Volume 8 Issue III July 2010 Perfection of Action - Aryaloka · ith Perfect Vision, we un- ......

By Dh. Karunasara

ith Perfect Vision, we un-derstand that absolutely everything is dependent on a myriad of conditions. As we begin to understand and

experience this, our mind changes. We do not see beings as separate from ourselves.

In the Dhammapada we read:

Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind and produced by mind. If one speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering fol-lows even as a cart wheel follows the hoof of the ox (drawing the cart).

Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind and produced by mind. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shad-ow that never departs. (1)

A Perfect Action is based on a positive mind state that reflects the understanding that all of us are beings in a continual pro-cess of change, the result of a myriad of conditions. We are insubstantial. This is

our common basis. Also, we wish to be happy, as do all other sentient beings. Re-flecting on this we see that a Perfect Action will bring happiness to both ourselves and others.

This brings us to the question; how do we know what constitutes a Perfect Ac-tion?

In Buddhism, actions are frequently classified as skillful and unskillful. A skill-

ful action results in a positive result. An unskillful action results in a negative re-sult.

The Precepts tell us what Perfect Ac-tion is:

We undertake to abstain from taking 1. life and practice deeds of loving-kindness.

WLooking at Ways We Can Make Ethical DecisionsPerfection of Action

Volume 8 Issue III July 2010

Aryaloka Buddhist Center14 Heartwood Circle, Newmarket, NH 03857

VAJRA BELL

PERFECT ACTIONContinued on Page 6

See Also:“Do and Don’t:

Right Action and the Noble

Eightfold Path”- Page 7

From the Editor

VAJRA BELLPAGE 2 VOLUME 8, ISSUE III

By Eric Wentworth

For the last several issues, we have been taking a look at the Eightfold Path, and in this issue we move from Right Speech into Right Action.

We’ve glimpsed a vision of reality which

has deeply and emotionally penetrated our understanding, and this in turn has affected how carefully we express ourselves. Now this understanding has an effect on not just our speech, but every other sphere of our lives, permeating all of our actions.

Right Action is the realm of ethical be-havior. For most Buddhists, this begins in earnest by paying close attention to adher-ing to the Five Precepts. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana compares this beginning stage of moral development to a parent’s warn-ing not to touch a hot stove. The warning is needed at first, but later, “When the chil-dren grow up, they realize that their par-

ents’ rules existed to prevent certain kinds of harm.”

We do seem to grow into ethics very much in this way. Over time, after many successes and failures in practicing the precepts fully, we begin to incrementally understand what kinds of harm and mental states they are meant to prevent. We start to see how deeply the implications of each precept go and how far-reaching they are. Our attention to them becomes refined and we may find ourselves naturally supple-menting the actions we are abstaining from with their corresponding positive actions - moving from harm to loving-kindness, greed to generosity, and so on.

After very long and strong practice, our understanding of pratitya samutpada would become so deeply rooted and intu-ited that we would find ourselves unable to act in a way that would break the precepts. Right Action would arise in us out of a fun-damental understanding of what effect our actions truly have and eventually would blossom into Perfect Action. Enlightened action will finally align itself with reality.

By Dh. Dayalocana

On the full moon eve of May 2010, our sangha gathered to celebrate the Enlight-enment of the Buddha Shakyamuni and the name change of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order to the

Triratna Buddhist Community. The name Western Buddhist Order (ordained men and women) was changed to Triratna Buddhist Order. In English, Triratna means Three Jewels, referring to the Buddha, the Dhar-ma and the Sangha. The new name, first

proposed by our founder Sangharakshita, serves to unite centers and sangha mem-bers, East and West, throughout the world. Triratna reminds us that the Three Jewels are at the heart of our Buddhist practice.

In June, during Friends Night at Aryalo-ka, our sangha rejoiced in Dharmacharini Amala who stepped down as Aryaloka’s Program Director after many years of dedi-cated service. Amala created programs for all of us that were rich in opportunities for learning the teachings of the Buddha and putting them into practice. She has served with a commitment that flows from her love for the Dharma, the value she places

ContactInformation

Aryaloka BuddhistRetreat Center

14 Heartwood CircleNewmarket, NH 03857

603-659-5456

[email protected]

Aryaloka CouncilDayalocana

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Tom [email protected]

[email protected]

Vajra Bell KulaEric Wentworth, [email protected]

[email protected]

Stephen [email protected]

Suzanne [email protected]

Elizabeth [email protected]

Daniel [email protected]

Ashley [email protected]

Musings from the Chair

FROM THE CHAIRContinued on Page 3

The Aryaloka Council minutes are now posted onthe bulletin board at the foot of the stairs.

VOLUME 8, ISSUE III VAJRA BELL PAGE 3

The CouncilBy Vihanasari

The budget has been completed for the present, shortened, fiscal year – June 1 to December 31. The Center is in the pro-cess of moving to a calendar year budget-ary schedule. As in other years, the budget can be adjusted as necessary.

The Council approved repairs to the roof over the bookstore in order to correct the leaks that have developed over time. Kitchen renovations were also approved and, as of this writing, almost complete. In addition, improvements were made to the tea service area and the laundry room. Additional work to the ceiling in the yoga room will be done if finances allow and all work will be completed in time for this summer’s extended retreats.

The incorporation of the Aryaloka Buddhist Center in New Hampshire (transferred from Massachusetts) has been completed. Our bylaws have been amended and a dissolution policy has been developed as required by law. The Council will continue to work with Jean Corson on vision and mission statements as well as restructuring.

Council members expressed much ap-

preciation for the wonderful job done by the pledge drive kula, led by Tom Gaillard – sadhu!!

It was agreed to move forward with replacing Amala as program director and to further define the parameters of that po-sition. In addition, ways to broaden and share Dayalocana’s current responsibili-ties will also be considered.

Shantigarbha will be visiting Aryaloka from the UK from Sept. 21 to Nov. 20. Manjuvajra, Nagabodhi, Dhammarati, and Dayanandi will be our honored guests at our 25th anniversary celebration at the end of August and beginning of September.

Sangha members are welcome to at-tend Council meetings. Please contact Dayalocana in advance at [email protected]. The Council will next meet on July 14 at 6:10 p.m.

How Can You Contribute to the Vajra Bell?As a sangha, one of the most important

things we do is to share our individual expe-riences of the spiritual life. By contributing our own stories to the richly-flavored stew of Dharma life that surrounds our center, we create strong connections between each other and strengthen each others’ practices, sometimes without even knowing it. Just by telling another person about something you know or an experience you’ve had, you may provide the missing part to a puzzle that has been unfinished in their mind. You may bring them peace, simply in the knowledge that they are not the only one struggling with an issue. You might say the right word at just the right moment that will alter their lives forever.

With this in mind, if you’ve ever been interested in contributing to the Vajra Bell, this is the time to do it! Have you taken an amazing photo lately? We can use one! Trying your hand at poetry? We’re eager to share one of your poems. If you’ve attend-ed a retreat or event at an FWBO center, we would love to have you write something about it for us. If you have a great website to share, a Dharma movie you’re eager to talk about, or a page-turner of a Buddhist book that you have to let everyone know about, let us know! There are so many ways that you can enrich the pages of the Vajra Bell - let your imaginations run wild!

So, you say that you’re not a great writer? Well, now is the chance to chal-

lenge that self-view. The Vajra Bell kula has among its volunteers an excellent set of editors to help you on your way. Have an idea, but you’re not sure if it’s prime-time material? Let us know what you’re think-ing - it may grow from a seedling thought into a solid story.

The important part is to take the leap. You never know what will happen unless you give it a shot, and there may be some-one out there just waiting for what you have to say.

To contribute, or to suggest an idea for a future issue of the Vajra Bell, you can con-tact any of the kula volunteers, listed in the contact column on page two of this issue, by email or in person.

Please be sure Aryaloka’s windows

stay closed in winter and remember to close them when leaving the center in warmer months. Thank you!

on practice opportunities and her wish for all of us to have opportunities to grow, change and benefit from the teachings. For the next few months Amala will have some time away to attend a month-long medita-tion retreat in California and another at Akashavana Retreat Center in Spain. When she returns in November we are pleased that Amala will continue to teach and lead events at Aryaloka. We send her our thanks, our gratitude and wishes for her well-being and happiness in the months ahead.

At the end of August, we will come to-gether for a week-long celebration of Ary-aloka and recollections of the changes over the past 25 years. The growth of our Center and spiritual community has come about through the determined efforts of many people. Touched by the Three Jewels, each individual has made a decision to gener-ously give their energy, time, skills, or re-sources to create conditions for the Dharma to flourish and the sangha to grow. Thank you for all you have contributed and all you will contribute. May our efforts continue to be strong, our kindness deep and may clar-ity abound.

