SANGHARAMA NEWS LETTER

WINTER 2005 CE ¤ 2549 BE

AUTUMN 2004 CE ¤ 2548 BE

SUMMER 2004 CE ¤ 2548 BE

SPRING 2004 CE ¤ 2547 BE

WINTER 2004 CE ¤ 2547 BE

AUTUMN 2003 CE ¤ 2546 BE

SUMMER 2003 CE ¤ 2546 BE

SPRING 2003 CE ¤ 2546 BE

WINTER 2003 CE ¤ 2546 BE

AUTUMN 2002 CE ¤ 2545 BE

SUMMER 2002 CE ¤ 2545 BE

WINTER 2005 CE¤ 2547BE ¤ Published Quarterly

VIHARA AND SANGHA NEWS

Dr Uttaranyana

Pagoda

Devotees Day

Other activities

Dr. Rewata Dhamma Anniversary Issue

AUTUMN 2004 CE¤ 2547BE ¤ Published Quarterly

VIHARA AND SANGHA NEWS Our autumn term has started with Ven. Dr. Uttaranyana teaching the Middle Length Scriptures on Tuesdays and Ven. Nagasena teaching general Buddhist Studies at the weekends. All sessions are well attended. In addition to these and their usual religious duties, our monks have been kept very busy over the last few months, especially Ven. Uttaranyana as the new head of Vihara. In his civic role he has accepted invitations to become Buddhist Patron of Birmingham Council of Faiths and a member of Birmingham Faith Leaders Group, the first meeting of which he has just attended. He has also had meetings with Chris Hewer, the Anglican Bishop’s Interfaith advisor and with Christopher Wingfield, Birmingham Museum’s Curator of Archaeology and Human History. As a result of the latter he visited the Museum to view their collection of Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts and give advice about which scriptures were there. In addition he has visited Revd Richard Tetlow and there met other local faith leaders. Ven’s Uttaranyana and Nagasena were invited to a Friday evening inauguration of the Birmingham Ahmadiyya Association’s Dar ul Barakaat Mosque, an event also attended by Yann and Ann Lovelock and Keith Munnings. Speakers included Council Cabinet Member John Alden, Steve McCabe MP and Philip Bushill Matthews MEP. The final speaker was His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, fifth Caliph of the movement and great grandson of its founder. At the end of the 19th century, this founder claimed to be the Messiah foretold by the Prophet and stirred up the undying hatred of fellow Muslims. In spite of them, the movement has now spread all over the world but this is their first mosque in the West Midlands. At the 10th anniversary of Fa Yue Monastery in Brierley Hill, the Vihara was represented by Ven’s Nagasena, Gawsaka and Ratapala as well as Sunny, Ranbir, Yann and Ann. In addition Ven. Nagasena attended the quarterly meeting of the Network of Buddhist Organisations in London. In November we are relaunching our Devotees Day on the first Sunday of each month. This begins at 11.00 with the presentation of a meal to the monks. We therefore need to arrive early bringing food to offer. This can be reheated on the microwave or otherwise, but if you mean to cook then you will need to be earlier still. If there is enough left over, we will share it between us after a short period of chanting and meditation. Following that, there will be teaching and discussion. We shall be finished before 3.00 so as not to clash with the Sunday class. Dr Uttaranyana has said that the suttas directed to household life have not been considered very much at the Vihara before and he will therefore concentrate on them. Co-ordination of the event is being handled, as usual, by Bill Strongman and you can contact him on 0121 357 2377. There have been some recent changes among our Trustees. Samsari Lal’s son Suraj has taken his place, while Peter So-Win and Moira Zeyya joined in May. Other Trustees include Maung Maung Than (Chair), Linda Tomlinson (Secretary), Ann Lovelock (Treasurer), Lesley Gray (IT), John Beard (Grounds Manager) and Mar Mar Lwin. Their number is limited to nine by the trust deed and they will be meeting every three months. At the end of September Peter So-Win gave a large dana meal to commemorate his dead parents. His father was a doctor well known in Myanmar for pioneering knee replacements using ivory. A large contingent of Peter’s friends came down from Leeds and other towns and we had to use the marquee to accommodate them all. Finally we would particularly like to thank all those who have helped us at the Vihara over the past few months. This includes Big John and his friend Ricky for laying the new paving slabs; Little John for general assistance; Eleanor, who comes every weekend to work in the garden; and to Elwin and his wife, who also do a lot of gardening. As always we are grateful to Bill for the warm and competent way he runs the Thursday meditation group. We must also thank Christopher Wingfield for his loan of a display case to house Dr Rewata Dhamma’s effects and for arranging its transport from the Museum. In addition, the printers N.N.Daya, who are Sai Baba devotees, made us a gift of the new receipt books they printed for us.

PAGODA August is generally quiet for us but this year we held our anniversary celebration right at the beginning of the month and included the installation of Ven. Dr. Uttaranyana as Head of Vihara. There were official welcomes from Dr Kyaw Win, the Myanmar Ambassador; from U Visata of London Vihara and Ven. Kassapa of the International Buddhist Association; and from Maung Maung Than, Chair of Trustees. Following the ceremony inside the pagoda, the monks went outside to perform the delayed consecration of the Kuan Yin statue, now installed in its new closed canopy. We had also invited the local Confucian Society for a traditional presentation ceremony before the statue performed by something like twenty of their devotees. Also in August we had two visits from trainee ministers from the North-East. These were doing an interfaith course at Queen’s College, where Ann went as part of the BCF team who talked to them about dialogue. They were also introduced to our two new novices, Siddartha and Gottama. From Ramesh Sampla’s family and otherwise known as the twins, they had taken temporary ordination for the second time and were spending that week with us under the tutorship of Ashin Gawsaka. Other visitors after the start of the new term have included trainee teachers from Trinity College (Carmarthen) and Brookes College (Oxford), more trainee ministers from Queen’s College and two groups of students from Sir John Talbot’s School (Shropshire). Our biggest influx of visitors, however, came as a result of the Heritage Week open days from Friday-Monday in the second week of September. We had had publicity on radio, television and in the press. For the last, several attractive photos were taken of Ven’s Gawsaka and Nagasena at the pagoda entrance. We obtained copies of these from the Birmingham Post and they have been selling like hot cakes among admirers. We owe special thanks to our Trustee John Beard, who arranged all the details of this very successful scheme in the first place and worked hard to make the grounds so attractive beforehand. Among other things, there is a new patio on the reservoir side of the monastery featuring our painted statue of the child Buddha. At our busiest over the weekend the visitors kept three monks and three lay attendants constantly busy. We are very grateful to all those who helped us during that exhausting time. Well over 400 came in to see the pagoda from across the city and, indeed, from much further afield. Nagasena and Gawsaka fielded questions and also gave introductory talks nearly every hour between 9-5. From donations and sale of books and artefacts we raised about £1,200 towards our activities. If we had thought to get in a larger supply beforehand, we could have sold many more Buddha statues, medallions and rosaries. It wasn’t all taking either. We gave away most of our remaining pagoda badges and lots of basic literature. Many people have also come to take part in Thursday meditation since.

FORWARD EVENTS By the time some of you get round to reading this, two important ceremonies may have passed. The first is Parents and Ancestors Day, a new celebration held at the October full moon, about which there is an article in this issue. The other is Kathina, sponsored this year by Dr Kyaw Myint Oo, Daw Than Than Ywe and family, and by Dr Hsan Hla Htwe, Daw Than Than Swe and family. We have also been invited to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for the installation of important Gupta statues on loan from the Victoria & Albert and British Museums. In conjunction with their three-month stay over November-February, there will be a small exhibition of Buddhist religious manuscripts for which we have loaned, at their request, one of the handsome Thai rupas normally displayed in a cabinet in the pagoda. At the beginning of December, Ven. Dr Uttaranyana will leave for a month in Myanmar and is therefore cancelling his meditation retreat after Christmas. First he will go to Thamangol to make arrangements for the Rewata Dhamma memorial project of building an upper school there and providing university scholarships for bright students. Then he will go on to Mandalay to order the statue of Sayadaw we plan to install in the new Dhamma Hall. The rest of the time he will be in Yangon, where he will attend the 4th World Buddhist Summit, meet with the European Buddhist Missionary Association and look after his affairs at the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University. In February he will be leading a ten-day retreat in Brazil and another in Belgium in March.

