What Tibetan Buddhism Can Teach Us About Happiness

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San Francisco, CA (USA) -- One of the most geographically isolated cultures in the world may contain the secrets to happiness that the rest of us have been looking for. Perhaps in part because of the country's remote location, the Tibetans have become the guardians of a deep, well-preserved wisdom tradition that modern science is only now catching up to.

But with the "mindful revolution" spreading in the West and a growing amount of research funding being dedicated to the study of contemplative practices and the science of compassion and altruism, the secrets of this ancient tradition are finally being recognized globally.

"Tibet has probably the greatest treasure trove of ancient contemplative knowledge, science and wisdom about how to influence the mind from the inside out," Joe Loizzo, founder of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, told The Huffington Post. "The Tibetans have an unbroken lineage of oral knowledge and technical expertise ... both in medicine and in psychology."

Early Indic cultures developed public systems of training in mindfulness -- including the Hatha Yoga tradition and Tibetan Buddhist mind training -- to ensure that the skills of contemplation and positivity were taught to everyone, explains Loizzo.

A Harvard-trained psychiatrist and a Columbia-trained Buddhist scholar, Loizzo has spent his career merging "the scientific and the spiritual," bringing ancient teachings on contemplative practice to modern Western psychotherapy and preventive medicine.

"There's a growing understanding that we need to move back in the direction of the contemplative traditions -- the ancient wisdom that says slow down, pay attention, be kind, be at peace -- whereas our modern wisdom has said that we need to just push forward and move into the future. We're realizing that's not sustainable for us either as a civilization or for our individual minds and brains. It's wearing and tearing us down just like it's wearing and tearing the planet down."

Loizzo spent years studying with Tibetan teachers in exile in India and in the West, and is convinced that the Tibetan Buddhist tradition -- which emphasizes training in mindful awareness and compassion -- has something to teach us all about how to live better lives.

Here are four essential lessons from Tibetan Buddhism that can help in your own pursuit of happiness.

Get intimate with your own mind.

We need two main things to become happy, according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition: mindful awareness and loving compassion. The theory goes that the combination of attention and loving-kindness -- both of which can be built through contemplative practices like meditation -- can help bring the brain into its most plastic, growth-oriented state and support the development of a greater state of consciousness, Loizzo says.

Meditation -- "the quiet, humble work it takes on a daily basis," as Loizzo puts it -- is the cornerstone of the Tibetan contemplative science. Through a meditation practice, we can begin to overcome negative thoughts and habitual emotional responese, and start to live from a more calm, centered place, he says.

“Above all, be at ease, be as natural and spacious as possible. Slip quietly out of the noose of your habitual anxious self, release all grasping, and relax into your true nature," Sogyal Rinpoche advised in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, a guide to meditation and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. "Think of your ordinary emotional, thought-ridden self as a block of ice or a slab of butter left out in the sun. If you are feeling hard and cold, let this aggression melt away in the sunlight of your meditation."

The research is now there to back up the benefits of this time-worn strategy for stabilizing emotions and boosting the brain's capacity for joy. Studies have shown meditation may be effective in reducing anxiety and depression, lowering stress levels, reducing loneliness and boosting emotional well-being.

"Twenty years and a thousand stories that have given me an unshakable confidence in the truly boundless potential we human beings have to heal ourselves and transform our lives," Loizzo wrote in his 2012 book, Sustainable Happiness.

Practice compassion, at every moment.

Most Eastern spiritual traditions involve some form of practice around compassion, or "loving-kindness." In Buddhism, there is a meditation for loving-kindness,“metta bhavana”, which involves sending kindness to yourself, loved ones, community members, people you may dislike, and eventually, all beings. In the Tibetan tradition, monks practice tonglen, which consists of breathing in suffering and breathing out happiness, so as to reduce pain and spread peace among all beings.

"What's unusual about the Tibetans is that they have what I call an industrial-strength version of this discipline," Loizzo says of loving-kindness practice. "These practices allow us to turn our sense of life as a battle, a struggle for survival against everybody else, into a communal experience of connecting with friends and the larger world. That, we've learned, is so important to our quality of life and our personal sense of meaning in life."

