Buddhist Council of WA - Caring for our communities

0:00 Now, this year's theme for the Rain's Retreat speaker series is Dust in Our Eyes. And what this alludes to is the story of the Buddha and how the Buddha decided to share dharma with all beings after his enlightenment. And he was initially a bit reluctant to share. He had deep insights. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:25 He wasn't sure if the community were ready for it, but he changed his mind after seeing the potential in many beings who have little dust in their eyes. So that's the theme for our speaker series. Report an error in the passage at 0:25 Highlight the passage at 0:25

0:43 Now tonight, I did want to acknowledge that full moon in September is marked as International Bakuni Day, where we honour all of our I recently came back from the Sakyadita International Conference, Women's Conference in Malaysia, and it was incredible to see the number of women who have taken up roads and different traditions and here they're, you know, both their triumphs and their struggles. Report an error in the passage at 0:43 Highlight the passage at 0:43

1:25 So tonight I wanted to take you through a 30-minute meditation. And I wanted to do this in dedication to those remarkable women. And not just monastic women, not just women actually, but all people who care for other people. Because that's very much the theme of tonight. So as always with meditation, the most important thing is to be kind and compassionate to yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25

1:58 So we'll get the lights dimmed down. It feels very bright for some reason. So dim down the lights. Just Report an error in the passage at 1:58 Highlight the passage at 1:58

2:13 take a moment to arrive. And what I mean by that, this is what I say to my work group that I teach a meditation class every Wednesday to the Water Corporation. Report an error in the passage at 2:13 Highlight the passage at 2:13

2:32 I've been doing that for about eight years. And what I say to them is just take a moment to feel the space around you. Report an error in the passage at 2:32 Highlight the passage at 2:32

2:54 Take a moment to just simply arrive. And what I mean by that is to leave all of those things that you might be planning in your mind. You might have had encountered perv traffic on the way here. The road was wet. Report an error in the passage at 2:54 Highlight the passage at 2:54

3:25 All these things that arise and pass in our daily lives. We Report an error in the passage at 3:25 Highlight the passage at 3:25

3:40 know that the one constant, In life is change, so Report an error in the passage at 3:40 Highlight the passage at 3:40

3:50 there's no real point in hanging on to it, which means we're free to Report an error in the passage at 3:50 Highlight the passage at 3:50

4:01 close down the eyes, feel your feet on the floor, feel Report an error in the passage at 4:01 Highlight the passage at 4:01

4:13 the way your body sits on the chair or on the cushion, and Report an error in the passage at 4:13 Highlight the passage at 4:13

4:26 make a commitment to yourself that for the next 30 minutes you'll give yourself the space and Report an error in the passage at 4:26 Highlight the passage at 4:26

4:41 the grace to just simply relax. Report an error in the passage at 4:41 Highlight the passage at 4:41

4:57 And you might even set a bit of an intention for your practice. It Report an error in the passage at 4:57 Highlight the passage at 4:57

5:05 need not be anything too profound. It Report an error in the passage at 5:05 Highlight the passage at 5:05

5:13 can be just simply to relax. Or Report an error in the passage at 5:13 Highlight the passage at 5:13

5:19 as Ajahn Brahm always likes to say, relax to the max. Chillax. You Report an error in the passage at 5:19 Highlight the passage at 5:19

5:42 might like to just start by just doing a gentle scan of the body. And Report an error in the passage at 5:42 Highlight the passage at 5:42

6:00 I always like to start with the feet because it really does feel like grounding. Report an error in the passage at 6:00 Highlight the passage at 6:00

6:18 Notice the way that you're sitting. Make Report an error in the passage at 6:18 Highlight the passage at 6:18

6:25 any adjustments you need to. Report an error in the passage at 6:25 Highlight the passage at 6:25

6:44 And in honor of my Dharma sisters, I'm Report an error in the passage at 6:44 Highlight the passage at 6:44

6:54 going to take you through a bit of a poem that helps us tune in with our senses. Report an error in the passage at 6:54 Highlight the passage at 6:54