DEVOTEES Yann and Ann took part in the Interfaith Conference at Atlantic College as usual in August. As well as talking about Buddhism and leading a meditation, they held a well attended seminar on the importance of dialogue between religions. At the start of the new term Yann was part of a panel talking to students in their first year at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury College in Bournville. Each participant had to tell a story and then answer a few questions. Yann talked about the Buddha’s cremation and the long journey his ashes took before they got to Birmingham. Another of Yann and Ann’s activities has been to establish a connection with the nearby Confucian Society, who have a temple in Ledsham Street. This was done on behalf of Birmingham Council of Faiths and in conjunction with its then Chair, Ruth Tetlow (wife of Revd Richard). It has meant that there are now good relations between the three places of worship in the immediate neighbourhood. Yann and Ann have received the Transmission of Tao at the temple, while others of our members have attended ceremonies. Mei France, our main English-speaking contact there, was born in Hong Kong and brought up as a Buddhist. A rare Buddha statue from the Gupta period has been jointly acquired by two London museums and will be the first of its kind to be displayed in a European collection. The British and Victoria & Albert museums acted together to bring the 7th Century metal Indian artwork to the UK. It will be on display in the Buddha Hall of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for three months from November until February and will then go on show in Bradford and Leicester. The 14-inch (35-cm) Sakyamuni was bought with £850,000 of funds from a variety of sources and after its tour the sculpture will be shown on permanent rotation between the V&A and BM. The Theravadin and Tibetan communities have been invited to chant at the installation of this statue on Saturday, 13 November at 2.30 p.m. You are warmly invited to attend the event and join in the chanting. On the following Saturday, 20 November, there will be a related family event at 2.00 p.m. when Yann Lovelock will be telling a Jataka Story. We are studying a selection from the Middle Length Scriptures (Majjhima Nikaya), which are especially about the Buddhist philosophy and Insight Meditation. Scholars have prized them for their emphasis on human experience. Simple and methodological explanations are given with reference to the commentaries, sub-commentaries and more recent scholarship. BACK TO TOP SUMMER 2004 CE¤ 2547BE ¤ Published Quarterly SAYADAW REWATA DHAMMA- 4 Dec. 1929-26 May 2004 Most people must be aware by now of the unexpected death of our teacher, who died quietly in his sleep in the morning of the last Wednesday of May. After two days lying in the pagoda, the body was taken for embalming. During the period before the funeral we received many tributes by letter, card and email which we have been collecting in a special binder. News coverage of the event was patchy. Myanmar and Thai media reported the death immediately. Birmingham local papers and BBC WM followed it up. National media did not respond to our news release. The remembrance service was on Saturday, 5 June, drawing more people than the pagoda could hold, including some seventy Sangha from many countries. The ceremony began with chanting by the Buddhist Order of Contemplatives led by Rev. Saido, by Chinese monks from Fa Yue Monastery led by Ven. Tak Yu, Tibetans led by Lama Rabten and Vietnamese from the Midlands Buddhist Association led by Thich Phuoc Hue, as well as by Theravadins, led by Bhaddanta Dr Nyanissara, Chancellor of the Myanmar Buddhist Academy. Monastic tributes were paid by Mahanayaka Dr Vajiragnana (for the Sangha in Britain) and by Dr Nyanissara (for the Myanmar State Sangha Council). Lay tributes were paid by Dr Jagjit Singh Taunque MBE, Deputy Lord Lieutenant (as Her Majesty's representative and for Birmingham Council of Faiths); by H.E. Dr Kyaw Win, the Myanmar Ambassador, who read a letter from the Dept of Religious Affairs and spoke on his own account as a longstanding supporter of the pagoda; by Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, Spiritual Successor at Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (for Birmingham Faith Leaders Group); and finally by Revd Richard Tetlow, vicar of our neighbouring church, who spoke for Birmingham Churches Together but also as an old friend of Sayadaw's, relating warming stories about his friendliness and compassion. A constant theme with many of the speakers was that we can best pay tribute to Sayadaw by imitating his example and practising what he has taught us. After the service, a hearse brought the body to the gates for people to pay last respects while a team of friendly and competent police officers kept back the traffic. The cremation took place at the Perry Bar Crematorium, the service there being led by Dr Uttaranyana with U Ne Win to read a poetic tribute in Burmese and Dr Nyanissara to deliver the sermon. Witnesses to the burning afterwards were John Beard and Nagasena Bhikkhu. Next day the authenticated ashes were placed in the pagoda and remained there until the First Month Ceremony, which drew many who had been unable to attend the funeral. At this there was another poem in celebration of Sayadaw's work in Birmingham read by U Ne Win and talks by H.E. the Myanmar Ambassador, Dr Kyaw Win, by Phra Somboon (Head of Wolverhampton Vihara), by Ven. Kassapa (International Buddhist Association), and in Burmese by Bhaddanta Kumara Bhivamsa (Vice Chancellor of the Theravada International Missionary University). We had been advised by the State Sangha Council to dispose of the ashes in Britain. We did so in the traditional way by scattering them in running water as a witness to the transitoriness of life and of the Buddhist practice of non-attachment. Early in the morning of Wednesday, 30 June, therefore, a group of monks and close associates boarded a hired motor launch in Stratford upon Avon and went to a quiet part of the river to perform the final ceremony. That is not the end however; as Ven. Uttaranyana indicates in his forward, we shall have plenty of work fulfilling Sayawdaw's plans in future. High Celebrations In the days between his return from Mexico and his death, Sayadaw and the monks of Sangharama celebrated and attended a number of Buddha Days. Our own was on Bank Holiday Monday. At it we honoured Matthias Barth and Marie-Cécile Forget with the title of Dhamma******** (Steward of the Dhamma) in recognition of their work for Buddhism and support of Dr Rewata Dhamma in their respective countries. Matthias is a psychotherapist from Zurich and a founder-member of Dhamma Group Switzerland who has helped organise Sayadaw's retreats and Abhidhamma teaching over many years. Marie-Cécile is an artist and painter who founded the Belgian Dhamma Group in Brussels in 1986. As well as running regular retreats in a country property she has bought the group, she also visits Myanmar for an extended retreat each year. In addition the Dhamma Group was presented with an antique Thai Buddha and ornamental stand for their premises. Shortly after that, and attending Buddha Day at the London Vihara, Sayadaw was among those who signed a pre-election declaration against racism along with others from the Birmingham Faith Leaders Group early one morning in the Peace Gardens. The local papers featured pictures of him with his hands in the añjali position near the peace pole at the centre of the garden. He also led a group of our monks to celebrate Buddha Day in front of the Sultanganj Buddha at the invitation of the Museum & Art Gallery. Also participating were Thai monks led by Phra Maha Laow, two Tibetans and two Vietnamese, each of whom chanted according to their own traditions. Large groups of Buddhists attended and joined in the chanting but unfortunately not as many from the general public stopped to watch as they did the last time we performed the ceremony there in 1995. Nevertheless, the four members of the Museum management team who also came were satisfied enough with the event to plan more with us in the future, with the next taking place in the autumn. We did not make such a big thing of Kuan Yin Day as we had originally planned, owing to the sad circumstances. In particular, we put off the consecration of our statue of Kuan Yin until our anniversary day, to be held on 1 August this year. Jointly planned with West Midlands Buddhist Council, the ceremony was held in the pagoda on the full moon day of June. Large groups from the three traditions who originally combined to celebrate back in the 1970s met to chant their compassion scriptures. These included the Soto Zen group, led by Rev. Saido; the Tibetan group from Karma Ling, led by Lama Rabten and joined on this occasion by members of the Sakya Ling and Rigpa groups; and, of course, our own BBV devotees. In his welcome afterwards Ven. Uttaranyna affirmed that, whatever tradition we follow, we are all members of one family, children of the Buddha. We must therefore meet together often so as to bring mutual understanding. We should also work together, not necessarily for Buddhism as such but in order to fulfil the Buddha's mission of bringing peace and concord to all people. Vihara We have been host to many visiting monks, among the most senior being Bhaddanta Dr Nyanissara and Ven. Uttaranyana's teacher, Bhaddanta Kumara. Old friends who made long stays were U Kumuda, and U Tiloka from the Singapore pagoda. Three monks from Sayadaw's monastery in Yangon also stayed for a month. Our weekly programme of activities has continued much as usual except that Ven. Uttaranyana has been too busy to teach during the month of June. Ven. Nagasena has taught at the weekends and helped with the Thursday evening meditation sessions as well as fortnightly sessions at Birmingham University. He also visited Ven. Somaratana's Thames Vihara to give a teaching and joined Ven. Maha Laow's monks in chanting the Karaniya Metta Sutta in the Peace Gardens as part of the Buddhist event during the annual Peace Walk organised by Sis. Ann Buckeridge. On that occasion Keith Munnings of the Samatha Group led people in a short Loving-kindness Meditation. Among the daytime groups that Yann has welcomed at the pagoda have been trainee teachers from Newman College, pupils from Sturminster Newton School (Dorset), Handsworth Grammar School, and two groups each from Adams Grammar School (Shropshire) and St Augustine's Catholic High School (Redditch). There have also been the regular groups from local junior schools for the Interfaith Education Project taught by Pam, Ramona and Ven. Nagasena. We were pleased as well to welcome members of Birmingham Council of Faiths who visited as part of a Spirituality Through Visual Art event. This was led by Revd Richard Tetlow and Yann, who used their respective places of worship as a resource to promote discussion of the theme. Thanks too to the visiting party of Myanmar students who helped us carry chairs to the pagoda and take them back to the vihara afterwards. Attracted to visit us from London by recent media coverage, they were kind enough to give the pagoda a complete spring clean just before the remembrance service, and also lent us a hand on the day itself. In addition our library has been used by interfaith groups for meetings: the Connecting Faith Communities steering committee and Birmingham Council of Faith's executive committee. Finally our local MP, Clare Short, present for a while at the funeral service, has also paid us a visit since. Meanwhile, the broken paving slabs in front of the pagoda have been seriously inconveniencing the more elderly of our visitors. We have therefore decided to replace them and John, our Grounds Manager, has agreed to see to the work. If any of our supporters feel like offering the slabs, we should be very grateful. Devotees Yann and Ann represented Buddhists at the annual dinner given to Birmingham's diplomatic community by West Midlands Police. They also took Sayadaw Rewata Dhamma's place at two church events immediately following his death. First at the Oratory for a high mass to celebrate their patron, Saint Philip Neri, a sixteenth century Italian whose amiable qualities Fr. Brian Doolan outlined in his homily as a suitable model for our own behaviour. The mass was in Latin and was accompanied by Palestrina's uplifting orchestral score. Four days later it was the 150th anniversary of Revd Richard Tetlow's church of St John's, Ladywood. The service part of it was short and the sermon was given by Bishop John Sentamu. Since the season was Pentecost, when the disciples of Jesus were given the gift of tongues, the bishop took the idea of renewal as his theme. More important than having the right words is to have the gift of hearing what is really said. And more important than that is putting what is said to us by our religious teachers into practice. 