Gentle Voice Apr 2007

A NEWSLETTER OF SIDDHARTHA’S INTENT April 2007

IN THIS ISSUEHOW TO LOOK FOR A GURU AND BE A STUDENT

TENZIN PALMO’S NEW NUNNERYREADING ALOUD THE WORD OF THE BUDDHA

UPDATE ON THREE YEAR RETREAT

Gentle Voice : page 2

Gentle Voice : April 2007

Editorial

Welcometo anewedition of GentleVoice.After manyyears of outstandingwork ourEditor, LynneMacready,hashandedovertherole to me.I hopeI canlive up toherfine example.GentleVoiceconnects thestudentsofDzongsarKhyentseRinpochewith his teachings,withhiswork, with eachother,andwith theworld ofBuddhism.Weareapartof something greater thanourselvesasindividuals andeach one’s contributionexpandsthewhole.Buddhismis developingin theWestat an incrediblepace.Every yearmoretranslationsarepublished,teachingsaregivenand centresestablished.Amassive cultural integration is taking place.

GentleVoice is a publication of Siddhartha’sIntent andis connectedto all theotherprojects of DzongsarKhyentseRinpoche,including theKhyentseFoundation,which fundsmonasteries,university chairs,scholarshipsfor bothmonksandlay peopleandother projects. Wearealsolinked to LotusOutreach,which is helping toprevent child trafficking in Cambodiaandprovidevocational trainingfor survivorsof trafficking. Ourspiritual homeis theDzongsarMonastery in Tibet andfour othermonasteriesandretreat centresin India andBhutan.Siddhartha’sIntenthasbranchesin eightcountriesincludingAustralia andhereweareparticularlyexcited to follow theprogressof thethree yearretreatantsatVajradharaGonpain Kyogle. This is a bigmandala, a big circle,andit is exciting to beapart of it.

Wearealsoa partof thelineageestablishedby thehistorical Buddhatwo andahalf thousand years ago inIndia.Manyof ushavespenttimein India visiting theholy placesof pilgrimagesuchasBodhgaya, andI planto includepicturesandstoriesfrom thesefoundationalplacesof inspiration.Newdevelopmentsaretakingplaceall over theworld and someof thesewil l alsobefeatured.In this issuewe includea further instalment ofDzongsarKhyentse’steachingonhow to look for a guruandbea student,aninterviewwith theBritish nun,VenerableTenzinPalmoat hernewly built nunnery, areporton thethreeyearretreatantsandanaccountof thetransmission of theBuddha’s teachingsin Bir. Much isnewbutmuchendures.Thingschangebut thereis acontinuity empoweringnewgrowth.

Sunyata (Di Cousens),Editor

Contents

How to look for aGuru andbeaStudent 3NextThreeYearRetreat 5ReadingAloud theWord of theBuddha 6Realising thePotential of Nuns 7Announcements 9BookReview 10PracticeSessionsfor Students 12

In This Issue

About Siddhartha’s Intent

Foundedin 1989by Dzongsar KhyentseRinpoche,Siddhartha's Intent is an international Buddhistassociation of non-profitcentres,most of which arenationally registered societiesand charities,withtheprincipal intention of preserving theBuddhistteachings,aswell asincreasing an awarenessandunderstandingof themanyaspects of theBuddhistteaching,beyondthelimits of cultures andtraditions.

(http://www.siddharthasintent.org/about.htm)

Teachings by Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheThe Madhyamakavatara Series 3 Teachings in Sydney

This is oneof thekey philosophical expositionsofemptinessand its studyhasbeen an essential part ofBuddhist training in Tibet for many centuries.Thoughnot very long,thetext contains complexand subtle argumentsin a condensedform. This isthethird in a series of four annualprograms.

Date: 15- 24 June2007Address: FredHutley Hall

North SydneyCouncil200Mil ler StreetNorth SydneyNSW2060,Australia

Enquiries: (02) [email protected]

Registration: www.siddharthasintent.org


I've already said a lot of things about thestudent’s motivation, which should be thewish for enlightenment. And the teacher musthave the motivation to enlighten the student.That should be the guru’s main aim. Ifthere's anything else, you can consider it abonus.

Thereis a fair amountof confusion amongstudents, especiallywithin TibetanBuddhismandprobablyalsoJapaneseBuddhism. Thereis,of course,a fascinationwith thewordsofGautamaBuddha,but there's also a fascinationwith eastern cultures – with colourful Indianculture, chaotic Tibetanculture, bare, simpleJapanese culture, orderlyConfucianChineseculture. This fascination with cultureand thewordsof theBuddhacan getmixed up.Most ofthetime,asPatrul Rinpochesaid, fascinationwith theculturetakesover. That’s howonelosescontact with thedharma, theBuddha’swords.

