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The Buddhist Hour

Radio Broadcast Script 272
Sunday 13 April 2003

This script is entitled:
“Using your merit wisely”

Glossary:

acupuncture: the insertion of needles into the skin at specific points for the purpose of treating various disorders by stimulating nerve impulses

contentedness: (contented) accepting one’s situation or life with equanimity and satisfaction, peace of mind, having restrained desires

forgiveness: (forgive) to cease to blame (someone or something); to grant pardon for (a mistake, etc.); the act of forgiving or the state of being forgiven. willingness to forgive.

instrumental: serving as a means or influence; helpful

master: a term of address, esp. as used by disciples addressing or referring to a religious teacher; a person with exceptional skill at a certain thing; a highly regarded teacher or leader

recount: to tell the story or details of; narrate, give an account of

truth: reliance on and confidence in the truth, worth, reliability, etc., of a person or thing; faith


“Using your merit wisely”


“Health is the greatest of blessings, contentedness the best riches; trust is the best of relationships, Nivana the highest happiness.” The Dhammapada

Our Teacher’s health is improving steadily. Our Teacher John D. Hughes is receiving excellent care.

We anticipate that our Teacher will be home from hospital in a few weeks time.

A few weeks ago Venerable Dhammavihari visited John D. Hughes and he gave blessings for his good health and long life.

Our Teacher’s wife Anita Hughes explained to Venerable Dhammavihari that she and others were caring for their teacher on a twenty four hour basis, chanting the Medicine Buddha Mantra daily and offering the blessed water to John D. Hughes for his increasing health.

Anita Hughes asked Venerable Dhammavihari if this was wise practice. Venerable Dhammavihari told her that to care for one’s Teacher during his illness, to do everything in ones power to keep him alive is the highest thing a student can do.

Over the past two weeks our Teacher has been visited by an expert in Chinese Medicine, to assist him in his recovery. During one visit a number of our Teacher’s students were also visiting.

Our Teacher explained that it is respectful for the student’s head to be lower than their Master’s. The positive outcome of this action is that when the student becomes a teacher they will have respectful students.

We have gratitude for the kindness of Dr. Zhang in helping our Teacher in his recovery.

Our Members have arranged for a gift of 3000 acupuncture needles for Dr. Zhang. May Dr. Zhang continue to help and heal our Teacher.

Much merit is needed to receive the medical care you need when you need it.

Our number one priority is to keep our Teacher alive. To put in the causes for him to have good health and long life.

Each day since the 13 March students of John D. Hughes have been doing the Medicine Buddha Practice as advised by Master Ru Sun. The blessed water from this practice is offered to our Teacher. Some of this water is offered to deities and protectors participating in the pujas and at the hospital.

If the water is offered to the lower protectors they get the blessing not John D. Hughes. It is not clearly understood that such use of water does not help John D. Hughes.

The most important thing in doing meritorious actions is one’s will and intention.

You need to accumulate many good actions to be able to live in a suitable location.

John D. Hughes has taught many of his students over many years how to use merit wisely.

What have they learned?

Many students have come to an advanced theoretical understanding of the principals involved.

Some years ago one of our Members told our Teacher that he would be helping another Member to move house the following day.

Our Teacher advised this person to think about whether this action would help this person… that is… in terms of merit consumed.

The Member decided not to assist that following day.

When the Member initially agreed to help his kindness exceeded his wisdom.

Our Teacher continues to prompt some students on how to use merit wisely and some have begun practicing more skilfully.

Last weekend some of our Members assisted another Member to move house.

Another Member provided lunch and refreshments for the persons assisting with the move.

The student who moved house some years ago was able to see how helping some persons is not always the wise thing to do in some cases.

In preparation for our Teacher’s return home from hospital we have been organising the installation of a new bathroom for him.

Many Members and friends have helped in the various tasks to get the new bathroom completed. These tasks include: raising over $4600 in funds from Members and friends; drafting the bathroom design; the relocation of furniture; selection and pricing of fittings; construction of a new wall; obtaining quotes for electrical and plumbing works and scheduling the tasks with suppliers.

One of our Members, a qualified architect, has prepared designs for a new ramp into the building. It will be designed according to appropriate standards.

The bathroom and ramp building are our highest priority projects during our Five-Day Bhavana Course.

The Five-Day Bhavana Course will be held from 18 April 2003 (Good Friday) to 22 April 2003. The cost of the course is free.

The Hevajra Puja guided by Master Francisco So will be held on the 18 April (Good Friday) and the 21 April (Easter Monday).

Venerable Dhammavihari will visit our Temple and give a Dhamma talk on the first afternoon of the Five Day Bhavana Course at 3:30pm.