7:06 This was written by Dr. Paula Arai from her talk on the healing art, Seeing Women's Heart of Wisdom and Compassion. So Report an error in the passage at 7:06 Highlight the passage at 7:06

7:27 I invite you to just Report an error in the passage at 7:27 Highlight the passage at 7:27

7:32 gently... Come in contact with the breath. It's Report an error in the passage at 7:32 Highlight the passage at 7:32

7:42 feeling the in-breath and the out-breath. Report an error in the passage at 7:42 Highlight the passage at 7:42

8:00 Noticing the way that when you place your awareness on the breath, when Report an error in the passage at 8:00 Highlight the passage at 8:00

8:18 you drop beneath all the movements of mind, come into the heart space and Report an error in the passage at 8:18 Highlight the passage at 8:18

8:30 breathe, the Report an error in the passage at 8:30 Highlight the passage at 8:30

8:34 body starts to calm and Report an error in the passage at 8:34 Highlight the passage at 8:34

8:40 so does the mind. And Report an error in the passage at 8:40 Highlight the passage at 8:40

8:55 feeling the quiet and calmness. In the body and mind, I invite you to listen, listening Report an error in the passage at 8:55 Highlight the passage at 8:55

9:17 with our ears, to Report an error in the passage at 9:17 Highlight the passage at 9:17

9:23 hear the cries of the world, to listen to teachings and singing birds, to Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:53 having gratitude for listening deeply, listening Report an error in the passage at 9:53 Highlight the passage at 9:53

10:10 to that rain, the Report an error in the passage at 10:10 Highlight the passage at 10:10

10:16 rain that nourishes the earth, Report an error in the passage at 10:16 Highlight the passage at 10:16

10:36 feeling the softness of the eyes. And Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

10:54 as meditators, we know the value. Of seeing, seeing deeply the pain of the world and Report an error in the passage at 10:54 Highlight the passage at 10:54

11:16 through our eyes to visualize the blissful realms. Report an error in the passage at 11:16 Highlight the passage at 11:16

11:47 As we breathe, we Report an error in the passage at 11:47 Highlight the passage at 11:47

11:53 become aware of our noses. Our Report an error in the passage at 11:53 Highlight the passage at 11:53

12:01 noses that not only draw in the goodness of the breath, but smell the sweetness of roses and the fragrance of forgiveness. Report an error in the passage at 12:01 Highlight the passage at 12:01

12:38 Feeling the inside of our mouth. Report an error in the passage at 12:38 Highlight the passage at 12:38

12:48 To taste, does Report an error in the passage at 12:48 Highlight the passage at 12:48

12:58 our tea need more sugar? Does our soup need more salt? To savour the satisfaction of nourishing, Report an error in the passage at 12:58 Highlight the passage at 12:58

13:29 noticing your fingers, fingers Report an error in the passage at 13:29 Highlight the passage at 13:29

13:40 that may tend to a wound or Report an error in the passage at 13:40 Highlight the passage at 13:40

13:49 may play a violin or Report an error in the passage at 13:49 Highlight the passage at 13:49

13:58 paint beautiful pictures, feeling, Report an error in the passage at 13:58 Highlight the passage at 13:58

14:14 breathing into our arms and our legs, arms Report an error in the passage at 14:14 Highlight the passage at 14:14

14:26 and legs that carry. Report an error in the passage at 14:26 Highlight the passage at 14:26

14:32 Carry books and bags and heavy hearts, feeling Report an error in the passage at 14:32 Highlight the passage at 14:32

14:52 into the heart space, hearts Report an error in the passage at 14:52 Highlight the passage at 14:52

15:00 of gold that beat in sync with Report an error in the passage at 15:00 Highlight the passage at 15:00

15:12 the drums of justice. Report an error in the passage at 15:12 Highlight the passage at 15:12

15:31 Looking deep into our minds, our Report an error in the passage at 15:31 Highlight the passage at 15:31

15:45 minds crowded with thoughts of so many things, from finance to laundry, our Report an error in the passage at 15:45 Highlight the passage at 15:45

15:59 minds that expand with the summons of wisdom. Some Report an error in the passage at 15:59 Highlight the passage at 15:59

