                       BHAVANA SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 
                               (excerpts)
                                          
                             Vol. 9, No. 4
                         October-December, 1993
                                          
                                          
                     Copyright 1993 Bhavana Society
                                          
                            Bhavana Society
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                          High View, WV 26808
                          Tel: (304) 856-3241
                          Fax: (304) 856-2111
                                          
                                          
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                            * * * * * * * *
                                          
                                CONTENTS
                                          
         "The Way Of Seeking Happiness" by Bhante H. Gunaratana
                                          
             "Dhamma And Personal Autonomy" by John Martin
                                          
                             Notes and News 
  
                                          
                            * * * * * * * *
  
  
  
  
                      THE WAY OF SEEKING HAPPINESS
                                          
                        by Bhante H. Gunaratana
  
  
       The statement "I seek happiness" implies that the one who makes 
  that statement is not happy now, for if he/she is happy he/she doesn't 
  feel the need to seek happiness. 
       
       You can be happy if you have faith in unending happiness.  For 
  example, have faith in your religious teaching, in yourself, in your 
  work, in your friends and in the future. Faith or confidence is shown 
  by your optimistic attitude to life. It is your spiritual faculty. You 
  should cultivate it.  You increase your confidence through your own 
  experience. This means your faith starts growing and developing from 
  what you have already experienced, and  continues to grow into future 
  hopes and trust. You already have evidence of your own abilities. You 
  can do your day-to-day activities such as walking, talking, reading, 
  writing, running, jumping, eating, etc. quite well because you have 
  built them up from your childhood. You can depend on and believe in 
  these simple abilities and without any hesitation you execute them in 
  your daily life. Similarly, if you have faith in your hidden and 
  unmanifested potentials you can proceed with confidence.
       
       A well disciplined life also is a source of happiness. You should 
  train yourself to have physical, mental and spiritual discipline in 
  order to realize this type of happiness. If you have not organized 
  your room, don't make your bed, don't wash yourself and your clothes, 
  don't clean your room, your house, your yard; then you cannot learn to 
  clean your mind, as well. When you learn to organize your life the 
  number one priority should be the  discipline of your mind. Suppose 
  you leave your shoes, socks, clothes, books, pen and pencils, your 
  computer discs, papers, etc., here and there without any order, 
  without putting them in their right place. When you want to use them 
  again you cannot find them. Imagine the amount of time you may waste 
  trying to find them when you need them very urgently. Similarly, when 
  you have not learned to discipline your mind you experience problems 
  that can make you very unhappy. Most unhappy people, from their 
  childhood  have not learned to organize and discipline their lives. 
  Discipline is like organizing your office, or your home, which can 
  bring chaos to your mind. Similarly, when your mind and body are not 
  disciplined, you experience chaos in life which leads to unhappiness. 
  Therefore if you want to be happy, organize your life through good 
  discipline.
       
       People are also very unhappy because they do many things without 
  feeling any  moral shame. They do not feel regret when they lie, 
  steal, seek morally unhealthy sexual relations with others' spouses, 
  develop the habit of excessive drinking, slandering others, using 
  filthy language, etc.  Those who commit these shameful acts are very 
  unhappy people. Those who abstain from these acts and instead, respect 
  others' lives, property, and modesty; who speak the truth, avoid 
  slanderous talks or harsh language and use very friendly language, 
  always find themselves in a greater state of happiness. 
       
       Some people do not fear committing an immoral act. They do not 
  think about what could happen to them when they do an immoral thing. 
  This brings them troubles, whether they recognize or not there are 
  laws governing our lives. Some of these laws are ethical and moral in 
  nature and some are legislation that governments have introduced to 
  run a country smoothly. Some laws are unjust and discriminatory. 
  Breaking any of them without following proper legal procedure causes 
  pain and unhappiness. If someone pays no attention to any of them and 
  commits numerous immoral acts thinking that he/she can get away with 
  it, nevertheless, the system follows him/her very closely and catches 
  him/her. Then she/he goes through an enormous amount of suffering in 
  this very life. What will happen to them after death, of course is not 
  known. Therefore having moral fear becomes a source of happiness. 
  Moral shame and moral fear are called laws that protect human society. 
  A society protected by moral shame and moral fear is safe and happy.
       
