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March | 2019
22 Edition International
Buddhist Magazine & Website
The Worth of life….
Page 06 & 07

Buddhist
Normative Ethics....
Page 12 & 13

Real Loving
Kindness….
Page 18 & 19

The Tao
Experience….
Page 22 & 23

Amazing
Relaxation Zen….
Page 28 & 29

Buddhist Sangha
Health Care....
Page 38 & 39

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“The tasks
of Religion
Today”….
H
ere I will mention several
challenges that confront the
major religious traditions
today, and I will also sketch,
very briefly, the ways such challenges
may be met from within the horizons
of the religion which I follow, Theravada
Buddhism.
The first challenge I will discuss
is primarily philosophical in scope,
though with profound and far-reaching
practical implications. This is the task of
overcoming the fundamental dichotomy
which scientific materialism has posited
between the realm of “real fact,” i.e.,
impersonal physical processes, and the
realm of value. By assigning value and
spiritual ideals to private subjectivity, the
materialistic world view, as I mentioned
earlier, threatens to undermine any
secure objective foundation for morality.
The result is the widespread moral
degeneration that we witness today. To
counter this tendency, I do not think mere
moral exhortation is sufficient. If morality
is to function as an efficient guide to
conduct, it cannot be propounded as
a self-justifying scheme but must be
embedded in a more comprehensive
spiritual system which grounds morality
in a transpersonal order. Religion
must affirm, in the clearest terms, that
morality and ethical values are not mere
decorative frills of personal opinion, not
subjective superstructure, but intrinsic
laws of the cosmos built into the heart
of reality.
In the Buddha’s teaching, the
objective foundation for morality is the
law of kamma, and its corollary, the
teaching of rebirth. According to the
principle of kamma, our intentional
actions have a built-in potential for
generating consequences for ourselves
that correspond to the moral quality of
the deeds. Our deeds come to fruition,
4 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
sometimes in this life, sometimes
in future lives, but in either case an
inescapable, impersonal law connects
our actions to their fruits, which rebound
upon us exactly in the way we deserve.
Thus our morally determinate actions
are the building blocks of our destiny:
we must ultimately reap the fruits of our
own deeds, and by our moral choices
and values we construct our happiness
and suffering in this life and in future
lives.
In the Buddha’s teaching, the law of
kamma is integral to the very dynamics of
the universe. The Buddhist texts speak of
five systems of cosmic law, each perfectly
valid within its own domain: the laws of
inorganic matter (utuniyama), the laws
of living organisms (bijaniyama), the laws
of consciousness (cittaniyama), the laws
of kamma or moral deeds and their fruits
(kammaniyama), and the laws of spiritual
development (dhammataniyama). The
science that dominates the West has
flourished through its exclusive attention
to the first two systems of law. As a
Buddhist, I would argue that a complete
picture of actuality must take account
of all five orders, and that by arriving at
such a complete picture, we can restore
moral and spiritual values to their proper
place within the whole.
A second challenge, closely related
to the first, is to propose concrete
guidelines to right conduct capable
of lifting us from our morass of moral
confusion. While the first project I
mentioned operates on the theoretical
front, this one is more immediately
practical in scope. Here we are not so
much concerned with establishing a
valid foundation for morality as with
determining exactly what guidelines
to conduct are capable of promoting
harmonious and peaceful relations
between people. On this front I think
that the unsurpassed guide to the ethical
good is still the Five Precepts (pancasila)
taught by Buddhism. According to
the Buddhist texts, these precepts
are not unique to the Buddha Sasana
but constitute the universal principles
of morality upheld in every culture
dedicated to virtue. The Five Precepts
can be considered in terms of both the
actions they prohibit and the virtues they
inculcate. At the present time I think it is
necessary to place equal stress on both
aspects of the precepts, as the Buddha
himself has done in the Suttas.
These precepts are…. 01 - The rule
to abstain from taking life, which implies
the virtue of treating all beings with
kindness and compassion. 02 - The rule
to abstain from stealing, which implies
honesty, respect for the possessions
of others, and concern for the natural
environment. 03 - The rule to abstain
from sexual misconduct, which implies
responsibility and commitment in
one’s marital and other interpersonal
relationships. 04 - The rule to abstain
from lying, which implies a commitment
to truth in dealing with others. 05 - The
rule to abstain from alcoholic drinks,
drugs and intoxicants, which implies the
virtues of sobriety and heedfulness. In
presenting the case for these precepts,
it should be shown that quite apart from
their long-term karmic effect, which is a
matter of faith, they conduce to peace
and happiness for oneself right here and
now, as well as towards the welfare of
those whom one’s actions affect.
A third project for religion
is to formulate, on the basis of its
fundamental doctrinal traditions, an
incisive diagnosis of the contemporary
human condition. From the Buddhist
perspective I think the analysis that
the Buddha offered in his Four Noble
Truths still remains perfectly valid. Not
only does it need not the least revision
or reinterpretation, but the course of
twenty-five centuries of world history
and the present-day human situation
only underscores its astuteness and
relevance. The core problem of human
existence, the First Truth announces, is
suffering. The canonical texts enumerate
different types of suffering — physical,
psychological and spiritual; in the
present age, we should also highlight
the enormous volume of social suffering
that plagues vulnerable humanity. The
cause of suffering, according to the
Second Truth, lies nowhere else than
in our own minds — in our craving and
ignorance, in the defilements of greed,
hatred and delusion. The solution to
the problem is the subject of the Third
“Protecting
oneself, one
protects
others”….
Noble Truth, which states that liberation
from suffering must also be effected by
the mind, through the eradication of the
defilements responsible for suffering.
And the Fourth Truth gives us the method
to eradicate the defilements, the Noble
Eightfold Path, with its three stages of
training in moral discipline, meditation
and wisdom.
The next point is a practical
extension of the third. Once a religion
has offered us a diagnosis of the human
condition which reveals the source
of suffering in the mind, it must offer
us concrete guidance in the task of
training and mastering the mind. Thus
I think that a major focus of present-
day religion must be the understanding
and transformation of the mind. This
requires experiential disciplines by
which we can arrive at deeper insight
into ourselves and gradually effect very
fundamental inward changes. Buddhism
provides a vast arsenal of time-tested
teachings and methods for meeting this
challenge. It contains comprehensive
systems of psychological analysis and
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 5
potent techniques of meditation that
can generate experiential confirmation
of its principles.
In the present age access to these
teachings and practices will cease to
remain the exclusive preserve of the
monastic order, but will spread to the
lay community as well, as has already
been occurring throughout the Buddhist
world both in the East and in the West.
The spirit of democracy and the triumph
of the experimental method demand
that the means of mind-development
be available to anyone who is willing
to make the effort. The experiential
dimension of religion is an area where
Christianity can learn a great deal from
Buddhism, and I believe that Christianity
must rediscover its own contemplative
heritage and make available deeper
transformative disciplines to both its
clergy and its lay followers if it is to retain
its relevance to humanity in the future.
The last challenge I will discuss is
the need for religions to re-affirm and
to actively demonstrate those values
that are particularly critical for the
human race to attain the status of an
integrative, harmonious community.
They must translate into concrete
programs of action the great virtues
of love and compassion. Because the
world has become more closely knit
than ever before, we have to recognize
the enormous responsibility that we
each bear for the welfare of the whole.
What all religions need to stress, in the
face of so much cruelty and violence, is
the development of a sense of global
responsibility, a concern for the welfare
and happiness of all living beings as
well as for the protection of our natural
environment. Love and compassion
must issue forth in active endeavor to
alleviate the sufferings of others and to
ensure that the oppressed and afflicted
are granted all the opportunities that
have hitherto been denied them.
USA
The world famous American
Author, New York, USA
Most Venerable
Bhikkhu Bodhi

T worth of
he value of life hangs in a
singular thought. A person’s life
is most distinguished and not
measurable, if one does not have
the right perspective on life and values,
then the life will be unhappy, not at ease,
not healthy, let us study and cultivate on
this subject together.
What is the right perspective? One
is born into this world, to gain a thorough
understanding of impermanence, karma,
and with a clear mind learn the world
is imperfect, it is consisted of all kinds
of people, matters, things, minds, and
conditions, and these causes are teaching
us to enlighten, to grow, and to embrace
what comes at us, once you understand
this truth thing will naturally be perfect.
The complexity of society resembles
a never-ending book, a never-ending
scripture, we are to learn from this book
about dedication, thankfulness, and not
be orientated towards the pursuit of
personal fame and power, we need to
take practical actions to repay gratitude,
to realize wisdom, although there are a
lot of temptations in this world, as long as
one always keep a grateful and merciful
6 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
The
life….
“Make the
better life by
ourselves”….
mind, put aside prejudice, one’s physical
and mental aspects will immediately be
at ease, and life with be worthwhile.
The reason we generate karma is
because of greed, the reason we have
this thought is because we forget who
we are, unusual and diverging thoughts
are always the demon. Buddha said:
Compassion is an empathy mind that
brings mutual understanding, tolerance
and benevolence, sharing and caring for
each other; the ultimate bliss in life is to
be compassionate and to empathize with.
all living beings. The six reincarnations
are a dialogue between these two
aspects of life including morality and a
host of other philosophical themes.
The concept of mental activity is
the management to naturally turn evil
to good, and turn grief to fulfillment.
Those who cherish counts of blessings
take upon charitable deeds for action.
Happiness is a state of mind within the
reach of everyone who takes time to
be kind. For the kindness one gives,
happiness returns to shine on one, the
concept of mental activity management
is everyone’s healthy development of
the value to improve life.
Spiritual conservation,
compassionate heart is a clear and
cool place. Let us have peace in our
mind, it can eliminate people’s original
resentment towards the world, because
life is about self-cultivation, do not let
resentment overlook the true self, if we
can release the place occupied by anger
and resentment in our minds, and turn
it into love and tolerance, then the real
wisdom will accumulate within your
mind, and obtain spiritual conservation,
to have the refreshment of mercifulness,
it would represent much better the
worth of life. Sincere blessings to all.
The root causes of the inner mind
We are unable to quit life, only the
style of life can be different, as we are
living in a colorful world, we are unable
to break out of the turbid world, as for
performing daily cleansing in our normal
everyday life style to turn our troubled
karmas, it is conserving, and able to turn
evil to goodness, increasing the root of
our goodness, or even make our root
goodness shine through.
01. Wills - In general people’s will
always contain infinite desires, hoping
everything belongs to the self, when the
will is filled with greed, and when greed
is unfulfilled, that is the beginning of
troubles, and sorrows, so the Buddha
teaches us to correct it. In our times
of adversity: cultivate oneself from
making concessions, cultivate oneself
from restricting material desires, learn
from experiences of grief, step up to the
challenge during hardship, train the will
through setbacks, accumulate wisdom
from failures, from breathing realize
the impermanence of life, and keeping
a thankful mind, such are the important
self-cultivations in life.
The clean meditation cultivation
stated by Buddhism is a self-training,
a taking care of the generated wills at the
spur of the moment, keeping a righteous
mind at all times, cultivate one’s
grievances, expanding one’s own mind,
cultivate endlessly, from within normal
everyday life achieve, train, discipline,
and purify any troubles naturally.
Broaden one’s horizons, become a
living Buddha, implement and establish
through faith. The daily doings are
never far from the doings of the will of
body and mouth. Mind is the master,
body and mouth are instruments, thus
purification should be of the mind, to
train one’s will generation from the little
things in life.
In fact, there are many chances
for body and mind purification in
normal everyday life: thankfulness,
caring, apologies, and smiles, all can be
practiced. Clearly examine one’s actions
from normal everyday living routines,
feel each breathe and thought, utilize
the will of body and mouth to examine
oneself in detail.
02. Relationships - In relationships,
every action directed towards others
will always feel awkward, without
compassion, it is natural to resent and
grieve, and so suffering and sorrows is
started.
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 7
03. Reason - In reason, the inability
to understand good and evil, karma, law
and order, thinking becomes retarded
instead of righteous, then suffering is
started again, thus, Buddha teaches us
to correct it.
Regarding the will, learn to control
one’s greed; in relationship, treat
everyone with mercy and compassion;
in reason, learn to distinguish between
good and evil, understand karma, be
reasonable, these are the root of all
virtues. From good karma, initiate
goodness in words and action, and
from goodness in words and action fill
the mind with honesty and goodness,
to be able to establish the internal and
external as perfect unison, to unify
knowledge and action, this is the highest
achievement in personal integrity, and
the highest worth of life.
Sorrows stem from the mind; joy
is from within. Buddha said: trouble is
Bodhi. Thus to swim upstream is the only
way to find the inner root, and to arrive
and the goal of Buddhism.
Taiwan
Chief Abbes of Pu Tuo
Shan Temple in Taiwan and
Cambodia, President of
China International
Pu Tuo Shan
Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
Shih Sheng Hua
F
or those who are interested in the
ordination of women, this is one of
the most puzzling questions, which
needs a great deal of contextual
understanding. When King Suddhodana,
the Buddha’s royal father passed away,
the duty of a wife to her husband was
completed. It was the right time for
Maha Pajapati to consider following the
teaching and the practice of the Buddha
seriously. But, when she approached
and asked for permission the Buddha
simply said, “Please do not ask so.” The
Tripitaka, which is the most important
primary source, did not provide any
reason for not allowing women to join
the Order. Many interpretations were
given in later commentaries trying to
explain the situation. This led also to
common belief that the Buddha did
not want to allow women to lead a
religious life. This is not without basis.
According to Indian social mores, to lead
“The Brighter of
Bhikkhuni Sasana”….
a religious life is not the path for women.
Manudharma Sastra was very clear to
spell out that salvation for a woman is
possible only through bhakti (devotion)
to her husband.
But Maha Pajapati was unshaken
in her decision. After the Buddha had
gone, she, along with 500 Sakiyanis
(Sakyan women) from the royal court
shaved their heads and donned the
yellow robes. ey followed him on foot
until they arrived at Vesali where the
Buddha resided. Upon arriving at the
arama (residence) they did not ask to
have an audience with the Buddha for
fear of being rejected again. Ananda, the
Buddha’s cousin and personal attendant,
found them at the entrance covered
with dust, with torn robes and bleeding
feet. Many of them were miserable
and in tears of desperation. He learned
from them of their request and on their
behalf approached the Buddha. Again,
the Buddha forbade Ananda in the
same manner, “Ananda, please do not
ask so. There are various reasons to be
taken in consideration in attempting to
understand the possible difficulties or
obstacles which presented themselves in
the mind of the Buddha.
First of all Maha Pajapati was a
queen who, along with 500 ladies of the
8 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
court, knew only the life of comfort. To
lead a reclusive life allowing them only to
sleep under the tree, or in the cave, would
be too hard for them. Out of compassion
the Buddha wanted them to think it over.
Furthermore, accepting a large group of
women to be ordained all at once would
immediately involve teachers to provide
them both instruction and training. The
Buddha also could not make himself
constantly accessible for them. The
Sangha was not ready with competent
teachers to handle a large crowd of
women. This proved to be a reality later
on when women were already accepted
to the Sangha. Monks who could teach
the nuns must be not only learned but
also require an appropriate attitude to
help uplift women spiritually.
The Buddha already received
criticism from outsiders for breaking
up families by ordaining either the
husbands or wives. When Maha Pajapati
approached him with 500 Sakiyanis,
definitely this would be a major cause
of criticism. Particularly Sakyas did
not marry people from other clans. By
allowing 500 Sakiyanis to be ordained
would definitely affect the social status
quo. But it was revealed that these
women’s husbands had already joined
the Order. Thus, the criticism that
to men. To this, the Buddha made it
clear that both men and women have
equal potentiality to achieve spiritual
enlightenment. We have to mark this
statement, as this is the first time in
the history of religion that a religious
leader declared openly that men and
women are equal on spiritual grounds.
Previously in the Hindu context, the
Vedas, the most sacred religious texts,
were available only to men. Buddhism
has transcended race, nation, caste and
gender differences to declare that the
highest spiritual achievement transcends
obstacles or discrimination of gender.
With this important reason, the Buddha
allowed women to join his Order.
Theravada context which preserved
the teachings in Pali. Theravadins believe
that their teaching is most authentic
from a historical point of view. We need
to understand that the Tripitaka that we
know of was not a written work from
the Buddha’s time. Religious knowledge
accepting these women would break up
was to be practiced and handed down
their families became groundless. The
from teachers to chosen disciples. Hence
fact that these women followed him on
no religious teaching was recorded.
foot to Vesali is a proof of their genuine
This applied also to the teaching of
commitment to lead religious lives and
removed the doubt that their request
the Buddha. The Tripitaka was first
recorded in Sri Lanka not before 450
might be out of momentary impulse.
These could have been some of the
B.E. (about 90 B.C.) What was recorded
was according to the understanding of
reasons behind the Buddha’s hesitation.
the monk recorders. What they chose
The Buddha needed the time to examine
to record was subjective, hence it is
both the pros and cons to their request.
understandable why the Tripitaka is
Ananda also tried to understand the
androcentric. The Tripitaka was recorded
Buddha’s refusal. Is it because women
by men who were ridden with Indian
are not capable of achieving spiritual
social values. They were men who by
enlightenment? If that is so, then
the vinaya, were expected to lead lives
ordination, a spiritual path is open only
of purity. The most immediate obstacle
“The
Buddhism and
Bhikkhunies”….
to their chastity was the opposite
gender. Many teachings as preserved by
these men therefore projected women
(embodiment of their obstacles) as evil,
unclean, etc. This is a necessary barrier
to fence themselves off from failing into
the pit of the unchaste. While reading
the Tripitaka one must remind oneself of
this limitation in order to sift the essence
from its social contextual limitations.
Looking at the teaching from the
Paramattha level, one sees clearly that
Buddhism is free from gender bias,
Buddhism is the first religion in the
world to recognize the equal spiritual
potentiality of men and women. This
provides a special place for Buddhism
which started in India to lift up to the
world spiritual level without boundary
in race, caste, or gender. Among western
feminists, abortion is one of the most
discussed social issues. One argues that
a woman should have right over her
body because it is hers. Buddhism does
not argue on this point but takes a clear
stand that abortion is killing. One who
chooses abortion transgresses the first
precept. But whether the government
should pass a bill to legalize abortion or
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 9
not is an issue which needs consideration
from various related fields e.g. social,
economic, cultural, etc.
To the argument which raises a
question whether abortion is killing “life”
or not, Buddhism supplies a detailed
explanation of conception and its
various stage of formation. This explains
the coming together of sperm and egg,
then through 01st, 02nd, 03rd, 04th
week to a stage called ‘Pancasakha’ or
“05 branches” namely head, arms, legs
Life is present through all these stages
since conception. To complete killing
there are at least 05 factors: 01 - that it
has life, 02 - knowing that it has life, 03 -
willingness to kill, 04 - try to kill, 05 - that
life is destroyed. If one has completed
these five factors, killing is completed
bearing fruit of action (Vipakkarma). As
a Buddhist woman, one may be forced
to choose abortion but must be willing
to receive the fruit of her action without
trying to explain away the teaching to
suits one’s choice. That a man should
bear equal responsibility of pregnancy
is true but entirely a separate issue to
consider.
Thailand
The Chief Abbes
Songdhammakalyani
Bhikkhuni Arama and The
Medicine Buddha Vihara,
Nakhonpathom, Thailand
Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
Dhammananda (Dr.
Chatsumarn Kabilsingh)