Youhavebeenchanting thePrajnaparamita or HeartSutra, thequintessenceof theMahayanasutras,whichstates, "No nose,no eyes… form is emptiness,emptiness is form…" andso on.There is no ceremonyin this; theclosestthing to ceremonyin it is theprajnaparamitamantra.There is no culture in it.However,evenif onewantedto dowithoutculture,youwill not find away andit would beunwiseto do so.Unless youare alreadyaccomplished (whichmeansyouhavealready been groomedin a certain tradition), youcannotreadtheHeartSutraandcontemplatethewords,without dependingonamaster, a tradition, a cultureorteachings. It is almostimpossible to get thebenefit of itwithout dependingon somekind of method.Theimportant point, though,is not to think that themethodisthedharma.

Yet thereis no black-and-white judgementwe canmake.If yourTibetanmasterprescribesthat every daybeforeyourmeditation youmust havea cupof butter tea assomekind of skilful meanscomingfrom themaster'swisdomand compassion,thenthis is a skilful meansprescribed for youandit's what youhave to do.But noteverybodyhasto learn how to makebutter tea justbecausethey arefollowing TibetanBuddhism.

Anyway, seeking enlightenment should bethestudent'sprimary goal. Then all that weare supposedto practise–trust, devotion, renunciation, bodhicitta – should nothaveany difficulty arisingwithin us.

Let's talk aboutdevotion.Thegreat siddhaSarahadefineddevotion as trust in cause, condition and effect.For example, if you're boiling anegg,there are certaincauses and conditionsyoumusthave, such aswater, apot andfi re.Of course, theeggitself is themostimportant thing, isn’t it? (Andan egg is such agoodexample of ourselves: beautiful to look at, butcompletely closed.)Perhapsa kitchen wouldmakeiteasier. You can cookan egg right on thestreet, but it'svery uncomfortable andmessyandin theprocesstheeggmay not becooked properly unlessthecook is skilled.

We're reluctant to rely on thecookthesedays, aren't we?But thecook is actually quite important in this case,asyou can see.This iswhy I think theguruis almostamust. When all thecausesand conditionscome together,evenif you prayed for theeggnot to becooked, theprayer would not succeed. Theeggwil l becooked:there's no choice. When wecook an egg,what dowehave?Devotion.Andwhenthecook, thewater, thepotand theother conditionsare gathered together, wegainacertain confidence.

How to Look for a Guruand Be a Student by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

DzongsarKhyentseRinpocheat his library in Bir.




In order to developthis kind of devotion youhave tohear theinstructionthatyouneedwater to cookanegg,thenyou can contemplatethat andactually perform ityourself, which is meditation. During thecookingof anegg themain aim is theeggbeing cooked. In ourpractice,during meditation andon thespiritual pathingeneral, themainaimshouldbeenlightenment.

Thatmeansa lot, though,so let's approach it fromanotherangle. Whenyouexperience negativeemotionssuch as desire,anger,jealousy andpride, you have tolearn, at leastthroughlistening in thebeginning,thattheycan all bedestroyed.How canyou learnthat?Byremindingyourselfagainandagain, "Theseemotionscomefrom causesand conditions.They arenot inbornnatureor permanent;theyare compoundedphenomena.Dependingonhowmuch effort I invest, theycanbechanged." Thendevelopa senseof trust that, nomatter howgrim thesituationseems, by thelaw of cause,condition andeffect it canbemanipulated.That's not only trusting thepathof enlightenment, that'sactuallybelieving in theresult –enlightenmentitself. Devotionis so important.TheKagyülineagesays, "Devotion is theheadof meditation." It’s verytrue.

I want to stressthis becausedevotionseemsto havesomekind of negative connotationsuchasbelievingwhatevertheteacheror thepathsaysandnot askingquestionsor analysing.Thatapproach alsoexists.But itshouldexist after you have finally convinced yourselfthat theeggis cookable, that your emotionsaredestroyable. Onceyouhave that confidence, at leastintellectually, it's usually better just to believe in themaster becauseyoudon’t havetime. Theclock isticking.

For instance, if youwant to learn how to drive, first youmustbelievewithin yourself thatyou candrive.Youassureyourself thatyou have two hands,two feet, twoeyes, amind, somekind of sanity and languageability.Thenyouasksomeoneto teach youhow to drive andhedoesso. But alongwith your abilitiescomeotherattributessuchasnervousness, sleepinessor beingdistracted. If your goodkarmaleadsyou to aninstructorwho thinksyou're not alert enough,hemight tell you todrink a cupof coffeebeforeyoudrive.You shouldnotgo back homeandreadyour carmanual to find outwhere coffeeis mentioned. That’snot goingto helpyou;it will merelywasteyour timeunnecessarily.

