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Dhammapala

DDHAMMAPALAHAMMAPALA

Dhammapala, Am Waldrand, CH-3718 Kandersteg, Switzerland

Buddhist Monastery

22001111

www.dhammapala.ch

[email protected] sitorsVi sitors

Dhammapala Monastery is open to visitors and guests for most of the year, however,

during retreats (see retreat program), accommodation is reserved only for registered

retreatants and, during January to the 25th of March, only for the resident communi-

ty. Guests coming for the fi rst time are normally required to attend one of the sched-

uled weekend retreats (please check with the Guest Monk).

Prior notifi cation is necessary and guests are required to follow the monastic

(or retreat) schedule and abide by the eight precepts.

Requests to receive the annual newsletter (in English, German, French or Thai), and

general enquiries, are welcome.

Tel. ++41 (0)33/675 21 00 Fax (0)33/ 675 22 41

With the exception of January and February, Margrit will

answer the phone Wednesday – Saturday inclusive from

9 – 11 a.m. At other times, please do leave a message on

our answering machine, and we will call you back as soon

as possible. Thank you!

Daily routine: 05.30 Meditation 11.15 Main meal

06.30 Clean-up 17.00 Informal Tea

07.00 Breakfast 19.30 Meditation

08.15 Work period

Most evenings at 19.30 there is chanting and meditation. On Saturday evenings the

meditation is followed by a Dhamma Talk or a Dhamma dialogue.

Participation in the activities of the monastery is free of charge. The monastic com-

munity is, however, dependant for its support on freewill donations. These may be

made at the monastery or paid into the following account:

In Switzerland: Spar + Leihkasse, 3714 Frutigen, 30-38188-9

Verein Dhammapala, IBAN CH65 0878 4016 2208 3700 7

In Germany: Deutsche Bank Lörrach,

Verein Dhammapala, Acc.-Nr. 065 377 4; BLZ 683 700 34

For electronic transfer (also from other countries) on account of the Deutsche Bank

Lörrach: IBAN DE27 6837 0034 0065 3774 00 BIC/SWIFT DEUTDE6F683

Dhammapala Newslett er 2011 1Dhammapala Newslett er 2011 11

With the alpine meadows slowly turning

to a pale green under the intense

September sun, temperatures dropping

close to zero during early morning hours

and the last juicy bits of grass

disappearing into the stomachs of mighty

Swiss cows, the face of Dhammapala

Monastery presents itself in a new and

unusual way.

Arrival of the Buddha

Around early June a specially made statue of the Buddha appeared in Kan-dersteg from Th ailand. It was delivered in an unpretentious wooden box and padded up with long bandages, as if the artist Christo had been directly involved. Th e whole Dhammapala com-munity was engaged in the unwrapping process, and our fi rst glimpse of Phra Buddha Vajira Trilokanat Satsada (that’s its offi cial name, meaning: Th e Awak-ened One with Diamond-like Wisdom, Teacher of the Th ree Worlds) revealed a most excellent and inspiring work of art. We immediately shift ed it to its designated site, knowing that some more preparations would still have to be made before the Buddha could fi nally stand in its proper position.A few weeks later the existing terrace of the monastery was extended and a stone plinth, half a meter high, was placed on the south eastern side. Th is is where the statue of the Buddha with the fearless gesture has taken its place. It is facing

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22 Dhammapala Newslett er 2011

the direction where everybody passes through the maple lined avenue lead-ing to the monastery. Without specifi c planning it so happened that the stones of the terrace were brought in from India, the Buddha statue itself is from Th ailand and the plinth stones origi-nate locally. A suitable symbolism for the connection of the original physical realm of the Dhamma, moving on into a new environment in Asia, and fi nally arriving in a small mountain valley in Central Europe at the beginning of the 21st Century.

It was surprising and delightful at the same time that the impressively aes-thetic presence of an admittedly alien

symbolic fi gure could engender so much ac-ceptance and admiration. Not only the residents and guests of the monastery, but also the neigh-bors, workmen

and passers-by expressed comments of appreciation.

Maybe this is the hallmark of a well craft ed piece of art within a spiritual context: that people, from very diverse backgrounds and with diff erent views on life experience, feel an intuitive reso-nance, without having to relate this to a specifi c faith or even a spiritual teach-ing. When the Good, True and Beauti-ful is represented in such an exquisite way, then the human heart tends to respond with spontaneous recognition.

