Two Great Delusions

We must rid our minds of two great delusions - the delusion of the intrinsic reality of the material world and the delusion of the intrinsic reality of the individual self. These two delusions are, as it happens, the fundamental assumptions which underlie the philosophy of popular thought and the destroyers of deep peace, harmony and happiness.

Of course we can argue these points with the most sophisticated logic. The ego-mind is very skilled at that. I have seen the fear in the eyes of people scrambling for survival in their pre-fabricated constructed realities, fighting sometimes with anger to grasp at the realities they have been lead to believe. Only these delusions can only bring perpetual suffering.

I thought of Lisa (not her real name), a beautiful young Malaysian woman whom I met about eight years ago at a dinner in Brisbane Australia. I was there to speak about mental health. She was at the dinner with her boyfriend. She was a photographic model, successful in the height of her career. She told me about the new luxury apartment she had moved into. She had never heard much about mental illness before and found the topic quite amusing, referring to those who are challenged with illness as the “crazies”. She lived and moved in the material world and asserted her individuality in her forceful language.

It was some nine months later I was visiting a man who had been long term in a Brisbane Psychiatric hospital. As I walked along the corridor of the ward accompanied by a nurse, I passed patients room. My heart stopped as I noticed an Asian woman whose eyes met mine. She started to speak but then turned away. The nurse asked me if I knew her as this woman had only been admitted to hospital after a crisis had no known friends who visited her and was reluctant to talk to the treating staff.

As I entered her room I recognized the young Malaysian woman I had met at the dinner party. Her “boyfriend” had been married to another woman. He had been a successful business man but the stress of living a double life and the shame of eventually being found out brought him to suicide. Lisa had found him hanging at the back of his office.

Her world had come crashing down around her. Unable to work, the bills mounted up until she was evicted from her luxury apartment. Deep depression set in and she was found by police wandering the streets without shoes in the middle of the night.

It was a long journey back to recovery for Lisa. She could not have done it by herself. He rugged individuality had become smashed within an instant of time and the vulnerability of our human nature had come to the fore.

She recently shared with me how the incident had become a turning point in her life and that she saw life’s “true reality” now.

Lisa is just one person of so many I have journeyed with whose illusion had been burst like a soap bubble. Suffering is so often the soil in which the seed to enlightenment is planted.
Of course, there is no need to suffer so greatly to understand the truth. If we could only let go of the illusion and give compassionate comfort to the frightened ego that it can be transformed. In transformation there is freedom and life.

Pure Land is but one breath away. Pure Land is not just a future reality. Meditative Samadhi is not just a beautiful feeling. It is a living reality. It is a mistake to think that our practice is just for some eschatalogical event. It is now.

Practitioners of the Way ought not be tempted into the rugged individuality of worldly society. Western Buddhism is in real danger of being reduced to a Double Gem rather than the treasure of the Triple Gem. The Sangha is being diminished. Buddhism cannot just be practiced in isolation by just reading books and internet web sites. Its potency lies in the Triple Gem of which Sangha is vital. It is when we practice as a vibrant community that the Dharma comes alive and our practice takes form. Enlightenment will sadly elude us to think otherwise and we will fall prey to the fundamental assumptions of the philosophy of our times and produce much suffering. 

The Eight Awakenings

Many people coming to test the waters of Buddhism for the first time often wonder where to start. There are literally hundreds of sutras with each school of Buddhism focusing on specific sutras that are at their foundation.

It is clear that Buddhism is about the issue of suffering and how to overcome it. Suffering takes on many forms from severe pain and illness and death to the petty annoyances that plague us on almost a daily basis. Buddhism teaches us to live a supremely happy and value centred life with the means to end the cycle of birth and death which is suffering.

The sutra of the Eight Awakenings is a very short sutra. In fact many Chinese monks used to learn this one by heart not only because of its brevity but also because it contained within it the essential of Buddhism.

I often call it the Mediators’ Sutra as it is a foundation sutra for all meditation work. It is well worth contemplating these Eight Awakenings carefully examining them in the light of your own life. I have included them here in their entirety.

Buddhist Disciples! At all times, day and night, sincerely recite and bear in mind these eight truths that cause great people to awaken.

The First Awakening:
The world is impermanent. Countries are perilous and fragile. The body is a source of pain, ultimately empty. The five skandhas are not the true self. Life and Death is nothing but a series of transformations—hallucinatory, unreal, uncontrollable. The intellect is a wellspring of turpitude, the body a breeding ground of offenses. Investigate and contemplate these truths. Gradually break free of death and rebirth.

The Second Awakening:
Too much desire brings pain. Death and rebirth are wearisome ordeals, originating from our thoughts of greed and lust. By lessening desires we can realize absolute truth and enjoy peace, freedom, and health in body and mind.

The Third Awakening:
Our minds are never satisfied or content with just enough. The more we obtain, the more we want. Thus we create offenses and perform evil deeds. Bodhisattvas don’t wish to make these mistakes. Instead, they choose to be content. They nurture the Way, living a quiet life in humble surroundings —their sole occupation, cultivating wisdom.

The Fourth Awakening:
Idleness and self-indulgence are the downfall of people. With unflagging vigor, great people break through their afflictions and baseness. They vanquish and defeat the four kinds of demons, and escape from the prison of the five skandhas.

The Fifth Awakening:
Stupidity and ignorance are the cause of death and rebirth. Bodhisattvas apply themselves and deeply appreciate study and erudition, constantly striving to expand their wisdom and refine their eloquence. Nothing brings them greater joy than teaching and transforming living beings.

The Sixth Awakening:
Suffering in poverty breeds deep resentment. Wealth unfairly distributed creates ill-will and conflict among people. Thus, Bodhisattvas practice giving. They treat friend and foe alike. They do not harbor grudges or despise amoral people.

The Seventh Awakening:
The five desires are a source of offenses and grief. Truly great people, laity included, are not blighted by worldly pleasures. Instead, they aspire to don the three-piece precept robe and the blessing bowl of monastic life. Their ultimate ambition is to leave the home life and to cultivate the Path with impeccable purity. Their virtuous qualities are lofty and sublime; their attitude towards all creatures, kind and compassionate.

The Eighth Awakening:
Like a blazing inferno, birth and death are plagued with suffering and affliction. Therefore, great people resolve to cultivate the Great Vehicle, to rescue all beings, to endure hardship on behalf of others, and to lead everyone to ultimate happiness.