The Tibetans have devised powerful ways of helping people learn how to become more compassionate that are now being used in the Western world. A 2012 Emory University study suggested that compassion training derived from ancient Tibetan practices may boost empathy, and other studies have shown that loving-kindness meditation could increase positive emotions and lead to more positive relationships over time.

Connect with others who support your journey.

The traditional "Three Jewels" of Buddhism consist of the Buddha (the example), the Dharma (the path) and the Sangha (the community). In this tradition, the community is just as important an element as any other in living a happy, purposeful life. Increasing your happiness and well-being is a difficult thing to do alone. It requires the support and love of others, and a sense of belonging to a community.

"Modern neuroscience is showing us that we're really wired to be extremely social creatures," Loizzo says. "We're happier and healthier when we do that in a committed way ... We need to learn to connect with others with mindful openness and positivity, and to deal with the daily slings and arrows and work through those and maintain a sense of connection that's positive. This is something we practice in spiritual communities."

Strong social support networks have also been linked to a number of health benefits, including lower stress levels and increased longevity.

Embrace death -- don't fear it.

In Western cultures, our attitude toward death is largely characterized by fear and denial -- and this can, consciously or unconsciously, cause a great deal of suffering throughout our lives. But a central aspect of the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy is the belief that death should be embraced, and the concept that dying can be the "crowing achievement" of a life well lived. Although this attitude stems in part from a strong belief in reincarnation, you don't have to believe in an afterlife in order to better accept the impermanence of life in the here and now. The Tibetans believe that meditation can help us to come to terms with the nature of life and death.

When Loizzo is working with patients who are suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses, in addition to practicing meditation and loving-kindness, he goes through a traditionally Tibetan practice of asking some of life's big questions: What has been meaningful to you in your life? How do you face the impermanence of your life and the inevitability of death?

"Being able to embrace the idea of death and being present ... some of the women say it gives them a new lease on life," says Loizzo. "The ancient traditions made a science of trying to understand the death process and make meaning out of it ... This kind of approach of facing reality, even the parts that scare us, has tremendous potential for healing."

Asking these questions can help bolster an acceptance of things that can't be changed or controlled, which Buddhist teachings have long touted as a key to reducing suffering. Now, this ancient doctrine has science on its side: A recent study from Australian researchers showed that during the difficult changes of later life -- moving into residential care and losing independence -- an acceptance of what can't be changed may be a significant predictor of life satisfaction.

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7 Pieces Of Evidence That Prove The Matrix Is Really About Buddhism

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As an action/sci-fi flick, The Matrix is a total thrill-fest, combining badass Kung Fu fight scenes with the sole reason you wanted a black trench coat for a while. It was one of the most exciting films to come out in the 90's and introduced mind-bending ways of making movies.

But as a work of art, it’s utterly ripe for insane amounts of analysis. Film students or just general enthusiasts can spend months, or even years focusing on aspects of it; dissecting it scene by scene and line by line, looking for cryptic clues and complex meanings. Even though most people just want to see a fast-paced film where Keanu Reeves wears sunglasses and has two hair styles, there are others who read so much in between the lines that they’ve gone cross eyed.

Of all the theories out there, there’s one which not many people are aware of. And that is that the Wachowskis – either by design or by accident – wrote and directed a film that’s actually about the teachings of Buddhism.

Wait, what?

Yep. You read that right. One of the most popular actions films in recent cinema history has a deeper meaning that teaches peace and enlightenment. Don’t believe us? Here’s why we think so.

7) The Name “Neo”

Right off the bat we have Keanu Reeves as nerd-cum-saviour of humanity, Neo. If you rearrange the letters in the character’s names, you can spell the word “one.” In fact, Neo is referred to as The One throughout many parts of the film. It’s no coincidence then that his alias is an anagram foreshadowing his own destiny.

Of course, this sounds like a bit of a stretch. After all, there are plenty of films throughou history that have a central character referred to as the one, or a prophet, or even the saviour of human kind.

