President s Message: Reflections From a Father

Transcription

1 Summer 2014 RIVER DHAMMA News and Letters from Arrow River Forest Hermitage President s Message: Reflections From a Father Winston Loh Thank you for taking the time to read our latest edition of Riverdhamma. The Buddha said that it is difficult for us to repay our debt of gratitude that we owe to our parents. I heard these words as a younger person, but after becoming a father one year ago, I have a greater appreciation for these words, especially a mother s care for a child. The physical and emotional energy that a mother puts into carrying and birthing a child is amazing. The Buddha taught that we are part of this realm of birth and death. I think it is helpful to reflect on the powerful life forces that bring us into the world. Seeing my wife Sarah s belly grow large with a baby inside, then witnessing this child come crying into the world was surreal and incredible. Yes, science understands this process, but how did this new consciousness suddenly appear in our lives? When I look upon my daughter, I see this powerful life force, and consciousness wanting to experience the world. Miracle is not really a Buddhist term, but it is awe- inspiring. May I remember that we are all the same in this way miracles of life force and consciousness journeying in this world. May we use this opportunity and time on earth wisely. Since becoming a parent, there has been less time for daily spiritual practice, and at times I find myself less balanced, less peaceful, and more judgmental. When I think back to the times I have Tradition and Innovation Contents: President s message Winston Loh 1 Ajahn Punnadhamo 2 Learning Centre Construction Update Lori Smetaniuk 5 Treasurer s Report Lori Smetaniuk 7 Donation Information AGM Notice Contact info 9 spent at Arrow River, listening to Ajahn Punnadhammo s talks, and doing meditation retreats, the memories of those times helps to sustain me now. I know that every moment that we put effort into being aware and compassionate will help to sustain us in the future. Wherever you find yourself on your spiritual journey, may you feel buoyed and sustained by your good deeds. May we look upon others in life s journey as awe- inspiring emanations of consciousness, and may we feel deep gratitude for our mothers and fathers. Winston Loh, President ARFH 8

2 Tradition and Innovation by Ajahn Punnadhammo In May 2014 the western sangha of the Wat Pah Pong family held the International Elders Meeting at Amaravati Monastery near London England. In attendance were over 100 monastics, 20 bhikkhus (monks) and 20 dasasīladhara (nuns) representing 36 monasteries located on four continents. The assembly was honoured by the presence of such venerable senior bhikkhus as Luang Por Liem, Luang Por Sumedho and Luang Por Khemadhammo. Someone did the math and figured out that the total number of vassas ( rains retreats, i.e years in the robes) came to over If laid end to end this accumulation of years would bring us back to the time of Buddhaghosa! It was encouraging to see that our tradition is so vibrant and thriving. The meetings and discussions were held in an atmosphere of congenial mutual respect and were thankfully free of any contentious issues. It was very inspiring for me, whose life is mostly as a solitary bhikkhu, to be immersed in such a large assembly of like- minded brothers and sisters. Ajahn Amaro (the abbot of Amaravati), the English sangha and the very generous lay supporters are to be praised for the wonderful way that this meeting was organized. A significant theme of discussion, approached in various ways, was the problem of dealing with modernity in all its manifestations within the context of an ancient and venerable traditional form. The Theravada is the School of the Elders. It is in essence a very conservative tradition. Our claim is that we hold to the original teachings of the Buddha without allowing the admission of new doctrines. The vinaya rules followed by the bhikkhus were fixed at the First Council immediately after the Buddha s parinibbana and it is not allowed to add new rules or to repeal or amend existing ones. The robes of the bhikkhus are basically what everyone wore in the sixth century BC (although the lay version would have been more colourful.) I like to say that we don t hop onto the bandwagon of every passing fad, such as the wearing of trousers. It may be that one of our important functions as ordained sangha is to simply be living anachronisms. And we must be doing something right to have preserved the teachings of the Buddha for two and a half millennia through periods of constant upheaval and social change. The Buddhist Sangha has a very good claim to being the oldest continuous institutional form on the planet. The modern world is a fast paced one, and a milieu of constant change. It is worth reflecting that the Elder s Meeting at Amaravati would have been impossible without jet travel and electronic communication. The question is not whether new technology is good or bad but how and to what extent can we use it to further our liberation from saṃsāra and how can we avoid allowing it to become just one more of Māra s snares? Change itself is inevitable, it is built into the fabric of reality. Each moment sees the fading away of something old and the arising of something new. Anicca ( impermanence ) is one of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. But, paradoxically, the more things change the more they stay Continued 2

