INSIGHTAotearoa
A newsletter for New Zealand's insight meditation practitioners and communities
kanya @ insightaotearoa.org | http://www.insightaotearoa.org
Monday November 7th, 2011
The theme of this issue is 'Non-harming'
Kia Ora,
In this newsletter you'll find...
EDITORIAL: The Harm that is Hard to See
WISE WORDS: Phillip Moffit
REFLECTION I: This World is Not Yours
WISE WORDS: From the Dhammapada
REFLECTION II: Violence Begins in the Mind
REFLECTION III: After the War
POEM: Kabir
CULTIVATING THE DHARMA GARDEN: Ahimsa in the Dharma Garden
NEW BOOK: A Future to Believe In: 108 Reflections that Could Transform the World, Alan Clements
THEMES: For upcoming issues
SANGHA NEWS & NOTICES
IN COMMUNITY: Retreats, Workshops, Courses, Talks & Special Events
RESOURCES: for Dharma study and support
THE LAST WORD
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EDITORIAL: The Harm That is Hard to See
Before we can practice non-harming, we need to see clearly where we are doing harm, and how we can change our ways so that we don’t perpetuate destructive patterns of behaviour. There are so many obvious forms of violence in our world, but what about the more subtle forms, the ones that are not so easy to identify?
When we judge, criticise, and disrespect ourselves and others through thoughts, words, and actions, we are maintaining the habits of mind that harm us and perpetuate the belief that we are unworthy. In doing so, we deny the presence of that within which is luminous, unchanging and joyful - the oneness in which we live and move. When we deny this presence, we continue the myth of separation which keeps us trapped in harmful ways of acting and relating.
The qualities of compassion, loving-kindness and mercy are antidotes to these ways in which we inflict suffering on ourselves and others. When we consciously move towards expressing these qualities in our relationships, and in all aspects of our lives, including how we eat, what we buy, what we give our time, money and energy to, we embrace a way of being that honours all life. We may miss the mark at times, we may fall back into unconscious ways of inflicting harm; but when the intention is clear, it becomes the guiding light by which we navigate our daily lives.
May we be kind and compassionate to ourselves, honoring the sacred awareness that we are. May we bring mindful awareness more fully into our days. May we be free from the tyranny of judgment, and offer greater acceptance and understanding to ourselves and the world. With metta,
Kanya Stewart
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WISE WORDS
Whenever I introduce the topic of violence against self in a Dharma talk, almost everyone squirms. No one wants to hear it. I will directly ask the question: Are you, in an obvious manner or in a series of subtle, covert actions, being violent with yourself? Usually people want to assure me that while they may work too hard at times, stay in an unhealthy relationship, eat too much, or sleep too little, they would not characterize their behavior as violent toward themselves. Yet, person after person, once they've closely examined their lives, experiences a moment of self-recognition that at first can be painful and embarrassing. This initial discomfort is often followed by a sense of liberation as new possibilities arise in their imaginations for how to live more peacefully.
Phillip Moffit, from an article, 'Understanding Violence,' http://www.worklifebalance.com
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REFLECTION I: This World Is Not Yours
In a discourse about the teaching of non-self, the Buddha offers the following illustration: “Bhikkhus,what do you think? If people carried off the grass, sticks, branches, and leaves in this Jeta Grove, or burned them, or did what they liked with them, would you think: ‘People are carrying us off or burning us or doing what they like with us’?” “No, venerable sir. Why not? Because that is neither our self nor what belongs to our self.” (M 22)
As we hear this example today, however, we have to admit that it is no longer entirely true. If that grass were being burned in the Amazon forest, for example, or if those sticks were being carried off from the foothills of the Himalaya mountains, there may well be a great number of people who would be quite disturbed. Why is that? Because one of the fundamental axioms of the modern environmental movement is that the entire planet is the precious possession of us all. The very thing that provides for the preservation of the world’s resources is to extend to every blade of grass the same care and diligent guardianship that we would bring to bear upon our most intimate possession. In short, it seems that extending the range of the self to expand and cover the entire earth is the only way to protect it from harm. The whole world is mine, and if you dump your nasty toxins on it I will take it personally and be deeply offended.
