KATHINA ROBE OFFERING CEREMONY. In remembrance of and with respect to our grandparents and parents

Transcription

1 LOTUS JOURNAL OF THE BIRMINGHAM BUDDHIST VIHARA ISSUE No.46 WINTER 2016 KATHINA ROBE OFFERING CEREMONY In remembrance of and with respect to our grandparents and parents Friends from 1988 batch Institute of Medicine (1) Yangon and Family Sunday 23 rd October

2 Sati by Nathabandu Kottegoda Sati signifies the presence of mind. It arises in the here and now, when we stay in the present moment, and pay bare attention without making any judgement. With sati we see what is happening in our minds and also around us. Thoughts come and go. We note each experience as it arises and passes away without trying to identify with it, without being attached. The Buddha said, in the short Bahiya sutta, In what is seen there should be only the seen; in what is heard, only the heard; in what is sensed, only the sensed; in what is thought only the thought. An untrained mind drifts between states of high and low like the water level in an uncontrolled tank: pride and humility, elation and despair, exhilaration and gloom and other emotional ups and downs. To maintain a reliable supply of water we need to regulate the level in the tank. Likewise, with sati we train to keep our mental activities at steady wholesome levels so that our lives are not wasted. In the Buddha s system of self-training through meditation the focal point is sati. We use the breath as a meditation object: it is part of a natural process, essential to life. It serves as an anchor to the present moment, a place of retreat to which we return when the mind wanders. The Buddha emphasised its importance in the Anapanasati sutta, the discourse on mindfulness of the in-breath and out-breath. Lord Buddha used anapanasati in his path to enlightenment. In the frequently studied Satipatthana sutta, the discourse on intensive mindfulness, we are asked to find a quiet place and sit cross-legged holding the back erect and arousing sati, and in later commentaries, to keep the neck upright, eyes closed and the hands on the lap, one over the other with the palms facing upward. It will be helpful at this stage to visualise the posture of the body and check whether there is excessive rigidity and stiffness. We then observe mindfully the natural breath as it moves in and out through our nostrils. If it is a long breath I am breathing in a long breath is noted, without actually saying it, and when breathing out I am breathing out a long breath. If it is a short breath I am breathing in a short breath and when exhaling I am breathing out a short breath are noted. This is not something done deliberately: the breath can be of any length, we simply note its movement. We keep in mind that we are observing the breath as it occurs naturally, without trying to force or control it in any way. We are asked to observe the in and out breaths at the entrance to the nostrils: the point of contact where the flow of air strikes, anapana nimitta. Its comprehension is important for the practice of one-pointedness of the mind (Satipatthana sutta.) The late Ven. Matara Sri Gnanarama Mahathera, one of Sri Lanka s best known meditation teachers, said (in his booklet on Anapanasati of 10 th September 1989) that until the point of contact, nimitta, is clear we should continue to visualise the posture of the body. An experienced meditator will realise that in general the breath is of three types: coarse, fine and very fine and the contact is, respectively, very clear, less clear and hardly perceptible; but he or she will continue to focus on the point of contact. In the Noble Eightfold Path the sixth factor is Right Effort (Samma Vayama.) It calls for a special effort to prevent unwholesome states of mind from arising, to abandon such states if arisen, to make a positive effort to bring wholesome states to existence and to perfect and preserve them. By using Right Effort we can overcome the five mental hindrances that may sometimes arise as obstacles to our meditation. These impediments are linked to the three roots of evil: selfish desires, lobha, aversion, dosa, and delusion, moha. To overcome them antidotes are suggested. If thoughts of a sensual nature arise we visualise repulsive parts of the body. If the mind is affected by ill-will we practice loving-kindness. If the hindrances are sloth