Monday, October 27, 2008

Kathina Ceremony

The resident monks and devotees of Scotland’s Buddhist Vihara would like to invite you to the annual Kathina Ceremony which will be held at the Vihara (1 Caldercuilt Road, G20 0AD) on Saturday 08th November 2008.

The programme for the day is as follows.

11.30am Buddha Puja
11.45am Dana Meal for the monks
12.30pm Lunch
01.30pm Offering robes ceremony and Paritta Chanting
02.00 Special sermon on the Kathina Ceremony in Sinhala.

It would be great if you could inform us of your intention to attend before 1st of November 08. We should also be very grateful if you could donate any of the following items ie.robes and / or requisites for the monks, travel expenses for visiting monks and food for the ceremony. If you are able to make a contribution please contact the Vihara on 0141 5867493.

With metta
Scotland’s Buddhist Vihara

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Visiting the New York Buddhist Vihara




Visiting the New York Buddhist Vihara

When I arrived in New York Nicole and Jessica welcomed me and took me to the New York Buddhist Vihara. People call it Queen’s temple. It was a great privilege and a wonderful moment to meet and get blessings from the Most Venerable Kurunegoda Piyatissa Nayaka Thera, the chief Sangha Nayaka of U.S.A. All the resident monks were very busy but they welcomed us in a very friendly fashion. I visited the shrine room with Nicole and Jessica . It is a very big and beautiful shrine with traditional wall paintings.

We had only a very limited time to stay there but I was very lucky to get blessings and the opportunity to have a discussion with the Nayaka Hamuduruvo. I felt strongly his compassion and good wishes. .He was very open and admired the Dhamma work done by the young monks. I thought: He is a model example for all of us who are on a Dhammaduta Mission. The Most Venerable highly admired my teacher in Sri Lanka and showed some of his photos taken with him. He was very kind in offering a copy of his biography. We left the Vihara wishing him good health and thanking all the resident monks who had been very kind to us .I wish I could have had more time to stay with them.

some of the photos by www.michaelseto.com

A Day Retreat at Ellen Burstyn's House






A day retreat at Ellen Burstyn’s house

On Monday, in the early morning, we went to Ellen Bustyn’s house for the rehearsals.
She welcomed us to her beautiful home and wonderful garden.It is like a Ashram garden with prayer flags and a statue of the Budda..
We all started the discussion about the drama with a meditation session.After the meditation, when we were talking about some of the Gathas and stories behind them, ,Linus suggested that we include a meditation session in the drama. I had had it in my thoughts when we started to prepare the script but I was very happy when it was suggested by one of the cast. Ellen offered us a great cup of tea made from herbs grown in her own garden.

She had prepared a Dana meal as well .After the lunch there was a surprise birthday cake cutting for Michelle who was having a wonderful day. This was the first time in her life that she had been given a Buddhist blessing on her birthday and the traditional blessing string on her right wrist. We had more discussion about the script and Nicole was so humble about accepting all the suggestions we made. She never said ,“No this is my script.I would like keep it as it is.” On that night, until 2.00am ,Nicole and Jessica rewrote the script. Every one wanted to make it great and give the real message to the audience in a clear fashion.

At the end of the day Nicole said, “What a wonderful day .We felt it was like a day retreat!”

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A 21st Century Meditation Hall and Dana Meal at a Korean Restuarant





A 21st century meditation hall and Dana meal at a Korean restaurant.

On Tuesday morning I went to explore more of busy New York city.
Randol Stuart and his friend Kathleen came to see me on Tuesday morning to take me for a Dana meal. I had met Randol at Brian and Nicole’s wedding ceremony in Dundee few years ago. I met his friend ,who is a actress, in New York on Monday evening when we met for a cup of tea at an Indian Restaurant. After the meeting they suggested to Nicole that they take me to lunch on Tuesday..They came around 11.00am and we went to a nice Korean restuarent.It was a favourite of Kathleen’s, who had spent a year in Korea studying martial arts.
At the Anumodana Desana ( the blessing of the meal) I did some chanting as part of my blessing even though it was a very public restaurant. Kathleen and I compared monkey stories as monkeys are one of her many interests. Randol is a Christian minister but he really appreciated the blessing and offered me many opportunities and possibilities to set up a Vihara in his small town. He is also a drama director.