I
n the past two hundred years, the
Chinese and foreign Buddhist circles
have traced back to the origins of the
Buddha’s return to the Buddha. This
is the teaching of the Buddha who lived
in the Buddha’s residence in addition
to the existing Nanchuan Buddhism,
the Han Chuan Bodhisattva, and the
Tibetan Bodhisattva. This thinking,
which traces the source of Buddhist law,
is gradually prevailing in the cause of
Buddhism. The external reason is that
“the Buddha disciple is on the road of
learning Dharma, and he hopes to be
more credible, besides “legend” and
“belief”. The plausible proof of history
is used as the basis for exploring the
Dharma. The intrinsic factor is that
“the traditional Buddhist teachings are
extremely divided, not only against each
other, but also with a set of discourse
and practice systems, thus contributing
to the hope of learners. Through the
Buddha’s original statement, he will fully
explain the doubts and obstacles of the
differences. Therefore, the exploration
of the “Buddha’s original theory” has
gradually developed into a prominent
study of the modern Buddhist circle.
Buddhist ministry in the early period of
In the modern times, the first
the Chinese translation of the Tibetan
scientific research on the history of
Buddhist scriptures. The understanding
Indian Buddhism was the western
of this has caused the Western academic
academic circle, while the research in
community to recognize that the
the Western academic circles was mostly
Southern Buddhism is the same as the
biased towards the historical materials
“Original Buddhism” of the Buddha. This
of the Southern Buddhism. It is difficult
view has influenced the influence of the
to deepen the historical literature of the
10 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
“The
Primitive
Southern Buddhism, which has always
been a “Buddhist Buddhism”, and is also
considered to be “primitive Buddhism”.
Buddhism”….
Most of them who do not have a deep
understanding of the history of Buddhism
are also regarded as Southern Buddhism.
“Original Buddhism.” However, from the
mid-nineteenth century to the end of
the twentieth century, the re-exploration
of “the history of Buddhism in India” by
the Japanese academic circles and the
Chinese Buddhist community reaffirmed
the positioning of “primitive Buddhism”,
which means that the Buddha lived to
the “first” Buddhism at the time of the
second episode. The inheritance of
Nan Buddhism should be the system of
the “Bao Bian Department” that was
“Make the transferred from Cuihua to Ceylon. The
real world
real “Captain” is the Ananda system
that passed on the law. Hidden in the
of peace and
world. Therefore, “primitive Buddhism”
is neither equivalent to Southern
happiness”…. Buddhism nor “Shang Buddhism”.
The connotation of primitive
Buddhism contains two major axes,
one is the “original Buddhism” and
the other is “Human Buddhism”. The
original Buddhism and the interpersonal
Buddhism correspond to each other,
and they are called “Original Buddhism”.
The meaning of the original Dharma is
mainly for the Buddhist history that has
undergone time and space migration
and teaching and interpretation. In
the Buddhism that has been circulated
and changed, only the teachings of the
Buddha when he lived in the world, the
original Dharma, is what the Buddha said.
“Saddhamma”. In the year of Buddhism,
the biography of the “first classic
collection” held by the Buddhist disciples
of the Buddha’s pro-teachers really
represented “if I smelled”, and it really
fits in with the “Faithfulness”. Therefore,
the Buddhist sects that practice,
promote, and inherit the “Faithfulness”
of the “first classic collection” integration
are the “light of the Fa-rectification, the
lamp of the Fa-rectification, and the
inheritance of the Fa-rectification of
the Faculty of Saddhammadīpa”. The
meaning of Buddhism in the world refers
to Buddhism, which is based on the
“law of the sacred method and the four
sacred sacred sacredness” taught by the
Buddha, and realizes the “difficultness
of restoring the world and leaving the
world.” This is based on the wisdom of
the world, the cause of the cause, the
cause of death, and the ability to solve
the problems and sufferings of the real
world in a pragmatic and practical way.
This is both the real connotation of the
real world and the right way to solve the
difficulties of real life.
At the same time, according to
the wisdom of “because of the cause
of life, the cause of death”, we can see
“the impermanence of the law, the
suffering, the non-self, and the self”.
If we can know the truth, “the life, the
impermanence, the corruption, the
pain” It is the right way to stay away
from and rid the world of distress. Based
on the wisdom of “causality, karma, and
extinction”, and relying on the “study
of life, impermanence, and bitterness”,
and away from the “salvation and
sorrow of the sacred law” Consistent,
corresponding, and consistent, it is called
“four holy”. Only by relying on the “law of
karma, the four sacred sacredness”, can
people solve the current problems and
the current situation of suffering, while
at the same time, the internal greed,
jealousy, obedience and distress. This is
the true “worldly right path” and “out of
the world.” The right way of trouble in
the world.”
Therefore, the spirit and the
righteousness of “human Buddhism”
is neither a generalized Buddhist
construction nor a fashionable Buddhist
style that emphasizes life, nor is it a
high-profile religious act of the world.
Of course, it is not empty talk about
metaphysical or esoteric, mysterious.
Well-informed Buddhism. Only in the
“Human Buddhism” of “Boundary Law,
Four Saints” can we “get the more real
problems in the world” and satisfy the
“compassionate and compassionate”,
“self-respecting, self-consciousness” and
“destruction” This is the “one-day Bodhi
Path” that is being promoted to Supreme
Bodhi. Just as the Chinese translation of
“Zeng Yu A Han” says that “Buddha and
the world are all out of the world”, the
true meaning of “Buddha is the human
being, the Buddha of the world” is here.
The practice of primitive Buddhism
mainly consists of two methods. First,
it is to realize the “view of the four
senses of the Orthodox and the Sense
of Righteousness” (this is the Zen view
of the Orthodox and the 12th cause).
“Seven Bodhi” and “Eight Paths” in the
“righteousness of the law”. “Viewing the
Four Mind” is a method of embodying
the “positive sense of the cause of the
law”, and it is the righteousness of the
truth of the world - the cause of life, the
cause of death. The “Seven Bodhisattvas”
carried out in accordance with the
“Sense of Reasons” is a way of breaking
greed and liberation. It is a method of
“compassion and compassion”. It is a way
to be comfortable in the world and to be
out of the world. “Eight Roads” include
In the world of the Eight Orthodox Road
and the Eight Orthodox Ways of the
World, the Eight Orthodox Ways of the
World can make the real world of peace
and happiness increase.
The teachings of “Original
Buddhism”, although the Buddhist
monks in the past 100 years after
the buddhas have been updated, still
maintain the ancient teachings. In the
116th year after the annihilation of the
Buddha, because Ubo was separated
from the squad in the area, it violated
the tradition of the revision of the
sacred and the teachings, and the “five
things are different” to sing the sacred.
The squadron of the squadron attached
to the compromise, and the Ananda
Department (the sergeant) began to
fight against the superior wave (lawyer),
and the Buddhist sect was split into the
three divisions of the Afghan Department
and the Ubera Department of the
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 11
Uber. The Department of Volkswagen
of the Department of Excellence and
the Department of the Ministry of the
Ministry of the People’s Republic of
China, each of which is based on the
idea of the Ministry of Self-Department,
and the Affiliation of the Ministry of
Buddhism or the Holy Disciples, and the
integration of the “argument” of the
Ministry In the traditional scriptures,
the original scriptures, meditations,
teachings, and passages were changed
, and the ministry of Buddhism based
on “theory” was developed. Many
“theories” from the later generations
are the source of the split between
the Sangha and Buddhism. The “Ada
Dharma” of the various ministries is
not only the opposite of each other
but also different from the original.
The opinions that have been said. For
example, in the book “The Buddhism of
India” (p. 162-8 ~ 10) written by Master
Yin Shun in modern times, it is said that
the Buddhism of Buddhism “requires
the outside of the sect and “discussing
Tibet”, and talks about prosperity. At the
very extreme, it is not practical, and the
philosophical thinking is deep and deep,
and the effectiveness of the world is
becoming more and more effective.”
At present, the scriptures of
the Nanjiao Buddhism, although
retaining the original teachings of the
Fa, are influenced by the “theory” and
the “new passage of the synonym”,
forming an ancient and new dilemma.
Miscellaneous dilemma. Therefore,
from the perspective of the three major
sects of Buddhism today, the “primitive
Buddhism” that adheres to “self-reliance
and self-consciousness” can certainly not
be “small-sized”, not only different from
Nan Chuan, respectively. In Buddhism,
the system of teachings dominated
by “argument” is not the “Mahwa
Bodhisattva” or “Secret Bodhisattva”
that emerged after the first century BC.
China
The Chief Monk of Original
Buddhism Sambodhi
Sangha Society in Taiwan,
Saddhamma Cultural Centre
& Holy Buddha Monastery,
Jiaohe City, China
Most Venerable Bhikkhu
Vūpasama Maha Thera