These are the Eight Truths that all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and great people awaken to. Once awakened, they even more energetically continue to cultivate the Path. Steeping themselves in kindness and compassion, they grow in wisdom. They sail the Dharma ship across to Nirvana’s shore, and then return on the sea of birth and death to rescue living beings. They use these Eight Truths to show the proper course for living beings, causing them to recognize the anguish of birth
and death. They inspire all to forsake the five desires, and to cultivate their minds in the manner of Sages.

If Buddhist disciples recite this Sutra on the Eight Awakenings, and constantly ponder its meaning, they will certainly eradicate boundless offenses, advance towards Bodhi, and will quickly realize Proper Enlightenment. They will always be free of birth and death, and will abide in eternal bliss

The Power of Mantra

Mantras in Chinese Buddhism form an important part of daily Buddhist practice. The sutras contain a host of mantras uttered by Shakyamuni Buddha with clear instructions on the use and the benefits of such mantras. Each tradition or “school” of Buddhism will have its primary mantras used at its main daily ceremonies as we do at our monastery of Guang Jue Temple in China. Esoteric Buddhism places more emphasis on the chanting of mantras than other traditions. Nonetheless mantras play a dynamic role in our daily practice.

The “lore” of mantras in Chinese Buddhism is very little known in the West. The reasons for this may be varied. Firstly there is the inaccessibility of mantras. There has been only a small amount of work done in the Romanization of texts written in Chinese, that is, written in pinyin. What is available is often difficult to find as published and scholarly books on the subject are hard to come by. Secondly the Chinese mantras are on the whole transliterations from the ancient Sanskrit as it is considered that the sacred mantras uttered by the Buddha should not be translated but remain in their original version. This is because the sounds of the words play a significant part in the efficacy of the mantra. This makes the mantras unintelligible and rather strange sounding to the Western ear. Thirdly there is a lack of clear teaching about mantras and their use that can cross the cultural divide of Eastern and Western thought. Many still feel that mantras are the domain of superstition and are unnecessary to the daily practice of Buddhism.

I was first exposed to mantras as a young child in Southern China when father had left me in the care of an “Ai Yi” during his frequent business trips. The “Ai yi” would often take me to a local Buddhist temple where I heard monks reciting mantras and the Ai yi would recite them during her devotions at home. The sounds intrigued me as a child. At the same time they seemed to instill in me something which I felt was part of me as if the sounds resonated on another plane of my being. It was not until much later in life when I committed myself to Pure Land Buddhism that these ancient mantras began to make sense to me.

The words of the ancient Chinese mantras from the sutras of the Buddha have no clear meaning. Of course, one can translate the original Sanskrit – to a point. Even in the original Sanskrit there are words and whole sentences that are untranslatable. This is because the words of the mantra go beyond human meaning. They are the essential oils of the Dharma, the concentrated syrup of the sutras in which they were uttered. As they have no cognitive meaning they go beyond the “thinking’’ mind to our higher mind. It is here that their seed is planted and begin to take effect.

In Pure Land Buddhism it is part of our practice to chant the name of Amitabha Buddha; “Namo Amituofo” These two words are a mantra themselves resonating within our soul the name of the Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of infinite Light and Life and dispelling the loads of impure karma.

Perhaps the most well-known of mantras in Chinese Buddhism is the Great Compassion Dharini. I recall one morning during an extended chanting of the mantra in the great temple hall at Guang Jue Monastery. Plumes of incense enveloped monks and lay people as the chant increased in tempo. I could discern the harmonic tones of the monks as my mind seemed to whirl and sway in the chant. The face of the Kuan Yin Bodhisattva peering through the incense clouds seemed to smile. I felt myself entering a warm trance and this warmth seemed to embrace my whole body. Later I tried to make meaning out of this experience. It was beyond meaning.

Traditionally different mantras are known for their specific actions. For example, the Medicine Buddha mantra is traditionally used for healing. The Cunti Spirit Mantra has been well known in Chinese folk lore for the granting of wishes. Do they have power? Can they heal? Many have attested to their power and help. I, too, have had personal experience of many mantras and their remarkable assistance to my own life and to those of others. It would be too lengthy to write these experiences in this document. I have, however, included here the personal experiences of a Chinese practitioner and his own recording of other people’s experiences. It makes interesting reading and may invoke the reader’s own interest to pursue mantras a little more closely. Indeed at Guang Jue Temple in China many come on Temple Stay or retreat and are able to study mantras more closely.

Do you have to believe in them for them to work? This is a question many ask me. Faith, is indeed important. However, the Buddha never insisted on blind faith but one that is reasoned and tested. I invite you to make your own tests and come to your own conclusions.

Hello dear friends, after some practices, I feel that different Buddha / Bodhisattva names, sutras, mantras or Dharanis have different flavor(effect)s. Many friends also have some experience about chanting holy-names/sutras/mantras/Dharanis. I would now like to share them with all you friends.

The meanings of the marks:

(1) - In normal state;

(2) – In a deeply meditative state;

(3) - The experiences told by other practitioners;

(?) - Unsure.

In general, all the holy names/sutras/mantras/Dharanis can eliminate bad karmic obstructions and debts for others or self, the followings are specific characteristics of each of them:

Amitabha / Namo Amitabha:

(1) Refreshing cool; brilliant light (can protect the practitioner); joy (can eliminate your bad mood); heart open; gentle; supplies life-energy; makes your body agile; improves your relationship with others.

(2) A very strong joy filled up the upper part of my body, that joy is far greater than the normal joy. (Buddha Name Samadhi?)

(3) Brilliant light; joy; warm flow; fragrance; wishes come true; often can know the future events; cure illness; pull upward (The chanter would feel that his soul is being pulled upward by a strength, this upward strength may counteract the downward strength of his own karma, so that he can fly up freely); saw the light from the tuft of white hair between the Buddha's eyebrows.

Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum (Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani):

(1) Refreshing cool at the center of the heart; sometimes at the throat, mouth, and head also feel the Refreshing cool; eliminates the three poisons (greed, anger and ignorance); improve your wisdom.

(3) Refreshing cool; eliminates the three poisons; improve wisdom.

Shurangama Mantra (Heart):

(1) A large area of the chest feels the Refreshingly cool sensation; reduce leak; reduce lustful desire; overcomes the desire of meat eating; improves your wisdom; makes you clear-headed and energetic; makes you look more handsome; reduces desires to make keeping precepts easier; seldom dream or not having any dream at all; dispels evil spirits.

(2) made a secure protective boundary; vibration

(3) Reduces lustful desire; clear-headed and energetic; precepts keeping become easier

Medicine Master Buddha Dharani:

(1) Refreshing cool; cure illness; seldom dream/not having dream. The flavor of this Dharani is a bit similar to Shurangama Mantra.

