The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
The
Buddhist Hour
Radio Broadcast Script 271
Sunday 6 April
2003
Today's script is entitled: "The Teacher in your
heart"
Our Buddha Dhamma Teacher, John D. Hughes,
is steadily recovering in hospital from a serious illness. John's
wife Anita and his students are attending to him each day.
We
thank all the Doctors, Advisers, Nurses, Staff, the Chief Deva and
his retinue of the Maroondah Hospital for their kindness and
dedication in caring for our Teacher.
We dedicate the merits
of this script to increasing the health, strength and long life of
John D. Hughes.
We thank the many Venerable Monks, leaders in
the Buddhist community and friends in Australia and from Overseas for
the many blessings received for our Teacher.
Students
continue to do daily Medicine Buddha practice as instructed by
Venerable Master Ru Sun to increase the health and long life of John
D. Hughes.
To begin this healing process Master Ru Sun
prepared some blessed water for John D. Hughes when he visited him in
hospital on the 13 March. He advised on how the water ought be used
to prolong the life of our Teacher.
His instructions were:
Boil some water and let it cool. Then add the cool water and
the blessed water together.
Offer the water on the main altar
at the Temple.
Offer fresh flowers, water, round shaped fruit
and other suitable puja offerings on the main altar.
Chant the
Medicine Buddha Mantra forty-nine times, or more if you wish.
Then
offer some of the blessed water to John D. Hughes, some to the Devas
and Devatas, and keep some to use for the next day.
Repeat this
process for forty-nine days.
As the number of mantras chanted
increases, the water becomes more concentrated.
Students are
encouraged to chant the Medicine Buddha mantra daily at their homes
and bring the blessed water to offer to their Teacher at the hospital
every day for 49 days.
The blessed water is included in his
feed line, and also to rinse his mouth. The blessed water is also
used to wash John.
Today, Sunday 6 April 2003 is Day 32.
The
result of this practice will be the safe recovery of our Teacher John
D. Hughes.
We will now chant Homage to the Medicine Buddha and
the Medicine Buddha Mantra three times:
NAMO BHAGAVATI.
BHAISAIJYA GURU VAITUREYA PRABHA RAJAYA.
NAMO BHAGAVATI.
BHAISAIJYA GURU VAITUREYA PRABHA RAJAYA.
NAMO BHAGAVATI.
BHAISAIJYA GURU VAITUREYA PRABHA RAJAYA.
NAMO BHAGAVATI.
BHAISAIJYA GURU VAITUREYA PRABHA RAJAYA. TATHAGATAYA ARHATI
SAMYAKSAMBUDDHAYA. TADYATHA. OM. BHAISAIJYI. BHAISAIJYI. BHAISAIJYA.
SAMUDGATI. SVAHA.
NAMO BHAGAVATI. BHAISAIJYA GURU VAITUREYA
PRABHA RAJAYA. TATHAGATAYA ARHATI SAMYAKSAMBUDDHAYA. TADYATHA. OM.
BHAISAIJYI. BHAISAIJYI. BHAISAIJYA. SAMUDGATI. SVAHA.
NAMO
BHAGAVATI. BHAISAIJYA GURU VAITUREYA PRABHA RAJAYA. TATHAGATAYA
ARHATI SAMYAKSAMBUDDHAYA. TADYATHA. OM. BHAISAIJYI. BHAISAIJYI.
BHAISAIJYA. SAMUDGATI. SVAHA.
The great Buddhist Teacher
Padmasambhava is an emanation of the Medicine Buddha. An image of
this Buddha is in the hospital room.
As John D. Hughes
recovers, he continues to teach the Dhamma.
We would like to
give an update on John's health as of 31 March 2003
John D.
Hughes has passed the stage of critically ill. He has now been moved
from intensive care to a general ward.
John's cardiac position
is not the highest priority. The doctors have suggested that he now
be handed to doctors proficient in speech rehabilitation. The
priority is to retrain John to be able to swallow food and
liquid.
If this is successful, John can have the tracheostomy
removed and continue to drink and eat normally. If not successful,
John will remain on tube feeding directly into his stomach.
