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The Pali Canon
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Application Details
Our next available course will begin in September 2018 and registration
is now open. To ensure a place, early application is advisable. The
course runs from September 29th - December 7th, 2018.
Subscription Fees For New Course Participants
The subscription rate for our current course is US $140. This brings 10
weeks’ tuition via Vipassana Fellowship’s Online Course Campus,
personal support for your practice (by e-mail and online discussion)
from the course teacher and includes specially recorded audio guided
meditations and chants.
Please note that anyone in genuine
financial difficulty may contact us before applying to discuss paying by
instalments over a longer term or, when necessary, a reduced
subscription fee.
Homelands Places
Our FREE subscription offer for South Asia
If you were born and currently live in one of the traditional homelands
of early Theravada Buddhism we are able to offer a limited number of
places on each online course free of charge. This scheme applies to
those native to - and permanently resident in - India, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan, Cambodia and Laos. You must also be
able to access the course daily from your home country. Homelands places
are always in high demand and it is advisable to apply as soon as
possible. The special Homelands form for our September course will be
available here on August 29th. Please do not use the standard
application form below for Homelands places.
Subscriptions For Previous Participants
Concessionary rates available to all previous participants
If you have participated in any of our earlier online courses you are
welcome to join us for the new session at a substantial discount: the
standard version for US $80 including the downloadable audio material.
Note: Our Parisa scheme is an alternative way of subscribing that
provides ongoing support, access to future courses and new monthly
material.
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If you would like to register for the
forthcoming course, you will need to complete our online application and
pay the subscription to secure a place. Once we have received your form
and payment we will normally write to you within 7 days to confirm your
place.
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Dhamma Essay:
Supreme Efforts by Ayya Khema
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Fellowship’s online Meditation Course provides a supported introduction
to Buddhist Meditation as found in the Theravada tradition.…
http://www.vipassana.org/course/
Vipassana Fellowship Meditation Course
An established online course in Mindfulness Meditation as found in the Serenity and Insight traditions of early Buddhism.
Please join us for one of our 10 week courses:
June 2018 (10 week course: June 16th - August 24th)
September 2018 (10 week course: September 29th - December 7th) - Registration now available.
January 2019 (10 week course)
Vipassana Fellowship’s online meditation courses have been offered
since 1997 and have proven helpful to meditators in many countries
around the world. The main text is based on a tried and tested format
and serves as a practical introduction to samatha (tranquility) and
vipassana (insight) techniques from the Theravada tradition of Buddhism.
Intended primarily for beginners, the 10 week course is also suitable
for experienced meditators who wish to explore different aspects of the
tradition. The emphasis is on building a sustainable and balanced
meditation practice that is compatible with lay life. The course is led
by Andrew Quernmore, a meditation teacher for over 20 years and with a
personal meditation practice of more than 35 years. Andrew trained with
teachers in Sri Lanka and in England and has taught meditation in London
colleges and at retreats in the UK, Europe and Asia. The course is
delivered wholly online in our Course Campus.
Course Outline
Frequently Asked Questions
Application Form
Testimonials
Already enrolled? Log-in here
Parisa - Our support scheme for previous participants
Fellowship’s online Meditation Course provides a supported introduction
to Buddhist Meditation as found in the Theravada tradition.…
http://www.vipassana.org/course/
Vipassana Fellowship Meditation Course
An established online course in Mindfulness Meditation as found in the Serenity and Insight traditions of early Buddhism.
Please join us for one of our 10 week courses:
June 2018 (10 week course: June 16th - August 24th)
September 2018 (10 week course: September 29th - December 7th) - Registration now available.
January 2019 (10 week course)
Vipassana Fellowship’s online meditation courses have been offered
since 1997 and have proven helpful to meditators in many countries
around the world. The main text is based on a tried and tested format
and serves as a practical introduction to samatha (tranquility) and
vipassana (insight) techniques from the Theravada tradition of Buddhism.
Intended primarily for beginners, the 10 week course is also suitable
for experienced meditators who wish to explore different aspects of the
tradition. The emphasis is on building a sustainable and balanced
meditation practice that is compatible with lay life. The course is led
by Andrew Quernmore, a meditation teacher for over 20 years and with a
personal meditation practice of more than 35 years. Andrew trained with
teachers in Sri Lanka and in England and has taught meditation in London
colleges and at retreats in the UK, Europe and Asia. The course is
delivered wholly online in our Course Campus.
Course Outline
Frequently Asked Questions
Application Form
Testimonials
Already enrolled? Log-in here
Parisa - Our support scheme for previous participants
Comments from participants
Participants in our earlier course wrote:
“What a wonderful experience this has been. The course was so well
organized, easily accessible, affordable, systematic, and comprehensive.