“The
Buddhist
Normative
Ethics”….
“Use Buddhist
Textual
Materials”….
W
riting on normative ethics,
I have benefited a lot
from Western ethical
studies regarding the
establishment of ideological systems and
structures. However, Buddhism is more
than merely ontology or metaphysics. It
is based on its fundamental principle that
developed from experience – dependent
origination (s. pratītya-samutpāda, p.
paticca-samuppāda). This is the principle
that the Buddha realized through his
practical experience of contemplation
and discernment. It is based on this
principle that I discuss and explain the
various topics related to the study of
ethics.
Regarding specific books that
discuss the contemporary study of
Buddhist ethics, there are not any lengthy
works in Chinese, although there have
been some articles. In Japanese, there
are The Daily Ethics of Early Buddhism
and Sociological Thoughts of Early
Buddhism by Nakamura Hajime, which
discuss personal/individual ethics, and
group ethics respectively. Nevertheless,
the functioning aim of The Study of
Buddhist Ethics is not an abundance of
materials quoted and textual research,
but the digestion of the materials, and
the extraction of their essence, so as
12 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
to present a complete, Buddhist ethical
system.
In other words, my work here adopts
an analytical, philosophical methodology
and not textual research methods.
There is more logical evidence than
scriptural evidence, and there are more
deductions than summaries. However,
this does not mean that I do not regard
the teachings and making summaries
from materials as unimportant. Rather,
my aim is to present features that are
complementary to other approaches in
my other writing. This allows my written
works to supplement each other.
Theoretically, we cannot neglect
the history of Buddhist ethics if we wish
to provide a complete explanation of the
study of Buddhist normative ethics. For
example, after the Buddha’s parinirvāïa,
Mahākāśyapa and Pūrna, two of the
foremost disciples of the Buddha, varied
in their views regarding whether leeway
should be given to certain precepts
under special circumstances. Also, during
the period of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the
sūtras adopted a gentle yet mocking
attitude towards the Śrāvaka elders’
system of sangha hierarchy, while
at the same time harboring serious
discrimination and prejudice toward
women. In addition, during the Middle
Mahāyāna Period, the ideology of the
Tathāgatha-garbha gradually developed.
It often tended trespass on to the theory
of dependent origination. Moreover,
in ancient China, Venerable Dao An
(312-385) and Venerable Hui Yan (334-
416) also stated differing views of the
relationship between Buddhist religion
and politics.
Without a thorough understanding
of Buddhist history, we cannot easily
understand the moral judgments and
controversies of the fundamental
theories mentioned above, and will
therefore have difficulty mastering
the complete picture of the ethical
principles of the various schools. It
will also be difficult to understand the
internal thread of thinking and choices
explained in this book regarding these
controversies.
However, if I include historical
research as well as systematic analysis,
then I must introduce the ideologies
of the various schools, and repeatedly
compare and list their similarities
and dissimilarities, and then present
reasons for choices of selections. In
this way, the book’s categories and
sections will become enormous, petty,
and complicated. This could deter many
people from reading the book. The
adoption of both methods of research at
the same time hinders a well-organized
presentation of the complete outline
and direction of the questions regarding
Buddhist normative ethics. Thus, I have
decided to adopt only a systematic
analytical method in this book, and do
not here consider the historical study of
ethics.
How can we establish the
ideological system of Buddhist ethics in
accordance with the Buddha’s teachings
and, at the same time, make it acceptable
to Buddhists from all traditions? The
fundamental resources in establishing the
study of Buddhist ethics come from the
sūtras and scriptures. Without the sūtras
as the basis, even if the argument is very
reasonable, it can only be considered a
personal point of view, and, as such, how
can it be proved to be in accordance with
the Buddha’s teachings? Furthermore,
among the Buddhist sūtras, there are
sūtras of various schools such as the
Śrāvakayāna, Mahāyāna, and sub schools
of Mahayana, such as Vajrayāana. In
addition, the various schools and sects in
India and China tended to have diverse
views on various matters. With such
problems, how can we decide which to
accept or reject? This immediately leads
to an issue that cannot be avoided: the
issue of the analysis and classifications of
teachings.
However, if we wish to include
these teachings in the scope of scriptural
evidence, how can we use the Mahāyāna
sūtras as scriptural evidence to convince
everyone that this is a study of Buddhist
ethics that is acceptable to both the
southern and northern traditions, and
not merely a study of Mahāyāna Buddhist
ethics? To establish the teachings of
Mahāyāna, some of the Indian Mahāyāna
ùāstra masters used the legends and
stories from the Iron Bar Compilation to
prove that the Mahāyāna sūtras were
textual research. At the same time, it
would be impossible to satisfy everyone,
i.e., to enable both parties to agree to a
common agenda of discussion questions.
However, through long contemplation
and consideration, and repeated
investigation and authentication, I have
strong confidence that I can, without
using the scriptural evidence exclusively
from the Mahāyāna sūtras, hold onto the
consistent thread of logic directly, and
make a clear presentation of the unique
ethical ideology of Mahāyāna.
Therefore, I will follow the same
style in using scriptural evidence from
the texts of sūtras, as the source of
thoughts for the whole study of Buddhist
ethics. In addition, I will be using the law
taught by Buddha. However, there is of dependent origination (s. pratītya-
little or no material evidence for these samutpāda), which is most commonly
proofs. We can only say that they are acknowledged by the various schools of
beliefs or legends. Some of these points Buddhism as the fundamental scriptural
would not be convincing to the Śrāvaka evidence (found in the Āgama sutras).
scholars. Thus, why should I repeat the
old stories? After much consideration,
Not only is it the fundamental formula
among all the Buddhist theories, it also
when I started writing The Study of
Buddhist Ethics, I decided to include the
does not rely on faith or speculation. It
is a truth that everyone can experience
Mahāyāna teachings in the Buddhist
ethics system. The reasons come from
personally in life. In addition, with
dependent origination as the premise,
considerations of two perspectives: detailed logical evidence, from simple to
01 - From practical experiences in profound can be deduced.
propagating the dharma and benefiting
others, I deeply feel the greatness of
the Mahāyāna bodhisattvas’ aspirations,
the majestic atmosphere that develops
from Mahāyāna Buddhism, and the
boundless comfort it brings to suffering
sentient beings. These are the scopes of
mind with which those Śrāvakas, who
are renowned for having only aimed
for self-liberation, could not compare.
I sincerely believe that for Mahāyāna
Buddhism to have become popular in
ancient India there must have been
deep reflection and reviews among the
Buddhist disciples within the sangha
orders, and the public’s vast wishes and
hopes for Buddhism. I am also a part of
the ‘bodhisattva spiritual foundation’,
and therefore I cannot bear to see the
glorious works and enthusiastic vows
and practices of bodhisattvas be placed
outside the study of Buddhist ethics.
Taiwan
02 - Contemplating the internal
logic of the teachings and theories, we
can see that from the development Professor – Hsuan Chuang
University and Fu Jen
of Śrāvaka Buddhism to Mahāyāna University, Head of the
Buddhism, there has been a consistent Department of Religious
thread of thoughts linking them. They Studies in Hsuan Chuang
are not two theories that are completely University, President of Hong
Shi Buddhist Cultural and
disconnected. I do not wish to discuss Educational Foundation,
the question of whether Mahāyāna Dean of the College of Liberal
was taught by the Buddha, in the study Arts Hsuan Chuang University
in Taiwan
of Buddhist ethics, as this would divert Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
us to a lot of tangential questions on Chao Hwei Shih
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 13

W
e are all prisoners of
our own sufferings and
mortality. When human
beings are born, they
are born into a prison where they
are imprisoned for life. These are the
proverbial ‘facts of life.’ We are all
prisoners of this worldly existence,
born into ageing, sickness and death.
We cannot escape this; we cannot
go anywhere away from this world
or universe, so we are prisoners of it.
Moreover, we are on ‘Death Row.’ No
matter if we are a ruler or a beggar, in
the end we are all mortal beings and
ultimately will die. Some pass away not
long after they are born; others after 10
or 20 years; while some even survive
beyond the age of 100. Nonetheless,
The Golden
everyone dies; it is just a matter of time.
Our prison is huge, so huge that
Life….
we cannot see or visualize its walls as
they seem so far away. We are trapped
in a sort of loose confinement but, make
no mistake, we are trapped here. We
can go to the moon, another planet,
eventually perhaps another galaxy . .
. but we still die. Although our prison
“Universal
truth
cell may change we still remain in
this mortal confinement. In fact, our
based on
universe is a penitentiary so immense
and complicated that without resorting
reality”….
to perfecting and connecting with our
‘Inner Light’ to reveal its existence we
14 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
are unable to comprehend the true
nature of our perpetual incarceration.
The human mind can be expanded
limitlessly. When we feel compassion for
others beyond culture, race or religion
our minds will expand sufficiently so that
we will experience a desire to help and
protect them. Greedy and self-centered
people think that the world belongs to
them, so they take advantage of others,
of things, of nature etc.
When the mind expands in a
virtuous way, the world becomes small,
as if it were an orange in the palm of
your hand. Minds of monks or ascetics
expand in proportion to their dedication
and sincerity to live in accordance
with the revelations that come with
enlightenment to the true nature of all
things. The mind of a ruler, politician or a
person who by way of position in society
has control over others, can also expand,
but it often expands in a negative
way that allows defilements to cloud
judgment and actions. This in turn leads
to an addiction to possessing material
things, power and winning supremacy
over others. If we meditate, our minds
expand and we come to realize the world
or universe is our perpetual prison.
Heaven and hell exist, and let me make
this quite clear, they certainly exist. But
they are just other cells in the prison.
Heaven is a prison cell for prisoners
with good behavior, while hell is a prison
cell for prisoners with bad behavior.
We will discover this for ourselves with
training and meditation. We will also
learn later how to upgrade our prison
or to escape, and that the very prison in
which we are trapped can be destroyed
so that we can escape forever. So . . . ,
01 - We are prisoners in a huge prison,
which is the world and universe. 02 - We
don’t know who built the prison. 03 - We
need to learn the rules of the prison. One
question that is puzzling is why no one
had ever revealed the rules until around
2,600 years ago when the Buddha
became enlightened, discovering the
Law of Kamma, and dedicated his life to
sharing this knowledge with others.
The Buddha told people to be
careful, that there is such a thing as the
Law of Kamma. The Law of Kamma is
short and simple: if you do good things
you will receive good things in return,
but if you do bad things you will receive
bad things in return. But there are so
many small and fine rules surrounding
this that we cannot be aware of them
all. It’s like the laws of a country; even
the supreme judge cannot remember
all of them. However, if we break the
law, we will surely be reprimanded in
one way or another. If we knew all the
rules and abided by them we would have
the knowledge to destroy the prison
forever. No one told us who created
this prison, not even that there was a
law governing the prison, except the
Buddha. Moreover, no one tells us what
we have been indicted of or the length of
our sentence. If we knew this, we would
surely choose to use it to destroy the
prison and escape to eternal freedom
from the sufferings inflicted upon us in
this prison.
To make matters worse, this
prison doesn’t provide meals, clothing
or shelter. As prisoners we are left to
find these things for ourselves. We are
not taught where or how to find these
things . . . so while struggling and figuring
this out we end up breaking the Law of
Kamma, which causes our sentence to be
longer. For this very reason monks and
people searching for answers meditate.
They are not peculiar, weird or eccentric.
Rather, they are just like astronauts or
scientists seeking to look deeper, go
further and discover the truths of the
universe. However, meditation is not
limited to the existence of the material
substance of the universe and may be
considered as the vehicle that transports
us beyond the understanding of matter
to reveal the true nature of all things,
including the mind and kamma. In this
prison there are no visible shackles or
handcuffs, but there are things that are
even more cruel and more difficult to
tolerate. Chains can be removed, but
when a person is born disabled, blind,
deaf, or loses a limb while fighting a war,
or even is born in another life form, this
kind of ‘shackle’ cannot be removed in
this lifetime. One type of shackle is to
be born in animal form. Once a person
is in that state, he or she will be trapped
for a lifetime without being able to do
anything to promote their life’s quality.
This is quite difficult to understand
so just be aware that animal is another
form of punishment a human can be
born into based on actions committed in
life. Having to fight to find food, clothing
and shelter, we break the Law of Kamma,
get longer sentences, are reborn to fight
to find food etc., break the Law of Kamma
again and thus receive longer and longer
sentences, becoming eternal prisoners
of our own self-perpetuating karmic
cycle. The human body is composed of
the elements, earth, air, fire and water,
which are impure. The impurity of the
elemental substances that make up
the body cause the cells in the body to
deteriorate at a rate of 300 million cells
per minute. As our cells expire, we need
to refuel the four elements from the
sources found outside the body, i.e. the
environment. So we eat food to refuel
the earth element, we drink water to
refuel the water element, breathe to
refuel the air element, and wear clothing
and live in a sheltered place to refuel
the fire/heat element. We need to start
refueling our elements from the moment
we are born, and continue refueling
until we take the last breath of life. The
impurity of the elements is the cause of
certain conditions of the body. But there
is more yet to discover about ourselves;
that is why we need to go back inside,
and know ourselves.
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 15
Since our elements are impure and
expire, we face the problem of having
to survive. We need to refuel the four
elements, and in the process of refueling
them we need to earn money to buy the
four requisites (food, clothing, shelter
and medicines). In modern times we
do not acquire these requisites directly
but purchase them at the supermarket
etc. This brings us to face the second
problem, which is to earn a living. As we
have to earn money to make a living we
need to live in a community with other
people. This brings us into conflict with
each other, which is the third problem
that we face. The body is like a puppet
being controlled by the mind, and what
the mind produces depends on the
program running it. The mind is being
controlled by defilements, which can be
known and seen once we have the inner
light from meditation. The defilements
taint the mind’s original pure nature,
and make it impure. And since the mind
controls the body, this relates to the
body’s elements being impure. This is
the fourth problem, which can be said to
be the origin of all the other problems
of a human being — defilements in the
mind. Thus defilements are truly an
enemy of a human being..
Thailand
Vice Abbot of Wat
Phra Dhammakaya,
Vice President of the
Dhammakaya Foundation,
Most Popular and Respected
Dhamma Teacher & Author
in Thailand.
Most Venerable
Phrarajbhavanajahn
(Luang Por Dattajeevo)

“The
Meaningful
Monastic
Life”….
N
ormally, a man or women would
come to stay at a monastery
where they think they would
like to train. Sometimes they
visit several monasteries to find where
seems best. Most monasteries allow
someone to stay to see if they feel well
there initially for one week or two weeks.
If one feels inclined to stay and
enter into the training at a particularly
monastery, they should make their
aspiration known to the teacher, abbot
or abbess there. If it is agreeable to the
teacher and the monastic community,
the aspirant is welcomed to return. Upon
their return they undertake the eight
precepts (if they hadn’t already) as a pre-
postulant or nekkhamma, normally with
an as yet unshaven head, wearing white
or black and white clothing. The pre-
postulant’s eight precepts are the same
as the layperson’s five precepts plus
three additional renunciate precepts,
as well as the significant change in the
3rd precept from no sexual misconduct,
to brahmacarya or no sexual conduct
whatsoever. The fundamental Buddhism
16 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
is summarised by Shakyamuni in the
Dhammapada: Not to do any evil, To
cultivate good, To purify one’s mind,
This is the teaching of the Buddhas. It is
simple but not easy. When a kid is three
years old, he knows it. However, when
he is over 80 years old, he cannot really
practice it in his daily life.
Morality - Morality is the
preliminary stage on the path to
attain Buddhahood. It is a necessary
condition, though not sufficient, leading
to wisdom. It is absolutely essential for
enlightenment. Morality in Buddhism is
a rational and practical mode based on
verifiable facts and individual experience,
which is regarded as the one of the most
perfect moral code ever known in the
world.
What is the criterion of morality
according to Buddhism? In the
admonition given by the Buddha to
young Rahula, there is the answer. If
there is a deed, Rahula, you wish to do,
reflect thus: Is this deed conducive to my
harm, or to others’ harm, or to that of
both? Then is this a bad deed entailing
suffering. From such a deed, you must
desist. If there is a deed you wish to do,
reflect thus: Is this deed not conducive
to my harm, nor to others’ harm, nor
to that of both? Then is this a good
deed entailing happiness. Such a deed
you must do again and again. Thus, in
assessing morality, a Buddhist takes into
consideration of the interests of both
himself and others - animals not excluded.
To understand the exceptionally high
standard of morality, one can vigorously
study Dhammapada, Sigalovada Sutra,
Vyagghapajja Sutra, Mangala Sutra,
Mutta Sutra, Parabhara Sutra, Vassla
Sutra, Dhammika Sutra. Good deeds
are essential for one’s emancipation,
but when once the ultimate goal of holy
life or enlightenment is attained, one
transcends both good and evil. Morality
is a means to an end, but not an end in
itself.
Three Poisons / Three Evil Roots -
In Flower Adornment Sutra, it says that;
For all bad Karma created in the past,
Based upon beginningless greed, hatred
and delusion, And born of body, mouth
and mind,
I now repent and reform. It is
the well-known Repentance Verse in
Buddhism. In Buddhism, the distinction
between what is good and what is bad
is simple. It hinges on the intention
or motivation from which an action
originates. The deed which is associated
with greed / attachment, hatred / ill
will, delusion / stupidity is evil. Greed,
hatred and delusion are called the Three
Poisons or Three Evil Roots, which are
the primary source of all evil deed. It
is the Three Poisons that create all bad
Karma, resulting all kinds of suffering in
accordance with the Principle of Cause
and Effect. The Three Poisons are also
obstacles to the attainment of good
Karma. Thus we have to abandon them
by all means.
Greed - Greed is the cause of many
offences. The five greedy desires are:
wealth, sex, fame, eating and sleeping.
Greedy desire is endless and therefore
can never be satisfied. The lesser the
greedy desire, the happier and more
satisfied we are. The best prescription to
deal with greed is in giving away. Anger
- Hatred to people is another cause of
evil deed. We should not lose temper
and get angry when we are unhappy. We
should be calm and patient. Delusion - It
means the persistent belief in something
false and distorted. We have to observe
and think in an objective and rational
manner, so as to avoid prejudice and
misunderstanding. For instance, if
we don’t believe in cause and effect,
and then commit offence frequently
and heavily, we will suffer from the
retribution.
After staying for some time as a
pre-postulant (normally 2 weeks to 2
or 3 months), if both the aspirant and
the teacher as well as the monastic
community feel amiable about going
ahead, the aspirant may request
ordination as an anagarika. Anāgārika
means homeless one due to their having
left home life, sought refuge and being
accepted as postulants in the monastery.
In English we call anagarikas at this stage
“postulants, aspirants” or “candidates.”
Anāgārikā (with a long “a” at the end)
is the female form, anāgārika the male
form. The anagarika has a shaven
head, wears white robes and keeps the
8 precepts. The anagarika period is
normally around a year, but sometimes
can be as little as six months, or as long
as several years, depending on individual
circumstances.
As a postulant, one is still officially all requisite conditions, request full
a lay person, and as such still able to ordination, the bhikkhuni upasampada,
use money, hold property and finances from the monastic community. It is
and support oneself. Although normally noteworthy that, in some Thai, Korean,
lodging and food are shared by the Chinese and Tibetan tradition monastic
monastic community with anagarikas at communities, women currently receive
a monastery, special health care needs, and complete the sikkhamana ordination
travel (not related to the training) or and training for two years before fully
other such expenses, are still covered ordaining, no matter what their age. A
by the anagarika herself. Most nuns bhikkhuni is literally an almswoman or
in Burma and Thailand, for whom female alms mendicant. Bhikkhuni is the
novice and full ordination has not feminine form of bhikkhu.
been available for some time, live as
anagarikas for short-term or long-term
monastic retreat in this way with the
“uposatha” eight precepts. Thai, Lao
and Cambodian angarikas are called
maechees and donchees. In Burma the
anagarikas may wear light-pink, peach
or dark-brown colored robes and are
called Sayalay or thilashin. A samaneri is
a female novice samana, or a samana-in-
training. A samana is a monastic recluse.
Samaneri is the female form of the word;
samanera is the male form.
After an average of a year as an
anagarika, with the approval of her
teacher, an anagarika may request the
samaneri pabbaja, the “going forth”
as a novice into the monastic life. If an
aspirant for novice ordination is under
the legal age of adulthood (or age 20),
she must have the permission of her
parents or guardians in order to receive
novice ordination. Novices undertake
the ten novice precepts, which include
8 precepts plus the additional precept
of not handling or keeping money. In
most forest monasteries, novices also no
longer drive cars. The novice precepts
and training are exactly the same for
male and female novice trainees. In
addition to the going forth, a novice “Women
also takes “dependancy” upon the elder
Sangha member who will be her acariya
upholding the
- her personal teacher, mentor and guide
through the ordination process.
Dhamma”….
Again, in the absence of
bhikkhunis, bhikkhus are both permitted
and enjoined by the Vinaya to give
both the novice and probationary
novice ordination to qualified women
candidates. In the currently (at least in
USA
the West!) very rare event that a woman
has married very young, or become
a novice as a young girl, she might be
qualified to be ordained as a sikkhamana
from age 10 or age 18 respectively. For a
child bride, having proven her maturity Sanghatheri, Preceptor, The
and responsibility by completing 2 vassas Chief Founding Abbes of
of the sikkhamana training, she may be Dhammadharini Monastery
& Senior Teacher in
fully ordained as a bhikkhuni even before Residence at Aranya Bodhi
age 20. The Vinaya normally considers Hermitage, California, USA
age 20 to be the age of adulthood, Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
at which time one may, if having met Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 17