First, you believethat you can drive; second,youbelievethat hehas theability to teach youhow.Now justdowhatever hesays. If hesays, "Drink coffee", drink it. Ifhesays something elselike, "Operate thebrakewithyour hands,not your feet", do it. Some incredibleinstructionscould begivenand this is becauseof you,not so much becauseof theteacher. Perhapsotherdriving-school studentsarewonderingwhat you two aredoing.Theymay also think heis taking advantageofyou.Yet youhaveone-pointed,unshakable devotiontowardshim.

I think this secondkind of devotion is themostobviousdevotion and it actually overshadows thefi rst kind ofdevotion a lot. I’m talking about two kindsof devotion:thefi rst kind is knowing that you can drive becauseyouhaveall theattributes to learn to drive andthismaster

can teach you.Thesecondkind is really following hisinstructionseven thoughthey're not coming from thetextbook.This secondkind ofdevotion seemsto havetakenover thefirst kind of devotiontoomuch. That's not sogood.

Devotion is important,especially thefirst kind, butalso what youmay call ‘bl inddevotion’. However, I would

rathercall it ‘t ime-saving devotion’. Justdo it. Why asktoomany questions?All this time, life after li fe, youhavebeenasking questionsand it hasn’t really ledyouanywhere, sojustdo it. Time-saving devotion comesnaturally if you havethefi rst kind of devotion.Again, letmeremind you that this all has to bebased ononething:thewish to seek enlightenment. It’s really thefundamental ground.

In addition to that wehaveother thingslike renunciationmind. I've noticed that somepractitioners lack thefirstkind of devotion,but they have somekind ofrenunciation mind.This could lead to pointless,nihilisticdepression.Soif you experience that, think about thefirst kind of devotion: trusting yourself andtrustingsomeoneelse, based on seeking enlightenment.Whenever youhaveaproblem with toomuchrenunciation but a lack of trust in yourself, remembertheexample of theegg.

Of course,moreeternalist-oriented studentshaveanotherproblem. They alsohavedepression,but instead ofpointlessdepression,they haveendless depression.Manyof my studentsfall in love, get married and come to mefor blessings. I give themmy best wishes, but becausethey aremoreeternalist-oriented I alsoexplain theidea

Continued onpage11

One should learnthat if even ten percent of what we'replanning succeeds,

we should celebrate.


Vajradhara Gonpa Now Accepting Expressions ofInterest for 2009 Three Year Retreat

With abouta yearremaining before completion of thefirst three-year retreat,VajradharaGonpais nowwellestablished asDzongsarKhyentseRinpoche's dedicatedthree-yearretreatfacility in theWest for bothAustralianandinternational students. Three year retreat atVajradharaGonpais a residential programof strenuouscontemplativepracticeconducted within a formal retreatboundaryaccordingto theTibetan Buddhisttradition.Theinauguralretreatbeganin December 2004with 28Australian andoverseas participants. Retreats recur on afour yearcycle.

Outsidetheretreat, manysanghamembershavesaidtheyfeel muchencouragedin their ownpracticeknowing that friendsarepractising full time in thethree-year retreat. Thethreeyear retreat is grateful to themanysanghamemberswhohaveofferedtheir timeandenergyasexternal helpersfor thethreeyear retreat andto ByronBayBuddhistsfor their assistance in bringingvisitingteacherssuchasKhyentseJigmeRinpocheandDzigarKongrulRinpocheto thethreeyear retreat.

VajradharaGonpais nowaccepting expressionsofinterest for thenext three year retreat expected tocommencein early 2009.Selection of participants is atthesole discretionof DzongsarKhyentseRinpoche.Thereareno formal prerequisites for this program,althougha strongongoing relationship with KhyentseRinpocheis significant.Experiencewith sittingmeditationand thepreliminary practicesareusefulpreparation.

Theacceptanceprocessis in three or four stages:1. Makecontactwith thethreeyear retreatadministrator to requestanexpression of interestquestionnaireandsubmit thequestionnairetoVajradharaGonpa.2. Youwill benotifi edby thethreeyear retreatadministratorwhetherKhyentseRinpocheadvises thatyou submit a full application to attendtheretreat.3. If your application to attendtheretreat is approvedby KhyentseRinpoche,payanon-refundable portionof theretreatfee.4. If you areanoverseasapplicant, acquireatemporaryresidencevisa(with assistanceof retreatstaff).

