Sustaining peace after New Lynn attack

We are dismayed about what took place in New Lynn yesterday.  This was a despicable attack on innocent people. Our thoughts are particularly with the injured and their families, and we send our wishes for healing to all affected.

Countdown New Lynn is the local supermarket for many in our communities, who are left feeling threatened by this. We stand with them and the wider West Auckland community.

This attack is on our way of life in Aotearoa New Zealand. Violent extremism conflicts with our core values.

We remain grateful for the genuine teaching concerning peace that came from Muslim communities in the aftermath of the Christchurch Mosque attacks, and how they followed through on that. Since those attacks New Zealand society has seen attempts at great social inclusion.  Strong expressions of openness and aroha have been shared and it is in those that the enduring antidote to violence and hostility is to be found.

We hope that the great faiths practiced in this country will all help work to mitigate any damage to the fabric of trust from this terrorist deed.

May our shared values and humanity keep us together.

마음은 동요하기 쉽고, 혼란하기 쉬우며, 지키기 힘들고, 억제하기 힘들다.
또한 마음은 잡기도 어려울 뿐만 아니라 가볍게 흔들리며, 탐하는 대로 달아난다. 단지 지혜있는 사람만이 이를 바로잡는다.
마음은 보기 어렵고 미묘하나, 지혜 있는 사람은 이 같은 마음을 잘 다스린다. 마음을 잘 다스리는 사람이 곧 안락을 얻는다.  

The mind is easy to influence, easy to confuse,  It’s hard to keep steady, hard to hold down. Also, not only is the mind difficult to grasp, it can be shaken up if lightly disturbed and one can flee from desires only if one can control their thoughts. Only a wise person can correct this.  The mind is hard to be conscious of, A wise person is good controlling their mind in a subtle way. A person who is well-controlled soon gains real comfort and peace of mind.

– contributed by Jong-Gun Sunim, Myosim-sa Buddhist Temple

꽃은 바람을 거슬러서 향기를 낼 수 없지만, 선하고 어진 사람이 풍기는 향기는 바람을 거슬러 사방으로 퍼진다.

The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind and neither can that of sandalwood, rhododendron or jasmine. Only the reputation of virtuous people can go against the wind. The reputation of the virtuous is wafted in all directions.

There are the scents of sandalwood, rhododendron, lotus and jasmine, but the scent of virtue surpasses all scents.

– Dhammapada Verse 54 & 55

contributed by Jong-Gun Sunim, Myosim-sa Buddhist Temple

Waking Up to Our Deep Interconnectedness

Back around the beginning of March, when the early economic effects of the new coronavirus shutdown in Wuhan were becoming apparent in New Zealand, an old Zen/Chan saying came to mind:

When the cows of Huaizhou eat grain,
The stomachs of the horses in Yizhou get fat.

Or, we could say, “When a person in Wuhan sneezes, a forestry worker in Gisborne loses her job”. Six weeks on, millions of people around the world are now caught up in the Covid-19 pandemic. Amid all the suffering and uncertainty there is the possibility that we humans, forced to slow down and stay quietly at home, will wake up to our deep interconnectedness and shared vulnerability, and perhaps question what is of most value in our lives. We may come to appreciate the words of the great lay practitioner Vimalakirti: “I am sick because sentient beings are sick.”

-Amala Wrightson Sensei,  Auckland Zen Centre

Wise Fear vs Foolish Fear

The Buddha made it clear that there are legitimate dangers in the world, and there is a wise way to respond to them. He also said there is a great amount of self-created fear that unnecessarily creates suffering for ourselves and others. As the coronavirus … Continue reading

– Ajahn Chandako, Vimutti Buddhist Monastery, New Zealand