'What makes the Church is not its doctrines but its life', the individual rather than the corporate response. The longer part of the evening was taken up with a musical sung by the choir to a variety of catchy tunes. St John's has had a long tradition of helping the destitute in the third world and the theme here was the necessity of dedicating ourselves to bringing new life and hope to those in need. Yann was honoured among the fifteen people given Golden Buddha Awards this year by the Thai-British Buddhist Trust during the 11th anniversary celebrations at the Buddhavihara Temple. Among them were two more from Birmingham, charity worker Ken Morris and restauranteur Harish Nathwani. Described as 'an ambassador for Buddhism', Yann has been beavering away on the various committees on which he serves. One interesting sideline was an invitation to join a regional consultation with junior minister Jacqui Smith on the May white paper Fairness for All, proposing a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. This was on the strength of his membership of the West Midlands Faiths Forum, on whose Standing Interfaith Networking Group he also serves. More recently he has been co-opted to the Network of Buddhist Organisations, for which he acts as Newsletter Editor. Hopefully this can be completed before the beginning of September since the pagoda has been chosen as one of the sites to be featured in National Heritage Week this year. It falls on 5-12 September and there is the possibility that the regional launch will be from our site. In practical terms, all the week entails is free access to the building and someone there to answer questions. BACK TO TOP SPRING 2004 CE¤ 2547BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS In the interests of clarity, we should explain the titles given to various monks in this newsletter. Dr Rewata Dhamma, will now be referred to as Sayadaw. Meaning royal teacher, the title is commonly given to senior Myanmar monks. Dr Uttaranyana will be referred to as Bhante. This means 'Venerable' in Pali and is in the vocative case. It is used as a term of respect by junior monks to their seniors and teachers. 'Ashin', a Burmese word meaning monk, is preferred by some bhikkhus at the vihara. The term bhikkhu is a Pali term whose literal meaning is 'mendicant'. Our teaching programme is running quite successfully except that numbers have begun dropping for the Saturday afternoon Dhamma classes. Sunday Dhamma classes and Tuesday scripture studies are doing well. In addition, Dr Uttaranyana is giving teachings based on the Satipatana Sutta after Monday evening meditation. Bhante has also begun a Pali course on Thursday afternoons between 3.00-4.30. At present he is planning an Abhidhamma course for Myanmar devotees to be held at the weekend. This too will follow the twelve-week terms we are now keeping. As well as his weekend classes in Buddhist Studies, Ven. Nagasena has been teaching meditation outside the Vihara. Once a month he leads a group in an Edgbaston doctor's surgery, and since February he has been leading the University Buddhist Group twice a month. Meanwhile Ashin Gawsaka has been filling in at Wolverhampton Vihara during Ven. Chandrabodhi's absence. Among visitors to the Pagoda over the last three months have been Wolverhampton and Bath universities, the International Missionary Society, Moor Hall Primary School (Sutton Coldfield), Stamford Junior School (Lincs), and Thorns Community College (Brierley Hill). These have been welcomed by either Yann or Nagasena Bhikkhu. We have also hosted a meeting of the West Midlands Buddhist Council and of the BCF Executive Group at the Vihara. Ven. Rewata Dhamma In December Sayadaw attended The World Buddhist Sangha Council's annual conference which was held in the Borobudur Temple complex in Magelang, Central Java. The Council was founded in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in May 1966 to facilitate the teaching and practice of Buddha Dhamma and contribute to the realisation of peace and harmony in the world community. Supported by monks from all over the world, it agrees on nine points originally proposed by Ven. Walpola Rahula: (1) The Buddha is our only Master. (2) We take refuge in the three jewels. (3) We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a God. (4) We consider that the purpose of life is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination, to work for their good, happiness, and peace, and to develop wisdom leading to the realisation of Ultimate Truth. (5) We accept the Four Noble Truths, and the law of Dependent Origination. (6) We accept absence of self, suffering and impermanence as the three signs of being. (7) We accept the 37 qualities conducive to enlightenment as different aspects of the path taught by the Buddha. (8) There are three ways of attaining Enlightenment, namely as a disciple, a Pratyeka-Buddha or a fully self-enlightened one; we accept it as the highest, noblest, and most heroic to follow the career of a Bodhisattva. (9) We admit that in different countries there are differences with regard to Buddhist beliefs and practices but these external forms and expressions should not be confused with the essential teachings of the Buddha. Around 300 monks were expected at the conference, but actually 433 arrived from countries all over the world. Over 5,000 people attended in all. Although Indonesia is now officially Muslim, it is still marked by its Buddhist past and there are some five million Buddhist devotees in the country. The native Sangha is small, consisting of 43 Theravadin monks of Indonesian racial origin and 100 Mahayana monks of Chinese racial stock. Obviously their strife-torn country has great need of more to spread the Buddha's message of peace and co-existence. Well aware of this, the WBSC sponsored at its start a world peace prayer ceremony attended by Muslim scholars, the Indonesian Bishops Conference chairman and the leader of the Communion of Indonesia, the Moral Indonesian Reconciliation Movement chairman, the Confucian Highest Assembly chairman, a Hindu priest and the leader of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace. Political participants included former President Awahee (who spoke twice during the conference), the present Vice President and the Leader of the Parliament. On following days the conference considered aspects of monastic education and training and listened to reports from Buddhist countries and missions abroad. From there Sayadaw went on to the 200th anniversary of the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple in Penang, Malaysia. Obviously this dates from Myanmar's expansionist past at a time when the Thai capital was sacked and burned, Assam was conquered and the king threatened to swallow up not only India but (his geographical knowledge being somewhat limited) Britain as well! About a hundred monks attended the event, mostly from Myanmar, and there are some five hundred devotees of Chinese stock. During the three-day celebrations Sayadaw gave a talk on Myanmar's contribution to the development of Theravada Buddhism. Malaysia severely restricts missionary activity among its majority Muslim population. At present it is estimated that there are some eighty Malaysian bhikkhus of Chinese stock, as well as those of Thai descent. An encouraging sign is that many recent ordinands were young men, several of whom have had tertiary education. However, as the country has no facilities for the training of bhikkhus, most go to Thailand or Myanmar to ordain and practise. A smaller number who pursue scholarly study are training in Sri Lanka while the rest reside in various small temples and hermitages, mostly in and around Penang island. So far there has been no strong initiative to organise themselves or unite into an indigenous sangha. Rounding off his trip, Sayadaw visited Singapore where he gave a talk on Buddhism in daily life at the Thai Vihara and three evening talks at the Myanmar Vihara. He was back in England at the beginning of January; at the start of March he left for Switzerland to take a one-week retreat with the Swiss Dhamma Group at Beatenberg (near Interlaken). 20 people attended this, the youngest being a girl of eleven, the oldest a German of 92 who was for a while a monk in Nepal. From there Sayadaw went to Geneva to teach the Myanmar community and conduct a three-day retreat at the Sri Lankan vihara. 20 more were at this and 45 attended his talk on the final evening. After a short return to Birmingham, he has now left for a month's teaching trip to Mexico and California. Devotees Bill Stongman was featured on BBC Midlands Today in February in a four minutes programme which also had stunning pictures of the Pagoda and Vihara and some footage of the Monday meditators. In his interview, Bill was asked how an OAP like him came to be involved with Buddhism. Yann (officially an OAP as of February) never seems to get beyond radio. He appeared briefly on the Ed Doolan Show talking about the story of Magha Puja. This was the full moon day when a large number of the Buddha's enlightened disciples visited him spontaneously and he taught the short verse summing up his teaching: Cease to do evil, learn to do good, purify your own heart – This is the teaching of all the Buddhas. Yann also got in a plug for the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy Organisation, founded on that day in 1986. These last few months have been particularly busy. At the beginning of term Yann took two assemblies at Yarnfield School, at which he is Governor with responsibility for Communication and Computer Training and for Religious Education. The Citizenship theme for the month was unity so he related the Jataka tale about the Fowler and the Quails. A very different speaking appointment was at the Joseph Priestley commemoration organised by Birmingham Unitarians. Along with others, he had to suggest two things his faith might contribute to the city of 2020. Yann selected the Buddhist vision of society as a network of interlinked responsibilities and emphasis on morality as applied to governance. He has also attended several meetings. These included The Birmingham Partnership Against Racial Harassment conference on community cohesion and a Faith Round Table discussion on 'Building cohesive communities in Birmingham'. As part of the Connecting Faith Communities steering group he was invited to meet Fahmia Huda, head of the Home Office Faith Communities policy unit, when she came to Birmingham to see its work. In addition he has helped revise the Faith Communities Toolkit for the use of Job Centre Plus employees in the city. Just recently Yann had a meeting with Ollie Buckley of Birmingham Art Gallery and Rob Hewitt of the nearby Gallery in the Trees in Somerfield Park to discuss ways they might co-operate with Buddhists in general and the pagoda in particular. This would fulfil a long-standing, personal ambition to raise Buddhism's status in Birmingham and integrate it into city life. Another aspect of this was the multi-faith signing of Central Mosque's book of condolence for those killed in the Madrid bombings. With only twelve hours' notice and Sayadaw absent in London, Yann signed on behalf of the city's Buddhist community. West Midlands Buddhist Council The first meeting to discuss the formation of this body was in August, 2002, immediately before the official opening of our new Vihara. Its aim is to foster co-operation and friendship between Buddhist groups in the West Midlands, including the organisation of joint activities. Its first AGM was held at Birmingham Buddhist Centre this December when Ann Lovelock was elected as Vice Chair and Yann as Publicity Officer and given special responsibility for interfaith relations. Tony Lister (Sakya Ling) is Secretary, Duncan Bratt (Samatha Group) is Treasurer and Keith Munnings (Samatha Group) is Chaplaincy Co-ordinator. Phil Henry (Buddhavihara), the outgoing Chair, sums up the past year's progress in his report. 'Looking back, what is clear is that, as a small forward looking organisation, the WMBC has come some way from initial thoughts of Buddhists sitting down and discussing issues relevant to themselves. There is now a core of committed people who see the need to communicate as primary and, regardless of other considerations, continue to do so both for the sake of understanding each other and to help locate Buddhists in the West Midlands in a meaningful way against the backdrop of a multi-cultural plural society in which we all have a role to play. As an organisation we have committed ourselves to support one another and other Buddhists, locally and nationally, and to involve ourselves in inter-religious dialogue at all levels. We will be registered in the latest edition of the Buddhist Directory due out in 2004, and affiliated to the Network of Buddhist Organisations (NBO) nationally in 2004. 