~ Dharmacharini DayalocanaChair, Aryaloka Buddhist CenterTriratna Buddhist Community

FROM THE CHAIRContinued from Page 2

Policy for Retreat Deposits:Retreats/Classes/SolitariesThose registering for retreats (including solitaries) and

classes of any length will be asked to pay a minimum deposit of one-half of the total cost. If a registrant cancels two weeks or more before the event, s/he will receive a refund of the amount paid, minus a $15 processing fee. If the cancellation is received less than two weeks before the event, the registrant will forfeit the minimum deposit.

Forfeited deposits may not be transferred to another event.

Yoga RetreatsThose registering for yoga retreats will be asked to pay the

full cost in advance in order to finalize the registration. If a registrant cancels two weeks or more before the retreat, s/he will receive a refund of the amount paid minus $35 that may be credited to another event. If the cancellation is received less than two weeks before the event, the registrant will receive a refund of $100. Thirty-five dollars ($35) of the remainder may be credited to another event, the rest will be forfeited.

* * * * * Note: In both categories above, special circumstances will be taken into consideration. * * * * *


Sangha Notes - “What’s Happening?”By Suzanne Woodland

“Meditate, medi-tate, meditate!” enthus-es one of our senior Order members with some regularity. Such exhortation is gently delivered, accompa-nied by a smile and overflowing with en-

couragement. This spring there have been plenty of opportunities at Aryaloka for med-itation practitioners of all experience levels.

For those seeking an introduction to meditation, Vihanasari led day retreats in April and May to introduce the two founda-tional meditation practices: Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana. Amala led the Introduction to Meditation day offered in June and Narottama offered a six-week Wednesday evening introductory course combining meditation and Buddhism.

In May, Sunada and Viriyalila welcomed weekend retreatants to explore Living with Mindfulness. Open to those of varied expe-rience levels, the weekend offered the oppor-

tunity to explore the practice of mindfulness both on and off the meditation cushion.

For those persons with meditation expe-rience, Bodhipaksa led a four-week course on Wednesday evenings to explore Insight Meditation. He offered, as well, a weekend retreat devoted to the examination - through reflection, meditation and discussion - the flow of the elements in the ever-changing body. For yoga practitioners of all experi-ence levels, the Open Heart Quiet Mind Yoga and Meditation Retreat, led by Mi-chelle McComb and Arjava, presented an-other form of practice opportunity. Lily Sibley offered a yoga weekend in June.

Tuesday night sangha activities contin-ued to provide an opportunity for friends to gather for an evening of meditation, fol-lowed by Dharma study for those interested. Arjava continued to offer guided medita-tion/meditation support in the library as an alternative to the usual silent meditation in the shrine room. For the past two months, Amala has led an engaging study of ritual and devotion. Arjava and Suzanne explored the Noble Eightfold Path with participants.

Complementing the meditation op-

portunities, the women’s mitra sangha has been exploring since early June the Four Mind-Turning Reflections (also known as the Four Reminders). This mitra study module invites reflection on the subjects of the preciousness of this human life, the tran-sitoriness of life and the certainty of death, karma and consequences of action, and the dangers and defects of samsara. The men’s mitra sangha has been gathering on Monday evenings to investigate views: the views we hold of ourselves, the views we hold of oth-ers, the views we hold of reality itself. Both mitra programs are providing rich ground for investigation.

For men of any level of experience, prac-tice days continue to be held each month, the most recent practice day in June cover-ing the topic of spiritual friendship. The most recent women’s practice day encour-aged participates to explore how to work creatively with the hurdles and challenges of the spiritual life.

The work weekend held in May was well-attended, with many hands helping to

SANGHA NOTESContinued on Page 9

By Dh. Karunasara

The Teaching kula is responsible for the curriculum and (overall) teaching at Aryaloka. Members of the kula coordi-nate with the program director and mitra

convenors to plan the program and guide educational offerings and study. The kula also interfaces with the Council regarding general oversight of our education and to ensure the continued focus of our mis-sion to spread the Dharma as put forth by

Sangharakshita. A very important focus is to offer support, curriculum guidance, and resources for teachers.

Members of the kula are, Amala, Akashavanda, Candradasa, Karunasara, Saddhamala, Vihanasari, and Viriyalila.

How Teaching the Dharma at Aryaloka is Planned

By Dh. Sunada

We’re homeless! Remember the heavy rains we had in March? Our humble little basement room got flooded with about an inch of water, which took several weeks to recede. Luckily, noth-ing was damaged. We knew we were in a flood-risk room, so we had everything stored well above ground, especially the zabutons zafus. But still…

It’s now June, and we still haven’t been able to move back in. We’ve been a roving nomadic sangha, meeting at each others’ houses and wherever we could find space. We’ve got a couple of leads for places that we might move to, but nothing for sure yet.

By the time you read this, I’m hoping we’ll have found a new home, but it’s possible that we won’t. If you know of a possible rental space in the Somerville/Davis Square area, please let us know! We could use all the help we can get.

You can contact us at <[email protected]>.

By the way, we also have a brand new website reflecting our brand new name. We’re now the Boston Triratna Buddhist Community and our website is www.BostonTriratna.org. A huge thank you and sadhu goes to Robin Summerhill for doing all the work to make it happen.


News from theBoston Sangha

For Your Information...

FWBO Centers in the U.S.:

Newmarket, NHPortland, MELubec, ME

Somerville, MANew York City, NY

Missoula, MTSan Francisco, CA

Seattle, WA -- Richland, WA.

By Gail Yahwak

Happy summer to everyone from the Portland, Maine sangha of the Triratna Bud-dhist Community. Nagaloka welcomed our movement’s name change in May with a Wesak celebration led by Dharmasuri. We have finished our study on wisdom from the Dharma Training Course. What a great study, as we covered topics of karma and rebirth, conditionality, the Spiral Path and more. This study inspired much discus-sion, reflection and cooperative learning as we all allowed the Dharma to sink in and shine out.

Dharmasuri and David arrived back from a trip to Bhutan. Dharmasuri re-viewed the highlights from their trip during a much-appreciated potluck dinner. Mai-trimani led a Wednesday night on the Eight Wordly Winds, followed by a Wednesday night led by Dharmasuri on A Taste of Freedom, Stream Entry and becoming a true individual. Nagaloka had a very suc-cessful fundraising day doing face painting at the Old Port Festival. Thank you VERY

much to all who came out to spread joy by decorating the faces of the children.

Our mitra study group has just finished The Nature of Existence from Year Two of the Dharma Training Course. Thank you so much to Prassanavajri and Karunasara for coming to Nagaloka to facilitate this very inspiring study for our growing group of mitras! What a great opportunity this was to go deeper into the Dharma while strengthening our spiritual friendships.

This summer begins with our sangha starting a new ten-week study on Wednes-days of the book Life with Full Attention by Maitreyabandhu. We are looking forward to this practical book and all the exercises that will help integrate mindfulness into our day-to-day life. Dharmasuri will lead another Intro Class on Tuesdays beginning in August.

Our regular meditation sessions are Mondays at 6:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Fridays at 6:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m. Check out our website for coming events at www.nagalokabuddhistcenter.org (now on Facebook too).

By Rich Cormier

A boy became filled with anger towards someone who had done him an injustice. His grandfather noticed his grandson’s de-meanor and sat down next to him. After the boy had related the events, his grandfather said to him, “Let me tell you a story...

“Many times I have felt great hate and anger for those who take so much, with no sorrow for what they have done. But hate only wears you down, and does not harm your enemy. It is like taking a poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times.

“It’s as if there are two wolves inside of me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him. He is

forgiving and will seek out a way to mend the fences. He does not take offense when no offense is intended.

“But... ah!... the other wolf. The littlest things will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone all the time. He cannot think because he only sees anger and hate. It is a helpless anger because it will change nothing.

“Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves, for they are both hungry for my attention. They are at odds, trying to dominate my spirit – my peace of mind.”

The boy looked into his grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins?”

His grandfather smiled and said, “The one I feed.”

The above Cherokee parable of the two

News from Nagaloka

News from the Concord Sangha

Feeding Wolves

CONCORD SANGHAContinued on Page 14


We undertake to abstain from taking 2. the not-given and practice generos-ity.We undertake to abstain from sexual 3. misconduct and practice stillness, simplicity and contentment.We undertake to abstain from false 4. speech and practice truthful com-munication. We undertake to abstain from taking 5. intoxicants and practice with mind-fulness clear and radiant.

