Meditating… with Kittens!
- Meditating… with Kittens!
- Monks, Journalists decry Time Magazine’s cover portrayal of U Wirathu as Buddhist terrorist
- Is Time magazine's Wirathu the face of Buddhist terrorism in Burma?
- Dhamma Or Ethnic Buddhism
- Time’s cover epitomizes Buddhism’s failure
- A Teaching of the Four Noble Truths and a Public Talk on Ethics in a Shared World in Darwin Conclude His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Visit to Australia
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Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:00 AM PDT
Sumi Loundon Kim, author of "Why I Quit Facebook" (from our July magazine) starts your week with a lighthearted moment, reflecting on two surprising little dharma teachers who've come into her life.
 Kittens, like children, alternate between being little monsters of destruction and adorable bundles of cuteness. In one moment our two kittens can be tearing around the house, knocking down ornaments from the Christmas tree or clawing their way up curtains. In the next, they can be cuddling up on my chest, begging for love, and purring their warmth into my heart. Thus, in one moment I am irritated as all hell and regretting we ever adopted these damn cats for our children, and in the next I am a puddle of gushy coos. But the greatest test of finding equanimity with these demon-angels has come during my daily meditation. Every day, around 2:00pm, I sit for about 20 minutes, trying to follow my breath and watching my mind. This is also the hour that the most sunlight comes into our basement apartment, primarily into the living room area, which I am especially attached to during the dark months of winter. We brought the tiny kittens into our home in early September. The kids just loved them, but the kittens were a headache. Because they were so small, at first we had to keep them contained to the living room area, which meant the litter box was there, too. Every afternoon I would begin meditating – "ah, a moment of peace" – only to hear scritch-scritch-scritch, as the kitten pawed at the litter. Then, an unbelievable stinky poop smell would drill up into my nostrils. I would make a great effort to simply note the experience (as Burmese meditation teacher Mahasi Sayadaw instructed), "smelling, smelling." And then note the feeling, "unpleasant, unpleasant." But the power of my mind is weak, and within minutes I was muttering and cursing and trying to find another place to meditate, which meant having to abandon the sliver of sunlight that was my daily pleasure. Damn cats. I should have considered it a blessing that the kittens actually used the litter box, for one afternoon I noticed that the gray kitten was sniffing around on my meditation mat. What is she doing, I wondered? After scratching and meowing a bit, she stopped, turned around, and went to the bathroom right on my meditation cushion! I looked up to the heavens and wailed to the Universe, "Are you sending me a message?" Other times, the kittens would believe that my body was their plaything. As I sat, suddenly I would feel them pouncing at my fingers, as if my fingers were some kind of bug or mouse. They would even try to nibble them. This would be much more adorable if it weren't for the fact that their teeth and claws are razor sharp. Other times they would try to climb me, leaving scratches on my arms. But I forgave them when, during one meditation, I saw the gray kitten staring intently at my shirt. Her eyes were darting over the belly area and I feared she was going to lunge at me. Then I looked down. There, crawling across my shirt, was a spider! I gently removed the spider and then set it on the floor. I briefly considered the ethics of this act: by putting the spider there, the kitten would surely kill it. Was I breaking the first precept by not putting the spider in a safe place? As I sat debating my karma, indeed, the kitten did swat it, smush it, and then eat it up. Poor spider. At some point, I began to see that the way I related to these irritating kittens was really my problem. They are just being kittens, just as my squabbly kids are just being kids, and the rude car driver is being the rude car driver, and the self-involved friend is being the self-involved friend. It doesn't have anything to do with me, so why should these kittens and people bother me so much? I am already in a bothered frame of mind. Thus, the kittens have become a mirror for seeing my own mind, for seeing how it is that I am relating to the world around me. Now, when I wake up and the cats are meowing crazily at me for food when I have not yet even dressed and I think, "Shut up you stupid cats," I think, "Sumi is grumpy today." Really, there is nothing in the world we can blame for our state of mind: it is our responsibility. As the kittens have grown and settled down a little, we have found a somewhat more calm way of being together during meditation time. They allow me to meditate in the sunlight, and they will find their own slice of light to curl up and nap in. During meditation, they nap – and sometimes I nap, too. We are making our peace.  Yesterday, as I began meditating, the gray kitten approached me with a quiet meow. She tried to climb onto my lap. I lifted her up with great tenderness and she put her paws on my shoulders, her fuzzy head near my cheek. I petted her mindfully, feeling my breathing and her purring meeting together. And then I put her down gently, as gently as could be, and continued meditating. She joined her sister on the couch for a nap. Who knew that cats could be effective dharma teachers? I bow to my kittens for what I've learned from them. Meanwhile, I've moved their litter box to the bathroom. Originally published by Pubpo Shinmun. Read More @ Source | ||||||
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Posted: 23 Jun 2013 11:00 PM PDT
Eleven Myanmar, 21 June 2013
