MAY 2015 One Heart- One Mind The Newsletter of the Association of Engaged Buddhists

SANGHA LODGE: 20 Victoria St Lewisham NSW 2049! Ph/Fax: (02) 9590 3617 E: offi[email protected] W: www.engagedbuddhists.org.au Meditation & Dhamma Teaching Dana Days Association News Member Profile 7.30pm every Monday night. Dana Days are held on the first Sunday of each Robert Ljubicic • Join with others in sitting practice. month. Attendees bring food to offer to the Work Continues at and to share with each other. This is a Vejjasala Page 3 7.30pm every Wed night. great way to show respect for the Sangha and • Meditation evenings include a Dhamma Preparations Under- enjoy a delicious meal with others in the lay talk followed by around half an hour of way for This Year’s community. guided sitting practice. Beginners or more Food Fair experienced meditators are equally Please note that we must start promptly at welcome. 10:30am in order for the Sangha to finish • There is no charge for the teachings eating by noon. The next Dana Day will be Page 4 although donations are welcome as this is Sunday 6th June 2015 Sangha Lodge’s only means of support.

Buddha had to defeat his own “self” in marking the birthplace of the Buddha. Remember Them order to attain the triumph of Nibbana As disciples of the Buddha we ought to but this was a victory attained by letting feel a strong urge to help in whatever Having just ‘celebrated ’ ANZAC Day go, by releasing, not grasping after and way we can in the light of this terrible which is simultaneously the remem- by learning the value of the Middle Path suffering. brance and commemoration of a mili- in all things. Naturally the Buddha always tary defeat and a kind of triumph of Marking this festi- teaches us that we must start human courage and bravery we must be val of the Birth, En- with ourselves in making the reminded of the reality of dukkha and lightenment and move from suffering to freedom anicca; suffering and unsatisfactoriness Passing Away of the but it is also a fact that we and the of all things. Buddha we must be must also see, appreciate and These core insights of the Buddha call us very aware of the real- realise our relationship and back each day to the facts of our exis- ity of the suffering interconnectedness with oth- tence and put before us the question of which is arising in Ne- ers. So, what can you do to help the whether or not we can overcome them. pal resulting from the terrible poor suffering people of Nepal? Time to The Buddha answers with a definite yes earthquake which has struck the land of get up off the meditation cushion and to this question. In his own words he the Buddha’s birth. The loss of life, the do something practical if you possibly says, “yes, it is possible to overcome grief of families, the disruption of the can. Maybe you would like to consider Dukkha otherwise I would not encour- whole social order and the terrible de- one of the regular and reputable chari- age you to do so”. The Buddha’s en- struction of infrastructure all contribute table organisations and make an offer- couragement comes not from theories or to ongoing suffering and a dreadful ing of dana. Maybe you might think of ideologies but arises out of his own ex- sense of impermanence for the people of the organisation set up by the Venerable perience. Nepal and for those whose hearts are Bhikku Bodhi: Buddhist Global Relief We are preparing to mark and celebrate moved by compassion and pity. www.buddhistglobalrelief.org and make the Buddha’s own triumph by calling to Nepal is the homeland of the Buddha. an through them. Here is their mind his birth, Nibbana and Parinib- Many of you have been to and Mission Statement: bana in the festival of Vesakha puja. The seen the archaeological ruins there Continued on Page 2...

