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Dharmavidya's Buddhist Podcasts and Zoom groups

Dharmavidya writes, on issuing today's podcast:

A full list of podcasts in June is :: here

To receive the podcasts  :: contact Dharmavidya


GROUPS NEWS

There are  three "friendship, support and learning" zoom groups.. All three meetings are 90 minutes long.  Do come and join in.

Amida Shu Interest Group
On Sunday at 11am Rome time (11.00)
This group is open to anybody, but will be most relevant to people who receive these podcasts.  There is often a talk about a topic related to one of the recent podcasts, plus time for discussion in break-out groups and for questions and sharing in the whole group. This group meets each week at the same time.

Amida Shu Friendship Group
On Sunday at 8pm Rome time (20.00)
A similarly open group with a more conversational style.  Topics include podcast themes, current affairs and Pureland practice. This group meets each week at the same time.

Amida Shu Refuge Group
On alternate Saturdays and Mondays at 2pm Rome time (14.00)
This group is for Amida Shu members and others who have taken refuge and is primarily a sangha building group.  This group meets on Saturdays once per fortnight and on Mondays in the intervening week.

If you would like to attend any of these groups (or to receive the podcasts) :: let Dharmavidya know and he will send you the join code if you don't already have it.

There is now an Amida Interest Group meeting on Thursdays at 6pm (Rome) in Italian!  Contact  Angela Romani or myself for details.  And if you prefer Dutch, do contact Vajrapala, or I can put you in touch.  Also I'm still trying to find a few more people in the east (Asia/Australia) who might be interested in a fortnightly Buddhist Psychology interest group.

OTHER STUFF
On the ecological problem and how to solve the dilemmas that this creates for society, there are some good ideas in this little film from BBC
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p08hppxt/how-the-dutch-are-reshaping-their-post-pandemic-utopia
As she says, the "Doughnut idea" only really defines the problem; it does not, in itself, provide the answers.  Nonetheless, changing goals and changing the way we think about things can yield results eventually and help policy makers.

Namo Amida Bu
Dharmavidya

Against Racism ~ Dharmavidya

Dharmavidya:

Buddha came from a “yellow” race, Jesus and Mahommet from a “brown” one. Nobody who claims to follow in the footsteps of these great teachers should be making decisions based on a hierarchy of skin colour. They didn’t. They gave teachings that were universal and gave openly to all.

That there are powerful countries in the world that seem substantially to be basing their policies on racist considerations is appalling and a blight upon our world. The most powerful should be giving a good example, not using rhetoric that encourages fascistic ideas or implies there is a master race or that land belong to people only of one colour. Countries whose history has been built on slavery and genocide should atone and become deeply conscious of their past sin so that the ancestors may be redeemed.

That the Brexit decision seems to have been in part based on a rejection of East European people is pathetic, especially so since it was Britain that campaigned strongly for the countries of East Europe to be included in the European Union. That we hear that antisemitism is on the rise in UK and in certain political groupings is deeply disappointing and makes one feel dismayed. Are we going backwards?

Whispers from the Bamboo Grove #39: News of the UK Faith Leaders' letter to the Prime Minister in support of refugees

UK Faith Leaders Write In Support Of Refugees

Over 200 leaders of the UK's major faiths met yesterday morning in London to call on the Prime Minister to do more to help refugees fleeing Syria, Iraq and other areas of conflict. The Amida Order's ::Acharya Modgala Duguid, who does sterling and important work as the ::Network of Buddhist Organisation's interfaith officer, is one of the signatories and spoke at this event (see below).  

Here is the Faith Leaders' Open Letter to the Prime Minister, signed by leaders and representatives of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist communities. It includes the words “The best of this country is represented by the generosity, kindness, solidarity and decency that Britain has at many times shown those fleeing persecution, even at times of far greater deprivation and difficulty than the present day. We rejoice in the mosaic of different faiths and British communities that we now represent.” :: link to letter. 

This is a ::newspaper report on the event: "Rowan Williams and 200 faith leaders call for revised refugee policy."

and a ::reflection by the Bishop of Croydon
"Why faith leaders are demanding urgent change to the refugee system."

Amnesty is arranging many 'Refugees Welcome' events, including ::this one in London on Saturday, which members of our Amida Malvern sangha will attend.
 

*****

Acharya Modgala

Some of our great Buddhist teachers came to the west as refugees and brought with them the teachings of wisdom and compassion. 

I travelled giving teachings and in 2003  spoke at a psychology conference in Sarajevo. The main concern of the participants was how to help their traumatised children. From running workshops I learnt more about the terrible long term psychological effects of such a war. 