The
doctors have arranged for appropriate specialists to see him on
Tuesday April 1, 2003.
It is not yet determined how long the
tracheostomy will stay in.
If John can regain use of his
swallowing muscles, then he will be able to cough and bring the
sputum in his lungs out naturally. If he cannot do this, the
tracheostomy will stay in.
The outcome will be largely
determined by his rehabilitation.
The doctors have advised
against Anita taking care of John at home for the moment. They
explained that there are too many other people involved in his
rehabilitation at the moment.
As John's ability to swallow
improves, they will be happy to reassess the situation.
As
John is now no longer classed as "critical", doctors are
able to refine their assessment of his condition.
Health
update as of April 1, 2003
Our Teacher described some parts of
the healing process he is using to heal his throat. At the time of
writing, he has not yet recovered his swallowing reflex.
John
is "echoing" the volumes of water with which he rinses his
mouth to understand the capacity, or physical definition, of his
throat by use of an "echo". The method he is using was used
by the ancient Greeks (before 2000 B.C.) and is called "hydropoty"
- from the Greek words "hydro" meaning "water"
(shape) and "potes" meaning "drinker".
He
can feel the temperature in his throat but not the throat.
When
he rinses with carbonated drinks, he can feel the "fizz"
but not the throat.
He thus senses the throat by "echo".
When
healing by this method, one gets used to seeing lots of saliva. John
informed one of his students that if you look carefully at the
saliva, you can tell the lifestyle of a person in past and present
lives, whether or not they drank alcohol, and so on.
The "use
of liquids" is the sign of a good practitioner.
John D.
Hughes would be unable to taste the organic nature of orange juice
except by an "echo" technique.
The exercises of this
healing method have many uses even if you are not sick. You train in
"echoing" when healthy and use it for palliative care, if
and when it happens (and indeed it will happen - ha ha). Then, you
are ready for a useful life of more than 100 years with a good
lifestyle.
John D. Hughes asked his wife Anita Hughes and his
student Pennie White to eat dinner in the room where he is staying so
that this could help stimulate his senses.
John writes
fluently using pen and paper in order to communicate. On Tuesday 1
April 2003, he wrote "I cannot smell. In most cases, I do not
taste. All the things you do and when you eat I either see . . . I do
not know. But, as an artist with a great eye for colour, I can still
use colour to think about food, but I know the colour of food for
little sentimental value. I am eating water element (H2O) when I
rinse. I know that is my nutrient. It is a pleasant feeling. I know
the five reflections on food."
Many methods of medicine
are being combined in John's treatment.
On 3 April 2003, a
Chinese doctor was requested to visit John in hospital and assess his
condition.
The doctor has been studying Chinese medicine since
she was five years old, and has been a Chinese doctor in past
lives.
According to the doctor, John has block meridians down
one side of his body. The doctor began to unblock those meridians,
and also taught John how to do the work himself.
The doctor
indicated that she will be able to assist John to recovery.
The
doctor asked our Teacher a question. She wanted to know why, although
she loves practising her medicine and loves her patients, why she
always has a sad heart.
Our Teacher explained that this was
sadness from a previous life in which all of her children had
died.
The Chinese doctor visited John again on 4 April 2003 at
the hospital and administered thorough acupuncture treatment aimed at
improving chi down the left side of his body. The chi flow was
significantly improved. As well as improving chi, the treatment is
aimed at removing toxins. Following the whole-body treatment, John
treatment indicated that he felt no predominant area of
discomfort.
The doctor has great respect for our Teacher.
She
does not charge money for this treatment, but does it as dana. She
knows NOT to charge.
She is a Master.
Life force is the
main requirement for living.
Consider a water tank as a model
of understanding. When the water in the tank gets too low, you get
sick and eventually die. For you to stay alive, the tank must be
consistently replenished with water.
How is the tank
replenished?
The level of the tank is dependent on actions -
those of the present, or the conscious, which have occurred, say,
during the past week, and those of the past. Those actions you have
performed during the past week could be labelled as 'visible', while
those you have performed in the past, over this life and many lives
past, as 'invisible', or alternatively, 'known' and 'unknown'.