On Wednesday morning Linus came to see me and took me to his meditation centre. It was a very beautiful hall. I felt the good energy there. He said he practices meditation every day for at least a couple of hours. It is very different from Theravada practice but his intention and motivation is great. They have all the modern facilities to spread their Guru’s teachings(Enlighten Next). The guru is Andrew Cohen. Enlighten Next do live web casts on Thursday evenings.

He took me to Times Square which is a very bright area with huge TV screens and Digital colour commercial advertisements. I saw some of his fans come and greet him.
I wanted to buy an adapter for my camera and he kindly bought it for me. We had our lunch at the Rubin. Then we worked on rehearsals until 5.00pm.

I walked to the hotel and came back to the Rubin for the exciting evening ahead.

The Way of Buddha..............







The Way of Buddha a drama based on Dhammapada staged in New York

The drama, which was very well attended, was a great success! It was a unique and fascinating experience for me. There had been an introductory conducted tour of the art and artifacts which had been the inspiration behind the project and then it was time for us to take our places on stage. As I sat on stage on a high cushion with the spotlight trained on me, I could see the audience making their way to their seats. For a few seconds, I felt a fluttering in my stomach. Was this what was called stage fright? However, when the gong sounded for the beginning of the production sounded, my training as a Theravada Buddhist monk took over and I conducted a short meditation in the traditional manner.

As we moved through each of the selected Gathas, I chanted the verses in Pali giving full expression to the words. Pali is normally regarded as a dead language but I tried to emphasise that to monks of the Theravada tradition, Pali, the language in which the words of the Buddha were first recorded, is very much still alive.

As we stood on stage to acknowledge the applause of the audience, we were joined by Tim, the producer of this project and manager of the museum, who formally presented each of us with a khatha, the traditional white silk scarf. I gave mine to Jessica as a thank you for all she had done to look after me and make my visit so comfortable.

After the production, many people came to me and expressed their admiration of everyone’s contribution to the drama.Most of them mentioned that it would have been good if the meditation had been longer. Some also told me that they had been very touched by the teachings from the Dhammapada. Finally, a very modest person came to me and introduced himself. He was Mr. Rubin, the founder of this wonderful museum. I gave him my blessings and thanked him for his great generosity in promoting Buddhist art and culture.

I have to mention thankfully Tim the producer of this project and the manager of the museum who is a very nice a great Buddhist art admirer.

It was drama for the cast but was a great Dhamma evening for me. I think that at the end most of them felt that it had been a spiritual evening rather than a drama.

I wish everyone who supported this great Dhamma Dana happiness and good health.

Below are the artists who performed the Drama. This introduction is from website of Rubin Museum of art.

Nicole Ansari is a prolific stage, film, and television actor who has recently completed her first American feature Retribution, for which she was also Associate Producer. Of her many theatrical roles, including Roxanne in Cyrano de Bergerac, Irma in Irma La Douce, and the title role in Alma, Ansari most recently appeared in the West End premiere and Broadway productions of Tom Stoppard’s Rock N’ Roll. She directed the documentary Padim@PS 3 and wrote and directed the short film Tina Goes to Town. She can also be seen in the last season of HBO’s Deadwood.

Brian Cox is recognized as one of Britain’s major acting talents. His performances (of which Titus Andronicus with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1987, and King Lear at the National Theater 1988 stand out) led to his being awarded the honor of Commander of the British Empire in recognition of his contribution to British theater. In 2002, he appeared as a spymaster in The Bourne Identity, a hostile recluse in The Ring, a smug screenwriter in Adaptation, and as Ed Norton’s father in 25th Hour. Cox has been most recently seen on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s Rock’n’Roll. His other notable film roles include the original Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter and Agamemnon in Troy. Other diverse film credits include L.I.E., Rob Roy, Braveheart, and X2: X-Men United.

Michelle Beck received her training at SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory and has begun a career in New York City and regional theater as well as in Europe, with the German Theater Abroad. In New York she played Caroline in the city premiere of My Juilliard with Theater for the New City, and has taken part in readings for the Red Bull and Flea Theaters. Elsewhere around the country she has played Ophelia in Hamlet for the Shakespeare Theater, D.C.; Mariane in Tartuffe for Yale Rep; and performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Her film credits include Mark Brokaw’s Spinning into Butter and Thunderbolt.