Onemayonly beaccepted into theretreat aftercompleting thesesteps. In addition to these stepsit isgoodif you candiscuss your interestwith Rinpocheinperson.Thecost of thenext retreat is expected to befinalisedbyJuly 2007.

To request an expression of interest questionnaire,contact KateMi ller, thethree year retreat administrator,email: [email protected];postal address:POBox 345,Kyogle, NSW2474AustraliaPleaseprovideyour postal address.Formoreinformation seewww.siddharthasintent.org/VajradharaGonpa.htm.

Next Three Year Retreatby Steve Cline, Kyogle

Mani stonesat NetenCholingGonpa,Bir.




Reading Aloud the Word ofthe Buddha by Maggie Westhaver, Bir

Dzongsar KhyentseRinpochegavethecompleteKangyur lungat theChokyi LodroCollegeof Dialecticsin Chauntra, nearBir, India from November 19,2006throughFeb14,2007,readingat thespeedof light,stopping for threedaysonly during this time. Questionsweattendeesraised onadaily basiswere: ‘What is theKangyur,anyway?’ ‘What is Rinpochegiving today?’‘How can Rinpocheread this fast dayafter day!’ ‘Whydid Rinpocheinvite mehere?’ TheKangyur is thecollection of Shakyamuni Buddha’s wordsandcontainsthreesections:Vinaya, SutraandAbhidharma. Itincludes theroot texts of all theIndiantantrassuchasHevajraandChakrasamvara,aswell asdharanis fordeities suchasVajrapani andYamantaka.

Receiving lung - or readingtransmission - is animportantpartof theTibetan transmissiontrilogy, takingits placebetweenwangandtri, empowermentandinstruction.Before this experiencemanyof usthoughtthat lungwasaTibetan-madeformality but now I, forone,believe thatreceiving lunghasapowerfullytransformative effect, which can’t truly bedescribedbutonly experienced.(It’s certainly not just sitting therelisteningto someonereadsomethingin a foreignlanguage--althoughtechnically to receive a lungonedoeshave to hearit.)

You’d think that transmitting theextensive Kangyur lungwould beenough—butnot for Rinpoche.During thistimeRinpochegaveprivate andgroupteachingsandinterviews,workedon abookon thesubject of karma,

conducted numerousplanning anddevelopment meetingswith peoplefrom theKhyentseFoundation, DeerParkandotherorganisations-- andhosted dinner guestspractically every night of theweek. Further, it wassaidthat Rinpochewasup very early taking care of his ownpractice commitments.

During thetransmission of the8,000RootVersesofPrajnaparamita, Rinpochegaveapithy teaching. ‘Maythis tiny excerpt from that teaching give youa tasteofhowsignificant it is to hear thewordsof theBuddhaandits importance to our practice andunderstanding ofBuddhadharma.’

‘With Shariputra, Buddhatalks about theimportanceofhearing these teachings--which is something you shouldknow in caseyouarewondering why youare sittinghere. He says,“Shariputra, if you could invite all theBuddhas of thepast, present and futureto lunchanddinner--not just for a day or two but for month aftermonth, lifetimeafter li fetime--theremust besomuchmerit, don’t you think?” Shariputra says, “Yes.” And,ofcourse, Buddhasays, “Thusit is. Good.Good.”Buddhacontinued,“But thatmerit is nothing compared to themerit of someonewho is reading this,or of someonewho is just accidentally hearing thesoundof this andnotevencontemplating it. Their merit wil l surpassthefi rstmerit, andthis goes onandon.”’

Thefirst Buddhist council washeld at theSaptaparnicavenear Rajgir. Thiswaswheretheteachingsof theBuddhawere recitedfrommemoryfor thefirst time.(Photo: DiCousens)

DzongsarKhyentseRinpochegiving theKangyurlung.(Photo:SteveCline)


Interview with Ven. Tenzin Palmo at Dongyu GyatsalLing Nunnery, near Tashijong, India, September 2006

Gentle Voice first spoke to Ven. Tenzin Palmo in 2001and then again in 2004. In this interview we catch up onthe progress of her nunnery and the development of thenun’s education. Since 2004, the number of nuns hasincreased from about 20 to nearly 60. Many buildingshave been completed and the nuns, the Khenpo, Ani-laand the staff all have residences on site. At the momentwork is continuing on the study centre, including alibrary, a workshop and a puja hall. A retreat centre isunder construction and when these are completed workwill commence on the main traditional temple.

Q. Where do thenunscomefrom, including thenewnunsthat are comingin a coupleof weeks?

A. Theycomefrom Tibet andfrom Himalayanregionssuch asLadakh,Spiti andin particular Kinnaur andinthenew intakewehavegot a number of Bhutanese.Thiswill bevery interesting.Wenever had Bhutanesebeforebut suddenly wehadquitea few applications,sothiswill bea new departure.