So, how does this relate to Buddhism then? Much of the Eastern philosophy reflects on the desire for people to become at one with the world; to empathise with everyone and everything on Earth (possibly the universe). Now, it’s true that Neo doesn’t exactly show his most peaceful side throughout the film, but him being a chosen one does elevate him to a sort of messianic status to become the leader of a more free world. Similar to Buddha himself.

Not convinced? Keep reading.

6) Awakening In The ‘Real World’

What’s even more interesting about Neo being an anagram of “one” is not only the fact that it relates to who he is in relation to the film (a prophet who has come to save the world), but how it references another very key part of Buddhism, specifically Buddha himself.

As the founder of Buddhism in 520BCE, Siddhartha then became known as the first Buddha. The word itself literally translates to “the awakened one.” Now, you don’t have to skip too many scenes in the film to see how this is relevant.

Much of The Matrix involves Neo/Mr Anderson coming to terms with the fact that the world he lives in is an illusion and that he must wake up so he can experience the true world. Fulfilling an ancient prophecy, he is taken down the “rabbit hole” and shown the truth about the world. He is literally a modern version of one who has awakened to a more enlightened state – a reincarnation of Buddha in our contemporary period.

5) The Modern World Isn’t Real

Let’s examine some of the core philosophies of the film. It’s apparent how Neo can be seen as representing a sort of reincarnated Buddha figure, but what about the rest of the film? One of the main teachings that Morpheus imparts to Neo is that the world in which his alter ego Mr. Anderson lives does not actually exist. He tells him that it’s an illusion, in which your mind simply interprets the other signals (touch, smell, etc.) and creates the world as a sort of virtual reality setting.

In the world that we know and live in, there is corruption, anxiety, stress and material desire. In the real world of The Matrix, there is freedom. Albeit it’s not exactly nirvana, but the characters in the film continue to insist that they have been set free by Morpheus. Neo was freed to protect the world, release others from their mind prisons and prevent further suffering (what Buddhism refers to as “Samsara”).

He can also never go back. Much like not being able to unsee something once you’ve witnessed it, a person who is awake can never be “un-awake” again. The scene in which Morpheus tells Neo this is interesting in that he also talks about a man who saw the world as it was; who freed the first people. Sound like someone you know? I’ll give you a hint. His name starts with a ‘B’.

4) Martial Arts

The Matrix is a rare treat in that it successfully blends Western attributes with Eastern ones. Take the famous lobby scene for example, in which Neo and Trinity gun down a room of security guards. An interesting point to make at this stage is how Trinity’s name could easily relate to The Holy Trinity in the Christian faith. She obviously represents Western philosophies while Neo represents the East.

Taking Buddhism into account, we see Neo being trained by Morpheus in various forms of martial arts, a traditionally Eastern self defence technique. While this doesn’t relate entirely to its teachings, there are a sect of Buddhists who do practice the art. Martial arts is not only about learning to fight, but also about mastering ones own mind and body. Both mind and body are a key aspect to the teachings of Buddha.

There is also a very Eastern feel about the training dojo sequence. Morpheus takes on the role of master and engages Neo in combat, asking him to show how much he has learned. The entire sequence is reminiscent of one of many martial arts films and is a huge step away from the ‘guns blazing’ methodology that many action films prefer (though we do see this later on).

3) Impermanence

Now, the idea of someone dying and being dead for the rest of the film is not something you can link to Buddhism. Death is final. You don’t need teachings or philosophies to be able to know that. What can be linked, however, is the idea of dying in an imaginary world.

During Neo’s training, he is taken to the top of a skyscraper and asked to leap from one roof to another. Failing the first time and plunging to the ground, he is extracted from the matrix world and re-emerges in the real world. Noticing his mouth is bleeding (despite the training occurring in a virtual realm), he questions Morpheus.

“I thought it wasn’t real,” he states.

“Your mind makes it real,” Morpheus says.

He then informs Neo that were he to die in the fake world, he would die in real life, saying that “the body cannot live without the mind.” This again brings to light the Buddhist ideas of how important the mind is. By training it, resting it (via meditation) and basically not dying in the matrix, a person can master it.

