Buddhist text's true author identified as Thai woman

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Leeds, UK -- A little-known Thai woman has been identified by researchers as the most likely author of an important Buddhist treatise, previously attributed to a high-profile monk.

<< Khunying Yai Damrongthammasan was wealthy and extremely devout

Thammanuthamma-patipatti is a set of dialogues, supposedly between two prominent Thai monks last century.

It had been attributed to one of them - Venerable Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta.

But scholars believe it was really by a female devotee, making her one of the first Thai women to write such a text.

Printed in five parts between 1932-1934, initially without a named author, Thammanuthamma-patipatti (Practice in perfect conformity with the Dhamma) is viewed in Thailand as a valuable and profound Buddhist text which deals with Buddhism's different stages of awakening.

Dr Martin Seeger from the University of Leeds believes he has traced the authorship of the text to one Khunying Yai Damrongthammasan - a wealthy and extremely devout woman who developed an impressive knowledge of Buddhist scriptures during her lifetime.

'Profound text'

Ms Yai Damrongthammasan was born in 1886 to Thai nobility and grew up in Bangkok. Unlike most women in Thailand at the time, she was taught to read and write and, having studied with monks, she reportedly developed a sophisticated understanding of Buddhist doctrine.

After her husband died, she retired to a Buddhist monastery in southern Thailand where she meditated and studied scripture until her death in 1944.

"For those who know the text, it is very profound and significant and it has been reprinted many times," Dr Seeger says.

Dr Seeger, who was also ordained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand between 1997 and 2000, recalls how he owned the book when he was a student.

At the time he did not even consider that it might have been by anybody other than the Venerable Luang Pu Mun - who is revered in Thailand and was a founder of the Thai Forest Tradition revival movement.

But a friend of his insisted that something about the text did not add up: "When [my friend] said he heard that a woman may have written it, I became interested," Dr Seeger says. This interest intensified particularly as he had never heard of Ms Yai Damrongthammasan before.

With a grant from the British Academy, Dr Seeger set about investigating this thesis. The first clue came in a biography by her stepson - who was also ordained as a monk - in which he said that the treatise had been written by her.
Wrongly attributed?

Dr Seeger interviewed people who had met Ms Yai Damrongthammasan and descendants of those who had known her. He , researched biographies of various monks, cross-checking different sources until, he says, it became clear that she must have been the author of the book.

There are also several clues within the text which indicate that it was unlikely to have been written by a monk.

<< Venerable Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta is revered in Thailand

In fact, none of the most authoritative biographies of Luang Pu Mun ever claimed that he wrote it. He was only credited with authorship in later editions of the book, which featured pictures of him and another monk on the cover. Dr Seeger thinks it unlikely that the two ever met.

The monk died in 1949, a national figure, and the text appears to have been attributed to him after that.

Dr Seeger believes some followers of Luang Pu Mun may disagree with his findings. The Thai Forest Tradition movement has monasteries worldwide, including four in the UK.

But Justin McDaniel, assistant professor of South-East Asian and religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, says he does not think it is likely to provoke controversy.

"You have to understand that authorship in Thailand is never considered to be by just one person. This idea that a single person owns ideas is seen as a ridiculous notion," he said, adding that authorship is often seen as a composite.

He adds that the idea that Ms Yai Damrongthammasan produced the text is consistent with how women were viewed at the time.

"At that time and in the present day, women were seen as having the same capability when it came to Buddhist scholarship as men, especially in the realms of meditation and scholarly study."

Indeed in 2006, of the top 100 scores in the highest level of Thailand's monastic exams, 97 were by women.

"I think it's actually a lot more common than people realise, that students of monks - and especially women who tend to focus more on scholarship - would be writing," Dr McDaniel says.
Humble but charismatic

Even though little direct evidence survives, stories about Ms Yai Damrongthammasan have been passed down generations from people who knew and met her - attesting, Dr Seeger says, to her charisma.

