Jayasiddhi - the Meanderings of a Western Buddhist

Milton Keynes Meditation Association Gets New Website

2011-09-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

After some months of development the Milton Keynes Meditation Association (affiliated to the Cambridge Buddhist Centre) has launched it's new Website.

The development work was done by Dharmachari Jnanasalin, an Order Member based in Cambridge.

All the Cambridge outreach groups now share one address:

www.buddhismandmeditation.co.uk

The Milton Keynes Group can now be found at:

www.buddhismand meditation.co.uk/miltonkeynes

The new website is very pretty and includes a blog page allowing us to keep people up to date with what's happening at our classes and the wider Triratna Buddhist world. We even have a Milton Keynes Meditation Facebook page.

The MK Group goes from strength to strength. We now have weekly meetings and the numbers of attendees are going up. The group has 15 years of practise history behind it and there is a strong feeling of community and appreciation for Buddha Dharma in the group.

A Buddhist Letting Agency - New View Residential in Cambridge

2011-03-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Well, I have finally gone and done it. Those of you who know me well will probably recall me going on about starting a Buddhist ethical letting agency in my home town of Cambridge. It is talk no longer.

The agency is called New View Residential and is owned by the Windhorse Trust, the charity that owns windhorse:evolution. We started in October last year with encouragement and support from friends such as Vidyavajra (in the photo with the board he designed), Janansalin and Keturja to name just a few.

It completes a full circle for me as letting property in Cambridge is how I first became involved in Buddhism. I was working for an agency in Cambridge and had let a property to Windhorse for use as a community. I was fascinated by the sight of their shrine room and started going along to the Cambridge Buddhist Centre a few months later.

New View Residential is a Cambridge based residential letting agency and acts on behalf of local landlords who wish to rent out their property. We advertise their property to help them find tenants, we take references and collect the rent, deposits and so on. We can also direct them to Letsure, our insurance partner who can provide property insurance to both landlords and tenants.

The new Right Livelihood business is a not-for-profit social enterprise meaning that it distributes it’s profits to charity. Half of the profits will go to Triratna Buddhist projects and the other half to charities nominated by our Cambridge landlords. We ask our landlords to nominate one of 6 charities. Five of the charities are operating in the Cambridge area:

The other charity is the Karuna Trust, which we have included as an option for Buddhist landlords.

Our name “New View” has 3 meanings:

The Buddha’s Middle Way is a “New View”
A letting agent dedicated to raising money for charity rather than profit is a “New View”
When you move home you get a “New View”

I really hope this takes off and is successful in raising money for Triratna Buddhist projects and local charities. I also hope that New View Residential can help to raise the profile of Buddhism in the local community. You can never tell how people get involved with Buddhism - look what happened to me.

We have just launched our Cambridge Lettings website and are now looking for landlords and tenants. The site was developed by an ethical company Virya Technologies, operated by Triratna Buddhist Mitra Ruth Cheesely who goes to the Ipswich Buddhist Centre. Please have a look at our website and let me know what you think.

With Love,

Jayasiddhi

Milton Keynes Intro to Meditation Day

2010-04-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

I'll be leading an Introduction to Meditation Day in Milton Keynes on Saturday 12th June 2010.

The day will be open to all those interested in learning meditation regardless of age, backround or religious belief. We will be exploring the nature of meditation and teaching two Buddhist Meditation practices: the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Cultivation of Loving Kindness.

The Day is being hosted by the Milton Keynes Meditation Association at the Friends Meeting House in Downhead Park (map). The day starts at 9.30am and finished at 4.30pm. The cost is £35 (or £25 concessionary rate). Please bring a vegetarian lunch to share.

If you'd like further details please contact me at: meditationmk@googlemail.com.

On-line bookings can be made at:

Introduction to Meditation in Milton Keynes - Bookings

I'm looking forward to it, it should be a fun day.

Buddhist Meditation Milton Keynes

2010-04-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hello My Friends,

Sorry there have been no updates for a while. I have been a little occupied, what with one thing and another!

I have found a new project in the Milton Keynes Meditation Association, a Triratna Buddhist Community (ex FWBO) meditation group attached to the Cambridge Buddhist Centre. I go along there two Thursday nights per month to lead meditation and Buddhist discussion. It's an intimate and friendly group and I am really enjoying getting to know them.

My good friend Jnanasalin has helped me develop a website for the group:

Milton Keynes Meditation Association

Milton Keynes is quite famous for it's concrete cows (above), made by Canadian artist/sculptress Liz Leyh.

I am now back in Cambridge and living happily in my old community house. I am working full time at Windhorse Trading (our Right Livelihood Business) as the P.A to Keturaja (our shiny new Managing Director). It's lovely being back in Cambridge, especially as the spring makes it's presence felt after our worst winter for 30 years! I think we have had more snow than Gampo Abbey this year.

Thanks for all your emails.

With Metta,
Jayasiddhi

Goodbye Canada - Hello Blighty

2009-12-11T02:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Y'All,

My last post saw me about to go into retreat. I very much enjoyed my little 5 day solitary in the "Longevity Cabin". I managed to get in plenty of study and meditation and prepared my talks for the introductory weekend I was to be supporting later in Guelph. The weather was pretty chilly with a light dusting of snow. I really enjoyed the wood burning stove!

snow on the hilltops

Coming out of retreat I was given a surprise farewell rejoicing party - with lashings of ice-cream. What a great way to come out of retreat - I felt completely love bombed! I usually feel rather awkward at these sorts of things, but really enjoyed it all the same.

My last week at Gampo Abbey flew by in a whirl of activity. I had lots of loose ends to tie up and those around me were busy preparing and supporting Shambhala training levels, so it was all a bit of a blur. Being driven out of the Abbey to meet my shuttle bus felt slightly surreal and I felt a lot of sadness to be leaving my Abbey friends.

Twelve hours later I landed in St. John's - the capital city of Newfoundland. My hosts for my two week visit were Les & Lewis Cranford, two old friends from my 2007 visit to the Abbey.

Lewis & Les going walkabout

My first week was spent in solitary retreat at Les & Lewis' cabin in New Harbour. This is a secluded little spot close to the tourist destination of Dildo (no comment). My week was very quiet and I had the opportunity to enjoy meditation, recorded Dharma talks and some study of Madhyamaka, which tied my brain into knots and often left me with headaches. After this, I really enjoyed my pleasant strolls down to the harbour and to the local gas station for a coffee. Before I left the Abbey a nun had mentioned that she had heard stories of this cabin being haunted. I didn't have any experiences while there, but the thought that it might be certainly added an extra edge to my already over active imagination.

A little Home from Home

The Outhouse was ...........well ventilated

My second week in Newfoundland was spent mostly around St. John's. Les and Lewis introduced me to some hikes around the coast of the Avalon peninsular and to the delights of eating wild berries such as partridge berry - a new one for me - and spruce sap, which apparently can be used to make homemade chewing gum - very sticky and an acquired taste!

Looking out to the Atlantic across St. John's Harbour

I loved the Newfoundland culture. We took in a number of local bands, some traditional dancing and some traditional ballad singing. The mixture of Celtic roots and the development of a local folk tradition was fantastic. It would be a great place to visit during the annual music festival. The locals are friendly and very easy going and George Street is a wonderfully condensed party/club/bar district catering to all ages and tastes, it was great to watch little old fellas and teenage girls have a good night out on the same dance floor - I don't think this happens much in England. Nobody in NF seems to go out till 10pm and the place is really kicking at 2am!

The wild and beautiful Avalon Peninsular

I was invited to give a talk to the local Shambhala Buddhism group and decided to lead the evening on Spiritual Friendship. The evening seemed to go well and around 25 people came along. It was a lively and intelligent group with lots of practice experience, I really enjoyed the warmth of hospitality.

From St. John's I jumped on a 3 hour flight to Toronto. Harshaprabha and his mate Kam picked me up and drove me to the charming little city (about 128,000 people) of Guelph. Here another friend of Harshaprabha had loaned me his flat for the weekend and I enjoyed sharing the flat with his long haired and idiosyncratic cat called Mork.

The Guelph Church where Anagarika Dhammapala
gave his public lectures on his tour of Canada

I spent the weekend supporting 4 drop in classes intended for newcomers to Buddhism and Meditation. I think Harshaprabha was a little disappointed at the sizes of the classes, but everyone seemed to get something from it and it was a very friendly weekend. Sunday night we watched the Grays Cup at a friends house. This is the big Canadian football game of the year and I have to say that I really got into it. It helped having lots of people to explain the rules.

The CN Tower is quite big

The last leg of my journey was a Greyhound bus trip into Toronto for 4 days of site seeing. I took in the CN Tower (the worlds tallest building at 555 metres). It seems I am still scared of heights.

It seems bigger close up....

looking down through the glass floor at 450 metres confirms it...it's big

Great views though

I went to a number of museums and art galleries, partly accompanied by Sylvie, the twin sister of my Gampo Abbey friend Tsultrim. The highlights would be the collection of Buddhist Art at the Royal Ontario museum and a small museum of Inuit Arts. I was really impressed by the intimate connection the Inuits have with the natural world, a sort of sacred outlook, and the parallels with Buddhist cultures, particularly the Tibetans. I'd love to learn more about this way of seeing the world, which seems rooted in a deep respect.

A small selection of the treasures at the ROM

Today, I am sitting in my good friend John's comfortable house in Thundridge (near Hertford, UK). I have been getting re-acquainted with English culture over the last week - particularly enjoying the English phenomena of the Indian Restaurant! There are some great little walks around here, one going through the neighbouring village of Cold Christmas. In two days I return to my community in Cambridge.

Love,
Jayasiddhi

September and October at Gampo Abbey

2009-11-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Hi you All,

As summer becomes a fast fading memory, things have taken on a quieter aspect at the Abbey. Our program has settled back into it's usual gentle routine with less of the activities seen over the summertime.

The trees and bushes have their Autumnal colours and we saw our first light snow fall on the 15^th October – it didn't settle at the Abbey, but the trees on the hills behind us looked like a Christmas postcard. The little mountain road between us and our main shopping town of Cheticamp had 10cm of snow.

The View from my desk of Gampo Lhatse (the hill of the Abbey Protector Deity) & Ani Palmo's Cottage

In September we had our annual visit from Shibata Sensei. The Sensei is a Kyudo (Japanese archery) master in the Zenko lineage and a 20^th generation master bowmaker. He is also a third generation “Bowmaker to the Emperor of Japan” (although now retired).

Shibata Sensei was a close personal friend of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and maintains close links with the Shambhala community and retreat centres where Kyudo is taught and practised.

On this visit we were treated to a demonstration of Kyudo by two of Sensei's students and several days of instruction were also given to a class of Abbey participants. The numbers for the class were limited and I did not put myself forward for the program as it seemed only fair to give Shambhala practitioners the opportunity train.

Shibata Sensei is regarded in Japan as a “Living Treasure”. Nice for a country to count individuals along side buildings and works of art. This was the second opportunity I have had to see Shibata Sensei as I had previously been his Abbey attendant in 2007. He certainly demonstrates a strong presence and personal dignity.

More recently we enjoyed an Open Day. This was an opportunity for anyone who is interested in the Abbey to pop in and have look around. We laid on tea and cake and there were a couple of talks. The day was a great success and we had about 135 people drop in to say hello. I might a nice lady and her family from Guelph and it looks like she might come to the retreat that Harshaprabha and I are doing there in November.

Last week we had some tragic news of a young Toronto woman killed on the local Skyline Trail by Coyote. The 19 year old was hiking alone when attacked by two coyote. Some hikers came upon the attack and called the emergency services. One of the coyote was shot at the scene but seems to have wandered off wounded. The young woman died later in hospital.

This has been a real shock to the Abbey and to the local community. It is very rare for coyote to attack humans and this trail is well known to all of us an outstanding place of natural beauty. We are bringing the young woman and her family into our practice and will do a Sukhavati ceremony for her later in the month.

This week we had an ordination of the latest batch of temporary monastics. Ani Migme did the honours with her usual panache, welcoming (from the left) Ananda, Ziji and Chongchup. We celbrate in the traditional manner - chocolate cake!

My time at Gampo Abbey is now coming to a close. I have decided to leave earlier than initially planned. My reason for coming to the Abbey was to experiment with a monastic lifestyle for a second time and I feel I have accomplished what I set out to do. Practicing in a Shambhala environment has been a interesting and broadening experience, but I now feel the need to be back with my own practice community, the FWBO.

I have a 5 day solitary starting today and then one week back in the Abbey community. After that I fly to Newfoundland to meet up with Les and Lewis Cranford (old Abbey pals), to do some sight seeing and a short solitary retreat. From Newfoundland I fly to Toronto to put on a weekend retreat for beginners in Guelph with my pal Harshaprabha. After a couple of days of sight seeing in Toronto I will fly back to the UK at the beginning of December.

Above a rare photograph of Monk Wrestling. Although technically prohibited by the Vinaya (monastic code) it does provide a good form of indoor exercise in the chilly Nova Scotian winter. Monks have to keep fit somehow - meditation just doesn't burn the calories. The Texan Mawler, aka Karma Chogyal (in red and yellow) is a compact but powerful opponent and difficult to lift above knee height - thus making deck slams somewhat difficult.