One Heart-One Mind! 1 MAY 2015

Our Vision One way or another I urge you to help in Sue Toohey pointed out that yoga is it- We are inspired by the vision of a world in whatever way you are able. The Bud- self a method of meditation, allowing which debilitating poverty has finally been dha teaches that all our efforts at the mind to concentrate on the body and banished; a world in which all can avail Dhamma should begin with opening the thus screen out other, distracting themselves of the basic material supports of a heart with Dana; the Nepal disaster is a thoughts. She reminded us, as has meaningful life—food, clothing, housing, chance to do just this. Bhante many times, that the description and health care; a world in which everyone “Giving is good, dear sir! of the Eight-Fold Noble path is ill-served can achieve a satisfactory level of education Even when one has little, giving is good. by the word ‘right’, and would be better and freely pursue that which gives their life An offering given from what little one translated as ‘whole’ or ‘wise’. (Wise value and purpose; a world in which all peo- has Intention, Whole View etc.) And during ple dwell in peace and harmony with one is worth a thousand times its value.” the weekend she expanded on the vari- another and with the natural environment. ous stages in this Path, clarifying the - Samyutta Nikaya 1:33 ways in which we can follow – or indeed “May I be a good doctor for those who suffer This Vesakhapuja make your Dhamma stray from – it. We were offered some from illness, practice both a time for deeply personal useful reminders of what is involved in a guide for those who have gone astray, practice and an opportunity to practise , in wise speech and action, a lamp for those who dwell in darkness, real Dana and recognise your relation- which questions we should ask our- a source of treasure for those in poverty and ship with all other suffering sentient selves in trying to decide whether we need.” - Vows of , Ava- beings. are moving in our chosen direction or tamsaka May all beings be free from Dukkha not. There was a lively discussion on Our Mission vegetarianism. May all beings be well Our mission is to combat chronic hunger The yoga itself was relaxing and accessi- May all beings be happy. and malnutrition. Bearing in mind the ble to everyone, including at least two Buddha’s statements that “hunger is the With every blessing of the Dhamma, participants who had never done yoga worst kind of illness” and “the gift of food is Bhante Tejadhammo before. Thanh Ngyen, one of our two the gift of life,” we sponsor projects that retreat co-ordinators, managed not only promote hunger relief for poor communities to participate, but also to provide the around the world. We pursue our mission most delicious vegetarian meals and by: take care of her young son Qué. An en- • providing direct food aid to people af- thusiastic yoga practitioner – and of flicted by hunger and malnutrition course, a highly flexible one! – he brought much charm and lightness to • helping develop better long-term methods the whole weekend. of sustainable food production and man- agement appropriate to the cultures and Kangaroos, at least one wombat, and a traditions of the beneficiaries April Yoga Retreat magnificent pair of lyrebirds were sighted at various times, mainly dawn • promoting the education of girls and or dusk. Vejjasala itself is looking won- women, so essential in the struggle Fifteen participants gathered at Vejjasala derful, with Dave Denton’s care much in against poverty and malnutrition for a weekend of yoga, meditation, teaching and relaxation on the April 17- evidence. A large quantity of splendid • giving women an opportunity to start 19 weekend. Wild weather was pre- pine mushrooms was collected and right livelihood projects to support their dicted, but although we arrived in the brought back to Sydney by all who families. rain, we were fortunate that the real wanted them. And Thanh made a deli- We also seek to raise awareness of global wildness didn’t start until after lunch on cious mushrooms tarts for lunch on hunger and advocate for an international Sunday, when we were making our way Sunday, so that all those intimidated by food system that exemplifies social justice home. their slightly menacing appearance and conduces to ecological sustainability. could feel reassured. Caroline Lurie