And her achievements, being able to read and write and her knowledge of canonical scripture, were very rare for a woman at that time. There was only one other woman who in 1928 wrote a similar text but she was a princess and Dr Seeger says it does not achieve the same level of profundity as this work.

"We have been looking for the original manuscript," he says, but much has been destroyed in the area where she lived out her last years.

<< Funds from Khunying Yai Damrongthammasan allowed this temple to be built

However, Ms Yai Damrongthammasan never claimed authorship of the book and Dr Seeger says "the real reason that Khunying Yai decided to omit her name from the first edition might never be known".

He says there are several possibilities: people may have considered it inappropriate for a woman to discuss Buddhist doctrine at such a profound level at the time or she may have thought that Buddhist doctrine should be independent of an individual.

She may also have wanted to remain anonymous out of respect because the conversations took place with a group of women who met regularly in the temple of Wat Sattanatpariwat to discuss Buddhism.

Ms Yai Damrongthammasan's life story is striking: from wealthy wife to a reclusive life of meditation.

Her husband, a well-known judge, had been cremated at one of the most prestigious places in Bangkok, but her funeral was a simple affair that took place on a beach in southern Thailand.

"It appears as if she was also a very humble person and not interested in promoting herself," Dr Seeger says.

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Crushing royal critics feels so un-Buddhist

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Bangkok, Thailand -- A decade or so ago, an official letter of warning from the Police Special Branch Division landed on my desk. It was about an article by a physician-turned-monk entitled "How the Buddha died" in the former Outlook section I was working on back then.

<< In Thailand, insulting the King is punishable by up to 15 years in prison

The article tried to diagnose the Buddha's illness based on evidence in the scripture. It was deemed a national security threat because it had the nerve to describe the Buddha in his last days as a sick old man.

The message was clear: "Don't ever do it again."

My first reaction was anger. I consider myself a devout Buddhist. Me offending the Buddha? The article was penned by a monk scholar Mettanando Bhikkhu who had left a life of wealth as a physician to become a monk. Him offending Buddha?

Come to think of it, the guy who signed the letter probably couldn't care less because the matter ended there with no further harassment. Someone or some groups of people might have been angry to see the revered Buddha being discussed in less-than-holy terms.

So the police were petitioned to prevent us from destroying Buddhism. So, the police had to send us a letter to show that they were doing something.

It didn't work that way with Mettanando Bhikkhu. The elders despised him for being critical of the clergy's lax monastic discipline and dictatorial rule, and for his support for Bhikkhuni ordination. He was refused permission to have a passport and any temples he was staying at were forced to expel him. He finally left the monkhood.

Muslims who use violence against those who violate their beliefs are often called extremists or fanatics. But what about Buddhists who do the same? Do they have the right to call themselves protectors of Buddhism?

In the same vein, what about the people who call themselves protectors of the monarchy and do not hesitate to crush those who say or do things that violate their perceived taboos?

I consider myself a royalist. Like many Thais, I view His Majesty the King not only as a dedicated monarch but also a respectable person on a spiritual pursuit in line with the concept of divine kingship. I know this is irrational; but I still like to believe that there is something sacred and noble left in my world. It makes me feel good to be associated with some form of grace.

However, I don't agree with the draconian lese majeste law and the abusive use of it for political ends. The monarchy is based on compassion.

For me, the best way to protect the monarchy is to amend the law to prevent abuse of it and for it to meet international standards. Am I still allowed to be a royalist?

The reason I'm writing about Buddhism, Islam and the monarchy together is they all function within a system of faith. For many Thais, the monarchy is not a political institution, it is their faith.

In a society marked by cultural and religious pluralism, we should observe a code of conduct concerning our association with other faiths to avoid misunderstandings and violent conflicts. Vulgar language is a no-no. So are falsehoods, half-truths and the use of religious symbols in a disrespectful manner. Whether you share a faith in the monarchy or not, this code of conduct still applies.