Ajahn Sumedho refl ected on this in his book ‘Th e mind and the way’: “When you contemplate a Buddha statue, you notice that it’s an image of a human being who’s composed, who’s alert and serene. It is facing the world looking at things. It’s aware of the world without being deluded or being caught up in it. It’s neither ecstatic nor depressed. It represents the ability of a human being to be completely calm and see things as they really are – and this provides a most skillful sugges-tion to the mind. When contemplating a Buddha image, you begin to feel a sense of calm. Hence, living with Bud-dha images is a pleasant thing; they are very peaceful objects to be with. Of course when we surround ourselves with sculptures showing great passions of anger and ecstasy and all that which is alluring and arousing to the passions within us, then we become passionate

The Fearless Mudra

Girl drawing the Buddha

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Girl drawing the Buddha

Dhammapala Newslett er 2011 33

and aroused. We become what we look at. What is around us aff ects our minds. So when you meditate more and more, what you choose to surround yourself with are things that lead you to peace-fulness, rather than to excitement.”

Th e predominant purpose of reli-gious sculptures and statues does not consist in exclusively serving our aes-thetic pleasure, but it connects us fi rst of all with the latent or even completely obvious properties of an awakened mind – with something that is pres-ent as a potential within all of us. Th e resonance which we sense in the pres-ence of an expressive Buddha statue can lead us instantly into a contemplative state and add to the understanding of the reality to which it is pointing. In this sense it is again the famous fi nger pointing to the moon rather than the moon itself. Th at sometimes we would like to stop and gaze, in silent enjoy-ment and delight, in front of a religious work of art is totally legitimate and prepares the heart eff ortlessly for the experience of one’s own inner stillness, seeing and composure.

Th e Buddha statue in the walking posture inside the garden of the monas-tery has an open and mindfully collect-ed gaze. It is not completely absorbed in itself, but is turned out towards the val-ley. Its whole bearing is one of refi ned, fl owing elegance and combines, in a balanced way, male and female aspects

into an androgynous whole. Th e ges-ture of fearlessness could also be taken at fi rst glance as a gesture of rejection. It is not supposed to prevent people from drawing closer to the monastery, to the monks or even to the Buddhist teach-ings. Th e gesture of the open hand is initially meant for all those impulses of our own experience which are ruled by fear and whereby the heart is contract-ed with a sense of oppressive tightness. Predominantly it wants to communi-cate that the awakened heart – the heart of awareness – can stay fully present in the face of fear. Th e light rays of aware-ness can penetrate down to the fi nest roots of those emotional states,

Circumnambulation of the BuddhaCircumnambulation of the Buddha


where ignorance and mental blind-ness keep inducing us to identify with the processes of body and mind. In the representation of the Buddha with the Abhaya gesture, spiritual realization goes beyond any form of fear and its roots.

Outward signs

Since the summer of this year Dham-mapala has been much more rec-

ognizable than before as a Buddhist monastery or as a spiritual place in general. Before this time the Chalet at the edge of the forest could hardly be distinguished from other buildings of similar style in the area. Besides the Buddha statue some other works of art from Th ailand reached us in the spring, eventually in order to send non verbal messages to the random passers-by or to guests of the monastery. Th eir de-sign consists of impressively intricate

and ornate wood carvings. Directly beside the entrance door two wood carved Devas (heavenly beings) greet the monastery visitors with the gesture of Anjali. Th is gesture expresses wel-come and respect at the same time. Th e greeting aspect speaks for itself. Th e gesture of respect, which is expressed in Asian countries in such a graceful way, is meant to address specifi cally all those people who are willing to engage in an adventure of inner exploration in an open, truthful and authentic way. In that sense this gesture is meant for all those who are really interested, in-dependent of their individual world views, their momentary states of mind or any evaluations of their own spiritual competence.

Looking up towards the roof of the monastery porch, one now receives an-

other reminder, thanks to a wood carv-ing which represents the fi rst teaching of the Buddha, given in the deer park of Sarnath. Th ere the Buddha presented the essence of his teachings, the four Noble Truths with the Eightfold Path to overcome all suff ering, which since then has been symbolized by a wheel with eight spokes. Th e eightfold wheel,

Walking meditation Swiss styleWalking meditation Swiss style


which now has found its place in the gable end of the porch, belonged to-gether with the lotus fl ower, the Bodhi tree, the footprint and the empty seat to the fi rst symbolic representations of the Awakened One. During the fi rst centuries aft er the Buddha’s realization of Nibbana a fi gurative representation of the Awakened One seemed unthinkable, even though there never existed any prohibition in that respect. A verse from this historical period before the Chris-tian era expresses adequately the attitude behind it: “Because you, Awakened One, are unthinkable, immeasurable, unimag-inable and beyond calculation; only you yourself are able to recognize yourself.” Out of an immense respect for what the Buddha knew one hesitated for a long time to cast an image. It was not until aft er a few centuries within the Chris-tian era that people started to overcome

that hesitation and to depict the Buddha in human form.