2! One Heart-One Mind MAY 2015

land. I was on my world adventure tour more years going to India, Europe, Kale Chips and was a free spirit eager to explore the America then coming back to Suan Mok Thanh’s Recipe - as served at the yoga retreat world and what it had to offer. once more before going home to Austra- While in Bangkok a group of fellow lia. By then Ajhan Buddhadasa had Kale is exceptionally nutritious, densely travellers I had befriended invited me to passed away. packed with fibre, minerals and vita- go with them to a monastery in South- Robert Ljubicic mins, and deliciousness! It is extremely ern Thailand to do a ten day meditation versatile, with a distinctive flavour that retreat and to learn about . I is not diminished by cooking. As you had some experience in meditation prac- can probably tell, it's one of my favour- tice with Transcendental Meditation and Mindfulness in ite foods. thought it would be a good idea to learn • 1 bunch curly kale (these make light about Buddhism, which I knew very Daily Life and extra crispy crisps) little about. Gathas are a rich and beautiful aid to So I backtracked to Southern Thailand help us remain mindful during the • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil with my friends to a monastery called course of a busy day. Why not try writ- Wash kale, then tear off the leaf from the Suan Mok. There we met many other ing your own as to help with your mind- stem (grab the stem with one hand and travellers of all nationalities all on a fulness practice. If you have written a 'strip' off the leaves with the other). Dry similar quest. The monks were very gatha, why not share with friends to as- thoroughly with a salad spinner or by kind and showed us to our sleeping sist them. Your editor would be pleased shaking well. Tear into palm size pieces, quarters. It was an open timber shed in to publish verses members have written drizzle olive oil on the leaves, then mas- the jungle with a raised wooden plat- in the Newsletter. sage until all the leaves are well coated form for sleeping on. We slept on a mat As the days get darker earlier, with the (add a little more oil if absolutely neces- with a mosquito net strung between two coming of Winter, we need to use our sary). Don't skimp on the massaging, it's parallel wires. I stuffed a towel and lighting more. Thich Nhat Hanh re- good stress relief, plus your hands will some clothes into a cotton bag and used minds us that switching on the light is feel beautiful afterwards! this as my pillow. The abbot of Suan yet another opportunity to be mindful in Mok was Buddhadasa who was in our every day life. Place leaves in a single layer on wire ill health at the time. Two western racks, then bake in a low oven (120-150 monks (a Frenchman and American) max) for half an hour, or until just crisp were conducting the course. Turning on the Light (they will taste burnt if left for too long). The meditation hall was at the end of a Forgetfulness is the darkness Put them in a big bowl and eat! Or use big open field surrounded by jungle. As mindfulness is the light. as a garnish on soups, stews, etc. soon as I heard the it resonated I bring awareness with me and I felt that this teaching was what I had been searching for. The to shine upon all life Dharma seemed so clear, relevant and Thich Nhat Hanh logical that I embraced it easily. One Present Moment Wonderful Moment day Ajhan Buddhadasa made an effort to leave his sick bed and give a talk to us in front of his kuti. He spoke in Thai which the American monk translated to English. When the monk translated Ajhan’s words that, “You are not who you think you are. You are not you.” My jaws dropped on hearing this revela- tion and probably likewise with the Member Profile other meditators. Ajahn was humoured My First Introduction to Buddhism and How I by our reaction and took delight in re- Learnt About Non-Self peating the words with a beam in his eye and in his accented English, My first introduction to Buddhism oc- curred on my second trip to Thailand “You are not you. You are not you. when I was in my mid twenties. I had You...... ” been travelling through Asia, starting in I suppose I could say that these were 10 Bali and travelling through Indonesia silent days that changed the course of then up the Malay Peninsula to Thai- my life. I continued travelling for three