On Saturday 5 April 2003, several Members of our Centre visited the Bodhinvana Monastery in Warburton to pay respect to Venerable Acharn Dtun, visiting from Thailand and to hear the Dhamma Talk given by the Venerable.

The Venerable Acharn Dtun stayed at Bodhinvana Monastery for about three weeks. Last Saturday was Venerable Dtun’s last Buddha Dhamma teaching scheduled in Melbourne before returning to Thailand the following day.

Today we would like to recount the talk as recorded by our Members.

We apologise for any errors in understanding that may have arisen.

After paying respect to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, the gathering sat in silent meditation for 30 minutes.

Venerable Dtun and Members of the Sangha then led Evening Chanting in Pali.

When a great Teacher has visited a Temple and is about to leave, it is traditional practice in Thailand to hold a parting ceremony.

The Monks chant a request asking forgiveness for any transgressions or incorrect actions that they may have intentionally or unintentionally displayed towards him during his stay.

The Monks made this request, which the Venerable Acharn Dtun accepted giving his forgiveness and replied with a similar request.

The lay people recited the same verses requesting forgiveness of the Venerable who again accepted and gave his forgiveness replying with a similar request of the lay practitioners.

Venerable Dtun explained in his introduction that he would continue with the story of how he came to be a Monk, that he began during a previous Teaching.

He stated that it was rare for him to talk about his own personal practice. In fact it had been twenty years since he had spoken about it, but that in gratitude to the laypersons present for their support for the Bodhinvana Monastery, he would speak about his personal practice.

Venerable Dtun began with a story about his mother. One evening his Mother was looking out the window. She saw a streak of light in the sky like a meteorite that landed in her back garden. She went outside to look and found a large diamond. She picked up the diamond, took it inside and offered it onto her altar.

Then she woke up from her sleep.

She had been dreaming. Nevertheless, the dream made her very happy. Not long after that, Venerable Dtun was born.

When he was a young child he often joked with his older brother on their way home from school. They would play games and trick each other. One day he decided that he did not want to do this any more as it was telling lies.

He asked his brother to agree that they would never conceal the truth from each other again. He got his brother to make the vow first, as he was older, and then he took the same vow.

He found in his teenage years that friends would come and ask him when they would want to know the truth about something.

His father taught him that he should never take anything from his own home without asking, nor should he take anything from the homes of others, not even the smallest needle.

When he was aged around 16, he went to the beach with a group of boys, his brothers and his friends, to clown around, and they caught and killed crabs.

As they were about to leave, his younger brother, aged 14, was nowhere to be found. He eventually found his brother lying on the beach, struggling and angry. He appeared to have gone insane.

The group of boys took the younger brother and lay him in the truck with his feet pointing towards to sea. Then the brother spoke but the voice was not his and it said why do you point my feet towards the sea?

The group turned him around. The voice then spoke again and said he would like to speak to him alone. Although they were all scared the friends agreed and left him with his brother.

The voice, which said it was the ‘spirit of the sea’, spoke to him for a long time. It proceeded to ask why the boys had been killing sea creatures when they came from well-off homes and had no need for such behaviour.

The voice asked if he loved himself. The voice asked did he love his brothers, sisters, and his family. He said of course. Well, although the sea creatures cannot speak to you they feel thing as you do.

The 'spirit of the sea' taught him by way of opposites. He saw that in the world there is male and female, good and bad. where you have a car, you have a road.

He saw a beautiful vision of another realm of existence.

After about 3 hours the brother woke up. When asked what had happened he answered that he was lying on the beach and something came out of the water. He was then lead into the water where he saw a beautiful kingdom. He said he was aware of the spirit talking but felt powerless to intervene.

The experience with the 'spirit of the sea' was instrumental in his decision to become a Monk.

As a young man, he would go into the altar room at his family home each day and meditate for fifteen or twenty minutes, on “Buddho”, saying “Bud-” on the in-breath, and “-dho” on the out-breath, thus calming his mind.

He went on to complete high school and then a degree in commerce.

He decided that if ever the opportunity arose, and when the time was correct, that he would become a Monk.

A voice resounded to him that if he were to take robes this would be his last life. This voice was speaking in the old Thai.

On the guidance of his Aunt, he decided to take the five lay precepts: to abstain from killing; to abstain from stealing; to abstain from sexual misconduct; to abstain from lying and to abide by the precept to abstain from fermented liquor that clouds the mind.

He found this to be easy and natural for him.

He went to his aunt again and explained to her that taking five precepts was easy for him and asked what he could do.

