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November 2009 Blog Posts (18)

a lot has happened since my last post!

Well, we've been here over a month and a lot has happened in such a short space of time! The classes are growing every week...and it's getting harder and harder to get rid of the non-buddhist kids when we switch over to the dharma lessons. I'm learning the ropes a bit more too, but everything goes so much smoother when Sahishnu's taking the lead! I just don't have her presence or classroom management skills under these conditions...but she just sweeps in, takes the helm again and saves the… Continue

Added by Pikey Dan on November 27, 2009 at 16:18 — 1 Comment

How can we get happy?

Let me share good news for you.

Friendship is a great and important for people of the world. For seeing not positive each other, economically, politically and religions and racism and unequal rights and unrecognized indigenous peoples who came live since century therefore the people of the world become dangers. Being Friendship is enabling to unit, harmony, love, humanity, make peace and reinforce the dangers and stand by peoples when face men-made and natural disasters that normally… Continue

Added by Mong Mong Thun Marma on November 27, 2009 at 3:54 — 2 Comments

Dukkha

Recently there was a tragedy in my area which affected me greatly. A father shot his wife, young son, and himself. It was heavily reported in the news. Many of the people interviewed could not understand how someone could do such an act. The family was a good family who was good to neighbors and helped others who were in difficult situation. There couldn’t be any situation that would rationalize such drastic action. I felt for the man and his family. You see, he had been unemployed for a long… Continue

Added by Gustavo on November 26, 2009 at 6:09 — 3 Comments

another week down

We've just finished another week here...and what a week it's been!

The classes this week have been fantastic, and I could hardly sleep on Sunday; I wa on such a high after our class at Ambedkar Colony. We started the day early (up at 6am), so we could be sure to make it to Madan Mohan's for 8, to attend the first service at the new temple. It was really good to see a service at the temple, with Dharma talks from lay people from the community, and from Sahishnu. After that we had to… Continue

Added by Pikey Dan on November 17, 2009 at 16:20 — 2 Comments

Calling the elements to celebrate with Perry and Antoinette

On Saturday, Antoinette, Gordon and Perry led Liz and myself through a ceremony to bless and celebrate the fact that they successfully completed the Buddhist Psychology Advanced Certificate programme.

The ceremony was held in the middle of a large stone circle in Avebury which happened to be in the back garden that belonged to their friend Gordon who is also a Wicken Priest. We dawned our caps and gowns :) for this celebration with and in the elements and were first cleansed with… Continue

Added by Susthama on November 16, 2009 at 16:00 — 3 Comments

See You Soon

We are now coming toward the end of our visit to New Zealand. Have been all over North Island, Had a nice visit with Doug Osto and his family. Seen my daughter and her husband, gone sailing on the ocean in their yacht and seen her first art exhibition. This is just a quick note penned in the local library along our travel route. Shall be back in the northern hemisphere on Thursady. Love to you all. Namo Amida Bu. Dharmavidya

Added by Dharmavidya on November 15, 2009 at 23:40 — 2 Comments

See You Soon

Added by Dharmavidya on November 15, 2009 at 23:40 — No Comments

Innocence Revisited

Innocence seems to be something we reach for, from a long time back in a past age, a natural loving, a spiritual freedom and a social, tribal quality, not existing alone. But also a relative quality, not a purity, just a taste of the beauty of our cosmos. A few nights back I watched the 1950’s movie, The Student Prince, with the famous tenor, Mario Lanza. This so seemed to show a western longing for such an innocence, an innocence so lost in the fascist wars of the previous decades.

And of… Continue

Added by Robert McCarthy on November 13, 2009 at 4:09 — 7 Comments

This week - getting the word out - Buddhism at Amida Newcastle, Newcastle and Northumbria Universities

Organising more Buddhist Chaplain's drop-ins at Castle Leazes Hall of Residence, NCL Uni, starting this Wednesday. emailing my contact lists about a drop-in today at Henderson Hall, Newcastle University,… Continue

Added by Sujatin on November 9, 2009 at 10:11 — 3 Comments

Sahishnu's new temple!

Yesterday we went to Ambedkar Colony, where we taught a class of about 20 kids, at Mudan Mohan's, with a few adults floating around in the background. We had a very active class, with lots of songs and jumping about, backed up with worksheets. The whole experience was made much easier thanks to Shiv Lal (our rikshaw driver) and, when we started the Buddhist studies, he rushed in to join us, and even the grandpa joined in and had a go on the singing bowl.