One Heart-One Mind! 3 MAY 2015 Association News Sue Toohey

Work Continues at Vejjasala to Meet Preparations Underway for This Year’s New Council Requirements Food Fair Poems from Members Our application for ‘Change of Use’ to Alex Lee and Saw Gaik Chong have be- Wisdom Wingecarribee Shire Council has been gun contacting our regular stall holders Wisdom of knowing approved subject to a number of reme- as preparations get underway for this and not knowing, of dial building works being completed. year’s Food Fair to beheld at Roselea not believing, not accepting Dave Denton has been staying at Community Centre, Carlingford on Vejjasala almost full time to work on Sunday 26th July. If you have an idea realities, which are these and considerable progress has for a food stall or think you may be able only delusions of a present been made. Fire safety, disabled access to assist on one of the food stalls please a present that does not exist. and effective waste water disposal are let Alex or Saw Gaik know. We really the Council’s main concerns. Dave has appreciate all offers of assistance. Attachments which ground also done amazing work in the grounds Retreats at Vejjasala deluded souls in search so that the gardens are looking particu- of fulfillment. Wants ... larly beautiful. He has installed new The Yoga Retreat which I taught at seats in many spots and has cleared the Vejjasala on the weekend of 17-19 April likes and dislikes path to the waterfall to make it more was very relaxed and enjoyable – at temporary dichotomies least from my point of view! We were accessible. He has also measured all the that enslave souls. rooms, allowing us to get a quote for re- blessed with good weather before the carpeting those areas of the main house deluge which arrived on Sunday after- Beatriz Copello that had not been carpeted for many noon as we were driving home. Thanh years. Much of this old carpet is worn Nguyen, our retreat coordinator, cooked and has holes, making it a bit of a safety exceptional food that was greeted with Previously Owned hazard so I am delighted to tell you that delight by the participants. You can find the main house will be re-carpeted in a short report from Caroline Lurie, I, a Möbius strip of DNA. the coming month with a commercial elsewhere in the newsletter. My thanks Am all my myriad forbears; grade carpet. go to the small but great team that we have behind every retreat. Jew and Gentile, Pirate, Judge, Working Bee at Sangha Lodge on Sat- Good-wife, Maid and Saint, urday 7th March Registrations for Bhante’s week-long meditation retreat will have closed by Hero, Harpy, the disposed; Alex Lee organised a small working bee the time you read this but it is encourag- Tender of plants, breaker of hearts. at Sangha Lodge on Saturday 7th March ing to know that there are sufficient which produced amazing results. The people already enrolled for the retreat to existing pavers were lifted and the mas- go ahead. Organising food supplies and Threads of all these lives sive roots of the Bodhi tree were cut cooking meals for a week long retreat is Breathe to my heart or break to my will, right back. You can see these roots sawn a major job and once again we have to All that I am was some other’s once, up and piled up in a corner of the yard thank Jan and Chris McCarthy for cater- at Sangha Lodge and you will appreci- ing. Rough hair and hands, my face, my ate what a big job this must have been. skin; The pond was filled in and the whole With much metta to everyone, Yet am I an unrepeatable event, yard repaved, giving us much more Sue Toohey space and a more even surface. Many More than mere proof by my presence? thanks to Alex, Rob, Vince, Chuck, Gus and to anyone I might have forgotten, S.M.Minish from Shadow Birds for their great work. published with the author's permission

4! One Heart-One Mind MAY 2015 Quotable Quotes

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Ralph Waldo Emerson American Poet and Essayist, 1803-1882

