A memorable month

As we enter the final month of the Rains, it has been a memorable past month. The more notable of the events of the past month are detailed below, with some pictures available on our website.

Spring has definitely arrived, and the cold of the morning is quickly chased away by the early morning sun. The makeup of our little group has changed somewhat – Giles has left, Frank has stayed for a time and now also left (please see the post ‘Thoughts from two guests – Rains Retreat 2010’ for some reflections on their time at the Wat). Presently we have Donald, Marie and Margaret as our shorter-term guests. Amandus and Thu are on silent retreat, with Marie on breakfast and Margaret cooking delicious meals for lunch – though not today! Today Khun Porntip and Khun Bao are back for the full-moon day observance and, as usual when they stay, they are cooking lunch.

Today, Thursday, is the full-moon day (‘Wan Phra’ in Thai) and the usual Wednesday Dhamma Talk will be given tonight instead. Tonight we also attempt to sit & walk the whole night, till 5:00am. Let’s hope Ajahn Khemavaro gives a very inspiring Dhamma Talk to power us along!

The book of Ajahn Dtun Dhamma Talks ‘This is the Path’ is now in the process of being printed. Shortly several thousand copies will be available for distribution in Thailand and in Australia. Many thanks once again to those who contributed to this important project.

Dana Day at Sangha Lodge 5th September 2010

Ajahn Khemavaro and Venerable Pasadika recently attended the Association of Engaged Buddhists’ Dana Day. On entering the Lodge (a converted house in Lewisham) it was immediately apparent that this was a warm and friendly group, very dedicated to practice. The front of the Lodge has been turned into a shrine and meditation room strewn with cushions, and was soon fully occupied even as more people kept arriving, filling the whole house with people eager to hear the Dhamma. After some chanting and a short guided meditation, Ajahn gave a Dhamma Talk on the theme of gratitude to parents – very appropriate as it was Fathers Day that day. The meal was then offered. Each person had brought some delicious food to share and the monks were treated to a great variety of offerings, each offered with joy by the person who brought it. After the memorable meal there was time for people to chat with Ajahn Khemavaro and after a little Q&A session it was time to depart. Thanks to Molly, Serge, Sue and the other organisers for a memorable ‘Dana Day’ at Sangha Lodge.

Hazard Reduction Burn September 2010

On two recent days in September a Hazard Reduction Burn was carried out at Wat Buddha Dhamma. The reason for carrying out the burns was to reduce the ‘fuel load’ – the mass of combustible materials available for a fire. This makes the Wat a safer refuge for people and animals. In 2002 a bushfire forced the evacuation of the Wat and devastated the local area. The Group Captain in charge of fighting the fire said that the Wat had the highest fuel loads he had ever seen. As a consequence, in the words of a report written about the 2002 fire: “There was an eerie silence in the burnt bush for months after the fire – no birds, no wombats, no wallabies.  They’re back now, but consider that the Wat would be a safer refuge after the hazard reduction work is done.”

So it is notable that after each of the Hazard Reduction Burns birds were singing in the trees just the next day after the burn. Indeed, the upper story of larger trees is still completely intact, and only the fuel load on the ground was impacted. Some special plants also received individual protection – 7 Banya pines and a newly-planted Ironbark were protected by raking the ground around them in a circle, then setting fire to the perimeter of the cleared area while keeping the ground and tree watered. This was very successful and all trees were saved. Please see the September Blog Pictures gallery on our website for pictures.

We would like to thank the ever energetic Captain Ian of the Lower MacDonald Rural Fire Service and his team of able assistants:  Sal, Joan, Ian, and last but not least Rob for their professional and dedicated service.

Josh’s Cave

Many of those who have visited Wat Buddha Dhamma over the years will have heard about the large ‘cave’ near the South Eastern boundary of the monastery. This is a large overhang, very appropriate for meditation practice and during the warmer months a suitable place to stay for a few weeks. Ajahn Thanasanti spent some many, many hours there during her stay at the Wat in 2002. Since that time however the path to the cave has become overgrown and the cave disused – until now! Josh, our keen young trainee has (with the assistance of our guest Frank) cleared a path leading to the cave, and also made the climb up to the cave much easier. Shortly, he will begin living and practicing there. We wish him every success in his noble endeavour. Please see the September Blog Pictures gallery on our website for pictures.

Painting and protecting the Sangha House Balcony

Not long ago, Tuan, an energetic and devoted lay disciple of Ajahn Khemavaro’s replaced the most rotted boards of the Sangha House balcony. This left the balcony needing a good coat of paint – for the new boards and to extend the life of the existing boards. Recently Tuan came to the Wat with all the necessary paint and equipment to do just that, and he, Thu, Venerable Pasadika and Frank gave the old Sangha House Balcony a new paint job. Of course, it’s still the same good-old mission brown, just fresher and shinier than before. After the painting, Tuan gave the boards a weather-proofing treatment to further extend their useful life. As a bonus, the kitchen floor also has a new coat of paint, albeit in a rather unique style.

Sala Solar Upgrade

Many previous guests will remember chanting in the sala by the light of a torch, while the monks made do with 12V lamps. Happily, this has all changed for the better – first, thanks to David Gray, the sala was converted to 240V, then a more powerful inverter and regulator were installed and finally the old, rickety solar panel frame and the 2 old panels were decommissioned. Simon, the nephew of David, came to help us install 4 beautiful new panels onto what he described as the BMW of solar panel frames. This frame was constructed with German precision by Amandus, our long-term lay helper. The day of installation many challenges were overcome – how do you lift a 4.5m steel pole onto a 2m wooden one? How do you get it to slide down over the wooden pole when the wooden pole is a few mm too wide? (A: – force, grease (a lot) and power tools!). How do you get the panels onto the frame when it’s several metres in the air? All these challenges and more were overcome, and by the end of the next day our beautiful new panels were charging a 4-battery battery bank giving us lots of power for our lights to chant by and for future hot and sweaty days when the fans will be going full blast. Many thanks to Simon and to Frank our guest for their help in installing this wonderful new addition to the Wat. Simon also put the old panels to use by installing them on the old solar rack next to the office and removing the old and unsightly panels that weren’t providing much power any longer. Please see the September Blog Pictures gallery on our website for pictures.

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