Sakyadhita Australia

A national organisation representing Buddhist women in Australia across all traditions

Newsletter No. 13
Spring 2021

Contact details

sakyadhitaoz@gmail.com

Web: www.sakyadhitaoz.org
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"Around us, life bursts with miracles - a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life's daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there."
- Thich Nhat Han

Just go to our website: https://www.sakyadhitaoz.org/become-a-member
If people join now or past members renew their membership this will be valid until the end of 2022. Our membership fees have not changed. Please encourage your dharma friends to join and be part of our activities and support our objectives.

Vale Ven Bhikkhuni Kusuma, Pioneer of the Bhikkuni Lineage

We were saddened to hear of the death of Venerable Bhikkhuni Kusuma at the age of 92. She was a pioneer in the revival of the Theravadin Bhikkuni lineage globally, being the first Theravadin woman to be ordained since the eleventh century.

Ranjani da Silva, former Sakyadhita International President, shared the story. She and Kusuma attended the Buddhist Nuns Conference in Bodhgaya in 1987. (This was where Sakyadhita was formed.) They were inspired by the late Ayya Khema (one of the conference organisers and Sakyadhita co-founders) who was seeking to revive the bhikkhuni lineage.

At the time Kusuma was married and a mother of six children. She had a strong background in academia, particularly Buddhist studies where she had PhDs in topics related to both Sri Lankan nuns and the Vinaya. She had a good knowledge of Pali, English and dhamma. Sadly one of her daughters passed away, which led Kusuma towards the life of an Anagarika (novice nun). She was already in her sixties.

By then Sakyadhita Sri Lanka was formed and was exploring the idea of reinstating the bhikkuni lineage. As it was not possible to give ordination in Sri Lanka Kusuma was ordained with nine other novice nuns at Sarnath in India on 8th December 1996 by monks from the Korean sangha. Due to her knowledge of Pali, dhamma and Vinaya, and as she had been living the life of an Anagarika for many years, she was made the leader and received the ordination first. This ordination was possible as the bhikkuni lineage had originally been transmitted from Sri Lanka when bhikkhunis went to China to give ordination in the fifth century. Later the ordination was transmitted from China to Korea and other Asian countries.

Subsequently Ven Kusuma gave dhamma talks and retreats all over the world. She was known for her teaching skills, her ability to convey the dhamma clearly, even to children. She was invited to Australia and many here remember her dhamma talks. One retreatant said, “She explained the dhamma with clarity and erudition”. In Sri Lanka she established the Ayya Khema International Meditation Centre.

Kusuma’s contribution towards the bhikkuni sangha and the Buddhist community as a whole is significant. Many women have ordained since then and the bhikkuni tradition is flourishing, including in Australia, where four nuns were recently ordained.

Film maker Malgorzata Dobrowolska, met Ven Kusuma in Sri Lanka. She said,
"I started my trip in Sri Lanka by visiting Bhikkhuni Kusuma at the Ayya Khema International Meditation Centre, in Horana. As soon as I arrived, I asked if Bhikkhuni Kusuma would agree to be one of the protagonists of the film. Bhikkhuni Kusuma looked deep into my eyes and agreed. Since then I have spent such a meaningful and inspiring time with Bhikkhuni Kusuma... Bhikkhuni Kusuma thank you so much for all your wisdom, courage and kindness. I am feeling so grateful that I had the privilege to meet you and spend time with you. Thank you for your trust and for your participation in the film".

Malgorzata Dobrowolska, is director of the film, 'Bhikkhunī – Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution'. (See separate article in the newsletter.)

We were proud to host this webinar with Jill Jameson, who has devoted so much of her life to peace activism, to humanitarian and development work, as well as to her practice of Zen Buddhism. In particular she has spent 25 years as a trainer in peace building and conflict transformation in Myanmar.

We learnt about the brutality of the military that, since the February 2021 coup, is crushing the people and their practice of Buddhism. Jill described how the tragedy of Myanmar plays out on so many levels and said that the impact on the people and their Buddhist practice is profound. You can find some edited excerpts below or listen to the webinar on our Youtube channel or read the full transcript here

The People’ Struggle.
Pic : Civil Disobedience Movement – non-violent protest.
Jill described how so many of the remarkably courageous people of Myanmar put their lives on the line again and again. The military are now arresting family members, even children. Yet people are strong and they still say ‘we are going to win this’ and ‘there's no falling into a heap’. They feel that not doing anything is to fall into despair so it is better to be part of engaged action where possible as they live with complete uncertainty about the future.

