President s Report. Contents: Winter 2015 RIVER DHAMMA News and Letters from Arrow River Forest Hermitage. Stephanie Schmidt

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1 Winter 2015 RIVER DHAMMA News and Letters from Arrow River Forest Hermitage President s Report Stephanie Schmidt We ve had a beautiful fall and just now are receiving our first real snowfall, which signals the time for peace and reflection out at Arrow River. After busy autumn preparations - winterizing cabins, cutting and stacking firewood, making sure the vehicles are winter ready, and that the friends of Arrow River enjoy the serenity of winter at the Hermitage. Those who come out for retreats have a quiet place to meditate and to study the Buddha s words. The Buddha s teachings emphasize action as well as study. Rather than focusing on abstract theories or imponderables, the Buddha taught his students to practice what they know. The Eightfold Path is a guide to action and the act of meditation is key to internalize the teachings so they become part of what you do. You might be thinking you would like to learn more about meditation or perhaps do a retreat. Now is the time to act! Come and see us at Arrow River and experience the beauty and serenity of the winter at an authentic Theravada Buddhist Hermitage. You can find out more about what a visit to Arrow River entails by going on our website: - Stephanie Schmidt, ARFH President Contents: President s Report / Memoriam 1 Studying Buddhism Through the Written Word Ajahn Punnadhamo 2 Book Study Review and Information + Poetry 5 Treasurer s Report - Lori Smetaniuk 6 Resource Centre Update Ajahn Punnadhammo 7 Donation Information 8 IN MEMORIAM - DHARMA DORJE (Michael Bell) This year we were saddened to learn that Dharma Dorje, aka Michael Bell, passed away from cancer. Michael, who took the spiritual name Dharma Dorje, was one of the earliest founders of the Arrow River Community Center, as it was then known. His work survives all over the hermitage property. He was the son of Kema Ananda (Eric James Bell) and one of my closest friends in the early days here. Dharma Dorje was a diligent meditator and a fine craftsman. After leaving the Arrow River Center he became a meditation teacher in his own right and was much loved by his students. He has left behind his wife, Melanie and many good friends who will sorely miss him. - Ajahn Punnadhammo

2 Studying Buddhism Through the Written Word by Ajahn Punnadhammo READING THE SCRIPTURES If you want to learn about any topic, it is always best to go back to the source. In Theravada Buddhism, that means the Pali canon. There are many good and useful books about Buddhism, but the serious student must eventually look into the words of the Buddha himself. It is only by a familiarity with the suttas that a reader can judge whether a modern work is in accord with the original teachings or not. THE STRUCTURE OF THE CANON The Theravada scriptures are quite extensive. If all the books are gathered together, they easily fill a couple of library shelves. The canon is divided into three piṭaka, baskets. These are the vinaya piṭaka, the sutta piṭaka and the abhidhamma piṭaka. The vinaya piṭaka contains the rules and procedures for the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis as well as narrative material, which is a major source for the Buddha s biography. The abhidhamma piṭaka is comprised of technical information about mental states and represents a very thoroughgoing system of psychology and metaphysics. It is the sutta piṭaka that has the greatest general interest for most students; this is the record of the discourses given by the Buddha and his senior disciples over the span of his forty- five year teaching career. The sutta piṭaka is divided into five collections, called nikāyas. Each nikāya has its own particular flavour and style and each serves a specific purpose. The Digha Nikāya, the Long Discourses, contains much narrative and legendary material as well as some of the most important basic teachings, for example the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the sutta on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. This collection was most likely originally intended for the purposes of introducing the teachings to new people. It is still the best place for a new student to begin reading. The Continued A Collection of the Pitaka Majjhima Nikāya, the Middle Length Sayings, contains many more somewhat shorter suttas; there is still considerable narrative material but the focus shifts to a more in depth examination of the teachings. This collection was likely intended for those people who had already taken up the practice and wanted to learn more. The Saṃyutta Nikāya is a large collection of mostly very short suttas. There is little narrative structure and the approach is more technical, resembling in some ways the Abhidhamma. This was probably meant as a manual for bhikkhus who wanted to undertake 2