· · · silence, 1 minute

16:37 of us have wombs. that give birth to forms of love Report an error in the passage at 16:37 Highlight the passage at 16:37

16:51 wrinkly and smooth round and angular dark and light and Report an error in the passage at 16:51 Highlight the passage at 16:51

17:30 some might say our Report an error in the passage at 17:30 Highlight the passage at 17:30

17:35 bodies are encoded with the Buddha's DNA what superb vehicles for transporting compassion and Report an error in the passage at 17:35 Highlight the passage at 17:35

· · · silence, 4 minutes

22:10 I'd like to read a second short poem Report an error in the passage at 22:10 Highlight the passage at 22:10

22:19 To contemplate in the last five minutes of our meditation, Report an error in the passage at 22:19 Highlight the passage at 22:19

22:26 life forms, death reforms, wisdom transforms, compassion conceives. Who was I before I was born? Report an error in the passage at 22:26 Highlight the passage at 22:26

· · · silence, 3 minutes

25:31 And as we draw towards the end of the meditation, take Report an error in the passage at 25:31 Highlight the passage at 25:31

25:41 a moment to Report an error in the passage at 25:41 Highlight the passage at 25:41

25:46 look into your heart and Report an error in the passage at 25:46 Highlight the passage at 25:46

25:56 reflect back on the experience. Report an error in the passage at 25:56 Highlight the passage at 25:56

26:18 Maybe start to... Notice the sense of hearing, of Report an error in the passage at 26:18 Highlight the passage at 26:18

26:34 becoming aware of the sounds of the rain, the Report an error in the passage at 26:34 Highlight the passage at 26:34

26:44 sound of your own breathing, being Report an error in the passage at 26:44 Highlight the passage at 26:44

26:55 aware of the eyes, the Report an error in the passage at 26:55 Highlight the passage at 26:55

27:05 feel of the breath on the nostrils, the Report an error in the passage at 27:05 Highlight the passage at 27:05

27:21 inside of your mouth, the Report an error in the passage at 27:21 Highlight the passage at 27:21

27:29 feel of your fingers, maybe Report an error in the passage at 27:29 Highlight the passage at 27:29

27:35 even just wriggling the fingers and toes, a Report an error in the passage at 27:35 Highlight the passage at 27:35

27:52 sense of spaciousness in the heart, a Report an error in the passage at 27:52 Highlight the passage at 27:52

28:05 calmness of mind. Report an error in the passage at 28:05 Highlight the passage at 28:05

28:22 And in the spirit of caring and with a sense of gratitude, I invite you to just bring your hands to your heart and Report an error in the passage at 28:22 Highlight the passage at 28:22

28:36 say thank you to yourself for taking the time to meditate, for coming here tonight and sharing this space with everyone in the room, all the beings around us, and Report an error in the passage at 28:36 Highlight the passage at 28:36

29:02 maybe sending some good wishes out to anyone in need of a bit of care and kindness right now. Report an error in the passage at 29:02 Highlight the passage at 29:02

29:12 they be happy and healthy. Report an error in the passage at 29:12 Highlight the passage at 29:12

29:42 you haven't already, gently opening the eyes. Report an error in the passage at 29:42 Highlight the passage at 29:42

29:51 I'd like to Report an error in the passage at 29:51 Highlight the passage at 29:51

30:02 move to Report an error in the passage at 30:02 Highlight the passage at 30:02

30:22 introduce tonight's speaker and disallow all those who... I'd like to move to... Report an error in the passage at 30:22 Highlight the passage at 30:22

30:28 Need to leave, to leave, run to the loo, grab more cushions. Report an error in the passage at 30:28 Highlight the passage at 30:28

30:38 Okay, I'd like to introduce Mr. Boon Tan. So Boon has been a long-time follower of the Buddhist Society of WA since the 90s when the former Arjan Jaggaro was the spiritual director. There might be a few people here that remember Arjan Jaggaro. Report an error in the passage at 30:38 Highlight the passage at 30:38