Since Septem-ber a new, majestic monastery sign has been erected at the entrance to the mon-astery property. In rather large Roman and Th ai letters it draws attention to the place. Admittedly all these changes are ‘only’ of an external nature. But aft er hav-

ing fi nished the basic work projects, which were all indispensable to establish the monastery and took years to accom-plish – i.e. the meditation hall, the ava-lanche dam, the cellar and ground water drainage systems, the renovation of

living spaces and installation of new bathrooms etc. as well as the repayment of the last mortgages – we can now look towards the more refi ned aspects of the external features. In the 20th year since the opening of Dhammapala in Kandersteg and

New Monastery entrance

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New Monastery entrance

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with an increased acceptance by the local population, there isn’t so much the feeling anymore of want-ing to play down our presence in order not to appear too obtrusive. Th ere is now more a general sense of naturalness: “We are here. Th is is what we do – and that is on off er. Please come closer if you’re inter-ested.”

Activities and people

As in the past, during this year diverse groups and individuals have taken up the invitation to use the monastery as a contemplative space for stillness and meditation. Th ere was a Th ai language weekend retreat with Ajahn Th irad-hammo in April, during his annual re-turn to the European hemisphere. Sister Kovida gave an English language week-end retreat in August, and Ashin Otta-ma and Ajahn Khemasiri gave a whole row of short and medium length re-treats throughout the year. Various stu-dent groups came to visit within their

specifi c religious curricula or just out of their own interest, to receive refl ections on very relevant themes for modern societies, in particular on religious tol-erance. Also the local VHS (Open Uni-versity) attended a sequence of evening talks and received practical instructions in meditation. And last but not least the Swiss Th ai community, who didn’t just come in large numbers for the biannual festivities – Vesakha and Kathina – but again and again delighted us in between with their heartfelt enthusiasm. Even though the offi cial inauguration of the Buddha statue in the monastery garden was planned for late October, we have already had a spontaneous “unoffi cial

one” in Sep-tember. Around 150 Th ai people, seven monks and one Anagarika took part in an in-spiring open air ceremony under perfect weather conditions. Th is

Wandertag with Bhikkuni Visuddhu and Ashin Ottama

Sr. Kovida and Anagarika Maria visit DhammapalaSr. Kovida and Anagarika Maria visit Dhammapala

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Wandertag with Bhikkuni Visuddhu and Ashin Ottama


included Dhamma re-fl ections, a guided med-itation, blessing chants and most of all an alms-giving ceremony for the monastery, which was the original reason for their visit. Th e money tree, which was off ered to the monastic com-munity at the end of the day, struggled hard to carry its burden of leaves and blossoms with dignity.

On the 27th of October fi nally the for-mal inauguration of the Buddha Rupa took place under the auspices of Luang Por Sumedho. A few days earlier he had already blessed our Kathina ceremony with his presence, together with the Japanese monk Ajahn Nyanarato and the Cambodian monk Bhante Ty Bun-tha from Péry. During the few days of Luang Por Sumedho’s visit we became acutely aware, that this might well have been his last visit to Swit-zerland, as he plans to retire to the forest monasteries of Th ailand to-wards the end of this year. Th e waves of immense grati-tude expressed to him dur-

ing his whole stay were a clear signal though, that everyone would love to see him again in our mountain monastery.

As in previous years, the year 2010 also brought changes within the Dhammapala community. Th e winter retreat went by in an extraordinarily quiet fashion, with Ashin Ottama and Anagarika Jivan representing the constant presence, with the aid of Tan Gavesako, our Russian friend Dmitry – who even stayed on for another half year – and a small team of helpers. To-wards the end of May Tan Nandiyo

Blessing chanting

Buddha rupa inauguration ceremonyBuddha rupa inauguration ceremony


and Samanera Sunnyato came back from England, where they had spent the winter. In addition, as a temporary new member, the Portuguese monk Tan Dhammiko arrived for a couple of months. We also received for shorter visits members from other quarters of the wider Sangha during the mountain spring season.Around Ve-sakh time in late May Ajahn Preecha and Anagarika Sebastiano came from Monastero Santacittarama in Italy, and the Swiss Romande Tan Asoko ar-rived from Wat Pah Nanachat in Th ailand. During June our old friend

Bhikkhuni Visuddhi together with a group of Czech friends and the Dutch monk Tan Jhaniko spent a few weeks with us. Th e month of July was, just as in 2009, a time of farewell. Ashin Ot-tama said goodbye to Dhammapala aft er having lived with us, on and off , for 14 years and established his new monastic home in Santacittarama. It was his explicit wish to live a quieter, secluded lifestyle in one of the medita-tion huts within the Italian monastery. We have heard in the meantime that his wish has actually become a reality, this being a good reason for us to be with him in spirit with our appreciative joy and good wishes for the future. Also Tan Dhammiko moved to Amaravati in England before the beginning of the formal rainy season.