Yangon, Myanmar -- July issue of Time Magazine has portrayed Myanmar Buddhist monk U Wirathu as a cover and labeled as "the face of the Buddhist terror" . It has been criticized by all level of facebook users with their point of views. Most of the people have felt that it was an insult to Buddhist. Based on public opinions, the comments have been made as follow:
 << Buddhist monk U Wirathu. Is he the face of "Buddhist terror"?Kyaw Min Swe, Chief Editor of the Voice Daily I am not happy with Time's cover story. It is inappropriate to label a person for religion. How much evidence do they have to prove that U Wirathu has been involved in violence? I do not agree with this matter. It doesn't matter wherther I like him or not. It could impact on Myanmar and its religion how the Time's represent that news. I think there is something behind the story. Neither does it meet journalistic ethic because it is using religion and violence together to damage a person' dignity. It is absolutely not required to do that so. I don't think I need to mention that Time is the world famous magazine. Dr. Ashin Dhamma Piyaka, Information in charge of Buddha Sasana Ovada Cariya Acceptance and Preliminary Religious Talks Ashin Dayventa Bhivamsa, Sitagu The scientist Einstein once said about Buddhist, if there was a religion that can bring the peace to world, it must be the Buddhist. So I do think I have to mention Buddhist as a peaceful religion. As monks are following the peaceful religion, they are peacefully minded. There has been no violence made by monks. But they were killed and they were terrorized. The weapon of the monks is tolerance. The Time magazine has accused U Wirathu as terrorist. Sitagu Sayadaw (Venerable monk Sitagu) said that U Wirathu is a person who desires to have peace. However the foreign media criticizes him. Social activist Myint Myint Khin Pe I was asked in an interview by French journalist that Most Myanmar people are accepting the violence or I accept the violence. I had answered I never accept any violence. The image of Buddhist will be protected by its own religion. To protect the Buddhist, every Buddhist should behave well in time. If not, Myanmar could be recognized as terrorist Buddhist country. Hanthawaddy U Win Tin, the Veteran Journalist It is terrible to use the word "Buddhist terror". I think international community may have sided with Muslims. "969" has appeared in Buddhist community as well. No one can deny that Muslims are usually extremists. They kill other people as well as their own. Now there could have been Buddhist extremists like 969 or U Wirathu. It is not a good sign. There can be conflicts among people and it should be solved in accord! with rules and regulations. The violence was not solved with the rules and regulations and the problem was titled as religion issue which is getting bigger later on. Those who want to back track from the current political situation are taking advantage of the situation. Now it is even harder to solve the problems. It is terrible that the influential Time magazine wrote about the events in Myanmar by portraying Buddhist monk U Wirathu. The extent of the danger is bigger now. The response of U Wirathu and his followers and those who are against them will accelerate. So I think aggressiveness of both sides will get higher. Dr. Myat Thu, Managing Directo of Asia Taw Win U Wirathu's love for his religion is too much. He is not insulting other religions so the statement of TIME Magazine is totally wrong. My opinion is the same as Sitagu Sayadaw. When the Daily Eleven interviewed U Wirathu, he said that he is really surprised by the fact that he is dubbed a Buddhist terrorist. "I won't be shattered by attacking me like this. What I want to say is about comparing me with a Binladen of Myanmar. Binladen's hands were bloodied. Mine are really free from impurity. Their example is like referring a lion to a fox. It was a very rude comparison. What we are doing now is for preventive measures. There is no means of attacking. America's intrusion into Iraq was to its national security. We are enacting laws for the safeguard of our nation and our race. Does it mean that we are extremists? We gave sermons to love ad cherish our own religion and people. Do they mean we are terrorists? I have a video file about an interview with me in order to check if something fishy is going on. I am now planning to post on the internet the interview with TIME Magazine. They didn't ask what they did and nor my answers. The photo they used made me look terrible," he said. Wanna Shwe of Islami! c Religio! us Council (Headquarters) We don't like a person's doing comparing to one religion. Similarly, in Islam, I don't accept a person's doing comparing a religion. Dr. Than Htut Aung, the CEO of the Eleven Media "Let me be clear, I don't agree with the opinions of U Wirathu. We have different views. But neither do I accept Time Magazine's unfair portrayal. For a Buddhist monk, he will always be regarded as a monk until he breaks the rules of the Sangha. I know it is not easy to become a patron monk at the Masoeyein Monastery." I do not agree with religious involvement in the affairs of the judiciary, administration or legislation. Neither do I agree with Buddhist extremism or the anti-Muslim sentiments being spread by a minority intent on jeopardizing their social and economic affairs," he said. But as a journalist, I think Time Magazine's criticism is unfair and harmful to our religion and Sasana. Such acts can cause unnecessary conflict and will only serve to disrupt our fragile democratic transition. So I categorically oppose Time's story, Dr Than Htut Aung said. U Wirathu is being accused of inciting continuing clashes that broke out in Myanmar. Those clashes also happened at instigation of '969' Buddhist groups. Read More @ Source | ||||||
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Posted: 23 Jun 2013 10:00 PM PDT
AP June 21, 2013
Yangon, Myanmar -- UPON seeing his photo on Time magazine's cover with the words "Face of Buddhist Terror," Burma's most-talked-about monk was said it wouldn't hurt him.