(3) cures illness, helps release lower beings from their woeful state to a higher level when reciting in meditation

Great compassion Dharani:

(1) Refreshing cool; nourishes the body; removes the dreggy things in the body; cures illness; reduces leaking; reduces lustful desire; makes you look younger and more beautiful.

(2) The Refreshing cool energy filled up the whole body, illness and pains suddenly disappeared.

(3)Refreshing cool; feel peaceful; heart open, brilliant light, cure illness for one self or for other people; reduce lustful desire; overcome the greed for meat eating; skin become better; fragrance; wishes become true; body become lithesome; prevent aging; saw the Dharma-guarding gods.

Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (or Kuan Shr Yin/Kun Sye Yum)

(1) Refreshing cool; joy;

(3) makes one become happier; cures illness; reduces lustful desire; brings peace around you and for all the warring / angry beings; gives you protection from dangers; gives you a deep feeling of friendship and compassion to beings; help you cultivate these virtues

Ksitigarbha(Earth Repository) Bodhisattva and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra:

(1) Warm; comforting; eliminates fears; reduces the greed for meat eating; makes you arouse Bodhi-Heart; makes you look more righteous; makes your mind concentrate

(3) Fragrance; reduces the greed for meat eating; wishes come true; often see companion in dreams; gets future premonition. allows you to make connection with the other world dimensions to help the sentient beings in suffering with transference of merits like at the Ksitigarbha ceremonies at the 7th month; protects you when you feel being in fear of any evil beings or in situations that is uncomfortably evil; gives you a deep feeling of compassion for the suffering beings, when you feel them suffering and so pitiful you forgive their evil sins.

Cundi Dharani (heart):

(1) Refreshing cool; brilliant light; heart open; reduces leak; reduces lustful desire.

(2) Very wonderful Dharma-flavor, difficult to describe.

(3) Reduces lustful desire; wishes come true.

Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra (Lotus Sutra):

(1) Help you to arouse Bodhi-Heart

(2) A very strong brilliant light emitted forth from the heart, even the people outside several meters can feel it; The Refreshing cool, cozy, joyful, and energetic feeling filled up the whole body for more than one day.

(3) Dharma-joy; cure illness; saw Samantabhadra Bodhisattva; Reduce lustful desire

Namo Myue Fard Lin Wah Ging("Namo Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra" in Cantonese):

(1) Very wonderful Dharma-flavor, difficult to describe, consists of the effects of heart open, brilliant light, Dharma-joy, Refreshing cool, life energy, etc., very delicious.

All Buddhs' heart secret whole-body Sharira precious-box mark Dharani:

(1) makes one's heart open; supplies life energy; makes you look more handsome; sometimes feel the Dharma-joy

(3) Saw that every thing around is circumambulating

Om Vajra Sattva Hum (Vajra-sattva's heart Dharani):

(1) Refreshing cool;

(3) cures illness; chanting the full 100 words mantra can make all the sentient beings around be attentive and want to listen to it and all very orderly

According to our experience, how big the effect of mantra-chanting could be, is dependent on the following aspects:

* How great your faith is; how much you believe in it

* How wide your heart open. The greatest heart-open state is Samadhi, chanting mantra in this state can get the greatest effect. To open your heart, you have to arouse Bodhi-Heart, that is, the resolve to save all living beings, the deep compassion to all living beings.

* How sincere you are;

* How well do you keep precepts;

* How diligent you are

I feel that the energy gained by holy-names/sutras/mantras chanting are spiritual foods. Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra says:

The living beings in that land will always take two kinds of food: The first, the food of Dharma-joy and the second, the food of Dhyana-happiness

Making a Living Out of Buddhism

I over heard one of our volunteers remark to another: “I wish I could make a living out of Buddhism. I am always so happy when I am working here.”

I could not help but smile as I knew she meant a “financial living”. Yet, in a very real sense we are all able to make a living out of Buddhism.

The other week I travelled by train onto Sydney city. As the train came into each station faces with blank and almost dead expressions passed me by, absorbed in their i-phones, row after row, person after person immersed in world that pretends to take us out of our suffering. These were lifeless figures.

When the Shakyamuni Buddha walked the earth many asked him if he were a god. “No”, he replied. “Are you a spirit?” “No”, he replied. “I am Awakened.” Being awakened is the opposite of being asleep. When we are asleep we are in the world of dream and nightmare. One is strange and the other is frightening. Neither of which are real. That is the life that most live on a daily basis. It is a strange world because it rarely conforms to our hopes and desires. Frightening because we are living in fear of violence and losing what “happiness” we think we have. This is a very unsatisfactory way of living and creates huge problems for society. Depression is now one of the world’s major illnesses.

When we are awake we are alive. We are able to see life as a gift. Everyone likes a gift. I have watched many children at Christmas time receive gifts from their parents or relatives with huge smiles on their faces and peels of laughter and joy. Even when we try to be subdued with a:”Oh, really, you shouldn’t have done that” we nonetheless receive the gift with a smile on our face.

Rarely do we see life as a gift. We most often see it as a struggle and as a threat. We fight it – sometimes literally with great violence. We do not see it as a gift because we are asleep. When we are awake we are alive. When we live out our life as a gift to be given we are truly alive and living life to the fullest. That is how life is meant to be lived.

So many people are trying to make a living desiring to earn more and more in the fear that life will not have enough for them. They do not know the secret to true abundance. Abundance comes from our gift. This is the gift of life which is within each and everyone of us. When we find it we become livened and awake. When we find it the universe opens itself us to us.

The gift is within each of us. There is no need to criticize others for your unhappiness or lack of abundance when you already have it within you. It is only ignorance and ego that prevents you from discovering it as it hides under layers of masks.

Our Buddhist practice teaches us how to remove the masks of illusion. It teaches us to take responsibility for our own lives with a new set of skills for skillful living. Many think Buddhism is a religion. It is not. It is a life education that helps us up-skill to live effectively. When we sincerely apply the teaching methods we begin to see results in our life. This Cause and Effect. So why not change career path and make a new living?

The Buddha gave us a valuable teaching to dismantle the masks, wake up out of our sleep and live life. We can indeed make a wonderful living out of Buddhism.

Five Guidelines to Happiness and Well-Being

By the time Buddhism began to find its way into Chinese society at some period in the first century from India, Confucianism and Taoism were already firmly established.  Chinese Buddhism seemed to absorb elements of both of these great traditions.  Taoism expressed itself through many of the physical arts and traditional Chinese medicine while Confucianism spoke of the true character of a person and interpersonal relationships. 