Q. Tell meabouttheretreat,how is it guided?Your nunsgoon retreat every yearduringtherainy season fortwo months,sohowdoestheretreatwork?

A. Well, this year[2006]becausewehavenowgot ajunior classaswell asoursenior class,thenunsaresplit in two. Theypractisetogether with thetwo groupsin separate roomsandtheykeep silencethewholetime,apart from their chanting.For a groupof teenagegirlsandgirls in their 20sthis isquitea challenge, but theyreally enjoy it. Theyare very,very scrupulousaboutnotspeaking.Sotheyoungergrouparenow doingthefi rsttwo partsof their ngöndro

practice. In thefi rstmonththey did their prostrationsandnow they aredoingVajrasattva. Thesenior nuns this yearare doingBuddhaAkshobhyapracticewhich is specialfor theDrukpaKagyu.

Q. Is thereanythingyou’d like to say about thedevelopment of thebhikshuniissueor developmentofhigher teachingsfor nuns?

A. As far asthenuns’development is concerned,it iscoming upquitewell . Oneof themain areaswhich nunsusually lacked waseducation andnowmoreandmorenunneriesarehaving aphilosophical educationalprogramso this is a big leapforward. Justrecently wegot a letter from theTibetan ReligiousOffice saying thatthis year’s gathering of thenunneries for theannualdebatewould beheld in Mundgodin theSouth. Sonowit has become thetradition for thenunsto come togetherto debate at different nunneries.This is a reallywonderful thing.

Q.Are they all Gelugpanunnerieswhoaredebating?

A. Theyare, but theNyingmanunneries and theSakya

Realising the Potential ofNuns By Diana Cousens, Tashijong


Ven.Tenzin Palmoat D.G.L. Nunnery


nunneriessometimescomeas spectators.They area littleafraidto debatebecause theGelugpashave suchamastery of logicwhich is not so emphasisedin theothertraditions,soyou can’t best themat logic. Of courseyoucouldgetroundthis by debating subjectsthat theyarenot sogoodat. But, anyway, it’s very goodthat somanynunneriesnowhaveeducational programs.Eventhosenunnerieswhich don’t have study programs– want themif theycan afford it.

Oneof theproblemsfor nunsis still that monasteriesusually havea lamaat thehead,andoneof his functionsis to goout andraisefundsfor themonastery. Nunneriesdon’t normally haveany lamawho is raising fundsforthem.So thereforethenunneriesare usually quite poor.And to havea studyprogram,not only do youneedsomebuilding in which to have thestudies,but alsoyouneedto pay for a professor. Most nunneriesaretoo poorfor this and soit is a bit difficult. Somenunneries,suchasThranguRinpoche’snunnery,have someseniornunswhohave studiedfor manyyearsin Sarnath TibetanUniversity andtheythemselves are now theteachers forthenuns. That again is a stepforward beyondrelying onthemonks.

Sogradually thingswill beginto changefor thebetter.Also in KyabjePenorRinpoche’snunnery,a numberofnunshavegraduatedandto all extents andpurposesshouldeventuallybeable to becomeKhenmos.Two ofthesenunsarein our nunneryandareteachingtheDGLnunsbecausewewant thenunsto have theexampleofsenior nunsto respect,not alwaysthemonks.OurKhenpoTseringis from Dzongsar Instituteand soheisSakyabut very ris-med (non-sectarian) in attitude.Actually hismotherwasDrukpaKagyusohewasbroughtup knowing someof theseDrukpaKagyuprayers. Sohefeels very at home. He is a very kind andgoodKhenpowhobelievesin thenunsand their future.

Q. So what needsto happen for nunsto realisetheirpotential in thebestpossible way?

A. They needto havetheopportunities to realise theirpotential. They need theopportunitiesfor developingthemselves intellectually and spiritually. This is thereasonwhy herewegive them a trainingprogram. Forthefirst six yearsthey do thestudy programandtheydotwo monthseveryyear of strict meditation.At theendofthosesix yearstheyare asked whether theywant to carryon anddomorestudies - becausewehopesomeof themwill become teachersfor thefuturenuns.Or whethertheywant to go into a threeyearretreat and thenperhapsfurtheryears of practice to becomewhat arecalledTogdenma[Ed: yoginis]. A numberof our nuns,especially theTibetans,arevery keen to becomeTogdenma.It’s their big dreamand theyareprayingsincerely that theyshould beable to go into retreat andreally practice.Now wehave to deal with theproblem of

finding quali fied teachers for thenunswhen theyareinretreat. To find professorsis relatively easy but to findgoodmeditation teachers for nunsis moreof achallenge.