       A lack of education can be a further source of unhappiness. Many 
  people are unhappy because they have not learned the difference 
  between good and evil, right and wrong, what to do and what not to do, 
  what is beneficial and what is not, etc. Learning can be a source of 
  happiness. This does not mean, however, that all learned people are 
  happy. It depends on the kind if things you learn. If you learn the 
  wrong things you will not gain happiness. Good learning should bring 
  you discipline, which in turn brings you wealth. Learning how to use 
  your wealth wisely, you become well known as a good person and thus  
  your learning also teaches you how to be happy. It does not matter how 
  much you learn, if you do not know how to use your knowledge to make 
  yourself happy. You must learn the right things to make you happy; 
  that is, you learn from your  experience. You may do  the same thing 
  over and over again, but if you do not learn from your experience you 
  remain unhappy. Learn from your mistakes and do not repeat them. 
  Rather than simply foolishly regretting or simply feeling guilty about 
  it, learn from mistakes. You are your own school from which you can 
  learn an enormous amount of things. Look at yourself very carefully 
  and see how much you can learn from your past and present errors.  If 
  you feel you are anxious and full of fear, look at yourself very 
  closely. You will find that you are rigid, uptight and tense. Relax 
  your mind and body when you are nervous and angry. Then see how 
  comfortable you feel. You can also learn from many exterior sources, 
  such as books, teachers, friends, relatives, parents , peers and 
  siblings. Use all your learning to make yourself happy. 
       
       Seek wisdom. Don't pretend to be wise while you do foolish 
  things. Avoid foolish people who induce you to do harmful things to 
  yourself and to others. Wise beings are those who always remain 
  mindful, and make the right choice in how they speak, act and think. 
  When you are in a troublesome situation try to think in a way that 
  will pull you out of that swamp and avoid thinking in a way that makes 
  you sink deeper. If you get angry when things go wrong, don't deepen 
  your anger and confuse yourself. Relax and try to look at the 
  situation objectively. Consider all possible viewpoints before jumping 
  to a conclusion. Wise people are not egotistic and selfish. 
       
       Having sufficient material wealth can also be a source of 
  happiness. Wealth in itself is neither good nor bad, but you can make 
  it so depending on how you use it. When you have material wealth,  be 
  pleased that you can pay your bills, feed yourself, your family, 
  friends and relatives and provide support to your neighbors, your 
  religious society and your country. You can do many good things, as 
  well as have material security, when you have wealth. You will be very 
  pleased to think that you have earned your wealth by rightful means, 
  and you will be very glad to be free from all  indebtedness. But don't 
  depend on wealth for your happiness. Use it very mindfully. Don't get 
  trapped by wealth and end up doing  wrong things so that you lose both 
  your wealth and happiness. 
       
       Generosity can lead to happiness. It is taught in every religious 
  tradition and in  fact does not have to be associated with any 
  religion. It is an intrinsically natural state of mind that all living 
  beings inherently possess. Even animals exhibit it. When you are 
  generous you feel happy because the giver enjoys the gift far more 
  than the recipient, who may feel obligated to the giver. While the 
  recipient may feel a little embarrassment in receiving, the giver does 
  not feel embarrassed to give. The giver enjoys the memory of the joy 
  the recipient expresses in his/her face. Because it is greed that 
  makes our lives very miserable, when we practice generosity, we learn 
  to experience happiness. "The cultivation of generosity is the 
  beginning of spiritual awakening. Its essence is characterized by 
  relinquishing and letting go. By doing so we can open to these 
  qualities within, which both carry us to the most profound states of 
  freedom and are the loving expression of that freedom. Nearly all the 
  time, we are unknowingly holding on to people, to concepts, to 
  experiences. This holding on brings tension and disharmony to our 
  lives. The path of spiritual practice is the letting go which returns 
  us to stillness and to peace".[*]
  