and torpor we arouse greater energy and effort. If restlessness and remorse are present we induce tranquility and quietness. In case of doubt we give wise attention to phenomena and reflect on the beneficial effects of the practice. In the Karaniyamatta sutta, the discourse on loving-kindness, the Buddha said that when one is standing, walking, sitting or lying down, as long as one is a wake one should practice sati. If one is walking, for instance, the attention must be fully placed on the walking, a step at a time. The process is made into a natural and not a mechanical one. If one is washing plates or pots each object should be one of contemplation, by working unhurriedly and following the breath to keep the mind focused (Thich Nhat Hanh in The Miracle of Mindfulness.) This also applies to other work one is doing in any situation. The maintenance of sati in all postures brings wisdom. Edward Koch, a late mayor of New York and one of the most successful in the city, had his trademark question to voters in the 1980s: How I m doing? I ask myself the same question. With sati, I tend to be calm, composed and peaceful. I try to establish sati from the moment I am awake in the morning. On some occasions, however, I may be absent-minded or lacking in some way. Each act of forgetfulness or shortcoming is noted and acted upon knowing that the likely underlying cause is some irrational anxiety or worry arising through or directly linked to one of the roots of evil. This sends a signal: my sati should be strengthened by cultivating good practice. Faith, saddha, in the teaching comes first. Secondly, heedfulness, appamada, and resoluteness, adhithana, are necessary. In the Satipatthana sutta, the discourse on intensive mindfulness, we are asked to cultivate the effort to burn defilements, atapi, to develop investigative intelligence, sampajanno, and to persevere with the faculty of mindfulness, satima. We follow the path with strict observance of morality, sila, leading to concentration, samadhi, the purification of the mind and wisdom panna. When the Buddha practiced anapanasati meditation on the path of self-discovery he realised the true characteristics of life. In his awakening he reached liberation from the roots of evil: greed, ill-will and delusion. It was not about profit or personal gain. Such goals are counterproductive. Without addressing one s suffering, dukkha, this can cause suffering and lead to mindlessness. It becomes clear why sati is the first of the seven factors of enlightenment and the basis for investigation. In the Noble Eight Fold path it is the seventh factor: Right Mindfulness, samma sati, by which one gains experiential wisdom. Sati is an intrinsic part of most of the teaching. Lord Buddha spread his remedy for suffering out of compassion for others. What he found, he said, was within the reach of all human beings. After his enlightenment he spent his remaining life of 45 years teaching the Dhamma, the truth as he experienced it. His life was exemplary and perfectly matched his teaching. The Buddha s monks, it is said, Do not repent the past nor brood over the future. They live in the present. Hence they are radiant. To a novice monk who said that according to the Discipline, Vinaya, there are 227 rules a monk should follow, and he can t keep all of them in mind, Lord Buddha replied that if he remembers to practice one thing he will recall all the rules. That is sati. 2

3 Buddhist Society Summer School by Duncan Fyfe Towards the end of August this year I attended the Buddhist Society Summer School, held in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Agricultural University at Cirencester. This was surprisingly the 65th time the Buddhist Society has held its Summer School, but this becomes less surprising when we learn that the Buddhist Society was founded in A lay organisation, it is one of the oldest Buddhist societies in Europe. Whilst mostly concerned with Zen, the society is not formally attached to any one school of Buddhism and remains non-sectarian in character. In 1961 His Holiness the Dalai Lama became Patron to the Society. In its London premises, the Society offers classes in introductory Buddhism, as well as running classes in the Theravada, Zen, Tibetan and Pure Land Schools. It also offers a popular Correspondence Course. The Society's internationally respected quarterly, The