In fact, we even see this put to the test in one scene where several of the other characters (all of whom have been inserted into the matrix program) have their outside life support plugs removed. Dropping like flies, this shows that Morpheus was indeed right; that dying in the fake world is the same as dying in the real one.

2) Reincarnation

One of the most recognizable beliefs about Buddhism is the idea that a person is reborn after their physical body expires. You don’t need to know anything about the philosophy itself to be able to describe, even vaguely, what it means to be reincarnated. And yes, The Matrix features it. Twice in fact.

The first instance is when Neo first wakes up in the real world to find himself cacooned in a pod attached to tubes. While in this instance he hasn’t been reincarnated after death, it is still a rebirth in some form. More astute film buffs and students will argue that death has occurred in a very metaphorical sense, in that Neo’s perceptions of the world he once knew are now dead and new insights have been born.

The much more obvious example is right at the end when Neo is disposed of by Agent Smith. While death is indeed permanent, Neo awakens once more from ultimate demise and is reincarnated into The One, exactly how Morpheus has been referring to him throughout the film.

At this point he now sees how the world really is (green code that a person must decipher). He battles Agent Smith with a calm demeanour and utilising his Kung Fu skills. In this instance, he has obviously reached a state of enlightenment; essentially the ultimate goal of Buddhism.

1) “There Is No Spoon”

While Neo is clearly supposed to represent Buddha (or at least Buddhism at its core level), it can be easy to gloss over the idea for one simple reason: he doesn’t much look like the leader of one of the oldest Eastern philosophies in the world.

All theories can be thrown out with that basic observation, but if you want even more evidence that The Matrix is more than just a nod towards Buddhism, you can clearly see it in the scene where Morpheus takes Neo to see the Oracle.

While sat in the waiting room, Neo sees several children who are quite clearly gifted (one child is seen levitating letter blocks above her head). One notable character is the bald boy who is seen bending spoons with his mind. He hands the spoon to Neo and imparts not only great words of wisdom, but also the most famous line from the film.

He tells him that he cannot bend the spoon with just his mind and that he must realize the truth. “There is no spoon,” he says. Dressed in traditional Buddhist garbs and with no hair, the young boy could easily be mistaken for an ordained monk. His words speak a great truth and his calm expression suggests he too has been set on this path of discovery. Like Neo, he has been set free from Samsara.

So, now are you convinced?

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New hub for Canberra's burgeoning Buddhist community

The Buddhist Society of the ACT hopes to open the doors of a new 8.5-metre-high ordination hall in Narrabundah before the middle of the year.

The society?s giant Buddha will become the centrepiece of the $414,600 facility, with the hall to be built around the golden statue at the Goyder Street site.

The gold statue currently sits on a brick platform on what was a Buddhist garden outside the existing facility.
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The hall has been designed as an accessible Buddhist community hub for Canberra?s inner south but will draw followers from across the ACT.

Plans for the building have been under way since about 2006 and include a separate toilet block at the rear of the site, 50 parking spaces including two disabled spaces, and a 5000-litre water tank.

Gold-coloured terracotta tiles, a roof ornament, long columns and a covered outdoor area will complete the prominent facility.

A development application for the project has been lodged with the ACT Planning and Land Authority.

The society hoped to see construction work start between late March and early April and expected the shell of the building to be completed within 16 weeks.

Public officer Thane Kyaw-Myint said members and their families had outgrown the current hall, which includes the presiding monk?s residence.

During large open days, which commemorated significant occasions such as the beginning of Buddhist Lent, crowds stretched well outside the door.

?[The current building] is not that large. A lot of people stand outside and listen to the ceremony using a speaker. The monk, for the sake of the community, will have two services, one in the morning and one in the afternoon,? Dr Myint said. ?The registered number of members is about 200 but when you include families the total community is about 600 to 700 strong ... from across Canberra.?

Canberra?s growing Buddhist population made up 2.6per cent of the territory?s religious affiliations in 2011, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics census figures.

The figure is part of a national rise is non-Christian religions since 2001.