31:00 So Boon volunteered in the BSWA committee between 2014 and 2020 and at the invitation of one of the committee, firstly as assistant treasurer and then the treasurer. It's a very important job. He has represented BSWA on the Buddhist Council of WA since 2014, holding the role of committee member, president and now as treasurer. Report an error in the passage at 31:00 Highlight the passage at 31:00

31:26 Since 2022, he has represented both BSWA and BCWA at the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils, contributing as both secretary and treasurer. So despite those roles, where you'll usually see Boon is behind the long lens of his camera. He may well have pointed his camera at you. I'd also like to acknowledge my friend Tola Chan. Report an error in the passage at 31:26 Highlight the passage at 31:26

31:55 He's here as well from the Buddhist Council of WA. So Boon, if you'd like to come on up and take this very comfortable seat and tell us all about the Buddhist Council of WA. Thank Report an error in the passage at 31:55 Highlight the passage at 31:55

32:27 you very much, Sandra. I feel I would do better standing than sitting. So I'll be standing and I think I can think better that way. So while we're actually setting this up, Report an error in the passage at 32:27 Highlight the passage at 32:27

32:48 Just to give you some back of what I'm going to tell you about. I've been with the Buddhist Council of Western Australia for quite some time. Report an error in the passage at 32:48 Highlight the passage at 32:48

32:59 We have another one, Thola, also has been Buddhist Council for quite some time. And Sandra joined a couple of years ago. Report an error in the passage at 32:59 Highlight the passage at 32:59

33:11 So here we are. That's our new logo. Report an error in the passage at 33:11 Highlight the passage at 33:11

33:32 I can't get the slide working. Okay, Report an error in the passage at 33:32 Highlight the passage at 33:32

33:53 how did this Buddhist Council come about? Prior to 2004, the Buddhist Society of Western Australia was one of the big centres in Western Australia. And quite often, the government or other organisations come to the Buddhist BSWA to make inquiries and asking BSWA to represent Buddhism in the Buddhist community in Western Australia. Report an error in the passage at 33:53 Highlight the passage at 33:53

34:36 Then I think Ajahn Brahm might have been involved there. The committee decided that the BSWA cannot represent everyone in Western Australia because it consists of different traditions. We have the There are a few Theravadas at the time. There are a few Mahāyāna groups as well, some Vietnamese and so on. Report an error in the passage at 34:36 Highlight the passage at 34:36

35:03 And there are some also Tibetan groups or Vajrayana. So around 2003, 2004, I managed to get this newsletter, the extract from this new newsletter published in spring 2004. in full. Report an error in the passage at 35:03 Highlight the passage at 35:03

35:25 We have Sol Hena, who was the president at the time of the BSWA. We got John Wade from the Hayagriva, which is the Tibetan groups. And we got Man Wong from the Buddha Light International Association. They are based in Maylands. And they came together, and that is when the Buddhist Council of Western Australia was formed. Report an error in the passage at 35:25 Highlight the passage at 35:25

35:52 So around 2004 is when it was registered. And it started then on. Interestingly, the Buddha-like international decided not to join in the Buddhist Council of Western Australia. It's mainly because a few reasons, partly probably due to the constitution that didn't allow them to be part of the Buddhist Council. Report an error in the passage at 35:52 Highlight the passage at 35:52

36:18 So here we go. That's when it actually started. Report an error in the passage at 36:18 Highlight the passage at 36:18

36:25 Now, right now... Along the time, we have many different groups of associations that actually participate in being a member of the Buddhist Council of Western Australia. Report an error in the passage at 36:25 Highlight the passage at 36:25

36:40 This is the latest one that we have. Prior to that, we have other groups like Zen groups. We've got other different associations involved as well. So currently, we have the BSWA, Buddhist Society of Western Australia. We've got Haya Griva. Report an error in the passage at 36:40 Highlight the passage at 36:40

36:58 And we've got the Cambodian Buddhist Society, which is what Tola represents. The Australian Buddhist Bliss Cultural Mission, they are actually based in Willetton. There's a Mahāyāna group. The Sri Lankan Buddhist Society, they are based in Kenwick. The Tisarana Buddhist Association, or WA, they are, I believe it's around near Midland there. Report an error in the passage at 36:58 Highlight the passage at 36:58