  *[A quotation provided by the Southern Dhamma Center in North 
  Carolina]
  
       
       Practice loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and 
  equanimity. One who cultivates these expressions of noble divine 
  qualities can live very peacefully and happily. You never feel tension 
  in your heart if you seek these qualities. Try to be mindful of these 
  qualities; you have their seed buried in your subconscious mind. When 
  you are tense and anxious these noble qualities do not grow. They 
  remain dormant, like seed underground, when the land is very dry. When 
  it rains the seed grows. Similarly, with the moisture of 
  loving-kindness, compassion, and appreciative joy grows. Make them 
  grow faster so that you experience peace and happiness quickly.
       
       Practice patience. It does not mean letting someone have free 
  rein to use you. It means biding your time to express yourself 
  correctly and more effectively at the right time, with the right 
  words, at the right place, with the right attitude. If you lose your 
  patience and say things with haste you may regret  what you say. You 
  may say wrong things which may later cause more great pain. You may 
  regret this for the rest of your life. One who wishes to practice 
  discipline may sacrifice it by losing patience. Try to understand 
  others as best you can, though it may be very difficult. Much pain and 
  suffering is caused by misunderstanding, misinterpreting and 
  suspicion. If you have a sufficient dose of patience you can develop 
  your understanding. You must remember that others  have as many 
  problems as you have, or more. Some very good people are sometimes in 
  a bad place and may say or do things unmindfully. If you remain 
  mindful and patient, you can better  try to understand them, rather 
  than getting upset. Bad moods are sometimes caused by ill health. When 
  someone is in ill health you normally don't get upset. Instead you 
  want to be compassionate and try to help them. If you remain patient 
  you can help them so that they and you can be very happy.
       
       Build up your spiritual wealth. Accumulation of spiritual wealth 
  is very much like accumulation of material wealth. Do it gradually and 
  slowly. Practice your meditation and your store of spiritual wealth 
  will grow. What are the components of spiritual wealth?  In Buddhism 
  it is known as Noble Wealth (Ariyadhana) because they build up your 
  psychological strength, make you confident, peaceful and happy, even 
  when you are materially poor. These are the qualities that we have 
  mentioned in this article.
       
       Find a good friend who is a loving person, and is dearly loved. 
  He/she speaks gently, kindly and with deep meaning. He/she is  easy to 
  communicate with, and is respectable, and compassionate. He/she would 
  never encourage you to do anything wrong, but always encourages you to 
  do the right thing. He/she is ready to help whenever needed. He/she is 
  very learned and resourceful and is ready to share the knowledge with 
  you without any hesitation. Having a friend with these qualities will 
  make a great difference in your life. If you really seek happiness 
  find such a friend, by all means.
       
       Find a good meditation center and good meditation teacher who is 
  not interested in your money but is sincerely willing to assist you in 
  meditation practice. It is difficult to find an ideal location in 
  which to live. However, there are places where you can find a 
  relatively peaceful and quiet atmosphere. Avoid very noisy places, 
  such as near  factories. Avoid big cities if at all possible. Find a 
  place to minimize the duties you do every day; where the post office, 
  fire station, shopping center, and school for your children are 
  reasonably close. Above all, the place you chose to live should be in 
  a good neighborhood, neighbors who are friendly, kind and considerate 
  and are not involved in crimes, fights, drugs and alcohol.  Don't 
  forget your daily meditation. Meditate in the morning as soon as you 
  get up and in the evening before you go to bed.
       
       You can be very happy with the knowledge that you have done many 
  meritorious deeds. If you can, increase them as much as possible. You 
  may help clean your neighborhood or work to improve the air , water 
  and the earth as much as you can. Avoid buying things that pollute the 
  environment. Try to help the poor and needy as much as you can. Help 
  the elderly and sick as much as you can. Learn to respect nature and 
  environment; help avoid wasting trees.
       