T
he right view is important for all
of us. As one analysis of the path
says, three qualities circle around
every factor of the path. One is
right view. The second is right effort.
The third is right mindfulness. So try
to make sure that these three qualities
are circling around your practice right
now. There are basically four truths
covered by right view. First is the truth
of suffering or stress; dukkha is the Pali
term. Sometimes we’re told that the
first truth is that “life is suffering” or
“everything is suffering,” but that’s not
the case.
The Buddha basically said that
“there is suffering.” It’s one of four things
you’re going to encounter in life that you
should pay attention to. You could argue
with the idea that life is suffering, but
you can’t argue with the idea that there
is suffering. You see it all around you. You
see it inside you as well. The Buddha’s
simply asking you to take it seriously. To
take suffering seriously means that you
should learn how to comprehend it. To
do that, you have to put yourself in a
position where you can watch it, to see
how it comes, how it goes, what comes
and goes along with it. The coming and
going along with it: That’s essentially
what the word samudaya—usually
translated as “cause” or “origination”—
means. You want to see that every time
there’s real suffering in the mind, it’s
accompanied by craving—any one of
three kinds of craving to be specific:
18 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
The Real
Loving
Kindness….
craving for sensuality, craving for
becoming, craving for non-becoming.
For forty-five years, the Buddha
said, over and over again, “I teach only
suffering and the transformation of
suffering.” When we recognize and
acknowledge our own suffering, the
Buddha — which means the Buddha in
us — will look at it, discover what has
brought it about, and prescribe a course
of action that can transform it into peace,
joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means
the Buddha used to liberate himself, and
it is also the means by which we can
become free. The ocean of suffering is
immense, but if you turn around, you can
see the land. The seed of suffering in you
may be strong, but don’t wait until you
have no more suffering before allowing
yourself to be happy. When one tree in
the garden is sick, you have to care for
it. But don’t overlook all the healthy
trees. Even while you have pain in your
heart, you can enjoy the many wonders
of life — the beautiful sunset, the smile
of a child, the many flowers and trees. To
suffer is not enough.
Please don’t be imprisoned by your
suffering. If you have experienced hunger,
you know that having food is a miracle.
If you have suffered from the cold, you
know the preciousness of warmth.
When you have suffered, you know how
to appreciate the elements of paradise
that are present. If you dwell only in your
suffering, you will miss paradise. Don’t
ignore your suffering, but don’t forget
to enjoy the wonders of life, for your
sake and for the benefit of many beings.
Without suffering, you cannot grow.
Without suffering, you cannot get the
peace and joy you deserve. Please don’t
run away from your suffering. Embrace it
and cherish it. Go to the Buddha, sit with
him, and show him your pain. He will look
at you with loving kindness, compassion,
and mindfulness, and show you ways
to embrace your suffering and look
deeply into it. With understanding and
compassion, you will be able to heal the
wounds in your heart, and the wounds
in the world. The Buddha called suffering
a Holy Truth, because our suffering has
the capacity of showing us the path to
liberation. Embrace your suffering, and
let it reveal to you the way to peace.
Buddha was not a god. He was a human
being like you and me, and he suffered
just as we do. If we go to the Buddha
with our hearts open, he will look at us,
his eyes filled with compassion, and say,
“Because there is suffering in your heart,
it is possible for you to enter my heart.”
However, Buddhism is a religion by
any definition of that indefinable term,
unless one defines religion as belief
in a creator God. The great majority
of Buddhist practice over history, for
both monks and laypeople, has been
focused on a good rebirth in the next
lifetime, whether for oneself, for one’s
family, or for all beings in the universe.
The famous phrase “four noble truths”
is a mistranslation. The term “noble” in
Sanskrit is aryan, a perfectly good word
meaning “noble “ or “superior” that was
ruined by the Nazis. Aryan is a technical
term in Buddhism, referring to someone
who has had direct experience of the
truth and will never again be reborn as
an animal, ghost, or hell being. The four
truths of suffering, origin, cessation,
and path are true for such enlightened
beings. They are not true for us; we
don’t understand that life is suffering.
So the term means the “four truths for
the [spiritually] noble.” The Buddha
said, This Dhamma is for one who wants
little, not for one who wants much;
This Dhamma is for the contented, not
for the discontented; This Dhamma is
for the secluded, not for one who is
fond of society; This Dhamma is for the
energetic, not for the lazy; This Dhamma
is for the mindful, not for the confused;
This Dhamma is for the composed, not
for the flustered; This Dhamma is for the
wise, not for the unwise; This Dhamma is
for the precise and the one who delights
in exactness, not for the diffused or the
one who delights in diffusion.
For Sharing of Loving-Kindness,
May I be well, happy, peaceful and
prosperous. May no harm come to me;
may no difficulties come to me; may
no problems come to me. May I always
meet with success. May I also have
patience, courage, understanding, and
de termination to meet and overcome
inevitable difficulties, problems, and
failures in life. May my parents be well,
happy, peaceful and prosperous. May no
harm come to them; may no difficulties
come to them; may no problems
come to them. May they always meet
“Thinking
always about
happiness”….
with success. May they also have
patience, courage, understanding, and
determination to meet and overcome
inevitable difficulties, problems, and
failures in life. May my teachers be well,
happy, peaceful and prosperous. May no
harm come to them; may no difficulties
come to them; may no problems
come to them. May they always meet
with success. May they also have
patience, courage, understanding, and
determination to meet and overcome
inevitable difficulties, problems, and
failures in life.
May my family be well, happy,
peaceful and prosperous. May no harm
come to them; may no difficulties come
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 19
to them; may no problems come to them.
May they always meet with success.
May they also have patience, courage,
understanding, and determination
to meet and overcome inevitable
difficulties, problems, and failures in
life. May my friends be well, happy,
peaceful prosperous May no harm come
to them; may no difficulties come to
them; may no problems come to them.
May they always meet with success.
May they also have patience, courage,
understanding, and determination
to meet and overcome inevitable
difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
those unfriendly to me be well, happy,
peaceful and prosperous. May no harm
come to them; may no difficulties come
to them; may no problems come to them.
May they always meet with success.
May they also have patience, courage,
understanding, and determination
to meet and overcome inevitable
difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
all living beings be well, happy, peaceful
and prosperous. May no harm come
to them; may no difficulties come to
them; may no problems come to them.
May they always meet with success
May they also have patience, courage,
understanding, and determination
to meet and overcome inevitable
difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
Taiwan
The Secretary General of
Taiwan Buddhist Association,
Secretary General of the
World Buddhism Bhikkhuni
Association & the Chinese
Buddhism Bhikkhuni
Association, Abbess of Miau
Kuang Chan Monastery,
Wan Fa Monastery, Zhi
Cheng Monastery, Tai Ming
Monastery & Zheng Jue Chan
Monastery
Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
Shih Jian Yin
W
hen we take time to calm
the mind, to reflect on
the supreme qualities
of consciousness – the
innate wisdom and compassion of the
awakened mind – we cannot fail to
acknowledge the presence of all those
fellow living beings that constitute the
entirety of our conscious experience – all
those brothers and sisters of this lived
reality.
Recollecting what it means to be
human, bringing into consciousness our
humanness and its inseparability from
the entirety of the natural environment
that sustains and maintains us, the most
obvious and pressing need of our time is
Mahakaruna (Compassion in Action).
Through great compassion, which
is the most natural expression of great
wisdom, we can transform our outlook
and activities, and strive to address the
many challenges and threats that our
world faces today – from sectarianism,
violence, poverty, hunger, disease,
environmental degradation, excessive
consumerism, and so on. Now is the
“Compassion
& Meditation
in Action”….
time to raise public awareness and
recognition of the truly priceless value
of life, to foster a deep appreciation
and gratitude for all that others and this
Earth provides for us, to celebrate our
shared humanity, and to focus our vision,
mission and principal objectives on
conserving and preserving our precious
ecological heritage.
With the Buddha’s teachings
forefront, and with the organisation’s
guiding motto of “Meditation in Action,
Compassion in Action”, our vision and
mission at the Mahabodhi International
Meditation Centre (MIMC) Ladakh
has always been focused on the
transformative power of awakening the
full human potential that lies within each
20 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
The
realization
of the
awakened
mind….
and every individual we work with.
MIMC currently delivers more
than sixty-four transformative social
programmes, all of which are in line
to the UN’s 2030 Global Vision, which
calls for the achievement of seventeen
Sustainable Development Goals for a
better future for a better world.
Besides its multifarious social
and humanitarian services, MIMC is
also proactively involved in building
community peace and harmony, and
in cultural preservation programmes,
through the delivery of interfaith and
interreligious dialogues and forums,
and through various national and
international festivals promoting the
preservation of the Buddhist and
Himalayan cultural heritage.
It is true to say, MIMC plays a
leading role in promoting national
integration, world peace, interfaith
harmony, environmental protection, and
cultural heritage, organising numerous
international conferences, seminars,
festivals, workshops, and meditation and
yoga courses each year. Every activity
intentionally guided by the brilliant
and non-discriminating light of the
Sanathana Dhamma, which awakens
through the purity of its eternal wisdom
and transforms through the power of its
selfless compassion.
The Lord Buddha is the main
teacher who inspired me. Not exactly
in terms of socially engaged Buddhism,
but the Buddha inspired me. He was full
of compassion. I think many Buddhists
do not properly understand the
Buddha’s teachings. Many people keep
on reciting the Buddha’s teachings of
“love compassion,” “love compassion,”
but those ideals must be brought into
action. This is what we are trying to
do. One of our slogans is “Compassion
in action, meditation in action.” Not
just simply going around sitting in the
high seat and talking about compassion
without action. We don’t believe that.
The Buddha’s teaching is compassion in
action. It is meditation in action. That is
what we are trying to do.
Then, while visiting several
countries, I got inspired by some other
great people in India like Sathya Sai
Baba. He is another wonderful role
model. He built the best hospital offering
free treatment for the poor. He also
offers the best free education for the
people, as well as meditation teachings
for foreigners. I also met some great
masters in Taiwan and Thailand. I got
inspiration from many others, but mainly
the Buddha.
The Buddha’s teachings are very
much socially engaged, but slowly, over
the course of time, camps dividing the
monastic orders and society developed.
With the monks living in monasteries
far away from society, lay people didn’t
have much contact with them except
when going to the temple to seek some
blessings, or occasionally when hearing
sermons. I feel they have to come closer
and work together. Monastics have a
distinct role to play, but they have to work
together. Unless they come together and
work together, the Buddha’s message
cannot be spirited effectively among
the people. So I saw that clearly, and
felt that there is a need for a Buddhist
organization where we can reduce the
gap. I’m very glad that Mahabodhi has
been able to bring these two worlds
together. Today, our monks and nuns
living on this campus are working very
closely with the people while not losing
their own distinct identity or their own
role as a monk or a nun.
Youth are a very important part
of society and the world. Today’s
youth require proper guidance and
inspiration. Many youths are lacking this.
Unfortunately, our education system
is terrible. Our schools, colleges and
universities are not giving the correct
guidance to youth. They go to colleges
and universities and learn how to
develop greed in the name of knowledge
and wisdom. We are taught how to go
into space and how to work in space
without knowing how to live here on this
Earth. They do not use the word greed,
but they teach greed. So the youth do
not have proper guidance, and they
get caught up. They don’t know. That’s
why so many young people get addicted
to drugs and commit suicide. You need
guidance, and this guidance comes from
spiritual education, not from universities
and colleges.
Unavoidably, children have to
acquire the general education, which I
personally am not in much favor of, but
it cannot be avoided. The whole society
is based on this education system. After
finishing their studies, students have
to get a job and earn something. They
will be asked, what’s your qualification,
what’s your certificate. For that reason
they have to get the general education.
Along with that aspect of education,
we very much emphasize the moral
education, the spiritual education, the
meaning and purpose of life.
The most important thing is to
realize the true nature of existence. The
true nature of existence is that we are all
temporarily here. We are like visitors, we
are like guests. We are not going to live
thousands of years. During your visit you
cannot afford to spend your time fighting
and quarrelling and accumulating more
than you need. Once we realize this,
then the unnecessary greed, desire,
and ego, which are the sources of all
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 21
problems, will disappear, and our life
will be different. We will learn to live a
contented life.
Spiritual education comes from the
teachings of the enlightened one. So we
emphasize, we inspire and encourage the
students to study the teachings. Through
the spiritual teachings, children learn
how to grow in love, compassion and
goodwill. Every morning they meditate,
pray and attend regular dharma lessons,
which other schools do not do. Other
schools emphasize getting higher and
higher 100 per cent marks and then
announce to people: “Children from our
school are first ranked.”
Through spiritual education,
students here learn how to open their
hearts toward all of humanity — not just
Buddhists, Indians, and Asians, but open
up to all brothers and sisters. We are all
sharing the same planet, living under
one sun, one moon and one sky.
India
Founder & President of
Mahabodhi International
Meditation Centre, Leh,
Ladakh, India, Founder
& President of save the
Himalaya Foundation - New
Delhi, Founder & President
of Foundation of Indian
Buddhist New Delhi, India
Most Venerable Bhikkhu
Sanghasena
 Center” was established to help the
monks, nuns and public to detox and
achieving excellent health concepts..
04 - To organize detoxification courses
in Southeast Asia.. 05 - In 2008, the
“Lianhua Yuan Life and Health Center”
was established in Puli, Taiwan, to
train the monks, nuns and public on
total holistic health.. 06 - In co-operate
with the “Santi Asoke Pure Land
Organization”in Thailand, to conduct
courses on detoxification and health
care. Then hundred detoxification
centers were established in Thailand and
become living health medicines for Thai
people.. 07 - In 2012, the “Auspicious
World Life Health Education Center” was
established in Yangmingshan, Taipei. It
integrates ancient and modern Chinese compassion in our heart and minimize by combining Buddhism with ancient
and foreign natural therapy, religious the greed, hatred and ignorance. and modern medical science. She has
medicine, biochemical technology, In 2013, the “ChongHua Miaojing founded the Auspicious World in Taipei
energy medicine, diet and nutrition, Food Culture Association” actively and dedicated her life in promoting the
and other health care knowledge and promoted “Plant-Based Diet to Save physical and mental health education.
technology. It simplifies the complicated the Earth” , also to protect health, and She also founded Yang Qing (meaning