Love,

Jayasiddhi

August at Gampo Abbey

2009-09-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hello me Ducks,

I hope you are all well and happy.

At the beginning of this month we had the arrival of 12 ladies for the latest stage of the 3 year retreat program in the Sopa Choling Retreat Centre (adjacent to Gampo Abbey). One of these was my old mate Christine Behrens so it was lovely to have a chance to catch up with her.

This current session includes study and practice of the 6 Yogas of Naropa, one of which is Tsumo or production of inner heat. Should save a bit on the heating bills this winter.

We prepared the retreat centre for them prior to their arrival and said our goodbyes at the official Gate Closing ceremony.

This included circumambulating the retreat centre with flags and trumpet blowing,

a Lasang (fire puja/offering)

and the gate closing itself with offerings to the protector deities

concluding with posting pictures of the 4 Kings on the retreat centre gates.

The retreatants are now confined to the retreat centre and it's grounds for around 9 months.

Farm Visit

The Abbey has an ongoing relationship with a local man called Brook who runs a small sustainable organic farm. He visits us on occasion and has supplied some fresh vegetables and goat yoghurt to us in the past. The kitchen manager Trime Lhagtong is keen to extend our relationship and on this pretext a car load of us set off with our packed lunches and swimming costumes to pay a visit to Brook and his family.

It was lovely to meet his wife, children, dogs, goats, chickens, cows, pigs and ducks. Here is a man who really loves what he does and he is passionate about sustainability. He says on a good day he can see that he is not just growing vegetables but can see his whole family rising up through the soil. I for one believe him.

It was great to get a tour of the veggie patch, everything mixed in together to confuse the bugs and reduce the impact of disease and good to try the produce straight from the vine. The highlight for me was meeting Brook's rare Scottish breed Bull with his harem of cows.

Brook and his remarkably friendly Bull

I have never been this close to a Bull before and doubt that I ever will again. You could definitely see him sizing us up, but he remained calm and the presence of Brook helped to diffuse any perceived threat (from us!).

It was great to see a free range family of cows just wandering around and enjoying the the shady trees and mud. Very natural.

The day was particularly hot and after visiting the cows we got to play in our own watering hole in the local river. The river was very cooling and we swam by a small rapid which made a great hot tub, with salmon joining in the fun.

Birthday Gal

Ani Palmo celebrated her 76th Birthday this month. We had a wee party in her little cottage with some sweets and a truly excellent Boston Cream Pie (courtesy of Dechen). Ani Palmo treated us to a run through of her life story which is really quite fascinating. Originating in Poland, she was a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and one of the early founders of Gampo Abbey.

Ani Palmo and me have a Birthday hug

Brannon hides behind Ani Palmo's Orchid

We said goodbyes to Brannon who returned to the Nyingma Institute in California (hope it's going well!), to Ani Lodro who returned to her home Sangha in Montreal and to Choshin who's taking up a new post in Washington. I will miss you all.

Two Order Members at Gampo Abbey

Bodhidaka paid a flying visit at the end of the month, staying for just three nights. It was lovely to see another Order Member and to catch up a bit on mutual friends.

Bodhidaka was here in time for Ani Lodro and Choshin's leaving party, and along with FWBO mitra Saskia aka Zangmo (pictured above) we offered the chanting of the Dhammapam Gatha, a little gift from the FWBO mini Sangha.

Death of a Han

The Han is a very important part of Abbey Life. It comes from the Zen tradition and is used to signal the start of a monastery activity such as chanting, meditation (or lunch!). There are two distinctive ways to hit the Han, one for shrineroom activities and one for everything else.

Karma Chogyal warms up the shiny new hardwood Han

The practice with the Han is to drop what you are doing straight away, as soon as you hear the distinctive "clack, clack, clack" and move onto the next activity. This helps to overcome attachment to our own way of doing things and is a reminder of the choicelessness of the moment of death. Neither the Han nor the Grim Reaper are prepared to wait while you finish your coffee.

and here's one we prepared earlier

The story of the Han (and nobody knows where this originated - it's not a Zen thing) is that when the Han finally breaks the kindly folks of the Abbey get to enjoy an extra open day (i.e. a free day off). Some folks have been excited about this for a while (I remember people predicting it's imminent demise in 2007). The Han is estimated to be 10 years old. But it finally gave up the ghost this month. We didn't manage to knock a whole all the way through, as once the back cracked it sounded just awful and had to be replaced - but we got our day off anyway!

Love to All,
Jayasiddhi

July at Gampo Abbey

2009-08-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Prayer flags at sunset

Hi y'all,

Another full and action packed month as summer rolls into Cape Bretton island. We have just recently said goodbye to the last batch of In House Retreatants who have been staying with us over a period of 5 weeks. This has been an opportunity for people to stay for one or two weeks and get a taste of Abbey life. They all seemed to enjoy themselves and it adds a different flavour to the Abbey having new faces appearing every seven days or so.

The tourist season is now in full swing. At times we must have 20 or more tourists a day visiting the Abbey. I have enjoyed giving afternoon tours to groups around the Abbey, explaining about Tibetan Buddhism, the historical Buddha, protector deities, the history of the Abbey, why I am the only one dressed in blue and so on.

The latest batch of recruits took temporary monastic ordination this month. This begins with a hair cutting ceremony the night before. Two of us were doing the barbering. Dennis was my first vistim. Before:

and after:

Trime Lhagtong, Serri, Choshin, Zopa, Rinchen and Chotso with Ani Migme

The following day Ani Migme lead a simple ceremony and delicately cut of the remaining lock of hair from the crown of their heads. A very festive occasion with some very nervous peeps getting used to wearing robes for the first time.

Canada Day rolled in and we joined the Pleasant Bay community for their parade and our Annual Softball Game against the local Fire Department.

Triple trouble at the Parade

Choshin tries to negotiate a cheaper fare, but the punk has beaten him to it

As is traditional - we lost the softball (29 to 10 I think). Given the fact that we had a half decent team this year, we lost worse than ever. Hey ho, we drowned our sorrows with fries and ice cream at the local diner: The Rusty Anchor. Guess what it has in the car park?

Going all to Sea

July also saw the annual Lobster Release. The Abbey bought up Captain Mark's last catch of the season and released them back to the sea (cue theme to "Born Free"). This follows the Eastern tradition of Buddhists buying and releasing caged birds, but with a distinctly Nova Scotian twist.

Paula gets to grips with a dissatisfied customer

I had my first swim of the year at Red River beach. A beautifully sunny day and the beach was quite busy with local kids buidling a dam in Red River. A few of us from the Abbey swam and sunbathed. We swam in the River rather than the sea and that was still cold enough. A nosey seal was checking us out.

Later, Choshin, Tsultrim and myself walked into town for a well deserved maple and walnut ice cream. It was much further than I remembered (maybe 2 to 2 and a half hours in total from the Abbey), but on the way we saw a very cheeky red fox, a bald eagle and later on, at the restaurant two beautiful hummingbirds.

In between all this galavanting around I am getting on with plenty of meditation and study. My current themes are Gelug Madhyamika and a class on the Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra (or Buddha Nature for short).

I hope you are all having a great summer.

Love to All,

Jayasiddhi

Torma Night

2009-08-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Just one of the many and varied community activities we take part in at Gampo Abbey. Torma Night is a winner with all the monastics - well, it is compulsory, but I like to think we'd all go anyway.

Torma is an offering gift in Tibetan Buddhism. The Tormas we make on Torma night are used in our main shrine room and presented to the local protector deities by being flung into the garden at appropriate moments during our chants.

These are made from barley flour dough and butter. The central pinacle represents Mount Meru - the centre of the Buddhist cosmos and the four points on the base represent the four continents - one of which is our home - Jambudvipa. Hence we offer up the whole universe for the benefit of practicing Dharma.

When sticking the continents onto Mount Meru it is important to get them on the right way up - with a flat side on the top - otherwise all the people are liable to fall off. It also makes the job of building Ikea even more difficult for the people of Jambudvipa.

Here are some images of a recent Torma night

Choshin looks very pleased with himself. Did you make all those? No - thought not. Nice pinny though!

Continents are carefully molded

Tsultrim puts the finishing touches to Jambudvipa

Hmm.. this one might need some structural underpinning

Here's one I made earlier - I'm sooo proud

Serri, Kalsang, Tenzin and Jinpa make butter wheels in iced water to stop them melting

Dechen adds a butter glaze before the butter wheels are added

Rows of finished Torma ready for the freezer until their eventual use - the squirrels love 'em!

June at Gampo Abbey

2009-06-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Wow, how time flies! The weeks just fly by here – it’s the minutes that can kill you. Particularly the last three minutes at the end of a three hour period meditation session, you are at the front and it’s your job to ring the gong at the end. The digital clock is in front of you and you have to keep an eye on it, the numbers slow, slow some more and……freeze, the clock goes into stasis – you have entered the twilight zone!

This last month has been action packed. The latest group of Three year retreatants finished their current period in the Sopa Choling retreat centre. They have been practicing hard, 7 days a week for about 10 months, meditating and sleeping upright in their Tibetan box thrones (like a wing armchair, but different). The retreat centre is “sealed off” except for a few essential persons and the retreatants are not allowed outside of their fenced area during their stay. We had an official gate opening ceremony led by Bhiksu Lodro Sangpo and a Lasang (a kind of Windhorse raising fire puja), great fun, very Tibetan and very smoky if you stand in the wrong place. Everywhere I stood seemed to be the wrong place! I smelled as if I had been barbequed.

Ani Pema Chodron delivered a further three talks (I think) during her one month stay and covered a lot of ground in meetings on the new monastic code for Gampo Abbey. Just before she left we had a whistle stop visit from the Sakyong (Chogyam Trungpa’s son and Dharma heir) and his wife, the Sakyong Wangmo. The Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo are at the head of the Shambhala sangha and represent the masculine and feminine principal in Shambhala Buddhism.

Photo by Kalsang

The Sakyong and the Sakyong Wangmo were received in royal style. I helped to bolt together the teaching throne in the shrine room and weeded flower beds and garden paths. We were all very busy. This was a big event for the Abbey and for the local Nova Scotia sangha who turned out for the occasion. We had a celebratory feast with lots of lovely goodies donated by the local sangha, including some excellent scones and clotted cream – I love that British influence in Nova Scotia. The local sangha are a very friendly bunch and appreciative of the Abbey, I got to chat with a quite a few of them.

The Sakyong led a Lasang (fire puja) just before his departure. I knew I should have waited before washing the smoke out of my robes from the last one!. He presented us all with blessing cords to be worn around the neck. The Sakyong Wangmo kindly gave out Tibetan style cookies she had baked herself – and very tasty too.

The Sakyong also presented the Abbey with a wonderful Padmasambhava rupa, which is currently enthroned on our main shrine.

Wesak was celebrated in June (a little later than in the FWBO calendar). The atmosphere in the Abbey was quite wonderful – it felt a little like Christmas! We started the day in our usual way, chanting the liturgy, meditation, housework and breakfast, then we started to prepare a feast for later in the day. Some local sangha members joined us for a Sakyamuni Buddha sadhana and combined feast, held in the main shrine room. Several people made feast offerings of readings and I read Pinghiya’s Praises. We even had a folk music offering from two of our guests.

Ani Migme celebrated her 85th Birthday. We had a wonderful rejoicing and storytelling session and celebratory lunch. People recalled their experiences of Ani Migme and some of these were very funny. Zen Priest Ryumon sang and ballad and got Ani Migme up to dance which was very entertaining. Ani Migme fell over at one point (too much twirling about) but was quickly up on her feet again. That new pacemaker is marvelous.

The Relay for Life sponsored walk went very well. The weather was awful but fortunately the organizers decided that we would walk inside the arena rather than outside on the track.

Photo by Kalsang

I exceeded my sponsorship target of $100 by raising $195. Thank you all for your support! The Abbey Team raised over $1500 in total and our man Rick won a voucher from a local restaurant as the largest single fundraiser. Way to go Rick! The weather seemed too windy for camping (our tent blew away twice), so I decided to stay up through the night. We had live music till around 2am and plenty of coffee and flap jacks.

This week Lhagtong, one of our nuns had her graduation ceremony for completing the three year monastic study course called Shedra.

photo by Kalsang

She gave an excellent talk outlining the principles of Yogachara Buddhist philosophy in a very light hearted and pleasing way. She was then awarded her certificate by Bhiksu Lodro Sangpo.

After a wet and windy week, summer has reasserted itself and we are enjoying some beautiful summer days with refreshing cool breezes. I am spending my work afternoons mostly in the garden cutting our vast oceans of grass. I am starting to develop a slight tan and quite a number of very itchy black fly bites.

The Abbey has just started its’ five week open retreat program. This week we welcomed three new faces. Some people will be staying for one week, others for two weeks. The retreatants live in a separate building but join us in our daily program. Towards the end of this period the number of “in house” retreatants will rise to 13 – lots of new names to remember.

I have just finished reading the Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. This is my first venture into the Russian novelists, I was a little apprehensive at fist, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Around nine hundred pages, it was a two month read, but really worthwhile, emotionally moving, intellectually stimulating, spiritual and very human.