People continue to demonstrate, risking their lives. They use creative ways to do this. At one stage they put soft toys on the streets instead of bodies. There are flash mobs. Some women have cut up their sarongs as flags because of a traditional belief that if a man walks beneath a sarong it will bring evil and bad luck. So they have strung up these flags at the entrance of the town and the military will not come through. Their creativity is boosting morale.

Buddhism in Myanmar
Jill explained that the reciprocal relationship between the community and the sangha is breaking down. She said many monks have been supporting the civil disobedience movement, which is non-violent. Monks have been protesting, holding up banners which say that the military must stop the violence and listen to the will of the people. They have helped with dialogue between the police and the protesters and are generally supporting their communities.
If people are seen supporting these monks there can be problems. The military will see them as supporters of the civil disobedience movement and then people become afraid to continue. Sadly we learnt that some communities are now too poor to provide dana. The monks then have problems supporting the people by giving them education and solace.
We are also now seeing some ‘bad monks’, those who are inciting racism, giving Buddhism a bad name. Jill said she believed the problem is very limited education, that some people and monks can be very easily led in a country that uses fear and a top-down approach.

The Impact of Covid-19
Jill said the impact of Covid-19 is dire and urgently needs a humanitarian response. The military have done the opposite of helping people, they have denied access to vaccinations and medical treatment and are using Covid-19 to, “kill people off as it saves their military hardware”. It’s estimated that one in three people have had Covid-19 and an unknown number of people have died. As no figures on deaths are kept no one knows the death toll. Many new crematoriums have been built and there are huge queues of bodies entering these. To give an example of the way in which the military are jeopardizing any treatment being given, on one occasion they put out a fake call that someone needed help, and when three medics arrived they were arrested.

Some of the monks are trying to build oxygen cylinder factories. Some of the nuns have got Covid-19 and are in hospital; others are looking after the younger ones. Many local organisations are volunteering to care for those with Covid-19 as a result of the breakdown of the health system, and people are incredibly supportive of each other and are sharing what they can.

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB)

Pic: Peace building training with monks and nuns.

spiritual friends who are supporting each other. A recent program has been a female sangha initiative for social transformation, empowering women’s sanghas in the southeast Asian region for gender equality, women-led peace building initiatives and the promotion of religious pluralism.Kalyana Mitta’,This organisation is a network of engaged Buddhists and the focus is on ‘

Jill is currently trying to support friends in Myanmar. This is challenging because of surveillance, but some have escaped to Thailand where they can share information more openly. She is also raising funds – such as through Australian Buddhist sanghas - for INEB’s urgent humanitarian appeal to support monks and nuns in Myanmar’s political movement against the military dictatorship.

Support
“What is happening in Myanmar includes war crimes and crimes against humanity”, said Jill. The people of Myanmar really want peace and, “It’s their decision as to how they do that but they need our support”. They also need support from government. We still haven't seen Australia’s Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, demand sanctions or the Australian Government issue sanctions against the generals and their families. The WAM (Women’s Activists for Myanmar) is lobbying for these sanctions as well as for the recognition of the National Unity Government (NUG) and the release from custody of all political prisoners.

The United Nationals Human Rights Council had a hearing on the human rights situation in Myanmar last July. A request was made for the UN General Assembly to recognise the NUG as Myanmar’s legitimate government. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was established by the UN in 1948 human rights principles are frequently breached all over the world and the UN cannot or does not act.

How we can help
One way to help is to send money to the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. This money will be distributed locally to monks and nuns who are presently cut off from their usual sources of dana. Donations will help with their subsistence, support their communities and the civil disobedience work.
Some aid agencies in Australia are implementing programs on behalf of the UN, such as the World Food Program and UNICEF.
Jill said there’s also the practice of metta meditation and engaged Buddhist practice. This leads to the realization we are not separate from others and their suffering, that we have an inescapable responsibility for the well-being of all.

Those wishing to help INEB’s work in Myanmar through Jill can make a bank transfer here:

Bank BSB: 633-000
Account number: 115836124
Name: J. Jameson

Please include your name in the transfer, and email Jill: jilljameson72@gmail.com - to inform her of your transfer and Jill will reply to you.

by Yasmin Moore

We were delighted to have the new President and Vice President of Sakyadhita International as our Guest Speakers at our recent Annual General Meeting. They each began by explaining their background in Buddhism and went on to look at plans for the forthcoming digital conference and the future. Here’s a summary.