I will always be grateful for this experience in my journey.” L, USA
“I found the course immensely useful, accessible and extremely thought-provoking.” - A, UK
“I didn’t finish everything, but what I was able to experience was
profound. Thank you so much for the tremendous wealth of thinking and
peace contained within your course.” - N, USA
“I found it very
helpful and well structured. It helped me establish a daily practice
throughout the duration and to learn a lot” - I, Argentina
“When I
applied to join the course, I was struggling in my practice and had
lost heart. I can’t sufficiently express my appreciation and gratitude
for the wonderful resource you offer. The content was immediately
engaging, and was throughout delivered with clarity and thoughtful care.
Perhaps I can best express feedback in terms of how differently things
feel having completed the course. The words that pop up are refreshment,
reinvigorated, revival; joyful reconnection and commitment. Thank you.”
- E, UK
“Before joining this course I was doing meditation but
not with such discipline and without any structure. This course showed
me many beautiful aspects of meditation which I have read before but not
experienced. My sincere thanks to you and all people working for this
online course. This is great help to people who cannot go physically to
Ashrams to attend and practice.” S, India
“I greatly enjoyed it! And found it to be a great introduction to various meditation techniques.” - M, Hong Kong
“I very much appreciated the structure of the course and the exercises,
which made it easy to integrate them into normal everyday life. Not
being in a retreat but living in normal circumstances while practicing
the exercises has enabled me to more and more notice phenomena arising
in particular situations and I indeed started to learn and observe how
suffering is created in everyday life situations and what suffering
feels like. (A bit like ‘training on the job.’) Also I noticed insights
arising, literally out of nowhere.” - A, Germany
“am very happy
with the offered course, and Andrew’s use of personal perspective really
helped me understand things better. Although I’ve previously used
Vipassana meditation, this course really brought it together for me.” J,
USA
“Meditations of Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative
Joy, Equanimity etc. will no doubt help to maintain an emotional balance
in the midst of discouraging vicissitudes of life. All in all the
package was complete, precise and well crafted for the development of
mind. Thank you, with your help I began the journey. And hope, will
continue till the end.” J, India
“Truly memorable experience. Am
determined more than ever to continue my practice and perpetual
exploration. Thanks for taking us through this journey.” G, India
“I enjoyed very much the January meditation course. Although I’ve done a
few of those 10 day courses, this online course taught me new
techniques that I find helpful. I also enjoyed the readings and found
Andrew’s style of writing to be very pleasing to read. He doesn’t shove
the text down one’s throat. Instead, he imparts the information in a way
which is easy to read and leaves the reader feeling at ease - as though
this is really doable if only one approaches it with a relaxed and calm
attitude. Thanks Andrew! I hope we meet someday!” - A, USA
Recent comments:
“This course has been very helpful to me in establishing a daily practice.” - D, USA
“I have learned much and my meditation practice has benefitted greatly…” - C, Australia
“I would like to thank you for your well structured, informative and
personal course, it helped me for 3 months in a great way and left me
determine to continue meditation practice…” - T, Qatar
“Wonderful course. Like a guided stroll through a wondrous rainforest.
Rough terrain and stormy weather were dealt with gently but profoundly.
Beauty was to be rejoiced in. Student discussion was fun and educative.
Both my meditation practise and my Buddhism grew exponentially. Thank
you Andrew and all participants.” -S, Australia
“I enjoyed your course. I meditate each morning…” - A, USA
“Thank you very much for the Vipassana course! … I kept up, learned, and benefitted in what feels like a major way.” - M, USA
“Impermanence! I do not like endings. Thank you so much for offering
this meditation course to the world. I was so happy to find it.” - S,
Canada
“Hi, I have just completed the course. It was fantastic,
life altering. Feel very sad that it is finished. I have now established
a daily meditation practice and will try to find a group in Sydney to
further my dhamma practice. Thank you, it really has been a remarkable
experience. I will join the Parisa and stay in touch with this
organization. I have NO complaints only gratitude. Thank you.” - K,
Australia
“As we near the end of the course I just want to say
‘thank you’ for your work on it and share some of my thinking and
experience at thsi point. Ive found the different aproaches to
meditation interesting and useful and have appreciated your focus on
practicalities. The frequently asked questions have helped to avoid my
inundating you with questions, as many people have clearly walked the
path before asking them! … I am happy that it is a practical
philosophy for living an ethical life, I like the emphasis on acting
skillfully, feel that individual responsibility for ones actions (rather
than relying on redemption) makes sense … Thank you for a very
accessible path! - J, UK
Earlier comments
Dhamma Essay:
Ideal Solitude by Ayya Khema
Fellowship’s online Meditation Course provides a supported introduction
to Buddhist Meditation as found in the Theravada tradition.…
http://www.vipassana.org/course/intro.php
The Meditation Course
Ten Weeks of Practice with Andrew Quernmore
Since it began in 1997, our online Meditation Course has been taken by
hundreds of new and experienced meditators each year. Based on authentic
techniques from the Theravada tradition - the Way of the Elders - the
course explores both vipassana (insight) and samatha (tranquility)
meditation and places emphasis on working in an ethical framework.