'The first year has seen mayoral visits, rare Buddha relics in the city, liaison with other faith communities, the development of Hospice/Hospital projects and support for local community and faith community initiatives, and fund raising on a world wide stage. I am grateful for the support of all concerned and hope to be able to support the organisation in the future. Above all I hope the organisation will grow from strength to strength in the coming years.' Forward Events This year we celebrate Buddha Day on the actual full moon day, which falls conveniently on Bank Holiday Monday, 3 May. There will also be a chance for all Buddhist groups to hold a joint puja before the magnificent standing Buddha in the city Art Gallery on Saturday 8 May at 2.30 p.m. This is the first such occasion since 1995 and hopefully may become a regular event if it is as great a success as was the last. Please give it your support. Another joint event will be Kuan Yin Day, held at the pagoda on the full moon day of Wednesday, 2 June, at 7 p.m. On this occasion we shall also be consecrating the statue of Kuan Yin at the rear of the pagoda now that a fitting canopy has been built for her. WMBC are co-sponsors and we hope to have representatives from most of the principal Buddhist schools in Birmingham taking part. The day celebrates our common purpose and during it we will share in the loving-kindness and compassion practices of the various traditions. The last such event was in 1999 and we have rescheduled the day from the traditional date in July so as to avoid clashing with our other activities. Book Review [Eyewitness Guides: Buddhism. Dorling Kindersley, London, Penguin Group, 64 pp, £9.99] Part of a set of religious guides that support the National Curriculum, this hardback coffee-table size book comes at a very reasonable price. The several colour illustrations on each page are accompanied by a descriptive text as well as separate notes pointing to smaller details. A picture of the seated Buddha, for instance, has notes on mudra, asana, the 32 signs of a great man and details of the robe, with page references to where some of these are explained further. The illustrations include photos of sites in the UK and in Buddhist countries, of artefacts, paintings and sculptures. The contents cover the life of the Buddha, his teaching, its geographical spread and schools, the buildings and practices. A good few pictures will be familiar to devotees of the Dhammatalaka Pagoda since the book was built around a day-long photographic session there. Even so, the sight of Ven. Nagasena on an alms round, of Yann meditating, and of David Beckham among the gods and boddhisattvas on a shrine's frieze, are rare and strange. The book will make an ideal supplement to our course of Buddhist Studies. BACK TO TOP WINTER 2004 CE¤ 2547BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS Our activities at the Vihara continue much as normal, except for the reduced attendance at Monday meditation which is a matter of concern. Thursday sessions are led by Bill, with the assistance of Tom and Gordon and continue to be popular. The last Saturday meditation retreat also drew 22 participants, which seems to prove the success of this innovation. The teaching programmes led by Ven's Uttaranyana and Nagasena have been drawing about a dozen from across the city to each session. Tuesday scripture studies will be recommencing after Christmas with another ten-week session studying the Mahasattipatana Sutta from January 6 to March 9. Study of other Middle Length Discourses will follow after a two-week break. General Studies weekends will continue as usual and everyone is recommended to attend. There are now six monks in residence after U Tiloka's return to Singapore. Beside Dr Rewata Dhamma and the two teaching monks, there are Ashins Gandasara and Ratapala, who look after site maintenance and the Pagoda; and Gawsaka, who is responsible for the Vihara and is being trained for other duties. We congratulate him on authoring his first article in this issue. Another studious guest has been Susanna Zimmermann from Mainz who spent two weeks meditating and joining in classes. Gordon and Tom have lately cleaned and repainted the dome inside the Pagoda. Meanwhile Mar Mar, Ann, Jean, Linda and Pam continue to attend at the Vihara and help with its business and upkeep. We are also grateful to Lesley Gray who has come up from London on several to install the office computer and network it with the others in the house. Ven. Rewata Dhamma As well as his own Katthina ceremony, Bhante also attended those in Wembley and Wolverhampton. Other engagements included Birmingham Council of Faith's AGM, the Birmingham Faith Leaders' Meeting and Civic Mass at St Chad's Cathedral. There the Archbishop, Rt Rev. Vincent Nichols, quoted a recent address by the Pope in which he spoke of the advance of secularism as a frame of mind which 'exaggerates individualism, sunders the essential link between freedom and truth and consequently destroys the mutual bonds which define social living.' To gaze like the ancient prophets into the visions of night, the Archbishop continued, 'is to see trends of disintegrat-ion, to glimpse the threats to social cohesion and wonder where they could take us. It is to see the aimlessness of life felt so keenly at times, masked by ferocious and excessive 'entertainment', which sometimes disfigures this city.' Echoing recent thinking in the Church, and his own com-plaints in the media, he blamed 'secularism and its accompanying cynicism, that always seeks to corrode the faithful witness of those who live lives of evident virtue. There is something in our society which insists that we seek to bring down the good and exalt only in the tawdry and flawed.' He therefore urged the necessity for those of faith and especially civic leaders to uphold, encourage and maintain faith in the practice of the good. Bhante has now completed his three-day Abhidhamma course in Switzerland and four-day meditation retreat in Belgium. In December he leaves for Singapore and will go from there to attend the World Buddhist Sangha Council in Indonesia. After that he will go on to Penang, where the Myanmar Vihara is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a programme running from before Christmas to the New Year. In March next year he will briefly return to Switzerland. He has also been invited to a seminar in Mexico to mark the 5th anniversary of the Centro Mexicano del Buddhismo Theravada. Pagoda Our Katthina Day at the beginning of November was very well attended. By cunningly waiting until the other viharas in Birmingham and London had had their celebrations we were able to draw 21 monks to ours! Among the speakers, in both English and Myanmar, were Ven's Rewata Dhamma, Uttaranyana, Nagasena, Kassapa and Kossallasa. The last of these, one of the best known Dhamma teachers in Myanmar, had been spending the Rains Retreat at the Wembley Vihara. Described by Bhante as 'a professional speaker', his necessarily brief talk went down well among those who understand the language. Some 50 robes were presented on the occasion and we received £5,000 in donations. The event was sponsored by Dr Wunna and family. Sponsors for the coming two years have already pledged themselves, but others are welcome to join the queue! Among our visitors this autumn Ven. Nagasena has welcomed Trinity College (Carmarthen) and the primary schools taking part in the Interfaith Project. Yann has talked to two groups from Sir John Talbot's School (Shropshire), Malvern Girls' College, Queens College, Brookes University (Oxford) and the Baptist Interfaith Group. He also gave a two-hour seminar on Buddhism to the Christian Study Group at St John's Church in Cotteridge; on another afternoon they visited the Pagoda and were welcomed by Ven. Nagasena. Dhamma Hall Appeal With the growth of our teaching programme, it is becoming obvious that we need to extend our premises in line with our plans. We lack sleeping accommodation for long retreats and space for large seminars. Furthermore, as the overnight collapse of our marquee just before Katthina illustrated, we also need a large hospitality area. If we could relieve the pressure on the monastery by providing such facilities in a separate building, we could also cater for other monastic plans. Firstly the preliminary training of Westerners who then go to Eastern monasteries to further that training; secondly, training missionary monks who have completed their studies in their homelands and now wish to learn English and have experience of adapting their teaching methods to Western cultural expectations. We are therefore launching an appeal to build a Dhamma Hall which will include a teaching area and kitchen facilities on the ground floor while upstairs there is sleeping accommodation for both males and females and separate bathroom facilities. Such rooms may also double as meditation cells and smaller teaching areas. The estimated cost of this is £300,000. Please contact us to make offers, suggestions, and for further information, at the address above. Devotees Yann has given another Thought for the Day on BBC WM's Sunday morning programme. A more curious duty was to attend a seminar on religious tourism at Stoneleigh. The West Midlands region is developing a tourism strategy which includes visiting all religious buildings. Yann was the only one there not connected with Christian churches. Ramona, Linda and Dea Paradisos attended the One World Quilt event in support of Sustainable Development mentioned in our last issue. Indeed, they were the majority group of the dozen or so faiths present. A number of beautiful quilts have been made by groups of women as well as schools but ours from Birmingham will be unique in its Multi-Faith theme. Each religious group will make one 18" x 18" square. The Buddhist section designed by Dea is circular with twelve panels emanating from a centre circle containing the Buddha. Each of the twelve panels is divided in two, rather in the style of the YIN/ YANG symbol, and has the theme of Dependent Arising and the reverse process involving the Factors of Enlightenment. Our work must be finished early in January and we are suggesting that those Buddhists interested should meet at the Pagoda to work on it on Wednesday evenings. In March there will be a ceremony in the Council House to mark its completion and handing over. Pali Text Class Several of us have just completed a series of ten sessions with Dr. Uttaranyana studying the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. During this we managed to study just three of its total of 152! In the Sallekha Sutta Buddha explained to Maha Cunda that wrong views about self and the world (loka) could only be removed by the practice of insight. Absorption leads to a blissful existence; only by refraining from the forty-four unwholesome deeds named in the sutta, can we remove our moral defilements. It describes four ways to achieve this. The first is to incline our mind towards the opposite wholesome deed, for example, 'Others will be cruel, we shall not be cruel here'. Simply to incline our minds towards doing a good deed brings us a good result; that result is infinitely more if we actually perform it. The second way is to avoid the unwholesome deeds. The third is to be aware that unwholesome deeds lead us downwards to the lower realms, while wholesome deeds lead us upwards. The fourth way to refrain from unwholesome deeds is to extinguish them by performing the opposite wholesome deed, for example, 'A person given to cruelty has non-cruelty by which to extinguish it'. One who has not removed his own moral defilements, cannot rescue others in the same state. Sammaditthi Sutta is an explanation of right view given by Venerable Sariputta. Physical, verbal and mental actions motivated by greed, hatred and delusion are considered to be unwholesome. Those arising through non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion are considered to be wholesome. To have right view is to understand whether a deed is wholesome or unwholesome. By abandoning the underlying tendencies to greed, aversion and the conceit of self, we can put an end to suffering. Further, right view is to fully understand the Four Noble Truths and not to incline to eternalist or annihilationist views. We went on to learn about the four nutriments necessary for the existence and continuity of beings: ordinary physical food, contact of the sense-bases with sense objects, mental volition and consciousness. We also studied the conditionally and interdependence of all phenomena. The Dependant Origination formula is given in reverse order in this sutta and has a thirteenth factor, the taints of sensual desire, being and ignorance. The Buddha gave the Mahadukkhakkhanda discourse to disprove the claim by Jains that they followed the same path and taught the same Dhamma as the Buddha. He explained to His monks the nature of the sense pleasures, their gratification and their danger, and how to escape from them; and similarly, the nature, gratification, danger and escape from both material form and feelings. Interestingly, the Buddha chooses as an example of feelings, not those which follow sense contact but those associated with the first four jhanas. The highest gratification in the case of feelings is 'freedom from affliction'. The danger in the case of even these feelings is that they are 'impermanent, suffering and subject to change' and the escape is by 'the removal and abandonment of desire and lust for feelings'. We took turns to read from the suttas and Dr. Uttaranyana clarified many points in them from the commentaries and later commentators. We were also introduced to the Pali where appropriate. Before the class, I was a bit daunted by the prospect of trying to understand the Pali Texts but now, having had the guidance of a teacher and the company of fellow students, I feel sufficiently confident to read some texts by myself. But I am looking forward to the next series in the new year. Why not join us then? Report by Pamela Hirsh Room