Q.And in termsof thedevelopment of your nunnery,how is it goingwith fundraising?Have yougot all thefundsyouneedto build all thethingsyouare building?

A. Well, it’s very difficult. Every year theprice ofbuildingmaterials skyrockets and soour originalestimates areway under. Soweare endlesslyfundraising. But my feeling is truly that it is all in thehandsof JetsunDrolma[Ed: Arya Tara] and if shewantsthis nunnerythen shehas to put out her influenceandgetthefundsweneed.

Q. Sotheprojects that are yet to becompleted arethestudy centre, theretreat centre, and you’re going to builda temple?

A. Yes.

Q.Whatstatues are yougoing to put in thetemple?

A. Well, in thepuja hall of theshedra, themonasticcollege(studycentre), themain figurewill bePrajnaParamita (thegoddessof thePerfection of Wisdom), andononesidewil l beJetsunDrolmaandon theothersidewill beManjushri,becausetheKhenposaid, ‘Where’sManjushri?’

Alsotherewill bestatues of theVenerableAnandaandof Mahaprajapati, theBuddha’s stepmother. BecauseAnandawas theonewhopersuaded theBuddhato allowwomeninto theorder. And of courseMahaprajapati wasthefi rst nun.Not only had I always intended to do this,butwithoutmy saying anything,DuguChogyalGyamtsoRinpochewhohad cometo adviseuson thestatues,saidthat wemust haveAnandaand theBuddha’s aunt. I wasvery happyto hear him say sotoo.

In themain temple, seeing as it will bemoreopento thepublic, themain statuehas to betheBuddhaShakyamuni, I think. Hindusget very confusedsometimeswhen they go into Tibetan templesand thereare no statues of theBuddha. There isGuruRinpocheand therearevariousother deities but there is noBuddha. Again therewill beJetsunDrolmaandmaybeGuruRinpocheor BuddhaAkshobhya. In theretreatcentres therewil l probably bestatuesof Vajrayogini andmaybeVajrasattva or Vajradhara.

Contact: [email protected] Ling NunneryVi llageLower MuttP.O. Padhiarkar, Tensil Baijnarth, Dist. KangraH.P. 176081,India



His Holiness the Dalai Lama will tourAustralia from 6Juneto 16 June.Seehttp://www.dalailama.org.au/or call(03) 95797955.

Her Eminence Jetsun Kushola will visit Australia from30Augustto 18November. Sheis themosteminentwomanlama in theworld. For details of her programgoto: http://www.sakya.org.au/hejkl/index.html or callSakyaTharpaLing on (02) 97451888.

Tsog Days

Siddhartha’s Intent Southern Door email listIf you areonour email list please ensurethatSiddhartha’sIntentSouthern Door([email protected]@optusnet.com.au)are on your list to beaccepted.Many emails arereturned or automatically placedin“SpamFolders”becauseweoftensendto largegroups.If you havedroppedoff our list, changedyour emailaddress or would like to beplaced onour list, pleaseemail [email protected]

School NewsTheSiddharthaSchoolis nowa tax deductible giftrecipient andhasanewwebsite atwww.thesiddharthaschool.org.au They arerunningmonthlyChildren’sDayprogramsat theSouthernCrossUniversity in Lismore.Thesehave focused ondevelopingqualities suchas generosity andpatience.

Enquiries:TheSiddharthaSchoolP.O. Box 520,Kyogle,NSW,2474(02) 66 [email protected]

Lotus OutreachWhenKyogle teenagersTaraThomasandTaliaWallaceheard that youngCambodiangirls their ageweretraffickedand forcedinto prostitution, they wantedto dosomething.To helpsupportthegirls’ educationand raise

awarenessof their suffering, they decidedto goona fast.For two days, Tara andTaliawent without food, evenresisting theofferingsat aChristmasparty! They raised$511for LotusOutreach’sGirls Accessto Educationprogramin Cambodia. Thank you,Tara andTalia, forshowing ushow to put compassion into action! [email protected] [email protected] for moreinformation onhow to supportLotusOutreach’s work.

Births, Deaths, Marriages and Retreats

His Eminence ChogyeTrichen Rinpoche wasbornin Shigatse, Tibetin 1920andpassedawayon22 January2007.At the ageof 12HisEminencewasenthronedat thePhenpoNalendraMonastery in CentralTibet from where hecompleted his studiesandmasteredthemonastic scripturalrituals, therituals of mandala, and themusicalaccompaniment of therituals. HisEminencewasamaster of both SutrayanaandMantrayanateachingsandagreat scholar of li terature, poetry, history andBuddhistmetaphysics aswell as a highly accomplished poet.Hewas thehead of Tsharpabranchof theSakyaTradition ofTibetanBuddhism, had students in manydifferentcountriesand travelled widely.