37:26 I think for us, Report an error in the passage at 37:26 Highlight the passage at 37:26

37:31 I forgot the name of the suburb. Forestfield, that's the one. Thanks. The Diamond Way Buddhism Center, WA, they are more Tibetan groups. They are actually based in Bible Lake. And you've got the Buddha Line International, WA. They are now, previously they didn't join, but a few years ago they joined Buddhist Council, which is good. Report an error in the passage at 37:31 Highlight the passage at 37:31

37:57 And they are the one actually based in Maylands. Report an error in the passage at 37:57 Highlight the passage at 37:57

38:02 The more recent one that we have is the Drukpa Australia Incorporated. They are from the Bhutanese group. Then followed by this Buddhist Compassion Relief Sechi Foundation. Now, Sechi is very active in terms of helping out with all these other events when there's some disaster. They do all these fundraisings and so on, and they're very active there. Report an error in the passage at 38:02 Highlight the passage at 38:02

38:28 The last one is the Mahasandhi Centre in Perth. They are the Bhutanese group as well. They focus more on their meditations. Report an error in the passage at 38:28 Highlight the passage at 38:28

38:42 Now, among them, some of them chose not to become a member, but what we do, we list them as friends of the Buddhist Council of Western Australia. They are like this. There are many reasons why they don't join, mainly because you have to pay. That's one thing. The other reason is that some of them are monastics, so they don't really want to be part of the council. The other thing also is they need to have registered members. Report an error in the passage at 38:42 Highlight the passage at 38:42

39:12 They need to have at least 30 members in their association before they can actually be part of the council. So here, as you can see, there's quite a range of Buddhist associations or groups of Buddhist community. In Western Australia itself. So we got Armadale Group, which is part of BSWA. The Association of Burma, Buddhist in WA. Report an error in the passage at 39:12 Highlight the passage at 39:12

39:36 We've got the Bodhiana Monks Monastery in Serpentine. We've got the Buddha Mandala Monastery. What else have we got? Chan Temple, that's actually based in Money Street in Perth. Perth. Report an error in the passage at 39:36 Highlight the passage at 39:36

39:53 Dhammasara Nuns Monastery, that's related to BSWA. We've got the Dhamma Palaka Dhamma Meditation, that's Tibetan groups. The Fukuang Sun Temple. Now, Fukuang Sun Temple and BLIA, which is Buddha Light International, they're together. The Buddha Light International, the association for lay people, whereas the Fukuang Sun is actually more for the monastics. Report an error in the passage at 39:53 Highlight the passage at 39:53

40:17 We've got the International Meditation Center, we've got Kamzong, Zilnon, Drukpa, they are... Boon Tan is a Buddhist group as well. They are very active, and they are supported by the Bhutanese government. The Australian Mahāyāna Buddhist Society Incorporated, in fact, that was one of the centres that actually I started volunteering in West Norwich before I actually volunteered in VSWA. Report an error in the passage at 40:17 Highlight the passage at 40:17

40:44 They are now based in Maddington. Then you've got the Mahabodhi Monastery, Mahanirvana Buddhist... Meditation center, they are very big in Sri Lanka and also quite big in Australia. They have a few centers, some in, let me see, they got one in Adelaide, New South Wales, Victoria, and one here as well. Report an error in the passage at 40:44 Highlight the passage at 40:44

41:13 You got Mingalatuka Vihara, that is a small group of Burmese Buddhist groups there. In fact, they did a fundraising for the monastery in Albany last week. Report an error in the passage at 41:13 Highlight the passage at 41:13

41:32 That's the run by Ayasari. They are sort of a branch out of the Dhammasara. I shouldn't say that. But they were the nuns from the Dhammasara nuns' monastery. Poh Kuang Temple, that's a big center. Report an error in the passage at 41:32 Highlight the passage at 41:32

