The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives

Radio Broadcast Script 273
Sunday 20 April 2003


This script is entitled:
"Practicality in Buddha Dhamma Practice"


Writer and speaker Anthony Robbins wrote in 1991 ‘Cultivate the art of flexibility’.

At our Centre we teach our Members to cultivate the five styles of friendliness, practicality, professionalism, cultural adaptability and scholarship.

Our Five Day Bhavana Courses are an opportunity to learn practical work skills. There is no such thing as unskilled work. The mindset of persons can be changed by generosity (in Pali, dana), morality (sila), and friendliness (adosa). An unskilled person with friendliness can learn new work skills.

From a Buddha Dhamma perspective, it would be desirable that work be intellectually stimulating and it should provide the ability to generate many merit making opportunities.

Buddha Dhamma practice through the experience of practicality enables individuals to develop lightness and pliability of mind.

To be effective our Members need to develop harmony in real time every time they come to work together on a project.

At our Chan Academy Australia this process of harmony building is one way in which we define what it means to be human. In the harmony building there is also enthusiasm being generated among the team members.

Francois Guizot once said: ‘Do not be afraid of enthusiasm. You need it. You can do nothing effectually without it.’

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines enthusiasm as the “rapturous intensity of feeling on behalf of a person, cause, etc., the passionate eagerness in any pursuit”.

Last week our Teacher John D. Hughes was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation as a Nominee in the Premier's Victorian Senior of the Year Award 2003 by the Premier of Victoria the Honourable Steve Bracks MP and the Minister for Aged Care the Honourable Gavin Jennings MLC.

At 2:00pm on 15 April Venerable Master Ru-Sun visited Master John D. Hughes in hospital and wrote the following blessing for him in his diary:

"The hospital is a good place for Buddhism Propagation. However, it is too small for your mission. Please go back to your centre to benefit all the sentient beings.

"A sincere blessing from Ru-Sun and Jason Tai and Caty Tai."

John wrote the following reply:

"We thank Master for the past.
"We thank Master for the present.
"Good deeds do not extinguish.
"Why ought we be concerned about the future times.
"The clouds move away from the surface of the sun.
"All is calm and Buddha Mind.
"Thank you Master.

"Shei Shei"

John D. Hughes wrote that:

“Some years ago, on a three month meditation course, Master brought five student monks. Our Teacher guided them by the Korean quick method using 'danger-stick'.

“Master learnt this method and used by 'danger-stick' in Malaysia for three monks with great success.

John D. Hughes wrote, “We use similar methods of same school. We are brothers in Dhamma.”

We wish our Teacher good health and long life. Our priority is to assist in every way we can so that our Teacher may recover quickly and return home to the Temple.

A Five Day Bhavana Course is being held from Friday 18 April 2003 (Good Friday) to Tuesday 22 April 2003 at the Chan Academy Australia, 33 Brooking Street, Upwey, Victoria 3158.

These courses are run four times through the year.

The theme of this April Course is "Practicality in Buddha Dhamma Practice".

On the first day of the five day course The Hevajra Puja was guided by visiting teacher Master Francisco So. The Hevajra Puja Part two will be held on 21 April 2003 (Easter Monday). You are welcome to attend.

Venerable Dhammavihari, a Sri Lankan Monk visited our Temple and gave a Buddha Dhamma Discourse on the topic "Buddhism - an Historical Perspective - Beliefs and Practices" at 3:30pm on the Friday 18 April 2003. The Venerable has been a lecturer in Buddha Dhamma at Universities in Sri Lanka since the 1940's.

Members and Friends welcomed Venerable Dhammavihari and gathered to pay respect.

Our Members welcomed two Sri Lankan families who had come to hear the Dhamma talk.

The Dhamma talk was given in Pali, English and Singhala.

Today we will share a summary of our recollections of this Teaching. We apologise for any error in understanding.

He spoke of the importance of interpersonal relationships and the importance of family and children being respectful to their parents.

In schools for many years the three Rs were taught. These are reading, writing and arthimetic.

Venerable Dhammavihari suggested the three Rs could also be Respect, Responsibility and Readiness to Learn.

Each one not by prayer but by practice will know a better Buddhism.

For each person, how much control… how much discipline… how much restraint.

Do they have in this part of the world this thing called sila?

You do not need any government to do that.

Sila is nothing but grounding in good morality.

What is good morality: relationship of humans to humans in a proper and decent way.

The Venerable addressed the young boys in the audience. He said, “In school learn to behave like good boys” and “Back home learn to behave towards your mum and dad.”

In English that is inter-personal relationship.

With stress here and stress there today in the world we need 'responsibility'.

We have pancasila the Universal Ethics of Good Living.

Those five [precepts] are so good, about fifty years ago, the United Nations brought in the Declaration of Human Rights. The first right is that every human has the right to live. The second one is: they have the right of people to possess what they have earned.

Panatipata is respect for life.

Adinnadana is respect for property.