       Don't forget to do some Yoga exercises every day. If you cannot 
  find a good Yoga teacher or Yoga instruction book, try to do some 
  other physical exercises. At the least, walk for one hour every single 
  day without fail. Every rational person knows the benefits of exercise 
  for reducing blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, avoiding diabetes, 
  removing boredom, and making the entire body healthy. Physical health 
  is absolutely necessary for mental health; they both bring happiness. 
       
       No matter how much you exercise, if do not eat the right kind of 
  food, you cannot avoid being unhealthy and putting on weight. Eat the 
  right kind of food and avoid all junk food. Eat moderately.  If you 
  eat a good breakfast and a reasonably substantial lunch and have very 
  light soup in the evening, you will feel very comfortable the next 
  morning. Some times we hear people say, "Eat your breakfast like a 
  king, share your lunch with your friend and give your dinner to your 
  enemy." We would like to alter the last part out of compassion for the 
  enemy. Don't give your dinner even to your enemy. Save your money that 
  you would spend for your dinner and help the poor and needy. 
       
       Discipline yourself in your eating habits. Try not to eat junk 
  food. Make sure you do not live to eat, but eat to live. Control your 
  consumption of food. After a certain age your metabolism slows down 
  and you cannot consume as much food as growing  children. Don't make 
  eating a habit. Don't eat fatty, oily and sugary foods that increase 
  your blood pressure. 
       
       Try to be the first to say to others, "Good morning", "Good 
  evening", "How are you?" "Thank you". Whenever you receive a favor 
  always remember to say, "I really appreciate your help." Remember to 
  speak very softly, gently, kindly and truthfully as much as you can. 
  Remember never to speak harshly. Criticizing people can gradually 
  deteriorate friendship. Always remember to nourish your good 
  friendships. "Make new friends and keep the old." In a happy life, 
  good friendship is most important; even better than relatives. When 
  you associate with someone who has very low standards, you, too, will 
  eventually be reduced to their level. If you associate with someone 
  who is your equal, while you may not make much improvement in your own 
  growth, you would not be spiritually degenerate. If you associate with 
  someone who is greater in many respects, you always learn from that 
  person and improve yourself. Try to find someone greater in wisdom, 
  understanding, education, experience, compassion, confidence, courage, 
  determination, etc.. If you cannot find such a one at least seek one 
  equal to yourself.
       
       Always try to come to terms with your parents. They can be a 
  great source of inspiration and encouragement, and can really give you 
  very good advice. Not every parent can give good advice; some may need 
  assistance. When parents are old they really need your emotional, 
  material and spiritual support. Many people have countless problems 
  with their parents, and some can never forgive their parents for what 
  they did  to them as a child. Some parents abuse their children, 
  which, of course, is an inexcusable offense. However, in order to make 
  your life happy, you should learn to come to terms with your parents. 
  Although they may be completely wrong, you can be happier if you 
  respect them as much as you can. Don't do anything to hurt them. 
  Hurting even an animal is not going to bring you an iota of happiness, 
  unless you are sadistic. When you cultivate a very gentle and kind 
  heart towards your parents they really feel very happy and you in turn 
  will be very happy when you see the results. It is very difficult for 
  you and your parents when you are very harsh with them. What they may 
  have done can never be undone. However, when you learn to forgive and 
  forget the past mistakes of your parents, you exhibit noble qualities. 
  To err is human; to forgive is divine. Try to be a divine person by 
  forgiving your parents. If they have been very kind parents, by all 
  means you should try to be very kind and gentle towards them in turn. 
       