41:52 That's a Vietnamese center in Maranggaru. Garu. It was quite successful in terms of getting the community activity running for that group. Sunyata Community Centre, Meditation Centre, you've got Theravāda Mahāyāna Buddhist Centre, you've got Tibetan Buddhist Society, those are quite small groups, and you've got another small group, which is a Zen group in Western Australia based in Fremantle. Report an error in the passage at 41:52 Highlight the passage at 41:52

42:19 And there are more which is not listed here. So you can just imagine in WA itself, we have so many different Buddhist associations and groups. Report an error in the passage at 42:19 Highlight the passage at 42:19

42:29 And so when Buddhist Council meet the relevant organizations like government and so on, we actually representing all these groups as well. Report an error in the passage at 42:29 Highlight the passage at 42:29

42:44 So what does the ASWA do? Report an error in the passage at 42:44 Highlight the passage at 42:44

42:50 Firstly, it is a peak body. For the Buddhist community, so when there is any activity like functions or events that take place in Western Australia, the Buddhist Council will be there to represent the Buddhism in Australia. Report an error in the passage at 42:50 Highlight the passage at 42:50

43:09 It is also a member of the Federation Australian Buddhist Council. Now, Federation Australian Buddhist Council consists of the groups of Buddhist Council, I mean the state's Buddhist Council throughout Australia. Currently, we have Western Australian Buddhist Council, we've got a South Australian Buddhist Council, the Victoria Buddhist Council, the Queensland Buddhist Council of Queensland, and Buddhist Council of New South Wales. Report an error in the passage at 43:09 Highlight the passage at 43:09

43:39 So we come once every, let's say, about two months, we come together and we discuss about matters that relates to Australian Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 43:39 Highlight the passage at 43:39

43:52 Now, this is something which I mentioned previously, that We basically respond to, we're like a kind of a middle person between the government and the Buddhist community. So we deal with Office of Multicultural Interest, the Department of Home Affairs, Office of Attorney General, and occasionally we get queries. Report an error in the passage at 43:52 Highlight the passage at 43:52

44:20 We were asked to respond to certain things, certain questions, matters, and so on. And yeah, that's what we do, our role. Report an error in the passage at 44:20 Highlight the passage at 44:20

44:33 Now, currently what we do also is that we work with the hospitals. Mainly we work with the chaplains or any pastoral care teams when there is a patient either dying or dying and they need some help, advice in relation to Buddhism. And I will go through this later after. Describing about what Buddhist Council does. Another one that we've been dealing with is in relation to the prison chaplains. Report an error in the passage at 44:33 Highlight the passage at 44:33

45:10 What we do, we send books and so on. I think in the past, we used to run meditation classes in prison, and it goes through the Buddhist Council. Report an error in the passage at 45:10 Highlight the passage at 45:10

45:23 Sometimes it goes through the Buddhist Society of Western Australia as well. Report an error in the passage at 45:23 Highlight the passage at 45:23

45:30 Now, there are also sometimes people get married. So what we do, we actually have a list of marriage celebrants that we list out to support the people who want to get married. Report an error in the passage at 45:30 Highlight the passage at 45:30

45:48 They are listed in the Federation Australian Buddhist Council. They're also listed in the Buddhist Council of Western Australia. I think currently we have Lisa D'Souza, who's actually kind of listed as a marriage celebrant in Western Australia. In Report an error in the passage at 45:48 Highlight the passage at 45:48

46:09 the past, we've also worked with the WA Museum. If you go to the second floor of the new museum, you'll find Ajahn Brahm there. And it took us a few years to work with the new museum to bring Buddhism into... into the public, like the museum. You will see Ajahn Brahm's sort of history or biography on the second floor. Report an error in the passage at 46:09 Highlight the passage at 46:09

46:39 And also they have some articles, some old books that Ajahn Brahm has gone there. And yeah, I mean, we were involved in doing that. Report an error in the passage at 46:39 Highlight the passage at 46:39

46:51 So this is where the Buddhist councils come very useful. Otherwise, it would be difficult to... for them to actually get something out of the Buddhist community. Report an error in the passage at 46:51 Highlight the passage at 46:51