Throughout his many teachings, however, the Buddha points out that great harm and suffering emerges from our tendency to define and then protect the self. The self is a flawed strategy, born in ignorance, nurtured by craving, and perpetuated by endless moments of grasping in which we pull toward us that which we like to consider part of ourselves and push away that which we don’t like and consider to be “other.” Might it be that by enlarging the self to embrace the world we are setting up the conditions for greater attachment and suffering? This is not to say the rainforest should not be protected, but to suggest that the attitude one brings to the task makes a big difference. There is a lot of work ahead of us as we endeavor to rescue the planet from ourselves, and we are likely to be at this work for a very long time. Perhaps we could come at it from the wisdom of the non-self perspective, rather than the passions of the “world is mine” point of view. As the Buddha says elsewhere in the same text, “Whatever is not yours, abandon it; when you have abandoned it, that will lead to your welfare and happiness for a long time.”
The Buddha had a penetrating insight into human nature. Among the things he noticed is that while some of our best qualities, such as caring, nurturing and protecting, are directed to the things we feel we possess or own, it is also the case that our worst tendencies, rooted in greed, hatred and delusion, organize too around whatever is taken to be “mine” or possessed by “me.” It can be a useful point of view in the short term or from a narrow perspective, but in the end the self is the source of more harm than good. History offers a sad parade of examples of things being destroyed precisely because they are valued.
If this world is not mine, then what is it? The Buddha’s reply: “The instructed noble disciple attends carefully and closely to dependent origination itself thus:
When this exists, that comes to be;
with the arising of this, that arises.
When this does not exist, that does not come to be;
with the cessation of this, that ceases.” (S 12:37)
This is the universal formula of dependent origination. It provides a model for understanding the profound inter-relationship between all things, but it is a model that allows for no self. Nothing belongs to anybody; nobody has any self to protect; everything just co-arises with everything else.
If the whole world is my self and someone comes along and burns the forest, it is likely that I will respond with anger, hatred and an urge for revenge. If on the other hand the same action occurs in the context of an attitude of non-self, one still discerns the causal relationship between the action and the suffering it brings to many others inhabiting the same matrix of cause and effect. I can still put a stop to the activity, hold the perpetrator legally and morally responsible for the act, and put in place various safeguards to prevent it from happening again. Now, however, my response is more likely to be guided by wisdom and compassion, and to be grounded in a larger view.
I think the Buddha would argue that one is a more skillful response than the other. And considering how much is at stake, we need all the skillfulness we can muster.
Andrew Olendzki, Insight Journal, 2006, http://www.dharma.org
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WISE WORDS:
All beings tremble before violence.
All fear death.
All love life.
See yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt?
What harm can you do?
He who seeks happiness
By hurting those who seek happiness
Will never find happiness.
For your brother is like you.
He wants to be happy,
Never harm him
And when you leave this life
You too will find happiness.
Extract from the Dhammapada, translated by Thomas Byrom.
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REFLECTION II: A Conversation
An extract from a conversation about being black and Buddhist in America with Charles Johnson, award-winning author of 'Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing'.
John Malkin: You write in your book that, “Violence first begins in the mind.” Perhaps you can relate that to the world situation now.
Charles Johnson: I meditate on this question everyday. We live in a culture, a world actually, that is very violent. Just open up the newspaper any day and you’ll find violence on a massive scale, whether it is war or violence against women or against gays or children. It’s overwhelming. Buddhism asks us to think about this and to consider a challenge that is as important as a human being can take up: how can we live a nonviolent life 24 hours a day, seven days a week? That would be my goal in life. To lead a completely nonviolent life, in which I harm nothing, no other sentient being. And that’s going to be hard because you might step on something that is so small you can’t see it. In India there are Jains who carry brooms around to sweep in front of them so that they don’t step on things too small to see. We can’t do that here, but the ideal is living a nonviolent life.
