News from Melbourne Buddhist Centre | ||
Special Issue #1 |
November 2008 | |
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Mudita is designed to keep you in touch with Melbourne Buddhist Centre events and the activities of our Sangha. | ||
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Dear Friends This special edition of Mudita is to introduce the Sudaya Appeal to the Melbourne Buddhist Centre sangha. As most of you will know, Sudaya works full-time for the Melbourne Buddhist Centre. Her contribution is invaluable as she performs a wide variety of duties from administration to Dharma teaching. An interview of Sudaya by Pam Cornthwaite is printed below. |
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$24,000 is the figure we are asking for Sudaya's support for the next 12 months.
As you will all know, dana (generosity) is the basis of spiritual practice. This is an excellent opportunity to practice generosity within our sangha. So for the Sudaya Appeal for December 2008 - December 2009 we are looking for 100 people who can contribute $240 each over the next 12 months ($20 per month). If anyone would like to contribute more, so much the better. If anyone would like to contribute but cannot afford $240, any lower amount would also be welcome. Contributions can be made by one off payments or spread out over 12 monthly standing donations. Monthly standing donation forms are available via this link, or at the bottom of this newsletter or picked up from the MBC office. People making contributions are asked to contact Jivita at timhehir@iprimus.com.au or phone him on 9386 2261 to tell him how much you are paying so that payments can be tracked in our bank account. This is to ensure that the contributions go to the correct destination. If anyone has any questions please contact Jivita at the details above. For those of you who have already pledged contributions to Sudaya until November 2009, thank you, and please continue to do so in the same way. Yours in the Dharma, Jivita | ||
An Interview with Sudaya 1. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I grew up in Scotland, the youngest in a large family. We lived in an unrenovated seventeenth century farmhouse and we worked a not very profitable mixed hill farm. My father had been in the American army and my mother had driven an ambulance in London during the Second World War. They moved to rural Scotland to get away from the horrors of wartime living. One of my earliest memories is of curling up to sleep beside the hens in the hen house one sunny afternoon, while all the family thought I had fallen into the river which ran past our farm, and were out searching for me. 2. What drew you to the WBO? When I realised I wanted to practise the Dharma, I found the FWBO quite quickly. I had two good friends who were with different Buddhist groups and they both separately suggested I'd like the approach of the FWBO. I asked for ordination within 18 months of going along to the Buddhist Centre in Bristol, England. Meeting a few Order members convinced me that they had found something precious. I felt I could trust them, and I enjoyed their confidence and clarity. 3. You lived for eight years at Taraloka Women's Retreat Centre in the Welsh countryside. What was that like?
4. What has been your path to the Melbourne Centre? My first trip to Melbourne was in 1971, when I came to visit my sister who had moved here from Scotland. Years later, when I left Taraloka, I knew I needed to do something completely different but I had no idea what that could be. I wanted to stay within the Movement, working to spread the Dharma but that was all I was clear about. I had long held a germ of an idea to spend more time in Melbourne but had not seen how it would be possible. The climate, the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the refreshing candour of the people attracted me. I planned a three month visit to my two nieces who live here; that period quickly extended to six months. During that time I discussed the possibility of staying and working for the MBC. Everyone I spoke to was encouraging and I was delighted by the prospect of living in this beautiful city and working for the Dharma, amongst the new friends I was making. 5. How do you envisage your role of Chairperson at MBC? The first effect of becoming Chairperson was a deepening of my commitment to my own practice. My role is to maintain the spiritual vitality and direction of the Buddhist Centre — for me to be alive to that requires clarity and awareness. I have a strong wish to be of service to the Dharma, to encourage skilful communication, to encourage deeper and deeper commitment to the Buddhist path. I aspire to relate with warmth and openness to all, whether to another Order Member or a beginner on a meditation course. I trust that people will continue to relate to me as someone sharing the ups and downs we all experience on this Path. 6. Can you outline some of the activities you do at the centre? I feel quite an all-rounder, fitting in wherever necessary. I teach meditation courses and retreats; I facilitate several study groups for women. I do administration around the Centre, advertising and dealing with email enquiries particularly. When I first began working for the Centre I took on developing and maintaining the website, as this is an area in which I have some expertise. I am still doing this, updating pages, adding new photos, keeping it all up to date. Recently we have employed a designer to create a more contemporary look for the site. 7. Are there any new programs or initiatives you are keen to introduce? I would like us to be using the Centre more during the daytime. I have started a morning group for parents and carers with young children, to discuss the challenges and joys of parenting and practising the Dharma. We even try a short meditation with the toddlers, some of whom love being in the shrine room. I would like to see us spreading the Dharma and building Sangha in some indirect ways — for example by offering classes in Tai Chi, yoga or brush painting. We have so many talented people in our Sangha who could share their skills. Also, I love meditation and always look forward to seeing more shared practice and discussion about meditation. 8. Is there a particular Buddhist value you emphasise and strive to exemplify as Chairperson? 9. What inspires you to continue your practice? There are several aspects to this: Firstly, looking back and seeing how much I've changed in terms of self-awareness gives me confidence in what I am doing. Then, seeing others making positive changes in their lives is very inspiring for me. Also, I can rely on reading the Dharma and trying to relate a teaching to my own life in a practical way. 10. What do you like to do to relax and refresh your spirit? Most of my life I have lived in the country. I don't see myself as a city person; I love leaving the city to walk in the bush. Whether forest, beach or desert, I love the wild Australian land. Here's a photo from my trip last year to Uluru. Recently I spent a delightful afternoon watching koalas down on the Mornington Peninsula. I have made a tiny vegie patch in my back garden and I find it so pleasurable growing some fresh food. I can also be found going to bed very early with a good biography or novel. | ||
Donating to the Sudaya appeal November 2008Monthly Standing DonationI would like to make a Monthly Standing Donation to the Melbourne Buddhist Centre, for Sudaya's support. NAME: ___________________________________________________
ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________
____________________________POSTCODE:____________
TELEPHONE: AH__________________ Mobile:_________________
I wish to donate: $______ per month, or $_______ one off donation The method of payment preferred is by Direct Debit from your Bank, or a transfer from your internet banking into our bank account. (Details below) Please ensure that all donations have the reference : SYAL- and your name
To help us maintain our records, please either give the completed form to Jivita or Dhiramani, return by email or post to 1 Pitt Street, Brunswick Vic 3056. Our account details are as follows: FRIENDS OF THE WESTERN BUDDHIST ORDER MELB INC Commonwealth Bank .Collingwood, Victoria BSB No.: 063 123, Account No.: 1035 9281 Transaction reference: SYAL- and your name. | ||
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Don't forget to visit our website | ||
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Copyright Melbourne Buddhist Centre, 1 Pitt St, Brunswick, VIC 3056. November 2008 Please forward this newsletter to friends and family. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. Newsletters, including previous editions, may be accessed online at: www.melbournebuddhistcentre.org/newsletters.html To contact us with feedback, questions or praise, email us This is an opt-in newsletter available by subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam. Thank you! | ||
I moved there as a new Mitra, confident of the practical skills I had to offer but unconfident in my spiritual development. I had previously lived alone for fourteen years and during my time at Taraloka the community included between eight and twelve women. People tended to stay for one or two years for an experiment or for between five and eight years as a longer-term commitment. My work at the Retreat Centre ranged across almost all the tasks involved in running the business, from buying the muesli to balancing a budget and landscaping the garden. I discovered so much about the Dharma and about myself. I lived with over 30 women during those years, many of whom are skilled Dharma practitioners. It was a great privilege learning from them and sharing myself with them.
