Why Dee Why?

Well, Happy Tsagaan Sar, y’all! I’m observing Mongolian New Year with nary a Mongol in sight, in contrast to previous years. But today Ani Tenzin and I did hang with Tibetans (for whose Losar celebrations I offer a hearty “Tashi Delek!”) in a Sydney ‘burb mysteriously named Dee Why (theories abound). Apparently 330 Tibetans reside in the environs, courtesy of Australia’s refugee policy, and it seemed we waved at about 297 of them as we sipped “flat whites” at an outdoor table at Gloria Jean’s Coffee Shop. The shop’s nicknamed ‘McLeod Ganj’ (part of the Tibetan settlement in Dharamsala, India) for just that reason.

Our primary aim was to meet a Tibetan nun named Ani Yeshe, who practices in the same Palyul tradition as we do. After coffee, she invited us to her flat for lunch. As her story unfolded, I found it so maddening. Here is a young Tibetan woman who just wants to focus her life on enlightenment and practice the Dharma. She began at a nunnery in central Tibet near its first monastery, Samye. The Communist Chinese occupiers succeeded in making life there intolerable, so she and 16 other monks and nuns walked for 26 days over the Himalayas to Nepal.

Eventually Ani Yeshe found her way to Dharamsala and settled in the Palyul nunnery there called Shug Sep. She studied and practiced well, to the point where she felt ready for three-year retreat. But it was hard enough meeting monthly expenses; often there wasn’t enough. The resources for such a long retreat seemed out of reach. So she applied for this refugee program and was accepted for emigration to Australia.

So here she is, with a good heart but little English and few working skills. Wanting to blend in, she has let her hair grow and has stopped wearing her robes in public. She has tried to find work for almost a year, with no success. Whatever happens, she must be in Australia four years before there is any chance to obtain an Australian passport and return to India for retreat. It’s such a long, hard road, but Ani Tenzin seems determined to rally the Australian Palyul sangha behind her and help in whatever way possible. This cheered me immensely.

Other ordained Asian Buddhists have had a far less difficult transition to Australia. For the past several days I have been in the Blue Mountains north of Sydney. The ladies up there, all with strong connections to Palyul and HH Penor Rinpoche, kept us wonderfully busy morning to night with practices, individual meetings, meals, you name it. And on the last day, when the rain finally took a brief respite, we paid a visit to Australia’s oldest monastery, the Australian Buddhist Vihara. It was built on National Forest land in 1972, and designed by the same genius who dreamed up the Sydney Opera House (which I still haven’t seen).

That it was so peacefully nestled in lush, lovely scenery you’ll have to take my word. Guess which dope forgot his camera? But one smarty in our party had one, so a few shots below.

For the past ten years, the vihara has been run by a Sri Lankan monk, Ven. Kovida, slight in stature but with a great big smile. He’s temporarily joined by Ven. Somaloka. Both were very jolly, though you’d never know it by the Mongol-like poker faces they pulled when it was time to take a group shot:

These two practice in the Theravadin forest monk tradition, which emphasizes meditation in solitude. In Sri Lankan society they are distinguished by these maroon robes. I told them my robes signified I was from the Vajrayana coffee shop tradition, which perhaps doesn’t garner the same level of respect.

After a tour, we were invited to lunch. This was not as mundane as it sounds, and deeply touching to me. The reason is that they follow the exact traditions as those which the sutras describe from 2600 years ago. In a small dining hall, the monks were offered a vegetarian meal, before noon, in their begging bowls (Tenzin and I were offered plates). This little cutie, Baba, insisted on serving most of the dishes himself:

After eating in silence, the lay people (in this case a Sri Lankan family who had made a special trip from Sydney in celebration of the father’s birthday; how marvelous to mark your birthday by deliberately creating good karma for future lifetimes) receive blessings and teaching. Part of the blessing ceremony involved unwinding a long white thread, held in common by the chanting monks, us as guests, and the lay people. The chanting, in Pali and perhaps Singhala as well, was lively and gorgeous and I later found out that Ven. Somaloka is famous in Sri Lanka for the quality of his voice. He also offered each lay person a piece of the white thread tied on their wrists with a special chant. Baba, of course, was first in line:

After the blessing chants, Ven. Kovida turned to me and said, “Venerable, would you like to give the dhamma talk?” Homminah, homminah...um, sure! I keyed off the birthday theme and talked about this precious human rebirth and the constant reality of impermanence and change, which to the astute contemplative means the time to practice is now, not later today or mañana. Here I am pretending I know what I’m talking about, while Ven. Kovida pretends he’s listening deeply and not sleeping:

Now back in Sydney for a moment, where we took advantage of a brief break in the rain clouds to zip up to the lookouts at a place called North Head and snap the obligatory lookout tourist pic. I must say the view of Sydney over the harbor is quite stunning. Sorry I ruined it by getting in front of the lens.

This afternoon I fly out to Melbourne for a week of spinning more tales, and perhaps chasing after the elusive Lewin’s Rail. May you all enjoy a healthy, prosperous and spiritually fruitful Year of the Earth Mouse!

Comments

[Kay in New Mexico]

Happy Mongolian New Year!

I have a wonderful calendar to organize myself with -- it has the special days for all kinds of faith communities on it, which is good. We all need to be reminded sometimes that our way is not the only way, you know?

But today it doesn't say "Mongolian New Year" but it does say "Nirvana Day." Because this sounds pretty BUddhist to me, may I wish you a Happy Nirvana Day? (What constitutes a happy Nirvana Day? What IS Nirvana Day?)

Nirvana Day blessings on you all!

[Carol of Seattle]

Can you have an unhappy nirvana day?

[Linda]

My you're looking slim and trim after the Pneumonia ordeal. Hopefully you are completely healed up - and with all the heavy chanting and praying around you gotta assume you must be. Glad you're having such a fab trip. Thrilling about Ryan and TMK eh?