T
medical science to apply it easily in our minimize the waste of resources-- . rest and cleanse) Kitchen whose mission
he Tao of Food, Foods to Awaken daily living and enhance the body’s self- “Foods to Awaken Living Beings, Food to is to teach people how to make nutritious
Living Beings, Food to Protect healing power and enable every one of Protect the Earth, Food to Nourish our vegetarian cuisines and to promote
the Earth, Food to Nourish our us to be our own doctor.08 - In 2015, Bodies, Food to Enliven our Hearts, and vegetarianism in order to save the earth.
Bodies, Food to Enliven our Venerable Yen Ding was awarded the Food to Brighten the Way of Life!”
Hearts, Food to Brighten the Way of Life.
The Tao of Eating - To protect our lives sustained on our Mother Earth” Pray

The Tao
and earth with right food. To nurse one’s before every meal, we touch the heart
body and mind with right food. To enter of heaven and earth Once upon a time,

Experience…
the way of Tao with right food. there was a big fire in the forest. When
According to a UN report, animal all the animals were anxiously escaping
husbandry is responsible for 51% of from the fire, a bird was trying its best
greenhouse gas emissions and is the to save its family and home by putting
main reason for global warming. It is out the fire. It carried the water from
everyone’s responsibility to save the the lake with its peak and feathers and
earth and all beings with vegetarian diet. sprayed it upon the fire. After a few
If one person can persuade 10 people rounds going back and forth, it became
toward vegetarian diets, then the 10th extremely tired. This act of benevolence
power of 10 is ten billion. This is the ace moves a divine being into sending rainfall
in our hand to win back our earth. to distinguish the fire. This story tells us
There are already many that although we have limitation in our
organizations in the world promoting
vegetarianism. Even the Christians have
“Tao is the individual strength, there’s no boundary
in our mind.
founded their vegetarian union, we as
Buddhists should be active in this. You
best.”…. Global warming has become
almost irreversible; it is time to promote
are welcome to join the Firefighting Bird nutritious and healthy vegetarian food
Campaign to vow not to eat the flesh of The story of a bird putting out the with the help of our mental power. We
all beings to save our earth. Please tick
the boxes below:
fire
“I am the guardian of our Earth , I
encourage all people to pray for the
earth before every meal. Just as the Honorary President of “International Ven. Yen Ding was invited to speak
Taiwan
01 - One vegetarian meal per day.promote meatless diet to reduce carbon bird that touches the heart of the divine Naturopathy Association of China.” and conduct Detox and Rejuvenate
02 - One vegetarian meal per week. 03 emissions. . So, our Mother Earth can being, our earth will be reborn because Diseases are mainly arising from courses and Healthy Vegetarian
- Vegetarian meals per week. 04 - Tell finally breathe Greenhouse effect makes of our right efforts. the poor modern diets. Especially on Cooking classes worldwide. In 2018,
the ice melt Where else can all beings
10 friends of yours to pray before every Most Venerable Bhiksuni Shih Yen meat-based diet, human beings not only she was appointed by the “World Vegan
live? Protect the world with vegetarian
meal . 05 - Request local restaurants to Ding born on March 1, 1951, in Republic kill and create violence, but also destroy Organization” as a Health Food Charity
diet Enrich everyday life with rainbow
provide vegetarian dishes. 06 - Organize of China, Taiwan. Education: Graduated the earth, forest and enviroment. Waste Ambassador, regardless of religion or
a group to promote vegetarian diet. cuisines With a self-disciplined mind and from “Corning Nursing School” and of water on animal farming, create ethnicity, she spreads the mindfulness of
less desires We help cleansing the world “Kaiyuan Zen College”. Experiences: greenhouse effects, deteriorate the earth plant-based diet to save the earth and all Founder of Auspicious World
climate, and worsen the ecological life living beings. promoting the physical and
There is good concept for Prayers by purifying our mind 01 - Hospital care work for 5 years. mental health education
before Meals…. Bless all creatures before every 02 - Buddhist College Supervisor over cycle. We are in great danger, the most With the medical background, Taipei - Taiwan
meal We thank the world with sincerity 1 year. 03 - In 2004, the “Auspicious direct and effective way to save the earth Most Venerable Bhiksuni Yen Ding was Most Venerable Bhiksuni
With an awakened mind Lives are Guangyu Detoxification and Purification is to become “vegetarian” to raise the aspired to ease the suffering from illness Yen Ding

22 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 23


The Validity of
Present life….
O
ne who truly seeks one’s
spiritual well-being and welfare
should put “metta” into action
in all spheres of life. First of all,
he should develop the skill of properly
managing, with full awareness, every
aspect and every moment of his life,
from the time he gets up in the morning
till he retires at night. He must be skillful
in everything that he does, thinks and
says. These three modes of action should
be so oriented, so influenced and so
imbued, by metta or universal love, by
the wish for all beings to be happy. So,
one quality or virtue that one has to
imbibe and cultivate in order to walk the
spiritual path and live according to metta
which is to say one has become skillful
in whatever one does. Life is a very
complex thing.
We have our individual life, than we
have our family life, than our professional
life and then we have our social life. So,
there are so many different levels of life
and metta must guide us at all these
levels. Metta in action must be expressed
in the form of skillful management of
every aspect, moment and level of our
lives. We should know how to manage
ourselves with metta in our personal life
and how to do the same in our dealings
with our family members, with the group
or community that we live with and in
24 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
our professional life. In order to make
our interactions with others meaningful,
we must develop the necessary skills
so that we are competent and are not
dependent on others to do things for us
that we can do ourselves. For this, one
has to be absolutely straightforward
and upright. A person who is not
straightforward, who is crooked in his
outlook, crooked his actions, crooked in
his behavior, cunning and hypocritical,
can never practice universal love in
any form. One has to be honest and
upright and only then can one develop
skillfulness in managing one’s life.
Uprightness requires that you
do what you say and practice what
you preach. In this way, there must be
no conflict in your life in any manner,
whether in your personal life or your
family life, your professional life or
your social life. Straightforwardness
or uprightness is the beginning of the
practice of metta. To be straightforward,
one must have some kind of idea of
rightness or properness, that which is
right and proper so that one lives by
it and becomes upright. You become
upright when you have an idea about
what is right. If you don’t have a clear
notion of what exactly is right and wrong,
how can be upright? And, if you are not
upright, how you can really practice
metta? How can you skillfully manage
your life? One has to think very deeply
about these matters and be honest to
oneself. People love to find fault with
others. Everywhere, you keep seeing
faults in others. But, the honest person
sees the faults first within himself. He
realizes that he has plenty of faults of his
own.
Metta or loving kindness is very
opposite of finding fault with other
people. Being negative, always finding
with others these are terrible qualities
that make your life miserable. So,
we should consciously try to stop
ourselves before we fall prey to the
temptation of seeking faults in others.
The Metta consists of unbounded and
unconditioned thoughts of love towards
all living beings for their well-being and
happiness, without any discrimination.
It embraces the entire world of
sentient beings alike. It is mixed with
kindness. There must not be any kind
of attachment mixed with it. It is pure
love, free from attachment. Therefore, it
is not easy to practice. As unconditional
love, it is completely different from the
love involved in sensual matters. In fact,
sensual love is the indirect enemy of
true loving kindness is a very effective
antidote for anger. The kindness is
compassionate loving thoughts towards
those who are in distress or sorrow.
It should embrace beings faced with
troublesome situations. Those who
cultivate such noble thoughts will try
their best by world and deed to alleviate
those in need to free them from those
miserable situations.
Those who possess real kindness
are not concerned with the ethnic or
religious background of victims or their
social statues, education, economic
situation, color or any such barrier when
helping others. They will just focus their
attention on the problems faced by the
victims. Brutality is the direct enemy
of compassion. Its indirect enemy is
misery involving emotional feelings,
when seeing hapless being in pain. Being
emotional just does not help anyone.
The Sympathetic Joy is the feeling of
genuine happiness at other’s joy and
happiness. It is not at all easy to be happy
about other’s success or achievement
if one’s mind is full of jealous thoughts
about others success. One should be
able to appreciate the gains, fame
and reputation, honor and success in
various matters in connection with the
lives of others. Most people are happy
with the success of their dear and near
ones, not with those of others. However,
there should not be any limitations
or boundaries in the practice of this
virtue. It is important to train oneself
to feel happy with the success of others
whether they are one’s relatives, friends
or otherwise. Jealousy is known as the
direct enemy of sympathetic joy. Elation
is known as its indirect enemy.
The Equanimity is mental
composure. It is not easy to acquire
equanimity if one’s mind is easily
occupied with the extremes of
attachment for again, good reputation,
blame and pain. A mind with equanimity
will embrace all good or bad and positive
or negative phenomena, without any
distinction. The ability to maintain
serenity of mind, without being effected
“Forget
by those two extremes is genuine
equanimity. This works in different levels
at different stages. When other virtuous
qualities are pervaded with equanimity, the past… Metta is universal loving kindness that
we have been discussing. It is said that
they will get matured soon. The direct
enemy of this is attachment to the good
Live in the numerous benefits accrue from the
present”….
practice of metta. What are these? It
and resentment of the bad. Its indirect
is said that one who practices metta
enemy is lack of concern due to delusion.
sleeps well & happily, wakes up happily
The learnt a method of leading a
does not suffer bad dreams, is dear to
meaningful life, they no longer cared
human beings, is dear to non-human
about the past. They certainly did learn
beings as well, the gods protect him, no
important lessons from the past, but
fire or weapons or poison injures him,
they didn’t wallow in thinking about the
his mind gets quickly concentrated his
past. If you are not captive to the past or
features are bright, he dies unperturbed.
to the future, but live constantly in the
So, the regular practice of metta brings
present. The past has gone, never come
several practical benefits to one in her
back again. The future is yet to come.
or his daily life. They are very important
So, why obsess about both that don’t
benefits. Metta can neutralize all these
exist at the present moment? Worrying
negative tendencies completely. So, in
or repenting about past won’t change
this manner, metta both is freedom of
the past one bit. It will only make you
the mind and it can also bring about
more depressed and angry. Likewise,
freedom of the mind. When you cultivate
obsessing about the future won’t help
unselfish love and universally apply it
you at all. After all, no one knows for sure
towards all creatures, you develop a
what’s going to happen in the future, not
mind which is benevolent, loving, kind,
even in the next second. Nothing at all
forbearing and forgiving. You don’t
about the future is really predictable
remember the past. Metta saves you, so
and so all the fears and fantasies you
practice it ardently and sincerely.
wallow in about the future may well
turn out to be completely unfounded.
Right vision or right understanding
is the knowledge of the four Nobble
Truths: unsatisfactoriness, the cause
of unsatisfactoriness, the cession of
unsatisfactoriness and the path leading Taiwan
to the cession of unsatisfactoriness.
Right thought consists of dispassionate
thoughts, loving thoughts and
compassionate thoughts.
You’re agonizing about it can only
President of the Outstanding
lead you to fear and sorrow. Life itself Women in Buddhism Awards
is unpredictable, uncertain. You don’t (OWBA), President of the
know what is going to happen after half Chinese Charactor Education
an hour you may die, you may continue Promotion Association,
Deputy President of the
to live, all kinds of things can happen. So, World Alliance of Buddhists
it is as absolutely useless to brood over (WAB)
the future as it is to wallow in guilt and Most Venerable Bhiksuni
remorse for the past. Live in the present. Dr. Ming Yu
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 25
 Exchanging Experience with

The Grand Master Tony Lim of Overseas Counterparts, Learning is

Boundless, To promote Taoism and the

San Tan Xuan Men….

temple, Master Tony Lim have visited
Mainland China, Taiwan, the Philippines,
Malaysia, and Korea, to keep in contact
with other Taoist organizations exchange
knowledge with each other, to foster
the relationship with them. Master Tony
Lim was nicknamed the “Dragon of His
Excellency Bao”, the first to enjoy such
an alias connected with His Excellency
Bao in the local Taoist fraternity. Even
though a nickname is meant to sneer,
it is used with utmost respect in this
case, as His Excellency is one of the
most revered figure in Chinese history.
Therefore, a nickname connected with

A
2010, practicing Taoist rituals officially as His Excellency Bao is in reflection the
“San Tan Xuan Long Fa Tan”. Up to today, high integrity of the person being so
Family of Taoist History, a Strict
Master Tony Lim have about a hundred named. Today, the temple develops into
Father and a Reputed Master,
students and disciples in Singapore, and a majestic four story building, much to
Master Tony Lim, who is the
the numbers are increasing by the day. the credit of the late Mr Lim Teck Lian,
current Chief Master of Tien
He selects his students with stringent the former chairman. The current Chief
Sen Tua Temple comes from a Taoist
requirements, looking at their innate Master of Tien Sen Tua Temple is Master
family. Build on the foundation he has
quality, perseverance, and diligence. Tony Lim, who comes from a Taoist
learn from his late father, he went
With his incessant effort in providing family. As the main deity worship in Tien
under the wing of a famous “San Tan”
training to the disciples, Tien Sen Tua Sen Tua Temple is His Excellency Bao and
teacher, and successfully mastered the
Temple is also known as the Taoist being the chief medium, Master Tony
mystical skills of the “San Tan”. With the
temple in Singapore to have the most Lim is also nicknamed “Dragon of His
foundation and knowledge from his late
number of mediums. He is also sincere, Excellency Bao”.
father and teacher, through decades of
righteous, well-loved and trusted by the
hard work and perseverance, Master Lim Buddhika Sanjeewa
devotees, both locally and overseas.
have established “San Tan Xuan Men” in After the visit to Singapore