In our search for spiritual, mental and physical happiness and well-being our tendency has often been to concentrate on one of these elements to the detriment to the others.  Even many Buddhists can easily forget the importance of the body in our daily practice. When the Shakyamuni Buddha had his turning point from ascetic practices of denial of the body through severe fasting and conditions it was a young girl who offered food to Siddhartha before he found Enlightenment. Food and body and relationship are important elements in our daily practice.

For over twenty years my work had been in the mental health arena in many capacities from  counselling and psychotherapy, support facilitation to administration and it never ceased to amaze me that recovery from mental illness was almost always aimed at drug administration over and above other vitally important elements in one’s life.

There are Five Foundations which form the interdependent web of human well-being.  I call them the Five Guidelines to Well-Being.  They are interdependent as nothing can exist solely by itself.  Each phase impacts upon the other and a deficiency in one phase will also cause a deficiency in the other.  In many ways the Five Foundations have similarities to the Wu Xing (Five Phases) of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Right Spirit (神 shen)

This refers to our sense of transcendence.  It has nothing to do with religion.  Buddhism teaches us to delve deeper into our daily problems and helps us to an understanding of ourselves in a spiritual dimension as opposed to worldly views.  We possess a soul which has continued through many reincarnations and which we make every effort to purify as to cease the cycle of birth and death and suffering.

Right Mind ( 精神  Spirit-Mind, essence, 心地 character, 意 yi)

This is a very broad area. Chinese Pure Land Buddhism speaks of our mind and mental processes as well as the Buddha Mind, or Buddha Nature.  Through the practice of Mindfulness and Buddha name meditation we begin to have a calm and peaceful mind.  A calm and peaceful mind develops a calm and peaceful character.

Right Relationship (相互依存Xiānghù yīcún)

Nothing exists by or for itself. Everything depends on something else.  Life is a complex network of relationships and inter-relationships.  The sense of separation we often have as humans is a complete illusion.  This foundation also refers to personal relationships.  We grow and understand ourselves and others through personal relationships.  Each person we meet brings us the gift or relationship no matter how joyful or painful that may be.  It is through the gift of relationship we can begin to resolve of Karmic lessons.

Right Consumption

Diet is vital of physical and mental well-being.  In our fast paced world we are consuming more and more “dead” food, food which has been highly processes and often grown using an overload of chemicals. In Traditional Chinese medicine we speak of Qi or Vital Energy 气 which sustains our physical and mental health and impacts upon our spiritual well-being.  Qi is absorbed into our body by what we consume in food, oxygen, drink and through what we process mentally (mind food).

Diets with alcohol, high caffeine and “dead” food are not conducive to our well-being.  Intake of vegetables (preferably organic), herbal food, fresh air and good positive mind food sustain life and well-being.

Right Movement

We are moving beings.  We are designed to move! Yet our ever increasing sedentary life style is killing us.  Movement also refers to the proper movement of Qi, Oxygen, Blood and Fluids through the body.  When these are obstructed there is disease and disharmony.

The brain comprises about 2% of our total body weight but utilizes approximately 20% total body oxygen.  A daily exercise routine is important. Traditional Chinese Qigong, T’ai Chi or Yoga are designed to move Qi through the body and maintain good health. However, even a 20 -30 minute walk a day can make all the difference in both our physical and mental well-being.

In Pure Land Buddhism we can combine Buddha Name Recitation with Buddhist Qigong Movements as well as mindfulness walking meditation.

There is much more to these Five Guidelines which the space of this article does not allow.  However one can find an almost immediate difference to one’s well-being when we begin in any one Foundation.  When we have all of them in balance. . . well, you be the judge!

Temple of Healing

Situated amidst tranquil bamboo forested mountains a quiet country road walking distance from the little town of Zaoxi in Zhejiang province China is the Buddhist Guang Jue Monastery. It is a small monastery in comparison to many in China but has its own precious history dating back from the Qing Dynasty. It would be a normal sleepy Buddhist temple on the edge of a country town if it were not for the many foreign faces seen walking along the rustic road exercising early in the morning of going for an evening stroll. They are those who have come for temple stay and inner healing.

“John” was one of those faces. A month prior to him flying all the way from the UK to China he had been in a psychiatric hospital having been admitted with deep depression after attempting suicide. John had been in treatment for many years for anxiety and depression and had not held a job for five years. After hearing about Guang Jue Temple and reading about Buddhist healing from a trip to Beijing, John decided to visit and have temple stay for one month in the hope that he could be relieved of the “head full of anxious thoughts.” I will not forget the look on John’s face when I told him that there was no way he could be relieved of anxious thoughts but that he could learn to live in a whole new relationship with them. The frown, the mouth agape, a look of bewilderment all flashed past like prints in a picture book. John was about to re-learn life from a Buddhist perspective.
At first the 4:30am rising was a huge challenge for John who was used to sleeping in until quite late in the morning. Meditation and chanting did not come naturally to him. John’s background was in Computer Science and the world of the monastery was a strange environment to him. Eating a vegetarian diet of plants, herbs and vegetables if ever seen in Western green grocers was a further challenge. Added to this was a ancient philosophy of healing that seemed to go totally against the grain of current Western psychology.

Gautama Buddha was frequently referred to as The Great Physician. The Buddhist approach to life is able to bring healing on many levels. Chinese Buddhism has had a rich tradition of healing arts as it absorbed much of the Taoist medical philosophy. The Buddha was also known as the Awakened One – the meaning of the word Buddha. However as human beings we are far from awake. We spend our life asleep like the walking dead – asleep to our own potential living within a world of dream like illusion. The Buddha taught us another world of being alive and awake and contained within his teachings are the directions for re-discovering life.
Most healing modalities address only one or two aspects of the person. However we are an interdependent system of elements and each one must be carefully examined and balanced. Within the temple environment each of the Five Foundations of human life is addressed and life begins to take shape. It is Cause and Effect.
Every day each person has an opportunity to practise mindfulness, Qigong, chanting, meditation, Dharma and to experience the Five Foundations as they begin to take effect in one’s life.

It is early days yet but John left the Guang Jue monastery after four weeks lighter in mind and body. Two months later he has had no re-admissions to hospital, he has reduced his medication under medical supervision remarkably and he has now found meaningful part-time work and new meaning to life.

John is just one case study. There are many more who wish, naturally, to remain anonymous. However, there has in recent years been renewed interest in the healing of Buddhist as well as other religious practices within temples. One such article of interest was published in the British Medical Journal in July 2002, Traditional community resources for mental health: a report of temple healing from India by R Raguram, A Venkateswaran, Jayashree Ramakrishna, Mitchell G Weiss.

