The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast for Sunday 20 January 2002
Broadcast Script 208

Glossary

Phoney: Not genuine; spurious, counterfeit, or bogus; fraudulent

Action-research: action, and reflection on action, as joint responsibilities in research methodology. The review of action and reflection on action in a loop.

The title of today’s broadcast is:
Active recalling harmony

Last week’s broadcast theme was ‘We shall know by experience’. We spoke about our Members who are gaining experience in many areas and thereby increase their knowledge. Our Members are learning to document their work practice experiences to make recall of it available so that others can benefit from their knowledges gained. Documentation of knowledges gained is a meritorious action because it enables others to learn and find how to do things fast. This documentation saves future Members’ time and preserves our working knowledges. It improves communication by the fact it is written down and machine searchable.

This week we launched our new 52 page publication Longhair Australian News. Longhair Australian News is a trading name of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. A.C.N. 005 701 806 A.B.N. 42 611 496 488. The registration number for our trading name Longhair Australian News is B1610696L, ISSN - 1446-5124 (Print).

On 15 January 2002, Pennie White and Evelin Halls uploaded Longhair Australian News to www.bsbonline.com.au/longhair. You can view a coloured photograph of our launch team and Volume 1, No. 1 at www.bsbonline.com.au/longhair. This new work practice publication is a direct outcome of Members working in harmony and writing discoveries down. This project has action-research methodology.

In the book “An Introduction To Curriculum Research And Development” action-research is described as a “cyclical structure of evaluatory schemes” used in investigating inquiry- and discovery-based teaching. Action-research orientation means to act and reflect on action in a loop. The result is valuable information about effectiveness, in-service training and performance, for example. This methodology increases awareness.

This week we celebrate another project having action-research methodology. This is the Brooking Street Bugle one year online at URL www.bsbonline.com.au. Our next action-research project writings will be uploaded at www.companyontheweb.com/buddhamap: our Fire Prevention Manual 2002. It ought to be online within a fortnight.

On Sunday 13 January 2002, our Teacher John D. Hughes, Anita Svensson and Julian Bamford attended the corner-stone laying ceremony at the Phat Quang Temple.

Why should any employee who is not a follower of Buddha Dhamma agree that one of his or her workers should forego work to attend the opening?

True Buddha Dhamma followers hold precepts so they cannot tell a lie and take phoney sick leave.

Because such rare events as Temple openings occur from time to time, our Teacher encourages his students to consider how they can work and yet have some freedom to attend and help at such important events.

Our Teacher suggests one method is that students work for a decade or so to acquire the conducive skills needed to become self-employed or become a consultant.

Then, in such a work situation, it is possible for persons to manage a few hours away from work during the day. They are invited to consider the wisdom of choosing to help others for a few hours from time to time rather than just making money.

We need to find the one thing that never changes, that is, the need for an individual to get enough quality time to practice in a suitable location each for himself or herself.

The fourth thing to learn includes the notion that if our time and energies are fully occupied with the mechanics of living such as generating an income and looking after our householder duties then it is very difficult to practice the peaceful processes required to start to realise the Dhamma. Such processes include the production of many causes for learning and skill building. We are not referring to having an intellectual appreciation of Buddha Dhamma.

Having sufficient leisure time in a suitable location is a prerequisite to attaining and realising the vast fields of knowledge and wisdom available through Buddha Dhamma practice.

For many lay persons leisure time seems to be the very thing that is difficult to obtain because they did not plan to obtain it at an earlier time.

Our teacher commends all Students who come to recognize the benefit of making sufficient wealth when young to increase their leisure time for practice before they are too old, those who took the time to investigate how to write their time management of life.

Our Teacher has shown that the relationship taxonomy for Buddhist relations starts with dana (generosity), followed by adosa (active friendship), leading to building good will.

From a store of good will, it is possible to build trust from which long term accord could arise.

By understanding at least a few of our own past lives and deaths before we were born human this life, we can learn the causes that brought us to this present condition, and gain an insight into that of our ancestors.

Whatever birth they have come to, may they find peace.

There is a saying that, “A teacher for knowledge is easy to obtain, one for morality is hard to find”.

In Chinese educational history, the scholastic tendencies demonstrated under the civil service examination system of old China meant that scholars became obsessed with gaining official recognition and neglected moral principles. The so-called ‘Master’ was one who could help a scholar prompt his official rank. Therefore, the relationship between Masters and students was totally dependent on mutual benefits, and the spirit of teaching deteriorated accordingly.

‘A teacher of morality’ refers to an expert or professor in teaching techniques whose inner nature and behaviour can be a demonstrative example for ordinary people; thus it is difficult to find a good teacher such as this.

Nevertheless, in Buddha Dhamma there are teachers of morality simply because of the Ten Perfections that are needed to be cultivated, and the second of these perfections is sila in the Pali language, which is generally translated as morality in the English language.

Many human beings wish to improve and are willing to allot time and energy to work in return for rewards.

The Buddha taught the Ten Perfections as a method of self-development.

Morality (Sila) is the second Perfection of the Ten Perfections.

By the practice of morality you come to peaceful rebirth in wealthy places like Australia.

We have developed in our Members persons who are flexible enough and patient enough to work through problems and are educated, credible, significant and professional enough to work together in teams. They have to deal with considerable pressures, but can stomach the risks and enjoy the art of conflict resolution that always appears wherever Buddha Dharma is being propagated.