You Australians are good people. You have Neighbourhood Watch, that is safeguarding property.

This is inter-personal relationships.

The third rule concerns gender relations: women have the right to be free.

The fourth rule is honesty. Not engaging in dishonesty or fraud this is our fourth precept.

Drugs are very difficult to control they are against all governments.

If we don't have the five precepts to refrain from these things we are a menace.

These are the basic things.

Honour with flowers, music, water, rice, food is fine if you also remember the five things.

The real way to honour the Buddha is to keep the precepts and live what he said.

The five precepts are one gear.

There are many gears in Buddhism.

The eight precepts better go to a lower gear.

Everyone needs to now and again know when to change your gear.

Buddhism has a very good system of changing gears.

Five plus three… Do you know what the next three precepts are?

Next full moon is Versak. Why is Versak a very important full moon day?

A young student said, "Buddha was born on that day".

Venerable said, "Very good. What more."

The boy said, "He died on that day".

"Oh", said Venerable Dhammavihari.

Venerable Dhammavihari replied, "He became the Buddha on that day."

The Buddha was enlightened on that day and this makes it a great day.

Do you think you will survive if you take eight precepts on this day?

Five precepts are for everyday living. Eight precepts are better. So on the full moon day take eight precepts… for how many hours… 12... no... for no less than 24 hours.

Say, ‘I do not take my dinner on that day’. That is the test, can you control your eating habits.

You like to watch dancing. On this day do not watch entertainments.

And tell your wife not to come rolling your eyes at me.

If your man does not do this at least once a month he is not worth a pinch of salt.

On Versak make up your mind to observe I shall observe eight precepts for twenty-four hours.

A lady said, "Too long".

Venerable Dhammavihari replied, "What are you taking about. You want to do for six hours."

Start from morning till next morning one day per year.

I think about the precept not to have dinner.

Not to eat after 12 midday.

And also not to play with the teddy bears and electric blankets. I will not go for comfortable bedding. Can you sleep on the plank? Test your strength.

It is not very difficult. For one day.

If half a dozen people do this when I leave Melbourne this is good. Do it.

You have got to make up your mind.

You are not going to do this for twelve hours.

If you think a person wearing white clothes is sila that is not enough.

Why do you want to do all these things? That this life is not good enough so you can get a better life next time. Do not take a risk.

Taking the eight precepts. You can do this once a year. You can do this once a month.

Buddhists have taken upon themselves certain responsibilities.

Yesterday for Easter there were hundreds of people singing wearing white for their religion. This takes discipline.

I am not trying to preach a new religion. I am talking about the basics of this religion Buddha Dhamma.

If sila is practiced then people will say of the Buddhists, they are generous, they are not cruel, they lend a helping hand.

No matter what your nationality, Australian or Sri Lankan or whatever it be, no matter wherever you live or wherever you are, human nature can be made good, or better than what it is. Find Buddha as your guide.

Now I want you who have listened to me… did you get some things out of what I have said?

One Member responded, “Yes, Buddha is in my heart.”

Venerable replied, “Very Good. Lovely”.

Buddha is your ego.

You have to combat this desire to possess.

You can ask any question.

One person asked if he were to see a broken bottle on the ground would he receive negative kamma for not picking it up, even though he had not been the one who had dropped it.

The Venerable replied no you would not, but it would be better if you picked it up.

Another asked, what ought a mother to do when keeping the eight precepts once per month and at the same time looking after their family.

The Venerable advised that the parent can still look after the family, including preparing the meal. He then said to the young boy, on this day you can say to yourself, mum is taking eight precepts, I will help her and wash the dishes.

This is a very simple thing.

Everybody in the home can do it to a greater or lesser degree. That would in the first instance make you happy, and the world will be a safer place for people to live in and it will be much more fun, because of the observance of sila, good relationships between people.

The eight precepts (in Pali and English) observed in the Theravadin tradition while on retreat are:
Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake to observe the Precept of refraining from killing any living being.

Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake to observe the Precept of refraining from taking what is not given.
Abramacariya veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake to observe the Precept of refraining from any kind of intentional sexual behaviour.
Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept of refraining from false speech.
Sura-meraya-majja-pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake the Precept of refraining from taking intoxicants causing heedlessness.

Vikala-bhojana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake the Precept of refraining from eating after midday.
Nacca-gita-vadita-visuka dassana-mala-gandha-vilepana-dharana-mandana-vibhusanatthana-veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake the Precept of refraining from entertainment, beautification and adornment.
Uchasayana-mahasayana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept of refraining from sleeping on a high or luxurious bed.
During this Five-Day Bhavana Course we are building a new bathroom and walk in wardrobe for our resident practitioners. The new bathroom is one of our highest priority projects during the Bhavana Course.

On the 18th of April, two of our Members fitted timber noggins (also called cleats) and sisalation in the wall frame of the new walk in wardrobe.

