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The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 the London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 Community of the Spirit May–Aug 2015 & Programme & Magazine Magazine The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 Community of the Spirit I’ve not invited articles according to a specific within and talks of the transforming power theme for this new magazine, so it has been of nature and communication. We also get a satisfying to see patterns emerging nonetheless. glimpse into another spiritual community, and Contents This third edition of The London Buddhist Abhayanandi’s world, having ‘gone forth’ onto has been no exception: the importance of the Buddhist Path. community seems to run through all of it. Other contributors have approached the idea The bonds that exist between us are an inherent of community through the arts. In his column Magazine part of who we are, how we live and what we do. on books, Ollie Brock turns his attention this time to spiritual experiences which can have 2 Editorial Never the less, the games of separation that we a frightening effect outside of a supportive 3 Coming Up for Air Does war bring us together? Sāgaramati reflects play, through force of habit, produce aversion context, and also how the poetic imagination 9 Letter from a Retreat Centre Vajratara sends word from the Brecon Beacons and conflict, polarization and difference in our can influence how we receive such experiences. 11 Photo spread A look inside community life with Abhayanandi lives and the world. Individually and globally Maitreyaraja’s interview this time is with 13 Book Review Ollie Brock on responses to the ineffable this is a cause of great suffering. Jnanavaca. With the end of the world imminent 15 Brighter than the Sun An interview with Jnanavaca on films that have inspired him in Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, he tells us, the 16 Diary Soup kitchens and skeletons. Singhamanas’s week How is it possible to live in such a way that we can love our fellow man without becoming tension brings people together under a common exclusive with our love, reserving it for those goal, and as Jnanavaca recounts the journey to within our group, our nation, our race? If we the sun, we find the community being drawn Programme simply go along with the group our passivity will deeper and deeper into beauty. 19 Programme May-Aug not bring solutions. If we react to the group then Finally, Singhamanas gives us a few glimpses 21 Getting Started society will be made up of individualists who live into his life and the lives of others as he takes the 23 Going Further only for themselves. Only a spiritual community spirit of community to a soup kitchen, exploring 27 Festivals and Special Events can allow each of us to associate freely with the questions that come from his encounters. 28 Sub35 Events others, while living up to the highest ideals in 29 Calendar May-Aug which love has both an individual and universal Perhaps it is the presence of a shared, positive 33 Yoga for Meditation dimension. Only a spiritual community will help ideal and a living spiritual community that 34 Films, Fairs and Fundraising individuals grow towards their fullest potential. is missing in today’s world. With increasing Even in war there is love, and Sāgaramati secularisation and indiviualisation, what is going explores the strong bonds of brotherhood that to bring us together for the growth and benefit form in times of life and death, being forged of everyone? I hope that some of these articles deep beneath the ocean. Later he rejects the stimulate your vision for what a new society goal of war but finds a similar brotherhood in a might look like. Contributors spiritual community, which has the highest and – Vidyadaka Abhayanandi, Ollie Brock, Barry Copping, Lesley Lindsey, Jnanavaca, Maitreyaraja, most positive ideals. Sāgaramati, Singhamanas, Vajratara, Vidyadaka The London Buddhist online In what we hope will be an occasional series, For commenting, following and sharing. Vajratara writes to us from the spiritual The London Buddhist is now available as a blog. community (Tiratanaloka) that she is living Visit thelondonbuddhist.org 2 The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 Coming Up for Air War provokes men’s most aggressive energies, but it also brings them together. How do we harness these energies for the better? Sāgaramati reflects fter prowling around under the glowing, phosphorescent wave appears towering AMediterranean for a few weeks, we surface above us. I’ve never experienced this before to head back to Gibraltar. I’m on lookout and my heart’s in my mouth. Being a nuclear duty. The early morning sun tints the sea-mist, submarine we don’t ride the waves as a ship transforming it into a canopy of golden light. As would do – we just burrow straight through we plough through the glass-like sea, dolphins them. For a couple of seconds we’re literally leap over our bow wave, bodies glittering in under water and we’re drenched. That first wave the light. All is still, and it would be: nuclear was terrifying but the next was just exhilarating. submarines don’t make any noise. For a moment I still recall these things: the fresh and rich sea I’m expecting Poseidon to emerge from the air of those days, the vivid light and colours of depths to greet us. Another time I’m look-out nature flooding the senses, such a contrast after in the North Sea in a storm force 10 in the early weeks below the waves. I used to think to myself, hours of the morning, strapped in with a safety ‘Civilians never get this.’ harness. Out of the blackness a monstrous, 3 4 The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 The London Buddhist May–Aug 2015 ut later, when I was on a Polaris submarine, Hetherington’s description resonated with my Ban issue arose for me. Okay, we were said memories of life as a submariner. We knew that to be carrying a nuclear deterrent, but if that if the submarine went down, we’d all go down deterrence failed, it would follow that we had together. You live and die together. I had never failed. What’s the point of helping to bring experienced that in civilian life: whether you about Armageddon? In a nuclear war there are liked someone or not, that fact that you were no winners. So two of us, after quite a few beers, dependent on each other made for a different, decided that if the ‘launch’ signal came through less petty relationship. One of the main when we were on watch in the Radio Room, emphases in Buddhism is the ideal of Sangha, we would shred it. We couldn’t see the point or spiritual community. It is a reminder that in using our sixteen missiles, each with multi- what brings Buddhists together is not personal nuclear war heads, to kill millions of people once likes and dislikes, or a special idea of who we the war had already started. are. It is not some crutch for a sense of identity. What creates a Sangha is the feeling that life has This was one reason I left the Royal Navy after a purpose beyond what society can offer; and just one patrol on Polaris. I moved on from that this ‘purpose’ is, in a way, just an aspect of being a potential agent of death to being a what life itself is. It does not come from ‘above’, some realm of the Absolute that sits outside hippie, a peace-and-love ‘pinko’. But when I The submarine HMS/M Dreadnought in 1965. Sāgaramati is pictured third from left of life. Sangha also reminds us that following started to meditate, after a while I realized that the teachings of the Buddha is not an easy something that enhances life rather than, as in phase of the LBC in the late 1970s; and I’ve seen I wasn’t at ease with being a pinko. Bits of my undertaking: we need others to keep our purpose the extreme case of Isis, seeks to destroy it? It’s as it flourish since then in a few other places within psyche were still drawn to the image of war, or – to the fore, and to encourage and support us to if men need something akin to ‘war’ to motivate the movement. But how to sustain that spirit? more accurately – men at war. I recently watched that end. The Buddha-to-be may have been on them and bring them together – normal society The spiritual life can be very difficult, especially a documentary about Tim Hetherington, a his own under the Bodhi tree. But he got there does not offer this. I put this to my teacher, if you are not involved in a project with others. leading British photojournalist. Hetherington in dependence on his previous teachers. Sangharakshita, when I was walking with him Men need a shared goal. In a sense, we need our covered the conflicts in Liberia and Afghanistan, in King’s Heath Park back in Birmingham a few equivalent of a war. then Libya, where he was killed in 2011. The ooking back, I’ve realised that this has years ago. Sangharakshita agreed, saying that it moment from the documentary that struck me Lalways been the attractive aspect of the is indeed as if men need something like a war he psychologist James Hillman has said most was when he, together with the American symbol of war for me. Submarines in particular or an inspiring project - something ‘outside’ Tthat war is an ‘archetypal impulse’.
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