Dr Peter Della Santina passed away on16October2006.Formorethan twenty-five yearsDr. Santina hadbeena student of HisHolinessSakyaTrizin, headof theSakyatradition of TibetanBuddhism. Hehad anumberof publicationsincludingincludingNagarjuna's Letter toKingGautamiputra (Delhi 1978& 1982),MadhyamakaSchools in India (Delhi1986)andMadhyamakaandModernWestern Philosophy(PhilosophyEast andWest,Hawaii 1986).His widely read book,TheTreeofEnlightenment, servesas abasic guidefor thosenewtoBuddhism andtheMahayanaandVajrayanaTraditions.

(Contributionsto this section are invited fromreaders.Email: [email protected])

Announcements

Dakini Day (25th) GuruRinpocheDay (10th)Saturday12May Saturday 26MaySunday 10 June Monday25 JuneMonday 9 July Tuesday 24 JulyWednesday8August Thursday 23AugustThursday6 September Friday 21SeptemberFriday 5 October Sunday 21October




The Buddha and the Sahibs: The men whodiscovered India’s lost religionby Charles Allen, John Murray (Publishers)London, 2002

This booktells thetaleof howBuddhismwasdiscoveredby theWest duringthe19thcentury. It’s not somuchadry factual accountas a kind of mystery story in whichtheauthor showshow thestoryof theBuddha’slife andthehistory of Buddhismin Indiawasdiscovered.Nowadays it’s hardto imaginea timewhenmostWesterners did not evenknow thatsucha thing asBuddhismexisted,or that there hadeverbeena teachercalled theBuddha. But two hundredyearsagoin theWest knowledgeof Asian religious traditionswasstillvery sketchy andit was only gradually during the19thcentury that this changed. This then is thestoryof thepeoplewho rediscovered theIndian originsof BuddhismastheyexploredIndia.

This bookin somesensescoversmuch of thegroundtold in theclassic1981bookIndiaDiscoveredby JohnKeay (HarperCollins 2001)which set thestoryof the19th centuryBritish discoveryof Buddhismwithin thecontextof thebroaderpictureof theBritishrediscoveryof ancient India.More recently theAmericanarthistorianJaniceLeoshkohaswritten a scholarly account

of this story in SacredTraces: BritishExplorationsofBuddhism in SouthAsia (Ashgate 2003)andtheIndianscholar Upinder Singhhaswrittenanexcellent bookfocusing on Indianarchaeology as part of thedevelopment of modernarchaeology in TheDiscoveryofAncient India: Early Archaeologists and theBeginningof Archaeology (Permanent Black 2004).

Oneaspect of Allen’s bookis occasionally a bitirri tating; his understanding of thehistoryof modernBuddhism is a bit roughat theedges.For instance,hestates that AngarikaDharmapalawas responsible for therevival of meditation practice in Budhism(p. 255)andwhilst Dharmapalawas responsible for many things,revivingmeditation practicewasnot oneof them.

With somanybookson this topic what makesAllen’sbookspecial? It’s theengagingmanner in which this iswrittenwhich catches theattention fi rst and keepsyouturning thepageslike a detective mystery. You mayknow theend,but you stil l want to find out how it wasdiscovered. Secondthis bookis goodread as it bringsvividly to life thedifferent actors in this drama, theBritish andEuropeanadministrators,scholars andeccentricswhopiecedtogether thestory. Overall this isan excellent bookonan important topic and verywellworth reading.

Book ReviewReviewed by Dr Peter Friedlander, La Trobe University

Buddhastatueat Sanchi,MadhyaPradesh,India. (Photo: Di Cousens)


of thethree strawberries. First you haveonestrawberryand,of course, it sitswell by itself. Thenyou try to put asecondstrawberry on top of thefirst one.There'sa littlebit of hardshipwithout glueor toothpicks,but it mightwork. However, thethird strawberrywill not sit easilyon top of thesecond.While trying to positionthethirdstrawberry,eventhesecondonefalls off. But eternalistsjust believe thatoneday thethird strawberrywill sit onthesecond.When theywakeupafter trying mill ionsoftimes andexperiencingmanynasty things,theyare fiftyor sixty years old, but thethird strawberry is still not onthesecondone.This is what I call endlessdepression.It's so sadreally becausethere's notmuch time forcelebration.I think in our liveswe try to gather a lot of thingslikerelationshipswith family and friends,practice, influence,moneyandsoon.Oneshouldlearn that if even ten percent of whatwe're planningsucceeds,we shouldcelebrate.But eternalists like to celebratewhen thethirdstrawberry is on top of thesecondone. Thesadthing isthatmanymoviesandbookstalk about thethirdstrawberrybeing on top of thesecondstrawberry,makingsomeeternalists believe that thiswill happenoneday.