       If you have a spouse or someone you live with, be loyal to that 
  person. Your breech of trust can open hell for both of you. You do not 
  want to cheat on your spouse. In turn, cheating on your spouse can 
  create real hell in your home. You don't have to step out or die to 
  experience hell; you can experience it by yourself. You should be 
  dutiful to each other, love each other, respect each other, and share 
  your sorrow and happiness with each other. Often one might complain 
  that the other is married to the computer, to work, to pleasure 
  outside the house, or for not expressing their emotions. Some people 
  like to express their emotions very often; others do not want express 
  their emotion. One may be able to cry very easily very often, while 
  the other may not be able to cry at all. One may work too hard and 
  become a workaholic, while the other may find work  very easy and do 
  it very quickly, and the rest of the time likes to read or talk or 
  travel. The one who likes to work enjoys life as much as the other 
  person. Both of you may be trying to achieve the same state of joy 
  from two different types of work. One must try to understand the 
  other. You often think what you do is more important than  what your 
  spouse does. If, however, both of you enjoy what you individually and 
  separately do, you can learn to respect each other and continue to 
  have a better understanding, rather than nagging, quarreling, and nit 
  picking. The one who is more emotional should try to grow more in 
  reasoning and understanding. The one who is more rational and hides 
  emotion should try to express and explain their ways to the other in 
  as simple, loving and gentle terms as possible. Through mutual love 
  and respect both of you can develop a large degree of understanding 
  and trust.
       
       If you have children you have to work doubly hard to maintain 
  equilibrium in the house. Raising children in a balanced manner is 
  like walking on a rope five hundred feet above the ground for ten 
  miles. On the one hand, you cannot be so harsh on them that you earn 
  their lasting enmity. On the other hand, you cannot let them do 
  whatever they wish. You have to teach them, train them, love them, 
  care for them, help them to grow in every way. You have to respect 
  them as wonderful little beings who are going to shoulder the world 
  after you. They are your friends if you treat them correctly. They are 
  your enemies if you treat them wrongly. They can bring peace and 
  happiness to you, to your family, to your society, to your country and 
  to the whole world if they are educated, nourished, supported and well 
  cared for. Learn as much as you can about how to bring up your child 
  in the most wholesome way without teaching them hatred, ignorance and 
  delusion. They certainly can bring you joy, peace, and happiness if 
  you do your job right.
       
       Try to find a helpful occupation. This, of course, is not 
  difficult if you carefully look around. There are many good 
  occupations. Any occupation dealing with poisoning the environment, 
  earth, water and air or with poisoning people's minds, brain-washing 
  them, selling or buying living beings, killing, stealing, or dealing 
  with illegal drugs and drinks, is not a good job that can bring you 
  peace and happiness. 
       
       Find time to discuss Dhamma. Today there are many ways of 
  learning Dhamma. People often say that there are not suitable people, 
  times and places to learn and discuss Dhamma. However, there are many 
  available avenues. Unlike in the past, now there are many books to 
  learn Dhamma. There is another device to discuss Dhamma: personal 
  computers. Very soon many people may start Dhamma discussion through 
  E. Mail.  It does not matter how you discuss Dhamma--whether by E. 
  Mail or by telephone or meeting people face to face. Spend some time 
  discussing Dhamma. We do not encourage any blind faith in Dhamma. 
  Discuss it with others who know Dhamma. You will find it most helpful 
  in making yourself happy. You will learn many new ways of looking at 
  yourself. You will learn Dhamma that will bring you to know yourself 
  well, not superficially. Try to understand the true nature of your 
  body, feelings, perceptions, thoughts ideas, and consciousness. Don't 
  try to focus your mind only on the feeling. Buddha advised us to look 
  at all the five aggregates including feeling. You gain great happiness 
  through discussion of Dhamma. Read books that make you peaceful and 
  help you to relax. Watch and listen to things that make you peaceful 
  and happy. Listening to Dhamma and pondering on the meaning of Dhamma 
  makes you peaceful and happy. As you gain concentration you come to 
  see things as they really are; which is the only way to bring real 
  happiness and peace.
       