The Buddhist monastery is the ideal place for healing with its careful routine and tranquil environment along with the time honored methods of the Master Physician the Buddha. Modern medicine can alleviate pain but only the Buddha Dharma can eliminate suffering.

Peace, harmony and prosperity for all people: Nations gather for Buddhist Teaching

On the 11^th June people from seven nations gathered together at Guang Jue Temple to listen to the Venerable Master Zheng Rong’s address on Buddhism and its relevance to today’s modern world.  This was the first talk given by the abbot of Guang Jue Monastery Zaoxi, Zhejiang Province, to foreigners from different parts of the world – France, United States of America, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, China and Australia.

Master Zheng Rong made reference to China’s President Hu Jintao’s inaugural speech at the 17^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in which the President Hu emphasized the importance of preserving the great cultural and spiritual traditions of China for the peace and harmony of the nation.  Master Zheng Rong went on to speak about the essence of Chinese Buddhism reflecting the great traditions of Taoism and Confucianism.

Taoism gives us an understanding of our relationship to nature and the universe. The Venerable spoke of his sadness of the many natural disasters of recent times many of which have had causes in our lack of care for our environment. Confucianism gave us a strong moral code to live by enabling us to have a strong character and purity of mind. Buddhism is that which teaches us how to relate with each others in peace, compassion and harmony.  The Venerable Zheng Rong went on to say that following these time honoured traditions and principles naturally leads to harmony and prosperity for all peoples of the world.

This was a significant occasion for this small seemingly insignificant rural Chinese Buddhist temple which has now seen people representing over 15 nations walk through the gates and stay for various retreats.  The regional Chinese government of Tianmu and Zaoxi encouraged the Buddhist cultural exchange at Guang Jue Temple as it brought people together from all walks of life in the common pursuit for peace and happiness.

Master Zheng Rong went on to point out the challenges to Chinese Buddhism re-emerging in a modern era saying that it is important that Buddhism reaches out with relevance to a modern society while maintaining its essential core.

The event was organized and coordinated by Australian Buddhist teacher Malcolm Hunt (Mao Zhi Sheng) in conjunction with Guang Jue Monastery.

Every day is a beautiful day

 What if you could put on a pair of rose colored glasses and everyday see life as a beautiful day? Well, you can.

What if you could somehow turn every struggle, every difficult moment, every crisis into a gift? Well, you can.

What if you could turn every day into Christmas day and receive and give lovely gifts?  Well, you can.

This is not some sort of magical gobbled-gook but the transformative power of Naikan, a meditative process of helping us make a mental shift in the way we live life.

This is not reality, you say? I say it is the only reality.  Life is a gift to be given.  It is the greatest re-cycling project ever seen. We receive that we may give. As a result we receive more of the beauty and wonder of life. And of this starts with a small seed.

In our Pure Land Buddhist practice, we chant the Buddha Name Remembrance. This is a process of continual oral reciting of the Amitabha Buddha’s name and meditation on his name.  The word “remembrance” is quite appropriate.  It comes from the Latin through French: re= again, member=limb. When we live our lives in struggle, anger, vexation and with self-interest we become disjointed, out of balance, fallen apart. Re-membering is a putting back together so that we are one whole again in oneness with our Buddha nature which is complete unity with all of creation.  There is a deep peace and abiding joy at being with all being.

It was a gift of milk curd from the poor girl to the Buddha that may have been instrumental in him attaining Enlightenment.  It was the Buddha’s gift to the world of his teaching that enables us to give the gift of life to others.

You wish that everyday could be a beautiful day? I say, don’t wish it, be it! Be the wish that you want. You are master of your own destiny.  The only thing that stands in your way is yourself, that is, your “self”.  When you become aware of this, no just as an intellectual exercise, but from the depths of your heart, then you can really awaken to the gift of life in its fullest.

Living the Beautiful Life

Living the Beautiful Life

Happiness seminars abound. More than ever is humankind is seeking happiness. This is natural.  There is much unhappiness in our world at present. The World Health Organization estimates that within the next ten years depression will rank the second most prevalent disease in the world! This is not to mention all the other conditions facing humanity; war, violence, divorce, broken families, suicide and on and on the list goes.

It seems an odd thing that in a world full of opportunity as we have never known with such advanced technology and material well-being we are increasingly unhappy. Many people turn to Buddhism to find a sense of peace and happiness. Many people come to our monastery here at Guang Jue in Zaoxi to do meditation retreats to find peace and happiness. While it is good that people are thinking below the surface issues I think “happiness” is a well worn out word like an old pair of shoes ready to be discarded.  While many presenters of Happiness seminars and workshops are well-meaning in their approach I feel that we are walking here a shaky path.

Happiness depends so much on what happens, thus the root of the word:  happens-ness. It is attached to outcomes. It is result oriented depending on so many factors. Happiness may come and go depending on so many things. This seems normal today to be focused on results rather than causes and conditions.

Buddhism is concerned with causes and conditions. This is the Bodhisattva way. Yet I have often head it said that even as Buddhists we are to create the causes and conditions for happiness but happiness is something which is impermanent. It seems such a wasted effort. Happiness runs through our hands like water.  Try to hold water in your hand for a long period of time.  Try as you wish but eventually the water will find its way out of the folds of the hands or if it doesn’t it is because you are holding your hands so tightly together to prevent it from slipping away. The result is you can do nothing else with your hands and eventually they become so tired and aching that you need to let go and the water dissipates. Dukka! This is suffering. This is unhappiness. Off we go again to find another source of water and the whole process begins over again and the hands, wrists and arms become increasingly fatigued. 

Some commentators have said that happiness is the normal human condition and that we are happiness and that we do not need to seek it.  Perhaps in a sense they are getting closer to the truth.  Indeed, we are all born with Buddha nature and that this inherent nature is within each of us but that we do not recognize it until we are awakened from our deep sleep of ignorance.  However, I tend to feel that the better word is ‘harmony’. We all have the capacity for harmony. Harmony does not depend on the whims and fate of occurrences and events. It is able to be present even when all else around us is chaos.

We often speak of harmony in regards to music and I think this is a good parallel. Have you ever been to a concert where the musicians played out of tune with each other? I remember going to some of my daughter’s primary school concerts when she was young. Often these very young musicians in the early stages of learning their instrument played off key. We perhaps inwardly grimaced but smiled warmly at their attempts to perform well.  Later as they were well trained with their instrument they played in harmony and we eventually listened to beautiful music.