Blessing

Alms giving ceremony in the Monastery garden

Blessing

Alms giving ceremony in the Monastery garden


A personal comment

At the onset of the wildfl ower season I returned to Dhammapala aft er a benefi cial 7 months sabbatical period. From November 2009 until the end of May 2010 I had the opportunity of living in a more secluded way in diff er-ent monasteries around the world. Th e main part of this period was spent on the North island of New Zealand – a longer stay at Vimutti and a shorter one in Bodhinyanarama Monastery, plus a one month ‘journey into the unknown’ in the most northern tip of the island. My friend Ajahn Chandako had the ingenious idea that we should move about using Kayaks instead of relying entirely on walking boots – in pursuit of secluded places

like empty beaches or uninhabited islands. In theory not a bad idea, as the spaciousness of the primordial landscape, the steady presence of the ocean and the sparse popula-tion seemed all very promising. But wanting to paddle out into the Pacifi c Ocean as a lay Kayaker, who had never in his life sat in such a thing, seemed a bit too dar-ing. Aft er a few modest trial runs

we decided to use more conventional means of transport: i.e. to hitchhike. It is an essential part of a journey into the unknown that you don’t get what you expect or what you wish for. Once we had let go of the idea of idyllic places in lonely natural surroundings, we were more than compensated on the human level because we were entirely depen-dent on others for our daily nourish-ment. Th e sense of being at the mercy of others on a daily basis, of people we

New Zealand beach

Root of a tree in Aukland, NZ

litlttBtwsNew Zealand beach

Root of a tree in Aukland, NZ


didn’t yet know, brought back into our consciousness one of the most funda-mental aspects of Bhikkhu life: we are living in a state of dependence even though life in monasteries can easily lead us to forget this, as we are nor-mally looked aft er in such a caring way. Curiously aft er some initial hesitation, the impression of dependence on oth-ers induced in us a light hearted feeling of spreading our wings. An increasing sense of trust in the basic goodness of human beings and in our basically inse-cure existential situation kept growing from day to day. Looking back now to

this special heart trusting period of my sabbatical brings to mind a refl ection of an unknown author:

“Life is good right now. Th ere may always remain the unsettling taste of the unknown, and our lives will inevitably invite us to greater humility.

But this begins to fi ll us with wonder instead of fear. A sense of loving our universe begins to grow until, eventually, we trust that we are fl owing in harmony with life and are always supported and buoyed by a great and

compassionate current.”

Giant NZ tree roots

In front of the Utopia CafeIn front of the Utopia Cafe

Giant NZ tree roots


As Prepared as We Can Be

Ajahn Munindo

I‘d like to start by talking about a really good Dhamma book that I‘ve just fi nished reading. It‘s not one that you will fi nd in the Tipitaka. It‘s called 'Savage Arena' by Joe Tasker. Some of you may have come across it, those of you that are into mountain climbing. It‘s full of stories about impossible situations, about determination, concentration, focus and cooperation, things that I can relate to from the perspective of a commitment to the contemplative life, including the experience of seeing your friend fall off the cliff and wishing desperately it hadn‘t happened....

Th ere was one area of the story that strongly held my attention and which I would like to discuss this evening. It was about a less glamorous aspect of the journey. Th e most exciting part of course was reaching for the summit. However, one of the most important parts of the journey was the preparation. So, every time the climbers went out on a trip, there was a huge amount of eff ort went into preparation – preparing the gear, preparing the funds, preparing the food, sorting out the politics, getting visas ready. And this part of the journey can be tedious. Th ey found it tedious.

In the case of the monastic life, the intense experiences and profound insights are the bits that we tend to most readily focus on. But so many of the teachings recorded in the scriptures and given to us by our teachers are about preparation. So this is what I would like to contemplate this evening.