Middle Way, has a publishing history going back to Christmas Humphreys a distinguished lawyer and High Court Judge founded the society and remained President until his death in April He was also involved in Dr Rewatta Dhamma s move to the UK in I have attended the Summer School for the last ten years, and it is always a very enjoyable, stimulating and contemplative experience, being an unusual mixture of meditation retreat, seminar, discussion group and culinary treat. There were about 70 attendees at the School which lasts seven days, with each day s timetable being exactly the same. Each day starts at 7:30am with an hour of meditation, followed by breakfast, and then a second hour of meditation. The meditation hall is run along Rinzai Zen lines. Meditation mats are lined up with military precision, shoes must be correctly placed at the right angle, and everyone must remain motionless until the Zen monk has left the hall. On entry to the hall, one makes a formal bow to the Buddha Rupa, and when one arrives at one s meditation mat (everyone is assigned a specific mat on the first day), one bows to one s mat and then to the hall before sitting down. This without doubt sounds very odd to anyone used to a Theravada meditation session. However, Rinzai Zen place enormous emphasis on the correctness of outward form specifically as an aid to inner mental well-being. Once one understands this rationale behind the convention of extreme formality, it becomes much easier to conform to. (And I m a great believer in challenging my own norms from time to time, even if being outside one s own comfort zone can feel pretty uncomfortable. Craving for normality is, after all, just another form of craving - or tanha in Pali). As a result of these Summer School visits, I don t bow to my meditation mat on a regular basis, but I am much more aware of my bodily posture, and the effect that posture has on my mental state. Following the second meditation session, there is an hour s coffee break, giving plenty of time to talk to fellow attendees. A lecture on Buddhist teachings follows, the first three days being concerned with the teachings of Theravada Buddhism (given by a Zen nun, offering a truly non-denominational feel to proceedings), and with the final three days concentrating on the Mahayana teachings. I m always struck by the similarity between the two traditions, with the differences being much more a matter of style than substance. When I first decided to become seriously involved with Buddhism, I looked in detail at the three schools most prevalent in the UK and also present at the Buddhist Society Summer School Theravada, Zen and Tibetan. Theravada happened to be the one that seemed most appropriate for me, not least because the teachings only had to undergo a single translation from Pali into English, rather than for example Sanskrit to Chinese to Japanese to English in the case of Zen (along with the inevitable cultural overlays in each case). Afternoons at Summer School are entirely free, and so one can study texts or walk in the beautiful Cotswold countryside, sightsee or take an afternoon nap. I did all these things, but not all on the same afternoon... Late afternoon brings a lecture on Buddhist Practice both on and off the cushion, the latter being referred to as Daily Life Practice. An example topic was concerned with looking at the Buddhist Wheel of Life with its six realms of Humans, Gods, Angry Gods, Animals, Hell Realms and Hungry Ghosts. We were encouraged to look at our own mental state throughout the day, and plot its progress throughout most if not all of these realms. After dinner, which along with breakfast and lunch formed a truly culinary treat, we had an evening lecture given by various guest speakers. Bhikkhu Phra Kru Samlon, originally from Thailand, is senior monk at the Wimbledon Vihara in London and spoke about Turning the Wheel of the Dharma in the West. Lama Chime Tulku Rinpoche, who fled Tibet in 1959 after its occupation by China, joked about how amazed he was when he first arrived in the UK to see our wealth and yet just how unhappy we are, compared to Tibet where people were extremely poor but generally very happy. The final session each day was a half-hour meditation at 9:30pm. There is an undoubted charge in the air when one meditates amongst a large group of meditators. I d find it impossible to put that feeling accurately into words, or to develop a logical rationale as to why the charge exists, but exist it does and it was especially palpable in each day s final period of meditation. This was, as always, a most valuable week. I use it to reinvigorate my practice, and it s a great opportunity to discuss aspects of Buddhism with people with enormous depth and breadth of experience. I would recommend it to anyone. (Details at 3