The Meditation Course is adapted to the needs of Westerners but remains
faithful to the Theravada tradition. It is based on Andrew’s experience
of teaching meditation to adults at colleges in London and on his
retreats and courses in Europe and Asia.The course operates as a
distance learning package and starts several times each year. No
previous knowledge is assumed, and whilst the content is never less than
challenging, the pace of the course is gradual and it is intended that
the course and the meditation sessions should fit manageably into daily
life. Course members usually find that the amount of time devoted to
meditation gradually increases as the course progresses, but that it can
be accommodated within their schedule.
Although originally
designed for beginners, many seasoned meditators have found the course
useful as a way of refreshing their practice through working in new or
different ways. All are welcome - the only requirements are a moderately
specified computer, access to e-mail and the web, and a commitment to
working with determined effort during the course.
It is
emphasised that the course concentrates on the development of a balanced
meditation practice. Too often meditators burn out quite quickly after
beginning a technique - sometimes after a particularly intensive retreat
- and some give up on meditation altogether. Others say “I can’t
meditate”, when maybe they are simply unsuited to, or not ready for, the
single technique they have been shown. This is a great pity when the
Buddha bequeathed us many different methods. The approach on this course
is to work hard to ensure that any technique introduced is of use in
the participants’ developing practice.
Meditation can be joyful!
It is sometimes approached as a heartless, mechanical, activity - a
daily chore to be endured at all costs through gritted teeth. This is
simply the wrong approach. On this course we take the middle way and
integrate what might be called both “heart” and “head” practices
directly from the advice given in the Pali Canon.
The Meditation
Course looks at the two traditional divisions of meditation - samatha
and vipassana. In samatha we develop concentration upon particular
objects. We begin with observation of the breath, and complement this
with more “heart-based” practices based on lovingkindness, compassion,
appreciative joy, and equanimity. The course then introduces vipassana
(or Insight) meditation which, through our developing awareness, enable
us to look at things as they really are and to discover their essential
nature. We will explore two contrasting ways of developing Insight.
Whilst we give an outline of the theories and philosophy associated with
these forms of meditation, it is stressed that this is a practical
course. The key to deriving benefit from the course lies not in learning
the theories the course introduces, nor in reading the books that we
may recommend; but in integrating a meaningful meditation practice into
your life. It is hoped that this course will provide encouragement and
resources to help you to achieve this.
The course is now
delivered entirely through our online Course Campus - a dedicated
interactive website to which you will have access for 10 weeks that is
suitable for Windows, Apple Mac and Linux computers (and most other
operating systems). The course is led by Andrew Quernmore, an
experienced meditation teacher based in the UK, and you will have the
opportunity to discuss your evolving practice with him throughout the
course. Instructions are given in weekly units and supplemented daily by
readings and explanatory material. An area of the online Course Campus
is available to facilitate interaction between participants. Specially
recorded audio material is used to guide participants through the main
practices.
COURSE OUTLINE
Anapanasati - Mindfulness of
Breathing; The Mental Hindrances and strategies for overcoming them;
Metta Bhavana - Lovingkindness Meditation; The Value of the Precepts;
Practice in Daily Life; The Spiritual Faculties; Karuna Bhavana -
Developing Compassion; The Four Noble Truths; Mudita Bhavana -
Experiencing Joy; The Noble Eightfold Path; Upekkha Bhavana -
Equanimity; Vipassana Meditation; Impermanence; On Life and Death;
Dukkha, Anatta; Choiceless Awareness; Developing a sustainable practice.
Fellowship’s online Meditation Course provides a supported introduction
to Buddhist Meditation as found in the Theravada tradition.…
http://www.vipassana.org/meditation/
Modern Texts on the Practice of Meditation
Mindfulness in Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana
Freedom Within and Timeless Wisdom by Sayadaw U Pandita
Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pali Discourses by Ven. Analayo
Meditation Teachings from Mitirigala/Meetirigala by Ven. Dhammajiva
Buddhist Meditation by Francis Story (Anagarika Sugatananda)
Beginning Insight Meditation by Dorothy Figen
The Four Sublime States by Nyanaponika Thera
Anapana Sati: Meditation on Breathing by Ven. N. Ariyadhamma
One Tool Among Many by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Protection through Satipatthana by Nyanaponika Thera
The Foundations of Mindfulness:
An introduction and translation by Nyanasatta Thera
Facets of Metta by Sharon Salzberg
22 Talks on Meditation and Dhamma by Sister Ayya Khema
Farewell Night Desana by Ven. Acariya Maha Boowa
Fellowship’s online Meditation Course provides a supported introduction
to Buddhist Meditation as found in the Theravada tradition.…
http://www.vipassana.org/resources/
Buddhist Resources
Buddhism in a Nutshell by Ven. Narada Mahathera
The Noble Eightfold Path: the Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi
The Anagarika Dharmapala Archive
The Elimination of Anger by Ven. K. Piyatissa Thera
Meditation Centres in Sri Lanka by Andrew Quernmore
Lay Buddhist Practice by Bhikkhu Khantipalo
Poya or Uposatha Days
The Mahavamsa - The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
Bhikkhu Bodhi Essays
Fellowship’s online Meditation Course provides a supported introduction
to Buddhist Meditation as found in the Theravada tradition. Resources
and support for meditators and authoritative texts from the earliest
Buddhist sources.