The big but, however, is that the responsibility to avoid conflicts rests with the faithful more than the critics of their faiths.

More often than not, things turn ugly when the faithful begin to see the object of their respect as an extension of self and feel hurt when it faces criticism.

Since most who proclaim themselves as protectors of the monarchy are Buddhists, they should realise that as Buddhists we are responsible for our own actions, or karma, which are our reactions to external events.

Our task as Buddhists is not to react negatively or positively to what we hear, see, taste, smell, or feel, but to ensure equanimity at all times with the constant awareness of anicca (impermanence) and anatta (non-self).

For example, the Buddha did not react to vulgar allegations that he fathered a child. Instead, he would allow the truth to reveal itself.

Buddhism teaches not only tolerance but also cautions against forced and blind obedience.

His Majesty the King also constantly encourages us to return to basic Buddhist values such as tolerance, self-reliance, simplicity and compassion.

Is the desire to crush critics of the monarchy a Buddhist thing to do?

Think about it.

-----------------
Sanitsuda Ekachai is Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.

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Design company uses Buddhism to create happy place to work

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Newport, Wales (UK) -- You Buddha believe it!

This group of Welsh workers are meditating away the stresses of office life with Buddhism – and they hope their practices will make their company reach a state of Nirvana.

The Newport web and development agency Mettaengine was established in June last year by three kindred spirits, who met at a Buddhist centre.

Creative director Graham Shimell said: “We usually try to meditate together every morning – it’s a good way to start the day.”

The staff meditate three times a day in a specially-adapted shrine room, which contains a statue of Buddha, along with candles, incense and a singing bowl.

“We strike the bowl before we start meditating. The vibrations are calming and fade into silence, which helps us to get into the right mindset,” added Graham.

“I try to focus on my breathing and become present in the moment, then I find I can be calm and let go of my worries.

“Meditation has made a huge difference to my state of mind. It has helped me to let go and not cling to certain wants and desires.”

Managing director William Elworthy said: “Sometimes, if things get a bit stressful, I go and meditate for a few minutes and when I come back into the office, I have a completely different perspective on things.”

The staff aim to bring Buddhist practice to the workplace by following a code of ethics based on Buddha’s five precepts, which include helping others, truthfulness and generosity.

William said: “We want to take meditation off the cushion and spread it into the workplace.”

Graham explained the principles translated simply into everyday life. “It all comes down to acting with kindness and working as a team,” he said.

The staff hope the company will counter negative perceptions of businesses.

“Hopefully we can be an inspiration for certain companies out there, especially following the recent problems created by the credit crunch,” said Graham.

The founders were inspired by a Cambridge-based all-Buddhist business called Windhorse Evolution, which grew from a market stall in the 1980s into a leading UK gift business with a multimillion pound turnover.

The web developers came to Buddhism from a variety of backgrounds – Graham by American Beat writers of the 1960s, while William developed an interest through martial arts.

Both started reading Buddhist texts and meditating, before joining the Cardiff Buddhist Centre about four years ago, where they met operations director John James.

William said: “We went on a retreat together and it became clear that we all shared the same vision. We have a good business dynamic.”

He became increasingly disillusioned with his previous working environment.

“I ran a business for six years, but it was taking over my life. It was too cut throat and the balance weren’t there. The vision of just making money wasn’t enough,” he said.

The staff have observed a growing demand for Buddhist teachings in Wales and believe the Welsh Buddhist community is growing.

Graham said: “There is a very materialistic culture in the western world, but some people have realised there is more to life than just desiring new items.

“Buddhism is about the internal rather than the external. It’s about realising there are more important things than just desiring the latest BMW to make you happy.”

The business is currently run by three members of staff, who are hoping to expand by offering training courses and apprenticeships.

“We would like to work with other Buddhists, but we would not want to be seen as excluding other people. The most important thing is that they are prepared to follow the ethical precepts,” said Graham.