The next event on the horizon is the very important softball game against the local volunteer fire service. This takes place on Canada day (July 1st). We have had some practice and we have a very promising team (and then there’s me). Will it be enough though? We have only won once in the games history – and that was with the help of some local schoolboys.

Love to All,

Jayasiddhi

Back to Gampo Abbey

2009-05-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have now been back at Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada for a little over two weeks. I am being made very welcome and am feeling pretty well settled in already, which is comforting as I will be here for a whole year. There are currently about 35 people in residence. There are perhaps ten people here that are new to me, the rest I already have a connection with through my 7 month stay back in 2007.

As we drove over Irish mountain on the way down to Pleasant Bay, there were still some persistent patches of snow on the ground. Coming down to the Abbey I was glad to see that the snow had gone for the year, although it has still been quite cold some evenings with some strong winds and driving rain some days. The swimming season feels a long way off.

The countryside here is even more stunning than my memory of it. Especially the view from the hill behind the Abbey called Gampo Lhatse. The view over the highlands, cliffs and the deep blue bay is fantastic. The animals here are often very tame, birds will come and sit on your shoulder expecting food and I was joined on my rock seat one afternoon by an inquisitive squirrel, very cheeky and not all scared. I have already seen four or five sunsets here that wouldn’t be put to shame by those of some exotic island.

(photo by Kalsang)

Ani Pema Chodron, the Acharya (teacher) to Gampo Abbey arrived around one week ago. There was much preparation for her arrival and she was warmly welcomed. Last week, she gave a talk on Chogyam Trungpa’s teachings on the Black Ashe. How to work with the mind when experiencing difficulty, about courage and fear and containing the desire to take our difficulties into our world. It was a good talk. I very surprised when I was asked by Ani Pema to comment on taking our practice into the world. I was put right on the spot, but managed to respond with a couple of reasonably coherent (I hope) sentences. Talk about feeling groundless!

My long term work situation here has not yet been decided, I volunteered to help out in the facilities (maintenance) department in the meantime. I am enjoying this work and would be happy to continue doing it in the long term if asked to. I have been hanging Buddhist flags for Ani Pema’s arrival, putting up fly screens on the windows and other small maintenance work.

My meditation practice seems to be settling in and calming down quite quickly. I am sure this cannot last! The longer hours of sitting are causing me some back ache, but I guess this is something I will just have to work with. Ani Migme, a wonderful nun of 85 years has agreed to be my meditation instructor. This is great, as I felt a strong connection with her from the last time I was here. Unfortunately, she has not been in good health this last week and continues to struggle with an ongoing heart condition. We have all been very worried for her.

The Abbey is currently in the process of formulating new house rules based on the Vinaya. I was included in a study group giving an overview of the Pratimoksha (training rules for monastics) and have been allowed to observe the committee discussions in formulating these new rules. It is a fascinating process.

Karma Chogyal, a very funny Texan monk in the room opposite mine is a big fan of our (British) Queen – he has even written to her! He even gave me a large photograph of the Queen, which now dominates most of my desk (along with a large plant). He is also a fan of Chouwowa (the Mexican dog), but fortunately hasn’t offered me any pictures of these, well not yet anyway.

I am getting used to being back in robes, much simpler than worrying about ordinary clothes. This visit I am trying out wearing a blue Dzen (pronounced zen) over my ordination robes. This is a Tibetan style upper robe worn by monastics here. It wraps around one shoulder leaving the other uncovered. It seems a good way to fit in with their life and practice here. Wearing it requires mindfulness and patience as it is constantly getting in the way or falling off. Some days I wish I had forgot to bring it, especially when it falls into your dinner or the washing up bowl.

Love to All,

Jayasiddhi

What Happened to 2008?

2009-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

Wow that went fast! I haven't updated this since March 2008. What a crazy year.

So, News in brief:

My niece Rebbecca got married early 2008 to her long time boyfriend Peter. A great dress - shocking red, and a great party!

I have been working at Windhorse:evolution project managing the expansion of our chain of ethical giftware shops. Some long hours, some hard work but well worth it. What a fantastic bunch of people in the Retail Team - Abhayakirti, Peter Hunt, Sam Cottis, Aryajaya, Matthew Widowson, Paul Wiseman, Andrew Turner and Mia. It was great working with you all and the guys in the Property Team. Lots of fun, lots of laughs and some real challenges. Thanks for it all, wouldn't have missed it for the world!!

Two chances to study with Bhante Sangharakshita, a week on our ordination group get together studying the Bodhicaryavatara and a weekend with the guys ordained by Arthapriya studying a Perfection of Wisdom text. I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity to study with Bhante as I didn't think I would ever get the chance.

September 2008 A very challenging month long order retreat at Guhyaloka. Lots of difficult emotion to work with - urgh! Much help from my good friend Vajrapriya.

March 2009 Beccy and Pete have a very handsome baby boy! Way to go guys - not wasting any time there!

April 2009 - finish work at windhorse:evolution to return to Gampo Abbey.

Peterborough Meditation Group going strong thanks to help from Peter Hunt, Paul Wiseman and Jayamuni. Hand the group over to some very obliging friends (you know who you are!) until Peter Hunt picks it up on return from his ordination in August.

Phew.

Peterborough, Tibet and Wolverhampton

2008-03-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

I seem to be all over the place at the moment. Physically I'm busy shuttling back and forth between Wolverhampton, Cambridge and Peterborough. But my mind travels further afield to the people of Tibet and the Tibetan refugees I met while traveling in India.

There has been much in the news regarding the civil unrest in Tibet and also concerning the protests at the opening ceremony to Chinese Olympic Games held in Greece. It would seem that whether for good or bad, the civil rights issues in Tibet are going to be an integral part of our memory of these Games.

The Greek police are accused of incompetence for allowing protesters to make such a highly visible demonstration so close to the Chinese delegation and also for "roughing up" two other protesters during the procession of the Olympic flame. The Olympic Committee, meanwhile, struggle to justify allowing China to host the Games.

The Committee claim that inclusion of China and the high media presence during the Games can only be of help to the civil rights situation in China. Given the draconian state media controls in China and the willingness of Western Governments to turn a blind eye to brutality whenever it threatens international trade or political alliances, this outlook seems rather optimistic.

What can we do to help? At a practical level, probably very little. The least we can do is register our objections to the Chinese treatment of the people of Tibet. This link takes you to an on-line petition. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete. The Chinese Olympics has put Tibet back in the media spotlight and we should all do what we can non-violently to make the use of this extra leverage while it lasts.

This week marked the start of the Peterborough FWBO Buddhism and Meditation Class. Given that the advertising had been very last minute and that the class fell on a Bank Holiday Monday, I am please to report that two people turned up, Barbara and Mark. Both had visited the Cambridge Buddhist Centre in the past and had experience in meditation. Barbara has meditated for eight years and has experience of retreats, training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and has good links with Amaravati monastery in Hertfordshire.

We started the evening off by building a small Buddhist shrine together. We then went on to do a 30 minute Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation. After a cup of tea we spent the remainder of the evening doing potted life stories and talking about our hopes for the group. It feels like we have a Peterborough Sangha already! A very promising start. Visit our new and slowly improving web page at:- http://buddhistmeditationpeterborough.googlepages.com/

Tomorrow, I'm off to Wolverhampton in Birmingham. This will be my third visit in two weeks. I am preparing shop fitting plans and meeting sub-contractors in order to open a new evolution Shop. Fingers crossed it should be trading by mid May.

Buddhist Meditation Group in Peterborough, UK

2008-03-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

I have been back a while now it seems, because I am looking for a new project - and I have found one.

The Cambridge Buddhist Centre made it known that they had received some inquiries from some people in Peterborough,UK, who wished to learn about Buddhism and or learn to meditate. It sounds like a great opportunity , so I have agreed to give it a shot.

I have so far managed to make contact with around half a dozen interested people in Peterborough and hope to start some advertising soon.

We have booked a room at the Quakers, Friends Meeting House in Peterborough, starting on Monday March 24th. It will be a weekly drop-in meditation class open to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. I feel both excited and a little nervous about taking this on.

I have already received offers of support from good friends in the community including Padmadeepa, Nagavira, Paul Wiseman and my old friend Jayamuni.

I intend to offer introductory meditation in the mindfulness of breathing and metta bhavana and general discussion and exploration around Buddhist topics and living a meaningful life in the west in the 21st century - particularly the corner known as Peterborough!

I have started a little web page to promote the new group. It can be found at:-

http://buddhistmeditationpeterborough.googlepages.com/home

Back to Work

2008-03-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

So here I am back in Cambridge, UK and back at work after around nine months of adventures. Firstly, six months at Gampo Abbey and then two pilgrimages back to back in India.

I am beginning to settle back into life here. It was a difficult transition at first and I often felt grouchy and dislocated.

Luckily, I am now back in the bosom of my old community (Bodhicharya community) in Newmarket Road. This is thanks to the generosity of Graham Denton who offered to move to a neighboring community to make space for me. Many Thanks! It feels good to be back here amongst good friends. I feel a sense of warmth, support and common purpose.

I am back working at windhorse:evolution a Buddhist team based right livelihood business/charity (not for profit organisation). My new role here is in the Retail Team. I am project managing the opening of five new evolution (fair trade giftware) shops this year. I handed over the first of these in Walsall, Birmingham, fully shop fitted to our merchandising team a few days ago and am now enjoying a quiet week or so before work starts on the next one.

I really appreciate having had the opportunity to take time out for more full time Dharma practice. I continue to review my long term plans but feel that a period of intensive practice every year or two would do me wonders.

It's been good being in touch with my friends at Gampo Abbey and many thanks to Ian for the photos. I miss you guys.

Love to All,
Jayasiddhi

Hello from Sikkhim - Goodbye India (30/11/07)

2008-03-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hi All

Made our way out of Kalimpong with a police escort (we have local connections!) and managed to avoid the worst of the political strike.

A whistle stop tour of Gangtok then on to Pelling far up into the hills and fantastic views of the mountains. Clean, fresh stunningly beautiful and very cold. Got up at 5am to watch the sun rise on the snows of Mt. Kachenchunga - well worth the trouble.

Next stop Tashi Ding. A magical shangri-la sort of place in the middle of nowhere. Strong associations with Guru Rinpoche, it has it's own cremation ground and a really special atmosphere. A great place to finish our pilgrimage.

Back down to Siliguri (West Bengal) stopping off on route to pay our respects to one of several caves associated with Guru Rinpoche in this area. This involved a somewhat claustrophobic crawl through a very small tunnel into a bell-shaped meditation chamber (most excellent!). To get to the cave we crossed a wonderful river - video below:

Have finished my antibiotics I am well on the way to recovery, apart from a hacking cough and a badly bruised and scraped leg (I fell down a gap in a bridge while playing with some kids - happens every day, right?).

I have been traveling in India for 8 weeks now and have done what I came for. I am tired and India'd out for the moment, so have decided to cancel my solitary retreat and come home early. I fly back to Blighty on the 4th December - in time to get in some Xmas shopping (yippee!).

I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends, some clean clothes and a hot bath, not to mention real coffee and a croissant.

If anyone is able to offer a slightly scruffy, ever so slightly homeless traveler some accommodation for a few days/weeks, I'd be pleased to hear from you (my community is not expecting me until January 15 - Hi Guys!).

Love to All,
Jayasiddhi

Hello from Kalimpong (24/11/07)

2008-03-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Chaps,

I've been here in Kalimpong for three nights now. We are staying in Sangharakshita's old hermitage. It has lots of colonial character if a little cold and damp (no heating).

It's pretty cold here (4000ft) but a bit warmer than Darjeeling. It looks like we were lucky to get out of Darjeeling before the general strike and limited violence of the last couple of days, the army are still on standby. It would have been a bit unnerving to get stranded in the middle of all that.

We still have a general strike here in Kalimpong and this cafe shouldn't really be open. There were some running street fights and one political attack two days ago. Things seem to have calmed down a lot. We leave tomorrow in a police jeep (the brother in law of our friend Wangpo).

This part of West Bengal is fighting to be recognised as an independent state (Ghuorkaland) as it is made up of Nepali's, Tibetans, Tamangs and other hills peoples in addition to displaced Indians pushing up from the plains due to population pressures. Darjeeling has eight political parties and a Tibetan mafia who enforce the strikes. Things get complicated in Indian politics.

First day here we are unable to leave the grounds due to the political situation. Fortunately, the grounds are about 2 acres of beautiful hillside with tame white rabbits wandering around along with the geese and ducks and a wide selection of orchids to admire, not to mention a stunning view of Mount Kachenchunga (the world's third highest mountain - I think).

First evening I succumbed to the dreaded amoebic dysentery (the third in our group to do so). Not fun to say the least and kept me pretty occupied for about 12 hours. I managed to get my bodily fluids under control by lunchtime yesterday with the help of various anti vomit & anti diarrhoea medication. I am on a five day course of antibiotics and still feel a bit weak. Looking on the bright side, I was putting on a little weight anyway.

Today a visit to Sangharakshita's old vihara (now a policeman's house) and then on to the Indo Tibetan Buddhist Culture Institute (Dhardo Rinpoche's school). It was great see the valuable work here both in education, helping orphans and in promoting traditional Tibetan culture. We sponsored and attended a long life puja for the latest Dhardo Tulku, carried out in Dhardo's shrine room by 6 monks from the local Gelug gompa. Finally we were treated to a show of Snow Lion dancing, then a traditional women's folk dance and a song on some interesting instruments whose names completely escape me.