Sharon Suh, New President of Sakyadhita International

“I have moved towards Buddhism through the experience of suffering, embraced it academically and then have become much more of a teacher in terms of practice.”
Sharon’s interest in Buddhism began in her teenage years and developed formally in college where she studied Buddhist philosophy and practice with a Tibetan Buddhist monk. She received a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and holds a PhD from Harvard in Buddhist Studies. During her doctoral programme Sharon moved to Los Angeles to work and teach in a Korean Buddhist temple. She became involved in the day-to-day life of the temple, and conducted both adult and children’s programs as she sought to fill a gap that had been created by language barriers. Her experience resulted in the publication, ‘Being Buddhist in a Christian World’, which looks at the relationship between Buddhism, gender, race and identity amongst Korean Americans. Other books published include ‘Silver Screen Buddha’ and most recently, her memoir, ‘Occupy This Body : a Buddhist Memoir’. Much of her recent work is devoted to the study of trauma, mindfulness and healing. In addition to being a university professor, Sharon is a trained mindfulness and mindful eating teacher. She received her training from Jan Chozen Bays of Great Vow Monastery and is certified in mindful eating.

Initially her connection with Sakyadhita supported her academic work. Literature on Buddhism and women was primarily being published by Sakyadhita in the 1990s. The first conference she attended was in 2000 and she was subsequently invited by Ven Karma Lekshe Tsomo to be keynote speaker in 2006. Ven Karma Lekshe Tsomo kept in touch and reached out to Sharon to consider a nomination to be the President, which she accepted. Her main focus in the first year of presidency was getting to know the new Executive Committee and engaging with regional chapters to identify what they were looking for and interested in, rather than in creating something new. She commended the Australian chapter for being “very vibrant and very organised”. Sharon acknowledged the great support of Hsiao-Lin which was key to her accepting the position.

Dr Hsiao-Lan Hu, Vice President of Sakyadhita International

Hsiao-Lan grew up with Buddhism. Similar to Sharon, she has written a ‘memoir’ of different types of Buddhist practice that have helped her through difficult times which she hopes to get published.

She recollected her long connection with Sharon (since 2010) and her first meeting with Ven Karma Lekshe Tsomo in 1997/98 which led to her translation work with Sakyadhita. She translated ‘Buddhist Women’, the anthology of the Malaysian conference in which the first chapter was Sharon’s keynote address. Her involvement with Sakyadhita began with the Vietnam conference where she worked in the translation booth and since then she has provided both oral interpretation and written translations and assisted with a myriad of other tasks during conferences.

Hsiao-Lan was about to withdraw from Sakyadhita when Sharon approached her to be Vice-President as a condition of her accepting the Presidency.

‘Women beyond Boundaries: The Digital Conference’

Sharon advised that as the physical conference has been cancelled it will be delivered online over three days from 26 - 28 December 2021. The presentation of papers and workshops is being finalised with 16 papers and 12 workshops planned. Hsiao-Lan added the programme had been shortened taking into account ‘Zoom fatigue’. The conference will be conducted in Malaysian time in recognition that it was initially planned to be held there. This will be friendly for Asian and Australian participants. The two keynote speakers are Dr Sister Malia Wong from the University of Honolulu who will speak at the commencement of the conference and Hema Goonatilake, one of the key advocates for the resurrection of the bhikkuni order in Sri Lanka, who will speak at the close.

Sakyadhita’s Future Plans:
Sharon outlined the following initiatives:

Governance: Ensuring the organisation is structurally viable and sturdy by:
Reviewing the bylaws collaboratively with the Executive Committee - a practice that was important for the long-term success and longevity of the organisation. It would ensure Sakyadhita is compliant and will remain stable financially and legally. This was Sharon’s main focus at present.

Create and populate a Sakyadhita Board of Directors, by drawing from regional chapters. Establish a formal process for more regular meetings outside conferences to provide a platform to share experience and foster collaboration.
Document Sakyadhita’s institutional history, structural detail, information and important work, (which currently resides in Ven Karma Lekshe Tsomo’s expansive mind!) Sharon has commenced this task as it will sustain Sakyadhita in the future.
Visit every regional organisation to gain a better understanding of local culture and initiatives. This will also facilitate formally populating the Board of Directors.

Hsiao-Lan has said that her main role is to assist and support Sharon in her vision and plans for Sakyadhita. On a practical note, considering the Covid-19 situation and its impact on travel, she suggested Sakyadhita’s future focus could move to more local projects, with less emphasis on the international conference held every two years.

When asked how national organisations could keep the momentum going, which can be particularly difficult in years where there are no international conferences, Sharon stated that each group was best placed to determine appropriate action. Her main concern was our physical and mental health and the particular way the pandemic had impacted on women. Sharon has a long engagement with Buddhist women’s understanding of suffering, resilience and creativity. This has motivated her to provide opportunities to share information through new channels of communication.