Th ere’s a tape recording I have of a talk of Luang Por Chah, probably one of the last recordings of anything he said. It was taken at Tum Saeng Pet when Luang Por was receiving some lay guests. Th ey were just about to come over to visit us here in England, and so when they were with Luang Por they gave him a tape recorder and suggested he might like to send a message to the Sangha in Britain. So Luang Por took the tape recorder and started going through the names ‘Oh, Sumedho, Sucitto, Anando...’ and gave a friendly and uplift ing talk. One of the things he mentioned was how being an abbot is like being a rubbish tin, where you just sit there and be dumped on. Th at’s your job. If nobody else dumps on you, you attend to your own rubbish. Th at was helpful, and to the point. When he’d fi nished giving this specifi c message, the tape


was left running and he just started chatting informally about practice. In the course of this, at one stage he said ‘You know, people think sitting on their cushion is practice. Th ey’ve got it all wrong’. He said, ‘Th is is preparation, and it is very important. We’ve got to do the preparation, but the practice is when the “arom kattup jai”’, which means that when the passions impact on the heart; are you truly there for it? He said ‘Th at’s the moment of practice’. And it’s not something

we can strategise. You don’t go on a course and learn how to do that. We sit and prepare ourselves, so that when it happens we are ready.

So I have this perspective, that there are these two aspects of the journey, preparation and practice. Of course we all want ‘to be there for the moment’ but aspiration is only one aspect of training. Th ere’s also the preparation, and if we don’t do it, then there are consequences. Many of you will have your own experiences of being not properly prepared. I certainly have mine. Th ere’s a verse in the Pali that we know as the Ovadapatimokkha. Th is gathering that we’re having now is something that in previous years used to occur around Magha Puja, when by tradition, we would recite this verse:

Th e last line of the verse, etam buddhanasasanam, translates as ‘Th is is the teaching of all the Buddhas’.

Sabbapapassa karanam,

Kusalass’ upasampada, Sacitta-pariyodapanam, Etam buddhanasasanam.

I fi nd that so inspiring! It’s great to know that not only Gotama Buddha said it, but all the other Buddhas said it as well. Th e story goes that Ananda went to see the Buddha and said ‘Can you tell us about Konagamana and Vipassi and all the great noble Buddhas of the past: What were their teachings?’ And this verse is reported as being what the Lord Buddha said.


Initial Restraint

Th e fi rst line of this verse talks about refraining from, and restraining that which is evil – Sabbapapassa akaranam. I can remember times in my life when I could have been better prepared in this area. So this is where the verse begins, to refrain from doing that which shouldn’t be done. If we don’t understand that, we dive into the third line – sacitta-pariyodapanam – the purifi cation of the heart, ‘How inspiring to have a pure heart, and to become purifi ed like the masters!’ I know that’s what I wanted to do in my fi rst vassa when I was living with Ajahn Tate; I wanted to purify the heart.

I’d had my initial insights when I was living with a group of beautiful friends in Mullumbimbee in Australia. I have happy memories of being up there on the ridge meditating, hugging trees, sitting in samadhi and crying with tears of bliss. I used to like to bake bread and let it rise for 40 minutes while I walked meditation. Th en, with samadhi, I’d come back, and would quietly, sensitively break it and savour the aroma. Th en, with samadhi, I would share it with my fellow community members.

In those days I had some very inspiring and encouraging insights. However, what I didn’t see was that the radiance I was enjoying was dependent on getting my own way all the time.

I decided I wanted to head off to Asia – which is where I believed all the enlightened people were. I needed some money, so I went down to Sydney to fi nd work. When I found myself in a position where I had to work at things I disliked, and live with people who didn’t share the same values and interests, and who were not impressed with my refi ned spirituality, the inner sense of radiance disappeared.

Losing my peaceful mental states was agonizing for me. In losing something inherently beautiful, I can still remember the pain. A few weeks earlier up there on the ridge, looking out from Byron Bay at the sunrise, sitting and feeling so peaceful, there had been something very appropriate and truly beautiful. At that time I wasn’t smoking anything either. It was a natural reconnecting with something wonderful that I found was already there. And it was there – I wasn’t imagining it! When I would go back to it, it was still there – a natural self-existent peace. All that was needed was for me to focus attention in a certain way, and I could go back to this wonderful beautiful place of tremendous joy. But when I went to Sydney I couldn’t fi nd it anymore. It wasn’t because of the change in environment. Th at was something that I realized even then, although I tried for some time to pretend otherwise. In fact, it was because of my lack of restraint, for sure.


I can remember, during those few weeks that I was in Sydney, thinking, ‘If ever I’m in a position where I am encouraging people to practise meditation, there’s one thing I want to do: encourage people to learn restraint’, because if you potentize consciousness and yet haven’t learned restraint, then the consequences are excruciating. Ignoring this stage of preparation is like a man already sick, setting out to climb Everest without a medicine kit.