The Buddhist Society of the ACT is from the Theyrayeda sect of Buddhism, not the Mahayalia sect. The Theyrayeda sect has different beliefs about enlightenment and draws most followers from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia rather than China, Tibet and Nepal.

Although a zoning hiccup had delayed work, Dr Kywa-Myint said the development appeared to be back on track in an area home to a number of community facilities including other places of worship.

He said the ordination hall?s uses would include meditation, religious discourse and ceremonial performances, and cater to a growing demand for religious schooling as more and more children of Buddhist families were born in Canberra.

The current site also includes extra portable rooms, kuti, which were donated by members and are used for individual meditation.

Dr Kywa-Myint said the hall would be open throughout the day, as the current facilities are, to enable prayer. They would close at night to prevent vandalism.

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Dhammakaya’s Awakening

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Inaugural “World Buddhist Outstanding Leader Award” raises questions, credibility issues

Bangkok, Thailand – The list of nominees of the first “World Buddhist Outstanding Leader Award” was recently released by the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth (WFBY) and Thai National Office of Buddhism. They are a total of 72 individuals and organizations (50 international recipients and 22 Thais) slated to receive the inaugural award.  The awards presentation will take place on Feb 15, 2014 at Buddhamonthol, Nakornpathom, Thailand, in commemoration of the national Magha Bucha festival.

<< Buddhist Disneyland -- Fireworks provide a Disney-esque touch to the culmination of the massive Dhammakaya gathering, Dec. 25, 2010 (Credit: Foreign Policy, Jan 20, 2011)

An event like this at any other time would have elicited general approvals. However, not all Buddhists are celebrating, unless if you happened to be associated with the recipients’ organizations or the organizers themselves. Apparently the key supporting organizer, the one providing logistics and venue for the event, is none other than the Dhammakaya Foundation.

While the event takes careful consideration not to be associated with this controversial movement, the proceedings clearly indicates a joint effort by the “Dhammakaya Foundation (DKF) and the Buddhist Youth Leadership Training (BYLT)” in organizing the opening ceremony on February 13, 2014. The venue of the opening will be held at Wat Dhammakaya itself, famed for its golden domed, UFO shaped pagoda.

Recipients of the award are also expected to participate in the Magha Puja event held the very next day, which will also take place at Wat Dhammakaya.

For the uninitiated, the Dhammakaya Foundation is known for its extravagant “pujas”, where tens of thousands or even millions of followers gather around the central shrine in elaborately choreographed Nuremberg-style rallies. Its flamboyant ceremonies have become increasingly bold displays of power, leading some to question its cult-like nature.

Promises of material gains begets material support

The movement’s notoriety in Thailand stems from its aggressive fund raising activities, where its members are urged to donate “generously” as means of merit making. This follows it’s credo that says “To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance”. Some devotees have been found to be heavily indebted just to meet their obligations to support the movement.

It's core “business” is a foundry that makes little golden Buddhas which entices donor to fork out at least Thai Baht 30,000 (US$ 1,000) to have their names engraved on it and then having it displayed at the UFO pagoda. There are at least a million of these Buddhas in the temple’s vicinity.

This does not include the lucrative amulets business, where owners are often found giving testimonies at functions, telling prospective buyers how their lives changed once they wore them. Devotees are told of “millionaire forever” programs, where meditation (their own unique method) is practiced not just for the sake of attaining calm and peace, but to use that peaceful state as a launch pad to become successful materially.

Consolidation of a religious behemoth

Due to its immense public appeal and marketing prowess, Dhammakaya has over the last few years consolidated itself into a financial behemoth. Since the acquittal of its leaders from financial misappropriation - which could have landed them in jail in 2006 – Dhammakaya has not only gained financial muscle but has also made inroads in influencing the political elite, both in Thailand and globally.

However, despite having its own 24-hour satellite TV station, it has diligently worked to avoid the limelight. Until now.

This inaugural “World Buddhist Outstanding Leader Award” is a step towards that awakening.