47:09 We're currently in the process of working on a chaplaincy program for the Buddhist community in Western Australia. That's a challenging task. Chaplaincy program is something that's currently dominated by different groups and it's trying to Report an error in the passage at 47:09 Highlight the passage at 47:09

47:34 Introduce the Buddhism chaplaincy is quite challenging, but we're progressing slowly. And lastly, the role of the Buddhist Council is also to protect Buddhism reputation here as well. Occasionally, we do get a sort of bad reputation, like for example, you may have a pub that opens up and call it the Buddha Bar, or Report an error in the passage at 47:34 Highlight the passage at 47:34

48:07 call it something or even that you may have some groups that pretend to be Buddhist activity but doing something totally different than what the Buddha thought. So yeah, that's where the Buddhist Council steps in. Report an error in the passage at 48:07 Highlight the passage at 48:07

48:29 So I mentioned about this pastoral care. So in the pastoral care, this is one example that I can show you what we do. In the pastoral care, there are different traditions that we need to sort of educate the hospitals, because they are the front line. They deal with patients who are in a group which are kind of run by the Christian groups, and they are not familiar with the Buddhist traditions, Buddhist requirements. Report an error in the passage at 48:29 Highlight the passage at 48:29

49:06 So what we've done is to go to the hospital, Through that invitation, of course. And explain to them how Buddhism actually works. How it can be seen to help the patients. So we have to tell them. We've got three different traditions. Three main traditions. We've got this Theravāda, which is what we are here normally, most of us. Report an error in the passage at 49:06 Highlight the passage at 49:06

49:40 Then we've got the Mahāyāna. And then we got the Vajrayana. The Vajrayana was a bit more tricky. You might think the Tibetan Vajrayana, not quite. The Tibetan is actually Mahāyāna. But to be a Vajrayana, you need to understand Padmasambhava, or they call it Guru Rinpoche. Then you can understand Vajrayana much better. Report an error in the passage at 49:40 Highlight the passage at 49:40

50:09 And for the nurses and so on of pastoral care, for them to... Report an error in the passage at 50:09 Highlight the passage at 50:09

50:19 To help with the patients, they need to understand what does the patient actually require. So what we've done, we've listed to them, for them, some of the common, in this case, the common books used by the lay people. Like, for example, in the Theravāda, we use the parittas for chanting usually. And we normally use the Dhammapada and like the Majjhima Nikayas and Satipaṭṭhāna Sutras and so on. Report an error in the passage at 50:19 Highlight the passage at 50:19

51:05 Whereas Report an error in the passage at 51:05 Highlight the passage at 51:05

51:08 in the Mahāyāna group, we have these, there are other sutras that lay people use, such as the Madison Buddha Sūtra, the Prajnaparimata Heart Sūtra, Diamond Sūtra, and you've got the 37 practices of Bodhisattvas. Maybe I should just read this a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 51:08 Highlight the passage at 51:08

51:26 In the Vajrayana, which is a bit more exoteric practice, they focus on the 37 practices of Bodhisattvas. They focus on the Guru Rinpoche's teachings and things like songs from Milarepa. Report an error in the passage at 51:26 Highlight the passage at 51:26

51:50 Now, when there are patients who are in, I guess you can call it distress or I guess dying, What happens usually is that the monks or even lay teachers would normally go there to visit the patients and do some kind of chanting. And for the Theravāda, we tend to use the triple gem. Normally when you hear it from this, what we hear in the Friday night chanting here, that's what it is, most of it. Report an error in the passage at 51:50 Highlight the passage at 51:50

52:30 The mettā chanting, which is a common one, living kindness chanting. The other common ones are like Mahamangala, Gatha, and Ratana Sutta, Bojangga Sutta, and there's so many different suttas that they do chanting. Now, if you go towards the Mahāyāna patient, they don't use this one. They use something else like Medicine Buddha chanting or Vajraja Guru Buddha chanting. Report an error in the passage at 52:30 Highlight the passage at 52:30