These are general guidelines. We need to have a practical method to evaluate our actions. This brings us to the practice of ethics; the way we make decisions based on our beliefs. We all have a practice of ethics based on the beliefs we have incor-porated from various aspects of our cul-tures. As Dharma practitioners we may change these beliefs as we view our inter-connectedness. This will change our minds

to a positive focus. Some practical guidelines we can use to

help us make ethical decisions are

Identify the problem clearly. Some-• times when it looks like another person’s actions are the problem, we see that the problem is actually our own perception of the situation.

Who does it affect? Our actions • have effects like ripples caused by a pebble thrown into a pond.

What are your beliefs about right • and wrong?

What precepts are involved? There • are usually more than one because they are interrelated.

What is my emotional state that in-• fluences my perception of the situ-ation?

What are possible actions? We • would not be thinking of this if there was only one possible action.

Which action will probably bring • the most benefit and the least harm?

We don’t use all of these for every ac-tion. But as we work to make our actions positive and skillful in ways that bring happiness for us and others, we can stop and ask ourselves some or all of these questions at times. We may do this before, during, or after we take action.

We are acting all the time. Our actions are always driven by our mind states which are influenced by our vision. As we keep ourselves aware of our actions and how they are based on our understanding of the Dharma, and as we practice skillful deci-sion making, we become more adept at Right Action.

(1) Dhammapada: the way of truth. Trans by Sangharakshita. P.13

PERFECT ACTIONContinued from Page 1

Musings on Travel from Free Buddhist AudioBy Dh. Viriyalila

Free Buddhist Audio brings the Dharma to you digitally! Right here from Ports-mouth, New Hampshire.

Free Buddhist Audio hosts over 900 au-dio talks on Buddhism and meditation on our website, as well as hundreds of semi-nar and lecture transcripts. Viriyalila started working for this dynamic team-based right livelihood project last fall, and is enjoying the work of doing a face-to-face, grass-roots, ground-up fundraising tour. With two visits to the U.K. this spring, and presenta-tions planned for the U.S. this summer, she’s been keeping very busy! She writes ~

“When my good friend Candradasa asked if I would consider taking the lead on Free Buddhist Audio’s fundraising cam-paign, my immediate thought was that I just wasn’t qualified. I have loads of experience working in management and bookkeeping, but none in fundraising. But, as we talked, I recalled how much of a fan I have been of the Dharmachakra tapes since I first became

a mitra. Had I not had access to listening to the lectures that Sangharakshita had given over the years, it is possible that I may not have become a member of the Triratna Bud-dhist Order. And as I am comfortable with technology, love the internet, and am keen to learn new things, why not give it a try? We strategized for nearly six months, and as I faced a steep learning curve, I found myself coming back time and time again to a strong sense of faith, both in the project itself - representing the transmission of the Dharma - and also in the sangha, because without people to learn and live the Dhar-ma, there would be no point!

“As I began my training period and made my way through Google Analytics for the freebuddhistaudio.com website, I slowly began to take in just how many people we were contacting, which I found deeply inspiring. 150,000 users visited in 2009, from 180 different countries spread throughout the world. Here, at freebuddhis-taudio.com, so many people from so many different cultures are coming into to contact

with our unique approach to the Dharma. I imagined all the individual people in Be-larus, Slovakia, China, Bolivia and so on, tuning into our Dharma talks - to Bhante Sangharakshita, to my various mentors and teachers in the Order, to my friends. Oh, how my Metta Bhavana practice was trans-formed!

“Once the training period was more or less complete, I made all the necessary de-tailed arrangements to embark on an ambi-tious U.K. centre fundraising tour. I stayed with the lovely Maitripushpa, who some of you will remember as Carol Bois, who worked here at Aryaloka for several years. From her place in West London, I got to know the U.K. public transport system very well as I made my way to eighteen centers and events around the country in two three-week tours spanning the months of March through June.

“Here are the places I’ve been during this tour….

FREE BUDDHIST AUDIOContinued on Page 18


By Dh. Amala

Right Action is the fourth “step” of the Noble Eightfold Path. Action is what we DO with our body, our speech, and even our mind. Action has intent and motivation be-hind it. Action is our views, values and motivations made visible, put out into the world where effects ripple out to connect us with others. As we practice Right Action we deepen our sensitivity to the effects we have on others and on our world. My mind asks, “How do I know what action is right in any given situa-tion?” “Right” results in con-tentment, harmony, positive connection, and reduction in suffering and its causes.

The “shorthand” for Right Action is stated in terms of the negative precepts, the DON’Ts. To abstain from killing or causing harm; from taking the not-given; and from sexual misconduct comprises Right Action.

These simple strictures sound very easy. Simply don’t kill or intentionally hurt a living being. Simply don’t take property or take part in abusive exchanges. Simply don’t exploit, disrespect or misappropriate in intimate relations. Practice in this way constitutes a mind of renunciation and ab-stinence, both considered highly positive attitudes in Buddhist practice.

As with all the precepts, action can be stated in positive form as well. Right Ac-tion is that which is love and compassion for beings; is generous giving to others; is simplicity and contentment in relationships. We become familiar with these words, with the beauty of the ideals. Of course we do not wish to harm, to take or to abuse! We want to be kind, open, responsible and con-tent.

As action is our interior brought to the exterior, we must look inward first in this practice. The depth of our mind and sourc-es of our motivation are in many ways not known even to ourselves, so we cannot be sure of always performing Right Action. We must get accustomed to asking and observing truthfully, “What is my state of mind?” Action stemming from wholesome and positive states of mind is “right.” Ac-tion stemming from the refined mind of a Buddha is “perfect.” This gives us a hint as to how to produce Right Action.

We need to cultivate positive states of mind through mindfulness, through medi-

tation, through honest and harmonious communication, through managing the stimu-lus we subject ourselves to, through all the steps on the Eightfold Path! Every effort, every supportive context, ev-ery intention to be kind, will feed back to give us a hap-pier mind.

Acting the “right” way itself creates conditions for harmony in the mind. By do-ing the “right thing” (shar-ing, being respectful, helping someone), we are saved from regret or guilt. Our mind can be at ease. By appropriate ac-tion, we establish conditions for favorable future life out-comes; we are in good stand-ing with our karma. Harmo-nious interpersonal relations follow from our right actions, making all of life easier and reducing cause for internal turmoil, strong emotions or discontent. Finally, if we are conscientious in our actions, a purification, or positive ha-bituation begins which will support more inner stillness, a foundation for the arising of insight and wisdom. We gradually become less likely to succumb to distraction or envy, hatred, or other poison-

ous states. Then it is more likely that our actions will create beautiful, skillful ripples into the world.

Thus there is a two-way conditioning of Right Action. The work we do to be hon-est within and to be fundamentally positive flowers into beneficial action. In mirror-like fashion the Right Action creates a world for us in which it is easier to maintain and deepen positive states.

Action is supported by the whole Path. In the whole, inner and outer conditions work together to realize the loving, com-passionate, freely shared and tranquil world of our ideals.

DO and DON’T: Right Action and the Noble Eightfold Path


By Samayadevi Ah, for summer days - lolling around

on a beach, watching the waves lap the shore. Fireflies and moonlight on the flow-ers. Blue sky that never ends. Such lovely images. But don’t forget the rainy days - puddles like small ponds, the comforting sound of the rain tapping on the skylights in the Aryaloka library. Summer invites reading - on the beach or snuggled on the couch. And the library is a hidden resource for us all.

This summer Hillary Kayser (daughter of Suzanne Woodland) will be our intern/volunteer. It may be a happy first for us all (the library kula is thrilled)! There are new books to shelve, new categories to cre-ate, and all those books to return to their designated places. One of the new books (also in the bookstore) is Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and nutritionist Dr Lilian Cheung. It really is about not only savoring our food, but also savoring our life. A good read in any season.

There has been a bit of a rethinking of the real purpose of our library and so you will notice a concentration on overtly

By Steve Cardwell

Greetings and good wishes to everyone as we welcome summer to New England and look forward to Aryaloka’s 25th anniversary celebration, beginning at end of August.

The bookstore is stocked with most of the books by Sangharakshita, our founder, as well as other titles by Order members from around the world. I would imagine that there is nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere where you will find as many books written by the authors of our world-wide sangha. Here is a sampling of what’s currently available:

The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path By Sangharakshita - ($16.95)

“Probably the best life coaching manual you’ll ever read. The key to living with clar-ity and awareness.” ~ The Sunday Times

A Guide to the Buddhist PathBy Sangharakshita - ($24.95)

This accessible introductory guide ex-plains the main features and principles of Buddhism in two parts. Part one explains the fundamentals, while part two tackles the practicalities.

Exploring Karma and RebirthBy Nagapriya - ($13.95)

While appearing frequently in popular culture, the fundamental Buddhist themes of karma and rebirth are often misunderstood. In this guide, the author introduces and clari-fies these complex concepts.