For an award as prestigious sounding as this, it is a wonder that none of the well-known global Buddhist luminaries, such as the likes of the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Kyentse Rinpoche (famed film producer), Ven Cheng Yen (founder of Tzu Chi Foundation), Bhikkhu Thannisaro (sutta translator of "Access to Insight"), Ven Pannyvaro (Buddhanet), Robert Thurman, Joseph Goldstein, Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Brahm, Ayya Khemma, Ani Choying, Sulak Sivaraksa, Ananda Guruge – to name a few - are not in the list. These individuals have deeply influenced the development of Buddhism and Dhamma propagation throughout the world, over many decades. Surely they are worthy of being noted as “outstanding world Buddhist leaders”.

Instead, what is obvious is that persons and organizations affiliated with the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) and World Fellowship of Buddhists Youth (WFBY) form a bulk of the recipients. Among the Bhikkhu Sangha, four of them are directly associated with Dhammakaya. People will generally want to know the criteria used in selecting these individuals and organizations for the awards.

Make no mistake. The time has come where “the temple of profit” has decided to come out of its shadows and announce its presence to the world. Award recipients from 10 different countries shall bear witness to this rise, bowing with salutation while being handed their personal recognition.

Dhammakaya Foundation has certainly realized the value of riding on the extensive youth network developed over the years by WFBY. Laying their tentacles on just this one organization gives them an outlet to reach out to millions of youth all over Asia.

It is very likely that the presentation of this award is an approach by Dhammakaya to draw Buddhist leaders from various countries to their home base, providing them with some form of “shock and awe” so as to win over their approval. While wealth and power may bring quick access in the short term, truth and insight shall reveal the true nature of Dhammakaya’s motivations.

Let’s just pray that the award recipients have the awareness and wisdom to actually see through the real purpose of this event.

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhammakaya_Movement

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When love and Buddhism go hand-in-hand

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Bangkok, Thailand -- It is rare for the important days of two faiths to fall on the same date. Yet, it happens today when Thais celebrate St Valentine’s Day and Makha Bucha Day. For many young people, especially those in love, Valentine’s Day surely brings more fun to them, while devout Buddhists who believe in true happiness from faith certainly opt for observing Makha Bucha.

Not all people know that the Valentine's Day was not originally meant for romantic love. Instead it commemorates the unconditional love of Saint Valentine of Rome who was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry, and for ministering for Christians who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. Legend has it that he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, during his imprisonment and wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution. The celebration of Saint Valentine did not have any romantic connotations until Chaucer's poetry about "Valentines" in the 14th century, according to Jack B. Oruch's article, "St. Valentine, Chaucer, and Spring in February".

Meanwhile, Makha Bucha Day falls on the full-moon day of the third lunar month. It marks the time 1,250 monks visited the Lord Buddha at Weluwan Temple in India without appointment more than 2,500 years ago. All those monks were arahant (perfect ones who attained nirvana) who had been ordained by Lord Buddha. On this occasion, Lord Buddha delivered a sermon called Owat Patimok, which concludes the major principles of refraining from bad deeds, doing good and achieving a pure mind.

In fact, it is not unorthodox for anyone to celebrate both of these important occasions at the same time since the Lord Buddha also teaches about the cause and effect of affection and ways to end unpleasant feelings and suffering caused by love, attachment, lust and craving.

According to the Tipitaka's Visakha Sutra, Visakha, a female millionaire who lived near the city of Savatthi, visited the Lord Buddha at Buppharam Temple she had built — despite her wet hair and attire — because she was devastated by the death of her beloved grandson. The Lord Buddha asked her whether she loved and needed her children and grandchildren as much as the people in that city. She replied yes. The Buddha then told her, "One who has 100 beloved things feels 100 times sorry. ... One who has no love is free of sorrow, lust and craving."

Personally, I am very impressed with some other words of wisdom by the Lord Buddha and the brilliant English translation I read from Sathienpong Wannapok's The Lord Buddha's Words In Dhammapada. Here are some examples:

"Be not attached to the beloved, And never with the unbeloved;
"Not to meet the beloved is painful, As also to meet with the unbeloved.
"Therefore hold nothing dear, For separation from the beloved is painful;
"There are no bonds for those, To whom nothing is dear or not dear.