52:56 They have the Amitabha Buddha, which is Namo Amitabha, which is what they normally chant. And then you've got this Great Compassion Mantra, which is Omani Padme Hum, and Prajnaparimata Sūtra, and Diamond Sūtra. These are the common ones they have. Whereas the Vajrayana, they focus strictly more on their practices. Report an error in the passage at 52:56 Highlight the passage at 52:56

53:22 Some call it secret practices, but they also use the practice of the Madison Buddha as also the Great Compassion Mantra, like Omani Padme Hum. Report an error in the passage at 53:22 Highlight the passage at 53:22

53:44 In the hospital, I'm not sure, I don't think they have a lot of chanting happening in the Christian groups. But in the Buddhist traditions, we use a lot of chanting. And you might ask, why do we use chanting? And this is one of the points that we kind of highlighted. When they do chanting, it actually calms the mind. Report an error in the passage at 53:44 Highlight the passage at 53:44

54:13 It comes to mind and emotion. And provided the chanting is done quietly, not too loud and so forth, it can create a sacred and peaceful atmosphere. Report an error in the passage at 54:13 Highlight the passage at 54:13

54:31 It also generates positive energy. So they feel positive when someone's chanting, when they listen to some chanting. It actually encourages faith. Report an error in the passage at 54:31 Highlight the passage at 54:31

54:45 And when chanting is done properly, you can get more mindful and follow what the Buddha taught, like letting go and so on. At the same time, you actually strengthen the spiritual connection. Now, this is normally done by monks or nuns or respected teachers, but you can also play through CDs or MP3 files and so on, and that can be done at a hospital when no one's around. Report an error in the passage at 54:45 Highlight the passage at 54:45

55:29 Now, usually, closer to the time of death, when someone's really about to die, what we mentioned to the hospital there was that the patients need to have clear state of mind, whether they are with or without medication. That means, what I mean there is that sometimes they may be given morphine and so on. Now, understand that... Report an error in the passage at 55:29 Highlight the passage at 55:29

55:58 In different centers, including Ajahn Brahm, mentioned that, hey, it's better for them to have morphine than to be in pain. Report an error in the passage at 55:58 Highlight the passage at 55:58

56:08 So they can have a bit of morphine just to reduce the pain and to have a clear state of mind. And they need calm and peaceful atmosphere during that time. Report an error in the passage at 56:08 Highlight the passage at 56:08

56:21 Now, in the Theravāda and Mahāyāna, normally what actually happens is that The monks or nuns probably do some kind of chanting or even giving some kind of deaf reflection to the patient. Report an error in the passage at 56:21 Highlight the passage at 56:21

56:40 During that time, there will be reflection which includes remembering of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. The kind deeds that the patients had done before, remembering the impermanence and forgiveness to any Report an error in the passage at 56:40 Highlight the passage at 56:40

56:59 kind of an unclosed business, letting go of attachments and leaving the physical body. So these are reminded to the patients before they die. Report an error in the passage at 56:59 Highlight the passage at 56:59

57:18 Now, that was before they die. This is after they die. So what actually happens here is that from the Buddhist perspective, even with Theravāda or Mahena, when a person dies, There is still some stream of consciousness lingering around, for most people who die anyway. And what we recommend is to not disturb the body for a few hours. Report an error in the passage at 57:18 Highlight the passage at 57:18

57:55 I think I put a couple of hours there, but I think some groups told me to leave it for at least eight hours. So it varies from different traditions. Report an error in the passage at 57:55 Highlight the passage at 57:55

58:07 Now, during that time, some Buddhist chanting can be done, can be played in the background. Let's say you have some CDs or MP3 player, or even a phone, just leave the chanting happening for a few hours and just let it continue chanting. That probably might help the deceased to sort of recall the teachings of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 58:07 Highlight the passage at 58:07

58:38 Okay, let's pay our respects to the Buddha, Dharma, Saṅgha. Give three big sadhus for Boon's talk and then we'll do our closing chants. So first of all, sadhus. Report an error in the passage at 58:38 Highlight the passage at 58:38

58:55 [chanting]

59:11 Swakato bhagavato dhammo dhammam namasami. Report an error in the passage at 59:11 Highlight the passage at 59:11

59:22 [chanting]