I have seen many Gompa's in this area (Siliguri, Darjeeling and Ghoom) mostly associated with Dudjom Rinpoche, Chetul Sanghe Dorje Rinpoche and Dhardo Rinpoche. Great to meditate and do puja in these places associated with Sangharakshita's teachers.

Next stop Sikkhim.

Love,
Jayasiddhi

Hello from Darjeeling (21/11/07)

2008-03-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hi you All,

Just a quickie, my jeep beckons.

Have evacuated Bodhgaya - although not without saying Hi to HH Karmapa that we nearly met in Sarnath. He arrived after the "other" HH Karmapa had left and we happened to be staying in the Hotel he was using. A very handsome chap and no mistake.

A whistle stop tour of Rajagir and Nalanda University:-

(what an excellent place and the museum is tops) before heading out for a short train journey (only 12 hours) to Siliguri.

A crazy jeep drive up to Darjeeling (7500 ft). My fear of heights is most intense when driving on twisty mountain roads. Thoughts of "Why did I come here?" It's worth the nail biting corners though - what a beautiful place (and cold 7 celcius when we arrived last night). Snow covered mount Kachenchunga on the horizon. So many beautiful Gompas.

15 Mins to go before another nail biting night drive to Kalimpong. Have to leave Darjeeling a day early because of a 4 day political strike starting tomorrow - i.e. no road travel or restaurants for 4 days.

Love to All,
Jayasiddhi in Yeti Land (they don't sell PG tips here)

Hello from Bodhgaya - again (14/11/07)

2008-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Second time around and I'm back at Bodhgaya.

After finishing our retreat at Bhaja we were off to Arungabhad where we enjoyed the hospitality of some local mitras (Order friends). From this base we explored the ancient caves of Bhaja, Ajanta and Ellora. Fantastic sculpture and painting. Great atmosphere.

Next stop was Jalgon, to catch a train up to Varanassi. We had a few spare hours here and took the opportunity to enjoy a Bollywood movie (When we first met) in a local Cinema. Three hours of hit musical and very hi energy love story - a bit like 1960's Cliff Richard movies. When the couple finally kissed the whole audience got up and cheered and clapped! Lots of fun, even without subtitles.

The train journey to Varanassi was my third overnight train trip. This was my longest so far, about 21 hours including signal problems. When the points were jammed we all spilled out onto the tracks to walk about and talk. Very Indian.

At Varanassi we walked around the rabbit warren of the old city before ending up at the Burning Gats.

This is where Hindu's carry out open air cremations on their holiest of rivers.

It was a deeply moving experience to see public cremation in this way. We stayed for quite a while, quietly watching and reflecting.

Two Poems:-

Goodbyes

Sitting on the floor at the feet of the funeral pyre the old man looks on resignedly, arms wrapped around his knees
Periodically his head drops onto his raised arm - as if resting from tiredness or from his loss
Stretching out a hand he feels the warmth of the pyre - the last warmth his wife will offer him.

Mother India

Flaming teardrops pour from dead woman's head, incandescent into the dry sands,
fiery pearls of fat at play with the elements, beautifully contrasted with the darkening sky.
Two little girls weave in and out of the metal railings, slapping each others hands playfully and practicing their gymnastics.
Dropping lithely to the gat below they lift the Ganges sands in their tiny hands and let it run through their fingers, watching it escape like time on a lazy heat hazed afternoon.
Mother India dancing between their fingers, so fertile, so giving.

Later a boat ride down the Ganges. Our boatman stopping to buy a cigarette from another boatman offering a range of goods - convenience shopping Ganges style. Sunset over the Ganges. Candles floating downstream.

As night closed in, a closing Dilwali festival with fire puja carried out to hi-energy music on the banks of the Ganges. Silver Cobra offering bowls and fly whisks, drums and bells accompanied the six young men dressed in finest Benares silk who carried out the ceremony. A complete contrast to the earlier experiences of the day. Life and light, dancing, shouting, so many people, so much confusion and noise.

Sarnath. Ritual at the Dhammek stupa. Tea and sweets at the Thai temple with the most senior Indian born Bhikku (monk) Ven. Sassanaraksmir.

He took temporary ordination at the age of 21 in order to attend the first international Buddhist convention, he was to disrobe straight after the convention. Dr Ambekar (the Great Buddhist Dalit leader) asked to him to consider keeping the ordination and not returning to lay life in order to set an example for the thousands of newly converted. He felt torn between these two paths. On the boat trip to the conference he reflected on his own selfishness and then threw all his worldly belongings into the sea, marking the end of his lay life. He is now 86 and has accomplished much, including founding several libraries and temples a school for 300 local children, a farm, and a retreat centre. He speaks 5 languages and is currently building and 80ft high stone Buddha statue. What energy!

In Sarnath we were staying at Tranghu Rinpoche's monastery. The Dalai Lama favoured Karmapa arrives the same day we do. Our schedule is tight so we are unfortunately unable to see him or receive blessings.
Our Tibetan friends and helpers Wangpo and Buddha Tamang, take us to a friends house for dinner. Momos (veg. dumpling), soup, bread and Tibetan butter tea (thick and salty!)..

In Bodhgaya. Meeting up with the TBMSG/FWBO Dhammakranti retreat. 850 Indian Buddhists gathered from 16 different Indian states. We receive a warm welcome and much interest in our foreign presence.

Later a procession to and puja at the Mahabodhi temple, near the Bodhi tree. Probably 750 of us attended. Very powerful to do puja with so many people. A great feeling of family and shared vision.

The "other" Karmapa is here giving initiations. With our retreat and the usual pilgrims the town is buzzing. It's great to see the huge Tibetan ceremonies and the Karmapa under the Bodhi tree giving his initiations. He seems to have quite a following.

Constant travelling takes a psychic toll. I awake in the night. The room is completely dark, eyes shut or open, I can't tell the difference. Where am I? I haven't got a clue. Not even sure who I am. As consciousness gets stronger I slowly manage to get my bearings. An unsettling Bhardo moment. A breakfast of hot milky porridge with Tibetan bread and jam. Equilibrium restored.

Much Love,
Jayasiddhi

Hello from Pune (28/10/07)

2008-03-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hi Chaps,

Today finds me in Sunny Pune.

After Sanchi and Bhopal I trained it down to Nagpur (means Snake City). Nowadays
known as Orange City and very juicy they are too. Train delayed three hours - not too bad really - can be a lot worse.

I spent three days in Nagpur exploring archaeological remains of a monastery, stupa and small college patronised by Nagurjuna no less. It's said he experimented in Chemistry here - Alchemy perhaps? Looked like a mini Nalanda.

I had the guided tour of the area by Dhamma Mitra Kapil and our friend from Bodhgaya Dhamma mitra Sheilesh. What a lovely suprise to see him here, such a positive and helpful guy.

We toured the Nagaloka College - a great TBMSG institution, which trains 40 youngsters per year in Buddhist studies during a one year intensive course. About forty students per year attend from all over India.

I was asked to give "short" talk to which I obliged, although with question time it ran into 2 hours! The students were very interested in life in the West and the benefits of Buddhist practice. I gave my talk an emphasis on the benefits of "taking responsibility for our actions" - at the request of the Head Teacher.

We also visited the Hsuang Tsang retreat centre (funded by Taiwanese donors). A magical spot in the heart or rural (Jungle) India. A fantastic stupa/shrine room with amazing acoustics. Tigers are common in the surrounding hills and have been seen on the centre land (though not recently thank goodness!). Beautiful lakes close by.

Dinner at Kapil's home (cooked by his younger sister) has added a touch of real life India to the trip. Great hospitality.

An overnight train to Pune was free from excitement apart from one informative passenger who wanted to initiate me into the secrets of his personal religious philosophy "all is one, god is all, god in everyone". He carried on and on until the Indian Doctor next to him said "For heaven sakes man, give the guy a break, you've said the same thing at least ten times!"

When the "informative passenger" popped to the loo, I quietly thanked the Doctor and we shared a friendly understanding for the rest of the trip. He had visited Cambridge several times with his job in tropical medicine.

I am recovering from an ongoing low level cold (hence the Oranges). I am a bit tired from all this non-stop travel and am looking forward to a quiet one week retreat before starting over.

Love to All,
Jayasiddhi

Hello from Bhopal (23/10/07)

2008-03-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hello me Chucks,

Sad goodbyes to Paul and Padmadeepa at Gonda railway station. Alone on a busy platform in a very strange country - gulp!

I've now experience the 2AC overnight sleeper train! Great way to meet people. Air con a little to cold for me. Got a crick in my neck! Meet a couple of very nice railway engineers. Lots of discussions about marriage, divorce and sex! The Indians are not always so reserved as I was led to believe.

A mid price hotel in Sanchi was a pleasant little treat after our cheaper accommodation to date. The Sanchi Stupa site is a real Jewel. I had the extensive site mostly to myself without any hassle from beggars, hawkers of pushy tour guides. Meditated at the big stupa, explored ruined monastery complexes and great little temples. A very relaxed and enjoyable day.

Today I traveled to Bhopal by local bus, sharing a back seat designed for 4 with 6 other people! So many people and rice sacks. No goats or sheep though. Local people smile and point and test out their English skills on the lone tourist. Friendly and enjoyable banter. Playing with the kids.

I have really pushed the boat out in Bhopal to celebrate the end of the first leg of my journey. A three star hotel with 24 hour coffee bar, broadband (!), a bar, two restaurants and small shopping mall. A fridge and colour TV in my room. Room service. Air con that works, a bath and private balcony with views of Bhopal's extensive lakes. All for 30 GBP. A lot of money in India, but a very dingy bed and breakfast in England.

A memory from the train journey:-

The bloated cow lays leaking body fluid into the baked earth
A mangy stray approaches nonchalantly and bites into the throat - just to be sure
After a few minutes of hungry chewing he trots off and then returns a few minutes later with his pack
A couple of larger dogs work the throat and face, peeling back layers of skin and fat
Smaller dogs look on casually with a patience which is humbling
Bright red muzzles on a sunny afternoon.

India is a vivid place. A little like loosing your sunglasses in the mid day sun. It's difficult to know where to look in order to minimise the intensity of experience.

Love to all.

Jayasiddhi

Hello from Nepal (21st November 2007)

2008-01-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Friday. We have crossed over the border (no hassle, no fee and no queue) and into Nepal (The Peoples Republic of Nepal as the graffiti over the border post informs us).

We have spent one night in a Korean monastery in the Lumbini temple complex. The monastery is quite new and is in the process of being expanded. It is very clean, smart and has a simple renunciate feel to it. Great Digs.

Lumbini (the Buddha's birthplace) is very well developed. The archaeological site is surrounded by a large walled complex. Inside the complex there are many monasteries and temples from lots of different traditions. The small village of Lumbini is firmly outside the wall and you do not get to see much of local life from here.

The complex is clean and well organised with paved roads and maps connecting everything together. It's kind of cool and also a little weird, a little bit like a Buddhist theme park. Could be in the US! (almost).

Last night spent in Sinouli (India) on Nepali border. A really dusty noisy polluted little town. Felt like the wild west. The Hotel was quite poor with mold and vermin droppings on the sheets. we took the deluxe rooms with TV and Air Con (both broken). We had to get up in the night to hide our biscuit stash, clothes and other edibles from the mice.

Saturday. Kapilavastu (Northern India).
The place where the Buddha was raised.A large stupa and beautiful lotus pond. A very well maintained site. A bit of a whistle stop tour, but time for a short puja and offerings.Driving to Kapilavastu from Lumbini should be a quick affair - there is an almost direct road. Unfortunately, due to political disturbance from the Maoist rebels this border crossing is currently closed due to regular shootings and attacks on the border guards. We realise later why we were advised

to sleep on the Indian side of the border. The large towns and cities are relativley safe for foreigners, but rural areas still present a slim chance of trouble and possible kidnap.

Sunday. Shravasti. The Jetta Grove. a wonderful park where the Buddha spent many of his rains retreats. A very beautiful and atmospheric place, helped by a glorious sunset over a massive Buddha image on the horizon. Our tour coincides with a visiting minister and political rally. Lots of noise and people outside of the park itself.

Monday. The anniversary of the day of Dr Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism and also the day of a Hindu river goddess festival. Lots of floats and music and fireworks and quite a lot of drinking and singing. We have to get to Gonda to catch two trains. Our driver warns of possible road closures and mild civil unrest (fighting due to drinking and possible religious clashes) so we arrive at the station early. This is the first time a see a cow walking down a railway station.

Three busy weeks of pilgrimage come to an end. Padmadeepa and Paul are making their way home via Delhi. I carry on my adventure alone to Bhopal (for the Sanchi stupas complex) then to the TBMSG/FWBO centres in Nagpur, Pune and Bhaja.

We are all in good health and spirits. So much to say ....so little broadband!

Love to All,

Jayasiddhi

Hello from Bodhgaya, India (9th October 2007)

2008-01-01T03:15:00.000-08:00

Hello me Ducks,

Wow what a place. One week here and still getting blown away by it all. The sounds, sights (and smells!). Its a very crazy place, but it kind of grows on you.