"From the beloved springs grief, From the beloved springs fear;
"For him who is free from the beloved, There is neither grief nor fear.
"He who is perfect in virtue and insight, Is established in the Dharma;
"Who speaks the truth and fulfils his won duty-Him do people hold dear."

This truth about love is undeniable and should be spread to the young generation so that they treat their loved ones kindly and unselfishly.

This year when Makha Bucha Day and Valentine's Day run parallel, the Sangha (council of ruling monks) goes modern by assigning all temples in Thailand and overseas to organise activities to encourage youths to make merit, give alms to monks and attend religious ceremonies. The council notes that youths are at risk of inappropriate conduct on Valentine's Day and should be taught to be mindful and think and act in decent ways instead.

Today, the Religious Affairs Department hosts additional activities for youngsters, reasoning that Makha Bucha Day and Valentine's Day fall on the same day. In Bangkok, 50 temples in 50 districts are hosting such activities. Moreover, nine pilgrimage trips are being held on nine routes by boat and bus in the Central Region, the North, the Northeast, the East and the South.

Furthermore, an ad hoc centre for moral studies has been set up at Sanam Luang to educate youths on how to pray and worship the Lord Buddha, dhamma and monks correctly through dhamma teachings that are applicable to their daily life.

With or without this campaign, many Thais apparently harmonise the mood of love and joy with religious activities today. Several threads on popular website pantip.com show a number of young lovers plan their Valentine's dates at temples by making merit and taking part in the wian thian candle ceremony. The main reason is that Thai people are known to love to have fun and celebrate every festival no matter what culture they belong to.

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Pichaya Svasti is a travel writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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Hatred and Buddhism don't mix

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Bangkok, Thailand -- With anger and bitterness a common sight in these politically strained times, let’s pause and ask how we can still call ourselves Buddhists after allowing ourselves to sink this deep into the politics of hatred.

Lest you forget, Makha Bucha Day is coming up this Friday. This year it also falls on Valentine's Day, which — in theory — should make the much-needed message of goodwill, love, and compassion it carries doubly louder. I doubt, however, that this will be the case.

Personally, I find it perplexing and distressing to think that many will go to temples to make merit, light candles, and do the ceremonial circular walks around the prayer hall as pious Buddhists to observe Makha Bucha Day, then go straight to the rally sites or return home to watch their “blue” or “red” cable TV channels to enjoy the rhetoric of hatred without thinking much of it.

Many love-birds, I guess, will also go to the rally sites together on Valentine's Day to express their larger love for the country as patriots, all the while feeling much closer in the same cause of destroying the enemy.

Since both Makha Bucha and Valentine's Day have a common theme of love and compassion, we might as well ask ourselves what kind of love we subscribe to. Is it the kind that is blind and, when taken to extremes, can be destructive, personally and politically?

All great teachers of every faith teach love for all without prejudice. They all teach deep listening, empathy, and forgiveness. Why do we then take delight in hate and dehumanising speech to legitimise our dark feelings and reaffirm our righteousness and superiority?

Why do we celebrate our fierce love for certain political ideas or persons that lead to our passionate efforts to destroy the ideas or the persons we hate?

Really, can we call this kind of motive love?

I don’t have any answers. But if you look at what the Buddha taught on Makha Bucha Day 2,557 years ago, you might find yours.

From childhood, we Thai Buddhists are taught that Buddha’s message from the “Ovada Patimokkha” sermon on the full moon day, nine months after his spiritual enlightenment is: "To abstain from all evil, to cultivate what is good and wholesome, and to purify one’s mind."

The teaching is in line with the Buddha’s First Sermon on Asalaha Bucha Day on how to work one’s way toward inner peace through moral discipline, insight meditation, and the understanding of nature’s laws on impermanence and non-self to let go of greed, anger and delusion. Without this realisation, suffering will not end.

It is not as simple as it sounds. As any practitioners know, this inner battle is the hardest one.

Few Buddhists know, however, that the Buddha also gave other advice on Makha Bucha Day on how to obtain peace, without and within. Devote yourself to inner contemplation with patience and endurance, he advises.