I havebeentelling you thatenlightenmentshouldbeouraim. While enlightenmentshouldbethefundamentalground,asa studentyoumustalso learn not to look for aresult. That's difficult. ThemasterGötsangpasaid, "Assoonas you look for a result, that longingfor a result isthesoundof a devil knocking on thedoor."The‘devil’in this caseis, of course, is nothingexternal, but anobstacle. Longingfor a result in meditation or whateveryoudo is goal-oriented. Rememberthat theHeart Sutrasays, "Nothingto gain, nothingto lose… no increase,nodecrease…"

This actually meansenlightenment is not a result.That'sa very big lessonto learn. If enlightenment is labelleda‘result’, it will hinderyou. Instead,enlightenment isbasically thefinal undoingof all theknots.Reachingthesecondbhumi is nothing but undoingtheknot of thefirstbhumi.Then youdismantle thesecondbhumiand reachthethird bhumi.Whenyouundo theknot of thetenthbhumi,I guessit’s conveniently called ‘enlightenment’.It’s not a result;it's partof your truenature. Beingresult-oriented is actually oneof themain obstacles; it's notonly anobstacle but it attracts obstacles.In fact, looking

for a result is like amagnet to obstacles - it fermentsyour path andproduces very strong,well -aged,subtleobstacles, just likewine.

(TheGentleVoice thanksTomPengelly andClaireBlaxell for this transcription. Theteaching is availablefromSiddhartha's Intent, Southern Door, asanMP3.For details please contact AnnaVlajkovic [email protected] phone0295181363)

The 2550th Birthday of theBuddha wascelebratedbyall Victorian Buddhistcommunities at theMelbourneTownHall. Over500art workswere displayedin anexhibition that includedcontributionsfrom theChinese, Tibetan,Vietnamese, Cambodian,Laotian, Burmese,SriLankan, Korean, Thai andJapanese traditions.Fivethousandpeople attendedand

theevent was organised by theBuddhist Council ofVictoria. (Painting of Ksitigarbhaby KatieMunson)

Guru Rinpoche Statue ConsecrationAustralia’s largestGuruRinpochestatue, locatedat theGreat Stupasite in Bendigo,Victoria is beingconsecratedin April. A largecranewasused to turn thefour metre high bronze statueupside down, leaving thebaseopen for fil lingwith consecrated texts andotherpreciousobjects.Once it is fil led it wil l begildedwithgold leaf anda shrineroombuild aroundit. Thiswillform thenucleusof ananticipatedAustralianreproduction of theGreat Stupaof Gyantse in Tibet.

How to Look for a Guruand Be a Student (continued)


PLEASENOTE:Becauseof its sacredcontent, please treat this newsletter with respect. Shouldyouneedto disposeof it, pleaseburnit, ratherthanthrowing it away.

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·StrawberryHills

NSW2012·Australia

Practice Sessions for Students

Byron Bay1/22Fawcett StreetBrunswick HeadsNSW 2483Contact: PaulaRaymond-Yacoubbyronbay@siddharthasintent.org0266851646Regular Practice SessionsWednesday eveningsShamathameditationFortnightly, MondayeveningsMadhyamakavatara studygroupMonthly TsaSumDril Drup tsogpractice onGuruRinpocheDayMonthly LongchenNyingthik Ngöndropractice, thirdSunday of eachmonth

Sydney1/141RedfernStreetRedfernContact: Jill [email protected] Practice SessionsWednesday evenings,ShamathameditationandMadhyamakavataraRevisionGuruRinpocheDay, TsaSumDril Drup tsogofferingpracticeDakini Day,ChimePhagmaNyingthik tsog offeringpracticeMonthly all-dayLongchenNyingthik Ngöndropractice

Blue Mountains28Fletcher StreetWentworth FallsContact: [email protected] Practice SessionsMonday evenings,Shamathameditation

Canberra16SabineCloseGarranContact: [email protected] Practice SessionsMonday evenings,ShamathameditationFriday evenings,Madhyamakavatara study group

AdelaideContact: TinekeAdolphus0883627553

Auckland, New ZealandContact: [email protected]

CoverImage- Manjushristatueat Deer Park Institute,Bir.Photo bySteveCline.

April2007

Gentle Voice Apr 2007

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Transcript of Gentle Voice Apr 2007