 Amongst the refugees here in the UK we have many traumatised children and families, the trauma made worse because they are separated and are worried about family members and the dangerous journeys they are taking to escape war. Families need to be together to recover and then can take their place in society. 

 Once here much help is already available, many of our Buddhist groups are already linking with local communities to help refugees. In the UK  there are many people of all faiths and none waiting to help refugees. 

 As humans we feel an ethical imperative to help and I join my fellow faith leaders in making a plea to this government to design a safe, legal route that can enable reunions.
 

Acharya Modgala Duguid

Namo Amida Bu

 

Read previous Whispers from the Bamboo Grove newsletters here

:: link

Sogyal Rinpoche talks about Brexit

:: Sogyal Rinpoche writes:

I have a special connection with the United Kingdom —it's a country I love very much. It’s a place where I’ve spent so much of my time and grown over the years. Many of my oldest and closest friends are British, and much of my education was influenced by the British model. So if there is one place in the West that I associate myself with most of all, it is Great Britain, which is why I am genuinely concerned by challenges the country is facing right now.

 

Many of us are still reeling after the UK’s recent decision to leave the European Union. Apprehension and uncertainty have been felt all over the world in the wake of the referendum, and many of my British friends and students living in the UK and Europe have expressed deep concern and anxiety about their future. Although much is changing every day, it is clear there will be momentous implications for the UK, Europe, USA and the wider world, some of which may be extremely challenging. Wherever we stand on Britain and Europe, I feel it is crucial to reflect now on what we can learn from this moment, and to see how we can find strength, inspiration, unity and hope in the face of fear, divisiveness and adversity. There is a wonderful slogan in the teachings of lojong—transforming the mind through compassion. It says: “When the world is filled with evil, transform all mishaps into the path of awakening, or goodness.”

 

More than anything else, the Brexit vote, I feel, is a huge wake-up call, alerting us to a number of urgent realities. For one thing, it shows us that in this unpredictable, changing world, we need a new, progressive vision for social change and justice. It has to be one where the needs of all the people, those real issues and hardships they face, are recognized and respected. Only then can they be confident that the country’s leaders are actually listening to them and actively finding solutions, rather than appearing distant and uncaring. Otherwise, if people feel ignored and excluded, inevitably they will react and vent their frustration, blaming whoever they can for their troubles. What has also become clear is that this whole vision must embrace the views and aspirations of the younger generation, whose future depends on today’s leadership, and whose ideas and energy and participation must be mobilized in creating the path ahead. So let’s imagine that this moment can be used as a real opportunity to build a system that works for the people of the UK, and even restores their faith in the political process itself.

 

The fact that the impact of the referendum was felt with such immediacy all over the globe demonstrates just how connected we all are—how the wishes, desires and actions of any one group of people have an effect on everyone else. In this globalized age, our resources, and our social, political and economic interests are so tightly bound to those of others. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says, if we reflect deeply on our interconnectedness, it can only inspire in us a strong sense of universal responsibility. We’ll see clearly that our own happiness and suffering, whether as individuals, groups or countries, is directly linked to the happiness and suffering of others. We’ll see that ‘no man is an island’ and that, far from being independent, we depend upon each other and we need one another.

 

While the result of the referendum is clear, its ultimate impact is yet to be revealed. With so many consequences, and so many decisions to be made, anything can happen. This is a time of great uncertainty, but also perhaps of opportunity, and longed-for change at many levels. “Transform all mishaps into the path of awakening or goodness,” says the lojong teaching. It’s up to us. In their joint statement, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York explained: “As citizens of the United Kingdom, whatever our views during the referendum campaign, we must now unite in a common task to build a generous and forward looking country, contributing to human flourishing around the world. We must remain hospitable and compassionate, builders of bridges and not barriers.” Although the outcome may not have been what many people wanted or expected, and some people felt justified and others felt cheated, what’s really important now is that disappointment does not give way to hostility and recrimination, and differences does not lead to intolerance. We need to resist the temptation to stigmatize people, and indulge in bad faith and lack of kindness. This is a time for us to be generous and tolerant, to try consciously to promote harmony and community, and to build bridges between people of different opinions and of different generations. A time to rebuild trust and prioritize courage, intelligence and conscience in finding our way forward.