 << Wirathu, a Buddhist monk from Mandalay, whose anti-Muslim remarks have come under recent scrutinyThe 46-year-old is accustomed to - even flattered by - the foreign reporters who steadily parade through his monastery in the city of Mandalay to ask about religious violence that has swept his predominantly Buddhist nation in the last year - fuelled in no small part by his anti-Muslim rhetoric. Nearly 250 people have died and tens of thousands have fled their homes, threatening to destabilise the quasi-civilian government that came to power just two years ago after five decades of military rule. "A genuine ruby will shine," said Wirathu, "even if you try to sink it in mud." New freedoms of speech have made it easier to disseminate radical views, while exposing deep-seeded racism felt by much of the population toward Muslims and other minorities. There has been almost no public outcry when Buddhist mobs have marched into villages brandishing machetes and clubs, but the appearance of a Burmese monk on the cover of the glossy international magazine with an inflammatory title was apparently too much. Dozens changed their profiles to mock-covers of Time with the word "Boycott." One person lamented that the image of his country - and faith - was being tarnished. "Some people misunderstood the title ... seeing it as an insult to religion,'' said Dr Yan Myo Thein, a political analyst. "They believe it's equating Buddhism with terrorism." Few took the opportunity to criticise Wirathu, however, saying it was further evidence of media bias. The monk has repeatedly called on Buddhists to unite against the "threat" Muslims pose to the country and its culture, accusing them of breeding too fast and hijacking the business community. The Time article quoted him as saying this was not the time to stay calm. "Now is the time to rise up, to make your blood boil," he said. ----------------- Read more: http://www.news.com.au/world-news/is-this-the-face-of-buddhist-terrorism/story-fndir2ev-1226667862347#ixzz2WuH8KH9i Read More @ Source | ||||||
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Posted: 23 Jun 2013 09:00 PM PDT
by Ven, S. Dhammika, http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/2013/06/dhamma-or-ethnic-buddhism.html?m=1, June 22, 2013 I have been teaching Dhamma for about 25 years and I have never got tired of it, and I still discover aspects of it that I had not noticed before. As an outgrowth of all this I have also developed a deep interest in Buddhist societies and cultures and have been fortunate enough to visit nearly every region where Buddhism prevails. During my travels I have generally found Buddhists to be open, gentle, generous and kindly folk.But I am not blind. As samsaric beings Buddhists have their defilements just as people of other faiths do. They are capable of being stupid and greedy, prejudiced and uncaring, provoked and provoking, self-centred and inflexible, tradition-bound and superstitious. They practice their religion as often as they fail to practice it – just as people of other faiths do. Despite this there has long been the illusion in the west that Buddhists, unique amongst humanity, practice their religion with complete fidelity - that because the Buddha taught gentleness, understanding and love, Buddhists follow these teachings unfailingly. Well, it looks like those with such illusions might be about to be disillusioned. It started some years ago with news reports of Sri Lankan monks being involved in racist politics and ethnic violence. Now it's the ethnic riots in Burma. I quite understand that thoughtful people are deeply disturbed by these happenings. I am too. But there is an added dimension to the reports about these as opposed to troubles beyond the Buddhist world. And it is this. Commentators and observers continually express their surprised to discover that Buddhists, monks included, can be provoked to violence, that they have chauvinistic feelings, that they are capable prejudices, and that they can resort to violence. On the one hand this disillusioning worries me. Why? Because it tends to happen that when an illusion gives way to reality there is often a strong reaction in the other direction. When the deluded finally see the real situation they do not blame themselves for being unrealistic, they blame that which they were previously deluded about. I suspect that Buddhists, and by implication Buddhism, previously held so unrealistically high is gradually going to be put down far lower than it should be. On the other hand I am not entirely unhappy that a more realistic view of Buddhists and Buddhist lands is beginning to emerge. Why? Because I have long seen the danger, not to say the foolishness, in the "ethnic" approach to Dhamma. When a western monk in the west asks to be addressed as Ajahn or Gelong, Sayadaw, Roshi or Sensei rather than their English equivalent he is identifying himself, not just as a Buddhist, but with a particular ethnic expression of Buddhism. When they chant in the Tibetan or the Burmese or the Chinese way the same impression can be created. When you tie yourself to a particular culture or country you involve yourself in people's minds with that culture or country. And when that country or culture looks bad people see Buddhism as bad. Dhamma is universal, it transcends culture and ethnicity. The practice of the Dhamma is not the special preserve of any particular ethnic group. Let us practice the Buddha's teaching, not Thai Buddhism, not Tibetan Buddhism, not Burmese Buddhism or any other culturally-specific expression of the Dhamma. Let us practice the Dhamma with a minimum of cultural trappings. Read More @ Source | ||||||