Harmony is abiding and requires the attunement of our deepest values with our thoughts and actions.  When these accord there is harmony and this harmony endures like the vibration of the bell long after it has been struck. 

So often we aspire to noble values. So often we are moved by the Dharma and the philosophy of the Buddha but fail to put the Dharma into action. The end result is disharmony.  Again we may try to put the Dharma into practice but if we are constantly holding thoughts of anger, greed or arrogance then the practice will not bear the fruit we would wish for because there is disharmony. One or more parts of us are playing out of tune!

There is another subtle difference between happiness and harmony.  Happiness is something we “get”. It so often requires that we grab and take hold of it. Harmony on the other hand cannot be grabbed. It must be worked at.  This is called the building of causes and conditions.  When our values and aspirations of the awakened life are in accord with our purity of mind and constant practice then harmony will be the fruit that will bloom at the right time. One cannot grab at the fruit if one has not first planted the seed.  One cannot play beautiful music unless one has first mastered the scales and practiced.

When we have listened to an orchestra play in harmony and with technique and finesse we often say: “Ah! What beautiful music!”  We also can be assured that as practitioners of the Way that when our values, thoughts and actions accord and we live with peace and compassion with all sentient beings we can at last sigh with joy:”Ah1 What a beautiful life!”

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Do We Really Know What Matters?

I was recently reading a text about Mindfulness and came across a chapter entitled “Know What Matters”. In the context of this specific book it was referring to knowing what is important so as to take mindful action upon rather than reacting aimlessly to any thought, feeling or situation. While the advice offered in the book was based on good intention I feel it was flawed because it makes an assumption that we actually know what matters in our lives.

The question begs, “Do we really know what matters?” In Pure Land Buddhism, as in Buddhism in general, this is a vital question. It was a question which confronted me at the beginning of my journey into Buddhism.

My first teacher in Buddhism was a rugged old monk from Mt Putuo in China. I had just come through a relationship break up and was searching for answers and relief from my suffering. I recall asking the question in an almost demanding type of tone. “But what do I do?” to which the answer came: “Do what really matters”. Now, that only added further to my confusion as I did not know what really mattered. I thought I did. What mattered was my peace of mind, my happiness, my career, my income. What really mattered, I thought, at the time was earning enough money to get myself back to Australia and resume my career. These thoughts spinning through my head were quickly intercepted by the follow up question as if my teacher knew that I did not know the answer. “But do you really know what matters?” My mind drew a blank.

You see, we think we know what matters based upon our desires and cravings. The world that matters to us is our own world full of ignorance. Now in Buddhism, ignorance has less to do about intelligence or education but more to do about knowledge of a wider and higher world and the skills to live in it. It was not long ago in the history of our world that people believed that if we travelled too far we would fall off the edge of the world. People believed that if we went too far into unchartered country there would be dragons and all types of monsters. Of course, we smile, because we now have the scientific knowledge of our planet and its environment and we have skills to live within it. However, Buddhism brings us to a whole new terrain and unchartered waters that challenges our ignorance.

So often when we pursue the things that we think really matter we find ourselves like dogs chasing their tails as we end up suffering again and again. We end up often making the same mistakes over and over again then blaming ourselves in the process for our perceived stupidity. We need to be a little more compassionate on ourselves at this point. We would not expect a grade three student to be able to solve algebra equations with limited maths skills. In the same way we cannot solve the problems of life and suffering with our limited life skills. Buddhism teaches us a new set of skills to live life skilfully and thus dissolving ignorance.

I could have walked away from the old monk from Mt Putuo thinking he was a fool. Instead he helped me see life from a far different angle. In fact if it had not been for the breaking up of the romantic attachment I was craving at the time I would never had been in the set of circumstances that lead me to meeting this monk in the first place and the subsequent journey into Buddhism which was to change my life.

In Pure Land Buddhism we have a process called Inner Meditation or Naikan as it is called in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism (Jodo Shinshu). In this very powerful meditative process we examine our entire life based upon only three questions. (1) What have I received from person X? (2) What have I given to person X? (3) What troubles and difficulties have I caused person X? In essence these three questions lead us to what really matters in life.

The first two questions address the gift of life, of giving and receiving. The third question upon which we spend two thirds of our time in meditation hones in on what blocks us from the gift of life. Life is a gift to be discovered. The Buddha discovered that gift under the Bodhi tree. It is no mere coincidence that the Buddha after acetic practises that left him weak and emaciated met a young girl offering the gift of milk curds. We often overlook this part of the story of Buddhism. The Buddha was offered a gift which sustained him and changed him. There is a gift for us too which will sustain and change us. The awakened life is seeing the gift in life. This is what is really important. Life is a gift to be unwrapped and shared. It is in the unwrapping of this gift that we also discover our own giftedness. The gift of life connects us to all of life in all its beauty and abundance. This is Pure Land. This is not some pie-in-the-sky ideal; it is the only way to live life. What is the alternative?

The Naikan process also trains us to see the obstacle to life in our own attachments, anger, frustrations and greed and in the harm we cause others. When we are aware of this we are more attuned and awakened to a path that only causes continued suffering.

In our practise we learn what really matters in life and can then orient our lives and values accordingly. When we acquire the skills to live the gift of life we also become the gift of life to all sentient beings. This is being awakened. This is living life to its fullest and ending the cycle of suffering. And that is what really matters.

Dog Eat Dog

The other day I was talking to a business manager about the seeming rise in bullying in the workplace. “Well”, he replied, “it is a dog eat dog environment this business world we are in.” I was quite amused at the expression. Not that I had not heard it before but rather it had taken on new dimension for me.

It may well be a dog-eat-dog world but do we have to live like dogs? When we were born we were given the gift of humanity yet somehow we seem hell bent in reversing to animal instincts. It only takes one of us to reclaim our humanity with our potential for a Higher Mind then the dog will eat out of the hand that feeds it and may even recognize its true self in the reflection.

I have told the story before a time when the Master Zheng Rong and I were walking to a neighbouring village we came across two dogs viciously fighting and drawing blood one from the other. “Quick” called the Master. “Where are the moon cakes we were given this morning? Let’s feed them” as he rushed towards them with hands outstretched offering moon cake. “This is like dharma food for them”, he smiled. The food of the Bodhi Mind is the only nutrient that can bring us back to humanity.

Mahatma Gandhi said: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But if we live like this we will be a world full of blind and toothless people.” Dog eat dog. If we behave like this we will all eventually become the way we behave – dogs. That is the law of Karma.

Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami

Our hearts, minds and prayers go out to the Japanese people whose lives have been devastated by the earth quake and resultant tsunami. This is a disaster of mammoth proportions.

As the tsunami has smashed down buildings and walls may there be a tsunami of compassion in the hearts and minds of people to smash down the barriers of fear and hatred which have divided us. May we become one in our humanity.

Many are left wondering: “what can I do?” as we go about our lives in other parts of the world. Both Tonglen Meditation and Mantra recitation are extremely helpful. The Tonglen meditation creates a powerful energy and vibration of compassion.

A powerful Mantra to recite is the Disaster Eradicating Auspicious Sprit Mantra. When recited with sincerity of heart and with a particular focus in mind ie those affected by the tsunami and earthquake, then it has the power to restore peace and good Karma to those who suffer.

Namo san man duo mu tuo nan. E bo la di. He duo she. Sua nang nan. Da zhi tuo. Nan. Che Che. Che Xi, Che Xi. Hong hong. Ru wa la. Ru wa la. Bo la ru wa la. Bo la ru wa la. Di sai cha. Di sai cha. Shai zhi li. Shai zi li. Suo pan zha. Suo pan zha. Shan di jia Shi li ye. Suo wa he.

It matters not what spiritual tradition one is affiliated with let us all take time to be silent and to hold the Japanese people in our hearts and minds in prayer, meditation, mantra or in thoughts of compassion.

Namo Amituofo.

The Suffering See-saw

The idea if suffering can present a lot of problems for us as we embark on our Buddhist journey. The first of the Four Noble Truths is that Life is Suffering.

There have been many books written on the subject and many great Buddhist Masters have written and spoken on the topic, I will not try to emulate them. These words are my simple observations and understanding and I pass on whatever may be helpful.

The word for suffering as it is understood in Buddhism comes from the Pali word dukkha. As it is a word coming from a different time and cultural tradition it is not easy to translate and often open to different translations and interpretations. In Buddhism there are three types of Dukkha. (1) Suffering or pain which includes both physical as well as mental and emotional pain and suffering (2) the Dukkha of impermanence and change. Nothing remains. All changes. Things wither and decay. (3) The suffering of Conditioned States. Everything is dependent on everything else. This is a very subtle concept but briefly it means that as our perceptions change so do our experience and thus can cause pain and suffering.

May translators have avoided the “S” word Suffering and preferred to translate it as dissatisfaction or irritation. My tendency is to think that this is just nodding to what is fashionable rather than confronting reality. It is a bit like avoiding the word “death” and calling it “passing away” or some other euphemism. There is an embedded a subtle avoidance of the truth. No one likes to be confronted with the ugly and gross side of life. However, if we are to advance in our practise we must take the bull by the horns and stand firm in front of the ugly so that we may pass through to the other side.

We are a society addicted to Happiness. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling happy and experiencing the pleasant emotions, if, on the other hand we hang on to it we become addicted and blinded. We have become conditioned to think that there is nothing beyond being happy. Happiness, however, is purely the temporary withdrawal of suffering – not its absence. Suffering continues to lurk in the background like flies ready to pounce on cow dung.

When I was a young boy at school there was a much stronger lad who liked to tease me. He tricked me one day into thinking that we could have some fun on a see-saw. Now, I never did like see-saws because I was afraid of heights at this point in my life. Nonetheless he offered to give me some sweets if I got on the see-saw with him. It was a horror ride! He would slam the see-saw down with all his strength catapulting me into the air leaving me hanging on for my life. Then I would come hurtling down again for a few seconds reprieve before being shot up gain in dread and fear. This seemed to go on for an eternity. Finally I figured out that the only way out of this reprieve-suffering-cycle was to get the timing right and jump off the see-saw. I did, and my teaser came slamming back down.

Our addiction to “things” and happiness are a bit like the see-saw. There is a temporary feeling of delight followed again by the nagging sense of emptiness and the desire to fill the void with more things. In our consumer world the commercial enterprises thrive on this psychology and our addiction.

From an early age we are taught to “be happy”, to find happiness and to live happily ever after. This reasoning and happiness training is pounded into us through our education so that it rests in our bones. Then along comes a Buddhist like me and tell you that you are being led up the garden path and then tells you some truths about suffering. No wonder you are turned off! We have become so conditioned that many of us are unable any longer to see beyond the grasping to an awakened life of joy.

The Buddha was not out to make life a misery for us. He found an anti-dote to misery, a Middle Way, which with practice brings abiding joy and peace. All that it takes is the courage to jump off the see-saw.

There is nothing “wrong” with having nice things. This is not the issue. The issue is that are we able to see them clearly for what they are – impermanent and ultimately the source of non-happiness. We must let go and not be tempted by the illusionary sweets on offer from the consumer world. The illusion comes with a price tag. A high price.

I don’t think I ever did go near a see-saw again. Even now when I walk through a park I observe them at a distance as they stand as a reminder to me that life can be like this too. It takes courage as a young child to jump off a see-saw. It takes courage as an adult to jump off the see-saw of life. When you do you will be awakened to a new and more fulfilling life. This is what our Dharma practice has promised us.

Namo Amituofo

Pure Land Experience

When I first came to Guang Jue Monastery over two years ago I was delighted that the abbot, the Venerable Zheng Rong, had invited me to stay with him. I asked him if he would teach me more about Pure Land Buddhism. His answer was abrupt and I felt my nose a little out of joint when he replied: “If you want to learn about Pure Land Buddhism go and read about it in books’, upon which he retired to his room. It was not until a day or so later the Master added with a smile: “But if you want to experience Pure Land, stay for a while.”

The Venerable Zheng Rong was not discrediting the importance of study and reading. However, I have always been amazed at the very few books on his shelf in his office. He was merely making a strong point that we can become bogged down in the academia of Buddhism without ever having an experience of its sheer beauty. You can read all you like about Pure Land Buddhism but until you actively practise it you will never know its fruits.

Pure Land Buddhism is a very “active’’ Buddhism. Its foundation is based upon Faith, Vows and Practice. The faith that Pure land Buddhism talks about is a very experiential faith. It is not a blind faith. It is not a faith that the Amitabha Buddha will give us a free ticket to the Pure Land on our demise and that is all to it. No! Faith in Amitabha’s power is grounded in the experience of Pure Land in this very moment, in the Samadhi of being an integral part of all nature. The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua stated , “You must understand that the Land of Ultimate Bliss and the Saha world are not beyond this very thought.” When we begin to realize that the Pure Land is in our midst then we are able to experience the beauty and joy of life. This experience is not just a mental factor. It evolves as a product of our relationship with all sentient beings and with all of nature. It is active.