Arrived at Delhi airport and was kidnapped by a crazed rickshaw driver. After a very hairy rider around South Delhi we eventually convinced him to take us to our hotel, but it was hard work (and it cost us). You have to learn quickly here. Haggle hard. Set a fixed price and then be firm. Very un-English.

People are very friendly. The beggars are difficult to deal with, it's so hard to know how to respond for the best. I set off a small riot today by giving out a bag of sweets to some kids in a local village, hundreds of kids just appeared out of nowhere and there weren't enough sweets to go around. I just had to drop the bag and run. You have to learn quickly here.

Had a great couple of days in Sarnath, the place of the Buddha's first teaching. We stayed at Dr Jain's Paying Guest House. Great food and hospitality. Met up with our local Order member Dh.Shantigosh on the small piece of land the FWBO/TBMSG has there. We had tea and biscuits and met some of the local mitras.

The FWBO/TBMSG site is very central to Sarnath and almost opposite the main stupa, which marks the spot of the Buddha's first sermon.

Varanassi was a real hard experience. The worst pollution I have ever experienced, thick choking smog (a mixture of exhaust fumes and more exhaust fumes with a little burnt cow dung thrown in for good measure).

A boat trip on the Ganges was interrupted by torrential rain. It started with big hard blobs of rain - like marbles or small golf balls, then it just opened up. We sheltered with our boatman, some street hawkers and other passers by in a temple dedicated to a local river god, sited on the gats. We were the only tourists in sight, but we were treated with warm hospitality and hot chai (sweet milky tea).

I managed to upset the temple Brahmin with a mix up over a mis-placed camera and things turned a bit nasty for a moment, when I received a vitriolic telling off from our now less than hospitable "host". Our boatman/guide laughed off the incident (although I have to say it shook me up a fair bit). Theft can be a serious business in India (public beatings are not unheard of) and the possibility that someone sheltering in the temple was a thief had caused quite a lot of excitement and not a little mistrust.

We ended the evening being lead through the tiny back alleyways of Varanassi, in the pitch black (a powercut) by two street hawkers who we didn't know. At one point we ended up in a dead end. Paul, Padmadeepa and I looked at each other and couldn't help wondering if it was a set up or a mugging. Fortunately, we were just lost in the dark and eventually found our way to the silk shop they had been trying to steer us to. We managed to extricate ourselves from our very happy salesman eventually and tipped our hawkers to take us back to a cafe we knew from earlier so that we could arrange to meet up with our driver.

By now the storm had passed and the rainwater (with less savory stuff floating in it) was just below our knees as we waded our way down the streets. We survived our little adventure, wet, filthy, tired and very relieved.

Today is our last day in Bodhgaya, the most important Buddhist Pilgirmage site and the place of the Buddha's Enlightenment (the Vajrasanna). A wonderful place. So much atmosphere, packed with pilgrims from all over the world. A very moving experience.

Outside of the main temple there is much to see here, so many temples representing Buddhist traditions from the world over, and places of significance from the Buddha's life, such as Gaya Head, where the Buddha delivered "the Fire Sutta". We were shown around by Dhammamitra Munish an excellent tour guide.

Puja under the Bodhi Tree at 6am this morning. Fantastic! So many people, so much noise.

Lots to say. The food is OK. We are all in good health and good spirits. Cash is bit hard to get hold of. Trying to get cash from ATM's is a joke. If you come here, bring travellers cheques (Dollars or pounds). Being in India is often a taxing and tiring experience. But worth it.

I offered Tsultrim's kata (white scarf) at the Bodhi tree.

Hope you are all well.

Love,
Jayasiddhi (mosquito bitten but fighting on).

March in Support of Freedom for Burma

2007-09-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

On Thursday September 27th, around 70 people from various groups and backgrounds met at the Cambridge Buddhist Centre.

This was to show our support for the people of Burma in their peaceful protests against repressive government.

Local BBC Radio and Television were in attendance, and recorded the chanting of the traditional pali "May all Beings be Well".

Those gathered then formed a silent procession to the Cambridge Guild Hall, lead by the organiser Dharmachari Vajrapriya. We then collected signatures for a petition to be submitted to the Burmese Embassy in London. Some people then meditated on the street as a mark of solidarity with the people of Burma.

If you are interested you can sign a petition on-line and send details to your friends. The address is:-

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/h.php/?cl=20600317

At the time of writing, over 177,000 people have registered their protest.

Goodbye to Gampo Abbey

2007-09-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

This is my last post from Gampo Abbey. It's really hard to believe that I have been living here for just under seven months. Time really does fly when your having fun and also when you have a full schedule. I feel like have had both.

I feel a strong sense of gratitude to everybody here at the Abbey for making me feel so at home. I have made many good friends here and I hope these contacts continue into the future.

My meditation instructor, Jerry has been very helpful, bringing me right up against my own "stuff", face to face, so to speak. This has felt uncompromising and very challenging at times. Just what I needed. Jerry has shown a lot of warmth and compassion. Thank you.

It's great that this place exists at all. Much of this is down to the founder (Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche), Ani Pema Chodron (resident teacher, author and generous benefactor) and the other monastics here (especially, Ani Palmo, Ani Migme and Lodro Sangpo) who have devoted decades of their lives to making this place work.

I have learned a lot about myself from living here. I have also learned a lot about Tibetan Buddhism, the Karma Kagyu lineage and aspects of Tibetan monastic life. I have also learned the importance of trying to keep an open mind in new situations and being open to different approaches and points of view.

My two fears when coming here were my ongoing problem with back pain and a morbid fear of having to eat with chopsticks. The back was painful at times but has loosened up during my time here. It was never unbearable and I feel a stronger faith in my meditation practice by working through it. The fear of using chopsticks soon went. I rarely dropped food (although I did drop an entire bowl) and would eventually look forward to eating porridge with chopsticks.

My last few weeks here have been a time of great joy. The summer season has continued and the "In House" retreatants have come and gone at a regular pace. It's been really enjoyable meeting so many different practitioners.

I passed on my job to Lisa a couple of weeks ago. She picked it up very quickly with minimal training and this left me some time to relax a little more and spend some more time showing tourists around the Abbey.

I have enjoyed walks into Pleasant Bay for ice cream and exercise, swims on the beach and hikes into the beautiful wooded Cape Breton hills. I have seen moose, Gardner snakes, fox, chipmunk a plenty, whales, seals and golden eagle.

We had an Order Member from Mexico come here in August for a solitary retreat. His name is Kavindu. It was lovely to meet another OM out here in Karma Kagyu land and we spent some time together when he arrived and again just before his departure. What a delightful guy.

Yeshe, a temporary monk who had been here a couple of years, left just recently. I was sad to see him go and had really treasured his company. He had taught me the office job when I first arrived. A very kind and thoughtful chap. We had a communal "leavers choice" movie night together. We both chose Monty Python's "Life of Brian". I had a great laugh watching this and it made me feel quite homesick (considering it was set in Israel and filmed in Tunisia). I certainly came out of the movie feeling very "English".

I have also been on solitary retreat myself for the last six days in a cabin called "Cliff Hanger". With high winds at times, I was unsure if it was hanging on or hanging off, as it swayed in the breeze. The views were spectacular, both for sea, coast line, eagles and sunset. My meditation practice finally clicked into gear (perhaps 6 months fairly intensive preparation helped a bit) and I had a great retreat. I really enjoyed reading "A Yogi's Joy" by Sangharakshita. A great read and very inspiring.

I am now into my last couple of days and have started thinking about practical stuff, such as washing my clothes and inspecting the dust under my bed (I knew I shouldn't have left it so long).

Love to All,

Jayasiddhi

Cancer Society Sponsorship

2007-09-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who sponsored me for the Cancer Society walk all those months ago. The event was great fun as well as being for a very worthy cause. It's great that Gampo Abbey supports this local event each year with their enthusiastic participation.

Particular thanks to the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order in Letchworth for their kind donation of 100 GBP. The final total raised was 225 GBP ($479CAD). Thank you all for your generous support and many thanks to Jayamuni for collecting up the money on my behalf. May you all be well!

A Talk on Ethics - Part Three of Three

2007-08-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

A talk given at Gampo Abbey in June 2007 (parts one and two posted below).

4/ Abstention from False Speech / With truthful communication I purify my speech

Speech occupies and intermediate position between mind and body. It is a subtle form of action, almost as subtle as thought itself. In a way, it is simply thought made public.

Because speech is so close in nature to thought, it is very difficult to control, our thoughts can just “slip out”. Once in the public domain our thoughts have ramifications for both ourselves and others. Once made public our thoughts cannot be retracted, no matter how much we might like them to be!

Speech is about communication. It is about the coming together of minds and hearts. Untruthful speech cannot by definition be a vehicle for communication. It does not seek to communicate but rather, seeks to frustrate or prevent real communication.

Society at large require most people to be telling the truth most of the time. Society would break down if this were not the case. If the bus companies deliberately lied about their timetable commuting would become very difficult. If bankers routinely lied about the performance of investments the whole financial system would collapse. If we look at societies where corruption, bribery and perjury are the norm, we can see that these are not societies we would like to live in. These are not societies that care about the rights and needs of the individuals within it.

What is true of society at large is even more so in a spiritual community. Community is an interesting word. To live in community is to Commune or enter into Communion with others. The dictionary defines Communion as “to hold intimate intercourse” and as a state of heightened awareness, such as “to commune with nature”. So within a spiritual community such as Gampo Abbey, communication should be both intimate (warm and meaningful rather than cold and superficial) and imbued with awareness (of self and other).

One important aspect of our speech is factual accuracy, in reporting what has been said or done. We must be careful about exaggerating and embellishing, twist and omitting. We need to communicate both the spirit and the letter of a situation or else we risk misrepresenting each other which can lead to misunderstanding and upset.

I am very interested in the state of the “Stream Entrant”. This is a stage on the path belonging to the Theravada tradition. It is roughly equivalent to the Bodhisattva of the first Bumi, both are irreversible. One becomes a Stream Enterer by breaking the first “Three Fetters” of Doubt (in the Dharma), Self View (as a fixed separate entity) and Rights and Ritual as Ends in Themselves (superficiality).

The Stream Entrant is not entirely free from the Kleshas and is still subject to greed, hatred and delusion to some degree. What is really interesting about them though, is that they are completely transparent about themselves. They do not attempt to hide their shortcomings or pretend to be something their not. They are simply incapable of deception. This strikes me as a very beautiful stage on the spiritual journey, a down to earth, flawed human being, but one that has gone beyond all superficiality and through fearlessness and lack of pride only wish to be seen as what they truly are.

5/ Abstention from Intoxicants / With mindfulness clear and radiant I purify my mind

In the letter, this precept consists of abstaining from intoxicating liquor and drugs that cloud the mind.

We might ask why? What’s wrong with a drink, it’s just fun after all? Intoxicants that cloud the mind are like adding an extra veil of delusion. As if we need another one! They take us even further away from how things actually are.

Intoxicants can weaken and undermine our ethical intentions. Normally reasonable, apparently sane people can find themselves giving into sexual misconduct, violence and drink driving through the use of intoxicants.

Intoxicants make us forget our connections with others. This in turn leads to a loss of responsibility. Other people become reduced in our mind to objects of utility rather than as individuals in their own right.

The spirit of the precept is to cultivate mindful living at all times, to imbue our life with mindful abiding. Mindfulness is a translation of Satti-Sampajanna, a compound term.

Satti means bare attention, raw awareness. This is awareness in the moment. The seen in the seen, the heard in the heard, the cognized in the cognized and so on. It means to be really present.

Sampajanna is clear comprehension, awareness through time. This includes an awareness of our aims and our sense of purpose. It includes a sensitivity of the suitability of our actions to the spiritual path. Aspects of this include memory and recollection, including a recollection of “the nature of things”, such as impermanence and insubstantiality. It performs a steering function within our lives.

Mindfulness enriches our lives. It gives us greater awareness and clarity. It gives us the possibility of being creative in our responses, rather than being stuck in our same old reactive patterns. It gives us the opportunity to step out of the mold of our conditioning and to develop a truer individuality, one with greater choice and freedom.

Having now looked at the five training precepts in some detail I’d like to conclude with some more general points.

A Mandala of Practices

We can think of the five precepts as a mandala of practices. The mandala has two entrances, the first and the fifth precepts (like book-ends at the beginning and end).

The first precept is the principle of love or maitri. This is why we practice the precepts. It’s our motivation, what inspires us to practice. It’s the emotive aspect of our spiritual lives.

The fifth precept is the principle of mindful awareness. This is how we practice the precepts. This is the method. Through awareness of the needs of self and other. Through a consciousness of our own actions of body, speech and mind. It is impossible to practice ethics without awareness.

Development of the Practice

It’s really important not to simply settle down with our current level of practice. We need to continue developing and refining our level of ethical sensitivity. At the same time we need to broaden our awareness of the areas that we can include within our ethical scope.

How do we do this?

We can develop Hrih. This is a positive mental event in the Abhidharma system. It is often translated as a positive sense of shame in the shortcoming of one’s actions. This is certainly not a comfortable experience, but it is not unhealthy. It is not about beating yourself up and should include a healthy dose of self maitri. There is no room for irrational guilt here. It is simply about recognizing that we could have done better, that our actions didn’t quite measure up to our own ideals. There is room for improvement.