We have to understand that violence is not just physical, which is the way it comes off in the newspaper. Before it was physical, violence was psychological. There’s violence in the way that we speak to each other — with disrespect. There’s violence in our comedies — the humor is often at the expense of another human being. So we have to look inward and ask ourselves three questions before we speak. The first question: “Is what we are about to say true?” Second question: “Is what we are about to say necessary?” The third question: “Is what we are about to say something that will cause no harm?” If you answer affirmatively to all three of those—it is true, it is necessary and it will cause no harm—then we should speak. Otherwise, we should consider our speech before we utter it.
Violence begins in the mind. It begins with anger. It begins with fear. And those things begin when we think dualistically. When we think in terms of “them versus us.” When we believe in our own separate ego, our separate life, not connected to anyone else. We have to meditate on this question, on the delusion of separateness and how it leads to psychological violence within us and then to external violence that causes so much harm in the world.
John Malkin: Even in movements for social change, people have taken up arms to defend themselves. I think of the Black Panthers or the Sandanistas. What is your view of movements that have advocated violence or a defensive violence?
Charles Johnson: I’m glad that you use that word “defensive.” Defensive about their position, right, and what they believe? One of the things critical to the Buddhist Eightfold Path is the first step: right view. Right view is the understanding that my view is not the only view that represents truth in the world. It’s understanding that other people’s views can be equally true. Martin Luther King, when he would talk to his staff and other civil rights workers, made a big point of asking them to consider the criticism that was coming their way. They knew that some of it was biased and not to be taken seriously. But if there was something that was truly critical and helpful, then that should be paid attention to.
One of the things we have to do, I think, if we want to implement social change, is give up the ego. We have to be more concerned about truth than we are about maintaining or defending our position or our own ideas. Buddhism’s practices of meditation and mindfulness help us give up our sense that “my view is the only view,” and “I will kill others or impose my views on others, if they don’t accept them.” I think it is very important for people to look at that.
John Malkin, from "Buddhism is the Most Radical and Civilized Choice," Shambala Sun, 2004
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REFLECTION III: After the War
Jack Kornfield, a gentle loving teacher of Buddhism, tells a story of going with Maha Ghosananda, a respected Cambodian monk, into the refugee camps where thousands of Cambodians had fled the terrible holocaust conducted by Pol Pot. Every family had lost children, spouses, and parents to the ravages of genocide, and their homes and temples had been destroyed. Maha Ghosanada announced to the refugees that there would be a Buddhist ceremony the next day, and all who wished to come would be welcome.
Since Buddhism had been desecrated by Pol Pot, people were curious if anyone would go. The next day, over ten thousand refugees converged at the meeting place to share in the ceremony. It was an enormous gathering. Maha Gosananda sat for some time in silence on a platform in front of the crowd. Then he began chanting the invocations that begin the Buddhist ceremony, and people started weeping. They had been through so much sorrow, so much difficulty, that just to hear the sound of those familiar words again was precious.
Some wondered what Maha Ghosanada would say. What could one possibly say to this group of people? What he did next, in the company of thousands of refugees, was begin to repeat the verse from the Dhammapada, a sacred Buddhist scripture.
Hatred never ceases by hatred;
But by love alone is healed.
This is an ancient and eternal law.
Over and over again Maha Ghosananda chanted this verse. These were people who have as much cause to hate as anyone on earth. Yet as he sat there, repeating this verse over and over, one by one, thousands of voices joined together in unison: "Hatred never ceases by hatred: but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law." Out of the mouths of people who had been wounded, oppressed, made homeless, aggrieved, and crushed by the pain of war, came a prayer proclaiming the ancient truth about love, a truth that was greater than all the sorrows they had seen and felt.