Cultivating Goodness

Th e next line of the verse is kusalass’ upasampada: to cultivate the powers of goodness within ourselves, to cultivate that which is truly good. We can cultivate, generate and maintain wonderful things. And it counts! Th ere are wonderful things that I know I can do. When I know that, then I don’t feel powerless; I don’t feel ashamed; I don’t become lost in guilt; I don’t feel any sense that I’m abdicating responsibility. I’m doing what is mine to do.

So refraining from that which is unskilful, unwholesome, shouldn’t be done; and cultivating that which is good: for me this is preparation. And if we’re not prepared, then we take the consequences. Th ere is no point in blaming somebody else. Like those climbers on the mountain; at one stage they went up without enough food. Th ey could have done the summit if they’d taken more food. In the event, they couldn’t do it. Th ey were stuck in a snow cave for three days. On another occasion they didn’t take enough gas, so they couldn’t melt the snow. Th ey were so dehydrated they barely made it down the mountain.

So it is with us. If we don’t prepare ourselves, then when the passions impact on the heart, as Luang Por Chah was saying, we are not able to practise. Th is is what I would call sacitta-pariyodapanam – the purifi cation of the heart, the purifi cation of awareness. Th e purifi cation happens in those rare precious moments where I can’t handle myself. I can’t

handle it anymore. It’s beyond me. Such moments, we can’t strategize. But we can prepare ourselves for it, we can equip ourselves for it, but when it happens, it happens, and it’s usually not convenient. Once when I was having a Dhamma conversation with the Venerable Myokyoni, I fell into complaining about how diffi cult practice can be at times. I am most grateful to her for the comment she made. She said, ‘Venerable, when it’s the real thing, it feels like too much,

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too soon.’I remember listening to Luang Por Chah talk

about certain states that you can get into in practice. Some of you will be familiar with the story he told about a stage of practice that was unfamiliar to him that he once got stuck in. Having prepared himself as a young monk with conceptual understanding, he then threw himself into practice with tremendous enthusiasm and apparently made rapid and good progress. Th en he says he reached a point where an image would come to him in meditation, where he was standing on the edge of a cliff . He got to this point where it was like there was nothing there. He was used to getting somewhere in his practice, and he got to this point where he was stuck. He said that every time he’d sit in meditation, this same image would come back, and he’d just have to walk back and try again. He kept going at it like this for nearly two years, until eventually he met Ajahn Wung, a contemporary of Ajahn Lee, a very impressive Dhammayut monk.

When Ajahn Chah came across Ajahn Wung out in the forest, he was inspired by him as soon as he saw him. He just saw him and he knew – he knew. So he started talking about the struggle of his practice and Ajahn Wung said ‘Oh, that’s what’s been happening to you. You want to hear what’s been happening to me! I had this experience where I was doing walking meditation, and I got to the end of my meditation track and it was like, I just started sinking into the earth. I don’t know how far I sank; I just sank as far as you could sink. It was a long way. Th en I started coming back up again. And I came to the ground level – it really appeared that this was happening – I came to the level of the ground, and then I levitated! I went up into the air and my body hit the branches. When my body hit the branches, it exploded. I could see my large intestine thrown over there, my small intestine over here, and my liver and kidneys hanging somewhere else. And I thought “Th is is really unpleasant!” But,’ he said, ‘I was prepared for it. I knew this is just the way it appears to be. Th ere was suffi cient mindfulness, so I didn’t lose perspective.’ And so Luang Por Chah said ‘Well that’s very strange, but what can you say about me?’ He told him his story, and Ajahn Wung said to him, ‘You need to understand that you’ve reached what can be called “the edge of perception”. And if you keep pushing, you’re going to suff er.’ He said, ‘When you reach the edge of perception what do you do? You stand there. You wait.’ If we are properly prepared we know how to accord with the changing circumstance.

Th e ability to wait like that takes an agility of practice, which is a force of goodness.


If we haven’t equipped ourselves with this ability to just wait, when waiting is what is called for, then we keep hammering away at the same technique, doing the same thing we’ve been doing. We hammer away, but it doesn’t work. We need to be willing; we need to be agile enough, to wait. What’s called for is just standing there, just being aware. Not doing anything. And that can be the transformation. Th en the Way happens. It’s astounding.

