News Update and Progress Summary - VERY IMPORTANT

[admin]

Dear all,

Sister Yiren and Bro Jian Tu had a good discussion with Ven Wu Shin the other day and below is the summary and the work we need to carry out NOW.


1.  Ven Master Chin Kung can confirm the dates of his visit, which is from 11 Oct to 14 Oct, providing we can make the following arrangements:

Action: Cheer!!!


2.  We have to send Master a letter of invitation so UK visa for Master Chin Kung and his entourage can be submitted and finalised.

Action: KC Tang to draft but everyone please help to correct my sub-standard command of English.


3.  Sister Yiren and Bro Jian Tu have also spoken to Bro Li, director of Buddhist Education Foundation UK so the BEF UK will be the official charity organisation issuing the invitation and handling all formal correspondence.  All donations for the events will be issued with BEF UK receipts and a special fund will be set up within BEF UK to handle this.

Action: A big thank you to BEF (UK)!!!


4.  However in order for me to draft the invitation, we will need to finalise the events (at least the two evening talks on the 12 and 13 Oct) for which we invite Master Chin Kung for.

Action:

• a) I have not got the final green light from SOAS yet but I am happy to proceed without their agreement to co-host the events at this stage, as the letter is only to facilitate their visa application and confirm their visit to the UK.  I will continue to work on SOAS.
• b) Can ULUBUDA host one evening so we get free venue for the talk at London Universities?  Of course unofficially ABS UK will be fully supporting the event, including all expenses incurred during the event? I was told that Logan Hall at Institute of Education was still available on the evening of 13 Oct, can ULUBUDA secure the booking, if ULUBUDA agree to host the event?  If Logan Hall is available on the evening of 12 Oct this WOULD BE the best option.
• c) With the money saved we could then hire another venue for the other evening, even if it is on full commercial rate.  If Logan Hall is only available on the 13 Oct then we would take Camden Centre for the 12 Oct.  If Logan Hall is available on the 12 Oct then we would book Friends House for the 13 Oct as it is more cost-effectively and centrally located but unavailable on the 12 Oct.

We can proceed with Friends House or Camden Centre ourselves (ABS and BEF UK) immediately but we would need a reply from ULUBUDA so could ULUBUDA hold an emergency ex-co committee ASAP, and if it is favourable, secure the venue before Monday/Tuesday?


5.  Also from the last meeting at Barbican Centre and feedback from organizing members it looks like an inter-tradition dialogue is much needed and beneficial to all so let us all work on this ground and see if the conditions are ripened for this to materialise.  Poon Sheng made a very suggestion that we could use the opportunity to launch ABS UK and get it and its work known amongst the different traditions.

Action: We (ABS UK) have not got a centre yet so we will need a place for the dialogue.  It will be one of the morning engagements.  Would London Buddhist Society be a good place for the event?  It has got all the historical significance so it stands up in my mind.  We can also prepare a dana offering to all the Sangha members so it would be very meaningful and attractive.

Please feel free to comment by replying to the above email address.  It would help if you indicate the item number for your comments.

I apologise if I sound too overassertive or rude due to the urgency of the matters.

May you be well and joyous.

Amitabha and with metta,
KC Tang

[admin]

Hi Everyone,
 
Thanks for KC for the update.
 
1. topic for the public talk: i have no objection to what we have suggested during the last meeting: How to change Ono's destiny and the practicability of the pureland practise in the current society and Q&A session.
 
2. the location for the public talk: i would think friend house is a good location for it central location, but i do not know the expenses for booking it?
 
3. The morning dialogue would be nice to hold that in the London Buddhist society, and also have the giving of dana in the midday to the sangha. However, do we have the time for it how long are we planning for the dialogue to happen, becos we still need to prepare for the public talk? Who will contact them and how many pp can they accommodate. Have we confirm the morning dialogue: topic yet? what would it be, multi faith, or multi sectors or with the royal member or politician? what are the topic that we should discuss? It is on peace and harmony?
 
PS: I think we do have more to discuss on the morning engagement. Just a thought who are we targeting the morning engagement for? Sorry if i ask again becos i am not completely sure abt the purpose for the morning engagement. Thanks if someone can fill me in on that. 
 
metta yasmin

[admin]

Let us all welcome Brother Guotien and Brother Li to the team.

1.  Brother Guotien Wong (guotien80@mylynx.com.my).  Founder of BEF UK, currently lives in Malaysia but pledges full support to us.
   