4 VIHARA NEWS Spiritual Director Dr Ottara Nyana Pagoda News Pagoda Anniversary & Diploma Award Ceremony Dhammatalaka Peace Pagoda 18 th Anniversary and Waso Robe Offering ceremony was celebrated on the 17th July. Diploma award ceremony was also held on the same day and four Birmingham Buddhist Academy Students were awarded with certificates by Spiritual Director Dr Ottara Nyana. During the ceremony, Dr Hla Bu (London) and singer The Nu War beautifully entertained with classic Burmese songs. Over two hundred supporters attended to the Anniversary and sponsored by Daw Aye Mya Khin (London), Dr Mar Mar Lwin (Birmingham) and Dr Wunna & Dr Barbara Wunna (Wakefield) family. Ten days Insight Meditation Retreat The retreat took place from 19 th to 28 th August to enable meditators to experience the characteristic of impermanence and nature of non-selfhood as part of the process of insight meditation. Twelve yogies with different age group participated and free vegetarian lunch was offered. Thank you all of our supporter for lunch dāna during retreat. During the retreat, Paticca Samuppāda (chain of condition arising) was taught by Bhante for both theory and practical knowledge. Abhidhamma & Pavarana (Invitation) Days (16th October from 6.30 to 8.30pm) First, our sangha celebrated Pavarana in accordance with Vinaya (Discipline) and then chanting Patthana (Abhidhamma). It is also Lighting ceremony. Finally, Dr Ottara Nyana explained significant of this ceremony to visitors. Breakfast dana was sponsored by Dr Thant Hlaing & Dr Kay The Lat family, Southport and lunch dana was sponsored by Dr Kyaw Tun Aye & Dr Htet New Win from Swansea. Birmingham Faith Leader meeting Birmingham Faith Leader meeting was held on the 9 th November in Dhmma hall and ten members attended the meeting from 10am to 12.30pm. Kathina ceremony Fourteen monks and hundreds of friends attended the Kathina ceremony on the 23 rd October, sponsored by friends from 1988 batch Institute of Medicine (1) Yangon and Family. Our sincere thanks to Kathina sponsors, breakfast dana for Ko Htet Hla & Ma That Sone (London) and last but not the least U Kyaw Min Lwin and friends for their kind volunteer support in every Vihara s ceremony. Ordinations Dr Po from Wolverhampton and Laszlo Bencze from Basingstoke ordained in our Pagoda on 30th May, sponsored by May Sandar. Over fifty relatives and friend attended to the ceremony. New monks were happy with meditation for one week especially Laszlo helped with technical part of Dr Ottara Nyana s new book Ten Powers of Lord Buddha s Wisdom. Dr Chit Ko Ko from Birmingham also ordained on the 4th September and stayed in vihara for one week. During his stay, he had opportunity to practice meditation and study Buddhism. Around fifty friends and families attended his ordination. Educational Visits The number of educational visits to the Pagoda, and the number of students present in each group, has once again continued to rise significantly. Over one hundreds schools and three thousand students visit our Pagoda yearly. In addition to the increasing numbers wishing to visit, it is very reassuring that the student knowledge and understanding of Buddhism prior to their visits is also significantly improving. Dr Nagasena and Ellen Parker help with school visits. For a school visit please contact: Yanda Lovelock : yanda_lovelock@yahoo.co.uk 4