for photo somewhere? No need for next quarter's programme in this issue. BACK TO TOP AUTUMN 2003 CE¤ 2546BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS There are seven monks taking the Rains Retreat this year. Among them is Dr Uttaranyana, who arrived in the first week of July and has quickly made his presence felt as the new head of Vihara. Local devotees from Myanmar and other Asian countries have been very supportive of us. There are few days when some have not come to offer dana or bring supplies and monks are also regularly invited to their homes. At one point in the summer our number was augmented when Dr Min Ko-Ko Thaung took temporary ordination (for the seventh time). Over those three days his parents also stayed to look after all the monks. Numbers at Monday meditation dropped over the summer but have picked up with the new term. Thursday meditation has remained well supported, thanks to Bill Strongman's inspiring leadership which has contributed to its success. It has benefited as well from the presence of both Dr Uttaranyana and Nagasena Bhikkhu. Group visits to the Pagoda have also been few during school holidays. A party from Redditch Churches Together came one Thursday in July and stopped to take part in the Beginners' Meditation Class. In August senior management from the Crown Prosecution Service paid a visit. The latter were welcomed by both John Beard and Yann. At the beginning of September we hosted a morning session of the Birmingham Faith Leaders' Meeting. John Beard provided very professional refreshments and Yann looked after reception. This proved quite thrilling when TV camera crews started arriving to interview Dr Naseem of Central Mosque. Standing in front of the Pagoda, he denounced Al-Muhajiroun as a group racial extremists who bring shame on the name of Islam. Finally, many thanks to Drs Swe Win Maung and Win Tin Maung Aye who have presented our office with a digital photocopier. Teaching at the Vihara We are embarking on a series of new courses taught at the Vihara. Beginning on 16 September, there is a ten-week course examining some of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. Held on Tuesday afternoons between 3-5.30 p.m. for both monks and laypeople, it is led by Dr Uttaranyana, who has lectured on the Scriptures first at Piyati University in Mandalay and latterly as Professor and Dean of Faculty at Yangon's Theravada International Missioniary University. Meanwhile Bhikkhu Nagasena will be catering for his old students and taking on new ones every Saturday. He is teaching Buddhist Studies on behalf of Birmingham City College and, only for those who are interested, there will be an exam at the end leading at an AS Level certificate. To fit him for this he has just had three days of training as an associate teacher. More ambitiously, next January will see us launching a diploma course in basic Buddhist teaching in association with Birmingham University. At the same time, Bhikkhu Nagasena has applied to the university to do research in inter-religious studies, leading to an M.Phil. degree. Ven. Rewata Dhamma Quite apart from superintending the visit of the U.N. Buddha relics to our Pagoda, Bhante has been very active. In the second half of July he took a ten-day meditation course in the five-acre Dhamma Centre outside the city of Bello Horizonte. Brazil's third largest, it is attractively sited on several hills. Thirty people attended and following it Bhante took a two-day Abhidhamma course. He is already booked to return next July. The following month Bhante took another ten-day course at the Vihara. This had eleven residents (including devotees from Belgium and Germany) as well as people attending the odd day. Food was provided by local supporters, often cooking in teams since, including monks, there were twenty or more to provide for. That same month Bhante gave a talk titled "Beyond Conditionality" at Manchester's Ketumati Buddhist Vihara, followed next day by an all-day meditation. He was also invited to Wolverhampton's Buddha Vihara for dana and gave an afternoon talk there in Hindi. And after another dana meal at Hereford's Dhammadipa Meditation Centre he gave a talk on practising Buddhism in daily life. In front of him he has three days of Abhidhamma classes at Dicken in Switzerland and a three-day meditation retreat at the Belgian Dhamma Group's new centre. In December he will be attending the World Buddhist Sangha Council in Indonesia. UN Relics Weekend Our Pagoda was quite uniquely blessed by being allowed to host the only visit of the U.N. Buddha relics to the U.K. this July. The planning and organisation for the event was shared among too many to be named. We are grateful for the hard work of them all. Thanks to them the event went smoothly and successfully. But special mention needs to be made of Matthias Barth (the nephew of theologian Karl Barth) who, we should have mentioned in the last issue, has been the main organiser for Bhante's Swiss visits over the years. In the absence of our Treasurer, he looked after the receipt of donations, which reached £10,000. Some of this was swallowed by expenses, but it was still a respectable sum for a Swiss banker to handle! Although the relics were only displayed for veneration over the weekend of 12-13 July, Siam Saenkhat, their custodian, had brought them from Oslo the Thursday before. To assist Siam, who is a Thai kick boxer and has had military training, Justin Haqui arrived the next day. Bodyguard to the Dalai Lama and other Gelug teachers when they are in England, Justin had volunteered to help with security. These two tall men, one in a white suit and the other in a dark, were always on watch over the relics, wherever they were. The main religious focus was on Saturday, when groups from across the city and elsewhere in the country came to chant before the relics. They included all the Thai monks from Buddhavihara Temple and Wat Sanghathan, who came with more relics of their own to be installed at Buddhavihara next day on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. At that moment, then, there were three collections of relics concentrated in the Pagoda: the Myanmar royal relics already enshrined there, the U.N.'s and the Thai. It is rare indeed to find oneself in the presence of so many! On Saturday morning also our Vihara was pioneer in another field, ordaining the first temporary samaneri nuns in Britain. They were Helen Parker, Pat Gray, Ann Lovelock and Linda Tomlinson who took the names Jotika, Medini, Supabha and Singhini respectively. All names were prefaced with Dhamma in reference to their preceptor, Dr Rewata Dhamma. The first three trained for a week, the next two for ten days, while Singhini remained two weeks. Saturday afternoon was largely given over to talks by various invitees representing both the wider Sangha and the city. They included, besides Dr Rewata Dhamma, Dharmachari Sunanda for the Western Buddhist Order, Revd Saido Kennaway from Telford Buddhist Priory, Paul Seto, Secretary of the Buddhist Society, and Siam Saenkhat. Religious speakers included Mohammed Amin Evans of the Al Mahdi Institute; Dr Obaid Khan from Central Mosque; Sewa Singh Mandla, Chair of the Council of Sikh Gurdwaras; Chris Hewer, representing the Anglican Bishop (absent at Convocation). We were also addressed by the Indian Consul General, J.S.Sopra and by Jagjit Taunque, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire. Also present for a while was Amir Masood and his wife Asda from the Pakistani Consulate. Following this there was a cultural programme featuring Myanmar music and dance, Indian dance and Bryan Lester's talented group of young guitarists. Much the same programme was presented late on Sunday afternoon as well. There was a rather more secular focus on Sunday as the relics, throned on our ornate teaching chair, were driven on a flattop truck in a motorcade of some twenty vehicles to the Council House, to which we had been invited to a reception by the Lord Mayor. The relics were accompanied by young people and adults colourfully dressed as gods, princes and princesses, with whom the Lord Mayor and his wife spent much of the next hour being photographed. Then, after a chant of blessing for the city by the assembled monks, the Lord Mayor headed the procession back to the Pagoda in his limousine. Once there, he and the Myanmar Ambassador were given the task of carrying in the relics through the ranks of enthusiastic flag-waving devotees. After the Lord Mayor's departure, the relics were carried in procession over the top of the reservoir dam and back along Icknield Port Road. Then it was time for yet more speeches. Dr Kyaw Win, the Myanmar Ambassador, spoke confidently; the new Thai Consul, Geoffrey Howard, was diffident. Dr Uttaranyana, declared that he regarded himself as only Dr Rewata Dhamma's assistant and that there would be no change of policy. Multi Mall spoke on behalf of the Ambedkhar Memorial Trust, Ramona Kauth for Birmingham Council of Faiths. William Ozanne saluted the Buddha and thanked him for his inspiration to the world on behalf of the Catholic Church. There then followed a series of presentations. Siam Saenkhat gave us a plaque commemorating the visit of the relics. Another plaque, recording Bhante's gratitude to Samsari Lal for his help over the 28 years he has been in Britain, was already in place on the wall. In addition, Mr Lal was presented with a laminated certi-ficate appointing him a Patron of the Vihara. Two others were similarly honoured for their long service to the Dhamma in Birmingham. These were Vajira Bailey and John Maxwell, both of whom had been of great help to Bhante when he first arrived in the city. John modestly declared 'I was just doing what my teachers told me'. He went on to salute the wise leadership of the Sangha, without which the history of Buddhism in the city would have been that of laymen competing for power. Those of us who remembered the days when it was indeed like that nodded sagely and searched our consciences. Much later that evening there was yet another ordination as Lin-Lin Than's two sons, Than (Tim) and Thane. took novice ordination for five days under the names Sobhana and Sumana. Devotee News Devotees continue to meet on the first Sunday of most months. Just lately they have formed themselves into a Vihara Liaison Committee and discuss its welfare and progress as part of their business. Some are also coming to work in the Vihara office one day a week. We particularly want to thank Linda, Pamela, Ann and Jean. In July Yann and Ann joined this year's Peace Walk for the afternoon and were the only Buddhists taking part. . In August they again went to Atlantic College's religious forum, leading seminars on Buddhism and a meditation session. They have also lately been re-elected as Birmingham Council of Faiths' Secretary and Publicity Officer and serve on the Executive with Dh. Vajragupta and Ramona Kauth. In addition Yann has been elected onto the Executive of the West Midlands Regional Faith Forum. In July he took a session on 'Buddhism as a Way of Submission' as part of the Al Mahdi Institute's summer programme and also gave another Thought for the Day on Radio WM's Sunday morning programme. Meanwhile our American devotee James Oerman, who was briefly Samanera Paññasiha, has completed his legal studies and returned to the US. He will shortly be looking for work in California and wishes all at the Vihara a speedy enlightenment. We wish him all the best in his future career. Our Katthina ceremony this year will be celebrated on Sunday, 2 November. The sponsors are Dr Wanna from Wakefield, his wife Barbara and family. & we'll need a box with our day by day program too. One World Quilt BTCV Environments For All proposes that members of faith groups work together to make a One World Quilt in support of Sustainable Development - development without com-promising the world's future. The project seeks to overcome cross-cultural and social barriers in making a colourful exhibit to tour venues across the city as an example of the faiths working together for the future of the earth. Each group will design and make a fabric panel illustrating the theme which will be assembled into a wall hanging. This will take place at a one-day workshop on Saturday 22 November, 10am – 5 pm, at The Warehouse, 54-7 Allison Street, Digbeth. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. You do not need any previous experience of sewing, drawing or craft – just an open mind. To book your place and for further information, call Theresa Haddon on 0121 515 1118 or email theresa.haddon@care4free.net BACK TO TOP SUMMER 2003 CE ¤ 2546BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS Our focus on meditation continues. Thursday meditation, for beginners is doing particularly well, with 10-15 at every session, ably led by Ven. Nagasena and Bill Stongman. The monthly meditation retreats are also well attended. These have included a one-day retreat led by Bhikkhu Nagasena in April and a weekend retreat this June led by Ven. Bodhidhamma. There have also been a number of Swiss ladies taking individual retreats combined with Abhidhamma instruction from Dr Rewata Dhamma. At present we have Elizabeth, whose whole family has been studying with Bhante for some twenty years; she has also been responsible for organising his regular Swiss seminars at Dicken. Linda and Pamela have been carrying on their work of reorganising the library. Mrs Khin has recently added to the office equipment there by contributing a new computer which her son-in-law, our Trustee Leslie Gray, has set up and put on-line for us. We have also had a shredder and laminator contributed recently by other Burmese donors. Yet another, U Zaw Lwin from Cologne, has contributed the expenses for a new porch at the Sangharama's front door to match that on the pagoda opposite, as well as for a rain porch at the back door. At the end of May it was our pleasure to host a meeting between the Buddhist community and the new Anglican Bishop, John Sentamu. Present at this were representat-ives from the Sakya, Kagyu and Zen communities as well as the WBO. The Bishop, accompanied by his interfaith adviser, Chris Hewer, was shown round the Pagoda and monastery before an open discussion over tea. Another distinguished and more permanent visitor will be our new incumbent, Ven.Uttaranyana, who is expected in the first week of July. Meanwhile Nagasena has been earning himself lots of merit at all the Buddha Day celebrations he has attended. These included two held by Sai Baba groups in Birmingham, at which he gave short talks, as well as one in Redbridge Vihara, preceded by a morning's meditation that he led. He was also present at the Thai New Year celebrations held in Brindley Place and has continued to give courses at Wat Buddhavihara. These are coming to an end in July, however. In their place he has made an arrangement with Dr David Cheetham of Birmingham University to lead a pilot course in Buddhist Studies this September at our Vihara. Ven. Rewata Dhamma Among the places abroad that Bhante has been visiting have been Switzerland, where he gave an Abhidhamma course at Dicken, and Milan, where he went to venerate the UN Buddha relics on their Italian visit. Over a thousand Italians came to pay their respects on this occasion as well as a hundred Sri Lankans. Bhante remarked how much more attracted Italians are to the devotional side of Buddhism as compared to us phlegmatic Brits! Bhante's host in Milan was Lama Gangchen Rimpoche, whom he knew for some ten years when both were living in Varanasi. Gangchen is from a long line of healing lamas and in the last ten years has set up a universal peace centre for tantric healing in Milan and has taken Italian nationality. While staying there, Bhante gave two short talks on the five precepts to its devotees. In the past month he has also been to Ven. Mettavihari's centre in Amsterdam, where he led a retreat and gave teaching. At home Bhante was one of the few faith leaders who attended the 10th anniversary AGM of the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education, which was held in the Conference Centre at Birmingham Rep. There he was welcomed by Executive members Dh. Adiccabandhu from Blackburn and Yann Lovelock. As one of the organisers, Yann had to stay at his post but Bhante bore off Adiccabandhu to see the pagoda during the lunch hour. EVENTS PAST AND TO COME The main event this quarter has been the celebration of Buddha Day on 18 May, which was well attended as usual. Among those we welcomed were Lama Rabsang, Dh's Padmavajri and Vipalakirti, Tony and Raina Lister of Birmingham Sakya Ling, a party from Telford Priory, Chris Hewer, William and Margaret Ozanne and Amit Deshpande, a regional organiser for the Sai Baba Organisation. Other Hindus, Sikhs and even Pagans were also present. At the beginning of proceedings special Wesak letters were read from the UN, The Pontifical Council and Birmingham Churches Together. These we could receive without a slight feeling of guilt since this year the West Midlands Buddhist Council had got in first with an Easter letter to the Christian churches! As at last year's event, the two keynote speakers were of English origin. Rev. Saido Kennaway looked at the Buddha's ordinary humanity and the everyday problems with which He had to cope, while Upasaka Nyanaloka spoke about the practice as social action. These were followed by Nagasena Bhikkhu, who pointed out that the Buddha's realisation was the result of personal effort and exhorted us to follow His example. Finally Dr Rewata Dhamma spoke of the universality of Buddhist practice as living in social harmony without discrimination. He then went on to itemise aspects of that training. A more recent event has been the International Cuisine and Loft Clearance Fair held in mid June in the Pagoda grounds. This was in response to the decision by Birmingham Faith Leaders' Meeting to dedicate the whole of June to raising money for Iraqi children on behalf of UNICEF. Under the title of Wining the Peace, the campaign was launched at the Children's Hospital early one morning with the faith leaders in attendance. John Beard and Nagasena represented Buddhists in the absence of Dr Rewata Dhamma. The decision to hold our event was taken at a special meeting of the West Midlands Buddhist Council. With John Beard as overall organiser, it raised just over £460. WMBC were also invited at the same time to help with the forthcoming visit of the UN Buddha Relics to our Pagoda on 12-13 July. This happily coincides with our 5th anniversary as well as the actual full moon date of the Buddha's first sermon. Naturally we are excited and a little bit overwhelmed at the prospect of yet another major national event to be held here and feel great gratitude to all the other Buddhists in Birmingham and elsewhere who are helping us bear the load. This is a rare blessing, an unrepeatable experience and an opportunity not to be missed, bringing untold merit for lives to come. PAGODA In May we held a colourful wedding blessing for Sandipka Chandorai and her husband Neil, who first met while at school. Monks from our and the Jetavana Vihara did the chanting while Nyanaloka got the couple to promise each other to keep the duties prescribed to husband and wife by the Buddha in the Singala Sutta and afterwards gave a brief teaching on these. Visitors to the Pagoda have been very varied this quarter. They have included the Birmingham Blind Historic Group who had a fine time feeling the various artefacts there, listening to gongs and bells, sniffing incense and even, for those only partially sighted, looking closely at colourful items. Other visitors included Hagley Women's Focus, the Catholic Twilight course and Pines Special Needs School. Two groups of trainee teachers have come from Newman College, mature theological students from Queens College, and students of religion from Bath University. These were accompanied by some of their lecturers, including Ven. Dr Mahinda Deegalle, a Sri Lankan monk who was given a special tour of the Vihara too. School groups have included Sturminster Newton (Dorset), Adams Grammar (Newport, Shrops), Bleak House (Sandwell), King Edward VI Girls Grammar (Handsworth) and St Augustines RC High School (Redditch). Some of these have been very large parties split between two groups. The younger among them have appreciated Pye's wishing bower, the fish pond with its blue frog, Kuan Yin's detachable hand and the Burmese bell that resonates for 105 seconds. While you're visiting, go round to the meditation garden at the back and take a look at the fine job John Beard and Tom Maxwell have made of building a suitable canopied shrine from the statue of Kuan Yin. If you've look up at the spire, however, you'll have seen that it requires rather more than a lick of paint. That is soon to change, however. Our near neighbours on Soho Road, the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sawak Jatha, have kindly offered to do the regilding for us. We have therefore sent Bhikkhu Nagasena to Myanmar to pick up the materials and the work is expected to be completed well before the Buddha Relics arrive. DEVOTEES NEWS During Dh. Sunanda's two-month absence in the US, Yann was deputising for him at Winson Green prison. He has also given three talks. One was for BBC WM's Sunday morning programme on how family values are not always as positive as one might think. At Queens College he shared a session with Dr Jabaal Buaben (originally from Ghana); both had to comment on their response, from the viewpoint of their faiths, to Jesus' declaration 'I am the way, the truth and the life'. Then at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre Yann spoke at Birmingham Council of Faiths' green seminar on the Buddhist approach to ecology. Ann's chance to meet Dr Buaben came when she was invited to chair a meeting of Sacred Space at the Muath Centre in Bordesley Green. There he was speaking on the subject of Faith in the Age of Globalisation and Post-Modernism after the meal they all shared together. She and Yann also went to meet Leicester Council of Faiths as part of a Kairos visit and were present at the annual meal given at Police Headquarters for the city's diplomatic community, joined this year by faith representatives too. and the life'. Then at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre Yann spoke at Birmingham Council of Faiths' green seminar on the Buddhist approach to ecology. Ann's chance to meet Dr Buaben came when she was invited to chair a meeting of Sacred Space at the Muath Centre in Bordesley Green. There he was speaking on the subject of Faith in the Age of Globalisation and Post-Modernism after the meal they all shared together. She and Yann also went to meet Leicester Council of Faiths as part of a Kairos visit and were present at the annual meal given at Police Headquarters for the city's diplomatic community, joined this year by faith representatives too. Finally Ann and John Beard were the Buddhist delegates at the launch of the West Midlands Faith Forum. Yann and Ramona took part in an earlier consultation for this and Yann was featured speaking on the introductory video shown at the launch. BIRMINGHAM INTER-FAITH PEACE WALK The event this year starts from New Life Wesleyan Church, on the corner of Booth Street and Holyhead Road, at 8.45 on Saturday, 5 July. Proceeding by way of Jetavana Vihara and with other stops at various gurdwaras, mandirs, mosques and churches, not to mention the Jain Ashram, the day should be over by 6.00 p.m. This is a popular event well supported by a large number of faiths and people are free to join in and drop out wherever they like. For a map of the route and further information contact Sr Ann Buckeridge on 0121 554 3156. BACK TO TOP SPRING 2003 CE ¤ 2546BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS The Monday and Thursday meditation groups continue to be ably led by Ven. Nagasena and Bill Stongman and there have been several new faces there since the new year. U Ghandasara returned briefly from his visit to Myanmar but only to hear the sad news of his father's death. Having sponsored a very well attended memorial meal at the Vihara, U Ghandasara has now returned to Myanmar. He began living on the site since before the Pagoda was completed and has put his handicraft skills to good use both there and at the Sangharama. We shall miss his cheerful presence and thank him for all he has done for us. One reason for keeping the number of monks fewer is that we have now launched our new meditation programme and wish to have space for meditators staying overnight. There will be a variety of formats for sessions, including one-day events, 24 hour events, two day and ten day sessions. Indeed, Michael Kewley will be leading the year's first ten-day session in the Pagoda even as you read this. Ven. Nagasena reports that eleven people attended his one-day meditation session in January and thirteen in February. He also goes most Saturdays to the Lozells Buddhavihara where he teaches Abhidhamma and Basic Pali; and once a month he takes a meditation session at the Birmingham University Buddhist Society. Another reason for keeping space free is that the State Sangha Mahanayaka Council of Myanmar has now made its recommendation for Dr Rewata Dhamma's successor as head of the Vihara. This is Ven. Dr. Uttaranyana, presently Dean and Professor in the Patipatti Department at Yangon Theravada University. Some may remember him from his previous stay with us for some months in 1999. We have heard that he has accepted the invitation and hopes to take up residence before the start of the Rains Retreat. Bhante will still be remaining with us for the time being, of course, and will devote part of the time to inducting Ven. Uttaranyana into his new duties. The Vihara has also played host again to a meeting of the West Midlands Buddhist Council, to which it is now affiliating. The meeting took place in the Library, which is looking smarter by the day. Partly this is due to Linda, John and Pamela's hard work sorting out the books. Just as the end of their work seemed in sight, we began receiving the first consignments from U Khin's well-stocked library, which was left us on his death. The room has been named in his honour and the family has been very generous in making sure it has everything to suit the Vihara's needs. The latest additions include a handsome boardroom table and eight comfortable chairs, a computer, printer and scanner. Ven. Rewata Dhamma As mentioned in our last news, Bhante left for Los Angeles in December to take a ten-day meditation course. 