But also refrain from insulting and harming others, while cultivating restraint and modesty in one’s food and dwelling place.

In short, peaceful speech, non-exploitation, and humility are also key Buddhist practices. The only goal of those practices, he said, is to end defilements and suffering. Nothing else.

These teachings were originally aimed at monks who gathered to pay the Buddha respect on Makha Bucha Day. Look around and see for yourself if the clergy, the monks at political rallies, or those wealthy ones in palace-like temples follow the Buddha’s path or not.

It is even less known among Buddhists that Makha Bucha Day also saw another important event in the history of Buddhism.

In the last year of his life, this was the day on which the Buddha determined he would die. Three months later, on the full moon day of the 6th month in the lunar calendar, he did at the age of 80.

The message was loud and clear: all things, all beings, all beliefs, are impermanent. All that comes into existence cannot escape decay, or death. Not the Buddha, nor any of us.

So should we fight, hurt, kill and impoverish our mind and spirit for what will eventually come to pass, or something we will soon regret? And if our society is determined to go on this hateful path, should we still consider ourselves Buddhists?

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Sanitsuda Ekachai is editorial pages editor, Bangkok Post.

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Spreading Buddhism via old-style storytelling

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OSAKA, Japan -- In an effort to broaden the understanding of Buddhism among the lay population, some followers are using a traditional form of Japanese storytelling as a teaching tool.

<< Getting the word out: Professional storyteller Kyokudo Nankai addresses a gathering in a Buddhist temple in Chuo Ward, Osaka, on Dec. 27. | KYODO 

Professional storyteller Kyokudo Nankai, 49, is one of the leaders. In late December, Nankai told the story of Kukai, who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism and is known posthumously as Kobo Daishi, to a gathering of people at a temple in the busy Minami shopping district in Osaka.

Vividly depicting Kukai’s young days, Nankai stressed the great Buddhist master’s resolve to “help sufferers” while occasionally arousing laughter from the audience by referring to funny episodes.

Nankai began “kodan,” or traditional oral Japanese storytelling, on great Buddhist masters, who also include Shinran, Nichiren and Rennyo, over a decade ago and continues to receive invitations from temples and other places.

Nankai always keeps in mind that he should not step into the teachings of Buddhism while performing kodan, which, he says, is “not a sermon but a performing art.”

“I hope listeners will feel close to (the Buddhist masters) I describe and become willing to visit temples,” Nankai said.

The Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism used to perform “fushidan sekkyo,” or artistic sermons, to popularize its teachings, an example of the close relationship between storytelling and the religion.

Kyoko Okazawa, 45, is another storyteller aiming to help laypersons understand Buddhism.

The wife of Keicho Okazawa, chief priest of Hase Temple of the Shingon sect in the city of Nagano, tells stories based on a “Nehan” painting of the Buddha’s deathbed and grieving followers and animals.

During her performance at a temple in Tennoji Ward, Osaka, last fall, Okazawa started with the birth of the Buddha and later explained the background of each person and animal in the drawing.

“I’m dying because I was born into this world,” Okazawa said of the Buddha’s deathbed.

“Life is tough and everyone dies. That’s why we should live with all our strength,” Okazawa said of the message she tries to bring to people with her storytelling.

Referring to Ananda, one of the Buddha’s 10 principal disciples who broke down in tears at the master’s death but eventually understood his message, Okazawa said, “I’m Ananda and so are many of you.”

It is extremely difficult to accept the death of loved ones, she continued. “The Buddha said, ‘Everyone dies,’ and so we can start accepting it (death). I think I’m assisting (the Buddha’s) work.”

Okazawa studied the relationship between women and Buddhism during the Heian Period (794-1185) when she was a graduate student. She married Keicho and the couple began managing Hase Temple in 1996.

That year they discovered the Nehan painting, drawn during the Edo Period (1603-1863), at the temple. After the painting was repaired and displayed in 1998, Okazawa began explaining it to visitors to the temple and her storytelling about it has since gained fame.

She has been invited to perform not only by temples and other Buddhist institutions but also day care centers for children, senior citizen associations and Christian groups across Japan.

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