The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives

Today, the vote counting for the Victorian Government election processes are running their course.

Whatever the outcome, within a few months, citizens lose interest in the outcome.

Because of superb news coverage, our media advises of the result to just about everyone in the State of Victoria.

For those interested, it is certain that media will give different coverings.

The media will issue reports having different levels of detailed analysis of what happens to the economy as the policies of the winners come into force.

Common news in the popular press at times deals with what may be termed right speech but, on other occasions, it deals with whatever is the next newsworthy item it considers worthwhile.

Right speech (Pali; samma vaco) is taught as an important part of Dhamma training in the eightfold path.

In Buddha Dhamma, it might be said that the general goal is to place the study of language in a broader intellectual perspective.

This is done, first of all, by showing how language relates to other modes of communication, within the more general heading of semiotics.

The second part deals with what is called today" linguistics", the science of language study.

The distance one person stands apart from another person is a form of communication of status.

David Crystal ( 1997) states that in Western culture the distances are:

--for "intimate" - less than 45 cm;
--for "personal" - 45cm to 1.3 metres;
--for "social consultative" - between 3 to 4 metres, and
--for "public" - above 4 metres.

The rules of the Indian caste system specify the acceptable distances between castes.

In many ways, most reports cannot be candid because of time restraints.

If you think about how many public words you utter in a 24-hour period, you have some idea of how you might feel if there was a framework for reporting every single word you uttered in public.

In most cases, it is unlikely you have much effect on others by the words you choose.

Consider the amount of speech your mothers or guardians told you as children. Many things were repeated thousands of times, but did not register in firm action.

That the mental health of Australians is poor, as measured by suicide rates, is well established. Taking refuge in alcohol is a very vicious circle. For example, sometimes a strong mother can see a man who drinks is unsuitable for her daughter, yet the daughter is heedless of such advice. Later, the woman find the suffering she inherits by living with the drunk too much.

After all that suffering, you think she would have nothing to do with him, but in a future life they could well meet again and the suffering becomes more and more because of him.

There is nothing gender specific in this scenario; it can apply to drunken females.

If a person will not give up alcohol before marriage, why would a person who marries such a drunken person believe that person would give up alcohol him after marriage?

Talk is cheap unless it is backed by action--a person who is not so good at keeping promises is like cheap calico--the colour soon fades.

Persons who are serious about wanting a peaceful live should take the first step of trying to find methods of creating new logical models from the logical model of their present system.

Most persons need help in this area-- they cannot think it though by themselves. Helping persons to develop and use good minds, each for himself or herself, is part of Buddha training. Over the years our Centre has help many persons with drugs of addition problems develop better minds. Because we have flexibility of our minds, there is nothing fixed about our position.

In the past, we did deliver a level of service to a few persons that other organisations could not afford. But, as things change we see wider, more global possibilities.

Clients must note, like it or not like it, that we have no intention of being to be suckered into the delivery of such past service forever.

Since it is clear that other organisations having Government funding policies can deliver a "no-frills" average service in an addition areas, we have withdrawn from that area.

One of our strengths is that we use our resources better than most other organisations. We develop sympathetic joy (Pali: mudita) when we learn of funding of other organisations. This funding is seen as a good thing because, although we do not receive a single dollar, it can influence our objectives.

Our standard former Chan practice was to provide opportunities for useful activities in the way of the garden causing the clients to be useful to others over two years in the four seasons. We still use this Chan method for persons who do not have addition problems. We did not charge for our services.

Gradually, clients came to appreciate that the appearance of the food and material supply chain to which they had easy access and was available to them in Australia, although supportive and very expensive to deliver must have arisen because of good causes in their former lives.

Without doubt, we know this much to be true.

--If persons keep drawing from their merit bank without putting something back, they cannot hold human rebirth.

We are not old-fashioned and have been very interested in IT delivery of our know-how for a decade. Since we are self-funding, we are light on our feet and can change direction.

The question we addressed three years ago was:

--How can we get our Member's time available and money to apply to IT issues?

When we reviewed our service treatment for alcohol addicted persons, we have found it was very consumptive of our resources--to the extent of thousands of dollars per year.

--As Australian Government projects at all levels have become stronger each year in addressing addiction problems, we have been able to scale down the use of our resources each year.

The key incentive to hurry up our IT planning occured two years ago.

We agreed we would supply with 8 rapporteurs for the World Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Australia in 1998

--to gain energy and fund the development of this IT input to world class standards, we removed many services from our current concerns.

--after our success at the Conference, we decided to apply more and more of our resources to our IT development plan.

We changed our delivery service culture to IT.

We wish to thank the various Australian political leaders and their advisors for their vision and will to direct public funds and activities to address Australian addition problems, which are at epidemic level.

We use our funds so we can respond to new challenges.

KNOXFM radio broadcasts form part of our Knowlege Management process.

We wish to help many beings change before the difficult year 2000.

--We will be broadcasting at midnight to 1 am on 31 december 1999.

Listeners might wish to sponsor this historic broadcast.

We hope to put something special on our website at that time.

Since we have a high graduate component among our Members, we are confident we will improve our website www.bdcu.org.au by bringing it in house.

Under our rules of right speech, libel and slander have no place.

Our website has been operating in this frame with contiguity. We have approached IT from the four quarters of objectives.

These objectives are:

--Functional,
--Process,
--Operational and
--personal with job satisfaction.

May you be well and happy.

This script was written and edited by John D. Hughes and Leanne Eames.

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