22 people were there for the whole course and about another twenty turned up each evening for the teaching. The occasion stretched Bhante's powers since this was the first time he had had to take such a course all in Burmese. Participants assured him that his command of the language improved each day! On 30 December he left for Yangon and, since he was flying eastwards across the date-line, did not arrive until 1 January. Two days later Goenkaji arrived with 500 students and they went on pilgrimage together. On the way Goenka gave Dhamma talks in which Bhante's new-found linguistic skills were put to use as translator from English to Burmese. He then went on an unscheduled trip to the border area, the so-called Golden Triangle where the frontiers of Thailand, Laos and China touch Myanmar. Formerly this was notorious for drug production but has now been declared a drug-free zone by the government. Fruit growing has been encouraged instead and, since the inhabitants are given a fair price where formerly they had been exploited by drug barons, they are now much better off. Another auspicious event at which Bhante presided took place in Yangon. Many will remember Ven. Kusalananda from the opening of our new vihara, and also that Ven. Nagasena assisted him at the samanera ordination launching the Ayukusala Central European Sangha in the Czech republic. The novices then went to Kusalananda's hermitage in Sri Lanka for monastic training and eventually proceeded to higher ordination. Four of them were to take this in Myanmar, where they arrived at the Mahasi Meditation Centre with Ven. Kusalananda, and Ven. Rewata Dhamma was asked to act as preceptor. The ceremony was sponsored by Dr Mar Mar Lwin, whose family in Myanmar looked after preparations. At it a meal was offered to 500 monks and nuns as well as 100 guests. Returning at the beginning of February, Bhante left again at the end of the month to attend the exhibition of the Buddha's relics in Geneva. The background to this is that in 1999 the UN formally declared the full moon day of May to be an official Buddha Day holiday in recognition, as Secretary-General Kofi Anan put it, that 'in this time of global uncertainty, the Buddha's vision of peace and of humanity's highest potentials are more relevant than ever before.' A Thai organisation then collected relics from Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand and housed them in the specially cast golden memorial stupa which is now on world tour. Naturally there is a move to bring them to the holy city of Birmingham before long. While in Geneva, Bhante gave three talks organised by the Swiss Buddhist Association to an audience of 3000 and then left to take a seven-day meditation course at Interlaken. He also gave a talk on "The Four Noble Truths, The Timeless Essence of the Buddha's Teachings" at the Villa Unspunnen. This was translated into German by Bhante's disciple of twenty years, Peter Eppel. He has arranged to return next month to take Abhidhamma classes at Dicken, near St Gallen. At the end of April he has been invited to give a paper at a conference of Buddhist scholars at the inauguration of the new Nalanda University, a function at which his old friend the Dalai Lama will be chief guest. From this he will return well in time for Buddha Day, which we celebrate on 18 May this year. PAGODA Among our visitors has been a Moral Rearmament group brought by Bill Ozanne and hosted by Ven. Nagasena; also trainee missionaries from the Baptist Missionary Society, who were hosted by Yann. Schools groups have included Moor Hall Primary School (Sutton Coldfield); Welland Primary School (Malvern), who came for a three hour session with Ven. Nagasena and Yann; and four students from King Edward VI School for Girls (and the Sri Lankan mother of one of them) doing a project on Buddhism and how it has adapted to the West. Ramona and Nagasena have also hosted two groups of foreign students from Selly Oak Colleges as well as regular parties of young schoolchildren taking part in the Primary School Interfaith Project. Finally, we have been pleased to host the Contemplative Prayer Group on the final Saturday of alternate months between 9-10.30 a.m. For the months in between it meets in St John's Church, Ladywood. Peace Initiatives Birmingham has played a leading part in trying to prevent war and there has been remarkable unanimity among the majority of its citizens and across all faith communities. Buddhists have of course been among those supporting initiatives. Ven. Soratha of Jetavana Vihara stood in for Dr. Rewata Dhamma when the city faith leaders drew up their declaration against war. This was launched early one frosty morning in the Peace Gardens. On that occasion Upasaka Nyanaloka braved the streets on his bicycle and signed it before the press and television cameras on behalf of the Buddhists. That same day Birmingham Council of Faiths had sent a letter of its own to Tony Blair in the name of the nine faiths it represents. This was drafted by Yann, who chose to address the Prime Minister as a man who professes faith himself and to underline the religious arguments against prosecuting war. The letter was given special prominence in the Birmingham Post's report. Later Yann was interviewed about this on Radio WM's Sunday morning religious programme and his dismissal of Bush and Blair as 'a couple of megalomaniacs' was clipped into news bulletins all morning. Faith-based peace initiatives have not stopped at the level of statements. Practically every coach in the city was hired to carry people to the Peace Rally in London; these included large faith contingents, although Buddhists were only present as individuals. On the same day a two-hour peace vigil was held at the Anglican Cathedral to which faith leaders were invited to contribute. Ven. Nagasena was there with several Buddhists. After lighting a candle of witness with Bishop Sentamu, he chanted the Karaniya Metta Sutta and then led the congregation in a short loving-kindness meditation. For its part, the Soho Rd Gurdwara sponsored a 48-hour reading of its scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. This was dedicated to peace, with the prayer that the Lord would lead the minds of the political leaders into ways of wisdom. Members of all faiths were invited to attend for a while and Ven. Nagasena went with a small party from the Vihara. Then there was a twelve-hour overnight vigil at the Shi'a Imambara on Clifton Road in Balsall Heath at which representatives of various faiths and action groups were asked to pray or make statements. Ramona read from the Dhammapada in the evening when it began and Yann led a loving-kindness meditation in the next morning. Ramona and Ven. Nagasena were also present at the 1 March peace demonstration in Centenary Square Devotee News In February our supporter U Balazeya took temporary ordination for one week as Ven. Candobhasa and was joined by his grandson, 14-year-old James Bennison, who was given the samanera name of Buddhadattha. Ramona, Ann and Yann were among those invited to attend Holocaust Day, which this year was held in the Council House Banqueting Suite. Yann also told a Jataka story at assemblies in Yarnfield School, where he is now a Governor. He also took classes at Atlantic College in Wales while there for a meeting of the Religious Advisory Panel on which he serves. He later told the story of how the Buddha stopped the River Rohini war at a Birmingham Council of Faiths spirituality event held at Elmwood United Reformed Church in Handsworth Wood. Another church group he visited was at West Smethwick Methodist Church, where he talked about Buddhist basics. Christian Buddhist Contemplative Prayer Group: 29 March & 28 June in the Pagoda; 24 May at St John's. MORE ABOUT CURRENT'S NEWS BACK TO TOP WINTER 2003 CE¤ 2546BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS After having so many monks staying with us, it is beginning to feel a bit lonely at the Vihara with only three. U Tiloka has gone back to Singapore, Sayadaw U Kumara to Myanmar. Ashin Ghandasara has also gone there, although he will be back in February. And no sooner did Bhikkhu Nagasena get back from his travels at the start of December then Bhante left! During Ven Nagasena's absence, Dr Rewata Dhamma, Ven.Gosaka and Upasaka Nyanaloka have been teaching at the Monday meditation class. The Thursday class for beginners under Bill Strongman is going from strength to strength. Now we are back in permanent premises, Devotee days on the first Sunday of the month have begun again. 5 January, the first of 2003, will be a Family Day. All are encouraged to bring their friends and relations to share a meal and look over the premises. In the new year the Children's Dhamma class will begin on the last Sunday of each month. Linda and Yann have offered to take it over but are looking for a third teacher to share the work with them. Please contact us if you would like to help. Weekend retreats will also resume in the New Year. Ven. Nagasena will lead them on the second weekend of most months. 6-8 June, however, will be led by Ven. Boddhidhamma. There are also two ten-day retreats on offer. March 21-30 will be led by Michael Kewley, who will be remembered for his teaching at our last Buddha Day. There are only limited places and eleven people have already booked. Please write as soon as possible to Yann Lovelock c/o the Vihara to book and enclose a £10 deposit. A donation of £5 a day is suggested to cover Vihara expenses and a further donation to cover Michael's. Dr Rewata Dhamma will lead another ten-day retreat in the summer over 15-24 August. Various lay people are attending the Vihara one day a week in order to answer the phone, show visitors round the Pagoda and transact Vihara business. Bryan Lester is there most Mondays and conducts English conversation lessons with the monks. Ann is there Tuesdays, handling our finances. Linda and Pamela are there Wednesdays and spend the time rearranging the Library. Yann is there Thursdays or Fridays, depending on his commitments. Let us know if you could offer us some time too. Those who have been inside the Library will be aware that it is now well furnished with shelves, thanks to a large donation by Mrs Khin and the carpentry of U Ghandasara. In time, we will also be receiving Mr Khin's well-stocked library to add to our own collection. We are appealing for a computer to help catalogue the books and for Vihara administration. If second-hand, we would prefer a model no later than 2000. We would also like folding tables and chairs for when we begin to hold classes in the spring. Other improvements to the Sangharama include the installation of the traditionally carved teak eaves and doors sent us from Myanmar. Thanks to a donation by Dr Lay Maung and Daw Than-Than Aye, we now have paving slabs all the way to the back door. Our Patron Mrs Aye has also given us a large donation for site improvements. PAGODA Our 25th Kathina Ceremony was well attended this year by a large numbers of Burmese devotees. It also had several sponsors, including Dr Kyi Tun, Dr Myint Myint Soe and family. U Kumara gave a talk in Burmese that had the audience in fits of laughter. U Dhammasami, currently studying for a higher degree at Oxford, spoke in praise of the robe and was followed by Dr Rewata Dhamma. Donations topped £8,000, which has been of great help in reducing our overdraft. Well done! Among the college groups who visited the Pagoda in the last quarter have been trainee teachers from Trinity College, Carmarthen, trainee children's nurses from City College and trainee priests from Queens Foundation. There have also been groups from Sir John Talbot's School (Shrops) and Worcester 6th Form College. In addition, Yann has visited Somerville School in Small Heath. Beside its place in our educational work, the pagoda is also a resource for all. Many intrigued visitors simply drop in after glimpsing it in passing. Others bring people round to see it. Former neighbours of ours in Carlyle Rd, for example, good Irish Catholics who worship at the Oratory, regularly bring their guests. Just recently Ruth Tetlow, who lectures at the College of the Ascension, came with a large party of Scandinavian radio journalists. We have also hosted a group from the prestigious Common Purpose organisation. This runs a long-term training programme for young middle managers in various city firms and agencies who are seen as the civic leaders of the future. In former years John Beard has been their host. This year Yann showed them over the Pagoda and Sangharama during the course of their two-hour visit. The building, its monks, meditators and artefacts, will also soon be featured in an illustrated book on Buddhism for children. Recently two young women from the Bookwork team in Stroud turned up to see what we had and discuss the possibilities. They then brought photographers and spent two days working at the Pagoda. Some props we had to borrow from Karma Ling, to which we also introduced them. We gratefully acknowledge their co-operation in this project. Among the many things photographed was our new Kuan Yin, which arrived this autumn. The statue was made in Burma by the well-known sculptor U Taw-Taw, who was also responsible for the Pagoda's Buddharupa. At present she is installed under a wooden