The Pali Canon
Vinaya
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Sutta
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The collection of texts concerning the rules of conduct governing the daily affairs within the Sangha — the community of bhikkhus (ordained monks) and bhikkhunis (ordained nuns). |
The collection of discourses, attributed to the Buddha and a few of his closest disciples, containing all the central teachings of Theravada Buddhism. |
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Abhidhamma
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The collection of texts in which the underlying doctrinal principles presented in the Sutta Pitaka are reworked and reorganized into a systematic framework that can be applied to an investigation into the nature of mind and matter. This later work is not available here but sections of it may be found at Access to Insight. |
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Except where otherwise noted these translations of the earliest Buddhist texts originate at Access to Insight and are republished here under the terms of the ATI distribution agreement. We are grateful to be able to offer these texts here. For Free Distribution Only. These translations are © Copyright and may
only be used by agreement with the copyright holder.
Dhamma Essay:
Aims of Buddhist Education by Bhikkhu Bodhi
ADMISSIONS ARE IN PROGRESS
ಮೈತ್ರಿಯ ಮಿತ್ರರೆ,
ಪ್ರತಿ ಭಾನುವಾರ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ 10:30 ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ,
ಬೋದಿಸತ್ವ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ “ಧಮ್ಮ ಭೂಮಿ” ಯ “ನಾಗಸೇನ ಬುದ್ಧ ವಿಹಾರ” ಸದಾಶಿವನಗರ , ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು, ನಲ್ಲಿ
“ಬುದ್ಧ ಧಮ್ಮ ಸಂಘ” ವಂದನಾ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ,
ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಧಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರವಚನ, ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ, ನಂತರ ಧಮ್ಮದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸಂವಾದ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ, ಹಾಗೆ
ಹಾಗು ಸರಳ ಧ್ಯಾನ ವಿಧಾನಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ, ನಂತರ ಮಾಡಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ,
ಸರ್ವರಿಗೂ
ಅಹ್ವಾನ ಇದೆ, ತಾವುಗಳು ಕುಟುಂಬ ಸಮೇತವಾಗಿ, ಮಿತ್ರರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬಂದು ಈ ಅವಕಾಶವನ್ನು
ಸದುಪಯೋಗ ಪಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು, ಶಾಂತಿ, ನೆಮ್ಮದಿ, ಅನಂದ ದ ಜೀವನ ಮಾಡಿ,
ಸರ್ವ ಜೀವಿಗಳಿಗೂ “ಬುದ್ಧ ಧಮ್ಮ ಸಂಘ” ದ ಶುಭಹಾರೈಕೆಗಳು,
ಸಾಧು ಸಾಧು ಸಾಧು
ಭಂತೆ ಮಾತಾ ಮೈತ್ರಿಯಾ
ಕೆಳಗಿನ ಚಿತ್ರ ದಿನಾಂಕ, 01-08-2018 ರಂದು ಭಾನುವಾರ ನೆಡೆದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ದ ನಂತರ ದ ಕ್ಷಣ.
This program was successful
They
remembered the words of Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar. Dhamma must be heard
from practising Monks. And it is not important how much one reads but
how much one writes and records. Today at the advent of internet
Titpitaka the words of the Buddha the Awakened One with Awareness are
recorded in 111 languages to enable everyone to attain Nibbana i.e.,
Eternal Bliss as Final Goal.
2. The dangers pertaining to future lives
A. Objective aspect. Our liability to harm and danger does not end with death. From the perspective of the Buddha’s teaching the event of death is the prelude to a new birth and thus the potential passageway to still further suffering. The Buddha teaches that all living beings bound by ignorance and craving are subject to rebirth. So long as the basic drive to go on existing stands intact, the individualized current of existence continues on after death, inheriting the impressions and dispositions accumulated in the previous life. There is no soul to transmigrate from one life to the next, but there is an ongoing stream of consciousness which springs up following death in a new form appropriate to its own dominant tendencies.