       Above all, abstaining from all evils and listening to and  
  practicing Dhamma definitely brings peace and happiness. Humility, 
  patience, diligence, contentment and gratefulness are very natural 
  paths to happiness. If you do your daily meditation to remove all 
  psychic irritation from your mind you can live happily. The true 
  balance of life comes from peaceful behavior. 
       
       Never ask someone to make you happy. Look within yourself to find 
  reasons for your unhappiness as well as the way to happiness. Normally 
  people don't do that. They always find someone to blame and often we 
  hear them say, "It is not me. So and so makes me unhappy."  Most 
  unhappy people can certainly make others unhappy, too, through their  
  behavior. If you know for sure that so and so makes you unhappy, try 
  to make your mind as clear as possible so that you can  find a way out 
  of that situation through mindful and skillful means without 
  aggravating the situation, and even helping  them to be happy. The 
  decision is within your reach  to make you happy and the other person 
  happy. 
       
       With the exhaustion of craving there is exhaustion of suffering. 
  With exhaustion of suffering there is permanent happiness (extinction 
  of suffering) [*]
  
  * [Tanhakkhaya dukkhakkhayako, dukkhakkhaya nibbanam (S.III 190)]
  
  
  
  
  
  
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                      DHAMMA AND PERSONAL AUTONOMY 
                                          
                             by John Martin 
                                          
  
       One of the most important and deeply underlying motives for 
  striving along the spiritual path of Dhamma is the desire to liberate 
  oneself from Samsara. Attendant to this desire for emancipation from 
  samsara is the recognition that personal liberation is essential for a 
  happy life. We find it painful, distressing and wearisome to be 
  continually subject to the harsh and powerful forces of the world and 
  the psyche, which can overpower us, determine our life trajectories 
  beyond our control and inflict unfair, unjust circumstances upon us. 
  Feelings of powerlessness, despair and nihilism can arise from such 
  world weariness and self compulsion. Such feelings can engender 
  resignation and paralysis, frivolous escape and busyness, or an 
  earnest, serious desire to transcend and liberate one's self from such 
  worldly dissatisfaction. Sentient beings have a longing to be free 
  from influences and conditions which bring about imprisonment and 
  suffering. Those beings who are not mired too deeply in ignorance 
  (avijja) will want to make the effort to realize individual freedom. 
  In the western intellectual tradition, the desire to realize 
  individual freedom is culminated when one has achieved "personal 
  autonomy." In Buddha-Dhamma the ultimate realization of freedom is 
  nibbana. 
       
       Personal autonomy, as understood in western philosophy, is a 
  personal characteristic we ascribe to someone who is generally in 
  charge of their life. Such a person is not overly dependent on others 
  (emotionally or epistemically) or is a slave to impulsive feelings and 
  desires. The autonomous person possesses the ability to see through to 
  completion, projects and goals that have been established in an 
  independent way by his/her self. The convictions and world view of the 
  autonomous person have been the result of an active, critical 
  evaluation and reasoning process which has considered varied 
  alternative view points in an environment friendly to vigorous, open 
  discussion. 
       
       In an essential sense, the individual must have the opportunity 
  to discover (after pondering over the many views and ideas which have 
  been preserved through history) what is true for one's self and to 
  choose what projects are the most valuable and appropriate for one to 
  pursue and accomplish in one's own lifetime. An autonomous person is 
  seen as an agent where the self and the will is necessarily understood 
  as being the controlling source of choice and action. Self-reliance, 
  individuality, authenticity, self-creation, self-legislation and 
  temperance are virtues which characterize someone who is autonomous. 
       
       Individual autonomy must also be distinguished from the negative 
  concept of freedom. The concept of negative freedom refers to "freedom 
  from" something. Freedom, in this negative sense, refers primarily to 
  a condition characterized by the absence of coercion or constraint 
  imposed by another person or institution. Yet personal autonomy is 
  more properly understood in a positive sense, as self-government or 
  self-determination. According to this conception, the more one is able 
  to direct one's own life, the greater the degree of one's autonomy. 
  Freedom, in its negative sense stated above, can be seen as an 
  important and necessary condition for autonomy. 
       