Wayne Muller, 'Legacy of the Heart', New York, Simon & Schuster, p.11-12
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POEM:
The truth is inside you, and also inside me;
you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling; none of us has gone far.
Let your arrogance go and look around inside.
The blue sky opens out farther and farther,
the daily sense of failure goes away,
the damage I have done to myself fades,
a million suns come forward with light,
when I sit firmly in that world.
Kabir (translated by Robert Bly)
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CULTIVATING THE DHARMA GARDEN: Ahimsa in the Dharma Garden
The main reasons why I cultivate an organic home vegetable garden are:
(1) it provides my household (and sometimes others) with healthy, delicious food;
(2) it saves me money;
(3) growing veges is the most pleasant and rewarding form of exercise I know.
Practising ahimsa (non-harming) is not a reason why I do it, but it may be one of its most important 'by-products'. I don't use poisons in my garden, but I have been known to squash the odd spittle bug or throw caterpillars to the birds, so I am not completely non-harming towards invertebrates with designs on my food. All other beings in the garden, however, whether pleasant, unpleasant or neutral from my perspective, are protected from harm by my refusal to use poisons. Furthermore, by growing a lot of my own food this way I am practising a far greater form of ahimsa, a form which I feel sure that the great practitioner of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi, would thoroughly endorse, if he were still around to do so.
Gandhi was a great proponent of good work and self-reliance, and he saw ahimsa as closely linked to these goals. Here are some of the ways he made the linkages, taken from a book of Gandhi epigrams which I found on-line at http://www.mkgandhi.org/epigrams/index.htm.
“Ahimsa is nothing if not a well-balanced exquisite consideration of one’s neighbour, and an idle man is wanting in that elementary consideration.”
“All my experiments in Ahimsa have taught me that nonviolence in practice means common labour with the body.”
“Khadi has been conceived as the foundation and the image of ahimsa. A real khadi-wearer will not utter an untruth. A real khadi-wearer will harbour no violence, no deceit, no impurity.”
“One who hooks his fortune to ahimsa, the law of love, daily lessens the circle of destruction and to that extent promotes life and love.”
Khadi is home-spun and woven cloth, cloth made with hand labour by Indians, for Indians, as opposed to machine-made cloth made from exported Indian cotton which involved the exploitation in labour in growing the cotton and spinning and weaving it in the mills of Great Britain. Gandhi was acutely aware of the harming involved in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century textile trade. If he were alive today he would be making the same connections that contemporary Indian food activists such as Vandana Shiva, Devinder Sharma and the Karnataka Farmers Association are making – the global food trade is imposing unnecessary hunger and a huge environmental burden on India.
Using the 'common labour of my body' to grow as much of my food as I can, and grow it without poisons, turns out to be also a great method of practising non-harming in a way which goes beyond my garden. Thanks to Gandhiji for pointing that out!
Christine Dann
P.S. If you live in Canterbury and want to learn more about ahimsa gardening, Christine is leading an organic gardening workshop (with organic vegetarian lunch provided) in her garden in Port Levy on Saturday November 19. For more details and to register go to http://ecogardenernz.blogspot.com
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NEW BOOK: A Future to Believe In: 108 Reflections that Could Transform the World.
Interactions Informed by Nonviolence, Art, Revolution, Environmental Sanity and the Right to Be Free
Alan Clements' latest book can be sampled and bought from http://www.worlddharma.com/wd/books.html. The theme of the book is "globalize the revolution" - this is the operative action running through the book's 108 reflections.
Alan says he has dedicated the book to his five year old daughter, but that "...it is also meant to embrace ALL children, everywhere, and their children too. I know that we want them to have a safe, sustainable future...My book is designed to be a catalyst for wise ACTION - everyday actions for the future of life...I do not want my Girl or her friends to say Dad knew what was going on but stood by without taking ACTION."