I’m very grateful to Luang Por Chah for telling that story. I remembered it just at the right time some years ago. I was in America, and having an exceptionally bad time. I was having one of those moments where I had dropped into my own perfectly defi ned black hole, as unique in its way as everyone else’s. I can still remember the day very well. It was one of the worst days of my life. I was with a friend visiting the Grand Canyon. Because of how I was feeling I had decided it was better to be on my own. I left the people I was with, and walked off along this edge of the Grand Canyon. I was feeling really bad, I mean really bad. I reached a particular point where the ground just dropped away. It seemed to drop away forever. I was standing there, right on the edge of this, looking. My belief in rebirth is such that suicide has never been an option in my life; so that wasn’t in my mind. Th ere was a shaking; there was a trembling going on. I looked up just off to the left , and there was a sign that said ‘Th e Abyss’. It was around that time that I remembered Luang Por’s story, while standing on the edge of this abyss and not knowing what to do. So I just sat down and waited. It wasn’t enlightenment, but it was an important moment for me, a moment when I remembered that when you reach a point where you can’t handle it any more, you need to be agile enough to change tack. To just keep moving forward is not always an option for you.

Purifi cation

So the purifi cation of the heart, the purifi cation of one’s own heart, for me is not something that I know how to do, but I trust that it happens if we’ve adequately prepared ourselves with restraint and suffi ciently cultivated the forces of goodness. Th en one’s heart is oriented towards that which one loves more than anything else. What is it that we love more than anything else? To know this, or at least to feel this, is profoundly important. To know that one is not just interested in Dhamma, but that one loves. It is something that I profoundly care about, more than anything else. We may have our own word for it, or maybe no word, but this is what is meant when I say ‘I go for refuge to Dhamma’. Th ere is not merely a tradition I observe:, I need to bow. And if it is a dimension that one consciously connects with, if it is something that we feel within, if it is a reality in relationship with which I’m just utterly insignifi cant, then I trust that when life comes to the point of utter impossibility, then that which needs to be realised can be realised. It doesn’t happen on my terms. Th at’s why when I go for refuge to the Triple Gem I try to remember to do it quite consciously.


Th is I, this me, this person that was born in Te Awamutu, who grew up in Morrinsville, and has this mother, and that father; has this history, has that reputation and has these features – this character that I experience myself to be, I willingly go for refuge to Dhamma. Because why? Because if I don’t orient myself towards this principle, then my way is what is more important; that becomes the default mechanism that takes over when I’m in a fi x and don’t know what to do. If I haven’t prepared myself, if I haven’t gone for refuge to Dhamma, consciously, regularly, physically, mentally, verbally, if I reach this position where I don’t know what to do, I just say, ‘Well, what do I want to do? I want to know what I’m supposed to be doing. I want to be sure. I want an answer. I want to feel safe and secure. I want someone to tell me.’ And we are driven by such wanting. But if we have prepared ourselves, with going for refuge to what is, then even when we’re faced with the situation where our only apparent reality is ‘I really don’t know’, we can be there for that. We can stay there with that. It is Dhamma that sustains us, not my way.

And so, going for refuge to the Dhamma, prepared with the conscious recognition of there being something that we love, there’s a willingness to orientate ourselves towards that; and there’s a wish to off er ourselves in service of that. Th en we will be sustained, we will be nourished. What happens next is not up to me, but I do trust that the Way will unfold.


* During this period of time the community reduces its activity to a minimum and appreciates the

support of a limited number of guests.

Meditation weekends will take place at the Dhammapala monastery, the group meetings with a monk from the monastery in the corresponding localities. For addresses check the 3rd page of the cover.

Dhammapala CalendarCalendar 2011

January

Monastic retreat

January 3rd till March 25th

March

26/27 Meditation Weekend

(– in Thaï) with Aj. Thiradhammo

April

27 Geneva

May

11 Bern

15 VESAKHA-FESTIVAL

20-22 Meditation weekend

(– in German) with Aj. Khemasiri

23-29 Retreat week at the monastery*

June

06 Zurich

July



20 Geneva

August



September

11-25 Retreat weeks at the monastery*

28 Geneva

October



16 KATHINA-FESTIVAL

19 Bern

November



14-20 Retreat week at the monastery *

21 Zurich

December

14 Geneva

January – March 2012

Monastic 3-month retreat


T

Meditation Weekends 2011

(G) = German (E) = English (T) = Thai

26/27 March (T) (Aj. Thiradhammo)

20-22 May (G) (Aj. Khemasiri)

08-10 July (G) (Aj. Khemasiri)

12-14 August (G) (Aj. Khemasiri)

07-09 October (G) (Aj. Khemasiri)

11-13 November (G) (Aj. Khemasiri)

he weekends usually start on Friday evening at 19:30 h. In order

to be appropriately oriented and acclimatised to the monastic

environment we ask participants to arrive at the monastery from

17:00h/18:00h. It is appreciated if one considers the eight ethical

precepts of the monastery as binding, including the practice

of noble silence. The practical instructions and teachings are generally held in

German unless otherwise specified. To be admitted as a participant, a fax, e-mail or

telephone booking is necessary (Wed. – Sat. / 9:00 – 11:00).

