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Ajahn
Brahmvamso, Head of the Bodhiyana Buddhist Monastery
(largest in the southern hemisphere) Western Australia,
conducted a whole day programme on Buddhism and meditation
at the Thames Buddhist Vihara on Sunday 23rd October 2011.
Head of the Vihara Venerable Pahalagama Somaratana Chief
Sanga Nayaka Thera, while extending a very warm welcome said
that it was Ajahn Brahm’s third visit to the Vihara and that
Ajahn Brahm was a highly respected proponent of the
teachings of the Buddha with a growing worldwide audience.
Multinational audience started to assemble very early in the
morning and by the time Ajahn Brahm arrived, the hall was
completely full. He started in his unique style of
delivering sermons, always mixing profound tenets of
Buddhism with humour and anecdotal narratives, making them
not only easy to understand, but to retain their meaning for
use in our daily life. Commenting on the items in the
programme, he said that meditation was a very skilful way to
understand the nuances of the human mind and life’s
priorities and what people wanted most in life, were
respect, kindness, compassion and appreciation. Once he had
described Buddhism in a single word as ‘meditation’, but he
would now prefer to use ‘letting-go’, which demonstrated his
progressive approach to Buddhism, always investigating the
tenets, from a pragmatic perspective, as advised by the
Buddha. It was this unique and practical approach of
simplifying the sublime Dharma, making it relevant to our
mundane existence that has made his sermons so popular.
Among many other stories, Ajahn Brahm reiterated his famous
one about a Japanese Samurai Warrior and a Buddhist Monk, to
illustrate where hell and heaven could really be found. The
Warrior demanded the Buddhist Monk to show him where hell
and heaven were. The Monk kept insulting the Warrior until
the Warrior got so angry that he threatened to cut the
Monk’s head off with his razor sharp Samurai sword. As the
Warrior raised his sword in raging anger, the Monk uttered
that the Warrior, at that precise moment in time, was in
hell. The Warrior immediately understood and thanked the
Monk. The lesson to learn is that when angry we are in hell
and when happy we are in heaven.
Arrangements for Ajahn Brahm’s visit to the Vihara were made
by Mr. Nimal & Mrs. Hiranthi De Silva. The President of the
Thames Meditation Society thanked Ajahn Brahm on behalf of
members, the Head of the Vihara, resident Venerables and
wished him excellent health and long life to enable him to
carry on the monumental contribution he is making to spread
the message of the Buddha throughout the world. |