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THEMES: for upcoming issues
Short contributions from readers (original or fully attributed) on the theme of the month are welcomed. Please email them to the Editor - kanya @ insightaotearoa.org
DECEMBER 2011 - Self/Not Self.
Deadline for contributions - Sunday November 27
FEBRUARY 2012 - New Beginnings
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SANGHA NEWS & NOTICES
NOTICE: Seeking support for February 2012 visit by Stephen and Martine Batchelor
Martine and Stephen Batchelor will be returning to New Zealand in February 2012 to give two public talks, a residential retreat and a day long retreat. Their schedule is:
Friday 17 – Auckland – public talk
Saturday 18 – Auckland – day long retreat
Sunday 19 to 26 – Riverslea Retreat Centre, Ōtaki – residential retreat
Monday February 27 – Martine teaches for a day on “Acceptance and Transformation”.
Monday 27th – Wellington – public talk by Stephen: “Becoming Human – Buddhist Practice in a Post-Christian World” at St Andrews on The Terrace from 5.30pm
Their visit is being coordinated by Derek LeDayn – derek.ledayn @ gmail.com or 021 355 225.
Contributions towards their travel costs can be made through the Aotearoa Buddhist Education Trust – http://www.abet.net.nz
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SUPPORTING INSIGHTAotearoa
INSIGHTAotearoa goes out in the first week of every month (except January). INSIGHTAotearoa aims to encourage and assist the formation, connection and growth of communities of Insight meditation practitioners around the country, by listing current insight meditation events and groups throughout the country, and promoting future events; publishing articles and other items of interest; sharing news and views from insight meditation groups, teachers and practitioners.
Please help us keep the SANGHA NEWS section of INSIGHTAotearoa up-to-date by sending news and corrections regarding events, sitting group details, etc. to christine @ insightaotearoa.org
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IN COMMUNITY: Retreats, Workshops, Courses, Talks & Special Events
1. November 13-December 4, (Sundays) 2:00-3:30pm, WELLINGTON
A course on 'Being Who We Are' led By Peter Fernando.
Powa Centre, 1 Marion Street, Wellington
Cost - $90
To register: email peter @ originalnature.co.nz or phone (04) 2368764
Course Description: 'So much of our experience in the world can be driven by feelings of unworthiness, inadequacy and even guilt. Even when we are doing our best in life, these painful habits of mind can creep in and squeeze the happiness out of our hearts. Drawing from the Buddha's radical teachings on harmlessness, compassion and insight, this course will be an opportunity to look at these forces in a whole new way, and open up a space of affection and friendliness towards our inner life.'
2. November 9 – December 14, 6pm - 7:30pm, WELLINGTON
A course on 'Radiant Awareness – Cultivating the Nature of Mind' led by Stephen Archer
Pa Maria, 78 Hobson Street, Thorndon, Wellington
Cost: $120
This course is for people who are familiar with the principles and practice of mindfulness and wish to develop their proficiency in its application.
Each week Stephen will present various themes, lead participants through a guided mindfulness meditation and open a space for discussion.
To register send $120 to S. Archer, PO Box 27015, Wellington or to make an internet payment contact stephen @ originalnature.co.nz for more details or call him on 0274 356352
3. A Month of Mindfulness - Online Course with Peter Fernando. More details at http://bit.ly/o0HqvA
COMING UP IN 2012
1. January 22-29, CANTERBURY
Dharma Gathering with Subhana Barzaghi, Jeremy Logan, and Arthur Wells. A week of meditation, workshops, art, music, bushwalks and enjoying being with dharma buddies. Organised by Southern Insight Meditation in conjunction with the Diamond Sangha. Details from southern.insight.meditation @ gmail.com
2. February 11-19, TE MOATA
Insight Dialogue Meditation Retreat ‘Open Heart, True Wakefulness.Insight Dialogue and Relationship’ with Sharon Beckman-Brindley (USA) and Mary Burns (USA)
See http://www.abet.net.nz for more information
3. February 17-19, AUCKLAND
Being At Home in the Body. A weekend retreat with Peter Fernando & Kanya Stewart. Kawaipurapura, Albany, Auckland. For more information contact peter @ originalnature.co.nz or pranava @ ihug.co.nz
4. Monday February 27, WELLINGTON
Martine Batchelor will be teaching a day-long session in Wellington on Monday February 27th. The theme for the day will be “Acceptance and Transformation”. Please contact Diana Clarke – dianaclarke276 @ gmail.com – if you would like to register or if you would like to be on the mailing list to receive further information.