If
an action, for example an offering of food, was performed, it
resounds in the invisible, or the past. Contact in the present causes
associated thoughts and feelings from the past to arise. The
instantly tangible result of offering food is equivalent to
replenishment of water in your life tank.
Is it wise that
longevity be cultivated?
A long human existence is regarded as
a blessing by persons of many cultures and religions around the
world. We know from the Mangala Sutta discourse on the highest
blessings that long life is not one of the highest blessings.
A
few weeks before our teacher illness one student was asked at what
age he would live to. His answer was 83 years. He was then asked in
what condition of health he would be in and the student answered he
would be mostly confined to bed.
The teacher then said what
if the student were to live on for a further twelve months but had to
rely on medical and aged care resources burning up vast amounts of
merit to stay alive. The student saw the importance of having the
merit to be cared for but also having the merit to know when it is
time to die.
Longevity is regarded as a minor
blessing.
Nevertheless, human life is so important that the
Buddha chose human existence for his final awakening.
If you
have the merit, a Buddhist Monk or Nun may bless you by saying Happy
Long Life. If you have little or no merit, it would be most unlikely
that a Monk or Nun would give this minor blessing to you.
The
Venerable Ajarn Dtun, from Thailand, is currently visiting Victoria.
He is staying at Bunyawat Forest Monastery in Warburton.
Many
of our Members have visited this great Teacher to ask for blessings
for the good health and long life of our Teacher.
Venerable
Dtun is reported to have commented that he had never seen so many
people request such blessings for one person.
He also is said
to have remarked that the students of John D. Hughes all have
gratitude for their Teacher in their hearts.
Last night nine
students went to Venerable Dtun's Teaching at Bodhinvana Monastery in
Warburton East and made offerings.
When great Buddha Dhamma
Teachers visit Victoria, you ought to plan to be there.
In
Buddhist culture, it is known that actions, such as offering flowers,
contributes to the attainment of ten blessings including long life.
Our culture views the tortoise and the elephant as
representations of longevity. The long-legged crane is another symbol
of longevity.
In recent times in Australian society more and
more people attempt or contemplate attempting suicide. This is a sign
of poor mental health. Buddha Dhamma can improve mental wellness and
reduce suicidal tendencies, thus increasing longevity.
What
combination of wisdom factors operate to give longevity?
Tsong-kha-pa wrote:
"Wisdom is the eye with which
to see the meaning of Sunyata and is the Path by which to cut through
ignorance, the root of samsara. It is the treasure of knowledge
praised in all of the scriptural texts. It is well known as the Lamp
that illuminates all the darkness of closed-mindedness. Knowing this,
the Masters who have wished to attain Liberation have made all
efforts to progress along this Path."
If we write Buddha
Dhamma Teachings down and keep the writings for use by others we
extend the longevity of knowledge. This action adds more water to our
life tank. Another way of thinking is that if we plant seeds at the
right time by so doing we cultivate and prolong the life of that
plant variety. In the Vinaya, the code of conduct for the Sangha or
Monks and Nuns, the Buddha told the Monks and Nuns not to destroy the
seeds of plants. If we think of the string of words crafted by the
Buddha as if they were plant seeds we might draw the assumption that
if we preserve this string of words, long life would come to us.
This is a simple explanation of Bodhicitta (Wisdom Mind).
Plato wrote about the merits of writing.
The following
is a dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus.
Socrates: Well,
then, someone who thinks that he can set down an art in working, and
equally someone who accepts something from writing as though it were
going to be clear and reliable, must be very simple-minded... how can
they possibly think that words, which have been written down can do
more than serve as a reminder to those who already know what the
writing is about?
Phaedrus: Quite right.
Socrates: You
know, Phaedrus, writing shares a strange feature with painting. The
offspring of painting stand there as if they were alive, but if
anyone asks them anything, they are solemnly silent. The same is true
of written words. You'd think they were speaking as if they had some
understanding, but if you question anything that has been said
because you want to learn more, it gives just the same message over
and over. Once it has been written down, every discourse rolls about
everywhere, reaching just as much those with understanding as those
who have no business with it, and it does not know to whom it should
speak and to whom not. And when it is faulted and attacked unfairly,
it always needs its father's support; alone, it cannot defend itself
or come to its own support.