Ellen Burstyn’s illustrious acting career encompasses film, stage, and television. In 1975 she became only the third woman in history to win both the Tony Award and the Academy Award in the same year, for her work in Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year on Broadway and in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, for which she also received a Golden Globe nomination and a British Academy Award for Best Actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award five other times and was the first woman elected president of Actors Equity Association (1982-85). She has also served as Artistic Director of the famed Actors’ Studio, where she studied with the late Lee Strasberg. Burstyn holds four honorary doctorates, and her memoir Lessons in Becoming Myself, was a national best-seller. Burstyn can be seen playing Barbara Bush in the upcoming film W, opening on October 17.

British actor Linus Roache has had an acclaimed 25-year career on stage, screen, and television, and for the past 14 years has been a devoted student of evolutionary enlightenment. He is the managing director of the New York Center for EnlightenNext, a global network dedicated to creating a revolution in consciousness and culture, founded on the spiritual teachings of Andrew Cohen. Roache currently appears on Law & Order as chief executive ADA Michael Cutter. He began his career on the long-running British serials Coronation Street and The Onedin Line. His film credits include The Wings of the Dove, Hart’s War, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Batman Begins.

Walking Meditation Through Central Park








My last day in New York was Thursday. Brian and Nicole were very kind to me and spend all day with me. On my last day I wanted to thank them and I went to their home. It was a very nice welcoming home and I felt very comfortable all the time I was there. Mr. and Mrs. Cox are a wonderful couple blessed with two very beautiful boys who were very friendly to me. The best things that I had to give them was my blessings and to teach them a meditation technique which will develop their happiness and well –being. After the meditation session Brian offered a very generous cheque to the Vihara Charity and they took me to a Thai restaurant for the Dana meal. I had my first experience of the famous New York Subway system. It was very quick service to Central Park, a beautiful green island ( (840 acres) in the centre of a magnificent city. Some times Brian was stopped by his fans but they did not disturb us. I admired the way such busy people spent so much time with me. I never expected that they could spend a full day walking with me around the city and the park. The beauty of the park is still with me as is the feeling of the power of being in the present with the natural world.
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My visit to New York was a wonderful experience of new sights, a new culture, meeting old friends and making new ones.

I thought it would be very nice if we could do a walking meditation in the Central Park when I next visit New York. So now I need to find “my agent” in New York to organize my next “project”.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Bhante's Visit to New York







The Rubin Museum of Art in New York, one of the leading museums of Buddhist art in the world, has invited the Venerable K Sri Rewatha Thero to act as advisor and participate in a programme on the Dhammapada, called The Way of the Buddha.

This stage Drama is directed by Nicole Ansari Cox and includes performances by Ellen Burstyn, Brian Cox and Linus Roache.

Bhante Rewatha said “This is a wonderful opportunity for me to teach about the teaching of the Buddha to people who are artistic and who respect other religions. A drama is a brilliant and sensitive way of giving a message to the community. Even in Buddhist countries ,artists use Buddhist stories as a plot for their productions .In ancient times the village temple preaching hall (Dharmasala) was the theatre. They produced dramas based on the Jataka stories.

I carefully read the script of this drama written by Nicole Ansari Cox. I was fascinated by her writings. She has written as a Buddhist scholar. This drama is academic and very classical. She has written very deep philosophy in very simple language and in a very artistic and dramatic way without damaging the original content of the Dhammapada. I think that this is the best way to present this kind of deep message to the modern busy and stressful society.
I met Nicole and Brian at their wedding ceremony and was invited to conduct a blessing ceremony for them and their friends.On that day I felt they would do a great work for the community .They recently came to see me during their holiday in Scotland. That day we discussed the Dhammapada. It was lovely to see two artists, husband and wife, working together and sharing their experience and interest in one piece of artwork. I am very much looking forward seeing this production and working with this wonderful down to earth couple and their friends in New York.”

We wish him a safe Journey.

NB.We will be doing the Friday Meditation class this week but due to Bhante’s Visit to New York we have to cancel other classes on next week. (14,15,17th October)