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BLIAQ Newsletter November 2019 Edition 140 Chung Tian Buddhist Temple 1034 Underwood Road Priestdale QLD 4127, Australia Website: www.Chungtian.org.au Newsletter BLIAQ Email: [email protected] Buddha’s Light International Association Queensland Ph: 3841 3511 Fax: 3841 3522 HIGHLIGHTS Thoughts on The Middle Way and The Four Gives The Meanings of Dharma Instruments Refreshing & Healing Greetings to all our readers A Visit to Chung Tian Once again, the past month has been busy. Term four Classes have begun, and the Pilgrim Lodge Project is Progressing well, both with Planning behind the sCenes, and actual Clearing and Construction work in situ. Preparations for other events are also well underway, and Gary mentions SAVE THESE DATES some of these in his From the President’s Diary segment. In this month’s newsletter we have the regular items: Our Beautiful TemPle 9 November whiCh looks sPeCifiCally at the Dharma instruments, Words of Venerable Master BLIAQ AGM Hsing Yun, Meet Your BLIAQ Committee, and there is also a short reflective Piece sent in by Kim. 17 November 2.00.pm Service: Taking Refuge I enCourage you all, please do send in items for the newsletter, this could be in The TriPle Gem Service suggestions, contributions of PhotograPhs, Poems, thoughts, etc., because this publiCation is a Newsletter for you and your Branch. 24 November Last week of Term 4 Classes 15 December Contents this issue Page CounCil Markets From the Editor’s Pen 2 Our Beautiful TemPle: The Bodhisattva Hall Part 3 3 Words of Venerable Master Hsing Yun 5 Please see page 9 for a full Meet your BLIAQ BranCh Committee 6 list of November events Diary Reminders from your BranCh President 7 A Branch Member‘s Refreshing Visit to Chung Tian 8 Chung Tian Temple Events for November 9 Term 4 Meditation, Buddhist, Tai Chi, and Children’s Classes 10 BLIAQ Edition 140 November 2019 Thoughts from the Editors Pen I have recently had cause to reflect on what it means to embrace ‘The Four Gives’ and to follow the Middle Way. How do we translate this into an all-inclusive loving kindness and compassion for humanity? With the words of Venerable Miao Guang’s recent lecture still lingering with me, I found myself reflecting on events from childhood. Very many years ago my best friend at primary sChool was the daughter of our loCal viCar, and I would often stay with her at the viCarage for the weekend or in the school holidays. The ChurCh was ‘High’ AngliCan where many rituals with inCense formed a regular Part of the Sunday morning serviCes. This was systematically criticised by some in the Parish as ‘being too [Roman] Catholic’. However, Father Brown was not deterred. In faCt, very little daunted him. He was something of a Controversial figure and frequently received rePrimands from the BishoP for stePPing outside Conventional themes for his Sunday morning sermons. He questioned things and challenged his congregation to do the same. Needless to say, I liked him. My friend’s father would often take us around very old ChurChes in the Yorkshire Dales. We would spend hours exPloring the old graveyards, often taking brass rubbings from inside or around the churches some of which were centuries old. All the while he told us the history of it all. Looking back, I realise conversations I had with my friend’s father were quite theologiCal and adult, even though I was only in primary sChool. One memory I have of him is that he said I must never aCCept things that are told to me as being the truth. I must seek the answers for myself and question all things - even what he said. With this, he had given me (a young Child), permission to ask questions, to be inquisitive and to Challenge! He also said I must interPret the results of my observations and investigations for myself. In faCt, he was artiCulating words of The Buddha, although he may not have realised that - or Perhaps he did. Another memory (and I must have been about eight years old) was that he onCe had a monk staying at the viCarage. I don’t know if it was a Buddhist monk or not, but he was certainly of a very different faith. The old guard Parish bigots were uP in arms. What heresy! What was the man thinking of to have this Person under the roof of a ViCarage? At the time I did not really understand, I saw my friend’s father as a good and kind man who treated everyone the same. I also liked his visitor. Although I did not always agree with everything my friend’s father said, I knew I Could question him without fear or favour. Quite a rare state of affairs for a young Child back in the very early 1950s. Early Buddhist teaching tells us that Middle Way