5 Donations with Thanks! Dr Steve Wynn Aung generously donated 7000 for peace Pagoda and shared his world kindness day message and how he felt about the Pagoda. I had a beautiful and lovely day today. First thing in the morning I sent World Kindness Day message to family and friends. Then I had a nice drive up to Birmingham in sunny weather with no traffic hold ups. Arriving there I enjoyed delicious dishes cooked by my niece for the monk. Then I had a donation 'ceremony'. The beautiful scenes and peace and tranquility that I discovered later, I have already described to you. Then I had a safe journey back home underneath the full moon (tomorrow is the full moon day of Tazaundaing light festival) hanging in the dark sky. Now it is almost 11 pm and I am sharing my merits with you. Last night in my dream I saw my late mum wearing a long gold chain around her neck. It was as if mum was trying to tell me that peace and tranquillity are precious like gold to all of us. May there be peace and tranquillity in all your hearts. The peace pagoda is a sanctuary not only for Buddhists but for people of various religions and ethnicities who visit to find a moment of peace and tranquillity inside. Children from various schools of this multicultural city, again of different colours and religious backgrounds, also make group visits to learn how to meditate. Reading little handwritten notes left behind by them, I can appreciate the peace and tranquillity they found inside the pagoda. The pagoda is soon undergoing a major repair work, hence a costly job, to fix the ongoing leakage of rain water from the dome above. Any amount of donation from you will be warmly appreciated and gratefully received. You can find out more at ( UK charity no ) or call UK landline With loving kindness, Steve Wynn Aung 13/11/2016 ( World Kindness Day ) Burmese Youth Association, UK donated a special marble table in dining hall on the 7th Aug accompanied with special lunch offering. The group assembled the table and chairs happily. Dr Kyaw Tun Aye & Dr Htet New Win from Swansea donated special fridge to vihara on 16th October. 5

6 **Special Request for Donations** For resent security problem, our vihara need your help to build better security system. We would like to put remote control at the main gate, CCTV in three buildings and two metal donation boxes. Your kind donations will be much appreciated. Thank You. Special Visit Lord Mayer of Birmingham visited to our Peace Pagoda and Buddhist academy on 10th Oct and spent over two hours and had tea and coffee with our trustees happily in vihara. Birth day lunch dāna Many birth days dāna offered to sangha in our vihara by our supporters with generosity happily. Eleanor& Rown, daughters of Dr. Sandip and Dr Katharina s from Cambridge (granddaughters of Dr Subhash& Dr Khin Aye Myint) celebrated birth day party in Peace Pagoda on 20th Aug. Over 60 visitors joined in this celebration. Dr Oaker & Dr Thin Thin from Plymouth also celebrated the birthday party with friends and families. Dr Aung Myint Kyaw & Daw Mya Mya Aye from offered lunch data and celebrated the occasion at home (Wolverhampton) together with family members and friends. Wedding Jitesh and Samina (son of Suraj&Suro) from Nottingham give lunch dāna and around fifty visitors attended the ceremony. Lord Mayer & Madam Mayer of Solihull visited to Peace Pagoda from am to12 noon on15th November. Vihara s trustees Yann & Ann, Dr Ottara Nyna and Dr Nagasena welcomed them warmly and especially enjoyed with question and answer in various subject. Other Activities Attended the Peace Anniversary at Peace garden on 14th Sep. Birmingham faith leaders, inter faith members and peace loves attended the event. Birmingham Buddhist Academy online Course Master students are now taking the second year course and gathering their course work which they have done during their Diploma and MA first year to update in the BBA student register. New Diploma course will be available in next academic year. The Simasammuhanana Kamma took place in Sheffield, (Dhammikarama) Myanmar Buddhist Vihara on 1st October. In that event, fifteen monks from all Myanmar Vihara UK participated. Attended kathina ceremony in Saraniya Centre, Manchester on 22nd Oct, sponsored by Dr Kyaw Myint+ Dr Khin Hla Myint(daughter) Dr Ka Tay Myint. Fourteen monks attended the ceremony. 6