26 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 27


The
Amazing
Relaxation
Zen….
L
et’s practice the relaxation Zen.
What is relaxation? Relaxation is
no attachment. Let all of the stress
disappear from your body. Let your
body be air, be light, so easy, so soft. It’s
like you melt into the universe. When we
practice relaxation, we may either stand
or sit. Before we practice relaxation, let’s
adjust our bodies and minds. Visualize
our bodies are as flexible as sponges.
When we squeeze a sponge, it becomes
small and tight. When we release the
sponge, it immediately returns to its
original shape.
To practice relaxation, we first start
from our bodies’ support posts. Let’s
relax our skeletons. To relax the skeleton,
we begin with our skulls. Let them be as
soft as sponges, floating in space. No
pressure, very comfortable, very soft.
Next, let our jaws drop, let the facial bones
be as easy as a baby’s, smiling naturally.
Then, let’s loosen our neck bones one
by one. Our neck bones are very, very
soft. And full of air, very comfortable,
no stress. Next, let’s drop our shoulders.
Vacuum out all of the stress. Let them
float comfortably. Now, let’s relax our
arms, hands, palms and fingers. Let them
fall softly down. Let all of the weight
drop to the ground and fall to the center
of the earth. Now, our arms are relaxed.
Now, let’s relax our rib bones. They are
very soft and very relaxed. Each rib is
filled with air, hanging above our organs.
Let’s drop our shoulder blades, too.
Completely loosen them and release
them. And fill our spines with air, from
top to bottom; loosen every disc; let
them float. Then, our hip bones, thigh
28 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
bones, knee caps, calf bones, foot bones
and toe bones -- every bone is full of air,
relaxed completely. Now we are standing
on the earth. Let’s give all our weight to
the earth. Then, melt into it. Next let’s
relax our skin, and muscles. Let’s begin
with the skin and muscles of our heads.
Visualize the muscles of our heads are
balloons; full of air, very soft, light, and
relaxed. Our facial muscles are relaxed
and perfect; just like a baby’s, smiling
forever. Our necks are very soft, relaxed,
and comfortable. Our shoulders, arms,
hands, palms and fingers are completely
relaxed. Feel your arms floating. You are
swimming in air. Your chest, abdomen
and the sides of your body are also
relaxed totally. You can feel air coming
in and going out from every inch of your
skin. Every inch of your skin is full of air
and very relaxed and soft.
Your back, waist, hips, thighs,
knees, calves, feet and toes are all
relaxed completely. Now you are a
balloon full of air. Now the body is so
comfortable, so light, floating without
pressure. Next, we are going to relax
our inner muscles and organs. First,
let’s begin with our brains; relax from
the center of our brains. Release all of
the stress. Let every cell of the brain be
like a bubble, pressureless. Release from
inside to outside. Every part of the brain
is relaxed. Then, our eyes, relax from
inside of our eye balls. Let the white
of your eyes be as blue as an ocean, a
baby’s eyes. Then, let’s relax our ears
from inner ears to middle ears to outer
ears. Completely released and relaxed.
Relax our noses from inside to outside.
Our breathing systems are clear and
comfortable. The air goes through every
part of our organs and cells smoothly.
Our mouths, tongues and teeth are all
relaxed. Our throats are relaxed from
inside to outside, our shoulders, arms,
hands, palms, and fingers, are all relaxed
from insides to outsides.
They become soft and without
pressure. Our chests, abdomens, hearts,
livers, spleens lungs, stomachs, and
intestines are all relaxed completely.
We can feel they are breathing by
themselves, very light, very gentle,
without the slightest stress. Our backs,
waists, kidneys are all relaxed. Hips,
“You are thighs, knees, calves, feet and toes -- all
of the muscles are completely relaxed
standing in
from inside out. You can feel every cell
is breathing. Every pore is open. Air goes
the universe’s through your body, in and out, freely. All
of the air, inside of your body and outside
brightness”…. of your body, is one. Now we are going to
transform the body, raise the energy of
life. Now, let’s visualize every cell of our
bodies is completely relaxed. They are all
breathing happily. There is no stress on
any cell. Every cell is as light, and soft as
a snow flake, very light and soft. In the
clear blue sky, the sun is shining brightly.
The lights are shinning on your body. Your
body is melting, turning into crystal clear
water, without any pressure. Your hair
is also turning into crystal clear water.
Your skull and brain are also turning into
crystal clear water.
Your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth
the whole head is turning into crystal
clear water. Your neck, throat, shoulders,
arms, hands, palms, fingers are all
becoming crystal clear water. Your chest,
abdomen, heart, liver, spleen, lungs,
stomach and intestines are all becoming
crystal clear water. Your back, waist, and
kidneys -- the whole upper body turns
into crystal clear water. Your hips, thighs,
knees, calves, feet and toes are becoming
crystal clear water, too. Now you become
crystal clear human-shaped water. Now
the bright sun light is getting brighter.
Every part of your body is getting lighter.
Now the body is not just turning into
water, but evaporating into air. Now your
hair is turning into air. No pressure at all.
The skull, brain, eyes, ears, nose, and
mouth -- the entire head is becoming
air. All of the pressure disappears. Your
throat, neck, shoulders, arms, hands,
palms, fingers are all becoming air. You
melt into the air.
Your chest, abdomen, heart, liver,
spleen, lungs, stomach, intestines, back,
waist, and kidneys are all becoming air.
Hips, thighs, knees, calves, feet, toes
are all becoming air. Now the pressures
are all released. The body is becoming
air. Your body is joyful. The energy
level moves up. Now the whole body is
turning into bright light. It’s as unreal as
the rainbow, and as clear as crystal. Your
body is the bright sun in the clear blue
sky. Your body is becoming transparent
and glittering. Your hair is becoming
bright sunlight. Your skull, brain, eyes,
ears, nose, mouth, the whole head is
becoming bright sunlight. Your throat,
neck, shoulders, arms, hands, palms,
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 29
and fingers are becoming bright sunlight.
Your chest, abdomen, heart, liver, spleen,
lungs, stomach, intestines, back, waist,
and kidneys are all becoming bright sun
light. Your hips, thighs, knees, calves,
feet and toes are all becoming bright
sun light, as clear as crystal, shining on
the universe. The universe is also shining
back onto you.
Now, it’s not just your body which
is bright and clear; the universe is bright
and clear, too. Now you are standing
in the universe’s brightness. Your body
is shining the endless bright light on to
the universe. And the universe is also
shining the endless bright light on to you.
The universe is transparent, and bright.
Now, your body is very comfortable and
blissful. There is no stress. And your
thoughts are becoming clearer and
clearer. You notice that the past thoughts
have passed. The future thoughts are
not yet here. You don’t have to think
about it. The current thoughts -- one
after one -- are very clear, and you can
see the thoughts better and better, until
finally, there are no thoughts, not even
the thought of brightness. There is no
imagination in the entire body or mind.
You and universe are one. The one shines
the bright lights by itself. Your mind is
completely empty and enlightened.
You are aware of everything. It is like a
mirror. It is clear and reflects everything
clearly. You are bright, empty and full of
peace.
Now, let allow our minds to
come back to the normal state; put the
universe’s bright light into our hearts.
Open your eyes. Slowly move your bodies
from side to side; gradually increasing
the action. Slowly bring your bodies and
minds back to the normal state. Now
your bodies and minds are full of power,
full of energy. And full of brightness.
Everything is perfect and peaceful.
Thaiwan
The World Famous Buddha
Painting Master, Earth
Zen Person, International
Meditation Teacher, Founder
of Enlightening Earth
Association, Buddha Cultural
& Bodhisattva Association in
Taiwan
Most Venerable Master
Chi Sung Hung
W
hat are Miracles - The
word miracle is defined
in Oxford Dictionary as
follows, “An extraordinary
and welcome event that is not
explicable by natural or scientific laws
and is therefore attributed to a divine
agency”. In Marghadi language the
word used is Prathihar. This too means
something that is ordinary not capable
to do. In the teachings of Enlightened
One, the Dhamma there are three
types of miracles, 01 - Irdhi Prathihar.
02 - Adesana Prathihar. 03 - Anusasana
Prathihar.
Irdhi Prathihar - This is the ability
of a human to do things that cannot be
done ordinarily or even with any kind
of instruments. For example, we know
that to launch a rocket into outer space
enormous amounts of money is spent,
yet at times with negative results such
as explosion of the rocket where in some
cases even the astronauts too lose their
lives. However, in the past (may be even
now) people who had attained the eight
Dhayanas had the ability to either go
by air, walk over the water or dive into
the earth. Enlightened One abhorred
this practice and ordered that no Bhikku
should do this (Enlightened One Buddha
and many Arahath Bhikkus were able to
perform this miracle).
With the power of the Dhyana,
these people had the ability to ensure
that the somatic body is of the level
as of the mind with the somatic body
being visible from outside and able to
walk over water, able to go in the air or
so fine that it can dive into earth. When
a certain god came to see Buddha one
night at Sravasthi in Jetha Vihar, and
unable to stand on the earth as his body
was sinking into earth, Buddha told the
god to make the body dense with his
godly power. As stated earlier, Buddha
30 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
imposed rules that prevented any Bhikku
from doing such miracles.
Adesana Parthihar - Here people
with these Dhayanas had the ability to
read others minds. It should be known
that consciousness of people that is
illustrated with the four Maha Bhuthas
and thus with name-form/perceptions
leads to mind formation. With the
supernatural power arising from the
Dhayanas such people have the ability
to read others minds. Here too Buddha
abhorred this practice and in both the
case of Divine power as well as the Mind
reading power he ruled that if any monk
were to do that such person will have
committed Dukula Evatha, a serious
offense.
Anusasana Prathihar - The
Enlightened One fully endorsed this
miracle. What is Anusasana Prathihar?
It is these 6 fold qualities, 01 - Think
of these and do not think of these
02 - Contemplate these and do not
contemplate these. 03 - Jettison these
and cultivate and practice these.
First Quality – Think these and not
these
In the eightfold noble path, the
second factor is Right thoughts. What
are these? It is relinquishing or non-
attachment, not having hatred and not
harming any others. In fact, these three
not only apply to others but to self as
well.
To relinquish, does not mean to
leave one’s abode, and all things and go
to a forest. Of course, those ordained
as Bhikku needs to give up all that and
yet a lay person can also practice these
aspects where one looks to give without
attachment, be of no aversion towards
others and even to self and do not harm
in any way others as well as have harmful
feeling to self. As can be seen today in
abundance great number of humans
The
Miracles….
seem to have enmity towards self from
the amount of suicides and harm that
people are causing self.
Second Quality – Contemplate
these and not these
In great many discourses Buddha
would extoll Bhikkus to listen well and
to contemplate well. In wisdom there
are three aspects, wisdom arising from
reading Dhamma or listening Dhamma,
Wisdom from contemplation of
Dhamma and wisdom from Meditation.
Thus as can be observed contemplation
of right things leads to wisdom. On the
contrary, contemplation of hate, anger,
causing harm to others, desire to commit
immoral acts, desires to break the 5
precepts all should not be indulged in as
that only cause harm to self. these and
Third Quality - Jettison these and
cultivate and practice these
One must know that all the ten
Akusala should be jettisoned. Killing,
stealing, sexual misconduct which are
bodily actions, telling lies, divisive talk,
harsh speech and frivolous talk which
are verbal actions and covetousness,
ill will and wrong view which are mind
actions.
Armed with these ten unskilled and
unwholesome traits no one can walk on
the path to purification. Thus these must
be jettisoned and one must abstain from
doing these actions. The abstinence and
the development of wholesome actions
are the right actions. One can find the
skilled Kusala karma that one should
practice in the Karaniya Meththa Sutra
and also in Maha Mangala Sutra. In fact
these sutras are there not to be recited
during various worldly ceremonial
occasions to bring protection to the
mundane people, but to be practiced all
the time.
For example, the first stanza
in Maha Mangala Sutra says, not to
associate lowly, but to associate wise,
to venerate those who should be
venerated. Sadly, though great majority
has misinterpreted the meanings and see
certain people as lowly, certain others as
wise and certain people to be venerated.
But if one delves into the stanza with
wisdom, what the
Enlightened One meant was not to
be associating those things that defile us,
to associate and develop those actions
that will cleanse our minds and by doing
so such a person/s will become worthy
of veneration by others. If one were to
mean that the stanza refers to persons,
then Angulimala was a lowly person as
he did kill many. Yet, he had the skill or
Kusala to become an Arahath. Cleansing
and defiling is done by self and not one
by another. (Suddi asuddhi pachchathan,
naanna manna visodaye).
While a Dharma Anusasana may
be done by a Bhikku or a lay disciple, the
“Wisdom arising
from Dhamma”….
Anusasana Prathihar is done only by self
and not by another. It is only such people
who walk on the path to purification
shown by Enlightened One Buddha.
Also this Anusasana Prathihar is
clearly evident in the stanza that we often
recite in the veneration of Dhamma.
Swakkatha means that which is properly
and well expounded. The opposite of
this is Durakkatha or wrongly spoken
or expounded, where those who strive
cannot find. Sandittiko means seen here
and now while the opposite Samparyika
means after this life. Akaliako means also
now and not previously or later and thus
is Ehipassiko meaning one can come and
see. Opanaiko means gradually and step
by step, and pachchathan vedithabbo
vinnuhiti means the wise realizing by
self. Thus it is well evident that the whole
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 31
process leads one to experiential wisdom
Thus, while it is a good and
meritorious act to sponsor Dharma
discourses in Electronic Media, Radio
or at temples or other places, the most
important things for people to know
is that by doing so one cannot find the
ultimate truth of nirvana. But those
with Anusasana Prathihar are certainly
on the path to ultimate liberation of
Nirvana as they are in the correct path
to experiential wisdom. Such people
having realized that experiential wisdom
can now give that to others as they now
in the knowledge of the truth.
Sri Lanka.
Formerly Senior Commercial
Manager at Sri Lankan
Airlines and presently
Consultant to Air India
GSA in Sri Lanka.
Sugath Rajapakse