Buddhism: Tools for Living Your Life By Vajragupta - ($16.95)

Listed as a top title in The Bookseller’s Religion Preview 2007. This is a guide for those seeking a meaningful spiritual path in busy and often hectic lives. Vajragupta pro-vides clear explanations of the main Bud-dhist teachings, as well as a variety of ex-ercises designed to help develop or deepen your practice.

Satipatthana: The DirectPath to Realization

By Analayo - ($24.95)

This best-selling book offers a unique and detailed textual study of the Satipattaha-na Sutta, a foundational Buddhist discourse on meditation practice. “This book should

Buddhaworks: From the BookstoreLibrary News

BUDDHAWORKSContinued on Page 14

LIBRARY NEWSContinued on Page 9

BuddhaworksThe Aryaloka Bookstore

Your support brightens Aryaloka’s future.Buddhaworks is located at the Aryaloka Buddhist Center

* Meditation Candles* DVDs from Pema Chodron and Lama Surya Das* Meditation Journals* CDs from Thich Nhat Hanh

* Singing Bowls* Brass Door Chimes from Nepal and India* Children’s Coloring Books* Lots and Lots of Great Books!

make Aryaloka cleaner, drier (some roof re-pair) and more beautiful. Thanks to all who participated.

Rounding out Aryaloka’s spring of-ferings was a well-attended and inspiring Wesak celebration and two musical events. Heather Maloney shared her moving acous-tic music in April, and in May, Sravaniya and his string quartet brought alive the music of Shostakovitch, Haydn and Mendelssohn.

With great delight I report that our mitra sangha continues to grow with the addition of Shana Clark and Kathy St. Hilaire.


SANGHA NOTESContinued from Page 4

By Sheila Groonell

Right Action is the guiding principle for all Aryaloka’s kulas. Each person who joins a kula has some experience of Perfect Vision right here at Aryaloka. They imagine a more perfect community, a more perfect spiritual home that is pos-sible here and now. Then they experience an upwelling of Right Emotion. They are drawn by the emotions of generosity, un-derstanding and compassion to help cre-ate this more perfect spiritual home for all of us here at Aryaloka and the world beyond.

At Aryaloka there are many who have operated with Right Vision, Right Emo-tion, and Right Action for years to create and grow our community. These include our long time program director, the mem-bers of the Aryaloka Council, and the members of the teaching kula to whom we owe our deepest gratitude. These are the people who have sustained and grown the vision of Aryaloka as a vital, warm, center of wisdom and compassion, dedicated to offering the Dharma to all beings.

Who are these people to whom we owe so much?

Firstly we embrace and thank our Programming Director Emeritus, Amala. She has been planning, scheduling, and running activities, instruction, retreats, and workshops here for many years. For so many of us, our first contact with the Dharma came through Amala, as did our inspiration, our encouragement, and our personal support. We owe her our deep and personal thanks for all she does for all of us. Her Right Action has conditioned all our experiences at Aryaloka.

Next we express our deep gratitude to the Aryaloka Council, who have set our course for realizing the Dharma in our lives. There have been many over the years whose presence on the Council have provided the leadership Aryaloka has needed. These include Amala, Arja-va, Dayalocana, Saddhamala, Vihanasari, and Council Member Emeritus, Vidhuma. More recently, Candradasa, Tom Gaillard, and Viryalila have joined and added their valuable skills to the Council.

Finally, we thank the teaching kula, those who have continually provided Dharma instruction so that we all may grow in wisdom and compassion. Senior members of this kula include the ubiqui-tous Amala, Dayalocana - who founded the teaching kula so many years ago - Karunasara, who has taught in both the West and East coast Triratna Communi-ties, and Saddhamala, who has inspired and guided generations of mitras into the Aryaloka sangha. This year Akashavanda and Vihanasari have joined the teaching kula to our great benefit.

So, in this edition of the Kula Corner, I call our attention to those whose Perfect Vision and Perfect Emotion have drawn them to Perfect Action; to creating, guid-ing, and maintaining our spiritual com-munity so that we all may know, practice and realize the Dharma. Sadhu, one and all.

Please take the time to express your personal thanks to these precious sangha members to whom we owe so much.

May their dedication and action inspire us all to offer ourselves to the service of the Dharma, our Aryaloka community, and thus to all beings.

Kula CornerBy Tom Gaillard

Order members, mitras and friends stepped up this spring to support Aryaloka’s recent pledge drive. We’re pleased to report that in a year of economic uncertainty, sup-port for Aryaloka reached fifty-nine pledges for a total of $2,978 per month! This was a nice increase from last year, when forty-six members pledged to Aryaloka.

Pledges are an extremely important part of Aryaloka’s financial picture. The major-ity of our income comes from retreats and classes, which are subject to change due to weather, teacher availability and other factors. In contrast, the Center’s monthly expenses for the mortgage, heating, etc., never end! So, monthly pledges from our committed members are vital to continuing our mission of spreading the Dharma.

This year’s campaign ran from March 23 to May 24, and in those two months we contacted members both near and far. We appreciate the outpouring of support, and are gratified that so many chose to join us with their dana. Thanks to you, Aryaloka steps into the future with firm support.

Special thanks to the Pledge Drive kula of Elizabeth Hellard, Brian Jervis, Sheila Groonell, Prasannavajri, Tom Gail-lard and Dayalocana for all their work. If you haven’t pledged yet, there’s still time: please call the office at 603-659-5456 or [email protected].

Pledges to Aryaloka Increased for May!

Kulas a Great Place to Practice Right Action

Dharma books instead of shelves of ‘world literature’. Of course the Dharma is every-where, but space is limited and there are so

many other places we can access the classics of literature. Please come see the changes, and let your curiosity lead you to discover new books and new categories. Most of all, enjoy summer in all its weathers.

LIBRARY NEWSContinued from Page 8


Movie ReviewOnline In-Site

By Dan Bush

“The Buddha”(2010), 120 minutes, Unrated

Available on Netflix or athttp://video.pbs.org/video/1437891739

Psychedelic is not a word that I’d typi-cally use to describe documentaries about the Buddha, but this one-hour new release by director Da-vid Grubin is not only ex-perimental but mind-expand-ing.

Ashley and I watched the free version of this movie on the PBS website (one short clip after one short clip) and we just loved it!

The storyline is simple and chrono-logically ordered. The downloadable web version is divided into nine segments. Beginning with Birth & Youth, the story continues with Seeking, Enlightenment, Teachings, Community, Meditation, Com-passion, Miracles, and Death and Legacy.

The story is told in a way that is emi-nently watchable, even for the non-Bud-dhist.

David Grubin tells the life story of the Buddha by weaving in video from mod-ern day India, narration by Richard Gere, animation set to music and interviews with scholars, monks and poets.

The first segment of the Enlighten-ment story (6:23 minutes) is typical of the movie’s flavor. It begins with the simple imagery of animated brown and tan stripes across the screen. Quickly, they become furrowed, rolling hills and Indian dancing girls are seen in the distance.

Bells and music play as a narrator be-

gins to tell a story:“Years before, when Siddhartha was a

small boy, his father, the king, had taken him to a spring planting festival. While he watched the ceremonial dancing and seeds being sown, he looked down at the grass. He thought about the insects and their eggs, destroyed as the field was planted. He was overwhelmed with sadness.”

As we watch the dancers grow ever larger on the screen, they begin to turn and the view shifts to that of a bird. The dancers, now spinning discs, merge with the ground and become anthills scattered across the surface of the earth. Suspense-ful percussions and bells continue to set the mood as black ants scurry between the hills and we are now beneath the earth, moving amidst eggs and tunnels when suddenly, a boot comes.

It crushes the anthill and the particles of earth begin to move, slowly forming a rope of earth that twists into a spiral. As we watch tiny black ants re-enter the spiral path, we hear the voice of the poet, Jane Hirshfield: “One great tap-word of Bud-dhism is compassion, which is the deep af-fection that we feel for everything because we’re all in it together.”

And as the story continues we are joined at key points by the psychiatrist, Mark Ep-stein, the monk Venerable Metteyya Saky-aputta and then the scholar D. Max Moer-man.

Later in the movie the Dalai Lama, as well as other practicing Buddhist monks, offer their own insights.

This movie is a trip - a kaleidoscope of imagery, insight and history that not only brings the Buddha’s path and work to life but enunciates the Dharma and gives us a visual perspective on the origins of our Sangha ancestors.

PBS advertises the DVD for $25 and this consciousness-expanding documen-tary is well worth it.