When, as Pure Land practitioners, we make vows to escape the cycle of birth and death and to rescue all sentient beings to do this we must develop the Bodhi and Compassionate mind - a mind of compassionate action in relationship with one another.

The third foundation is “practice.” To practise not only means the absorbing of our mental focus in the recitation of meditation on the name of Amitabha Buddha but also in the daily experience of being Amitabha Buddha to all beings through our thoughts, words and actions.

One morning the Master asked me if I would like to go to the village with him. We walked along the little country lane beside the monastery passing the corn and rice fields. The air was crisp in the autumn morning. As we turned to walk along the main road there in front of us was a truck whose driver was trying to start the motor. It had broken down in the middle of the road. With my limited knowledge of mechanics I guessed the driver had run out of petrol or there was a problem with the fuel line. The Master, however, stopped to offer assistance. He suggested we try to push-start the truck. Push-start a truck??!! There were only two of us and the truck was of rather large proportions. We both strained to gain momentum. The truck surged forward, spluttered then came to an abrupt halt. “No matter”, came Master Zheng Rong. “We will push you to the village.” I gasped for air! The occupants of a few cars that drove past were aghast to see a Venerable pushing a truck. Finally a large truck with laborers stopped and asked if we needed help.

We eventually arrived at the village huffing and puffing. One of the laborers remarked: “We should tell the abbot of the monastery that you are a hero, old monk. He is probably having his morning meditation”. The others laughed. “I am the abbot”, smiled Master Zheng Rong. “This IS my meditation.” The laughter suddenly stopped. With hands clasped the workmen bowed. I felt the awe of the moment. “Stop your bowing and let’s have tea together!” retorted the Master with his cheeky grin. In a little while we were all together drinking hot local tea and sharing stories. Laborers and monk; Chinese and a Westerner rubbing shoulders in camaraderie. This is Pure Land. I understood the Master’s teaching.

Let Go and Find Your Gift

All things are impermanent. When we understand the nature of impermanence we can let go and stop our grasping then there is true happiness. What we eat is what has been planted and harvested. If we plant melon seeds we get melons. This is the nature of things. This is not religion. This is logic, life education. Then we are awake from the dream of dust to the light of life.

When we are awake we are like children at the Christmas tree opening the wonderful gifts of life. Amongst these gifts we find our unique gift which we are able to give back to the world. Thus we find abundance and peace in our gift.

Magic in a Chinese Temple

When visiting a Chinese Buddhist temple or taking part in a Chinese temple stay, if you are alert and tuned in you can experience what is termed in Chinese as “ling” a type of magic or presence. It is very hard to describe but many who have spent some time in a Chinese temple stay will know what I am talking about.

“Ling” is a charged energy created by often centuries of prayerful and sincere chanting and meditation of the monks and nuns.

Guang Jue Temple near the small town of Zaoxi in Zhejiang province in China is one such place. You can catch a bus from Shanghai South bus station to Lin’an then a smaller local bus to Zaoxi town. Alighting at Zaoxi town you stroll through a sleepy little rural town past groups of townsfolk playing Mahjong in shop fronts and shop keepers dozing off during the afternoon siesta on reclining camp chairs out front of their shop. The narrow street makes its way past the local school over a bridge and before long you find yourself walking past fields of corn with meandering streams with ducks lined up on floating bamboo poles. The country road exudes a scent from Lady Moon trees lining both sides of the road and mature provides its backdrop of breathtaking mountain scenery. The road has a poetic Chinese name: Cloud Mountain Road. After two kilometers you come across a stone sign with Guang Jue Temple engraved upon it in Chinese, of course.

The first time I walked this road it seemed that my walking pace slowed down almost as if my legs and mind joined in some clandestine scheme to slow down my whole being in preparation for my stay at the Qing dynasty monastery. As I turned into the lane that made its way past bamboo and rice fields I could make out the outline of the monastery building amid bamboo groves.

It was a sunny autumn day and hosts of large blue winged butterflies danced across the yellow pumpkin flowers growing outside the monastery gate. Only the sound of cicadas and small sparrows could be heard amidst a deepening silence.

A Chinese temple plays with the senses. The colours of flowers and paintwork of the ancient temple, the scent of old rosewood furniture and incense is there to intrigue you. I felt a little dizzy. It seemed surreal. Time had stood still. I found myself standing in another era in a deep sense of Pure Land peace. My reverie was soon interrupted by the greeting and welcoming smile of the Abbott, Zheng Rong.

All Chinese Buddhist Temples have a history. Guang Jue Temple has its own history which gives form and shape to its “magic”. During the Qing dynasty it housed over two hundred monks and nuns. Now only five remain. During the Sino-Japanese war in 1942 the temple took a direct hit from bombs dropped randomly from low flying aircraft making their way to Hangzhou to pound the city. Locals tell me that all monks and nuns fled and there were no casualties. All left except one nun. Her name was Jue Ming.

We often hear of the great feats of meditation of the renowned Masters of Chinese Buddhism or read their erudite commentaries about sutras or their methods of achieving enlightenment. We seldom read about forgotten monks, nuns or even lay people who devoted whole chunks of their life to the practise often under harsh conditions. Jue Ming refused to leave the ruins feeling that she had to reverse the tide of Karma that brought the very destruction on the temple. For almost fifty five years Jue Ming performed the Pure Land Buddhist practise of chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha continually day and night as well as the chanting of mantras and sutras. Locals cannot explain why she remained undetected for so long – perhaps they considered her a fool. It was not until the present Abbott commissioned by his temple in Hangzhou to go in search of this reported hermit nun that she was found and brought back to her community.

One morning at an earlier temple stay I found myself drawn to the memorial garden marking the spot where Jue Ming prayed and chanted each day and where her ashes are now interred. It was a very cold autumn morning shrouded in the mountain mists. I sat on a small stone seat. It was so very cold I wanted to change my mind and go back to my room. As quickly as this thought entered my mind I felt a warm flow of air about me. I meditated in peaceful bliss for over an hour without feeling any cold. What was this warm air? Where did it come from?

Even the most skeptical admit to experiencing a very “warm” or “good” or “serene” feeling. Most people who come here on their Temple Stay feel a deep change taking place. Guang Jue is a Chinese Temple with “ling”. More than that, it has a lesson to teach each one of us if we will allow it. Magic remains only magic if all it does is take your breath away. It becomes awakening when is gives you a new breath of life.