We can also develop Apatrapiya. Another positive mental event, often translated as “fear of criticism from the wise” or more simply “what would my teacher think?” If you are about to do something and it doesn’t seem quite right, you can ask yourself “what would my teacher or preceptor think about this?” This can often help to clarify grey areas for us.

Confession is a traditional Buddhist practice that helps to support ethical development. It encourages intimacy and trust within the sangha and helps us to recognize our shortcomings within the context of our community. We can receive feedback and advice from our sangha and also just feel a lightening in ourselves by sharing the things that we don’t feel so proud of.

Applying the Brakes Gently

Sangharakshita uses the image of trying to slow down a train. The train is our unskillful tendencies. If we slam the brakes on in a reckless manner we may de-rail the train and fly off the tracks completely. We need to know ourselves and know how to apply the brakes gently.

I love this poem by Kabir. He was an unorthodox teacher, a wise man, who was raised in both Islamic and Hindu traditions. It’s called “Difficulties”:-

Friend, please tell me what I can do about this mud world
I keep spinning out of myself!

I gave up expensive clothes, and bought a robe
But I noticed one day the cloth was well-woven.

So I bought some burlap, but I still
Throw it elegantly over my left shoulder.

I stopped being a sexual elephant,
And now I discover that I’m angry a lot.

I finally gave up anger, and now I notice
That I am greedy all day.

I worked hard at dissolving my greed,
And now I am proud of myself.

When the mind wants to break its link with the world
It still holds onto one thing.

Kabir says: Listen, my friend,
There are very few that find the path!

(from: The Soul is here for it’s own Joy, edit. Robert Bly, Ecco Press)

I think this poem justifies inclusion just for the line about the “sexual elephant” - what a wonderful image! But, I think we can all relate to the experience of the student in the poem. We pay attention to one area of our life and our energies find their way into another while we are not looking. It’s like we are chasing our own tails.

On the face of it Kabir’s answer isn’t very satisfactory “there are very few who find the path”. It doesn’t sound very helpful. He must have been a tough teacher!

But what is the path that Kabir is pointing to? He is pointing to the middle way. Not being so lax that we make no effort, and not being so strict that we de-rail our train or loose track of our elephant!

We need to channel our energies skillfully and kindly. Re-directing these energies with an awareness of where we are currently at and what we are realistically capable of. This is a lifetime’s work of constantly looking for our cutting edge and looking to maintain a sensible and maintainable tension in our ethical practice.

Leaving the last words to Shunryu Suzuki:-

“When you observe the precepts without trying to observe the precepts, that is true observation of the precepts”

Friday Afternoon Poems*

2007-08-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Mudroom Mat
Grit and fluff,
Sharp and soft,
Side by side,
A confusion of opposites.
Higher union frustrated,
Vacuum comes too soon.

Mud on the road,
Mud in the sandal,
Shower tomorrow.

Sign reads: No Entry! - Retreat in Progress
Should read: Enter! - Progress in retreat

Black fly bites head,
Head swells,
Black fly laughs at fat head.

* In the UK, Friday afternoon has a bad production record. As well as being the tired bit of the working week, it has also been associated with a Friday lunchtime visit to the pub, for a beer or two. Hence, a poorly built or unreliable car may be referred to as a "Friday afternoon car".
No beer was harmed in the making of these poems.

A Talk on Ethics - Part Two

2007-08-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

A Talk Given at Gampo Abbey in June 2007 (part one posted below)

Ethics as a Tantric Practice

We can also think about the practice of ethics as a kind of tantric practice. As I understand it, tantric practice goes beyond sutra, it goes beyond words, concepts and ideas and works directly with energy, with action. It’s not about learning, it’s about doing.

Ethics also goes beyond concepts. It’s about how we work with our energies on a day to day basis. Our wild energies! The practice of the precepts is about steering and guiding these energies in the most useful way possible.

The Letter and the Spirit

In the laws of our countries we often talk about the letter and the spirit. This is a helpful way for us to think about the precepts - in the letter and in the spirit. Most of the time we need to be aware of both aspects.

The letter is the literal expression. It provides us with clarity, a benchmark we can compare our actions against. So, for example we have the precept: “I abstain from taking the not given”. This we can see as a minimum criteria, a lower limit that we shall try not to fall below. If we fail to maintain that minimum standard it’s obvious to us and we know we need to take a closer look at our actions and the views behind them.

There is a danger with the negative formulations of the precepts (the letter of the law), that we can settle down in them, start to get comfy. “I do not steal, so I’m OK. I don’t need to worry about that one”.

The Spirit of the precepts goes beyond the letter, it gets beyond a narrow formalism or shallow observance. In a sense these are the “real thing”, they go to the pith of ethical practice. The spirit is expressed in the positive formulation of the precepts. This is the translation used in the FWBO:-

With deeds of loving kindness I purify my body
With open handed generosity I purify my body
With stillness, simplicity and contentment I purify my body
With truthful communication I purify my speech
With mindfulness clear and radiant I purify my speech

The spirit has no upper limit. It can be expressed in more and more refined and subtle ways. So rather than thinking “I don’t steal”, we can be thinking of all the ways in which we can develop a more generous attitude, through actions of body, speech and mind.

The Spirit of the precepts (the positive precepts) is closely related to the Bodhisattva practice of the Paramitas (the perfections). These lists of practices (either 6 or 10) express the attitude and aspirations of the Bodhisattva.

Buddhism has many so many lists, it even has lists of lists! Looking at these we might get the feeling that Buddhism is fragmented, that these lists are describing lots of different things, but this is not really the case. The precepts and the Paramitas are simply two expressions of one spiritual path, of one life, of one human experience.

So, let’s take a look at the 5 Precepts individually. We’ll examine them in terms of the broad principles that stand behind the precepts, principles that help to make clear the spirit of the practice.

1/ Abstention from killing living beings/ With deeds of loving kindness I purify my body

The broad principle here is that sublimest of principles, Love.

Here, the letter of the precept requires us to abstain from striking down, slaying, killing, murder.

Violence (Himsa) is force against another being, either physical or emotional, such as blackmail or emotional coercion. It is to go against another’s will. It is the negation of one ego by another.

To act against another’s will is to break down the solidarity that exists between all sentient beings, it is akin to one brother raising his sword against another.

Quoting the Dhammapada: “All beings love life, all fear punishment and death. Making comparison of self and other, one should neither kill nor cause to kill”. (Verse 129-130)

and in Santideva’s Bodhicaryavatara:

At first one should meditate intently on the equality of oneself and others as follows: “All equally experience suffering and happiness. I should look after them as I do myself”

Just as the body, with it’s many parts from division into hands and other limbs, should be protected as a single entity, so too should this entire world which is divided, but undivided in its nature to suffer and be happy.

Even though suffering in me does not cause distress in the bodies of others, I should nevertheless find their suffering intolerable because of the affection I have for myself.

In the same way that, though I cannot experience another’s suffering in myself, his suffering is hard for him to bear because of his affection for himself.

I should dispel the suffering of others because it is suffering like my own suffering. I should help others to because of their nature as beings, which is like my own being.

When happiness is liked by me and others equally, what is so special about me that I strive after happiness only for myself? (Verses 90-96)

At a practical level the Vinaya warns the monastic against harming creatures as small as a bedbug and even the eggs of a bedbug.

Sakyamuni Buddha also extolled his disciples to dispose of waste and unwanted food in a way that did not harm living creatures in the immediate environment, such as not throwing scraps into water if that water contained life. This is an early example of “Engaged Buddhism” or “Dharmic Environmentalism”.

The way we interact with our environment has an impact on all life on this planet through the web of inter-connectivity. We cannot ignore this fact. The way we choose to live and the way we use precious natural resources is something we need to consider in practicing this precept.

2/ Abstention from taking the not given / With open handed generosity I purify my body

The principle here is clearly Dana, generosity, open handed and open hearted giving.

The letter of the precept is asking us to abstain from Adana - seizing or grasping the not given, namely theft in all of its different forms.

Similar in nature to the first precept, theft is an indirect form of violence. It is not aimed directly at the individual, but through their property; by forcibly separating an individual from his or her property. However, it is most certainly the individual that feels loss or grief from this separation.

The definition of theft can be extended beyond material items. Other considerations include:

Time - time is precious. We take time from others when we impose ourselves on them against their will, when they are busy, for example. By subjecting them to a tirade, perhaps of complaint or gossip, something they would rather not have to listen to.

Then there is the theft of silence, such as during silent periods. Perhaps a person is really enjoying the silence, allowing their mind to unravel into precious space, peacefully reflecting and relaxing into an inner and outer quietness. Then someone comes up and whispers a joke, or passes them a note concerning something that could have waited till later. Silence is a rare and subtle thing. It is not merely the absence of talking and can be disturbed quite easily if we are not very mindful of ourselves and others.

Another area we should be aware of is energy or vitality. Sangharakshita talks about the “psychic vampire” who drains our energy through complaints, appeals or tirades, so as to reduce their victim to emotional exhaustion or nervous collapse. Quite dramatic, eh? I’m sure we all have experienced this to some degree, of being caught with someone who is having that klesha attack and that feeling of being drained afterward.

Generosity can be seen as the fundamental Buddhist virtue. It is the first paramita of the Bodhisattva training. If we can’t find time to practice meditation. If our general ethics aren’t as good as they could be, then we can always be generous.

I think we are generally very good at this here at the Abbey. I have been very impressed with the level of generosity that I have received here and have seen others benefiting from. Of course, there is always room for improvement!

We can practice generosity in many ways, with property, with our time and expertise, with our money, in expressing gratitude and in terms of friendliness. Even if we are feeling unhappy we can still make an effort towards friendliness.

According to the scriptures the greatest gift is the gift of the Dharma. When we make the Dharma available to someone we are giving them an opportunity for freedom, and this is priceless.

3/ Abstention from sexual activity (lay precept:- sexual misconduct) / With stillness, simplicity and contentment I purify my body.

Brahmacharya is a compound word. Charya means the path/way or “to course in” as in a boat on a river. Brahma refers to the Brahma Lokas or “god realms”. So this means to live as the gods or higher beings live.

Western terms we are familiar with are chastity and celibacy. Definitions of these terms sometimes vary, but often celibacy is taken to mean abstention from sexual activity with another person. Chastity usually refers to complete abstinence from all sexual activity of body, speech and mind.

According to Indian Buddhist cosmology human beings exist in the Karma Loka, the realm of sense desire. Here we find sexual dimorphism e.g. men and women.

In the lower god realms this dimorphism is said to become less distinct. As we enter the higher god realms of the Rupa Loka (the realms of refined form), we find that beings here are androgynous, there is no sexually polarity and therefore no sexual tension.

Here, polarization gives way to harmony. Tension is resolved into relaxation and discontent dissolves into contentment.

The higher stages of Shamatha as experienced as psychological states are said to correspond to the cosmological realms of the Rupa Loka and even the Arupa Loka (the formless realms) - very refined states indeed. In these states the mind becomes more flexible, relaxed and at ease, inner tensions are resolved and the mind becomes integrated. This is a natural, happy state. The practice of Brahmacharya helps us to support our Shamatha meditation and cultivate flexible, relaxed states of mind in post meditation.

Another one of the paramitas or perfections is Viriya or “energy in the pursuit of the good”. We need energy to practice ethics and meditation. The spiritual life requires an abundance of energy. So we don’t want to repress or suppress our natural energies, we simply want to contain them and use them. The idea is not to become dried up and lifeless. Ani Pema talks about wanting monks and nuns here at the Abbey who are “juicy”

In practicing Brahmacharya we want to be engaging with a process of sublimation or refinement, helping to arouse the Bodhicitta through a process of alchemy. Our body, speech and mind are our crucible and our natural energies are both the raw material that we seek to transform and the fuel that we use to heat our crucible, to bring about the magical transformation. So let’s try to stay juicy!

Other areas we might want to think about with regard to contentment include food and entertainment. It’s quite common for discontentment to move from one area to another. The key to this is mindful awareness and a willingness to “stay with” our experience.

Friendship

2007-08-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

My old friend and companion - Failure,
Never far away,
A reminder that I am not as Perfect as I would like to think.

Embracing my shortcomings and my inner critic alike with tenderness
and gentle humour,
I remember that I am often a better man than I would like to think.

What did I say?

2007-08-22T17:03:00.001-07:00

Top Tip:- Never, under any circumstances, tease a nun about her haircut.

A Talk on Ethics - Part One of Three

2007-08-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ethics - A Talk Given at Gampo Abbey June 2007

There is a Zen Koan “Why has Bodhidharma left for the East?” I don’t know the answer to this. But I do know what happened when he got there. When Bodhidharma took the Dharma from India to China he introduced the Dharma into an already highly developed culture. Buddhism has often had a refining effect on the arts, philosophy and culture of societies that it has encountered. In China it met an ancient culture rich with poetry and painting, rich with the philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism.

Much of what I have to say in this talk is collected from the writings and talks of my teacher Sangharakshita, the founder of the Western Buddhist Order. I thoroughly recommend his small book “The Ten Pillars of Buddhism” of which there are two copies available in the Abbey library.

