e say the mind is a ‘mind “Wmonkey’ or ‘thought horse’ because, like monkeys and wild hors- es, the mind is very difficult to tame and control. Enlightenment is not possible in a state of scattered mind. Only when you collect your attention again and again from wandering and achieve a peaceful and focused state will you have a chance of attaining en- lightenment. This is taming the ‘mind monkey’ and reining in the ‘thought horse.’” From Attaining the Way by Chan Master Sheng Yen, Shambala Publications, 2006 Summer 2008 Chan Magazine Chan Magazine Volume 23,28, Number 43 Autumn,Summer, 20082003 Chan Magazine is published quarterly by the Institute of Chung-Hwa BuddhistBuddhist Culture, Culture, Chan Chan Meditation Meditation Center, Center, 90- 90-5656 Corona Corona Avenue, Avenue, Elmhurst, Elmhurst, NY NY 11373. 11373. The The magazine magazine is isa non-profita non-profit venture; venture; it accepts it accepts no advertisingno advertising and isand sup is- supportedported solely solely by contributionsby contributions from frommembers members of the of Chan the ChanCenter Center and the and readership. the readership. Donations Donations to support to support the maga the- magazinezine and otherand other Chan Chan Center Center activities activities may maybe sent be sentto the to theabove above address address and and will will be begratefully gratefully appreciated. appreciated. Please Your donationmake checks is tax-deductible.payable to Chan For Meditation information Center; about your Chan do- Centernation activitiesis tax-deductible. please call For (718)information 592-6593. about For Chan Dharma Cen- Drumter activities Publications please callplease (718) call 592-6593. (718) 592-0915.For Dharma E-mail Drum thePublications Center at please [email protected], call (718) 592-0915. or E-mailthe magazine the Center at [email protected],at [email protected], or orthe visit magazine us online at at:chanmaga - http://[email protected], or visit us online at: http://www.chancenter.org. Founder/Teacher Founder/TeacherChan Master Ven. Dr. Sheng Yen Chan Master Ven. Dr. Sheng Yen Editor-in-chief Editor-in-chiefDavid Berman David Berman Coordinator CoordinatorVirginia Tan Virginia Tan News editor PhotographyBelia Pena John Feng, Jerry Roach, Kaifen Hu Photography ContributingDavid Kabacinski editors (Chang Wen) Ernie Heau, Kevin Mathewson, Virginia Tan, Wei Tan, ContributingGuogu editors Ernie Heau, Chris Marano, Virginia Tan, Wei Tan Contributors ContributorsRikki Asher, Tina Kacandes, Jeffrey Kung, Rebecca Li, RikkiMike Morical,Asher, Berle Bruce Driscoll, Rickenbacker, Jeffrey Kung,Ayn Steele, Rebecca Tan Li, Yee Char - lotteWong Mansfield, (Chang Ji FaMike Shi), Morical, Chang BruceWen Fa Rickenbacker, Shi Wei Tan, Tan Yee Wong (Chang Ji) Administrator AdministratorChang Wu Fa Shi Guo Chen Shi Chan Magazine Summer 2008 2 From the Editor 4 Living and Dying with Dignity 6 A Dharma talk by Chan Master Sheng Yen “Recuerdo Dulce” 4 A remembrance of the early Chan Center by Nancy Bonardi Poem 7 by Frank Crazy Cloud Women Being the Dharma 8 Address to the 3rd Buddhist Women’s Conference by Venerable Chang Wu The Past 2 News from the Chan Meditation Center and DDMBA The Future 30 Retreats, classes, and other upcoming events Chan Center Affiliates 32 Cover photo by Kaifen Hu Summer 2008 Chan Magazine 3 From The Editor Buddhism and political action seem always were local reports that monasteries were be- to be slightly strained bedfellows. On the one ing surrounded and starved by Chinese para- hand, Buddhism teaches us to look for the militaries. Meanwhile, protest among Tibet- cause of suffering in our own minds, and not an-in-exile communities followed the Olym- in the actions of our perceived enemies, as it pic torch from capital to capital around the teaches us to interact harmoniously with oth- world, dividing political leaders and the IOC ers, rather than to engage in conflict or op- over how to respond. Should heads of state position, all of which would seem to put the boycott opening ceremonies? Would athletes protest march and the partisan debate out of be permitted freedom of speech, and how and bounds by definition. On the other hand, Bud- when? Would not any action that cost the dhism has found itself, repeatedly — in China, Chinese face only cause the Tibetan people Tibet, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myan- more suffering? mar — in the unenviable position of being the most important social institution in a country But before those headlines were dry, Cyclone afflicted by some form of political nightmare. Nargis hit the Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar. As Buddhist monks have been moved to violate I write, ten days after the storm, there is still the