M
ost Venerable Master Hui
Hai, Born in Chao Shan,
China, Ven. Master Hui Hai
received his primary and
secondary school education in Malaysia
and subsequently went to England in the
60’s for his tertiary education. He held a
Bachelor Degree in Science and Double
Master’s Degree in Computer Science
(MSc) and Management Business
Administration (MBA). Master Hui Hai is
honored to be one of the First Malaysian
to receive the Associate Fellowship of
Most
Venerable
Master Hui
Hai....
32 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
“The massive
characters make the
world as the best”….
The Institute of Mathematics (AFIMA)
as a Mathematician, and was elected
Member of The British Computer Society
(MBCS) as a qualified expert Computer
Systems Analyst during early 70’s.
Returning from England with
a solid educational background,
Master Hui Hai has the compassion for
propagating the Teachings of Buddhism
and the Compassion in educating youth
especially in Humanistic Buddhism. He
has a unique approach in planning and
execution of Buddhists events, Dharma
Talks, charitable as well as cultural
activities. He is an influential figure
among Buddhist Monks on development,
cultivation and propagation of Buddhism
in Malaysia. He has written 16 books and
one of his notable quotes say: “There is
no success without obstacles ”.
With his persistence and
perseverance, he has created many
marvels:
In 1994, he launched the 1st
Buddhist Hymns in karaoke edition that
was well received by young Buddhists.
In 1996, he initiated and organized a
massive Master Hsing Yun Dharma Talk
in Shah Alam Stadium, Malaysia, which
was attended by 80,000 strong crowds.
In 1998, he founded Yayasan Humanistic,
which hosted uncountable charitable
activities and events benefiting the less
fortunate in the society.
In 1999, he started the adoption
for needy students. To date, this plan has
benefited 340 students who received
at least RM300 monthly allowance and
many of them have completed university
education who in turn help in supporting
the less fortunate in the programme. In
2000, he kicked off the “ Moral Education
Examination” which was participated by
over 22,000 students.
In 2001, he launched the “
Humanistic Buddhism Unified Test ” over
6,000 people took part in the test and it
was recorded with the highest Buddhist
Tests for that year. In 2002, he initiated
a massive Buddhist Charity Performance
which he composed over 20 Buddhist
songs and published 2 compact discs.
He is one of the well-known calligraphy
masters in Malaysia. His masterpieces
were exhibited locally as well as overseas
including France, Italy and China. The
Group Artists of Domaine de la Source,
Sain Domain au Mount d’Or, France has
certified and commented Ven. Master’s
calligraphy as “ Modern Creative
Calligraphic Art Master “ in Paris, France.
Tokens raised from his calligraphy were
donated for school education fund.
Founded Humanistic Publication which
published 3 Buddhist Magazines and
over 16 books which were used by many
Buddhist Associations in the country as
important teaching materials.
Over the years, many International
and local exchange events. For example:
“ the White Horse Temple (in China)
International Calligraphy and Art
Exhibition” in Malaysia. Founded the 1st
Buddhist Monastery in Pahang, Malaysia
which acts as a “cradle” for sanghas. In
2005 founded Dharma Buddhist Uni with
registered student population of 8000 to
date.
“Mettavalokanaya”, the Sri Lankan
Most Popular & Leading monthly
International Buddhist Magazine and
Buddhist website wishers to Most
Venerable Master Hui Hai, to long live
and engage more dhamma effort to the
Buddhist world. Each day you make the
world a better place with your patience,
your knowledge, and all the care and
dedication you put into teaching. You
help shape the minds of the people of
tomorrow, and for that we all thank you.
Buddhika Sanjeewa
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 33
 2019 - 18th Outstanding Women 17 winners) 01 - Most Venerable
in Buddhism Awards (OWBA) Ceremony, Bhikkhuni Xin Guang – Taiwan / 02 -

2019 - 18th
held at the International Nipunin Most Venerable Bhikkhuni Sheng Hua -
Women’s Meditation Center in Wang Taiwan / 03 - Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
Nam Keaw, Thailand on March 06 – 12,

Outstanding
Yen Ding- Taiwan / 04 - Most Venerable
2019. This year 17 women from around Bhikkhuni Phalanani - Germany / 05
the world awarded and honored for their - Most Venerable Bhikkhuni Vimala -

Women in
exceptional contributions to Buddhism. Thailand / 06 - Governor Her Excellency
This Awards Ceremony organized Benjawan Anpruang - Thailand / 07 - Her

Buddhism
under the leadership by Chairman of Excellency Buntha Nhek - Cambodia / 08
the Outstanding Women in Buddhism - Madam Eido Frances Carney - USA / 09
Awards, Most Venerable Bhikkhuni Dr. - Madam Xiaoli Wu - China / 10 - Madam

Awards
Lee. The event Supported by President Dr. Tsung Yueh Chang - Taiwan / 11 -
of the Outstanding Women in Buddhism Madam Hsueh Yu Liu Wang - Taiwan / 12

(OWBA)
Awards (OWBA), President of the - Madam Maechee Juntima Thepraksa -
Chinese Charactor Education Promotion Thailand / 13 - Madam Pranee Nak On
Association, Deputy President of the

Ceremony
- Thailand / 14 - Master Dr. Sreedharan
World Alliance of Buddhists (WAB) Most Sobhana - India / 15 - Madam Sulekha
Venerable Bhikkhuni Dr. Ming Yu. The Kumbhare - India / 16 - Madam Tsewang

Thailand….
event hosted by head of International Dolma - India / 17 - Madam Shova Shakya
Nipunin Women’s Meditation Center - Nepal.
in Wang Nam Keaw, Thailand, Madam
Punyanuch Sae Heng. Buddhika Sanjeewa
2019 18th Outstanding Women in After visit to Thailand
Buddhism Awards Winners…. (Totally

34 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 35

 organizing support jointly Chung Hwa
International Merits Society of Buddha
Puja and Sangha Dana Society. Madam
Wang Shue Yu, the CEO and General
Secretary of Chung Hwa International

Chung Hwa International Merits Merits Society of Buddha Puja and

Sangha Dana Society in Taiwan, Most

Society of Buddha Puja and Sangha

Venerable Bhikkshuni Dr. Ming Yu, Most
Venerable Bhikkhuni Dr. Lee, Madam
Punyanuch Sae Heng also participated as

Dana - Thailand…. the guests of this historic and auspicious

event.

Buddhika Sanjeewa
After visit to Thailand

Chung Hwa International Merits

Society of Buddha Puja and Sangha
Dana Society in Taiwan held special
Maha Sangha Dana at Wang Nam Keaw,
Thailand on March 06 – 12, 2019. That
was the International Maha Sangha
Dana represented by more than 500
Bhikkunies from different countries
including Thailand. The special Taiwanese
Buddhist delegation also participated for

36 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 37


T
he “Buddhist Sangha Health Care
Foundation” annually arranges
special huge Dharma Assembly
in Taiwan as their great event.
On this time they held another one
Buddhist Sangha
huge Dharma Assembly on December
01, 2018 at International Exhibition
Health Care
Center premises, in Taiwan. The Dharma
Assembly held under the blessings &
leading by the Pure Land Temple Chief
Foundation held Master, Most Venerable Master Shih
Tsu Cheng and Buddhist Sangha Health
huge Dharma
Assembly in
Taiwan….
38 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
Care Foundation Founder Hui Ming
Shih conducted the whole program as
singing Ode to the Three Jewels, Practice
Chanting Amitabha Buddha, Chanting
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna
Sūtra and Chanting Merit of Praising the
Sangha Sutra. Master Shih Tsu Cheng’s
chanting is very popular in Taiwan. More
than 5,000 Buddhist Monks and Nuns
also participated the event. Founded in
1988 till now, Buddhist Sangha Health
Care Foundation has been working for
the improvement of sangha’s physical,
mental and spiritual overall health and
providing of medical or nursing services.
They have now gathered around
hundreds of medical professionals
and volunteers in this service, sharing
the same hope that an act of kindness
may inspire more people (including
volunteers and professionals) to join in
the task for the continuity of Buddha’s
teachings.
Buddhika Sanjeewa
After the visit to Taiwan
Official Photographs by Lin Chun Chieh
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 39

T Full Moon
his gathering of the Supreme
Buddhist Leaders from the five
traditions (Theravada, Mahayana,
Vajrayana, Tantrayana and Zen)
are gaining the mutual understanding
and close ties of trust is in conformity to
the noble teachings of the Buddha which
says, “ Happy is the harmony amongst
the Samgha; happy is the practice of
those in harmony” (Sukho samghassa
samaggi; Samagganam thapo sukho).
The Buddha repeatedly points out and
teaches us to allow and practice the
Noble Eightfold Path, i.e. the Middle Path
(Majjhima Patipada). We, as the disciples
and the followers of the Buddha, who are
respecting the Teachings of the Buddha,
should harmoniously join hand in hand to
propagate the Teachings of the Buddha
all over the world and live according to
the basic principles of living, namely,
loving-kindness (metta), compassion
(karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and
equanimity of mind (upekkha).
The records state that the similar
occurrence was observed as far back as
1883 in 29th of April as the full moon day
of Wesak was celebrated in that year. It
was an event of much significance to the
world Buddhist community as it marked
with the birth of Buddhist flag for the
first time in the history of Buddhism.
The introduction of the Buddhist flag as
internationally recognized symbol of the
Buddhist world has come into being on
the Wesak full moon day in 1883, . In
this context, it is advisable to prompt
our Buddhist devotees towards more
and more meritorious deeds relating to
spiritual progress through the activities
like observance of Sil ( morality) and
alms giving etc. at the places like
temples, monasteries, welfare societies,
children’s homes and orphanages. We, as
the leading Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka,
40 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
Gee), making Wesak Lanterns and
other decorative items, Wesak drama
etc. In this manner, the energy and the
burden on preparing for yet another
season of festivities for Wesak Poya
Day, immediately after the New Year
festivities, can certainly be alleviated
in economic sense. Therefore, as in
the case of Wesak day preparations in
1883, we can follow the same procedure
for the forthcoming ‘pre-determined’
Wesak day too , setting apart the day for
the spiritual engagement whilst giving
priority to Wesak celebrations and other
activities (Āmisha Pooja) in the month
The
Therefore, the suggestion we make here
meaningful
Day....
in order to holding the two important
(Āmisha Pooja and Prathipaththi Pooja)
events on the occasion of Wesak day
would like to put forward this suggestion
separately in April and May would be
with our fullest endorsement. On the
more beneficial in the present context. It
one hand, if this arrangement is in place
should be emphatically pointed out that
and full operation, the significance of
the procedure which is being adopted in
the full Moon day would not be unduly
the other Buddhist nations in the world
treated either. Therefore, it is nothing
is quite difficult to put in practical terms
more than a dedication to the spiritual
in today’s context in due to the fact that
advancement of the Buddhist community
this change as against the usual time
on the forthcoming Wesak day.
frame is based on the astrological facts
On the other hand, since coming
and figures.
Poson Full Moon Day coincides it
would be appropriate for the Buddhist
community to devote this day to engage
themselves for the devotional activities,
such as Wesak pandals, processions,
singing of devotional songs (Bhaktee
Sri Lanka.
“Anticipate
Supreme Patriarch of
the Sri Lanka Amarapura
Mahanikaye, Saddharmakirti
meaningful Sri Tripitaka Visharada,
Pravacana Kirti Sri Sāsana
of Full Moon Shobhana, Sri Sumangala
Vidyavatansaka
Day”….
Most Venerable Aggamaha
Pandita Kotugoeda
Dhammavasa Uttareethara
Maha Nayaka Thero
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 41

Amazing service to the
Buddhism - Chung Hwa
International Merits
Society of Buddha Puja
and Sangha Dana....
C
hung Hwa International
Merits Society of Buddha
Puja and Sangha Dana - New
Taipei, Taiwan is the biggest
organization in the world for service to
the Buddhism. Our idea is sincerely to
cultivate filial piety, Tolerance. Also our
principle Institutionalization, openness
of personnel, financial transparency,
internationalization of activities, and
earmarking. And our purpose is a social
group established according to law and
not for profit. To host international and
Buddhist activities, promote international
Buddhist cultural exchanges, promote
Mahayana Buddhism, attract the public,
purify people's hearts, build a pure land,
promote social harmony, and achieve
world peace.
Chung Hwa International Merits
Society of Buddha Puja and Sangha
Dana main task is in conjunction
with the four disciples of Buddhism
and the enthusiastic members of the
society, we will organize domestic and
international activities for the Buddha.
Promote international Buddhist cultural
exchanges to promote Mahayana
Buddhism and build a pure land on
earth. Carry forward the respectful three
treasures, protect the Sangha, and carry
forward the spirit of the great filial piety
of the Shulan Basin. Guide the public and
enter the Buddha to see and see the Fa-
rectification for a long time in the world.
The biggest event in Taiwan’s
42 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
Buddhist world is the International
Conference for the Buddha. Every
July in the lunar calendar, this event
was held all over the country. The ten
parties at home and abroad gathered
together to accept the offer, and the
event was unprecedented. In particular,
the Greater Taipei area has hosted the
International Conference on Buddhist
Rendezvous at the Linkou Gymnasium
for many years. It is also a grand event
in the history of Buddhism. It mobilizes
thousands of volunteers every year. It
is a century project and has been well
received by all walks of life and has
received international attention. focus.
For the Buddha's Sacrifice event
is the result of many years of efforts by
Taiwanese Buddhists. How to continue to
carry forward and make the content of the
conference more complete and complete
is the common wish of all Buddhist
disciples. Because the preparatory units
of the conference have been temporary
organizations over the years, no matter
the manpower or financial resources
can not operate according to the normal
track, especially the annual handover
matters, involving the financial affairs
of the balance, etc., how to properly
handle the handover procedures,
there is no clear statute, so the pole
Institutionalized operational rules
need to be established. Therefore, the
majority of volunteers and Bodhisattvas
initiated a joint signing, and planned
to set up a normal organization to plan
for sustainable management of fixed
assets management, staffing, financial
operations, work plans, selection of
management and supervision, and rules
of association. Thanks to everyone's
collective efforts, "China International
for the Buddha and the Meritorious
Society" was finally born under the
ardent expectations of the public.
The Buddha taught in the "Buddha
said the Shulan Basin": for the Buddha to
be able to surpass the present and even
the seventh parents, and the six relatives
to get the three-way pain, so that the
parents now live for a hundred years,
no disease, no troubles, even VII parents
From the hungry ghosts, the birth of the
heavens, the happiness of the Promise. Of
course, the most important significance
of this activity lies in the widespread
cultivation of Futian, the continuation
of the Buddha's life, to symbolize the
Buddha's blessings and two respects,
so that the Fa-rectification will last for
a long time. Encourage the laymen to
support the three treasures, to get close
to the Fa-rectification, such as rational
thinking, such as the practice of law, this
is the most supreme support. Therefore,
the establishment of the merits and
demerits will allow the participating
volunteers and Bodhisattvas to wash
away the dust and the rain, and get the
Buddha’s righteousness.
Thaiwan
CEO and General Secretary
of Chung Hwa International
Merits Society of Buddha
Puja and Sangha Dana
Society in Taiwan
Wang Shue Yu
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 43