I also borrow here from Dharmachari Abhaya and his excellent little booklet on the 5 precepts.

Introduction

You might think that the subject of ethics is not a very glamorous one. If you were to ask yourself what flavor ethics would be if it was an ice cream, you might say vanilla, the standard, basic flavor, we’ve all had it a million times, it’s a bit boring. It’s certainly not strawberry and pecan or something interesting like that.

You might think that ethics is not very “sexy”. It’s not exciting and esoteric like Tantra. You might say that ethics is just “Bog Standard” Buddhism. The aim of this talk is prove otherwise.

Bodhidharma

When the King of China heard about Bodhidharma and his new religion, he was fascinated and wanted to learn more about this new and exotic import. So, he summoned Bodhidharma and asked him for a summary of his great teachings. Bodhidharma could hardly refuse and so he gave the King a teaching:

“Cease to do Evil, Cultivate the Good, Purify the Mind. This is the word of the Buddha”

The King was a bit taken aback. Was this it? Was this the cream of higher Indian thought and philosophy? The King responded:

“Is that Buddhism? Even a small child could understand this without difficulty.”

“Ah yes” replied Bodhidharma, “but even the wisest of your ancient Sages will find great difficulty in putting it into practice.”

Good and Evil

So, it is clear that for Bodhidharma, ethics formed an important part of the whole spiritual path. In this translation he talks about good & evil. For many of us living in the West, this will have strong Christian overtones.

The terms in Sanskrit are Kusala and Akusala. This is often translated as Skilful and Unskillful, I like this translation. We can be skilful, like a trained craftsman or unskillful like the new trainee. It’s not loaded with notions of God or Devil. It also recognizes that like a craft, ethical action requires practice and deliberate thought or intention.

Buddhist ethics are very much an ethics of intention. It’s not so much that specific actions are in themselves inherently bad, after all a particular action may have very different ramifications in different situations. Also, different societies have different laws, rules and modes of behavior and these change over time. For Buddhism, it’s more that what we intend to achieve by a particular action may either be skilful or unskillful.

A skilful action is one that is based in positive mental states such as clarity, mindfulness and positive emotions. An unskillful action is one that is based in negative mental states such as ignorance, confusion, greed and negative emotions.

In short, skilful actions are those that are conducive to human enlightenment and unskillful actions are those that are un-conducive to human enlightenment.

Not a Basic Practice

Ethics is not a practice simply for beginners, it’s not something to be surpassed or made redundant, its’ not like a toy we put down when we get something new and more interesting.

A common description of the path is the three fold model, that of Sila (ethics), Samadhi (meditation) and Prajna (wisdom). I usually see this in my mind a pyramid. Ethics at the bottom, mediation in the middle and wisdom at the top, at the pinnacle.

Each successive layer of the pyramid builds upon the work of the last. Ethics feeds into meditation and meditation flowers into wisdom. If our meditation is not going very well, and we are not sure why, it is a good idea to take a closer look at our ethics, to see if something there may be bothering us.

There is also a feedback loop within the pyramid. Increasing wisdom and awareness will refine our ethical lives, which in turn feeds back into our meditation. It’s a complete system and all the parts are necessary.

Ethics is at the bottom of the pyramid because it comes first, because it is the foundation, not because it is least important. Ethics is not a basic practice it’s a fundamental practice.

Going for Refuge and the Precepts

Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha means to move our reliance away from the transitory and mundane, those things which cannot ultimately satisfy us and to instead place our reliance upon the “Transcendental”.

This is the search for meaning, it is the spiritual life. We take the Three Refuges formally, but that is not the end of it. Going for Refuge is an ongoing and deepening spiritual exploration.

Going for Refuge is common to all schools of Buddhism. Taking the Refuges is what formally defines us a being a “Buddhist”.

If Going for Refuge is the direction and movement of our lives, then ethical action is the expression of that aspiration in the practical everyday sense. The two cannot be separated. What would it really mean to say “I take refuge in the Buddha, but I do not intend do anything about the greed, hatred and delusion in my own life”? How can you say you are relying on something at the same time as ignoring it?

Aspirations need expression. “Coming Out” as a Buddhist is often a big deal for many of us. Letting our friends, family and colleagues know we are a Buddhist raises the stakes somehow. It makes our aspiration more real, takes it into the real world, rather than just being an idea looked up in the privacy of our own head.

The practice of the ethical precepts is the same as this. By chanting the precepts out load, accepting them, taking them on as training principles and really living them out, this takes our aspirations into the real world.

This is the action of a Bodhisattva, it is Kalyana, beautiful action, action that is grounded in Truth.

Plotinus

The Greek philosopher Plotinus gives us a wonderful image. He talks of the work of the sculptor. Starting with a rough block of stone, all sharp edges and slime. Taking his hammer and chisel, with patience and with well honed skills he slowly releases a marble sculpture of a beautiful human being.

Using the language of Ani Pema Chödrön, this is unveiling our basic goodness; this is revealing our Buddha nature, our Higher “self”.

Imitating the Buddha

We can think of our ethical lives in terms of play.

When we sit in meditation posture we can playfully think of ourselves as imitating the Buddha. Sitting in Buddha posture, without taking ourselves too seriously we act out the actions of the Buddha, upright, vital and totally engaged.

In our ethical lives we also are “playing at being Buddha”. The precepts we observe and the ethical choices we try to make in our lives are an attempt to behave as a Buddha would behave. Of course, a Buddha would act skillfully in a completely spontaneous way. For most of us it takes a little more practice.

Tibetan Prayer Wheel 2007

2007-08-22T14:26:00.001-07:00

Dorje Pawo, the IT Manager (er..well, IT department really) recently found this in one of the Abbey computers. This is a Hi-Tech Avalokiteshvara mantra prayer wheel. This is not the traditional way of doing things, but given the increasing rate of appearance of sentient beings on the planet, I guess it's good to try different ways to keep ahead of the game.

I don't know how many mantras it does per minute, but I think it's quite a lot. I don't recommend trying to keep up with this by chanting, it could result in very numb lips and extensive damage to your mala and/or fingers.

Groundhog Day - Again

2007-08-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have lost count of the amount of times I have seen this movie over the years. I hadn’t seen it for quite some time and only vaguely remembered that it had a strong Dharmic theme.

When it came up as one of the choices for the Abbey’s Friday night movie I groaned inwardly. I was craving some real entertainment, something shiny and new and clever. But they say that you get what you deserve and it seems I deserved Groundhog Day (again). I could hardly complain, as I was one of the three people who voted for it.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well it had aged. This is still a very funny movie, quite slapstick in some places and Bill Murry’s cynical weatherman character is fantastic, if a little too close to home for comfort.

The Dharmic quality of the movie unfolded gradually as our hero has to re-live the same day again and again. It becomes clear that yesterday is now irrelevant to his situation and tomorrow never happens. He is stuck, stuck in the present.

It’s like he suddenly becomes possessed of some involuntary mindfulness, he is aware for the first time of his real situation. Like most of us, he panics a bit and starts looking for a coping mechanism, a strategy to make it OK.

Because he is aware of the conditioned nature of his situation he is able to manipulate it to fit his wants, even at the expense of others around him, including memorizing details of women’s lives and likes in order to seduce them over a period of time.

I think there is a stage on the spiritual life a little like this. Through meditation and Dharma study we find ways to tinker with the conditions in our life in order to satisfy us and make us happy. We settle down. Eventually of course we get bored.

He seems to pass through many of the realms of the Wheel of Life, the craving of the Hungry Ghosts ( a great cream cake scene) , the manipulation of the Asura’s and the despair of the Hell’s eventually leading to repeated suicides.

Eventually, it wears him down. What dawns is what Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche or Pema Chodron might term the Wisdom of No Escape. He realizes there is no escape for him, no matter what he does and that all he is doing is running in smaller and more frustrating circles.

The only thing left for him to do is surrender. Out if this comes an awareness of those around him and the needs of those beings. He tries to make the best of it by helping others. Having tried all the alternatives, nothing else makes any sense.

Our hero opens his heart and gets the girl in the process. Through this he is released from the recurring wheel of his day and is able to settle down in a romantic happy ending - yuk!

Ode to My Croc's

2007-08-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Soft and yielding,
Black and sexy,
How I love my Croc's

It's true,
My feet do sweat less,
When I wear some socks

Gampo Abbey Update July 31, 2007

2007-08-01T14:23:00.001-07:00

Hello me Dears and me Ducks,

I hope you are all well and happy. I'm sorry to hear about the dreadful summer you've been having in Blighty. I hope it stops raining soon!

I have had a fairly busy time of it since my last email.

We had our Canada day celebrations in Pleasant Bay. These went very well, including a BBQ and ice cream then a free trip to the Whale interpretive centre. We lost the softball game 24 to 14 to the fire-crew. I got one run - one more than generally expected.

The lobster release was a success and we had a film crew on hand (and on board) making a documentary/arthouse type flick - the life cycle of the lobster as an alagory for the wheel of life. I'm sure you get the picture. They did too. Apparently, Lena, the director was a rather attractive young woman and some of the younger monks and laymen fell deeply under her spell, can't say I noticed myself.

We had a visit from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a young and charismatic Tibetan lama. An interesting young guy, speaks good English. Scientists have measured his brain activity while doing maitri meditation and find his brain 100's of % more active than the average mother thinking of her child and even 100's of % more active than your average meditator. He gave a couple of good down to earth talks about meditation and Bodhicitta. He's very funny. His book is also very readable. He did two - three year retreats before hes was 17 years old!

Before he arrived here I was working with a team preparing the lodgings for him and his attendant lama. This was great fun, working with a Californian called Yeshe and a Brit. mitra called Ian. We had much fun and did lots of cleaning and ironing. I had never ironed king size sheets before and doubt if I ever will again. It made quite a pleasant change from our usual schedule, pleasant though that is.

A couple of weekends ago a few of us took a three hour hike to a beach called Pollits Cove. A beautiful local beauty spot with rivers and wild flower meadows. It was a bit drizzly on the way there, but a good fun hike. After a couple of hours with a camp fire on the beach we headed back. The sky really opened. Three hours hard hiking with minimal waterproofs. We were all truly soaked. I fell off the path at one point and got rather muddy. It got to the point we were walking through rivers rather than around them. We couldn't get any more wet if we'd been swimming fully dressed. When I got back I emptied half a pint of water from each boot. My digital camera was in a similar condition and is no longer talking to me.

Last weekend I hiked two hours into Pleasant Bay with Ian to go Whale watching. We had about 8 people from the Abbey meet us there (they drove!). It was a lovely sunny day and I got a bit of a tan despite the factor 30. The boat ride was very choppy, but I managed to hold onto lunch (just). We saw many Whales, incuding some babies and some pre-baby frolliking amongst the adults (whales not retreatants). Following on from this we had a nice restaurant dinner (only my second plate of chips in 5 and a half months!) and a trip to the beach for a swim. A great day out.

It sounds like I'm always out and about swimming and going for walks. There is some truth in this. But there is also six days a week of meditation, chanting, meetings, meditation, silent periods, meditation, study and more chanting. Not to mention getting up at 5.30 in the morning to clean the shrine with a feather duster. I thought I'd include this here just in case I was loosing the sympathy vote.

We have just had two feast days in recent succession - first, the celebration of Dharma day and then the opening of the three year retreat. At the latter event we released a batch of 13 pale but generally hearty tantricas into the feint Cape Bretton sunshine after their 10 months of captivity (12-14 hours practice per day!) confined to one small house and garden (they sleep sitting up in boxes and spend a lot of time making tormas and shaking darmaru drums and ringing vajra bells). Writing this, I am beginning to see parallels with the Lobster Release! We removed the 4 painted seals (tantric symbols, not whiskered mammals) from the retreat gates to the sound of Tibetan trumpets. There was much offering of torma, waving of vajras and vajra bells and chanting. The opening ceremony took about 40 minutes in the comically heavy rain, which we all endured in our robes. We were all soaked to the skin (again!). Quite funny really, the rain was very warm. There then followed about two and a half hours of communal sadhana and ritual feasting. I got to drink some rather bitter dark green "amrita" from a real human skull cup. A brandy would have been more appropriate under the circumstances. We all quietly steamed as our clothes dried out. I also got some cake and chocolate, so it was all worthwhile in the end.

The last couple of weeks have been noticeably different due to the addition of in-house retreatants. They join our schedule for between 7 and 14 days. They arrive in batches on Tuesdays and Fridays. You just get to remember their names and start to generate some sense of connection and their gone! Just a note of thanks on the chalk board "Thanks for the warm hospitality - look us up if you pass through Boulder, Colorado. Love, The Heuns" . It's like watching a movie on fast forward and shows that my sense of time here is getting seriously warped.

The weather is fairly damp this week. Part of the road got washed away (a hole as deep as a person) - thunder, lightning and very sticky 30 degree days and 26 degree nights. Not the best time of year for wearing poly-cotton robes. Something in silk next time I think. It's also earwig season and I found two in my matchbox when lighting my shrine this morning.