By Eric Wentworth

In what seems a very short period of time our experience using the Internet has become dramatically different. The Web has become a social sphere. Mil-lions of times a minute people across the world are sharing their photos, post-ing their thoughts in blogs, tweeting on Twitter, updating Facebook, shar-ing news stories, uploading videos to YouTube, and sending emails back and forth. As many people as there are creat-ing content online, there are many more who are viewing it. And there are a mul-titude of ways to consume this informa-tion. We spend more and more time on-line, and it’s changing the very fabric of our culture. Like most dramatic cultural changes, this change has potential for positive as well as negative effects.

On the positive end of things, we have access to just about any informa-tion we could ever want or need. There is always someone out there who knows how to make or fix something and puts it online, or whose collection of per-sonal resources have been shared so that others might benefit. Instant com-munication between parties has also been surprisingly effective as a tool in activism, as was demonstrated by the use of Facebook and Twitter during the 2009 Iranian election and during then-candidate Barack Obama’s presidential bid. Social networking can be used to keep families and friends in touch when other communication is difficult, and it can revitalize or create new connections between people. In this next phase of the Internet, what began as a free flow of information has become a commu-nity. This tempers one of the earlier criticisms of the Internet - that it pushes

Please be sure Aryaloka’s windows stay closed in winter and remember to close them when leaving the center in warmer months. Thank you!

ONLINE INSITEContinued on Page 16


By Shir Haberman

The year was 1985.The life expectancy in the United States

was less than seventy-five years, an aver-age new home cost $100,800 and the me-dian household income was $23,618.

Gasoline cost $1.20 a gallon, a dozen eggs were eighty cents and a gallon of milk was $2.26.

It was a tumultuous time.Ronald Reagan was elected to his sec-

ond term, and 8,000 people died in an earthquake that shook Mexico City.

Thousands of college students protested apartheid in South Africa, thirty people died as a result of rioting at European soccer games and AIDS was the pre-eminent health concern, with the military beginning the test-ing of all its personnel and actor Rock Hud-son announcing that he had contracted the disease, from which he subsequently died.

International terrorism was rampant. TWA Flight 847 bound for Rome from Ath-ens was hijacked to Beirut and the infamous takeover by armed Islamic fundamentalists of the Achille Lauro cruise ship resulted in the death of an American.

In the midst of this national and inter-national turmoil something amazing was happening in the small town of Newmar-ket, New Hampshire, that would change the lives of hundreds - if not thousands - of people over the course of the next twenty-five years.

Manjuvajra, a member of the Western Buddhist Order, had come from the United Kingdom to teach classes in Jamaica Plains, Mass., three years earlier. He was looking for a place that would house a retreat center here in the U.S., and came across a flyer that advertised what he and Bob Ebberson (now Thiradhamma) thought sounded like an interesting property in southeastern New Hampshire.

The two visited the location off Shady Lane on Heartwood Circle in Newmar-ket, viewed its interesting geodesic domes and decided it fit the bill. What made the property even more interesting was that the owner was willing to finance the purchase, since neither Manjuvajra nor Ebberson had

the necessary money.On July 26, 1985, the mortgage papers

were signed. On Aug. 3, Manjuvajra, Rat-napani and Dharmabandhu moved in, and just a few days later, on Aug. 9, Aryaloka’s first two-week retreat was held.

Over the next 25 years, much has changed. The structures on the property have been repaired and made more com-fortable, and programs aimed at teaching and practicing the Dharma have been de-veloped and held. Hundreds, perhaps thou-sands of people from across New England and from further away have journeyed to Newmarket to get a taste of Buddhism as practiced by the Order.

Some have come for a program or two, some have made Aryaloka their spiritual home and others have chosen to deepen their commitment to the Buddhist life by becoming mitras and then Order members.

As Buddhists, we understand that time is simply a convention. The past is gone, the future is unknown and all that we have is this present moment.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment,” the Buddha said.

However, as with all creations of our minds, how we think about time - what has gone before and what will be in the future - can either be a source of suffering or imbue this present moment with a sense of purpose and meaning. Knowing and re-

spectfully honoring the past can be a tool to increasing awareness.

In recognition of the opportunity for cul-tivating awareness the 25th anniversary of the founding of Aryaloka provides, a kula has been formed to plan a celebration of that event. While plans are still somewhat in flux, the following outline of events set to honor that anniversary has been estab-lished that will involve both members of the Aryaloka sangha and interested people from the greater Seacoast community:

Saturday, Aug. 28: 12 noon until 2:30 or 3 p.m. - Opening ceremonies - proces-sion and unfurling of celebratory banners followed by a picnic for friends and fami-lies of Aryaloka

Sunday, Aug. 29: Open House - Aryaloka open to all and to special in-vited guests from the community. A good time to come have a tour and hear about what goes on at Aryaloka, experi-ence a short guided meditation and enjoy the grounds.

Monday through Friday, Aug. 30-Sept. 3: Join us for meditation each morning at 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., hosted by Surakshita and others. Come for an evening activity at 7 p.m. each day. Daily evening programs include talks from senior Order members who have been part of Aryaloka, a practice evening of meditation and puja, and a panel remi-niscence and sharing from members who were involved at Aryaloka during its first decade. Special guests include Nagabodhi, president of Aryaloka since the beginning, and Manjuvajra, founding Order member of the center.

Saturday, Sept. 4: 12 noon - 4 p.m. - Concluding ceremonies and special puja dedicated to Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, followed by a tea.

It promises to be a week of learning and deepening. All members of the Aryaloka sangha, at whatever their level of commit-ment, are invited to come for some or all of the above events.

The members of the Anniversary kula are: Viriyagita, Surakshita, Viriyalila and Amala. They can be reached through the Aryaloka office.

Setting the Stage for Aryaloka’s 25th Anniversary

Calendar of EventsSaturday, Aug. 28th

Opening Ceremonies and PicnicNoon to 2:30 or 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 29thOpen House

All Day

Monday-Friday, Aug. 30th - Sept. 3rdMeditation - 7:30 & 8:15 a.m. dailyEvening Activities - 7:00 p.m. daily

Saturday, Sept. 4thConcluding Ceremonies and Puja

Noon to 4:00 p.m.

From Triratna Buddhist Community News

Vajradaka writes with some news about his work with meditation and creativity. Vajradaka is one of the longest-ordained members of the Order and was for many years chair-man of Vajraloka Meditation Retreat Centre in North Wales. He says,

“For many years I have been combining my experience as a meditator and being actively creative with arts, crafts and writing. The relationship and combi-nation of meditation and creativity seems very natural to me.

“My own take on what helps creativity is to firstly find ways to help the mind be flexible and adaptable. This is an ongoing process of discovering and dealing with the ways the mind has become rigid and un-yielding. Another way of describing this is unblocking the mind so it can flow and be directed in a full and focused way.

“Second is to nourish the seeds of cre-ativity, by tapping into the explicit and im-plicit inner-knowledge and resources which give the mind richness and authenticity. This includes stimulating the imagination, intuition and clarity of thought.

“Thirdly is the whole area of triggering and catalysing the potential of creativity by exploring how the various levels and fac-ulties of the mind can come into relation-ship with each other in a fresh and dynamic way.

“My experience is that when I am pay-ing attention to these areas as an ongoing process I can be creative in any form, in-cluding solving problems and the genera-tion of new ideas. These three areas can all be developed by meditation and inner-work exercises.”

During May and June Vajradaka offered three workshops at the London Buddhist Art Centre on the themes of:

“Clear a Space” - Coming into a flow-ing and adaptable state of mind.

“Nourish the Ground” - Exploring explicit and implicit inner-knowledge and resources.

“Trigger the Potential” - Entering the frame of mind from which creativity can emerge.

You can find Vajradaka online at http://creativengagement.wordpress.com


Vajradaka Leads UK Workshops on Meditation and Creativity

“Dharma Dyeing Day” Arts Event Planned for August

String Quartet Evening Stunning

By Dh. Kiranada

Nectar for the ears! That’s how the astoundingly beautiful concert by the Aryaloka String Quartet was de-scribed on May 12. It was a wonderful evening - festive, highly informative, deeply emotional and celebratory.

The Aryaloka Strings feature mu-sicians Mark Latham (Sravaniya) on violin, Beth Welty on violin, Noralee Walker on viola, and Sandi-Jo Malmon on cello - all renowned musicians from the Boston area - organized by Sravani-ya, of the Boston Sangha.

Cheers of Sadhu were heard follow-ing the very rousing rendition of Shos-takovich’s “autobiographical” Eighth Quartet. We learned that it was written in 1960 during a moving visit to the city

By Dh. Kiranada

Spring moves into summer, the Aryalo-ka garden blooms and overflows. Our de-sire to stay present and mindful increases as we watch the depth of summer’s colors displayed on our mind’s canvas. The arts are alive at Aryaloka in so many ways! Bhante Sangharakshita reminds us of what these arts can bring to our lives - invigo-rating our practice, refining our emotional lives and opening new ways of experienc-ing our meditative states.