does not mean ComPromise. In Professor Karunadasa’s book Early Buddhist Teachings2 he tells us the Buddha taught that the Middle Way is the Eightfold Noble Path. It is not a ComPromise between two extreme viewPoints or Positions. It is the right way. Karunadasa goes on to say “If the Buddha-to-be’s lay life of luxury as a royal prince exemplifies one extreme, his life as an ascetic, practicing austerities, exemplifies the other. His attainment of enlightenment by giving up both extremes shows the efficacy of the middle path for deliverance from suffering”. Master Hsing Yun’s teaChings expand on this for us, and through The Four Gives he shows us how to praCtiCe comPassion with wisdom to everyone - whatever their Position or belief. Today I think of the multifaith services that our TemPle Monastics and our BLIAQ members are often a part of. I also reCall the words of Venerable Master Hsing Yun when he spoke to those Construction workers of many different faiths at ground Zero back at 9/11 when he started the Prayer by saying “O Great Compassionate God, Allah, Mohamed, Jesus and Buddha”1. Surely this was giving PeoPle at that Ground Zero gathering, Hope, Joy, Consideration, and Convenience. It was also demonstrating the Middle Way, never criticising or being concerned with Positions taken by others who were Present. Master Hsing Yun has said ‘The spirit of Humanistic Buddhism encourages us to blend in with others, instead of seeing the self and others as separate beings on opposite stances.’3 It is easy to show loving kindness to peoPle we care about and understand – people who are like us or think like us. The real test is to continue along the Middle Way and demonstrate the Four Gives towards those we have difficulty relating to, those who are different, or have opPosing even extreme Positions, views and beliefs. For this month’s selected Words of Master Hsing Yun, I have Chosen exCerPts that I believe demonstrate and show us the path towards the Middle Way and The Four Gives. 1 For this source see the LeCture by Venerable Miao Guang. https://www.youtube.Com/playlist?list=PLciGmn7L9lp62vNbD5BfXFsncAEWsC2Ju 2Karunadasa, Y. (2014) Early Buddhist Teachings: The Middle Position in Theory and Practice. Wisdom Publications: First Published by Centre of Buddhist Studies, 2013 The University of Hong Kong. 3 Venerable Master Hsing Yun Humanistic Buddhism Holding True to the Original Intents of the Buddha, p. xxi 2016.Fo Guan Cultural Enterprise Co. 2 BLIAQ Edition 140 November 2019 Our Beautiful Temple The Bodhisattva Hall Part 3 Dharma instruments play a signifiCant role This great gong is also known as the King in TemPle services and protoCols. In this artiCle of the Dharma instruments but not everyone is we look at some of them. allowed to strike the gong. In many temPles Chinese Buddhist musiC uses many and monasteries, the great gong is struck by instruments and chants. Other than the the Venerable or Master to set the Pace and inverted Bell that originated from India, the pitCh of the Chanting, and also at the instruments such as the gong, large bell, conclusion of the service to indicate its end. In wooden fish, large drum, small Cymbals, large some TemPles the gong is rung each morning cymbals and Chinese tambourine, are native to followed by the drum. This alerts all sentient China, and all found in early Chinese folk and 1 beings that night is over, and it is time to Buddhist musiC. awaken. In the evening the order is reversed One instrument loCated in front of the with the drum beaten first and then the gong. altar, is a round ‘wooden fish’ ‘木魚’. In Buddhist TemPles it is normally placed to the left in front of the Altar. This instrument is very imPortant as it is usually the lead in Chanting serviCes. The ‘wooden fish’ is a block normally carved from walnut, Camphor or ebony. It has a resonance Chamber that produces a loud sharp sound as it is struck. This is to help the mind to focus. It also has two big fish-like eyes and scales, reminding During Chanting sessions or Dharma us that just as a fish never Closes its eyes and is functions in a temPle, three consecutive therefore always ‘awake’, we should be sounds will enable all PartiCiPants to regulate similarly ‘alive’ with our eyes always open in their thoughts and calm their minds. ‘QIANG! earnest diligence and dedication to Buddhist QIANG! QIANG!’ By doing this, people are able practiCe. to achieve better interactions with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas through deeper sinCerity. Also, on the far right of the Altar are the large drum (Ch. gu) ⼤鐘與⼤⿎, and small hand bell 引磬.
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