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GentleVoice Newsletter Gentle Voice is one
of the names for the Bodhisattva Manjushri (Jamyang
in Tibetan), and is the name of our Newsletter which is sent to our
e-group at the beginning of each month. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Interdependence and Compassion by Elaine Brook (continued) Now many Buddhists feel 'that needs also to be acted upon in our ordinary
everyday habits; how we use energy, transport, food, clothing, and so on.
For example we can choose:
1. a) most of the clothes in the shops are made by workers in Third World countries who work 14 hours a day, seven days a week, in very bad conditions for very little money. If we buy these, we invest/support expansion of this cruel industry. b) some clothes are ' fair trade' and guarantee the workers are properly paid and not badly treated. 2. a) our lighting, heating, driving, air travel, and imported goods produce carbon pollution, global warming and extreme weather events. b) we can switch off lights, wear a sweater and turn heating down, reduce our driving and flying, out of compassion to save the suffering of polar bears, penguins, corals, and people in New Orleans, Bangladesh, and many other places affected by extreme weather events and warming. This means that the individuals making these changes create the merit from their actions, rather than leaving all the actions to one person to install insulation or a more efficient boiler. 3. a) if we have savings or loans from the main high street Banks (very small current accounts make no difference) we are investing/supporting the business of the Bank which includes arms sales, cigarettes, and big capital projects which are pushing millions of peasant farmers off their land. b) we can choose to use ethical banks, or building societies that only invest in domestic housing. 4. a) most animal products, cheese, eggs, come from factory farms where animals suffer terrible conditions. Most vegetables are sprayed to kill billions of small sentient beings. b) we can choose animal products not from factory farms which include ' Freedom Food' RSPCA, ' organic' 'bio' etc, and vegetables that are not sprayed. Watching the plants and animals live and co-exist in my own garden is a
constant reminder that dependent co-arising is not just a principle which
applies to mental states, but manifests in every part and process around us.
Just by being alive, we interact in every moment of every day with every other
being in the complex web of relationships we call life. What we call
'environment' is not something separate we live in, but a collective term for
all the beings, including ourselves, that co-create it as an ongoing dynamic
process.
My two favourite quotes from the Dalai Lama are; 'Meditation is something that needs to be done 24 hours of
the day.'
It is useful to measure one's own 'Carbon Footprint' which is a way of
calculating the amount of land needed to supply our needs and absorb our
pollution - there are a number of these on the Web. If everyone in the world
lived like people in UK we would need 3 planets! (If everyone lived like
Americans, we'd need 5 planets). So working on ways to get ourselves back to
'one-planet living' by reducing our material demands, is a way of keeping the
second precept, not to steal - because anything over 'one-planet' rightfully
belongs to other beings. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage in the
Practice of Compassion! There is no need at all to regard it as any kind of
hardship. It has been a fascinating adventure developing the Centre here as a
living example of 'one-planet living'.
It is an interesting exercise to use the 'bleep' of the electronic checkout while we are shopping as a reminder of our practice of compassion. Every time the machine registers the bar code, it is not only adding up the customer's bill, but also sending a message to Head Office to order a replacement for what has just been purchased. So the mind begins to focus on the money we are investing, bit by bit, in the various industries that produce the things we buy. How much are we investing in animal testing, factory farms, insecticide sprays, child labour, sweatshops, oppressive regimes and so on? Do we use an ordinary bank account or pension that invests in these things, or even in arms sales? This practice is not intended to lead to the nihilism of feeling we cannot consume anything at all, but more of an invitation to break free from the post-modern religion of consumerism and the 'rights' of consumers to have everything they want as quickly and cheaply as possible. It is an opportunity to live simply and feel in balance with the mindfulness that has consciously chosen a series of actions to minimise harm to other beings. Not everyone will come up with the same choices; people have different situations and different levels of understanding of how the chain of causation actually works. Elaine Brook is a writer and photographer who spent many years in
the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Bhutan. She runs the Shen Phen Thubten
Choeling FPMT Centre in rural Herefordshire, England, aiming to set an example
of 'one planet living'. 0845 458 4718 email:
dharma@gaiacooperative.org _____________________________________________________________________________________________ A massive gathering of people expressing a rich and deep appreciation of what it means to be interconnected with all life by Nick Clarke- (continued) In Buddhism meditation is a key tool used for self transformation. In the field of community development there have been tools created to empower communities to transform in ways that allow them to create solutions to their economic, social or environmental problems. These are powerful tools for reducing suffering and can be imbued with a lot of wisdom. I wonder how these tools can be used to awaken the motivations and counter the delusions recognised by Buddhism? From my present perspective the path of cultivating compassion and the
understanding of the empty interdependent nature of persons and phenomena are
common insights to be cultivated by all the Western Buddhists traditions
together. My instinct is to look for ways to create a Sangha of practitioners
that identifies not only with the different traditions that they follow but also
with each other. The challenges that we experience living in London and trying
to maintain the precepts, for example, are universal. Then we also have access
to tools for developing our practice that are being used in the West to
alleviate suffering. As the Dalai Lama has said, one thing that the West has to
offer Buddhism is its well developed institutions for empowerment and charity. I
would like to see a Sangha in London, from across different traditions, involved
in activities that use the methods developed by charities and social enterprises
and to share practice and build community in this way. I have had this
motivation for a little time and that is the reason that I am so excited by this
invitation from London Insight Meditation.
I also believe that Buddhist practice can grow through this, perhaps, for
example, by learning tools for community development to create social structures
whose identities exemplify wisdom and compassion. I was struck recently by the
following quote from Thich Nhat Hanh:
It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an
individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community - a community
practising understanding and loving-kindness, a community practising mindful
living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the
earth.
Buddhism also has a lot to give to charities and campaigners. It is becoming a foundation in my own life that I can reach out from. Teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh have worked with activists to transfer the insights of Buddhism in ways that, for example, replace righteous indignation and anger with compassion. For me, in order to practise Buddhism I need to try and bring it to life, not just in myself but in the world, and the practice of doing this is as important as studying and meditating. By trying to hold onto a sense of motivation rather than a sense of self while doing this, I aspire to embody the realisations of Buddhism which in itself is a powerful tool in showing the path to others. I want to learn from the techniques developed by NGOs, development organisations, activists and campaigners and use them as skilful means for creating positive change in the world, and to integrate them with the wisdom and practices of Buddhism. In London I would like to be able to belong to a group of people actively interested in transforming themselves and the world using modern tools and existing organisations and projects but integrating them with the wisdom and practices of Buddhism. Just as we individually experience suffering due to the three poisons, we have also turned the three poisons into social structures and these social structures are creating gross collective suffering across the planet and its ecosystems. We are at a point where there is a crisis and this creates the real potential for change. It is vital that new and different social structures and models of happiness be created. So for my part I will be going to Copenhagen, because I want to create the conditions for that to happen, and for Buddhism to be an ingredient in that change. I also wanted to express my motivations here so that they can engage with others and create further opportunities. I am sorry that my thoughts are a little muddled, but such is the curse of my mind! If anything was clear or unclear and you would like to write to me, please do. Nickclarke74@live.co.uk |
 Jamyang Buddhist Centre, The Old Courthouse, 43 Renfrew Road, London SE11 4NA tel: +44 (0) 20 7820 8787 fax: +44 (0) 20 7820 8605 email: admin@jamyang.co.uk |