many of the Buddha’s allusions can only Food for Thought Dhamma Blossoms be traced in the versions of surviv- The Association is pleased to have pro- Dhamma is not upheld by talking about ing texts, the book establishes the im- duced Food for Thought, a recipe book it. portance of the Pali Canon as evidence. written by Jan McCarthy who does the Dhamma is upheld by living in har- The book contains much new material. catering for our retreats at Vejjasala. mony with it., even if one is not learned. The author stresses the Buddha’s capac- Food for Thought is an A5 (150X 210 , verse 259 ity for abstraction: though he made ex- cm) spiral bound book of 128 pages, tensive use of metaphor, he did not with many photos in full colour. It fea- found his arguments upon it, as earlier tures 10 chapters and over 100 vegetar- thinkers had done. He ethicized and ian recipes. All proceeds for the sale of Reader Recommends radically reinterpreted older ideas of the book go to The Association. The recommendation for a helpful and karma (human action) and . Simi- Copes of the book can be bought from interesting book for this issue comes larly, building on older texts, he argued Sangha Lodge (see Gus Real) for $25. from Molly Lim. for the fundamental importance of love You can also purchase copies by mail and compassion, and analysed fire as a order. To do this please arrange and Molly recommends What the Buddha process which could stand as a model electronic funds transfer for $30 ($25 for Thought by Richard Gombrich, pub- for every component of conscious expe- book and $5 for postage and handling) lished by Equinox, 2009 rience. Morally, the Buddha’s theory of to the Associations bank account. The karma provided a principle of indi- In What the Buddha Thought, Richard details of this are: viduation and asserted each individual’s Gombrich argues that the Buddha was Association of En- responsibility for his own destiny. To one of the most brilliant and original gaged Buddhists make the book completely accessible to thinkers of all time. St George Bank the general reader, the author provides BSB: 112 879 Intended to serve as an introduction to an introductory section of ‘Background Account number: the Buddha’s thought, and hence even Information,’ for easy reference. 131328823 to Buddhism itself, the book also has Review extracted from larger aims: it argues that we can know Please put FFT and http://www.equinoxpub.com/home/w far more about the Buddha than it is your full name in fashionable among scholars to admit, the reference box and that his thought has a greater co- for the transaction and email a copy of herence than is usually recognised. It the transaction confirmation along with contains much new material. Interpret- your full postal address to Jan McCarthy ers both ancient and modern have taken at [email protected] and Cc to little account of the historical context of [email protected]. Alterna- the Buddha’s teachings; but by relating tively, you can pay by cheque, forward- them to early brahminical texts, and also ing this and your full address (printed to ancient Jainism, Gombrich gives a clearly) to Jan McCarthy, 10 Carysfort St, much richer picture of the Buddha’s Blackheath, NSW, 2785. meaning, especially when his satire and irony are appreciated. Incidentally, since

One Heart - One Mind! 5 MAY 2015 Donations Association Membership You may or may not realise that Sangha Lodge is solely If you would like to become a member of the Association funded from your donations. Following the teaching of the and thus receive this newsletter (if you don’t already!), Buddha, we do not charge for teachings or meditation eve- please fill in a membership form and leave it with a Com- nings, preferring instead to rely on our members’ generos- mittee member. You can pick one up from Sangha Lodge ity. Unfortunately, this often means a shortfall when it the next time you visit, or ring our office and get one posted comes to meet- ing our weekly expenses from the donation to you. Membership is due for renewal each September and box on a Wednesday night. It would be much easier for the costs $50/year. Centre to function if we were able to rely on regular dona- tions from more members and guests of the centre. One easy way to arrange for funds to be regularly trans- For Those in Need ferred is via Internet Banking. Most Banks now offer a ‘pay anyone’ service whereby you are able to set up a regular Please keep our brothers and sisters who are ill or strug- monthly transfer to any nominated ac- count. If you would gling with some other distress in your thoughts during the like to set up this kind of regular donation to Sangha Lodge day. This short prayer for freedom form suffering may help you will need the following account information - Bank: St you be mindful of their needs. George BSB#: 112 879 Account#: 131328823 Account Name: Prayer for Freedom from Suffering Association of Engaged Buddhists. If you would like to May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body make a tax deductible donation to the Building Fund please and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. make your direct transfer to the following account: Bank: St George BSB: 112-879 Account Number: 430589986 Account May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those Name: Association of Engaged Buddhists. bound be free.

In order that we can budget our funds effectively and May the powerless find power, and may people think of where appropriate supply you with a receipt for tax pur- befriending one another. poses we would appreciate it if you would email May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful offi[email protected] with the details of your wilderness--the children, the aged, the unprotected--be regular transfer or tax deductible donation. Your Dana guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly at- (generosity) is greatly appreciated by the many people who tain come to the centre or are served by it in the wider commu- nity (hospitals, hospices and private visits by the Sangha). If you know of someone who would like to be remembered Please help, even a small monthly donation can make a big by our community, let Bhante know and we can mention difference to Sangha Lodge. them in future issues of the Newsletter. Even when there are no particular friends to remember, we ask you to sent thoughts of good will in general to those who are experienc- ing hardship or pain.

One Heart - One Mind" May 2015

The Association of Engaged Buddhists Sangha Lodge 20 Victoria St Lewisham NSW 2049