7 Dr Ottara Nyana s Activities Metta Retreat in Dhammaramsi (Brussels, Belgium) Teaching Metta Sutta during 30 th July to 5th August and 35 yogies participated in the retreat happily. Dr Nagasena s Activities Lotus Children Education Trust founded by Dr Nagasena Charity Number : Bhante took rainy retreat (vasa) in his native village Chittagong, Bangladesh. During his stay, he found the Lotus boy hostel donated by Fire Fly mission. The work is now almost completed perhaps end of November. Visit to a humanity project. Such a noble work of a Buddhist monk Venerable Nagasena put the example here that provides as pure breath & spirit. He teaches/ facilitates Peace tool Meditation in Birmingham as well as in London and by the Dāna/Donation of benevolent he now is building up Residential school for poor & marginalized boys and girls of Chittagong. To complete this humane project more and more fund or Dāna still required. Vipassana Retreat in Dhammaramsi (Brussels, Belgium) From 28 th Oct to 6 th Nov, Dr Ottara Nyana led ten days Vipassa meditation as well as studying Abhidhamma and 30 Yogies took part happily. Meditators and Burmese families also celebrated the Kathina-Sangha day on 5 th November in Dhammaramsi centre. The event is sponsored by Dr Ghel and Dr Khin Thetar family Brussels. He also went to Dhammarama (Brno, Czech Republic) from 25 th to 30 th October and dhmmaduta successfully completed. Dr Ottara Nyana's future Activities Dr Ottara Nyana, will be going to Myanmar from 25 November. to 20th January During his visit, he will attend to 30th State Pariyatti Univerary (Mandalay), from 2 nd to 4th Dec since Bhante worked there from 1986 to 1992 as registrar, Prof. and secretary of University. He will also attend to Dr Rewata Dhamma s birth day and Thamangon High school Anniversary on11th Dec. International Vipassana Conference will be held in ITBMU from 20th to 22nd Dec and Bhante plan to attend this too. Bhante will also lead the Vipassana retreat and teach Buddhism in English to students in his native village, Gyogone, Kyonpyaw from 24 Dec to 1st Jan Bhante attended the Kathina ceremony from 3 rd to 8 th Nov in Paris. Dr Nagasena s future Activities Bhante will be going to Brazil in February 2017 to lead meditation retreat. 7

8 2561 BE/2017 EVENTS CALENDAR BIRMINGHAM BUDDHIST VIHARA DHAMMATALAKA PEACE PAGODA BIRMINGHAM BUDDHIST ACADEMY FESTIVALS Buddha Day (Visaka) Dr Rewata Dhamma s Memorial Service 14 May 10:30am Dhammacakka Day & Pagoda Anniversary 9 July 10:30am Abhidhamma & Pavarana Day 5 Oct. 7:00pm Kathina 8th Oct. 10:30am Buddhist Studies Online Course For information about these classes go to our website: birminghambuddhistacademy.org. FULL MOON Chanting in the Pagoda at 7:30pm except on festival days. 12 Jan., 11 Feb., 12 Mar., 11 April, 10 May, 9 June, 8 July, 7 Aug, 5 Sept. 5 Oct., 3 Nov,3 Dec. DEVOTEE DAYS An opportunity for devotees to offer dāna lunch to the resident monks of the vihara. After lunch everyone may take part in a short meditation session followed by a Dhamma talk. The event will take place on the first Sunday of each month. For further details please contact: Dr Nagasena or Bill Strongman RETREATS Easter Retreat 14 th -17 th April Led by Dr Ottara Nyana 10-Day Insight Retreat 18th-27 th Aug (experienced) Led by Dr Ottara Nyana Designed to enable meditators to experience the characteristic of impermanence and nature of nonselfhood as part of the process of insight meditation. School Visits The number of school visits to the Pagoda is rising year on year and continues to provide students with invaluable experience to hear about the Buddha and his teachings and to meet Buddhist monks. For a school visit please contact: Dr Nagasena: uk.suriya@gmail.com Yanda Lovelock : yanda_lovelock@yahoo.co.uk CHILDREN S CLASSES Sunday class from 1pm - 3pm Every Sunday except when it falls on Christmas Day and New Year s Day. Suitable for 5 + years, but all welcome with or without children. For further details please contact Ellen on her mobile: or her at: ellen06_121@yahoo.co.uk Summer Course for Children (10 th to 16 th Aug.) Please bring your children to the Vihara to stay here and learn about Buddhism. This three day course will include a Buddhist film as well as enjoyable teachings. Accommodation will be available in our Vihara and we look forward to our children s course. For details please contact Dr Nagasana: uk.suriya@gmail.com MEDITATION CLASSES Beginners: Thurs. 7:30pm Advanced: Mon. 7:30pm PAGODA OPENING Summer 9am 6pm Winter 9am 5pm The Pagoda is open most days but to avoid disappointment please call or first to ensure there will be someone available to welcome you and show you around. Phone: or birminghambuddhistacademy.org. For school visit contact: uk.suriya@gmai Mahasi Insight Retreat 10th December (suitable for all) Led by Bhikkhu Bodhidhamma Classic Mahasi insight technique specifically designed For the western mind and taught in a popular dynamic fashion 8