Read more: Wales Online http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2013/03/22/design-company-uses-buddhism-to-create-happy-place-to-work-91466-33039867/#ixzz2OSkH7Lcf

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Tibetans and Koreans jointly mark 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day

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Seoul, South Korea -- On March 10, 2013, Tibet House Korea and Jogye Administration of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism held an event at the Buddhist History and Cultural Memory Hall of Jogye Order of the Korean Buddhism in Seoul to support the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day.

The Tibetan community and over 200 Korean supporters gathered at the Memory Hall, where Geshe Tenzin Namkha addressed the audience on the urgent situation inside Tibet, and a special video message by Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay of Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India, was shown to the Korean audience.

In his video message, the Sikyoung stated, “The occupation and repression in Tibet by the government of the People’s Republic of China are the primary conditions driving Tibetans to self-immolation. Tibetans witness and experience China’s constant assault on Tibetan Buddhist civilization, their very identity and dignity. “

He continued to state, “Finding a just and lasting solution to the issue of Tibet is also in the interest of the world at large. Tibet, one of the oldest civilizations is viewed as the Third Pole as its glaciers feed the 10 river systems of Asia. It will contribute to the peace and prosperity of over a billion people in Asia who live downstream and depend on Tibet’s water for sustenance. A speedy resolution will send the right message and serve as a model for other freedom struggles as the Tibetan struggle is one firmly anchored in non-violence and democracy. Last, but not the least, solving the issue of Tibet could be a catalyst for moderation of China.”

During this event, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced its continued support for regarding the Tibetan situation affirming and further solidifying the Korean Buddhist’s support for Tibet.

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Armed Buddhists, including monks, clash with Muslims in Myanmar

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Yangon, Myanmar -- Buddhist monks and others armed with swords and machetes Friday stalked the streets of a city in central Myanmar, where sectarian violence that has left about 20 people dead has begun to spread to other areas, according to local officials.

Members of the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Meiktila township have clashed this week after a dispute between a Muslim gold shop owner and two Buddhist sellers Wednesday ignited simmering communal tensions.

Rioters have set fire to houses, schools and mosques, prompting thousands of residents to flee their homes amid unrest that had echoes of sectarian troubles that killed scores of people in western Myanmar last year.

Late Friday night, President Thein Sein announced on state television that four townships in the affected region are under a state of emergency.

The United Nations and the United States have expressed concern about the violence in the lakeside city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Mandalay.

Win Htein, an opposition member of parliament for Meiktila, said the number of dead in the city has risen to about 20 by his estimate -- most of them Muslims -- after charred bodies were found in the streets.

"I have not seen this scale of violence before in my life," he said. "I am very sad. The community used to live in peace."

Myanmar is emerging from decades of military repression and has taken a number of significant steps toward democracy in recent years under President Thein Sein. But it has been plagued by bouts of ethnic violence that some analysts say are a byproduct of the changing political climate.

Burning mosques

A group of about 100 Buddhists, including some monks, went around Meiktila on Thursday night torching mosques, said Police Lt. Col. Aung Min, and while most of them have returned home, some are still wandering the streets, carrying weapons.

Although Aung Min declined to provide an official death toll, he said the violence had spread to a nearby town, Win Twin, where a mosque was burned down overnight.

He said about 1,000 Muslims had taken temporary shelter in a soccer stadium in Meiktila, where about 30% of the 100,000 residents are estimated to be Muslims.

Win Htein said he believed that more than 5,000 Buddhists had fled to monasteries around the city to escape the violence.

Many members of both communities had lost their homes, he said.
Journalists in the city who tried to take photos of the clashes said they were threatened by Buddhists, some of them monks, who were holding sticks and knives.
Violence in Rakhine

In the western state of Rakhine, tensions between the majority Buddhist community and the Rohingya, a stateless ethnic Muslim group, boiled over into clashes that killed scores of people and left tens of thousands of others living in makeshift camps last year.
Most of the victims were Rohingya.