3 the same. Just as in the Buddha s time, beings today are subject to birth, old- age and death; and their minds are defiled by greed, hatred and delusion. And just as in the Buddha s time the possibility of release from all that remains open to the diligent and wise. The external forms of society and technology are constantly changing, but the fundamentals of the existential situation remain. This is what gives the Buddha s teaching its timeless (akāliko) quality. The challenge is to live by those timeless principles in a rapidly changing world. We need to be vigilant and mindful to understand how the new communications technology is affecting our consciousness. To give just one example; during my travels as I walked through a very crowded and busy airport I noticed a young man walking along at a brisk pace, his head down, his thumbs moving at lightning speed as he entered text into his smart phone. The other travellers had to dodge out of his way as he bore along heedlessly straight ahead. This is one problem with that kind of technology; it can encourage a kind of miccha- samādhi ( wrong concentration ). Not only was he utterly unaware of his surroundings, but his behaviour was extremely self- centred. It was everyone else s responsibility to avoid a collision! I couldn t help wondering what would happen if another such fool came along in the opposite direction! Another reason the Buddha s teachings can seem so timely and relevant is the interesting reflection that his own times were parallel to our own in some ways. India in the sixth century BC was also undergoing change, and in similar ways. Two new technologies were revolutionizing society; writing and coined money. Both of these are essentially communication technologies. It was also a period of political upheaval as the old republics were falling one by one to the new centralizing monarchies. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Finding a balance between tradition and innovation brings us back to the idea of a Middle Way. Can we find a middle ground between rigidity on the one hand and rootlessness on the other? In presenting Dhamma, is it possible to preserve the essence of the tradition but express it in ways that speak to the modern mind? Can we do this without compromising the integrity of the teaching? My own feeling is that we should strive to have Dhamma inform modernity, rather than the other way around. There are many presentations of Dhamma out there which seem (to my traditionalist bias anyway) to fall short. Mindfulness as a self- help therapy is all well and good as far as it goes, but it is crucial that we be reminded again and again that Buddhism is not about reconciling ourselves with saṃsāra, which is just rearranging the deck- chairs on the Titanic, but about the radical transformation which is awakening and liberation. If we always ground the teachings in the basics of the Four Noble Truths, we can t go far wrong. Turning to news closer to home, our project of building a library/learning centre is nearing completion thanks to the generous help of numerous patrons and volunteers. The building is up and almost finished inside and out. There remains only one large job; building the actual book- shelves and a number of small fiddly finishing touches like window- trim and quarter- Continued 3

4 5 River Dhamma Arrow River Forest Hermitage Summer 2014 round. Work proceeded through the winter thanks to the stewards Chris and Aaron who did all the interior wall- paneling. Good thing we put the stoves and chimneys in before the snow came! This structure will be a valuable community asset for visitors to Arrow River and we foresee it getting a lot of use. Then there is my personal project; writing a book which I hope to be a comprehensive guide to Theravada Buddhist cosmology. That is not so near completion; I have about 330 pages done in semi- polished second draft, and I figure I am about half- way through. Thanks to the several people who have helped by reading and critiquing the chapters. Pellentesque: Needless to say there is always the ongoing work of maintaining the existing infrastructure and we are always glad of volunteers! Interior of Learning Centre Consectetuer: Above: Snow- blanketed Learning Centre and shrine, Winter

5 Learning Centre: Construction Update From: Lori Smetaniuk We are now entering the completion phase of the Learning Centre. A project of this size takes effort and dedication through a number of avenues: donors who contributed funds to purchase the necessary materials, and the dedicated lay members (both local and from the USA) who provided the labour for this project. A huge thank you to everyone for your involvement, with your help the Learning Centre has become a reality. The exterior still requires some finishing touches completing the cedar shingles on the gable ends, installing the remainder of the eaves trough, yard cleanup and some basic landscaping. The included quarter s for the monastic steward is furnished and is currently in use. Still to be done: a small counter and propane cook- top will soon be installed, and some small finishing touches to make it a bit cozier and more functional. 5