Rebirth, according to Buddhism, can take place in any of six realms of becoming. The lowest of the six is the hells, regions of severe pain and torment where evil actions receive their due expiation. Then comes the animal kingdom where suffering prevails and brute force is the ruling power. Next is the realm of “hungry ghosts” (petavisaya), shadowy beings afflicted with strong desires they can never satisfy. Above them is the human world, with its familiar balance of happiness and suffering, virtue and evil. Then comes the world of the demi-gods (asuras), titanic beings obsessed by jealousy and ambition. And at the top stands the heavenly worlds inhabited by the devas or gods.
The first three realms of rebirth — the hells, the animal kingdom, and the realm of ghosts — together with the asuras, are called the “evil destinations” (duggati) or “plane of misery” (apayabhumi). They receive these names because of the preponderance of suffering found in them. The human world and the heavenly worlds are called, in contrast, the “happy destinations” (sugati) since they contain a preponderance of happiness. Rebirth in the evil destinations is considered especially unfortunate not only because of the intrinsic suffering they involve, but for another reason as well. Rebirth there is calamitous because escape from the evil destinations is extremely difficult. A fortunate rebirth depends on the performance of meritorious actions, but the beings in the evil destinations find little opportunity to acquire merit; thence the suffering in these realms tends to perpetuate itself in a circle very difficult to break. The Buddha says that if a yoke with a single hole was floating at random on the sea, and a blind turtle living in the sea were to surface once every hundred years — the likelihood of the turtle pushing his neck through the hole in the yoke would be greater than that of a being in the evil destinations regaining human status. For these two reasons — because of their inherent misery and because of the difficulty of escaping from them — rebirth in the evil destinations is a grave danger pertaining to the future life, from which we need protection.
B. Subjective aspect. Protection from a fall into the plane of misery cannot be obtained from others. It can only be obtained by avoiding the causes leading to an unfortunate rebirth. The cause for rebirth into any specific plane of existence lies in our kamma, that is, our willed actions and volitions. Kamma divides into two classes, the wholesome and the unwholesome. The former are actions motivated by detachment, kindness, and understanding, the latter actions motivated by greed, hatred and delusion. These two classes of kamma generate rebirth into the two general planes of existence: wholesome kamma brings rebirth into the happy destinations, unwholesome kamma brings rebirth into the evil destinations.
We cannot obliterate the evil destinations themselves; they will continue on as long as the world itself endures. To avoid rebirth in these realms we can only keep watch over ourselves, by controlling our actions so that they do not spill over into the unwholesome courses leading to a plunge into the plane of misery. But to avoid generating unwholesome kamma we need help, and that for two principal reasons.
First, we need help because the avenues of action open to us are so varied and numerous that we often do not know which way to turn. Some actions are obviously wholesome or unwholesome, but others are difficult to evaluate, throwing us into perplexity when we run up against them. To choose correctly we require guidance — the clear indications of one who knows the ethical value of all actions and the pathways leading to the different realms of being.
The second reason we need help is because, even when we can discriminate right from wrong, we are often driven to pursue the wrong against our better judgment. Our actions do not always follow the counsel of our dispassionate decisions. They are often impulsive, driven by irrational urges we cannot master or control. By yielding to these drives we work our own harm even while helplessly watching ourselves do so. We have to gain mastery over our mind, to bring our capacity for action under the control of our sense of higher wisdom. But this is a task which requires discipline. To learn the right course of discipline we need the instructions of one who understands the subtle workings of the mind and can teach us how to conquer the obsessions which drive us into unhealthy self-destructive patterns of behavior. Because these instructions and the one who gives them help protect us from future harm and suffering, they can be considered a genuine refuge.
This is the second reason for going for refuge — the need to achieve mastery over our capacity for action so as to avoid falling into the evil destinations in future lives.