       But autonomy involves more than just being free. One can easily 
  think of a situation where people are freely, but mindlessly mimicking 
  the opinions, tastes, goals, principles and values of others. One can 
  also imagine an inmate in prison who lacks freedom, yet, is an 
  autonomous character. In order for a choice or preference to be 
  autonomous, they not only must be freely chosen (not enforced by 
  outside influences) but internally endorsed by the individual as 
  genuinely her own. 
       
       So, we see that personal freedom, as understood in terms of 
  personal autonomy, results from (1) knowing one's "true self," (2) by 
  critically evaluating through rational deliberation what one ought to 
  do and be, and (3) exercising the power to realize self-endorsed 
  desires and goals in the absence of external constraints. 
       
       As a contrast to the philosophical treatment of personal freedom 
  in terms of autonomy, let us now look at how personal freedom is 
  understood according to Buddha-Dhamma. Freedom, in Dhamma, is 
  understood as that state of reflective, meditative consciousness which 
  is profoundly aware of the illusory nature of the belief in 
  substantial, ontological selfhood (atta). This arises from the 
  profound, meditative insight which understands impermanence (anicca) 
  as being the basic characteristic of existence. [*] In such a 
  meditative state of understanding, the conscious being does not see 
  itself as being determined or compelled to act according to any desire 
  or goal that its "self" may have. Action is undertaken by a conscious 
  being (who understands the nature of Dhamma), from compassionate, 
  disinterested motives with attention always focused on alleviating or 
  transcending suffering (dukkha). Meditative action is also initiated 
  from an objective assessment of what practically and skillfully needs 
  to get done (upaya) in the world in order to live a simple life free 
  from "kammic"  accumulation and worldly entanglement. In living such a 
  selfless, compassionate and simple life, there is no serious, urgent 
  need for self identity or self definition, no ultra-serious attachment 
  (upadana) to the idiosyncrasies of a particular selfhood nor ultimate 
  allegiance to the mundane goals that an empirical self may adopt. This 
  doesn't mean that one totally dispenses with self-referential thinking 
  nor stops caring about the obligations relevant to worldly 
  circumstances, but that the nature of self is seen and understood as 
  arising from empty, impersonal processes, and not a "thing" deserving 
  of metaphysical seriousness. Action is seen from this perspective as 
  an objective, practical, disinterested activity; not as a means for 
  personal glorification and accumulation.
       
  * [If everything is impermanent it follows that there can not be any 
  entity that has ontological integrity; there can not be any "thing" 
  that can exist or persist exclusively from its own power or self-same 
  nature. Everything is more properly understood as being interrelated 
  and supported by multiple conditions and causes. Hence, causality is 
  the fundamental reality, according to Dhamma, not substance or 
  "thingness."]
       
       
       Personal freedom, from the perspective of Buddha-Dhamma, is more 
  accurately understood as freedom from self, as opposed to freedom for 
  the self. The process of identifying with "self" (avijja) by any 
  conscious being (regardless of how well defined and "autonomous" that 
  "self" may be or appear to itself), is understood, according to 
  Buddha-Dhamma, as the condition necessarily leading to personal 
  bondage and suffering. The "Self" is not understood, in Buddha-Dhamma, 
  as the necessary starting point of all free action. 
       
       Since belief in the substantial reality of selfhood arises from a 
  misapprehension of the primacy of causality and hence, blindness to 
  the insubstantial processes (paticcasamuppada) responsible for all 
  life and being, there is the tendency (stemming from this ignorant 
  belief) to think of the "self" as being the most important thing to 
  preserve, protect, refine and enhance. The "Self," as a result, 
  bestows upon itself, ontological status. It is only in direct, 
  meditative awareness and rational, analytic understanding of all the 
  causal processes responsible for the arising of selfhood and hence, a 
  profound realization of the voidness of all things, that genuine 
  freedom (Moksha, and more ultimately, nibbana) is realized.
  