 

Many claims and counter-claims were made during the referendum campaign and a lot of them were thought to be quite questionable. This seems to emphasize how important it is that, with all the information available to us today, we have the correct information and have made a point of actively educating and informing ourselves as much as possible about the real facts. Otherwise there will be risks, as Dr Martin Luther King Jr is supposed to have said: “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Yet I find it encouraging that amidst the chaos of the past few days, people in the UK seem to be talking to one another, and seeking to find out more about the issues that are of such importance for their future. Another thing that Martin Luther King apparently said was: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” How wonderful it will be if, like the lojong teaching said, people in the UK use this opportunity, very simply to come together, in a new kind of union, to stand up for one another, to talk about the things that matter, to try to understand each other more deeply, and to work towards genuine change and progress.

 

There are yet more incredibly moving words attributed to Martin Luther King. He said: “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'what are you doing for others?" If, in a time of crisis like this, we hold the needs of others as close to our heart as our own needs, then whatever decisions or actions we take will naturally be guided by wisdom, and will in turn be a source of tremendous benefit. This is how we can “transform all mishaps into the path of awakening…” And so I hope and I pray that through the wisdom, compassion and action of so many good-hearted people, this challenging situation can be transformed into a force for good—something to inspire positive change in the UK and the world, and remind us all of the importance of treating everyone with more caring compassion and warm-heartedness.

 

Above all, this is a time when we must be optimistic, and never surrender to despair. His Holiness the Dalai Lama said recently: “While it would be easy to feel a sense of hopelessness and despair, it is all the more necessary in the early years of the 21st century to be realistic and optimistic,” and I feel that these words really apply now in the UK. Finally, I think we should all pray for the leaders and the people of the UK in particular so that, whatever happens, damage to the economy and people’s lives is minimized, and those qualities and values of the UK that we all admire and love truly flourish. May the UK continue to play its part in the world, and in creating a peaceful, open, compassionate, prosperous, inclusive and outward-looking society for future generations.

 

- Sogyal Rinpoche

:: link

 

The Ways In Which Words Can Lead Us

A week is a long time in politics

There has been a torrent of words since last week’s UK Referendum vote to leave the EU. Changes upon changes to unstabilised political parties. Our newspapers and TV screens are filled with news of behind the scenes plotting, uncovering of mendacity, stabbings in the back, Machiavellian tactics, changing moment to moment - almost as if one had walked onto the set of a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. Seven days since the result was announced - yes, only seven days.

Negativity

One of the most alarming, distressing, concerning aspects has been the rise, on the back of the ‘Leave’ result, of incidents of racism and xenophobia. The rhetoric of some of the campaigners, which demonised immigrants, seems to have legitimised previously held views and encouraged others to hold them. There has been a five-fold increase in reports of racial abuse, and this estimation is only of the incidents reported.  It’s easy to blame others, having been told that they threaten one’s way of life and that floods of immigrants are responsible for one’s current woes. The ultra-right are having a field day.

We are all immigrants

Let’s face it, we are all immigrants - my own genetic line, through my father, is from the earliest Scottish inhabitants, hunter-gatherers who spread northwards to the Scottish Highlands ten or eleven thousand years ago, as the massive ice caps of the last Ice Age retreated. They were following the herds. Palaeolithic ‘economic migrants’, as it were, attempting to survive and feed their offspring. Every one of us is part of a bloodline that stretches back some millions of years ago to Africa. Wherever we are now, our ancestors were originally from somewhere else.

We are all immigrants, and we all live on the back of those who have travelled and endured great hardship for the continuation of our species. And we are all, somewhere far, far back, kin.

An outpouring of positivity, too

I’m glad to say that, amongst the negative news reports there are also stories of the many people who are looking for ways to support and offer comfort to members of our community who are afraid. To put themselves in the place of others, to show compassions, to have the courage to speak up for, to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Constructiveness is the human way

“From one point of view we can say that we have human bodies and are practicing the Buddha's teachings and are thus much better than insects. But we can also say that insects are innocent and free from guile, where as we often lie and misrepresent ourselves in devious ways in order to achieve our ends or better ourselves. From this perspective, we are much worse than insects.

When the days become longer and there is more sunshine, the grass becomes fresh and, consequently, we feel very happy. On the other hand, in autumn, one leaf falls down and another leaf falls down. The beautiful plants become as if dead and we do not feel very happy. Why? I think it is because deep down our human nature likes construction, and does not like destruction. Naturally, every action which is destructive is against human nature. Constructiveness is the human way. Therefore, I think that in terms of basic human feeling, violence is not good. Non-violence is the only way.