first precept by committing suicide rather no official death toll, there being no foreign than submitting to the Chinese Revolution, by journalists allowed in by the military junta, self-immolation in protest against the Viet- but today’s estimates range from 13,000 to nam war, by going so far as to take up arms 34,000, with the expectation that it will sur- against the Tamil nationalists in Sri Lanka. pass 100,000. Of greater concern is the fact (In this extreme variant of the Dharma they that the government will not allow foreign re- might have been encouraged by the experi- lief workers into the country, which is placing ence of their Cambodian brethren, who had perhaps two million more people in immediate been virtually wiped out, without resistance, danger. Of course, the political nightmare in by the radical nationalism of Pol Pot.) Myanmar didn’t begin with the cyclone — the military took power 46 years ago, Aung San Just since the last issue of Chan Magazine two Suu Ky was first arrested during the uprising of these long-simmering political caldrons, of ‘89, Buddhist monks led mass protests in with Buddhism in the stew, have boiled over September of last year that were brutally, if and made international headlines. The March predictably suppressed...none of which has 10 anniversary of the 1959 uprising in Tibet inspired any effective action by the interna- brought monks out in protest, and anticipa- tional community. The junta is financed by its tion of the March 24 Olympic torchlighting trade with Thailand, China, Korea, India, Sin- ceremony brought Chinese troops out in re- gapore, and Malaysia, all of whom trade in sponse. By the time flame was put to torch turn with the West. In the words of one exiled the death toll was over 100, including an Myanmar journalist, “We needed the world’s unknown number of monastics, and there help long before the cyclone.” Chan Magazine Summer 2008 4 And indeed they did, as did the Tibetan peo- ican Buddhists haven’t moved much. I just ple long before the Olympics became an issue, spent the last two hours googling “olympic but they haven’t gotten it. The US gave up try- protest,” “myanmar relief,” “buddhist blog” ing to influence Chinese behavior long ago, and other such phrases, and I’ve read posts and the US and EU sanctions against Myan- about animal liberation and the culture of mar are just for show. France has gone so far Chinese students and reducing one’s carbon as to “refuse to rule out an Olympic boycott,” footprint and the biological benefits of in- and to suggest that aid be delivered to the cense, and found virtually no evidence of any Burmese people over their government’s ob- effort among English-speaking Buddhists to jections, to which the Chinese Ambassador even address the plight of the Burmese or Ti- to the US, Zhou Wenzhong, responded, “How betan people, much less that of the millions of could you, you know, do something regard- non-Buddhists who are every day being made less of the sovereign state’s position?” the victims of their fellow human beings. Well, you could, you know, do something be- Buddhism offers practice as the long-term so- cause state sovereignty is simply less impor- lution to the intractable, inevitable problems tant than the lives of human beings, that’s of aging, sickness and death, and we who how. consider ourselves serious Buddhists put a lot of time and effort into that practice. Why do I am not advocating that we invade Myanmar we put so little time and effort into address- with truckloads of food and medicine — ac- ing the suffering that is not inevitable, but is cording to professionals on the ground such rather the result of the unspeakable behavior a thing would be impractical in the extreme. of some of us, and the unconscionable apathy Nor am I advocating a boycott of the Olympics of the rest of us? If the Pure Land on Earth — I’m inclined to accept the Dalai Lama’s that Master Sheng Yen advocates requires view that just trying to make the Chinese look that we put an end to our vexations, surely bad does the Tibetan people no good. What it also requires that we put an end to geno- I am advocating is a simple, unenlightened cide and tyranny and warfare as the world’s view of the first great vow, the vow to deliver dominant forms of conflict resolution. Politics innumerable sentient beings. I think that vow is mean, and petty, and worthy of our dis- requires us to respond to the imminent un- dain, but it is the way in which large groups necessary deaths of millions with more than a of people live together and share the planet. shrug and a return to the method, more than It is what makes the difference between good a pious upturned nose at the vexatious world government and bad; it is what starts wars of politics.