Love to All,

A Meal Ritual

2007-07-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

When I approached Max Bals (a GFR Mitra and ex-resident at Gampo Abbey) about coming to Gampo Abbey he said: "there's not much to do there for distraction, but there is a toaster". I knew what he meant, the attraction of comfort through food is common for many of us I think, particularly when our other favourite false refuges have been pulled out from under us.

Forewarned is forearmed and I guess I'd already started to think about how I wanted to relate to food before I got to the Abbey. Mmmm,as I write this, that shiny toaster and all that jam and peanut butter does look good, but I digress.

On my ordination retreat Manjuvajra advised us to think about our eating, for instance dealing with one mouthful of food before shovelling in another one and watching our existential angst driven desire for late night post puja snacks.

On a visit to Throssel Hole Abbey in Northumberland some years ago I was impressed by their mindful approach to eating and pre-food ritual, warning us against burning off all our hard earned merit in a frenzy of food lust, before we got a chance to transfer that merit to others.

Gampo Abbey has it's own meal time rituals, a highly developed Zen inspired Oryoki ceremony on Sunday practice days, on week days a simple pre and post meal chant. The phrases used in these chants did not seem to fit that well for me, being Shambhala chants, and so I have developed my own and in addition some other small reflections and practices.

In brief,

Approaching the dining room I become aware of my level of hunger. While queueing up to serve myself I watch my reactions. Am I tensing up, in a hurry to get down the queue?

In serving myself I try to avoid being overly fussy with what I choose. I choose a portion size with an awareness of my present level of hunger, the amount of time to the next meal and knowing how active I will be after this meal (will I be going for a big walk or settling down to three hours of meditation). Less activity means less need for food.

With practice I have reduced my portion size to allow me to experience a sensation of normal hunger before each meal. This seems reasonable and natural. I have to confess it's a sensation I had got a little out of touch with in the months before arrival at Gampo Abbey. A gurgling stomach is not something to be afraid of after all. My experience is that making room for a little bit of hunger is quite a challenging practice.

Before starting the meal I chant internally:

"To the Buddha for Refuge I go,
To the Dharma for Refuge I go,
To the Sangha for Refuge I go,

May I take this wholesome food
and turn it into wholesome action,
practising the Dharma for the benefit
of all."

The refuges help to remind me of my context and to remind me that it is on the Three Jewels that I should place my reliance and not on a plate of food.

The second part of the chant provides a direct link into my daily activities and is a point for reflection later in the day.

During the meal I follow Manjuvajra's advice and eat one mouthful at a time. I do not allow myself to start preparing the next mouthful until the last is swallowed. I just try to keep my knife and fork still. For me this takes some effort. I try to be mindful when cutting food and try to not overload my fork so that I drop food back onto my plate.

I try to be aware of the flavours and textures of the food and to note my responses e.g. "creamy sweet rice pudding mmmmm, this is tasty" or "cold, stodgy rice - hmm - interestingly nutty" I'm sure you get the picture.

I also try to remember the six element practice and reflect on the earth and water elements entering my body, it's not me, not mine - just passing through. I also try to keep my attention on the practice by avoiding glancing around the room or staring out of the window.

At the end of the meal I close my eyes and reflect (fairly briefly) on the people who have grown the food, harvested it, transported it and prepared it and how I could probably not survive very well without this chain of inter-connections.

I then say internally:-

"Thank you to all you people who's efforts have brought me this good food. May my efforts be worthy of yours"

I then make a very small seated bow with anjelli mudra before leaving the table.

The effect of doing this has been very positive for me. It has helped me to bring awareness to my body and to my emotions and cravings surrounding food. It helps me to transform what can easily be a bit of a weak point for me into a positive practice.

During practice periods between meals I am able to look back on my little mealtime chants and recall my aspiration to transform mundane food into spiritual practice to benefit all. This I find encouraging and in a strange way quite grounding.

Feel free to adopt, adapt or ignore this as you see fit. For use in a retreat type situation (with lots of silent meals) it is serving me well, but it could be easliy adapted for family or work situations. Perhaps our retreat centres could do something in this area to encourage retreatants to include eating within the scope of their practice, after all it is quite a big part of our lives.

Bon appetite,

Gampo Abbey Update June 25, 2007

2007-07-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I hope you are all well and that England is providing you with a warm and sunny summer!

My time here is flying by and I am now well over halfway through my visit. The pattern here seems to be a period of intense activity followed by a short period of change and transition into another period of intense activity. I've heard that Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche called this sort of thing the great Zen monastic joke, lots of formalism and ritual combined with constant activity as a method to stun the ego into a state of numb surrender! Fortunately, we do get one free day per week.

Recent highlights have included a sponsored overnight walk for Cancer Canada. This was my first exploration into the local town of Cheticamp and proved to be good fun despite getting a soaking. They had a Scottish marching band, folk music and country and western (all night - urghhh!). We camped overnight and I got a good drenching during my period of the walk (the only rain all night). Thanks for all of your sponsorship, I raised about 100 GBP.

After this we had a busy time preparing for and looking after Karme Senghe Rinpoche, the nephew of Chogyam Trungpa. He was here for about a week and gave initiations to some of the tantric students and a couple of talks to the entire house. I had the opportunity to spend some time as one of his attendants, making him cups of tea and helping to serve his meals. The formality involved with this is quite astonishing, even his washing up had a protocol and required separate washing cloths and drying up towels. He seemed kind and easy going. A few of us spent an evening with him looking at some of his monastaries (he is the Abbott of several) on the internet. He laughed a lot and seemed to enjoy a joke.

We have also had a visit from Shibata Sensei a Japanese Kyudo (archery) Master in his late eighties. He was a very interesting character with some great stories about Samarai and Japanese culture. He gave a demonstration of Kyudo despite being quite frail. I enjoyed being his personal attendant for his two day visit. I was deeply impressesd by the loyalty of his assistant/partner Carolyn who made a real practice out of devotion and service.

We had a day out to Kalapa valley, the mythical home of the Shambhala royal court (like Bhante's New Society but with Kings and Queens). This is a beautiful valley with semi formal gardens, waterfalls, forests, rivers and some solitary retreat facilities. It is said that the (female) energy from this land feeds all the other Shambhala properties. I find this mytholigical/pagan aspect of Tibetan Buddhism fascinating. The land certainly has a great atmosphere and I found my day here made left me feeling revitalised. I was lucky to get to visit it again a few weeks later.

We are currently trying to find time in the evenings for softball practice. We are playing the local fire department on Canada day (1st July). We usually get thrashed apparently, this year should prove no exception, we are rubbish!

We also have the annual lobster release coming up this weekend, where we buy the final catch of the season from a local fisherman and release them back into the water. Animal release is a very traditional Tibetan practice (unlike vegetarianism, unfortunately).

Before then, three women who arrived at the same time as me are taking temporary monastic ordination this week. This will involve formal head shaving, ordination ceremony and robing. Should be fun. I've witnessed two Ordinations here so far and they involve a lot of rice throwing, usually with much gusto and enjoyment on the part of the preceptor in trying to hit as many spectators as possible.

Recent wildlife has included plenty of pilot whales (up to 10 in a pod) plus humingbirds and some very hungry black fly that remove chunks of skin and leave a nasty itchy lump for many days. Tourists are also being sited more regularly. We are on the Cabot trail, a very popular scenic route. The Abbey is open to tourists for a couple of hours per day. I have given three guided tours so far (the largest a group of 11), which has been enjoyable.

Keep in touch.

Love,

Update from the Abbey May 5, 2007

2007-07-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few lines to let you know how things are going.

Life here continues to feel more and more normal as the weeks go by. I know eveyones name now (even the Tibetan ones) and I'm getting the hang of the Abbey rituals and chants, I'm even enjoying the ritual Oryoki Zen style meals.

A mitra from Leeds (Ian Barker) joined us recently. It's nice to have another Englishman to talk to, and a fellow FWBO'er.

I've now been trained to be the shrine room Gatekeeper (calling people to mediation with a wooden clacker, and taking the attendance register) and meditation Umdze (ringing a large metal bowl at the appropriate moments). I have also been opening and closing the Vajrayan shrineroom (preparing offering teas, fruit, rice etc. and cleaning the shrines).

Tomorrow I train on the flag team. At 6.10am I'll brace myself for the wintry weather and march down to the flagpoles to raise the Abbey flags while singing the Abbey anthem. Should be fun!

The weather here showed signs of spring for a couple of weeks, the snow melted and the bay ice has dissapeared - now we can hear the waves breaking on cliffs below. The lobster season started this week and we have the novelty of seeing the fishing boats going out.

We had quite a lot of sunshine recently and I even managed a little sunbathing,but the last three days have brought some quite heavy snow, although it is not settling.

We've been doing a fair bit of study recently, Abhidharma with Bh. Sangpo, Prajna with Dr. Karl and Ani Pema Chodron gave a house talk on monasticism during her recent week long visit. It was very good to meet Ani Pema, she has a very strong and powerful presence. I have also been enjoying stretching my brain by studying a little Madhyamaka - it might be empty but it's not light!

I've been enjoying my meditation practice and the Bodhicaryavatara puja. I've also been enjoying doing our FWBO prostration practice.

I've seen a few more moose and a marsh harrier. Someone spotted whale last week, but I've not seen one yet. The Robins have arrived (American Robins), they are about the size of a Thrush (why do American's alsways have to make things bigger?).

If you'd like to see my photo's of Gampo Abbey, you can view them on my Flickr page:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32415993@N00/

Thank you for your emails, I've appreciated them all.

With Love,

Report from Gampo Abbey March 11, 2007

2007-07-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

A brief reporting in from this land of snow and ice. We will shortly be going into a ten day silent retreat (so no email) and I wanted to get something in before the deadline.

I have been in Canada for 6 days and at Gampo Abbey for three of them. It's cold. About minus eight centigrade today and snowing quite heavily (by English standards). The Abbey looks out over the bay of St.Lawrence (wider than the eye can see), more like an inland sea. The bay is completely frozen and covered in snow, it looks like the arctic circle - amazing!

This country is huge and wild and covered in trees, breathtaking and a bit humbling. Yesterday we were feeding the fox family that begs outside the refrectory of an evening, a wonderful sight.

There are currently 21 residents in the main Abbey at the moment, with others off in retreat cabins and partaking in a three year retreat. So many new faces and new names to learn, it reminds me of being back in a beginners class - strange new name overload. Learning Tibetan names is a whole new ball game.

I'm being eased into things slowly here, with three days to settle in before being expected to partake in work duties and the full practice program. The main issue on my arrival was how to categorize me - am I a monk or a lay person? Where you line up to enter the shrine room and where you sit in the shrine room and even what sort of accommodation you are given depends on this.

I decided to bring my ordination robes with me as this seemed appropriate to the context here, I'm glad I did, as all but about four people are wearing robes, and many of those in robes are on a short temporary ordination and with less experience than myself. The downside of the visibly different robe is that I am currently asked about five times a day whether I am a monk. This is a little tiring and I feel a little defensive at times, but most people are genuinely interested in the FWBO approach and few have come across our movement before.

Having had a long discussion with one of the senior nuns here, it was decided they would put me in with the novice monastics. This was decided by the length of my experience (10 years) and the fact that I had taken a life time rather than temporary ordination. I think the issue of celibacy confuses things a bit, but as they had experience with Zen priests, seemed to help them skirt around the vinaya issues.

This "novitiate rank" ranks me below the lifetime monastics but above the temporary monastics and laymen. As there are currently no male novices this puts me second in the men's line when entering the shrine room and I am currently seated on the front row in the shrine room, where I currently feel a little too visible for my own liking. More importantly I get a nice single bedroom to myself! I have to say this hierarchy thing feels a bit strange, but I have plenty of time to get over it.

The chanting here is fast and furious and the tone takes a bit of getting used to. Shrine room etiquette is more complex than in the FWBO and I'm looking forward to getting the hang of it.

People here seem friendly and approachable. The atmosphere is different to FWBO but hard to say how as yet. It still feels noticeably "Buddhist" though and I don't feel too out of place. I see a slightly uncomfortable process of arriving stretched out ahead of me, but feel optimistic these conditions will help me deepen my practice.

Love to All,

Arrival at Gampo Abbey - from February 20, 2007

2007-07-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

Just a quick note to let you know I've arrived safely at Gampo Abbey.

I had three days in Halifax to recover from the jet lag and start adjusting to Canadian culture before heading up to Cape Breton.

Canada is like England but different. Same wheelie bins - different plugs!

The weather was kind to me - only -3c on arrival. It waited a day to drop to -10c. This is cold - but not as bad as you might think. A shop keeper warned me that Halifax is like the tropics compared to Cape Breton - a bit of an exaggeration, but it is colder up here.

The drive in was beautiful, very white (they really know what snow is) and lots of trees (this country is huge). The bay of St. Lawrence is frozen big style - it looks like the Arctic! I saw a guy on the way in who was riding on it on a quad bike!

The Abbey has a 3 day open period following the rains retreat which has just finished. This means I have 3 unstructured days to "arrive" before the program proper gets under way. We have a 10 day silent retreat from Saturday.

People here are very friendly, lots of new and difficult Tibetan names to learn - you thought Pali/Sanskrit was hard? The set up here is quite un-FWBO (no surprise there) and that feels a little odd, I also feel very English. I'm sure I'll adjust.

Love to All,