Yesterday, 19 April 2003 tiling of the bathroom floor commenced.

When the Member doing the tiling was asked what he had found out, he noted that he had learnt ‘the importance of continually making merit in many areas’, ‘you know when your merit is lower in certain areas’. Be always on the alert for opportunities to make good causes for our future.

He noted that on this day he needed to ‘get his hands dirty’, as in practical hands on work. He observed that this type of work was a way of getting grounded.

While tiling the bathroom he was very aware of its importance, as an important resource for our Teacher.

Being in the present he became very aware of making improvements to how each successive tile was fitted into place.

The Member had done tiling many years ago, so when preparing to commence the work of tiling, he gained the input of two Members, the first suggesting that it would be useful to consult a book on tiling from the local library.

The second simply said, “when you tile, you tile”.

The Member then prompted himself to read the instructions with a mind that wanted to know how.

As he proceeded to tile he saw the detail of each action in cementing the tiles onto the floor, so that they are functional for the foot and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

He also observed that during the five hours of tiling other Member would visit the bathroom and note the progress. But it is only in doing the action, or having experienced such for oneself in the past that one can know what is involved. Another Member has planned to assist with the tiling on Monday so as to develop skills in this area.

This is an example of practicality.

To be effective our Members need to develop harmony in real time every time they come to work together on a project.

Each time our Members meet, they cannot take for granted that what worked in the past will work again in the new setting.

Even though the same the same persons meet again to work together on a project, they have to go through the process of harmony building, as a set of conditions including the people themselves have changed because of impermanence (in Pali, anicca).

In each situation a new set of components come together that have not arisen before. This process can only be facilitated by a higher degree of awareness using fifth order thinking.

Empowered with clear objectives and a shared vision, the result is increased awareness giving the cutting edge to your existing skills.

When persons first come to our Temple they are warmly welcomed as if old friends. We feed into the informal communication system, our grapevine, the idea that we encourage our Members to make merit because they cannot stay together unless they behave towards each other in a friendly manner.

While it is true that persons may become friends it is the kammic condition of hundreds of thousands of previous lives that brings a powerful togetherness feeling. This is the harmony you may be looking for.

The view we introduce on the grapevine (and it certainly appears to be so) is that our Members learn to enjoy one another’s company over time through working together in harmony, meeting in harmony and separating in harmony. There is no external agency or all-powerful being who distributes the gift of friendship to different persons in diverse measures.

Training in Administration is another key project through the course.

Thank you for joining us for this special Buddhist Hour Broadcast, today Sunday 20 April 2003 on local radio station Hillside radio 88.0FM.

Today our Members are selling flowers at Swansea Road Lilydale Sunday 20 April 2003.

The Buddha taught that due to causes and effects there are ten blessings arising from the offering of flowers. They are:

Long-life; good health; strength; beauty; wisdom; ease along the Buddha Dhamma Path; being born in beautiful environments; born with good skin, hair and beautiful to look at; always having a sweat smelling body and pleasant relationship with friends.

You can buy flowers at our stall on Swansea Road Lilydale today.

Today is the third day of our Five-Day Bhavana Course. The cost of the course is free. You are most welcome to attend.

Versak celebrations are being held at our Chan Academy Australia on the full moon day 16 May 2003.

For further information please telephone our Secretary Ms. Pennie White on 9754 3334.

May you find practicality and fun in your Buddha Dhamma practice.

May you have lightness and your mind, speech and actions

May you find happiness in your inter-personal relationships.

May you have the confidence to observe the five precepts everyday.

May you have the discipline to observe the eight precepts this Versak.

May all beings be well and happy.

May you be well and happy.

This script was written and edited by Julian Bamford, BA (AppRec) and Pennie White, BA DipEd.


References

Buddhist Hour Broadcast, 18 March 2001, How to increase job satisfaction, Buddhist Hour Broadcast, Melbourne.

Guizot, Francois, cited in Susan Hayward (1987) Begin It Now, Harper Collins, Australia.
Robbins, Anthony (1991) Awaken the Giant Within, Fireside, New York


Readability Statistics

Counts
Words: 2841
Characters: 13,731
Paragraphs: 186
Sentences: 208

Averages
Sentences per paragraph: 1.4
Words per Sentence: 13.2
Characters per word: 4.6

Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences: 7%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 61.6
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score: 7.8

Readability Statistics

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Flesch Reading Ease score

Rates text on a 100-point scale; the higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document. For most standard documents, aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score

Rates text on a U.S. grade-school level. For example, a score of 8.0 means that an eighth grader can understand the document. For most standard documents, aim for a score of approximately 7.0 to 8.0.

Disclaimer:

As we, the Chan Academy Australia, Chan Academy being a registered business name of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also, we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information included in any of the links with our websites, or another source accessed through our website(s).

Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Chan Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.)

This Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Please keep it in a clean place.

"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".


For more information, contact the Centre or better still, come and visit us.


© 2002. Copyright. The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

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