(23) For The Gain of The Many For The Welfare of The Many
C.M. to participate in programmes to be held on Gandhi Jayanti Tomorrow
Lucknow : October 01, 2007 The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Km. Mayawati would participate in various programmes to be held tomorrow on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. The C.M. would garland the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />
C.M. lays foundation of schemes worth Rs. 44,868.17 lakh for Ambedkar Nagar
C.M. lays foundation, dedicates to the people and announces several development schemes worth Rs. 44,868.17 lakh for Ambedkar Nagar district Lucknow :
September 29, 2007
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Km. Mayawati laid the foundation of several schemes worth Rs. 44868.17 lakh for the all round development of Ambedkarnagar district here today. Dedicating the schemes to the people she said that our party’s government was making its best efforts for removing the regional imbalances of backward areas. She said that our priority was to implement the development oriented policies and welfare programmes in all backward areas, so that the benefits of development could reach all the sections of the society. In a simple programme organised at C.M’s official residence to mark the foundation day of Ambedkarnagar here today, Km. Mayawati symbolically laid the foundation and announced several schemes for development of the district. She dedicated to the people an over bridge costing about Rs. 13.18 crore on Mughal Sarai-Faizabad-Lucknow railway line at Akbarpur-headquarter of Ambedkar Nagar. After completion of this over bridge the traffic movement to tehsil headquarter, school-college and main market of the district would become easy, besides ending the possibilities of accidents on railway crossing. She also dedicated the newly built 132 KV sub centre at Kotwa-Mahmadpur costing Rs. 450 lakh, Katehri Community Health Centre building costing Rs. 148.44 lakh and the Dugdh Utpadak Sahkari Sangh Ltd. Ambedkar Nagar. The cost of these four projects is Rs. 1916.65 lakh. Km. Mayawati laid the foundation of 12 projects worth Rs. 28265.32 lakh which included Rs. 23,500 lakh Government Allopathic Medical College on Akbarpur Tanda road, Press Club building, renovation and strengthening of Tanda-Maya Bazar road, construction of low level/submersible bridge and approach road through Tamsa road-Mirzapur village to Maharua road on Tons river, construction of bridge and approach road on Pahitipur-Annawa road in Shravan area on Bisui and Mardha rivers, foundation of Government Girls Higher Secondary School Bewana building under Akbarpur tehsil, Health Centre building at Baskhari, Judo Hall, Swimming Pool and Weight-Lifting Hall at Akbarpur Sports Stadium, besides symbolic laying of the foundation of boys’ dormitory. The Chief Minister announced 28 projects worth Rs. 14686.20 lakh for Akbarpur, Jalalpur, Tanda, Jahangirganj and Katehri constituencies. These projects include strengthening of Lumbini-Duddhi state highway from Akbarpur to Malipur-Surhurpur up to district border, strengthening and broadening of Akbarpur-Jalalpur road, Malipur Dhamarua road, Tanda-Hanswar-Makrahi-Chahoda-Birhar-Madarmau- Jahangirganj road, Padumpur-Kamharia road, Akbarpur-Gauhania road, Jotpur-Maharua road from Yadav Nagar crossing to Bikawa, Newada-Bandipur-Katka-Semara road, Gosaiganj-Mahmoodganj link road, Tanda-Barua-Jalaki- Utrethu road and setting up of new Katehri tehsil. Km. Mayawati also announced the setting up of Government Girls Inter Colleges at Bhiti Development Block and Tenduakalan of Jahangirganj Development Block, District Co-operative Bank, construction of Akbarpur tehsil building, construction of submersible bridge and approach road between Akbarpur Railway Station and Sahjadpur on Tons river, increasing the capacity of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Government District Hospital Ambedkar Nagar from 100-bed to 300-bed, construction of SC Hostel at district headquarter, expansion of Akbarpur Nagar Palika area, construction of Tanda tehsil building, setting up of additional police station Aliganj and Government Girls Inter College at Tanda, creation of Maharua police station, setting up of control rooms at Tanda and district Ambedkar Nagar, fire station under Alapur tehsil, besides the post graduate education facility at Ramabai Government Women Degree College Ambedkar Nagar. The responsibility of maximum projects has been entrusted to Public Works Department, U.P. Bridge Corporation and Rajkiya Nirman Nigam. Those present on the occasion included Public Works and Irrigation Minister Mr. Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Parliamentary Affairs and Medical Education Minister Mr. Lalji Verma, Transport Minister Mr. Ram Achal Rajbhar, Mines and Minerals Minister Mr. Babu Singh Kushvaha, Legislator Mr. Dharmraj Nishad, Mr. Sher Bahadur Singh, Mr. Tribhuvan Dutt besides Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, Chief Secretary Mr. P.K. Mishra, APC Mr. Anis Ansari, Principal Secretary to C.M. Mr. Shailesh Krishna and other senior officers. ******
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bung Rudy,
Ini mungkin bisa melegakan anda.
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Indonesia President asked to bring Myanmar issue to the front at UN
assembly
by Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Sept 24, 2007
Jakarta, Indonesia — The House of Representatives has asked President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to direct the UN General Assembly’s attention to
the mounting tension in Myanmar so as to press the military junta to
restore democracy.
The Indonesian Legislators’ Myanmar Caucus said in a press conference here
Sunday that the President should give special attention in his speech to
the General Assembly to what it called the “emergency” in Myanmar.
“The President should convince the assembly of the need for urgent action
to stop the current critical situation in Myanmar and bring the military
junta back to the discussion table with the pro-democracy National
League,” said caucus chairman Djoko Susilo.