ON-LINE
Online Practice Group: Journey to the West
Are you housebound due to health or disability or far from a meditation group? We meet weekly for an hour via Skype conference call to reflect on practice and draw on the energy of our experience together as a reminder for practice. We presently have members from New Zealand, the UK, Canada, USA and Sweden and are part of the Unfettered Mind network. (www.unfetteredmind.org) Contact Ann: abraunw @ gmail.com, 03 544 2597
RESOURCES: for Dharma study and support
1. Aung San Suu Kyi on freedom. Burmese democracy leader and Buddhist meditator Aung San Suu Kyi recently gave two secretly recorded lectures for the BBC’s Reith Lecture series. They are available as podcasts at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012402s
2. Locally-produced Stephen Batchelor DVDs/on-line talks
The November 2010, panel discussion between Buddhist teacher Stephen Batchelor and Christian theologian Lloyd Geering at St Andrews on The Terrace in Wellington is now available as a DVD. A well attended meeting, the DVD includes responses to the questions which were put by a lively audience. The topic of the evening’s discussion was “Can Christianity and Buddhism Remain Relevant in the 21st Century?”. Also available is a DVD of the talk that Stephen Batchelor gave at the National Library in Wellington in December 2004 on the topic of his book “Living With The Devil”.
Produced by the Wellington Insight Meditation community, each DVD costs $30, including postage. To get one or more DVDs, make a deposit into the WIMC account at Kiwibank 38 9010 0244181 00 with the reference ‘Geering Batchelor DVD’, “Batchelor DVD” or “both DVDs”. At the same time send a message to treasurer @ wimc.org.nz letting treasurer Janice Hill know how much you’ve deposited, which DVDs you want along with your postal address.
Alternatively, send a cheque to WIMC, PO Box 6626, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 with a letter stating which DVD you want, and how many copies.
OR You can watch both the 2010 panel discussion and the 2004 talk online at http://www.wimc.org.nz.
3. ‘MINDFULNESS IN PLAIN ENGLISH’
This excellent basic guide to Insight meditation by the Ven Henepola Gunaratana can now be downloaded from http://www.urbandharma.org/dharma4/mpe.htm
4. AOTEAROA BUDDHIST EDUCATION TRUST
A charitable trust which raises funds to bring insight meditation teachers to New Zealand. To find out more visit http://www.abet.net.nz
5. INSIGHT MEDITATION IN AOTEAROA ON THE WEB
http://www.insightmeditation.org.nz – information on New Zealand’s insight meditation practitioners and communities
http://www.insightaotearoa.org – the website for this newsletter
http://www.southern.insightmeditation.org.nz – Christchurch sangha Southern Insight’s website
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THE LAST WORD
The greatest barrier to our own healing is not the pain, sorrow or violence inflicted upon us as children. Our greatest hindrance is our ongoing capacity to judge, to criticize, and to bring tremendous harm to ourselves. If we can harden our heart against ourselves and meet our most tender feelings with anger and condemnation, we simultaneously armor our heart against the possibility of gentleness, love and healing.
Wayne Muller
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with metta, Christine Dann, Kanya Stewart – supported by Marianne Adams. Thanks to Ron Dubin & Caren Wilton for their technical expertise & support.