Developing
the mind
ability ….
B
ringing attention to the quality of
our actions and speech reduces
stressful interactions with others.
Given our responsibilities and
the pressures upon us, feeling a certain
amount of stress is probably inevitable.
It is not always a bad thing, and hard to
imagine how making positive changes in
our life, abandoning old unwise habits,
could be possible without any stress at
all. If we are unable to deal with stress
or feel we should not have to deal with
it, we may fail to realize important goals
in our life. Nevertheless, it is possible to
radically reduce the amount of stress we
experience. It helps to simplify our lives
as much as we can and learn to slow
down a little; trying to fit too much into a
day is needlessly wearing.
A more judicial use of resources
reduces stress over personal finances.
Regular exercise, especially yoga and
tai chi (because designed to affect the
nervous system), alleviates much physical
tension, and teaches us to breathe more
naturally. Regular meditation practice
gives us the skill to recognize and let go
of the toxic moods and thoughts that
underlie chronic tension. Unrealistic
expectations of ourselves and those
around us, for instance, can be crippling.
In daily life, taking regular short breaks to
calm and center the mind prevents stress
from gradually accumulating throughout
44 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
the day. These breaks might take the
form of a sixty-second breath meditation
in front of a computer or simply taking
a few deep grounding breaths before
picking up a ringing phone.
Developing the ability to come back
to the present moment and re-establish
a state of calm alertness on a regular
basis throughout the day can make
significant changes to the quality of our
life. Altruism lies at the very heart of the
“Conflicts make
Buddhism tradition. The blossoming of
compassion is seen as the measure of an
actions and
awakening mind. The two pre-eminent speech,”….
virtues possessed by the Buddha were
wisdom and compassion. The Buddha
was enlightened through wisdom and
shared his path of awakening with others
through compassion. In Buddhism,
wisdom and compassion are considered
to be inseparable, like the two wings of
an eagle. The wish to make others happy
or to relieve them of their suffering is
a wonderful jewel of the human mind.
But for noble feelings to lead to effective
action, wisdom is needed. People with
good intentions but lacking sensitivity or
respect for those they are determined
to help can do more harm than good.
from wisdom and is informed by it,
the wise try to help others when they
can, never forgetting that there is no
guarantee their efforts will be successful.
As a result, they do not indulge in
disappointment or despair when things
do not work out. If they are frustrated in
their efforts to help others they dwell in
equanimity, ready to try again whenever
the prevailing conditions allow. The
Buddha said that minds free from toxic
mental states make the most intelligent
long-term decisions. Greed, self-
importance and prejudice arise within
individual minds and, if unattended to,
can have enormous consequences for
communities and nations.
Conceit, impatience, hesitation, saying South Africa.
the wrong thing, or saying the right thing
at the wrong time—there are so many
lapses of judgment, so many character
flaws, that can undermine the best
efforts of the kindest person.
Moreover, and perhaps most
importantly, people sometimes don’t Chief Sangha Nayake Thero
want to be helped or are not ready for of African Continent and
it. The Buddha taught that ripeness is Chief Abbot of Buddhist
Temple & Meditation Centre
all. The wise person understands that all
in Tanzania - South Africa.
beings are the “owners of their kamma”.
Most Venerable Dr Ilukpitiye
In expressing the compassion that flows Pannasekara Thero
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 45

T
he Buddha changed his technique
of instructions in consideration
of the problem confronting the
individual student concerned.
For example, in the case of Venerable
Sona Kolivisa, the method adopted was
just only the reminding of his former
skill he had in producing music from
the lute. The Venerable Sona Kolivisa,
in solitude apart, thought; “The exalted
one’s disciples live in active energy and
I am also one of them. Yet my heart is
not detached and free from the cankers.
My family is rich and I can enjoy riches
and do good. What if I were to give up
the training and revert to lay life, enjoy
riches and do good”
The Buddha coming to know what
he thought, appeared before him and
questioned him and revealed what he
thought. Venerable Sona Kolivisa, replied
in assent. Then the Buddha questioned
him further;
“Sona, were you not, in the old
days at home, clever at playing lute?”
Now Sona, when your lute’s strings were
over strung was your lute then tuneful
and playable? When your lute’s strings
were over lax was your lute then tuneful
and playable? But, when Sona your lute’s
strings were neither over strung nor
over lax but, keyed to the middle pitch
was your lute then tuneful and playable?
Even so Sona, if energy is applied too
forcefully it will lead to restlesssness; if
energy is too lax, it will lead to idleness.
Therefore, Sona keep your energy in
balance keep your spiritual faculties in
balance and seize your object”
Venerable Sona Kolivisa, who
benefited from the instrcution given to
him, attained Arahanthood and visited
the Buddha to declare his achievement.
It is interesting to see how the
46 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
The
Techniques
of Buddhism…
“The Buddha
is the Teacher
of Gods and
Men”….
Buddha gave a graded sequence of
instruction to overcome drowsiness
of Venerable Mahamoggallana. The
Buddha having seen with his divine eye
that Venerable Mahamoggallana was
nodding while meditating, appeared
there and asked him, “Moggallana are you
nodding?” Venerable Mahamoggallana
said, “Yes lord”. Then Buddha continued,
“Well then, Moggallana you should
not give attention to that throught
or dwell on it. Then by doing so, it is
possible that your drowsiness will vanish.
But, if by doing so, your drowsiness
does not vanish, you must ponder over
the Dhamma as you have learnt and
mastered it, you should examine it and
investigate it closely in your mind. Then
by doing so, it is possible that your
drowsiness will vanish.”
But, if by doing so, your drowsiness
does not vanish, then you should recite
in detail the Dhamma as you have learnt
and mastered it. Then by doing so, it is
possible that your drowsiness will vanish.
But, if by doing so, your drowsiness does
not vanish, then you should pull your two
ear lobes and rub your limbs with your
hands. Then by doing so, it is possible
that your drowsiness will vanish.
If your drowsiness still does not
vanish, you should get up from your seat.
After washing your eyes with water, you
should look around in in all directions and
upwards to the stars and constellations.
Then by doing so, it is possible that your
drowsiness will vanish.
If your drowsiness still persists,
you should attend to the perception
of light, resolve upon the preception
of the day light as by day so at night as
at night so by day. Thus with an open
and unencumbered heart, you should
develop a luminous mind. Then it is
possible your drowsiness will vanish.
If your drowsiness still continue to
excites, then your senses turned inward
and your mind not straying outward, you
should take to walking up and down,
being aware of going up and down,
being aware of going to and fro. Then it
is possible by doing so, your drowsiness
will vanish.
But, if still you are overcome by
drowsiness, being mindful and clearly
comprebending, you may lie down, in
the posture of lion, on your right side
placing one foot on the other, keeping
in the mind the thought of rising and
on awakening I must not indulge in the
pleasure of resting and reclining in the
pleasure of sleep.
Then the Buddha before departing,
continued to instruct him as to how a
monk should should keep company with
the laity and the personal conduct of
monk.
Singapore
The Principal of Buddhist
and Pali College of Singapore
and Chief Abbot of Ti-Sarana
Buddhist Association in
Singapore
Most Venerable Dr.
Pathegama Ganarama Thero
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 47
T Stay conformable at Buddha's Holy Place in
o achieve the second factor
of distancing from anger and
hatred is by the development
of thoughts of loving kindness.
“So metta pubbabhagato pattaya yava
patamajjhnm”. This loving kindness can
be separated in to three types, loving
kindness in deeds, loving kindness in
words and loving kindness in thoughts.
When we meditate, thoughts of loving
kindness are generated. The thoughts
such as may I be free from suffering or un
satisfactoriness, may I be healthy, may I
be happy, may I be free from cravings,
hatred and delusion, may I have a happy
life will extend loving kindness right
through our entire body.
Meaningful
Metta
- Loving
Kindness….
Such established loving kindness
may be extended to our loved ones,
parents, children, spouse and teachers.
Then we must have sufficient strength to
extend the loving kindness to beingsthat
are not in good terms with us due to
our own mistake or theirs. We come
across beings that do not fall into those
extreme categories and we have no
association with any of them. We must
extend loving kindness to all of them
right across the universe. Such deeds
and practices are called “metta mano
kamma”. When metta or mano kamma
become strong such a person will never
harm anyone will always speak with
loving kindness. The Buddha never used
any words without loving kindness; he
had no words without compassion. In
Buddha’s words and deeds there was
always compassion and loving kindness.
That is metta vaci kamma.
In metta kaya kamma there will be
no harm done or ill effects of such deeds.
It will be immensely fortunate to live in
48 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
“Many benefits
of real Loving
Kindness”....
an environment where there are people
who practice such thoughts, words and
deeds of loving kindness. There will never
be any differences or misunderstandings
in such environments. The Buddha has
said that there is a lot of merit if a person
practices throughts of loving kindness or
meditation on loving kindness.
There are many benefits here.
First is “ukan supati”- one will be able
to sleep comfortably which is a great
blessing. We know that there are many
people in our society who suffer from
sleeping disorders. They are unable to
have a good sleep at night. Also there
are a lot of people who suffer due to a
lack of sleep. The Buddha has said that
a person should meditate “yava tassa
viggaha middho” until the time to sleep.
That person will sleep well.
A person who practices loving
kindness meditation will not have any
sleeping disoders. He will not need any
medication for a good night’s sleep.
According to the Buddha, such a person
will sleep well and wake up well; also
will not have bed dreams. “Manussanam
piyo hoti” - meditators will be well liked
by others. “Amanussanam piyo hoti”
Bodhgaya, India....
they will be liked by non humans too.
“Devata rakkati” - will be protected by
deities. Also, they will not be harmed by
poison or weapons. They will be easily
saved from such incidents. Their faces
will be pleasant and they will not need
various applications to look good. “Muka
vanno vipasseedati” - A person will be
very pleasant due to the strength of this.
Also, the Buddha has stated that the
mind of such a person can be brought to
focus and concentration (samadi) quite
easily. “Tuwatam cittam samadhiyati”. In
case one is not able to achieve Nibbana
during this life time, one will be able to
ANUKUL GUEST HOUSE
attain a higher state in the next life.
Therefore, all of us must try to live
with loving kindness. It will then keep
us away from evil the consequences
of hatred and will be able to reap the
benefits of metta.
Australia.
The Chief Prelate of the Near Royal Bhutan Temple, Mastipur, Bodhgaya, Gaya 824231, Bihar, India
Malwatta Chapter of the
Siamese Sect in Australia, +91 2201915 / +91 9934063213 / +91 9852337673
Chief Incumbent of Sri Lanka
Buddhist Vihara, Lankarama, anukulguesthouse@yahoo.com / rajeshanukul@gmail.com
Schofield, Sydney, NSW,
Australia.
www.anukulguesthouse.com
Most Venerable Royal
Pundit Meegahakumbure
Dhammagavesi Thero 08 km From Bodhgaya International Airport | 14 km From Railway station Gaya | 500 Meters from
Mahabodhi Temple | A/C Rooms & Non A/C Roomswww.mettavalokanaya.com
| Running Hot and Cold
l 2019 Wat
l March | Wi-Fi l 49
l Mettavalokanaya

The stages
of meditative
absorption ….
A
ll of the Buddha’s teachings are
encompassed within what are
called the Four Noble Truths,
in the same way, he explained,
as the footprints of all the animals
in the jungle fit into the footprint of
the elephant. These Truths reveal the
fundamental problem of our existence
and its resolution.
01 - There is dukkha - Dukkha is
generally translated as “suffering”, but
in fact has a far more profound meaning
than is implied by that word. Dukkha
refers to the chronic un satisfactoriness
of unenlightened existence. It covers
the whole spectrum of experience, from
severe physical and emotional pain to
the subtlest sense of unease and lack. 02
- There is a cause of dukkha - Dukkha is
not our unalterable human predicament.
It is dependent upon certain causes
and conditions, in particular upon the
cravings that arise through a fundamental
misperception of our human nature. 03 -
There is a cessation of dukkha - There
is a complete ending of dukkha, a state
of liberation and true happiness. 04 -
There is a path leading to the cessation
of dukkha - Dukkha is comprehended,
its causes abandoned, and its cessation
realized through cultivation of the Noble
Eightfold Path. This path involves an
education or training of every aspect
of our lives, inner and outer. The eight
factors are as follows
01 - Right View. 02 - Right
Intention. 03 - Right Speech. 04 - Right
Action. 05 - Right Livelihood. 06 - Right
50 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com
Effort. 07 - Right Mindfulness. 08 - Right jhāna, distinguished by unshakeable
Concentration
The Eightfold Path is the holistic
education or training of body, speech
and mind that culminates in awakening.
Right View refers to beliefs, views,
ideals, values that are in harmony with
the way things are. Initially its most
important elements are confidence in i)
the human capacity for enlightenment,
and the law of kamma. Right Thought
refers to thoughts consistent with Right
View. These are characterized by a
freedom from all kinds of toxic thinking,
in particular that which is sensual,
hostile or cruel. Right Thought includes
the aspiration to be free from all inner
affliction, and thoughts of kindness and
compassion. Right Speech is true, useful
and timely speech that is polite and
kindly in intent. It is speech free from
lying, harshness, slander and idle chatter.
Right Action refers to actions that do not
harm self or others. At its most basic it
refers to refraining from killing, stealing
and sexual misconduct. Right Livelihood
refers to livelihood that does not cause
harm to self or others. Wrong livelihoods
listed in the texts include the selling of
weapons, living beings, meat and fish,
intoxicants and poisons.
Right Effort refers to the endeavor
to prevent unskillful thoughts and
emotions that have not yet arisen in the
mind from arising. reduce and eradicate
unskillful thoughts and emotions
that have already arisen in the mind. Most Venerable Kakanadure
introduce into the mind skillful thoughts Hemalankara Nayaka Thero
and emotions that have not yet arisen.
sustain and further develop skillful Association of
thoughts and emotions already present
in the mind. Right Mindfulness refers
to maintaining an alert, even-minded
Buddhist
and committed awareness of present
experience, in particular: the physical
Tour Operators (ABTO)
body the affective tone of experience: Asian Festival Expo - 2019
pleasant, unpleasant or neutral the state Singapore - June 26 - 29, 2019
of mind mental phenomena as they
relate to the Buddha’s path of awakening
Right Concentration refers to the inner
stability, clarity and peace experienced
in four stages of “meditative absorption”
or “jhāna”. Thailand - May 28 - 31, 2019
The first jhāna is characterized
by five ‘jhāna factors’: an initial and
sustained attention to the meditation
object, zest, bliss and one-pointedness
of mind. As the mind becomes more
refined the coarser jhāna factors fade
away. The second jhāna is reached with
the shedding of initial and sustained
attention. The disappearance of zest
Indonesia - July 02 - 05, 2019
signals attainment of the third jhāna.
With the loss of bliss the mind enters
the fourth and most subtle level of Cambodia - May 24 - 26, 2019 Sri Lanka - Aug. 13 - 20, 2019
equanimity.
India - Dec. 10 - 12, 2019 Vietnam - May 15 - 18, 2019
Japan - Sep. 17 - 23, 2019
“Attention to the
Meditation”….
Canada
Laos - May 20 - 22, 2019 Malaysia - June 21 - 24, 2019
The platform of Tourism with Buddhism....
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The Chief Sangha Nayaka
of Canada, the Founder Dr. Kaulesh Kumar
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Theravada Buddhist Vihara
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Ottawa, Canada.
ABTO Head Office, Hans Plaza, Block Road, Rajgir, Nalanda (Bihar) , Pin-803116, India.
+91-9472309246, iabto2016@gmail.com / sangha@abto.co.in
www.abto.co.in / www.buddhisttravelmart.com
www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 51
 WAN FA MONASTERY
-TAIWAN -
The Excellent Buddhist
Temple in Taiwan….

Wan Fa Monastery is Most Popular

Meditation Centre in Taiwan located at
Pingtung Country in Taiwan. The
Monastery built by Most Venerable
Bhikkhuni Shih Jian Yin - The Secretary
General of Taiwan Buddhist Association,
Secretary General of the World Buddhism
Bhikkhuni Association & the Chinese
Buddhism Bhikkhuni Association, Abbess
of Miau Kuang Chan Monastery, Wan Fa
Monastery, Zhi Cheng Monastery, Tai Ming
Monastery & Zheng Jue Chan Monastery.

Buddhika Sanjeewa, as the Founder, President & Chief Editor of Mettavalokana Buddhist Publications Centre, I printed and published this “Mettavalokanaya” Buddhist Magazine as
a publication of Mettavalokana
52 l Mettavalokanaya Buddhist
l October l 2018 Publications Centre on March 30, 2019 at M. D. Gunasena & Co (Pvt) Ltd, No.20, San Sebastian Hill, Colombo 12, Sri Lanka.
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