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Open the gates, for "kusala" sake

by Lim Kooi Fong, The Buddhist Channel, Aug 18, 2010
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- Once there w as a green sanctuary w here laughter,
mindfulness and fellowship were found in abundance, just as abundant as the flowers and the
neatly pruned shrubs that lined its garden.

The Malaysia Nibbana Meditation Centre sits on a 1.8ha piece of land which was bought
with public funds from a developer with 50 guarantors in 2001 at RM2.3mil (US$
620,000). It used to attract more than 10,000 to its events. It is currently opened only to
its 30 odd members. Pictures courtesy of Bugs Tan.

On some days, meditators dot the calm surroundings, sitting cross-legged w ith eyes closed,
looking inwardly. Not far aw ay, cicadas and cricket serenades behind the small thicket nearby.

The gates at the Malaysia Nibbana Meditation Centre (MNMC) w ere alw ays opened. Any one
wishing to listen to monks sharing the Dharma w as welcomed.

And there was food aplenty, as were their donors, w hich said much about the abundance of
generosity that had permeated in that place.

Indeed w hen the gates w ere opened, people flooded in w ith open-hearted kindness and
compassion. Evidently the Dharma gates also became ajar, allow ing fresh spiritual air to freely
flow through, bringing along the joy of cultivation and mindful practice.

Men became monks, sights of eight preceptors became regular and teens could be seen
holding moderate to deep Dharma discussions. For once, meditation was democratized, and
lay people were taught to learn and teach vipassana.

Imagine how much wholesomeness w as generated.

In the Atthasalini, it is mentioned that w holesomeness (kusala) produces ten kinds of

meritorious actions (kusalakamma), namely:

• Generosity (dana),
• Morality (sila),
• Meditation (bhavana)
• Reverence (apacayana),
• Service (veyyavacca).
• Transference of merit (pattidana),
• Rejoicing in others' good actions (anumodana),
• Hearing the doctrine (dhammasavana),
• Expounding the doctrine (dhammadesana) and
• Straightening one's own views (ditthijjukamma).

Think of every child, man and w oman who have walked through those gates and getting
blessed not w ith holy water, but by their meritorious deeds in partaking the w holesomeness

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8/19/2010 The Buddhist Channel | Print version
of the MNMC’s Dharma inspired air. Imagine bringing such w holesomeness back to their
homes, to their schools, to their offices, to their relationships.

How can the w orld not be changed by such meritorious deeds?

Alas, just four years ago, these gates of the MNMC were shut closed. Dried leaves litter the
compound where once children scamper around with their parents. Instead of the sounds of
chanting, all that can be heard are chirping birds and singing cicadas. Where once shadows of
people are seen bowing in reverence to the Sangha, the only movements seen now are
leaves blow ing in the wind.

What is even more disheartening to know is that the current sad state of affairs is created not
by lay people, but by monks w ho have subverted the constitution of the centre for their ow n
use. These monks – purportedly ordained in the Theravada tradition – have made themselves
trustees of the centre, holding access to the bank accounts and assuming administrative
positions.

The centre is now only opened for private use of these monks and their few supporters.
Deciphering how and w hy such a situation came to be for now is just an academic exercise
(see story here).

If these are indeed Theravada monks, ordained in accordance to the Vinaya, they need to do
the right thing. While deemed as “legal” by the Registrar of Society (see here) their custody of
the centre does not mean it is morally right, nor true in the spirit of Right Action.

Venerable sirs, if you believe that the pristine Dharma is shared through open engagement; if
you believe that the robes that you don is conduit to bringing w holesomeness to this world,
and liberating human minds through the practice of such values, then do the right thing.

Venerable sirs, we implore you: Open these gates!

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If you w ish to help, please read some background information on the issue and sign the
following petition:

http://revive-jjyl.blogspot.com/2010/07/petition-committee-once-again-appeals.html

This article comes from The Buddhist Channel site (http://www.buddhistchannel.tv).

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