We humans have existed in our present form for about a hundred thousand years. I believe that if during this time the human mind had been primarily controlled by anger and hatred, our overall population would have decreased. But today, despite all our wars, we find that the human population is greater than ever. This clearly indicates to me that love and compassion predominate in the world. And this is why unpleasant events are "news"; compassionate activities are so much a part of daily life that they are taken for granted and, therefore, largely ignored.”

~ H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama, from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'

Sujatin

Namo Amida Bu

Words

Today, like a huge number of people, I am reeling from the result of the referendum whereby the UK will leave the EU. This will have huge repercussions far beyond the shores of the island on which I live. Millions of people will be affected, including, of course, some of our Order. some of the effects are to come during the next weeks and months, although we have seen resignations and financial institutions moving their staff, the stock market hit already.  There will be much uncertainty in the future, including the possible breaking up of the UK itself.

I have been dismayed, during the last few weeks, over the quality and content of the rhetoric used. Lies, half-truths, blaming, finger pointing, promises without substance, threats. 

What did the Buddha say about speech?

Right Speech

samma vaca

The definition

"And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.” 

— SN 45.8

Five keys to right speech

"Monks, a statement endowed with five factors is well-spoken, not ill-spoken. It is blameless & unfaulted by knowledgeable people. Which five?

"It is spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of good-will.” 

— AN 5.198

The danger in lying

"For the person who transgresses in one thing, I tell you, there is one evil deed that is not to be done. Which one thing? This: telling a deliberate lie."

The person who lies,

who transgress in this one thing,

transcending concern for the world beyond:

there's no evil

he might not do.

— Iti 25

Speak only words that do no harm

"One should speak only that word by which one would not torment oneself nor harm others. That word is indeed well spoken.

"One should speak only pleasant words, words which are acceptable (to others). What one speaks without bringing evils to others is pleasant."

— Thag 21

Self-purification through well-chosen speech

"And how is one made pure in four ways by verbal action?

"There is the case where a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty, if he is asked as a witness, 'Come & tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he does know, he says, 'I know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I have seen.' Thus he doesn't consciously tell a lie for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world."

— AN 10.176

So much of what we have heard and read about during the campaign has been divisive, abusive, bigoted and against all of the principles the Buddha taught. Was it, as it was portrayed, to educate and benefit the electorate? How much of it was manipulative? How much of it was to divert attention from the real sources of dissatisfaction? How much of it was to serve the aspirations of the politicians in question? I cannot see into their hearts, it’s true.

Words have led us into this uncertain situation. And words, slogans, aped by others, have led to the death of a young woman of principle. It was following the shooting and stabbing of Jo Cox, herself a fearless defender of the defenceless, in the face of threats she was receiving, that we saw a different rhetoric. 

As Dharmavidya wrote in The Feeling Buddha:

“Buddha saw the potential of communication…..The purpose was to convey the message of peace in the world through peace in the heart.”

The reaction, as Jo was celebrated in cities around the world on what would have been her 42nd birthday, showed how people were inspired by her words, her fearless championing of those who needed such support, with positivity and joy and determination. She was someone with a firm and positive purpose in life. And her words lit up and inspired so many.

So, on a day that has come from much darkness, let us not lose sight of the light that words can engender.

How the Cold War was (finally) Won/Lost

:: Dharmavidya:

I expect that the following fictitious speculation will prove completely unfounded, but it is interesting to consider how impermanence can play out....

History Regarded from 2050
"Looking back on the early part of the 21st century, one can see that it was 2016 that was the turning point that has brought us to the position that we are in now at mid-century, when, rather as happened in the 20th century, everything that was taken for granted about the political order in the first decade or so of the century had been completely over turned by 1950.

Yes, 2016 was the year that Britain voted to leave the European Union and Donald Trump was elected president in the USA. Prior to these events, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, one of the most experienced statesmen on the planet at that time, had played his cards very close to his chest, but he had been, perhaps, one of the very few who saw the real possibilities in the unfolding drama.

The departure of English speaking influence from the EU left a situation where the complementarity between the technologically sophisticated and industrial Western part of Europe and the resource rich domains of the former Soviet empire became much more obvious. The election of a president intent on cutting back American military involvement was also leading to a fundamental rethink of NATO. An accommodation between Mr Putin and Mrs Merkel soon made it apparent that the balance of forces in the world had decisively shifted.