These talks are available in full on our YouTube channel

We were saddened to learn of the death in July of Laurence Mills whose ordained name was Phra Khantipalo.
We have much gratitude for his support for women and nuns in Buddhism. In the 1970s he taught the dhamma to a German student resident in Australia – Ilse Lederman - who was then inspired to donate the money for a country centre. Another Aussie student, Debbie, acted as driver and helped them to find the property. That was the beginning of Wat Buddha Dhamma and both women went on to ordain as nuns. Ilse became Ayya Khema and Debbie became Ven Chi Kwang Sunim. Both became important teachers and set up centres. Both played a significant role in the establishment and early years of Sakyadhita International and Ven Chi Kwang has played an important role in Sakyadhita Australia.
If any of you went to Wat Buddha Dhamma in the 1980s you will remember Cynthia who lived there with her family. She went on to study Dzogchen and is now Thubten Paldron, a senior teacher in that tradition.

Another significant step came in 1984 when Phra Khantipalo ordained three nuns – Susanna, Candima and Santa - the first such ordination in Australia.

The atmosphere at Wat Buddha Dhamma – in the middle of the bush – was one where women felt secure and nurtured in their practice. Many came for teachings and some stayed and lived in the Wat community. Phra Khantipalo had confidence in women practitioner’s capacity to overcome all obstacles to spiritual achievements.
In tribute to Laurence, and in particular, his years as Phra Khantipalo, we will publish his article ‘Women and Awakening' in our next newsletter.

‘Dhamma Pioneers’: Phra Khantipalo and Ayya Khema established Wat Buddha Dhamma in the seventies and now the history of this remarkable centre has been published. ‘The Wat was a cultural experiment that combined monastic tradition, an alternative spiritual community and a course-giving meditation centre, initially held together through the mutual support of authoritative teacher and lay followers.’ Written by John McIntyre with Constance Ellwood, Dhamma Pioneers is 330 pages, RRP $39 plus $9 postage. You can purchase by contacting John direct for bank transfer details : jamc46@gmail.com

Małgorzata Dobrowolska (known as Malgo) is a Polish born documentary filmmaker who has been living at the Chenrezig Institute on the Sunshine Coast since June 2019. You will get to know her when she screens her film ‘Bhikkuni’ for us on Dec 12 and has agreed to answer your questions. Of her time in Chenrezig she said, “It is an amazing journey!”

Her documentary making focus has been on women in religion. She has said she, “Deeply believes that the key to reach world peace is to restore balance between the energy of men and women and bring about a change on a spiritual level”.
The documentary we will screen, 'Bhikkhunī – Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution', presents the story of women who have become fully ordained bhikkhunīs – Buddhist nuns in the Theravāda tradition - so as put into practice the teachings of the Buddha. This has been achieved in spite of opposition from the monk's saṅgha. In 2015, Malgo discovered a Buddhist monastery for women on the outskirts of Bangkok. “There, I met wonderful women who despite the difficulties involved (the official Thai Saṅgha does not recognize the full ordination of women) became the first contemporary [Theravādin] bhikkhunīs – fully ordained nuns. I found their story very important as it shows that changes are possible, even in such rigid structures as religious ones. I decided to tell their story.”

Filming the story in Thailand and Sri Lanka as well as the long process of editing took well over a year. The documentary has been called "inspiring and empowering" and won first prize in the International Documentary category at its Asian premiere at an Indian film festival.

The next project for Malgo is a documentary about the Chenrezig Institute, the Buddhist retreat and study centre in Queensland. This will be screened world-wide.

However Malgo needs support to continue her work, particularly donations towards purchasing a new camera and has begun a crowdfunding campaign for this. If you would like to assist her click here

From our friends at the Nan Tien Institute: This live symposium brings us together as an international community on Zoom from Saturday the 6th to Monday the 8th of November 2021. It will feature keynote speeches from leading international Buddhist Studies scholar, Emeritus Professor Lewis Lancaster and Australia’s top social researcher, Hugh Mackay.

The symposium will explore a range of serious threats to humanity and imagine our shared future. We will explore through discussion ideas about how real-world action in times of crisis can be combined with ethical principles and compassion.