2. Brother S. K. Li (skli7@hotmail.com).  Current director of BEF UK.

[admin]

Dear All,

Sorry for my interruptive yet late reply as I have been engaged with my busy work routine. I hope my suggestion below would be helpful and significant to the ABS and would be agreeable to everyone.

First: The way we should address ourselves as laypeople and address to the monks/nuns.

I personally would think it is appropriate to stop using Brother or Sister to address one another as the usage is of Christian customs dated back to the yesteryears of Western Colonialism in Asia. In Buddhist culture and indeed, in the Tripitaka, Buddhist layman and laywoman are respectively known as Upasaka and Upasika.  For instance:  Upasaka KC Tang and Upasika Mianjoo Tan. Therefore, I would suggest to everyone in the mailing list to use the title Upasaka and Upasika and for those who are not used to it, please do so. In whichever tradition, it would be also appropriate to use or indicate the titles of Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni to the Venerables/Master (at least in bracket) if such titles are not use in their addresses. For instance, Master Chin Kung (Bhikkhu). This would be easy for everyone to know he is a monk (gender: male and taken forth).

Reasons:

1. This is to make a come-back of the Buddhist culture long lost in time, where all traditions remain intact and prevailed.

2. This is also to associate all traditions in the UK since we are going to establish Amitabha Buddhist Society (ABS) and nevertheless, Pureland school of Mahayana tradition is not widely known to other major schools and traditions. By keeping a common culture, this would reduce (unnecessary) misunderstanding towards Pureland School.
 

Second:  Inter-tradition Dialogue should be given the first priority in conjunction to the establishment of ABS.

I was thinking the ABS establishment can be officiated at the same time with Inter-tradition dialogue and Maha-Sanghadana (Grand Offering to the Sangha). This would enable every tradition to contemplate on the bigger horizon of our refuges: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and to remind our common refuge and our common teaching/Dharma despite the differences in the practice. In short, we are part of a big family with Buddha as the founder and Dharma are still the same!  Of course, this would be nice to follow by Maha-Sanghadana, where all Buddhist laypeople take such opportunity to pay respect to Buddha and the sangha and to make merits in conjunction of ABS establishment. Nevertheless, we could invite different traditions to perform puja in their own tradition, blessing the new establishment and in recognising ABS. This is significant as to show that the difference in the Buddhist world is a different story to the strong differences of other religions. It is also spiritually significant at the point that one can notice the similarity of each tradition- all about contemplating the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha who are our triple gem refuges.

Reasons:

Prior to the establishment of ABS as a new Buddhist society, I think it is better to focus more on inter-tradition and inter-school understanding. As you all should understand that the Pureland school is more prevailing to the East Asian (Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Vietnamese) population in their respective mother-tongues and therefore, it is not widely known to other Buddhist populations who are not East Asian. My point is that most Buddhist traditions/schools available in London are tiedly based on the difference of cultural background and therefore, has little knowledge and understanding on Pureland practice. In order ABS to be widely acceptable and recognised, it would be good to further our hand to our Buddhist brothers/sisters of other traditions/schools, especially in the presence of Master Chin Kung (Bhikkhu). This is highly beneficially in long run and to exchange our understanding on the Dharma and to further our levels in the path.


Third: Inter-tradition Dialogue should be held at the same time of ABS establishment  and therefore, this should not involve the venue of UK Buddhist Society (UKBS) , not LBS.

I personally think the Inter-tradition dialogue should be made the ABS matter, rather than involving UKBS which always prefer to remain as a society rather than an ASSOCIATION. We could definitely invite UKBS as the Guest of Honour of every event we will be having. Therefore, we should not use their place to do inter-tradition dialogue or even Maha-Sanghadana. We should use our own venue to hold such dialogue.

One of the reasons:

From my previous experience in ULUBUDA, UKBS always prefer to place their stance as an information desk of Buddhism to those who are interested in them. UKBS would be happy to attend the events but to provide a venue for Inter-tradition dialogue and Maha-Sanghadana, I think it is pretty unlikely to happen and they always take ages to reply you if it involved their venue for ABS event, unless they look for you.
 
I hope my comments are not offensive to anyone as I am trying to be critical and practical to the events of ABS establishment. 

One question : are there any specific criteria for ABS to invite the Royal family members, politicians and the Major of London and what are the criteria?  For instance, the organisation should be an established one or have an impact to the social,cultural and political landscape of the UK.

Amituofuo.

Cheers with metta,
Poon-Sheng