We are committed to sharing contempla-tive arts events with the sangha on a regu-lar basis through music, poetry, visual arts, meditation, and participatory activities.

In August we will join hands in contem-plative art practices at the Dharma Dyeing Day on August 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wear old clothes, bring your enthusiasm, a bag lunch and rubber gloves as we gather to ‘resist dye’ (shibori in Japanese) twelve 12-foot banners for Aryaloka under the di-rection of Kiranada.

We will spend the day preparing, bind-ing, and clamping cloth, mixing dyes, washing and immersion dyeing yards of white cotton cloth in brilliant colors, pre-paring our ‘Bali’ banners to be erected on our forest road for the anniversary festivi-ties. Mindfulness will be remembered at each step as we reflect on Buddha’s semi-nal teaching: “It is only the white cloth that takes instantly the color of a dye; only the purified mind that takes the truth of the Dharma.” It will be a lovely, exciting, pu-rifying contemplative day! Call the office now (659-5456) and say you are coming. Limited participation.

Arts at Aryaloka

STRING QUARTETContinued on Page 13


Poetry CornerWesak Joy

The swiftest, sweetest pen could ne’er indite What joy Thou hadst upon that Wesak Night;

And though a voice such as the stars may have Should breast all music as a swan the wave And bear on to the utmost verge of sound,

They could not utter forth Thy joy profound. And this I know; for now, by following Thee

With first weak steps to Perfect Purity, I bear within my heart a mite of bliss, And bearing, cannot even utter this.

The Unseen Flower

Compassion is far more than emotion. It is something that springs Up in the emptiness which is when you yourself are not there,

So that you do not know anything about it. Nobody, in fact, knows anything about it

(If they knew it, it would not be Compassion); But they can only smell

The scent of the unseen flower That blooms in the Heart of the Void.

All poems by Sangharakshita

of Dresden, destroyed by the fire-bombing of fifteen years before. The inspiration, major themes, and various movements were explained during a short lecture by Sravaniya with the musicians demonstrat-ing -- greatly adding to the understanding and enjoyment of the piece. Amazingly so, Sravaniya was able to screen actual video footage of the night bombing of Dresden during this moving rendition. Some of us

were on the edge of our seats, so full of admiration and appreciation for this gift of music played in a dome in the woods and not a major concert hall. Described as a “profoundly moving work” by Shostak-ovich, this one piece was an amazing tour de force by the Aryaloka String Quartet; however, the program was completed with the contrasting works by Haydn and Men-delssohn.

We expect (hope) that this superlative group will play again at Aryaloka. Make a

note. It is an evening NOT to be missed.Sravaniya is also composing a piece for

our Aryaloka 25th Anniversary event later in August. It is a brass fanfare based on portions of an Avalokitesvara mantra and promises to be something quite special.

We are exceedingly fortunate to have so many talented members of the Triratna Buddhist Order who willingly share their knowledge and talents, enhancing our lives in beautiful ways.

Thank you. Thank you.

STRING QUARTETContinued from Page 12


By Stephen Sloan

Puja is an expression of devotion in a ritual fashion. As such it aims to involve all of ourselves in our practice - to involve our speech and bodies, not just our minds. Er-ich Fromm defines ritual as “shared action, expressive of common strivings, rooted in common values.” So, puja is a collective practice that engages us at all levels.

For reasons that aren’t clear, many prac-

titioners in the West have difficulty with ritual.

“Only too often in the West our approach to Buddhism is too one-sided. We pick and choose what we feel suits us, and the result is that part of us is simply never engaged in our practice. We may meditate and study, but if we miss out on devotion and ritual, part of us is not involved. We need a Bud-dhist tradition in the West which provides not only for the head, not only for the heart,

but even for the body and speech.” - Sang-harakshita from The Essential Sangharak-shita, pg. 458

So, engage all of yourself in your prac-tice. Each month on the Friday nearest the full moon there’s an opportunity to join together at Aryaloka for an experience of devotion and ritual. Please join us and feel the blessings of this collective expression of respect for the Three Jewels - through body, speech and mind.

Engaging Oneself - Body, Speech and Mind - in Puja

wolves relates to our habits and how we en-courage their continuation through our own actions and choices.

This may be done consciously, or for some, unconsciously, but ultimately the re-sponsibility for which wolf we choose to feed lies within ourselves.

Paying attention, staying on our toes, is a necessary step towards recognizing our tendencies, our feeding habits. For it is in our ability to notice our thoughts and discern their skillfulness that we find a choice.

The Four Foundations of Mindful-ness: body, feeling, mental phenomena and truths of the laws of experience (Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, Shambhala 1987) are just the grounding or centering tools I need. At any time, I can choose to recognize, to

be mindful of what I am experiencing in the body or mind. What am I feeling right now? What are my thoughts, my experi-ences? How is my body doing? Do I feel tension? If I can notice and switch off the autopilot, I will be able to steer myself back on course using any or all of the Founda-tions.

How do I recognize when the wolf of stress or anger has come to feed? I can hon-estly say that sometimes this wolf begins to feed and eats quite a bit before I notice. But, that’s not the point. Just noticing that the wolf is feeding is an accomplishment. When I am able to notice, the second I do notice, the perpetuation of the mental state has stopped.

Yet, the best defense is always a good offense. By this I mean, that by cultivat-ing and maintaining skillful mind-states I develop a habit of skillful action and I am

better able to notice when I am feeding the angry wolf. I feed Wolf of Mindfulness in several ways. One way is by chanting a mantra or repeating a phrase. Sometimes I visualize an image of the Buddha, who is always smiling at me, and I smile back. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, going for refuge through the study of the Dharma, talking with a friend and contemplating are also ways I feed the Wolf of Mindfulness. If I am busy doing something skillful, the Wolf of Distraction and Negativity finds it difficult to “get his foot in the door.” Be immersed in the Dharma. Follow the Eightfold Path. Notice “Let-Go-Return.’ “There are a slew of actions I can do to feed the Wolf of Harmony, Love and Compas-sion - nobody can eat the same meal every single day.

It is the variety that helps keep it fresh, exciting and focused.

CONCORD SANGHAContinued from Page 5

prove to be of value both to scholars of Early Buddhism and to serious meditators alike.” ~ Bhikkhu Bodhi

Teachers of Enlightenmentby Kulanada - ($25.95)

In this book, Kulanada explains the sig-nificance of the figures on the Refuge Tree of the Triratna Buddhist Order (formerly called the Western Buddhist Order). These teach-ers, each in their own way, have all changed the world for the better, playing a part in the creation of the rich Buddhist tradition we

know today.

A Guide to the Deities of the Tantra By Vessantara - ($18.95)

This guide is a fascinating insight into a subject that has captured the imagination of many but remains mysterious and exotic to all but a few. Devoid of pop culture misper-ceptions, this guide is a window into world of Buddhist Tantra.

The Ten Pillars of Buddhismby Sangharakshita - ($11.95)

The Ten Pillars of Buddhism are ten

ethical principles, which together provide a comprehensive guide to the moral dimen-sions of human life.

Many readers will find this essay an in-valuable source of stimulation and insight in their quest for ethical standards by which to live.

Buddha is as Buddha DoesBy Lama Surya Das

$14.95

The ten original practices for enlightened living. “We are all Buddhas by nature. We only have to recognize and awaken to that fact - and anyone can do it.”

BUDDHAWORKSContinued from Page 8


By Dan Bush

On May 21st, all around the world, Buddhists celebrated Wesak, the Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment. For us, this year’s celebrations were of two-fold signif-icance. Together with celebrating the Bud-dha’s realization of ultimate truth, members of the FWBO recognized and celebrated a name change from “The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order” to “The Triratna Buddhist Community.” The festivities at Aryaloka were joyful and enthusiastic. The significance of the event for Aryaloka was evident in the heartfelt participation of all of those present.

Our movement’s new name, “Triratna” (said ‘tree – rot – na’) means “Three Jew-els.” The name change was announced by

Sangharakshita in January of this year in response to a decades-old discussion of uniting, under one name, the FWBO and its sister movement in India, the Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha Sahayaka Gana (TBMSG). Although each movement has its own unique history, for over three de-cades both have shared in the lineage of Sangharakshita’s teachings and have in-teracted as a larger community. Our name change to Triratna not only officially unites us with our TBMSG sisters and brothers in India but the name itself points to the primary characteristic that unites us in the study the Dharma: going for refuge to the Three Jewels.