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Posted: 23 Jun 2013 08:00 PM PDT
Editorial, The Buddhist Channel, June 24, 2013
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Many never saw this coming, especially for those professing a faith which advocate teachings such that killing even a mosquito brings bad karma.
Buddhists the world over can only gasp with astonishment when Time Magazine decided to "honor" a Buddhist by plastering him on its hallowed cover. U Wirathu, a monk from Burma became that face, and together with it a headline that says "The face of Buddhist terror"."Buddhist" above "terror". When and how did it come to this? Many will decry this as a sweeping statement. Isn't this merely a Burmese issue? Why tarnish all Buddhists when the problem is specifically Burmese and its perpetrator a twisted monk – who labels himself Burmese Bin laden - with mind engulfed in narrow nationalism? And yet the crass labeling by Time magazine is sweeping. With its global outreach, that stigma will stay, whether Buddhists of Burmese origin or not. Make no mistake. Wirathu is a nationalist. What he advocates is nothing more than nationalist ranting. As a monk however, his ranting carry consequences far beyond his "sermons", especially when they are hateful and inflammatory. His story bears the consequence of a failed political system, and local politicians who have failed to play their role constructively. As Burma experience upheavals while transforming itself from closed dictatorship to a more open form of capitalistic system, cracks in social harmony is bound to surface. Depending on which side you were on, the rebelling monks was regarded either as heroes (in the eye of the world against the dictatorial government) or troublemakers (in the eyes of the British). Yet, in those conflicts history have bestowed upon the monks as up-righting justice, rising up against all odds to face over-whelming tyranny. At times Buddhist tenets were invoked, such as in the 2007 saffron marches when monks chanted the "Metta Sutta" (discourse on loving kindness) and invoke ideals of "ahimsa", non-violence. At no time were these conflicts deemed as "religious". Until recently, Buddhism as a global faith had escaped being branded as one which had been involved in "holy wars". Burmese nationalists may not agree, but once you license an extremist like Wirathu to stoke social tensions between groups of different faiths and advocating for violence against a specific religious community, there is no avoiding branding the confrontation as religious. The question is how and why did it come to this? As a monk of 29 years, didn't any of the Buddha Dharma ever rubbed into his consciousness? How could he even utter hate filled speeches when every morning he dispenses the five precepts to devotees offering "dana", two of which advocates the training to "abstain from taking life" and "false speech" (which includes lying, gossiping, harsh speech and defamation)? The answer could simply be this: Buddhism has become culture and custom of a people, and the Buddha a mere symbol of faith of one who happens to be born into. When Buddhism is regarded as such, and when the community feels endangered because seen and unseen forces are perceived to be threatening their way of life, the response is only natural: fight back. What is happening to Burma could also be seen in Sri Lanka where the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist organization Bodu Bala Sena has organized various campaigns against the country's minority Muslim and Christian communities. Like their Burmese counterparts, they have said that their actions were needed to protect the country's "Sinhalese-Buddhist character". While blame could be portioned off to the British (of which both Sri Lanka and Burma were colonial states) for messing up the demography in the first place and leaving behind a messed up legacy, to subjugate minorities to violence demonstrates the failure of using Buddhist teachings to resolve issues. In resolving Burma's conundrum (and to a certain extent Sri Lanka's as well), the Sangha needs to reaffirm basic Buddhist tenets, and implore followers to keep faith in the Buddha Dhamma. Blind nationalism without heeding the consequences of negative actions and bad karma will only bring destruction. It will not be wise to allow sycophants like U Wirathu to create a Wahabbi like off-shoot while justifying it as some form of mutated Buddhist movement. Great Burmese teachers such as Mahasi Sayadaw have taught and brought true Buddhism outside of Burma. It was Burmese masters who popularized Vipassana, which in turn spawned a revolution in mindful practices, especially in the west. As such it is a great irony that Burma which is seen as one of the world's great Dharma protector has produced a son so anti-thesis to its core philosophy and ideals. Clearly, Buddhism's transformative powers can only happen when the powers to be are inclusive, accommodating and open. This requires a stable polity, sustainable economic development, trust in the country's constitution and the rule of law. There is no short cut other than having all parties doing the right things right. Read More @ Source | ||||||
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Posted: 23 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT
Darwin, Australia, 23 June 2013 - Before leaving his hotel for the Darwin Convention Centre, where 3000 people waited expectantly to hear him teach, His Holiness gave an interview to Karla Grant of ITV Television.