"The ongoing intercommunal strife in Rakhine State is of grave concern," the International Crisis Group said in a November report. "And there is the potential for similar violence elsewhere, as nationalism and ethno-nationalism rise and old prejudices resurface."

A failure by authorities to address deepening divisions between the communities could result in a resumption of violence in the future, the report said, "which would be to the detriment of both communities, and of the country as a whole."

Vijay Nambiar, special adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on Myanmar, on Thursday expressed "deep sorrow at the tragic loss of lives and destruction" in Meiktila this week.

He called for "firm action" from Myanmar authorities, combined with "the continued fostering of communal harmony and preservation of peace and tranquility among the people."

Win Htein, the local lawmaker, said that he believed there were now about 1,000 police officers in the area.

He said he had spoken to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, who had said local authorities should use police to control the situation according to the law.

The U.S. ambassador to Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, said Thursday that he was "deeply concerned" about the reports of violence.

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Samadhi Vihara opens in the capital of Selangor

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Opening made in conjunction of the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia's (BMSM) 50th anniversary.

Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia) -- The traditional Malay gong was hit three times by VIPs, an occasion witnessed by a host of monks, and a 200 strong audience. They had gathered inside the lotus sculptured hall, and together rejoiced at the official opening of the Samadhi Vihara in Bukit Raja, Shah Alam, Selangor.

<< Samadhi Vihara in Shah Alam, Selangor. A project 20 years in the making is finally realized on March 17, 2013. Pic courtesy of Mok Medha.

For many old timers from the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia (BMSM), the road to realising Samadhi Vihara had been a long and arduous one. Twenty years to be exact.

Construction of Samadhi Vihara began sometime in the 1990s, on a piece of land allocated by the Selangor State Government.

On Sunday, 17 March 2013, the launching fulfills a lifelong dream for many and the centre is well placed to serve the growing Buddhist population within the Klang Valley.

This launching also coincided with the eve of the birthday of the late Chief Ven. Dr. K Sri Dhammananda, who founded Buddhist Missionary Society in 1962.

At the launching, speeches were made by Dato Chee Peck Kiat,  President of BMSM, Dato Ang Choo Hong, Lay Advisor of BMSM, and Venerable Mahinda, the Spiritual Advisor.

The opening was officiated by YB Dato' Teng Chang Khim, Speaker of Selangor State Assembly, representing YAB Tan Sri Dato Seri' Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor. He gave a contribution of RM10,000 in addition to RM50,000 allocated by the State Government.

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Zen master: Buddhist monk remembered for simple, peaceful life

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VICTOR, MO (USA) -- It’s fitting that the wide open spaces and soaring mountains of Montana would attract someone like Zen Master Genki Takabayashi, whose name means “high pine forest.” Yet there is nothing predictable about the Buddhist monk’s journey here, his final resting place.

<< LINDA THOMPSON - Missoulian
Genki Takabayashi performs a cleansing ceremony and blessing in 2008 of the T-1 Building, where hearings were held for Japanese-Americans brought to the Fort Missoula Alien Detention Center during World War II.

Takabayashi, who died last month at the age of 81, left Japan nearly 35 years ago at the invitation of a University of Washington art history professor, Glen Webb. Webb had opened a small Zen center in Seattle, and needed someone to teach meditation.

After meeting Takabayashi at a temple during a visit to Japan, the professor asked the monk to help. He initially demurred, but agreed to move after Webb purchased him a plane ticket, and became a resident teacher at the Seattle Zen Teacher, which Webb founded.

“I met him at a temple in Japan and I thought he would be a good person to bring to Seattle,” Webb recalls. “Of course this was challenging to me because he spoke no English and I had to do all translating for a long time.”