Panels will address

Creating an Inclusive Society
Learning from Australian Responses to Modern Crises
Revaluing Buddhist Adaptations in the Modern World
Examining Humanistic Approaches to Health and Wellbeing
Putting Compassion into Action

Please check out and register for this free symposium that brings together over 30 international thought leaders: https://hbsymposium.fgsihb.org/

Hey friends I think it’s probably time I told you I have been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (blood cancer) Currently my health is good and I feel no pain and my capacity to be a spiritual teacher and social worker is not impaired.

I am sharing this because I believe our life experiences feed into our teachings and in being authentic. I have been thinking about my feelings and how I can communicate to you this 'Alice through the looking glass' [experience] I have fallen into that probably only people who have had their life cut short or threatened may know.

As a nun I have constantly come up against the feudal ethnocentric patriarchy of Tibetan lamas who do not want to let women and non-Tibetan teachers in to be equal stakeholders in the Vajrayana tradition they have willingly shared with us.

Sadly not much has changed and 13 of the 15 people I ordained with disrobed. That caused me to suffer a great deal unnecessarily. If anything I feel patriarchy is exhausting and killing me as much as cancer. It is just wrong to run Buddhist centres and charge Western monastics and allow Tibetan men to stay for free. It goes against the Vinaya, the teachings of the Buddha and 2600 years of valuing monastic life. In fact this choice, which was taken by Tibetan lamas without consulting Western monastics, will destroy Buddhist monasticism and will mean we have no full-time practitioners. And no, as women we can't escape patriarchy, though we practice peace and self-care. People have asked why I don't just disrobe. I have thought about it, but I also find this life meaningful. Why don't men just make space for women and share resources and power with us?

Sometimes I have felt moved and inspired and amazed by the kindness of strangers and the fact I have managed to get by living on faith all these years. I am grateful and do acknowledge what I have received from kind folks.

But I also have to be honest about the constant struggle for financial security, the spiritual bypassing and denial and my battle with homelessness because Tibetan lamas do not support us. Sometimes I literally felt suicidal because of their apathy.

Often I also feel I failed most of the community endeavours I have ever started in the West as a nun, such as creating a monastery to build solidarity. I feel community generally fail to turn up for each other as a whole and only invest in hetero-normative partnerships and nuclear family.

The requirements of friendship change with cancer. Suddenly one is not looking at friends because you admire their sense of style and their political commitments and their meaningful soirees. One looks at friends who may be able to help with the real stuff like holding your hair out of your face as you puke and helping you die. One’s need for more basic things becomes more pressing. A need for folks you can depend on.

I want you to know I am mostly happy. This is not a death note. I have and plan to continue having an amazing life. But it’s also a reminder to cherish every moment and focus on what matters. I still (hopefully) have many years to teach and build my monastery and keep running Bodhicitta Foundation.

If you want to help please just don't say, ‘thoughts and prayers’, it’s too easy. Tell me what you’re doing to make the world a better place. It will make me happy. OR - make a donation to my monastery, (and help us develop our Tasmanian centre) that supports me and many other folks around the world. It always needs support and currently only gets $20k every year.

Contacts and donations: https://bodhicitta-monastery.com/

Our last Newsletter contained a review by our former President, Suzanne Franzway, of the recently published book, ‘The First Free Women - Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns’, by Matty Weingast. Suzanne posed the questions: “Is it a translation or more a representation, an interpretation of the nuns’ lives? Is there a true understanding of Buddhism underlying this translation?”
Unfortunately a gremlin in the system meant that some paragraphs were missed from her article. You can read the full, corrected article here

To create a network of communication and support for Buddhist nuns and lay women in Australia, regardless of cultural and language background.
To function as a noticeboard to promote all Buddhist activity, with particular attention to female participation.
To promote harmony and dialogue among the Buddhist traditions.
To work for gender equity in Buddhist education, training, institutional structures, and ordination.
To foster compassionate social action for the benefit of humanity.
To promote awareness of the Sakyadhita conferences and to support attendance at the conferences.
To act as advocates for the protection of the natural environment and the protection of the planet from global warming.
To build relationships with faith traditions in the wider community.

In this Issue:

From the President

Renewing your membership is now easier than ever!!
Memberships for 2022 are now open
The membership process is now an easy one-step process!

Forthcoming Events:

The Crisis in Myanmar: A Sakyadhita Webinar

Sakyadhita International – Future Plans

Vale Laurence Mills – Phra Khantipalo (1932-2021)

Bhikkuni - Making Buddhist Documentaries

Responses to Modern Crises
November 6-8: International Symposium on Humanistic Buddhism:

Falling Through the Looking Glass
A Health and Life Update – Ayya Yeshe

CORRECTION

Committee Members
Our 2021-2022 Committee

Sakyadhita Australia
Aims and Objectives