I can only guess why Wesak was picked as the day to celebrate our new name but it certainly seems fitting that on the very

day we celebrate Siddhartha Gautama’s at-tainment of Enlightenment, the day we can point to as the birth of the Buddha and the Dharma, that we also celebrate the third Jewel, the Sangha. For, the taking of the name Triratna is more than a technicality, it is a recognition of the true unity of our global community and a celebration of the full extent and diversity of our Sangha.

The energy, authenticity and enthusi-asm that binds our sangha was fully evi-dent to all those who attended the Aryaloka celebrations on Friday, May 21st. The eve-ning was kicked off with a potluck social. The festive character of the night was, for many of us, highlighted by the desserts - scrumptious and seemingly inexhaustible.

Sangha Celebrates Name Change at Wesak

WESAKContinued on Page 18


people further apart.On the opposite end, the Internet is not

without its issues. With so much infor-mation coming at us on a constant basis, there are inevitable effects on our attention span and our ability to remain productive in our daily lives offline. We are in dan-ger of developing an attitude of mindless consumption towards information. This comes on the heels of the same attitude of consumption towards products over the last century. We are now facing the unfortunate consequences of this behavior. This poses the unsettling question, “Could our minds become the next Superfund sites?”

All of this has real implications for to-day’s Buddhists, particularly regarding our ability to remain mindful in an atmosphere that will become further ruled by this new paradigm - in which more of what we share with each other resides in a digital world that can be very noisy and distracting. How do we blend Buddhist values and practice with modern technology and the cultural shifts it brings with it? I believe it can be done, but I also believe that, as usual, it re-quires going within.

While I couldn’t possibly count myself as an expert on social media, I’ve been giv-ing it some thought and doing some read-ing on the topic, as well as experimenting in my own relationship with social media - to greater or lesser success. These are some suggestions I’ve found helpful:

Quality Over QuantitySoren Gordhamer wrote a great piece

called If the Buddha Used Twitter where he explains this idea. In using social media we must add value to whatever sphere it’s in, whether that be a Facebook post, or a Twit-ter entry, etc. If we make updates or create posts, let them have some positive impact, rather than just being self-aggrandizing or writing for the sake of writing. As the say-ing goes, “Don’t speak unless you can im-prove on silence.”

Practice Mindful SpeechUnlike Vegas, what happens on the In-

ternet appears everywhere, and unexpect-edly. This makes it an excellent place to

practice mindful speech. Take time with what you write. Ask yourself whether it could come across wrongly or be misinter-preted. Ask yourself whether you would want everyone in the world to hear what you have to say, because they just might.

Watch Your Mental StatesThis is also a Soren Gordhamer favor-

ite, but it has so many applications. Are you writing that post in anger? Are you wandering the Internet to avoid something that needs to be done? Are you neuroti-cally consuming information that you will never use? Are you addicted to the news feeds? We can learn a lot about ourselves by closely watching the way we interact online.

UnplugThis one can be hard to do if your live-

lihood depends on communication, but I think we can often justify our attachment to communication in that way as well. If you can’t go a day without your computer or cell phone, then you may want to seri-ously consider untethering yourself for a while, for as long as you can reasonably do so. Like time on retreat, lots of stuff will come up that is useful to work with, and you may discover that you’ve been missing out on a lot of things that ultimately have more importance to you.

Set BoundariesInstead of checking email every twenty

minutes, try setting one or two times a day where all of your communications are tak-en care of.

If you read a lot of blogs or updates on sites, find ways to consolidate them in one place using an RSS feed reader or a social networking application like HootSuite or TweetDeck so you’re not using extra time going from one place to another. And be selective.

Know when you really need to know something and when you’re neurotically looking for distractions.

Bring mindfulness and focus back to your online experience.

Replace Web Surfingwith Mind Surfing

If you find yourself having a difficult time slowing down and detaching from online media, make a conscious choice to cultivate the antidote. Instead of sitting at the computer, sit at the mat. When you feel that craving for information begin to arise, choose to settle down for Mindful-ness meditation instead. It may be hard at first, but you will viscerally notice the cool-ing of that craving, and later you’ll be able to make more directed choices about your time online.

You may discover many other ways to work with the balance of technology and Buddhist practice in your own experience. Above all, remain mindful. And if you find a method that works, share it with others. Maybe post it on Facebook.

ONLINE INSITEContinued from Page 10


By Denise Connors

On Sunday, June 13th, the Aryaloka Young Sangha met. The seven partici-pants ranged in age from “almost four” to nine. After a brief period of chanting in the shrine room with their parents they went off together to participate in a variety of activi-ties. Everyone had a turn waking up and ringing the meditation bell and listening to how everyone created a different sound and then waiting until we could no longer hear it. They all participated in a belly breathing exercise and tried to notice the still quiet place between breathing in and breathing out.

We read the Jataka Tale Siddartha and the Swan and a lively discussion ensued. They loved how kind and gentle Siddart-ha was as he removed the arrow from the swan. They identified with the way Sid-dartha and Devadatta had a disagreement and they thought it was a good idea that they asked for some help in resolving it.

They did some coloring sheets re-lated to the story, a craft, had their faces painted, sang songs and played some games. Everyone showed great enthu-siasm when it came to volunteering to help in some way including helping with snack, face painting and cleanup. They shared what they liked about the day and what they would like to do next time. We finished with a ritual of bowing to one another. Everyone was interested in coming back on July 11th.

A discussion group for parents ran con-currently with the Young Sangha and gave parents an opportunity to meditate with one another and discuss issues relevant to par-enting and practice.

Parents were able to share with one an-other how they communicate their values to their children and discuss resources they found helpful. In the next Parents’ Discus-sion Group we will be reading Parenting from Your Heart: Sharing the Gifts of Com-passion, Connection, and Choice by Inbal Kashtan, an approach to parenting inspired by the methods of Non-Violent Communi-cation.

Young Sangha Introduces Kids to the Dharma

PHOTONOT

AVAILABLE

PHOTONOTAVAILABLE


West London Buddhist Centre • (walking distance from where I was based!)Ipswich Buddhist Centre (in a lovely • new space!)Cambridge Buddhist Centre (fabu-• lous to see our dear friend Arya-kanta!)Bristol Buddhist Centre (made it a • day early for a very lively ceilidh!) Norwich Buddhist Centre (a beauti-• ful city!)London Buddhist Centre (quite the • Triratna hub!)North London Buddhist Centre (gor-• geous Tara glass painting!)Croydon Buddhist Centre (lovely • back garden!)Sheffield Buddhist Centre (where an • abandoned church is now an amaz-ing centre, complete with a gold-leafed standing Buddha in the bell tower!)Manchester Buddhist Centre (the • archetypal Triratna mandala of busi-nesses, centre & community!)Birmingham Buddhist Centre (cel-• ebrating Wesak with a talk from Parami!)Newcastle Buddhist Centre (again, • celebrating Wesak!)

International Sangha Retreat at Tar-• aloka (speaking to 400-plus peo-ple!)Brighton Buddhist Centre (what a • lively, harmonious sangha!)National Women’s Order Weekend, • Taraloka (inspiring to encourage more support for women teachers in our archive)Glasgow Buddhist Centre (do they • speak English here? Just kidding! A lively, playful sangha here…)

Each center was slightly different, yet unified in its commitment to the Three Jew-els and to Sangharakshita’s translation of the Dharma. We are quite a diverse group!

My Free Buddhist Audio presentation took on slightly different formats, but pri-marily it was a one-hour talk expounding on the project’s history, core values, current developments, and future envisionings. I particularly enjoyed selecting and sharing what we are now calling Dharmabytes - a few minutes of Dharma nuggets from the Free Buddhist Audio treasure chest. The three tracks I found myself coming back to throughout the tour were: Sangharakshita’s The Buddha, God and Reality, Track 5: The Buddha and Reality (1966); Srivati’s Becoming a Citizen of the Present, Track 7; Reality as Change, Poetry and Imperma-nence (2001); and Kulananda’s Mindful-

ness of Reality, Section 3:41-8:17 (this talk is not yet tracked) (2000). Sign up for our podcast to receive your Dharmabytes!

As we listened to these Dharma Jewels, I relayed the core values underlying this project. Namely they were providing free, wide-spread access to the Dharma; provid-ing an opportunity to hear various teachers with different lifestyles and ways of teach-ing; and encouraging the re-invigoration of listening to talks together in groups in order to share the working out of Dharmic principles in the spirit of how the Buddha originally taught - as an Oral Tradition.

I am personally very inspired by up-holding the oral tradition, and this was one of the topics of discussion when I met with Sangharakshita in his library at Madhya-maloka in Birmingham. He said, “We know that speech is a very powerful medium of communication. We know that the Bud-dha’s words spoken from, as it were, from his enlightened consciousness changed the lives of so many people. So that tradition of oral presentation of the Dharma has con-tinued right down to the present day. Even though we have printed books many people do find that they learn more quickly and easily from the spoken word.”