6 Library: The bookshelves are the last big job. Work on them will be starting soon. Reading Room: We are still looking for furniture. One of our lay members found a set of four 1959 era wood chairs in white leather which are in excellent condition. We are still looking for a small expandable table for studying and meetings, as well as two coffee tables. The expected costs to complete this last phase is $1, Schedule of Upcoming ARFH Saturday, Jul 19 - Community Work Party Weekend of Aug 1-4 Meditation Weekend Saturday, Aug 16 Community Work Party Saturday, Sept 6 - Day of Mindfulness Saturday, Sept 20 - Community Work Party

7 Treasurer s Report By: Lori Smetaniuk Tradition: Doing something that has been used by people in a particular group, family or society for a long time. _ For 2,500 years and counting, in Buddhism it has been the custom for the lay community to support monasteries and its members. This support comes in the form of money, donating goods and offering of services of labour and participation in events. It actually takes all of these to keep a monastery functioning and able to provide service to its community. Events include coming out for Dhamma talks (for the local community and on request from outof-town groups), group retreats, book studies, Buddhist celebrations, booking a meditation retreat, and work parties to help with general maintenance. Arrow River Forest Hermitage keeps the tradition of offering teachings free of charge to those who wish to receive them. It has also been the tradition of offering accommodations to those that come for meditation retreats at no cost. Our operating budget for 2014 is $38,000. Some of our expenses are: monastic care, maintenance to buildings, equipment and our aging truck, auto insurance, firewood, propane, gas for trips to town, food & supplies, and communication (satellite system for internet and phone). ARFH is able to keep our operating budget low, with 100% of the work done by volunteers. Thank you to all our donors. Entering into the 6 th month of the current finical year, donations have been steady enough to meet our monthly expenses, and 51% of our total operating budget. To all our Canadian Donors: Do you have Canadian Tire money? Not sure what to do with it? ARFH will gladly accepting Canadian Tire money this can be used to buy propane, motor oil and other miscellaneous supplies. Please note such donations will be accepted as non-tax receipted funds. MORE DONATION INFO ON PAGE 8 7

8 Donation Information The Arrow River Forest Hermitage community greatly appreciates the generosity of all of our supporters throughout the years and in the future. In order to continue offering the teachings of the Buddha to those who seek them, we do rely entirely on the generosity of our supporters. All donations towards our annual budget of $38,000 are received with gratitude, and Canadian residents who donate $10.00 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt. ARFH can now send receipts for donation electronically. Please include your address if this is your preferred delivery method. Mailing address is still required on all receipts issued. Contact treasurer@arrowriver.ca if you have not received your receipt within 45 days. Yes, I would like to support Arrow River Forest Hermitage Enclosed is a cheque in the amount of: $25 $50 $100 $ Designated for: Library Funds General Operating Funds Make cheque payable to: Arrow River Forest Hermitage or ARFH Mail to: ARFH - Treasurer Lori Smetaniuk c/o 634 Hartland Street Thunder Bay ON P7B 2E6 Canada Donor Info: Name: Address: City: Prov./State: /Zip Code Postal Country Canadian residents will receive an official receipt for income tax purposes, US residents will receive a receipt for funds received Receipt required: Yes No receipt to Office Use Only: CQ#: Receipt Type: CND / US Receipt #: 8

9 Arrow River Forest Hermitage Annual General Meeting Date: September 13, 2014 Time: 2 pm at Arrow River Forest Hermitage Summer 2014 The Annual General Meeting of the Arrow River Forest Hermitage will be held at the Hermitage property on Highway 593 on Sept. 13, 2 PM. All are welcome to attend. At this meeting we will elect the board of directors for the coming year and talk about the progress made by the Hermitage in the past year. You are also invited to come early for the pot- luck community meal at 11:00 AM. As usual, there will be a Dhamma talk at 7 PM. Hope to see you there! Contact ARFH Site 7, Comp 2 RR 7 Thunder Bay, Ontario P7C 5V5 arfh@explornet.com