahayana Buddhism. The Dalai Lama explains this classic and beloved work, showing how anyone can develop a truly “good heart” and the aspiration for the enlightenment of all beings. In this book, the Dalai Lama’s profound knowledge is evident—the result of extensive training. Here he shares his extraordinary insight into the human condition and what it means to be a responsible and caring person. This book was previously reviewed under the title A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night. EH
71!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
BOOKS IN BRIEF
Dudjom Rinpoche, Counsels from my Heart. 2003, pp 122. US$18.95 This is one of the few volumes of teachings by Dudjom Rinpoche (1904-187), a legendary meditation master of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism that is available in English. It features talks to students presented in Dudjom Rinpoche’s characteristically incisive and direct style, bringing the timeless heart-counsels of this great teacher vividly to life. While this may be considered an introductory book on Buddhism, yet it offers novice practitioners earnest wisdom applicable for daily life. In this book are found basic concepts like samsara and the Four Noble Truths, along with some reflections on the importance of the Dalai Lama and the dream for a free Tibet. EH
Khenpo Karthar, Dharma Paths. 2011. Pp 283. US$19.95 This is a highly accessible introductory text on Tibetan Buddhism. It cuts through the complexity of the Tibetan tradition, revealing a flexible approach based on our individual capacities. Without assuming an academic background or knowledge of Buddhist terminology, Dharma Paths presents Buddhist ways of working with anxiety and frustration, the nature and development of love and compassion, and the profound methods of the Vajrayana. The Four Noble Truths, taking refuge, and the Stages of the Path are concisely explained, and clear instructions for shamatha (calm abiding) meditation are provided. Question-andanswer sections follow each chapter, anticipating common problems and addressing them in a direct, accessible style. EH
Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen, A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path. 2009. Pp 486. US$25.95 This book is based on The Jewel Treasury of Advice, a text composed by Drikung Bhande Dharmaradza (1704–1754), the reincarnation of Drikung Dharmakirti. It provides numerous methods to bring greater meaning and happiness into our lives and into our relationships with others. Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche reveals these methods in direct, vibrant, down-to-earth language. At the core of this work lies Khenchen Rinpoche’s interpretation of these ancient teachings with compassion, humor, and a keen awareness for their relevance in modern life. Those who sincerely want to study and practice the Buddha’s teachings will find this an indispensable guide. EH
FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!72
BOOKS IN BRIEF The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive P.O. Box 356 Weston, MA 02493, USA www.LamaYeshe.com
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Bodhisattva Attitude. How to Dedicate Your Life to Others. 2012. pp 266. Free Rinpoche explains that the purpose of having a Bodhisattva attitude is to cherish others. With this, all our wishes for happiness will be fulfilled, even the wish to attain liberation and enlightenment. With Bodhicitta we develop a very clear direction and purpose in life. Rinpoche’s book comprises four sections. Section 1 starts with various Bodhisattva verses followed by teachings on the Bodhisattva path. The third part deals primarily with the importance of motivations in generating bodhicitta while the Appendices in Part IV provide practical guidelines on how to start the day with Bodhicitta, meditation practices on the stages of the path to enlightenment, and morning mantras. By developing this bodhisattva attitude, we will open our hearts to others and direct our minds towards enlightenment. EH
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, How to Practice Dharma. Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas. 2012. Pp 232. Free This book in drawn from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s lam-rim teachings given over a four-decade period, starting from the early 1970s. It deals with the eight worldly dharmas that affect all of us – praise and blame, happiness and sorrow, fame and ill-fame, and gain and loss. Lama Zopa explains how these worldly dharmas lead us to problems and suffering, and how to abandon them in order to find perfect peace and happiness. He explains that even if we understand nothing else, we should recognize the eight worldy dharmas, and differentiate between what is dharma and what is not Dharma. This knowledge alone gives us a great chance to really put Dharma practice into our daily life and create an incredible amount of merit. EH
73!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
Whither The Dhamma? Dharma Aftermath
by Rasika Quek