  
  
  
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                             NOTES AND NEWS
  
  
  Reminder of Membership Renewal
  
       We thank you very much for your very kind and generous donations 
  and annual subscriptions for maintaining buildings, Bhavana Society's 
  activities and resident members of the Sangha--monks and lay 
  community. It was purely due to your generous support that we have 
  been able to pay our bills including quarterly newsletter and monthly 
  payment of $577.10 for the new property the society bought this year. 
  Our quarterly newsletter is getting more and more expensive due to two 
  reasons. One is that we make more copies every year and the second is 
  the inflation affects everything. You may remember reading in our 
  newsletter that we were planning to build a dormitory with a few 
  bedrooms and separate bathrooms. The acquisition of this new property 
  met that need. We used a part of our building fund for the payment of 
  $35,000 which is more than one half of the total cost of the new 
  property. This new addition, in fact, serves the society well to 
  extend its service to more meditators and visitors. 
       
       When we look back for the past ten years of our existence as a 
  non-profit religious organization, we certainly can be pleased with 
  the steady progress we have made.  We purchased only 13 acres of 
  forest land in May 1983. Twelve acres of land were donated by two of 
  our dedicated devotees and with the new addition of 7 acres of land 
  the Society now owns 32 acres of land and 15 buildings, ten of which 
  are individual meditation cabins (kutis). 
       
       We are confident that you would be very pleased to hear the 
  progress we have made so far. We  are optimistic that you would 
  continue your support to achieve our next goal to build a separate 
  meditation hall and library. The present meditation hall surely serves 
  us quite well. We still feel that it may not be the most comfortable 
  place for you to meditate while cooking is going on in the kitchen 
  during retreats. We feel that you would like to have a more of a quiet 
  place to meditate. This center, after all, is reasonably quiet as it 
  is. However, if the meditation hall is a little farther away from the 
  kitchen you may meditate still better. 
       
       As we are approaching the end of 1993 and stepping into 1994, it 
  is time for us to remind you what we have done so far and what we are 
  planning to do in the future, with your kind support. As we try to cut 
  corners wherever and whenever possible, we decided to publish this 
  reminder in our newsletter rather than sending a separate one. If you 
  have already renewed your 1994 membership or if you are a Lifetime 
  member or Patron of the Society, please ignore this notice. 
  
  
  Buddhist Publication Society, 
  
       The Buddhist Publication Society, a specialist publisher of 
  literature on Theravada Buddhism, has issued its new descriptive 
  catalogue for 1993-94. A copy of this 60 page catalogue will be sent 
  upon request. While the catalogue itself is free, we would appreciate 
  a contribution of U.S.$1.50 (or its equivalent) to cover the cost of 
  air mail postage. Write to Buddhist Publication Society, P.O. Box 61, 
  Kandy, Sri Lanka.
  
  
  
  Kathina Celebration:
  
       More than 150 people including 9 monks attended the celebration 
  organized by Ven. Katugastota Uparatana, Mr. & Mrs. Ananda & Lalitha 
  Herath and Pandigama family. The. Sangha unanimously decided to offer 
  the Kathina robe to Bhante Dhammaratana. Each monk also received a 
  robe for the year. Most of the items on the essential needs list were 
  donated by the devotees. We thank all of our friends for their very 
  kind and generous donations in cash, supplies and for being with us. 
  
  
  
  Happy New Year to All:
  
       The President, and Trustees of the Bhavana Society wish you all a 
  very happy 1994. We have been able to function as an organization 
  because of the support and cooperation of each and everyone of you. 
  You have supported us to help thousands of people throughout the world 
  through our Dhamma talks, meditation instructions, personal services, 
  and distributing many Dhamma books and tapes.
  
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