The tension has been mounting in Myanmar after thousands of Buddhist monks
took to streets over the past five days to protest against the military
junta and demand implementation of the road map to democracy, including
the unconditional release of Noble Prize laureate Aung San Syu Ki.
Separately, House foreign affairs commission chairman Theo Sambuaga said
the President should assign a special delegate to Myanmar to tell the
junta about the concrete measures that needed to be taken immediately to
end the tension.
“The President should take the initiative by sending a delegate to Myanmar
to ask the junta to engage in national reconciliation because, with the
monks’ move, the country is now on the brink of civil war,” he said.
He also called on the government to lobby other ASEAN member countries not
to invite Myanmar to the organization’ s summit in Singapore next month so
as to isolate the military junta.
“ASEAN can no longer stick to the principal of non-interference engagement
in dealing with the Myanmar issue because the military junta has given no
signal that it will bring back democracy,” he said.
Theo and Djoko, respectively legislators from the Golkar Party and the
National Mandate Party (PAN), both said that the mounting tension in
Myanmar was no longer a Myanmarese internal affair. Accordingly, the UN
and ASEAN had to take concrete measures to end the human rights abuses.
They said Indonesia, the United States and other democratic countries
should intensify their lobbying of China, Russia and India to abandon
their support for the junta and ask for the trial of junta leaders before
an international court for their repression of pro-democracy activists and
other human rights abuses.
Theo added that it was really astonishing that India, as the biggest
democratic country in the world, was supporting the dictatorship in
Myanmar.
The military junta has detained hundreds of pro-democracy activists and
National League members loyal to Syu Ki for their opposition to the
dictatorship and repression.
Theo also said that Indonesia in its capacity as a non-permanent member of
the UN Security Council should play an intensive role in lobbying the
United States, France and Britain to have the world body issue a
resolution imposing firm sanctions on the military junta.
“An intensive diplomatic mission is needed to avoid possible bloodshed and
uphold democracy in Myanmar.”
Dalit+OBC is Maya’s formula for Chhattisgarh
Nitin Mahajan
Posted online: Monday, October 01, 2007 at 0000 hrs IST
RAIPUR, SEPTEMBER 30
After successfully wooing Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) in Chhattisgarh has decided to engineer a social pact with
OBCs and Scheduled Castes to make inroads into the state polity.
The state unit of the BSP is preparing to replicate Uttar Pradesh’s
social engineering experiment in the 2008 Assembly polls through an
alliance with SCs and OBCs.
Chhattisgarh BSP President Dau Ram Ratnakar said the party was
confident that the alliance would succeed. The party has decided to
contest all 90 Assembly seats in next year’s polls, he said.
“As OBCs are a majority in the state, comprising mostly Sahus and
Kurmis, an alliance of Dalits and OBCs will be an advantage for us in
next year’s Assembly polls,” Ratnakar added. With the total population
comprising 52 per cent OBCs and 22.3 per cent SCs, the party is
hopeful that the alliance will be invincible.
“To bring OBCs into the party fold, bhaichara committees have been
launched by the BSP in each of the parliamentary constituencies. The
committees have been entrusted with the task of organising
constituency-level contact programmes for these communities,” he said.
In the last Chhattisgarh Assembly polls held in 2003, the party had
contested 52 seats out of which it secured 2. However, polling on one
of these seats — Malkharauda — was annulled by the High Court and a
bypoll held for the seat was won by the BJP. The BSP in the last
Assembly elections had secured a total vote share of 5 per cent by
contesting on 52 seats. The party hopes to improve the vote share
significantly once the alliance of the two castes is established.
Party sources pointed out that upper castes only constitute about 4
per cent of the total population here, but the state has always been
governed by them. Once an alliance between OBCs and Dalits is
achieved, along with some upper caste leaders coming into the party
fold, the state BSP hopes to make significant gains in next year’s
Assembly polls.
As part of the party’s strategy to woo the community, several OBC
ministers from Uttar Pradesh will address mass rallies in various
parts of the state. Also, the charge of Chhattisgarh has been handed
over by the national leadership over to OBC leader Sewak Ram Sahu to
prepare for next year’s Assembly polls.
(22) The Awakened One
Translator’s note: The Pali canon is unique in its approach to the spirit world. While confirming the existence of spirits and other more refined levels of beings, it insists that they are not worthy of worship. The Buddha, after all, is the teacher not only of human beings but also of heavenly beings; and many heavenly beings are not especially knowledgeable or spiritually advanced, in spite of their refined state. The Canon illustrates this point in a number of gentle satires. The most famous is the Kevatta Sutta (DN 14), where the ignorance & pomposity of a supposedly all-knowing creator is lampooned. This discourse is another entertaining example of the same genre, pointing out the difficulties of teaching more advanced Dhamma to any being — human or divine — who is obsessed with sensual pleasures. On hearing some verses concerning the awakened one’s state of mind — which is not subject to time and is visible here-&-now — the devata cannot understand them, and is able to grasp only a few very basic principles of Dhamma practice. It’s unusual for the Buddha to aim his words so far over the heads of his listeners. Perhaps in this case, as in SN 1.1, he wants to subdue the devata’s pride. At any rate, there is hope for her: as the Commentary points out, her understanding covers in a rudimentary fashion all the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. If she follows through with her understanding, she’s on the road to the higher attainments.