It makes Bhante particularly happy to think that talks that he himself gave years,

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Dinner was followed by a talk by Day-alocana in which she shared with us her thoughts on Wesak and the story of the the Bodhi tree. She helped everyone to remember that the evening was not one of somber reflection and silence but one of celebration and joy. Drums and bells joined by whooping and hollering voiced our delight in celebrating the birth of the Dharma and our gratitude for Siddhartha’s enlightenment.

Following the talk we all packed into the shrine room. The shrine was beauti-fully adorned with seasonal cut flowers and candles. Banners in yellow, red, white, green and blue hung from the center of the dome. The evening of puja, readings and

chanting was brought to a close with three rings of our big bell. The bell resonated for a few minutes, ringing in a new era.

We finished the evening with yet an-other dessert - a finely decorated ‘Triratna’ cake. In the center of the cake was our tri-color Triratna emblem, the Three Jewels in red, yellow and blue resting on a red lotus and surrounded by a halo of flames... a lot to digest.

For those who were unable to attend, freebuddhistaudio.com offers two infor-mative audio tracks that together mimic the meaning and spirit of the evening. The first is a talk given by Sangharakshita in 1986 on the occasion of Wesak in which he shares almost all we could hope to know about the origins and meaning of Wesak. The audio can be found at http://www.free-

buddhistaudio.com/talks/details?num=167 The second, (http://www.freebuddhis-

taudio.com/talks/details?num=LOC377) is a recent talk given by Padmavajra on May 31st, 2010, at the Triratna International Re-treat.

Padmavajra shares his experiences as an Order member from the very early days of the FWBO. He was one of the Order members sent by Sangharakshita to In-dia in the 1970s to organize a community there. He describes in detail how our In-dian sister community came to have a dif-ferent name.

Aryaloka was not around at the incep-tion of our Order but this spring we par-ticipated in a new beginning. We can all rejoice in being the first members of the Triratna Buddhist Community.

WESAKContinued from Page 15


10 Sangha Night – 6:45-911-13 Women’s GFR pre-retreat14-22 Women’s GFR retreat (both buildings)17 Sangha Night – 6:45-9 – Alternate location TBA 23-25 Women’s GFR post-retreat24 Sangha Night – 6:45-9 – Alternate location TBA 27 Meditation and Full-Moon Puja – 7-9 p.m.28 25th Anniversary Celebration begins and Sangha Picnic29 Anniversary Open House30 (through 9/3) Anniversary meditations and talks – TBA31 (through 9/2) Private Preceptors’ retreat

SEPTEMBER

1-3 Anniversary meditations and talks continue

1-2 Private Preceptors’ retreat continues4 Final anniversary celebration – TBA4-9 North American Order Convention7 Sangha Night – 6:45-9 – Alternate location TBA10-19 Men’s GFR retreat14 Sangha Night – 6:45-9 – Alternate location TBA16 Women’s mitra class – Alternate location TBA 21 Sangha Night – 6:45-923 Women’s mitra class – Alternate location TBA23-26 Open Heart, Quiet Mind – yoga and meditation retreat24-26 NVC Basic training30 Women’s mitra class

OCTOBER

3 Young Sangha and Parent Discussion – 10 a.m.-noon

UPCOMINGContinued from Page 20

even decades ago, to relatively small audi-ences, are now, through freebuddhistaudio.com, reaching tens, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.

The two most challenging aspects of the tour both occurred at Taraloka Retreat Center in Wales. The first was the Interna-tional Sangha Retreat, Turning Arrows into Flowers, and the second being the National Women’s Order Weekend, themed Sharing the Spiral, with a focus on Meditation.

At the first event I stood before over 400 people and delivered a fairly good ten-minute fundraising pitch for the project. I used humor and stood steady when my hand gestures flung the microphone off my kesa, and I managed to not only survive, but kind of thrived under such conditions! Afterwards, I realized my inner cheerlead-er had emerged! I was able to engage the crowd in “ooohhh-ing” and “aaahhh-ing” as I read out our growth statistics, and asked for a drumroll (and got one!) as I shared our biggest news, that by the end of this year we will have distributed over one million Dharma talks!

The National Women’s Order Weekend

was inspiring on its own as I was able to meditate and do puja with over seventy Dharmacharinis. My presentation here emphasized the wonderful opportunity we have to preserve and share Dharma talks by women in our movement. Before leav-ing London, I made a trip to see Dham-madinna, one of our renowned Dharma teachers, a Public Preceptor, and a pivotal force in setting up the ordination training program for women. She has passed on to us over thirty cassette tapes of talks she had given over the years, mostly while living and working at Tiratanaloka Retreat Cen-ter, which hosts ordination training retreats for women. Mary Salome in San Francisco, a member of our team, has volunteered to digitize these talks so that we may all have access to them for many years to come.

Now that I am back in New Hampshire, we will quickly begin moving in to the next phase of our fundraising campaign. I am planning presentations and/or day retreats at Aryaloka as well as in Boston, New York, Portland, Seattle and San Francisco. Unfortunately, finances won’t permit us to go to Missoula and Vancouver, although perhaps next year!

Our fundraising campaign is focused on

people - we have expanded the team that brings you freebuddhistaudio.com from one, and sometimes two people, to seven! Together we are working hard to bring to the world a fantastic Dharma resource. Once we transition from our start-up grant funding, provided by the movement, to a primarily donor-supported business, we will continue to apply our creativity and technological skills to further develop the site. What we are looking for are 500 new friends able to help support our operating costs by contributing $15 each month (or more, or less - any amount is welcomed!). If you haven’t yet checked it out, do visit freebuddhistaudio.com. Join our free com-munity and let us know what you think of the site! The team has worked hard to bring into being a completely re-imagined and re-designed website with greater emphasis on the sangha - our community of users who make all this work meaningful. We have also recently reinvigorated the podcast and can be found on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, or comments on our work, or if you would like to make a personal donation, please contact Viriyalila at <[email protected]>.

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Upcoming Events(All events are subject to change. For the latest, up-

to-date information, please call the office or check our web site at http://www.aryaloka.org)

(Akasaloka events are in italics.)

JULY

5 Men’s mitra class6 Sangha Night – 6:45-9 7 Introduction to Buddhism and meditation – 7 p.m.8 Women’s mitra class – Alternate location TBA8-11 Open Heart, Quiet Mind – yoga and meditation retreat11 Young Sangha and Parent Discussion – 10a.m.-noon12 Men’s mitra class13 Sangha Night – 6:45-9 15 Women’s mitra class16-17 Concord prison retreat (contact Bodhana)17 Order Day19 Men’s mitra class20 Sangha Night – 6:45-9

22 Women’s mitra class23 Dharma Day celebration beginning at 5:30 p.m.23 Meditation and Full-Moon Puja – Thursday, 7-9 p.m.24 Introduction to Meditation – Lovingkindness - 10a.m.-4 p.m.25 Combined Men’s and Women’s Days26 Men’s mitra class27 Sangha Night – 6:45-930 (through 8/1) A Taste of Silence retreat

AUGUST

1 A Taste of Silence retreat continues2 Men’s mitra class3 Sangha Night – 6:45-97 Order Day8 Banner Construction Day8 Young Sangha and Parent Discussion – 10a.m.-noon9 Men’s mitra class

Ongoing

Sangha Night at Aryaloka Every Tuesday evening, 6:45-9:00 p.m.

• Led by Amala, Arjava, and Suzanne• Open to all who have attended an introductory class at Aryaloka• Fee: Suggested donation $10 per class• No registration necessary

Typically, our Tuesday night activities include:• 6:45 - Gathering, tea and announcements• 7:00 - Meditation and shrine room activity• 7:45 - Study, discussion or a talk on the evening’s topic• 9:00 - End

With all of the activities, you are free to participate or to just sit and listen. Nothing is compulsory. If you have any questions, please ask!

Full Moon PujaFriday evenings as scheduled (unless noted). See the Ary-aloka website or Vajra Bell events schedule for dates and locations. 7:00 p.m. meditation, followed by puja.

The rich devotional practice of meditation and puja is shared on these special Friday nights by those who find devotion an important part of their practice.

“When we celebrate the Sevenfold Puja, which combines faith and devotion with poetry and sometimes an element of visual beauty, we find that our emotional energies are to some extent refined. When this happens, it becomes possible for the vision and insight of the higher thinking center to act through these refined, sublimated emotional centers directly on the moving center. In this way, the whole of life is com-pletely transformed.”

Sangharakshita ~ Ritual and Devotion

UPCOMINGContinued on Page 19

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