Phaedrus: You are quite right
about that too.
Socrates: Now tell me, can we discern another
kind of discourse, a legitimate brother of this one? Can we say how
it comes about, and how much better and more capable it naturally
is?
Phaedrus: Which one is that? How do you say it comes
about?
Socrates: It is a discourse that is written down, with
knowledge, in the soul of the listener; it can defend itself, and it
knows to whom it should speak, and with whom it should remain silent.
Phaedrus: You mean the living, breathing discourse of the man
who knows, of which the written one can fairly be called an image.
Socrates: Exactly - and tell me this. Would a farmer who was
sensible and cared about his seeds and wanted them to yield fruit
plant them in all seriousness in the gardens of Adonis in the middle
of summer and enjoy watching them become fine plants in a week? Or
would he do this as an amusement and in honour of the holiday, if he
did it at all? Wouldn't he use his knowledge of farming to plant the
seeds he cared for when it was appropriate, and be satisfied if they
bore fruit eight months later?
Phaedrus: That's how he would
handle those he was serious about.
As we practice reading,
writing and hearing with sustained awareness we must know we are
producing future bases. Our awareness of both known and unknown
information increases. Our knowledge of the known subject matter of
that we read becomes greater over time.
The Karma Sutra has
changed the lives of many who read it for it explains the direct
results of causes.
Here is, in part, the English translation
of the Karma Sutra:
Once upon a gathering attended by 1,250
followers, the Venerable Ananda, after bowing to the Buddha with
respect, asked: "In the present dark age where the majority of
our people are indulgent in unrighteousness, disrespectful to the
Lord's Teaching, undutiful to their parents, immoral, miserable and
sordid, among them, how could we understand the cryptic and
fundamental principle or causes that have brought about this reality
and what consequences each individual is to suffer eventually for his
or her deeds. My Lord, would you kindly explain these to us?
The
Enlightened One then answered, "Listen carefully, I will now
expound the Law Of Karma. Because of Karmic effects inherited from
previous lives, some people are poor, some rich, some happy and some
miserable. Following these guidelines will help you obtain happiness
and prosperity for your next life. They are:
1. Be dutiful and
respect your parents.
2. Respect the Buddhas, the (Dhamma
Teachings of Buddha) and the Buddhist Monks (Sangha).
3.
Abstain from killing and set free sentient beings.
4. Be
charitable.
The Buddha proceeded on the Karma
Sutra:
"Destiny is the aggregate of karmic effects from
the past. To believe in and practice this sutra will bring you
prosperity and happiness."
Learn the Law of Karma,
expounded as follows:
To be able to hold office in the
government is a reward for your building Buddha's Statues in a
previous life. For building Buddha's statues is likened to molding
yourself, and to protect the Tathagata is protecting yourself. To be
able to hold a high ranking position in the government is reward for
your putting gold on the Buddha's Images and Statues. To be a public
officer cannot be taken for granted, for without practising Buddhism
it will not befall you.
Your present enjoyment of various
transportation facilities without getting foot-worn is a reward for
your help in the construction of bridges and roads in your past life.
To donate clothing to Monks will ensure you are well provided with
clothing in future lives or in your next life. (For example, offering
saffron Robes during a Kathina Festival)
To be free from
hunger and starvation is the result of your providing food to the
poor in your previous life.
To be miserly and unwilling to
help the needy gives rise to future starvation and lack of
clothing.
To have ample housing is a reward for donating food
to monasteries in your past life. (Known as offering Dana to the
Sangha).
To abstain from eating meat and to pay respect to
Buddha will assure you to be reborn a very intelligent child in your
next rebirth.
To be heirless now is the result of destroying
flowers habitually in your previous life. Your longevity is due to
setting free sentient beings in your past life. Being short-lived is
the result of committing too many killings in your previous life.
To distort the truths habitually will cause you to suffer
blindness in your next life. To have a wry mouth is due to your
intentionally blowing candles before the Buddha's altar in your past
life.