She began by asking his impression of the Aboriginal people and he replied that the Aboriginal people should work hard with self-confidence, education and training to build their own modernised society, while keeping their language and culture alive. He said it was also important that they have their own name. She wanted to know his response to Kevin Rudd's apology to the Aboriginal people when he was Prime Minister. He told her that he had written him a letter expressing his approval and admiration, About Uluru, which he had seen from the plane the day before, he said he knew it was regarded by many as the spiritual heart of the country, that it was beautiful and he hoped to visit it another time. Asking if he ever questioned his being Dalai Lama, His Holiness response was firm. "I am the Dalai Lama, so there doesn't seem to be much point in doubting or questioning it. Better to use it as beneficially as possible." Invited to say whether he'd been sad to leave his country, His Holiness recalled: "When I reached the Che-La after fleeing Norbulingka, I turned back to gaze at Lhasa and looking in the direction of the Potala said, 'Goodbye." Later, I realised that I could have died, which wouldn't have been of any help; instead we escaped and survived." Ms Grant invited His Holiness to compare the 200 year old European colonisation of Australia with China's more than 60 year occupation of Tibet. He said the positions were similar but not the same. For one thing, China and Tibet have known each other for a very long time. In the past, the Chinese emperor took spiritual teachings from Tibetan Buddhist Lamas. He quoted several Chinese friends as saying that the new leadership seems to be comparatively more open. He hopes that they will pay ! attention to Deng Xiaoping's inspired maxim: 'Seek truth from facts.' He has previously spoken against censorship in China, this time remarking that, "Censorship is the opposite of seeking truth from facts, in fact it is self-defeating."
"Today I'm going to talk about the Four Noble Truths," His Holiness declared on arrival on stage at the Darwin Convention Centre. "There is a mantra related to this that we find in Pali, Sanskrit and the tantric tradition:
Ye dharma hetuprabhava hetum tesham tathagata hyavadat tesham cha yo nirodha evam vadi mahashramana Of those things that arise from causes, The Tathagata has taught those causes, And also what their cessation is: This is the doctrine of the Great Sage "The first two lines refer to all apparent phenomena that are subject to change. Their evident change implies their momentary change, because without momentary change the obvious change would not take place. Things are always changing; we call this a subtle level of impermanence, which is the first characteristic of the truth of suffering. Our body that is the basis of pain and trouble comes about as a result of causes. The ultimate cause according to the twelve links of dependent arising taught by the Buddha is ignorance. Its nature is suffering because its predominant cause is ignorance.