canopy opposite the meditation garden. A more fitting shrine will be constructed when the weather improves. Dr. REWATA DHAMMA Besides fulfilling all the engagements mentioned in our last news, Bhante has taken part in committing Mr Khin's ashes to the Thames. To do this a boat was hired and the whole family attended, accompanied by three monks. At the beginning of December Bhante was interviewed by the Birmingham Post's senior feature writer, Jo Ind. This was for a series of articles on the city's religious leaders that will appear in the New Year. Then he left for Los Angeles, where he will be leading a ten-day retreat with the same group as last year. At midnight of the day it finishes he will board a plane for Yangon, where he has a very full programme. Among other things, he will be discussing the choice of his successor with the State Sangha Council. Goenkaji will be bringing a thousand disciples to Myanmar to offer a full-scale Sanghadana. Afterwards Bhante will go with him on pilgrimage. Dr Rewata Dhamma will also be visiting India, where he will discuss a translation into English of his very successful Hindi book on the Abhidhamma. He will then return to Myanmar for a week before returning to England at the beginning of February. One of his duties when back will be joining the city's other Buddhist leaders in welcoming the new Anglican Bishop to the Vihara. We may also host another visit from the Lord Mayor. He so enjoyed his tour of the Pagoda and tea party with devotees in October that he asked Bhante if we would invite him back! RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND MEETINGS There have been a considerable number of faith events attended by various of us at the Vihara. Our neighbour in Ladywood, Rev. Richard Tetlow, has been refurbishing his church of St John over a number of years. Bhante was at the dedication of the beautifully modernised building in mid-October and presented it with a table in Myanmar style. That month too Yann was asked to talk to a Christian discussion group in Edgbaston about Buddhist social ideas. Those there had gained the impression that Buddhism was an inward faith chiefly concerned with individual spiritual growth. They were interested to learn that this is underpinned by social consciousness and of the Emperor Asoka's interpretation of Dhamma especially. In October too Yann attended an interfaith reception given by the Roman Catholic archbishop. Afterwards the party was shown round St Chad's cathedral and its history was described by the Dean, Rev. Brian Doolan. In November Ann was the sole Buddhist attending the Women and Faith annual gathering at the United College of the Ascension. This drew together over 50 from many backgrounds to consider the theme Women Making a Difference. The two main speakers were Pamela Hussey and Marigold Best, who travelled through El Salvador at the end of the civil war, listening to and recording the stories, insights and visions of Salvadorean women. Meanwhile Yann was at the afternoon session of an event organised by Redditch Churches Together on the theme Our Neighbours' Faith And Ours. In the morning they had been addressed by Dr Elizabeth Harris, Methodist National Secretary for Inter-Faith Relations and a friend of Buddhism. The Christian churches feel particularly challenged after the events of September 11 and are trying to address themselves to the question of religious diversity and how they are to co-exist with it. The afternoon session was therefore an opportunity for those present to get to know some of other faiths. In the event there were only Yann and Yvonne Stollard from Bromsgrove. Yvonne is also the Jewish contact working with Ramona and Pam on their three-faith education programme. On Nov.16 Dr Rewata Dhamma, Ramona, Yann and Ann were in St Philip's Cathedral for the inauguration of its 8th Anglican Bishop, John Sentamu (which rhymes with 'centre moo'). Of Ugandan origin and from the Luo tribe, he has spent the 17 years of his ministry in South London, the last six as Bishop of Stepney. Given all this and the new bishop's high profile political involvement (on the Lawrence Enquiry team and presently chairing the Damilola Taylor Review, for example), it was an unusual and exciting event. The first those inside knew of the bishop's arrival was an outbreak of massed drumming and whistling encircling the cathedral. Then the door shuddered as he knocked on it three times with his pastoral staff. And so the ceremony proceeded but with other novelties. At one point the singers and dancers sang a couple of Luo hymns, complete with waving feather fans, drums and ululations, which got everybody swaying and clapping. There was also the addition of washing the feet of children to the service. These came from St John's Church of England School in Sparkhill, where the bishop held his press conference on first visiting Birmingham. A picture of him by a nine-year-old pupil there also appeared on the service programme. Next weekend saw celebrations of the birthdays of Sri Satya Sai Baba and of Guru Nanak, as well as a Civic Service at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, all on the same Saturday. In addition, Muslims were in the midst of their Ramadan fast. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that Yann and Ann were the sole interfaith representatives at the Civic Mass at St Chad's cathedral on the Sunday! This had lots of pomp and circumstance, including whole rows of judges and papal knights as well as civic dignitaries. In his sermon (on the feast day of Christ the King) Archbishop Vincent Nichols suggested three ways each of us might help build His kingdom, especially those in positions of responsibility. First, by keeping an awareness of the necessity of peace in our hearts and questioning whether our acts contribute to this before performing them. (This, of course, is the same advice that the Buddha gave Rahula). Second, to learn and practice dialogue; peace is brought by building on difference rather than denying it. Thirdly, by getting to know the way of life of others. DEV0TEE'S NEWS Carlton Television recently asked us for Buddhist participants in their weekly Just A Moment programme. We gave them Bill Strongman, with whom they filmed two interviews at the Pagoda, one about Buddhism in general and the other about meditation. Yann meanwhile has been interviewed about the newly established West Midlands Buddhist Council on BBC Radio WM. Yann was also one of a team of three Buddhists (the others were from the Birmingham Buddhist Centre) who took part in three sessions of media training led by Jo Ind. This also included Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus and is part of a project to increase media awareness among the Asian faiths in the city as well as to build up the paper's own coverage of their news. One fruit has been that Yann was photographed playing the role of Father Christmas at a school largely attended by Muslim children. A splendid example of inter-faith activity! Recently we have had an American devotee attending Monday meditation. This is James Oermann, who is doing a higher degree in law at Birmingham University. In order to get the feel of monastic life, he requested Samanera ordination for a few days before Christmas. The ceremony took place on December 14 with Ashin Ratapala presiding, supported by Ven's Gosaka and Nagasena, and with Linda as sponsor. The new addition to our Sangha is known as Samanera Pannasiha. This means Lion of knowledge, and that makes his instructor, Nagasena, a lion tamer. Among those present was a visiting freelance photo-journalist working for Newsweek who is photographing the city in connection with its City of Culture bid. Full moon days 2003 – Fri. 17 Jan., Sun. 16 Feb., Mon. 17 March. 19.30 in the pagoda. AUTUMN 2002 CE ¤ 2545BE ¤ Published Quarterly GENERAL NEWS There are presently three new monks living at the Vihara besides Dr Rewata Dhamma, Nagasena Bhikkhu, Ashin Gandasara and Ashin Ratapala. Ashin Gosaka is a young monk from Yangon who has gained the highest Myanmar degree in Buddhist Studies, that of Dhammacariya. He will be staying with us for a year at first and is very diligently learning English. U Tiloka from the Myanmar Buddhist Temple in Singapore is spending the Rains Retreat here again. Then there is U Kumara, another learned monk from Yangon who is second only to Dr Rewata Dhamma in seniority. He is from a very busy monastery and is taking a break from his responsibilities until December. Over the summer holidays, Nagasena has not been teaching but has been working hard on our new website. During September he took part in two religious functions. He was at the civic commemoration of the September 11 events and chanted the fifth verse of the Dhammapada as a fitting message to all sides. Yann was there to read the English translation: Truly, hatred is not appeased by hatred in this world. Hatred is appeased only by love. This is an ancient law. The sentiment seemed to be shared by all the other faith leaders present. Ten days later Nagasena took part in the Peace Vigil outside Carrs Lane Church organised by Sister Ann Buckeridge. Here he chanted the Karaniya Metta Sutta. In October he will be giving a talk at the University Buddhist Society. Then, at the end of the Rains Retreat, he hopes to pick up his degree from Sri Lanka, visit relatives in Bangladesh and attend a meeting of the World Sangha Council in Singapore. Dr. REWATA DHAMMA Dr Rewata Dhamma has now taken up his role of international meditation teacher again. He began by leading a one-day retreat and giving a talk on Buddhism in Daily Life at the Sri Lankan Ketumatti Vihara in Manchester. Over the start of October he takes the annual week-long retreat organised by the Swiss Dhamma Group. In November he will take a four-day retreat jointly organised by Dutch and Belgian devotees in the southern Netherlands. In December he leads a Christmas to New Year retreat in Los Angeles. Other meetings attended include one for faith leaders in the Lord Mayor's Parlour and another at St Chad's Cathedral. The latter was part of a regular series and this time concentrated on the vexed question of how representative are faith leaders of the communities in whose name they speak and what is the extent of their authority. In December he is due to give a talk to the University Buddhist Society. Also in his diary is the joint meeting of Trustees and Patrons with the Birmingham Council of Faiths Executive Committee and the next meeting of the West Midlands Buddhist Council. VIHARA U Aung Myin, one of the Vihara's original Trustees and currently a Patron, celebrated his 70th birthday in July by giving a meal to the monks and making a donation towards our building expenses. Arriving with his whole family and various friends, he was joined by Mar Mar, Win Tin, Pye, Bill, Yann and Ann. Bhante gave a talk in which he explained that birthdays were not very significant in Buddhism since, as the Buddha said, we are born and die each moment – which would make rather a lot to celebrate! While those in other religions do good deeds in order to please a god, Bhante continued, a Buddha cannot be pleased by us in that way. Our good deeds are done in order to purify our minds and so become like Him. At the end of July we celebrated the 4th anniversary of the Pagoda in rather subdued style, since we were saving our main effort for the opening of the new monastery. That afternoon we hosted the traditional inter-faith dialogue organised by Birmingham Council of Faiths. This addressed the practical question of how faith communities can get on together in the city and was led by Richard Tetlow, Vicar of St John's, our neighbourhood church in Ladywood. This took place on Dhammacakka Day, following which the monks vow to remain on site for the Rains Retreat. The building they moved into, while rather more than a shell, still had a long way to go before it could be considered as finished. With workmen putting in the final touches and furniture arriving piecemeal, it was an occasion for active rather than contemplative practice. All of the monks really put their backs into fixing the place up. Indeed, out of all the Theravadin monks in the city, ours were easily recognised by their paint-spattered robes and sandals. By the evening of Saturday, 24 August, the new monastery was packed to bursting with visiting monks and lay people; other visitors filled Sunny's house, Mar Mar's and Mr Lal's. That afternoon had seen four more take the robe. U Aung Myin was given the name Indavamsa while his grandson Jay-Jay took novice ordination as Javana. There were also two Brummies among them: our former Trustee Bryan Lester was ordained as Ven. Badda while Yann Lovelock became Nyanaloka Bhikkhu. Following the ordination ceremony the famous Myanmar dance troupe led by U Chantha entertained the audience with a selection of graceful and often satirical court dances. (Their programme was repeated the following afternoon as well.) Then in the evening a team of five Sri Lankan monks from Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester chanted Paritas in a style so distinctive and hypnotic that the time passed almost without our realising. Sunday morning began with the religious ceremony of opening what is now called officially the Sangharama Monaster