This discourse also contains some word play on the words “time” (kala) and “subject to time” (kalika). “Time” can mean not only time in the general sense, but also one’s time of death (a person who has died is said to have “done his/her time”). These two meanings of the word underlie the first exchange between Ven. Samiddhi and the devata. “Subject to time” can mean “obtainable only after a certain time” or “good only for a certain length of time”: these meanings underlie their second exchange.
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha at Tapoda monastery. Then Ven. Samiddhi, as night was ending, got up & went to the Tapoda Hot Springs to bathe his limbs. Having bathed his limbs and gotten out of the springs, he stood wearing only his lower robe, letting his limbs dry.
Then a certain devata, in the far extreme of the night, her extreme radiance lighting up the entire Tapoda Hot Springs, approached Ven. Samiddhi. On arrival, while standing in the air, she addressed him with this verse:
Without having enjoyed [sensual pleasures], you go for alms, monk. You don’t go for alms after having enjoyed. Having enjoyed, monk, then go for alms. Don’t let time pass you by.
[Ven. Samiddhi replied:]
I don’t know my time. My time is hidden. It can’t be seen. That’s why, not having enjoyed, I go for alms: Don’t let my time pass me by.
Then the devata, coming down to earth, said to Ven. Samiddhi, “You have gone forth while young, monk — black-haired, endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life — without having played with sensual pleasures. Enjoy human sensuality, monk. Don’t drop what is visible here-&-now in pursuit of what’s subject to time.”
“My friend, I’m not dropping what’s visible here-&-now in pursuit of what’s subject to time. I’m dropping what’s subject to time in pursuit of what’s visible here-&-now. For the Blessed One has said that sensual pleasures are subject to time, of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks; whereas this Dhamma is visible here-&-now, not subject to time, inviting all to come & see, pertinent, to be known by the wise for themselves.”
“But, monk, in what way has the Blessed One said that sensual pleasures are subject to time, of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks? And how is this Dhamma visible here-&-now, not subject to time, inviting all to come & see, pertinent, to be known by the wise for themselves?”
“I’m new, my friend, not long gone forth, only recently come to this Dhamma & discipline. I can’t explain it in detail. But the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened, is staying here in Rajagaha at Tapoda monastery. Having gone to him, ask him this matter. As he explains it, that’s how you should remember it.”
“Monk, it’s not easy for us to go to the Blessed One, as he is surrounded by other devas of great influence. But if you go to the Blessed One and ask him this matter, I will come along to hear the Dhamma.”
Responding to the devata, “As you say, my friend,” Ven. Samiddhi went to the Blessed One. On arrival, he bowed down to the Blessed One and sat to one side. As he was sitting there [he told the Blessed One his entire conversation with the devata]. “Now, lord, if that devata was telling the truth, she is not far from here.”
When this was said, the devata said to Ven. Samiddhi, “Ask, monk! Ask! I’ve gotten through.”
Then the Blessed One recited this verse to the devata:
Perceiving in terms of signs, beings take a stand on signs. Not fully comprehending signs, they come into the bonds of death. But fully comprehending signs, one doesn’t construe a signifier. Yet nothing exists for him by which one would say, ‘To him no thought occurs.’ If you know this, spirit, then say so.
“I don’t understand, lord, the detailed meaning of the Blessed One’s brief statement. It would be good if the Blessed One would speak in such a way that I would understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One’s brief statement.”
[The Blessed One said:]
Whoever construes ‘equal,’ ’superior,’ or ‘inferior,’ by that he’d dispute. Whereas to one unaffected by these three, ‘equal’ ’superior’ do not occur. If you know this, spirit, then say so.
“I don’t understand, lord, the detailed meaning of the Blessed One’s brief statement. It would be good if the Blessed One would speak in such a way that I would understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One’s brief statement.”
[The Blessed One said:]
Having shed classifications, gone beyond conceit, he has here cut through craving for name & form: This one — his bonds cut through, free from trouble, from longing — though they search they can’t find him, human & heavenly beings, here & beyond, in heaven or any abode. If you know this, spirit, then say so.
“Lord, here’s how I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One’s brief statement:
In all the world, every world, you should do no evil with speech, body, or mind. Having abandoned sensual pleasures — mindful, alert — don’t consort with suffering & stress, with what doesn’t pertain to the goal.”