3 a deeper study. The Aṅguttara Nikāya is arranged by numbers, there is a book of ones, a book of twos and so forth up to a book of elevens. The suttas are mostly structured around lists; the four of this and the five of that. It was probably composed as a teaching manual. A bhikkhu giving a talk could structure his discourse around one of the lists. Indeed, it is still a useful resource when used in that way. (This paragraph loosely follows the description given by Bhikkhu Bodhi in his introduction to the Saṃyutta translation.) The fifth collection, the Khuddaka Nikāya, falls outside this scheme. It is a heterogenous collection of several usually quite short books that don t fit in anywhere else. Much of it is in verse. Among the books of the Khuddaka are the Suttanipāta, the Dhammapada, the Jātakas and the Theragathā and Therigathī among many others. It should be noted that only the verse sections of the Dhammapada and the Jātakas are considered canonical; the well known stories come from the later commentaries. It is important when reading the suttas to pay attention to the narrative setting. If we know who the Buddha was speaking to, and what circumstances prompted this particular teaching, it can set the doctrinal elements into a living context that often bears on why he took this precise approach. PROBLEMS OF TRANSLATION No two languages are fully isomorphic. That is to say, there is never an exact one to one correspondence between even the very best translation and the original text. This is especially a problem with Buddhist texts in that the Pali language has a precise technical vocabulary for mental states and factors which the English language lacks. When the redactors of the canon used a word like viññāṇa, they meant something very precise and specific. word correspond and some do not. Continued THE STYLE OF THE SUTTAS In general, the suttas have a formal style with much repetition and use of stock phrases. This is because they were originally formed as oral literature and the structure makes memorization easier. The division into nikāyas also dates from the oral period, as a college of bhikkhus would be responsible for memorizing and reciting one nikāya. Nevertheless, beneath the formal structure the discerning reader can easily sense a real human immediacy in many passages. The characters presented in the narrative sections are real human individuals, quite recognizable even from this distance of time and culture as familiar psychological types. Even a considerable amount of humour finds its way through the elegant prose. Pali text that rests in the Smithsonian 3

4 The English word consciousness used to translate it can have a wide range of meanings, some of which apply and some of which don t. Think of a Venn diagram composed of two overlapping circles; some parts of the meaning of each word correspond and some do not. Beside issues of vocabulary, there is also a fundamental difference of grammatical structure. Pali is an inflected language, like Latin, and sometimes it is just impossible to convey the tone of a passage into readable English prose; something of the subtlety must be sacrificed. (If you are unfamiliar with inflected languages, try reading some Milton. Critics have said that he wrote English as if it were an inflected language.) All of these problems are present in prose, but are much more difficult when it comes to verse. Pali verse often uses odd grammar and vocabulary for the sake of the metre (which is very strict) and all verse translation should be regarded as conjectural. Of course, translators are well aware of these issues and will include copious footnotes to help guide the reader through doubtful passages. It is advised to pay close attention to these. AVAILABILITY OF THE TEXTS The entire Sutta Pitaka has been translated into English and other modern languages. The four principal nikāyas are available from Wisdom Books in good modern readable English; the Digha translated by Maurice Walshe, the others by Bhikkhu Bodhi (his Majjhima translation is based on the earlier work of Nyanamoli.) There are also many individual suttas available on the internet from acesstoinsight.com, mostly in Ajahn Thanissaro s translation. All of the canonical books, and many of the commentaries and other later works are also available in the translations of the Pali Text Society. These are good scholarly translations and the earliest of them were real pioneering efforts, dating to the late nineteenth century; which means that the language seems somewhat dated now. LEARNING PALI For those who want to take it to the next level and learn some Pali, there are now plenty of resources available on line and in print. The Pali English Dictionary of the Pali Text Society is essential and although the print edition is expensive, there are at least two on line versions; try The best general text- book is Warder s Introduction to Pali but the beginning student will probably find A New Course in Reading Pali: Entering the World of the Buddha by James W. Gair, and W.S. Karunatillake easier going. When you feel up to exploring the texts in the original Pali, you can get the very useful DIgital Pali Reader: ( This resource has all the canonical and commentarial texts in Pali together with a very sophisticated search engine and a built- in Consectetuer: hyperlinked dictionary. 4

5 Book Study: 2015 Review and Information for 16 On Tuesday nights from February 3 to March 17, 2015, a group of dedicated students met at Blue Sky Lodge to discuss Venerable Narada Mahathera s The Buddha and His Teachings. The book gave biographical information about the Buddha and an explication of the teachings. The material was wide in scope and provided an excellent overview of the Buddha s life and his essential teachings. First published in the 1940 s, Narada traced the early life of the Tathagata, his Awakening, and his life as a monk, teacher and leader of the first Sangha. Narada also explains the principles of Buddhism from a Theravada perspective and applies the lessons to modern life and the Western mind. At times challenging because of the sheer volume and complexity of the material, this book study allowed participants an introduction to the vast system of thought that is Buddhism. Attendees were able to see the complex interweaving of the Buddha s teachings and their interconnections through study of this volume. The book study is a yearly event, but we are changing the organization of it for next winter s session. Mark down January 1, 2016 if you wish to have input about what text to study. We intend to meet on Tuesday January 5, 2016 to choose the book for study this winter. Feel free to send your suggestions! If you want to get involved in the book study or have questions about Arrow River s in- town programming, please arrowriverforest@gmail.com Darkness falling There is nothing better I think than being buried in a field's ocean of grass in late September, nowhere to go, nowhere to be except under the wide sweeping sky watching darkness fall all around, pillowed light and colours slowly fading, a cow's deep sweet voice travelling from a neighbouring field. Abiding stillness slows my heart as I sit doing absolutely nothing, being nothing but a shadow as clouds steal across the land, beauty engulfing all within its rolling tide, pulling me under as darkness falls, and falls and falls. Submitted by Siobahn Farrell 5