Takabayashi learned of Zen as a boy in a Japanese mountain village, and as a young man apprenticed as a monk in a monastery in Kyoto called Daitoku-Ji, the head temple of the Rinza school of Japanese Zen, founded in the 14th century. He remained there for 25 years before meeting Webb.

Shortly after arriving in Seattle, Webb invited the Dalai Lama to visit and speak, and Takabayashi had occasion to meet the high lama.

“I was in charge of his talk and Genki was very excited about that,” Webb said.

But Takabayashi subscribed to a specific lineage of the Rinzai denomination, and his views on teaching a singular application of Zen meditation differed from Webb’s ecumenical approach. The two men went their separate ways in 1983, but Webb said Takabayashi’s time at the Zen center was valuable.

“He had a wonderful, positive effect on a number of peoples’ lives,” Webb said. “He taught by example.”

Takabayashi practiced the spiritual discipline of Zen Buddhism virtually all his life, and was one of only a few native Japanese teachers of the Rinzai school in America. Drawing on that experience, he opened the Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji on Seattle’s Beacon Hill. Another of Webb’s students, Genjo Joe Marinello, apprenticed there with Takabayashi, and succeeded his mentor when he moved to Montana in 1997.

Marinello was studying under Webb when Takabayashi first arrived from Japan, and the two men developed a sort of pidgin English that only they could understand.

“Nobody could understand us, but we knew what we were talking about and that was all that mattered,” Marinello said. “He was very gentle, very down to earth, and he could sit like a rock. He was the shining example of how to enter Zazen meditation, just sitting, just breathing, just listening.”

Marinello said Takabayashi was so dedicated to his practice and his tradition that he remembers being surprised when, after arriving in Seattle, one of the first foods he requested was a hamburger.

“We really didn’t expect that,” he said. “He was very simple, and an absolute pleasure to know. He was a bright, jovial, caring spirit.”

Marinello was ordained in 1980 and trained with Takabayashi in Seattle until his retirement 17 years later. He said there was no conflict between the serenity of their sitting meditation and the clutter of city living.

“It’s pretty simple what we were trying to achieve. The idea is to sit and touch some depth beyond yourself and let that depth express itself or flower in daily life in a creative or compassionate way that helps you in your daily life,” he said. “We had all of the complications of a city life. We were in the midst of a city but we grounded our lives with meditation. I think it made our city life sane, so we could face it with equanimity and peace of mind and a caring spirit.”

Takabayashi eventually fell in love with one of his students, Leslie Gannon, who had come to the temple to live after returning from a retreat in India. The couple moved to Ronan, where they opened a small Zen center, hosting meditation and tea ceremonies, and displaying Takabayashi’s ceramic art and calligraphy.

Gannon recalls driving through a snowstorm to Helena so that Takabayashi could obtain his citizenship, which he’d lived without through the years. When they arrived, the skies cleared and, when asked by the official why he wanted to be a U.S. citizen, Takabayashi waved his arm toward a window.

“He said, ‘There are beautiful skies in Montana,’ ” Gannon recalls. “The man stamped his paper and that was it.”

Ian Marquand, a journalist and one of the founders of the Japan Friendship Club, met Takabayashi and Gannon during a new moon viewing ceremony at the couple’s Ronan home, and remained friends with the couple.

“He was always just so pleasant. There was something restorative about being with him, and it seemed important to be able to share a little bit about who he was with the community,” Marquand said. “I wanted to share what he gave to me with other people.”

Having taken numerous trips to Japan, Marquand shared photos of his trips with the couple, and drank Sake and ceremonial green tea with Takabayashi.

The couple relocated to Victor, and a month before Takabayashi’s death, they were in a car accident. His heart was damaged in the crash, and he never recovered from the complications, which were exacerbated by diabetes.

Gannon said her husband was pleased to have lived as long as he did, and happy to die in Montana.

“He was very comfortable with Montana and with Montanans because they are all down to earth, and he certainly was very down to earth,” she said. “He gardened and made pottery. It was a very humble life, but he loved it.”

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