Recently, my wife attended an international conference on engineering held in a neighboring country. It was the first time in twenty years that she set foot in the capital city. Being a much busier city than Kuala Lumpur, she couldn’t help notice how the proportion of young people there was much more than those above the age of forty. Everywhere in the streets, there was an abundance of eateries, pubs and shopping places. It was really a “happening” place. So it seems that our perception of this neighboring country with its famed Jade Buddha, renowned forest hermitages and meditation teachers, is a flash-back predominantly from the past. In truth, the Gen Y of this nation, often called the “Land of Smiles,” may no longer consider the religion of their ancestors as being particularly relevant to their material pursuits of money and what is trendy. What seems to have gone wrong is really a worldwide trend where young people no longer find the ritualistic and institutionalized aspects of religion that appealing anymore. Today’s generation know nothing of the economic hardships and social upheavals their parents and grandparents went through. There was a time when religious beliefs and practices gave people security and meaning to their lives, but not now. Gen Y does not understand the relevance of propitiating Buddhas and devas, for they lead sheltered lives and are largely unaware of life’s real problems. They have very high expectations of wages, over-estimate their contributions and tend to be argumentative and less respectful of authority and elders. Playing Angry Bird games with their i-Pads seem more appealing than offering spoonfuls of cooked rice into the alms bowl of monks as asked by their parents. We have become quite disconnected from Gen Y that we fail to realize that the ways of our parents and grandparents will not work for them anymore. Sunday schools everywhere face real challenges in filling their classes. Do not expect Gen Y to sit obediently through another class on Sunday when their week days are filled to the brim with school and tuition classes. Perhaps our traditional way of imparting dharma is too “preachy” and “top-down” (only oneway communication). How do we bring the dharma to them when they don’t feel like attending Sunday school anymore? We have to lead, not so much by forcing good values onto them, but by being living examples. Despite all our good intentions, we do not have any real control over another’s choices and preferences. For transformation to take place, Gen Y must see that their elders are exemplary and that they really do care for them. Gen Y people do not like being reminded that they are “bad” or that they possess unwholesome attributes. So, if we do not accept Gen Y’s way of thinking is like that, we should not expect them to give us the respect we think we are entitled to. FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO!}!74
Exemplary living offers others a demonstrable model for wholesome living and hopefully inspires them to mould their own lives accordingly. As parents, we may think that we know it all and what’s really good for our children. On the contrary, many parents have become “disengaged” with their children. Meaningful conversations do not take place because of career pressures, etc. Our own constant pursuit of money and the nice things life can offer only make our exhortations sound “hollow” when we beseech them to be “contented”, “grateful”, “humble” and so on. They do not need our constant lectures but they need to feel that we are there for them when it counts most. It is ironic that many of us have not learned how to establish emotional trust first but prefer to logic things out with them, thinking that to be the most effective way. As parents, we have to develop our EQ skills too and not act as headmasters to our own children. We have to mentor, not preach. There is nothing wrong about being able to provide material comforts well but our children need to feel our warmth and love too, expressed adequately through kindness in words and deeds. Only when we ourselves can show that we are embodiments of love, compassion and understanding is there hope that Gen Y can be transformed by our benign influence. The best teachers are not preachy but are simply living examples unto others. When we are kind and understanding, others will also feel motivated to do the same. In other words, there must be emotional buy-in before the desired behavior can be nurtured. Dharma is imparted through exemplary living, not by asking children to attend Sunday schools alone. We should become the change we wish to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi). EH Rasika Quek 24 Nov 2012
Are you searching for a spiritually challenging work? Do you enjoy meeƟng fellow Dharma pracƟƟoners, 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 acƟviƟes 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 interesƟng, we can make it spiritually challenging for you too! In every issue of EASTERN HORIZON, we publish special chat sessions with leading Buddhist personaliƟes, essays on all aspects of Buddhism, book reviews, and news and acƟviƟes 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 exciƟng 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 senƟent beings!
75!}!FBTUFSO!IPSJ[PO
World Buddhist Conference 2012
Welcome Speech from Dr Ong See Yew, Organizing Chairman.
Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Minister in the Prime Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department, officiating at the Opening Ceremony
Ven Wei Wu commenting on the Keynote Address by Chamgong Kenting Tai Situ Rinpoche.
Ven Dr Sugandha receiving a souvenir as speaker from Datuk Dr Victor Wee, Vice Chairman.
Dr Tan Eng Kong receiving a souvenir as speaker from Loh Pai Ling, Vice Chairman.
Dr Dr Phang Cheng Kar Kar receiving a souvenir so as moderator mo from Benny Ben Liow, Program Pro Director.
Lee Yu Ban, a participant from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society, asking questions during the Q&A session.
Ven Thubten Chokyi receiving a souvenir as speaker from Goh Qing Song, President of YBAM.
Geshe Dadul Namgyal, one of the many speakers at the conference.
Group photo of Speakers, Moderators and Members of the Organizing Committee.