Plugging snake-pit and mouse holes habitually will cause
you to starve to death in your next birth. To intentionally poison a
river or water source will cause you to die of poison in your next
life. Disrespecting Buddha's teaching will bring you constant
starvation in your next rebirth.
To hunt animals with rope
and net will predestine your death by hanging in your next birth. To
be struck by lightning or burnt by fire will be the punishment for
dishonest trade dealing. Being attacked and wounded by wild beasts
and snakes tells you that those creatures were your enemies in your
previous life.
Whatever you do will come back on you, so
accept whatever justice and retribution that befalls on you. You will
live to bear the consequences of your deeds, either within this
lifetime or in your future life.
Past karma determines your
present destiny. Present karma moulds your next life.
Whoever
distributes this sutra free to all will become a leader to humanity
in his or her next life.
After having spoken the above
teaching to Ananda and the followers, the Buddha added that there are
innumerable examples of karmic law. He only mentioned some examples
for generalization.
A student of our Centre recently wrote a
"vision" of what he wants in his life.
His
description included a beautiful, rambling home, multiple residences
in a variety of locations, including Varanassi in India and in
Tasmania, and a beautiful woman who would mother his children and be
his inspiration "beyond his wildest dreams". All this would
occur in an environment of much love. Projects included writing books
and donating money to charitable causes.
In response, one of
our longer-term Members decided to write down her own "vision".
She
looked into her heart to see what she really wants, and this is what
she found:
"I want my son to grow strong and sound, and
kind, to develop a pure heart, and to learn to 'roll with the
punches' and come up laughing.
To repay the kindness of my
Teachers, to feel the joy and pain of others as my own, so that I can
truly understand them.
To develop skilful means so that I can
make clear the poignancy and subtleties of the Dhamma to other
beings, so that they can apply it to their own lives.
To love,
to laugh on the inside, and to be myself.
To be a great
benefactor, amassing great wealth to offer as dana for the benefit of
others.
To grow a big heart and open it wide, the heart that
knows giving as joy. To live love.
To be a salve, to soothe
the sufferings of my fellow human beings, to develop the wisdom and
compassion to be of real benefit to others.
And to always keep
the Dhamma in my heart."
Our teacher has for many years
advised his students to write down their life plans and to work on
them and review them often. He advises that to write a life plan will
initially take a student around three years.
This process of
writing down what it is they want untangles the real from the unreal
and makes you look deeper into what is really in your heart that make
you happy.
Venerable Mahinda's instruction to one of our
students was to look into your heart and see what it is that you
really want.
Base your life plan on that.
It is wise to
transfer part of your merit to the longevity of your Buddha Dhamma
Teacher.
May you be well and happy and increase your longevity
and good health on the right minds.
We dedicate the merits of
this script to increasing the health, strength and long life of John
D. Hughes.
May the merit of these good actions increase the
health, strength and long life of Anita M. Hughes.
May the
merit of these good actions increase the health, strength and long
life of John D. Hughes.
May the Buddha Dhamma be taught.
May
all beings be well and happy.
May you be well and
happy.
This script was written and edited by John D.
Hughes, Julian Bamford BA(AppRec), Leanne Eames BA MA and Pennie
White BA DipEd.
References
Buddhist Hour Broadcast
121
Readability Statistics
Counts
Words: 2890
Characters: 13417
Paragraphs: 102
Sentences: 167
Averages
Sentences per paragraph: 1.7
Words per
Sentence: 16.9
Characters per word: 4.5
Readability
Statistics
Passive Sentences: 11%
Flesch Reading Ease score:
66.1
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score: 8.1
Readability
Statistics
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it can display information about the reading level of the document,
including the following readability scores. Each readability score
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Rates
text on a 100-point scale; the higher the score, the easier it is to
understand the document. For most standard documents, aim for a score
of approximately 60 to 70.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
score
Rates text on a U.S. grade-school level. For example, a
score of 8.0 means that an eighth grader can understand the document.
For most standard documents, aim for a score of approximately 7.0 to
8.0.
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