"When I say, 'I'm going back to India,' unless I remind myself of reality, it seems that the 'I' is separate from the body and mind. It is the owner of the body and mind who is going back to India. Now, when someone accuses you of something, you think 'I didn't do that', you don't think 'the body and mind didn't do it,' but if you look for this 'I', you can't find it." His Holiness pointed out that in a similar way, the present exists as the basis of the past and future, but we can't find it. The present is also momentarily changing. It is through undertaking analytical meditation like this, he said, that we see there is a huge gap between appearance and reality. "When I look at all of you, I see several thousand human beings, and each one appears to be independent, but then I remember that ultimately nothing has such independence. This is how we begin to see that reality is not as it appears." The basic nature of mind is pure, so on a subtle level, on a deeper understanding of the mind, it is possible to eliminate ignorance and our disturbing emotions. If the mind itself was ignorant, we couldn't train in wisdom to be able to do this. The Buddha taught that it's possible to overcome suffering and its causes. Those causes come about due to ignorance and in this case ignorance is about misconception, holding onto something that is not real. In his second rendering of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha taught about their function. He said: know suffering; eliminate the cause; attain cessation and cultivate the path. In his third rendering he said, once you have overcome suffering itself, there is no more to know; once you have overcome the cause, there is nothing more to overcome; once you've attained cessat! ion, there is nothing more to attain and once you've trodden the path, there is no more path to travel. With these presentations of the Four Noble Truths he showed the way to practise and what kind of result you attain.
Among questions from the audience, people wanted to know what one thing they could do for the greater good and His Holiness said generate warm-heartedness, altruism. They wanted his advice about the leadership of elders and he recalled a scheme in Sweden which brought retired people into schools where they could advise and mentor children to mutual benefit. And they were interested to know about the next Dalai Lama. He replied that as early as 1969 he had made clear, first of all, that whether or not there would be another Dalai Lama would be up to the people concerned. He also mentioned a statement he had prepared a couple of years ago about this, which can be obtained from his office. After lunch, the Darwin Convention Centre was again filled with more than 3000 people who had come to hear His Holiness speak on Ethics in Our Shared World. "I belong to the twentieth century," he began, "a century that has now gone forever. The new generation who belong to the twenty-first century are our hope for the future. I believe we now have a genuine opportunity to create a better world, but it will depend on those who are young today." He said that we all want to live a happy life and we have right to do so. We all want to do it our own way, some through their work and some through spiritual practice. His Holiness asserted that he is subject to destructive emotions like anger and jealousy the same as everyone else, but, he said, we all have the potential for good too. However,! our existing education system is oriented towards material development, a materialist way of life, to the neglect of our inner values. Consequently, we lack a clear awareness of those inner values that are the basis of a happy life. "This is why I emphasise the importance of cultivating warm-heartedness, concern for others, based on natural affection. Children receive affection primarily from their mothers, but as they grow up, from about 10 years old, they gradually forget what they owe to their parents' affection and begin to think they can look after themselves. "The reality is it's in our interest to take care of others. Self-centredness is opposed to basic human nature. In our own interest as human beings we need to pay attention to our inner values. Sometimes people think compassion is only of help to others, while we get no benefit. This is a mistake. When you concern yourself with others, you naturally develop a sense of self-confidence. To help others takes courage and inner strength."
Members of the audience came forward to ask questions. One woman asked how His Holiness copes with the sad images that come out of Tibet. He responded that even when you see terrible things, worry and anxiety don't help. We have to see instead if there is anything we can do. Another woman asked the difference between compassion and weakness. He replied that compassion clearly indicates strength, while it is anger that is a sign of weakness. In addition, forgiveness is about not giving in to anger or thoughts of revenge. Lastly, there was a question about how to deal with a loved one's dying. His Holiness mentioned how upset he'd felt when his Tutor, the rock on whom he could lean, died. Then he thought that what he ought to do with his Tutor gone was to fulfil his wishes, so his grief gave way to determination. He also commended the advice of the 8th century Indian Buddhist master, Shantideva, who advised analysing a problem well, saying that if you conclude it can be solved, there is no need to worry; if you conclude that it can't be solved, there's no use to worry. Robert Keldoulis, chairman of the committee that organised His Holiness's visit to Australia came forward to make a report. More than 50,000 people heard His Holiness speak during his ten days in Australia in the course of 20 events. Of these, 25,000 heard him speak about compassion, kindness and secular ethics. Almost 10,000 people attended Buddhist teachings in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin. He met with 2500 Tibetans, Mong! olians and Chinese in different parts of the country, Online streaming reached a further 100,000 people. Funds raised from ticket sales and other contributions met all costs. On behalf of the committee, he thanked His Holiness for coming to Australia again, requesting him to live a long life in good health and to come again. His Holiness's final advice was that some people attend talks and teachings like today's to receive a blessing. But, he said, a blessing doesn't come from outside. It comes from within. When the Buddha said, 'You are your own master,' he meant that whatever blessings we receive will be the result of our own efforts and our own positive actions. From the Darwin Convention Centre, His Holiness drove directly to the airport to board a flight to Singapore as the first leg of his journey back to India.  Read More @ Source |