After class had ended, Mudan… Continue

Added by Pikey Dan on November 9, 2009 at 5:37 — 3 Comments

Temple in Ambedkar Colony

what a wonderful life this is teaching in Delhi. Yesterday we started teaching at Amberkar Colony. Mudan Mohan the community leader in whose house we were teaching was unable to be with us as he had to attend a wedding in.When we had finished teaching he reappeared and took us of to the reception to be royally fed. Everyone kept smiling secret smiles and nodding at me. When we had eaten a deputation said they wanted to show me the new temple they had built, round the corner we went and I… Continue

Added by Sahishnu Joy Marston on November 9, 2009 at 5:08 — 2 Comments

Hello again. as Dan said we had our first teaching session today at Laxmi gardens.Preparing was difficult. I needed to scan and copy, print material for the class and of course the thing would not wo…

Hello again. as Dan said we had our first teaching session today at Laxmi gardens.Preparing was difficult. I needed to scan and copy, print material for the class and of course the thing would not work. Prakashes friend Yogesh a former student of ours came and fixed it for free. The problem was that while we were away a mouse had found it to be a fine home and its droppings had siezed the carriage. All fixed now.The monk Vinasiel has a new novice at his temple who was quite bemused by us. We… Continue

Added by Sahishnu Joy Marston on November 6, 2009 at 17:09 — 1 Comment

Our first day teaching!

Today we had our first day teaching, at Lakshmi Gardens. It was absolutely brilliant! I loved every minute of it, and was so impressed that the kids were so interested and responsive...it really goes to show that kids are eager to learn and that Sahishnu's teaching techniques are incredible (she later told me that they'd only started learning any English last year...and they've had 6 months off since then!). Poor Sahishnu had to walk a long way today, but we've got our transport sorted out with… Continue

Added by Pikey Dan on November 6, 2009 at 16:32 — 2 Comments

Blood, Sweat and Takeaways

I have just watched a bbc programme- blood, sweat and takeaways. A group of fit, young English people are left to live as labourers in Thailand- paid Thai rates of pay and left to fend for themselves. This is very powerful stuff, to experience living in hardship through eyes that know the privilege that we take for granted. The work in rice fields and factories was more than they could deal with, the money barely paid for the most basic accommodation, lucky to have enough left over for a bowl… Continue

Added by Robert McCarthy on November 6, 2009 at 0:32 — 13 Comments

How to understand Amida and his Vow?

What do I feel about Amida and his Vow? Is it something real or is it metaphor?

I think it is both.

Metaphor in as much as it is (to me) doubtful whether an actual Pureland (apart from this place) exists. Yet is is real in as much as it symbolises all that is most life affirming in the human heart. The Pureland in fact is here, as is the Kingdom of Heaven.

In as much as I lose touch with what is sublime in myself, I lose touch with Amida's Vow - which embraces all of us -… Continue

Added by richard meyers on November 5, 2009 at 16:30 — 7 Comments

Touched down in Delhi (Volunteering in India)

We've arrived safe and sound in India and are finally getting things sorted out. Everything seems to be coming together nicely and thanks to the help and advice I've been given, both here and in the UK, I think I'm coping with everything pretty well. I may have been here less than a week, but I'm already starting to appreciate how much I've always taken for granted, vis-a-vis electricity, hot and cold running water, and other services we would never consider a luxury in the West.

India has… Continue

Added by Pikey Dan on November 3, 2009 at 13:22 — 2 Comments

Greetings from India.

Well hear I am again ensconced in our flat in Delhi, busy working my way through, things to do, while being duly visited by old friends and Sanga members.As you can see the internet is now reconnected and I now have a new Indian sim for my phone. Everything seems to stop working while I'm in England and this year water was the main problem. We in the west take for granted a continuous supplyand the only tap that was working was supplied by the tank on the roof and the water only fit for washing… Continue

Added by Sahishnu Joy Marston on November 3, 2009 at 12:49 — 3 Comments

Self-reflection, Gratitude and Power Steering

You and I woke up this morning. Congratulations to both of us! A lot had to happen to get us through the night. Our mitochondria were on duty, our cell walls held up, our hearts kept the beat all night long and countless other precise and complex processes occurred while “we” slept. We were also protected from the elements and from both human and animal intruders. How many people helped to create this shelter that we slept in?

For many of us this is the Thanksgiving season and, if… Continue

Added by Gregg Krech on November 2, 2009 at 19:34 — No Comments