6 Treasurer s Report - Lori Smetaniuk As a hermitage, ARFH has many functions including: support for monastics in residence, providing a centre for learning, and offering a quiet refuge for contemplation. The Buddha taught: Ehipassiko come and see. Paccatam Veditabbo Vinnuhiti to be seen by each wise man for himself. There are many opportunities within ARFH programing to learn the lessons of the Buddha. Weekly Dhamma Talks at the center, (now being recorded and posted on the ARFH website), and Ajahn Punnadhammo gives a series of talks throughout the year and a winter book study at the Blue Sky Lodge in Thunder Bay. A bi- weekly Sutta study is also available at the hermitage. Interested parties can book a learning/mediation retreat. To offer programing and run the center, it takes resources, both financial and physical. ARFH runs on 100% donated funds and volunteer labour. These funds purchase firewood, propane for cooking and refrigeration, gas and maintenance for vehicles & equipment, and supplies to house and feed those in residence. Volunteers are required for ongoing maintenance, major cleaning, and preparing firewood. There are usually jobs to be done that are suited to most skill level. Contact the center if you are interested in helping. ARFH s main volunteer position is that of a steward to do the shopping, cooking and other jobs as skills permit. There is a small crew that has been coming on Saturdays to help with some of the necessary chores. This year ARFH had to put out funds for some significant, but necessary expenses: A new generator for Ajahn s cabin ($1,524), a new propane fridge ($2,824) and a sauna/bathing building ($9,800, of which $5,000 was offset by a generous donation). The cost of these items has eaten into our reserve fund. For the fiscal year 2015, our donations have dipped and costs have increased, which are required an additional draw on the reserve fund for monthly expenses. We currently have a total shortfall of $4,000 through the end of February ARFH is happy to make CanadaHelps an option for donations. Please note that all CanadaHelps donations are subject to a 3.5% processing fee, which is deducted prior to the funds being forwarded to the hermitage. In order to reduce postage and reduce paper usage, ARFH is sending e- copies of receipts to donors. Please include your address with your donations. On behalf of Arrow River Forest Hermitage and the Board of Directors, we thank you for your generosity and continued support. 6

7 River Dhamma Arrow River Forest Hermitage Winter 2015 Resource Centre Update - Ajahn Punnadhammo This year saw two new additions to Arrow River s buildings. We finally finished our Learning Centre and we bought a new ready- built sauna to replace the old one which was way beyond its best before date. The new Learning Centre/Library is a spacious three- room building. The front room is a well lit reading and meeting area, the back room houses our collection of books and along the side is a an attached dwelling which serves as the steward s quarters. The whole is powered by a very effective up to date solar array. We are already finding that the building gets a lot of use. We are holding a biweekly sutta study session there and visitors find the library a pleasant place to spend some quiet time. We managed to build the Learning Centre under budget but a year and a half behind schedule. The initial groundwork and framing went very fast but the work slowed down as we got into the fussier details of finishing. Personally I feel a lot better about our slow progress after hearing from our friend Mark Young that engineers have a saying; For any project you can do it fast, cheap or good. Pick Two. Many thanks to everyone who helped, and there were many of you, whether you were out here banging nails or you contributed funds to move the project along. We hope you get a chance to see the results soon! We are now able to receive donations of books to fill the shelves and would appreciate any financial support you provide either through a cash donation or a credit with the Pali Text Society. Through your generosity, we can complete our collection of the Buddha s words. 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 $40,000 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 donations 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. Would you prefer an electronic copy of River Dhamma? Contact ARFH Comp 2, Site 7 RR7 Hwy 593 Neebing, Ontario P7L 0A2 arfh@explornet.com Subscribe online: Unsubscribe: We respect your privacy and will not distribute your address. It will be used only for ARFH news and event notifications. 8