The American pull back was further accelerated by the emerging, yet predictable, difficulties with Mexico. The insistence by the new American regime that Mexico pay for the wall along the southern border of the USA was not ruinous to the Mexican exchequer, but it was felt as unbearably humiliating and pride can count for a lot more than money. Almost overnight, attitudes across Latin America hardened. For some decades, the Latin countries had been trying to detach themselves from their northern neighbour. Now the matter had a new earnestness. If they could not look to America for aid, then where? Mr Putin's phone lines were open.

These two parallel processes of rapprochement brought Russia into the centre of things as never before. The English (for we cannot really include the Scots in this) had voted for independence out of pride and xenophobia, little imagining that what used to be called the Iron Curtain would soon arrive at the English Channel. America too, had elected the Republican candidate on similar considerations and similarly soon found themselves in a parallel plight. The wall that was supposed to keep the Mexicans out, became the symbol of the new world division in which America now found itself very much on the back foot having lost most of its allies and being too much in debt to sustain dominance purely from its own resources. When, in 2022, the world stopped using dollars as the main support currency for international trade, the American economy suffered a massive cutback that made the financial crises of the beginning of the century seem trivial by comparison. England no longer had worries about an excess of immigrants - the country was now too poor to be a magnet any more.

England - Scotland having severed itself and rejoined the EU - soon found that it had, in effect, become an appendage of a declining USA which was not a happy situation, especially since America was increasingly concerned with its own 'enemy within' in the form of the millions of Latinos who had been needlessly alienated.

In a strange irony of history, the English speaking world now found itself as much surrounded by enemies as the soviets had done in the second half of the 20th century. When so surrounded one can hardly afford such luxuries as 'civil liberties' and soon the Greater European Alliance, that now reached from Vladivostok to Cape Horn, taking in Berlin and Paris on the way, felt itself increasingly to be the defender of all true human values in contrast to the repressive 'patriot' rump of the English speaking lands.

Eventually, the struggle of America to maintain its identity collapsed. The dominant language of the country was rapidly coming to be Spanish. The real political game had, in any case, by now become the tension between the GEA and the powers of East Asia. England was an irrelevance, about as significant as Austria (also once centre of a great empire) had been after 1918.

==============

What a fantasy! Of course, none of this will ever happen. History is not predictable. I am, however, somewhat surprised that the debate over the EU referendum has contained virtually no reference to such geo-political considerations. After all, this is not really about money and immigrants, it is about the 'Great Game' as it used to be called.

There seems to be a naive assumption that all can be relied upon to go on just as before, rather as, in the second half of the 20th century, the 'Cold War' was taken for granted as the inevitable and perennial backdrop to all world events - until, suddenly, it wasn't. The referendum vote is being taken as though it does not really make much difference to the balance of power in the world, but this is surely a great mistake.

Is it inevitable that in a democracy the public cannot be made aware of the really big consequences of the actions they contemplate? Perhaps so. Politics is a game of cat and mouse and to tell the public is to also inform the mouse that one is trying to catch and so make success impossible. Democratic parties, therefore, must, for the most part, keep the public focussed on short term irrelevancies and not let them ever see the bigger picture until it is too late.

:: link to original

the dalai lama - one of the top 25 political icons

David McNew / Getty Images

To countless Tibetans, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader and a head of state in absentia. But to people around the world, Tenzin Gyatso is not only the greatest and most public advocate for Tibetan rights and the virtues of Tibetan Buddhism, but for interfaith tolerance and peace as well. For decades — and from exile since 1959 — he has worked to resolve tensions between Tibet and the People's Republic of China. And like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. before him, the Dalai Lama done so in a manner defined by nonviolence and tolerance. In 1989, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

The Dalai Lama's humility has endeared him to presidents and religious leaders of several countries, affording him the opportunity to raise awareness and drum up support for Tibet on a global scale.

::continue reading here

free aung san suu kyi - 62nd birthday action

Free Aung San Suu Kyi - 62nd Birthday Action

the dalai lama on america

 FNC

His Holiness the Dalai Lama poses with his FOX News mug after an interview.

The Dalai Lama praised American democracy and said he thinks President Obama is realistic and open, in an exclusive interview with FOX News during his five-city tour of the United States.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, in addition to discussing the value of kindness and compassion, spoke of his admiration for the United States.

"I think basically America is a champion of freedom, democracy, liberty," he said before a series of lectures at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "Occasionally the administration neglects these principles, but overall, I think these principles are very much alive in this country."

It still is unclear whether he will have an opportunity to meet with President Obama this fall when he visits Washington D.C.

"He seems, I think, very realistic, very open," the Dalai Lama said, "and he always reaches out to other people, even though some people create some problems. He always reaches out. That's, I think, wonderful. Very good."

::read more