As courses are very often fully booked we ask kindly to only register if one plans

to participate during the whole weekend. The monastery is entirely supported

by donations (Dana = generosity), and we recommend at the beginning of the

course to make a food contribution towards the four meals of the weekend. Also a

monetary donation at the end of the course will be appreciated. Please also bring

along a sleeping bag plus pillow case or a whole set of bedding.

Our Gratitude We would like to express our appreciation for the various contributions to create this newsletter. Th e lay out was done by Ron Lumsden with technical support from Tavaro. Th e proofreading of the texts was done by Anagarika Jivan and Patricia Rollier. Photographic material was provided by Ajahn Khemasiri, Berti Buff y and Th itirat Winteler.

20 Dhammapala Newslett er 20112020 Dhammapala Newslett er 2011

Long & ext ernal Ret reats 2011

• All retreats are given in German unless otherwise specified.

• Registrations for the September retreat are accepted from April 2011 onwards, those for

the New Year retreat from June 2011 onwards.

• Voluntary cooks are most welcome for all the retreats.

21-25 April Easter Retreat with Ajahn Khemasiri

Course in silence open to all

09-13 June Pentecost Retreat with the nun Ajahn Kovida (in English)

Course in silence open to all

03-10 September „Achtsamkeit in Stille und im Dialog“ with Ajahn Khemasiri

In this course, formal meditation shall be enriched

by daily Dhamma dialogue

– only for people with prior retreat experience

– participants may extend their retreat time for a week

within the monastic retreat structure

– registrations are accepted from March 2011 onwards.

26 December-01 January 2012

New Year Retreat

The teacher’s name will be known by June 2011 and

then also registrations will be accepted.

9-11 December Meditation retreat with Ajahn Khemasiri

in Provence (France)

Teachings will be given in English with French translation

Contact: Le Refuge, Tel.: +33 (0)4 4292 4528

Switzerland

Avegno Martin Züllig 091 796 27 24

Baden Maria Sarah Bratschi 056 406 39 59

Basel Robert Szalies 061 554 92 49; 079 360 43 64

Rainer Künzi – www.kalyanamitta.ch 061 331 13 04

Beatenberg Meditationszentrum – www.karuna.ch 033 841 21 31

Bern Evelyne Wittwer 031 534 03 50

Irene Bumbacher – 031 331 91 06

www.zentrumfuerbuddhismus.ch

Biel Andreas Bachmann 032 322 57 65

Genf Chongcharoen Sornkaew 022 757 54 04

Lausanne Laurence McKenzie 021 711 26 92

Luzern Yvonne Bühlmann 041 497 01 31

Pontresina Alain & Ursula Gayet 081 842 76 05

Weinfelden TG Roger Stalder 071 558 83 43

Winterthur Stéphanie Mosimann 052 238 12 31

Zürich Maya Küchler 044 391 68 72

Rolf Hafner – www.theravada.ch 079 358 90 77

Germany

Freiburg Sonja Welker 0761 456 22 47

Susanne Steinhusen 0761 384 270 52

Hamburg Axel Wasmann 040 399 069 97

Heidelberg Robert Eckermann 06221 27 447

Hildesheim Johannes Dombrowski 05121 8090 580; 0151 1703 2799

Karlsruhe Hans-Peter Fettig 0721 9483 636; 0160 8351 187

Köln Akiñcano M. Weber 0221 139 64 45

München Buddhistische Gesellschaft München 089 388 499 09

Nürnberg Wolfgang Kaiser 0911 660 42 42

Ulm/Dürmentingen Dobrina Frank 07371 96 15 05

Italy

Vihara Via Delle Prata 22, Localita ”Le Brulla”,

Santacittarama I-02030 Frasso Sabino RT

Fax +39 (0)6233 238 629 Tel. +39 (0)765 87 21 86

France

Aix-en-Provence Le Refuge, 370 Ch. Fontaine de Fabrègues,

F-13510 Eguilles Tel. +33 (0)4 42 92 45 28

Austria

Wien Christoph Köck, Gfrornergasse 3/1/39,

A-1060 Wien Tel. +43 (0)1 595 50 18

Meditation groups contactsMeditation groups contacts

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