She said you could take the eight precepts. She explained to him that these extra three precepts are to abstain from eating after midday; not to indulge in dancing, singing, amusements, scents, cosmetics and adornments; and to abstain from sleeping on a high, luxurious bed. She said the eight precepts could be taken on the first quarter, half, last quarter and full moon days.

He elected to hold the eight precepts on days of each lunar quarter and one day either side.

After a few weeks he found this easy and so practised them up every day.

Before taking robes as a Monk, he considered thoroughly whether or not he would pursue the family life.

As a young man the issue of attraction to women arose. He decided that if his attraction lasted for three months then he would approach her.

A vision came to him of the face of the woman he was attracted to. As he gazed upon her face, the skin began to peel off it, revealing the blood, muscles and sinews beneath. He then realised that no permanent happiness could be found in this attraction.

Later, he became attracted to a second woman. Again the same vision appeared.

Then, a third time, the cycle repeated itself.

This confirmed for him that to marry and have a family was not the Path he would take.

At one time, he accompanied his aunt to a Temple, and while she consulted with the Monks, he went on his own to pay respect at the Buddha Altar. He contemplated what was the highest Buddha Dhamma Path he could take this life. His answer was to become a Monk.

Again he checked, by asking himself:

If I could have all the wealth of the world, which would I choose, that or the life of a Monk?

If I could have all the power of the world, which would I choose, that or the life of a Monk?

If I could have the most beautiful woman in the world, which would I choose, that or the life of a Monk?

If I could have all the riches... power... or the most beautiful woman in the world or to ordain as a Monk which would I choose.

His answer to all three was to become a Monk.

He knew this was the correct path for him.

The vision of two bowls of curry came to him. One bowl of curry was served in a beautifully ornate and decorative bowl. The other was served in a plain bowl. Attracted to the beauty of the decorative dish, he began to eat the curry in that dish. It tasted pleasant, and he finished the bowl. Then he decided even though he had finished the first bowl, that he would take a spoonful from the second, plain bowl.

The flavour of the curry in the plain bowl was far deeper and richer than that of the curry in the ornate bowl.

He saw this as an analogy for the worldly life (the ornate dish) and the life of a Monk (the plain dish). He saw that all the wealth; beauty and pleasure of the material world cannot soothe the suffering of the human heart.

One day, as he was meditating before becoming a Monk, he dropped into a deep samadhi. He then dropped again, and then a third time. He decided that this was real happiness.

While sitting in a Temple on the outskirts of Bangkok, Venerable Dtun heard a story about Venerable Tan Acharn Mun. Venerable Mun was living and meditating in a forest in Northern Thailand, near Chiang Mai.

The poor local villagers became suspicious of him. In their folklore exists a tiger that it is said can transform into a human being, and word got around that Venerable Mun was one such being. The villages thus began to observe him carefully as he walked through the forest saying ‘Buddho’ and looking down at the ground.

One villager eventually asked him what he was doing there, was he looking for something. He said ‘yes’ that he was looking for a crystal ball. The villagers offered to help him, and soon the whole village was wandering around looking down for the crystal ball as they repeated ‘Buddho’.

The villagers finally grasped the significance of their actions.

Venerable Dtun told us that his thoughts at the time were, if those poor villagers, who have nothing, can practise like this, then surely I, sitting here in Bangkok, can do something.

At the conclusion of the Venerable’s talk one of our Members asked what we could do to help our Teacher during his recovery from illness. He said, “Follow your Teacher’s instructions.”

Our Members then paid respect to the Venerable and offered flowers on behalf of our Teacher.

We thank all the friends of John D. Hughes in Australia and around the world who have chanted and prayed for his recovery over these past weeks.

We dedicate the merits of this script to increasing the health, strength and long life of our Teacher John D. Hughes.

May you use your merit wisely.

May the merit of these good actions increase the health, strength and long life of Anita M. Hughes.

May the merit of these good actions increase the health, strength and long life of John D. Hughes.

May all beings be well and happy.

May you be well and happy.

This script was written and edited by Julian Bamford BA AppRec, Leanne Eames BA MA, David Ley BBlgs, BArch
and Pennie White BA DipEd.


References

Babbitt, Irving (1936) The Dhammapada, Oxford University Press, New York, p 32.

Nyanatiloka (1988) Buddhist Dictionary, Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Panyapatipo, Phra Ajaan Plien (2000) How to get good results from doing merit, Wat Aranawiwake, Thailand.

Collins English Dictionary and Thesaurus (1994) HarperCollins Great Britain.



Readability Statistics

Counts
Words: 2813
Characters: 12778
Paragraphs: 113
Sentences: 167

Averages
Sentences per paragraph: 1.5
Words per Sentence: 16.5
Characters per word: 4.4

Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences: 9%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 68.3
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score: 7.7


Readability Statistics

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