It must be remembered that there are certain types of persons who work to destroy the morality associated with religious teachings. But in the long run as the Dharma ending age gets darker and darker these persons succeed in destroying the Buddha Dharma in the human world 2500 years from now. After that time because the suitable locations have been destroyed and human beings are born with bad dispositions, they are not teachable so therefore Teachers do not take birth to show the way. The marks of the destruction of the Buddha Sasene (the teaching era) have been described by Buddha how stepwise the conditions needed for learning are destroyed.

Money alone will not fix up the conditions for teaching about the four Noble truths.

What we are doing right now is more important than who we were in the past.

Even though the past may account for many of the inequalities we see in life, the outcomes could change at any moment.

You need not focus on your karmic past too much otherwise you can become obsessed by it.

Your karmic opportunity lies in the present to act in a wiser manner.

We want to live like human beings, not as animals. What is the point of getting human birth and then choosing to live like animals?

Do not become enmeshed with persons who do not keep precepts because while you are with them, you have no time to meet people who do keep precepts.

Stop wasting your precious, valuable, hard-to-obtain human life.

Very high cognitive orders can remove any tendency towards depression, and loving relationships can be maintained between persons holding many precepts, but for persons who do not hold precepts, the future of their relationships is bleak.

We encourage our Members to develop better work cultures, whatever their occupation.

This means they willingly give time to their job, and occasionally a little extra.

They are encouraged to join professional groups and cooperate with various individuals and groups whose joint efforts are often needed.

They are willing to get involved in the nitty-gritty, if need be.

They will move the chairs, clean the coffee pot, and dirty their hands if that is what is necessary to get the job done.

They are willing to tolerate what they cannot change, and strongly work for those things they can change to render better service and quality.

They are willing to work harder, care more, complain less and love their profession long after other folks have given up.

These things are learnt and practiced by the good Members at our Centre as they continue to write and present our radio scripts over the four seasons.

If you wish to help yourself to develop in these areas, please come and help us.

In Buddha Dhamma meditation practice, the outside world is put down and the inside mental world is examined.

Naturally, the inside world has not got work as number one because it deals with what is outside of us such as work. Few persons have a paid job to examine their inner world. We are not paid at work to get to know our likes and dislikes; we are paid to attend to the task at hand.

It is not through work we obtain a niche in Buddhist society, it is through increasing our awareness to examine the marks of true existence.

The teaching of the Buddha showed us how to always maintain awareness of our actions and our minds.

If we are constantly acting in a way which is learned or seen to be proper, then our focus is going to be on other person’s reactions as opposed to our own actions.

Abiding in our true Buddha nature allows us to be simply and gently aware, and if one is always mindful then our actions and responses will always be appropriate.

Our next action-research project is to write a speed learning training Manual on Celebrations this week. It is important that all our Members understand the correct practices for celebrations. This will commence on 1 February 2002. If you want to learn and help us please contact us at 9754 3334.

The 16th anniversary celebration of the Ch’an Academy will be held on 6 February 2002. The Ch’an Academy was opened on 6 February 1986.

May all our listeners make causes for their own leisure time in the future by writing a life plan soon.
May you preserve your own happiness, and have harmonious relationships.
May your actions and responses always be appropriate.
May you research projects run smoothly.
May listening or reading these words be a cause for your future to contain the blessings and teachings of the Buddha Dharma.

May you be well and happy.

Today’s radio script is a compendium of our weekly broadcasts from 10 September 2000 to 5 November 2000. You can find this radio script and previous scripts online at: www.bdcublessings.net.au.

The authors and editors of this script were: John D. Hughes, Leanne Eames, Evelin Halls and Pennie White.

Disclaimer:

As we, the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also, we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information included in any of the links with our websites, or an other source accessed through our website(s).

Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

References

1994 Annual Report and Position Paper, A Relationship Taxonomy For Buddhist Relationships, John D. Hughes Collection Development Sub-Committee, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

Stenhouse, Lawrence. 1976. An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London, Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, pp. 163-165.

Document Statistics

Total:
Words: 1702
Sentences: 85
Paragraphs: 61
Syllables:

Averages:
Words per sentence: 2.0
Sentences per paragraph :1.4

Percentages:
Passive Sentences: 20%

Readability Statistics:
Flesch Grade Level:
Coleman-Liau Grade Level: 11.2
Bormuth Grade Level: 10.1
Flesch Reading Ease Score: 55.0
Flesch-Kincaid Score: 10.3

Readability Statistics

Display’s statistics about the document's readability, such as the Flesch Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease Score. These statistics help you determine if you are writing at a level your audience can understand.

Flesch Grade Level: Flesch Grade Level indicates the Flesch Reading Ease score as a grade level. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Coleman-Liau Grade Level: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the average number of letters per word and number of sentences per 100 words.

Bormuth Grade Level: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the average number of letters per word and per sentence. These scores indicate grade levels ranging from 6.3 to 11.6.

Flesch Reading Ease Score: Indicates how easy the document is to read based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. These scores indicate a number between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier the document is to read. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Flesch-Kincaid Score: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. This score predicts the difficulty of reading technical documents, and is based on Navy training manuals that score in difficulty from 5.5 to 16.3. It meets military readability specifications MIL-M-38784 and DOD-STD-1685.

Flesch Scoring Table

(Reference: Lotus Word Pro Help Files)

This Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY.

Please keep it in a clean place.

"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".

For more information, contact the Centre or better still, come and visit us.

May You Be Well And Happy

This Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY.

Please keep it in a clean place.

"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".

© Copyright. The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

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