Anne Skyvington
  • Writing
    • A Change of Blog Title
    • An Article in Quadrant Magazine
    • A Guest Post by Ian Wells
    • An Aussie bloke remembers: Guest post by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • a father’s tale … by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • “Snakey” by Roger Britton
    • A Guest Poem: “First Loves” by Roger Britton
    • At the Swimming Pool
    • A Modern True Story
    • A Story of a Special Child
    • What I learnt from writing a novel…
  • Mythos
    • A FAIRY STORY
    • Anthropos Rising
    • A Grain of Folly
    • The Myth of Persephone and Demeter
    • Candidly Yours…
    • A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
  • Travel
    • Adriatic Romance … Rijeka to Titograd
    • 5 or 6 Things About Valencia
    • A Bird’s Eye View
    • 7 ancient artefacts in the British Museum
    • A Tuscan Village Holiday
  • Australia
    • A Country College Residence
    • Alone not lonely in Apartheid South Africa
    • A Young Adult Novel: My French Barrette
    • A Sydney Icon or Two
    • 5 things about Coogee
  • Nature
    • Black Swans Surfing
    • Blackbird Mythology: Crows and Magpies of Australia
    • A Kit Home Goes Up in Vacy
  • Poetry
    • a funny thing happened …
    • An ancient mystic: Rumi
    • A Window into Poetry
    • A Love Sonnet by Ian Harry Wells
  • Memoir
    • Always something there to remind me…
    • A Well-Loved Pet
    • Ancient Stories from Childhood
    • Voices From the Past
  • Publishing
    • A Useful Site for Readers and Indie Authors: Books 2 Read
    • Highs and Lows of Self Publishing
    • How I Created My Debut Novel
    • 5 Further Publishing Facts
    • 5 Facts I Learnt About Self/Publishing
  • Contact Us

Anne Skyvington

The Craft of Writing

  • Writing
    • A Change of Blog Title
    • An Article in Quadrant Magazine
    • A Guest Post by Ian Wells
    • An Aussie bloke remembers: Guest post by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • a father’s tale … by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • “Snakey” by Roger Britton
    • A Guest Poem: “First Loves” by Roger Britton
    • At the Swimming Pool
    • A Modern True Story
    • A Story of a Special Child
    • What I learnt from writing a novel…
  • Mythos
    • A FAIRY STORY
    • Anthropos Rising
    • A Grain of Folly
    • The Myth of Persephone and Demeter
    • Candidly Yours…
    • A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
  • Travel
    • Adriatic Romance … Rijeka to Titograd
    • 5 or 6 Things About Valencia
    • A Bird’s Eye View
    • 7 ancient artefacts in the British Museum
    • A Tuscan Village Holiday
  • Australia
    • A Country College Residence
    • Alone not lonely in Apartheid South Africa
    • A Young Adult Novel: My French Barrette
    • A Sydney Icon or Two
    • 5 things about Coogee
  • Nature
    • Black Swans Surfing
    • Blackbird Mythology: Crows and Magpies of Australia
    • A Kit Home Goes Up in Vacy
  • Poetry
    • a funny thing happened …
    • An ancient mystic: Rumi
    • A Window into Poetry
    • A Love Sonnet by Ian Harry Wells
  • Memoir
    • Always something there to remind me…
    • A Well-Loved Pet
    • Ancient Stories from Childhood
    • Voices From the Past
  • Publishing
    • A Useful Site for Readers and Indie Authors: Books 2 Read
    • Highs and Lows of Self Publishing
    • How I Created My Debut Novel
    • 5 Further Publishing Facts
    • 5 Facts I Learnt About Self/Publishing
  • Contact Us
Emotions and HealthMythos

Buddhism for Westerners

written by Anne Skyvington October 12, 2012
the-big-buddha-painting

In 2008 I attended a Convention in Singapore for followers of the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism, introduced to the West by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in 1977. He now resides at the mother centre in the UK. These festivals are annual events, and I was a novice, trying to understand in more depth what this form of Buddhism is all about. The master, in this case Geshe-la, teaches highest meditation practices and gives empowerments, which must be handed down in a “pure” state by the teachers of the tradition. The title of “Geshe” means “Spiritual Friend” and he is known as “Geshe-la” by his followers.

Monks and nuns of this tradition devote their whole lives to meditation and sacrifice to the spiritual needs of their followers.

More than 3,000 people from all over the world attended the Singapore convention. What struck me was how many people are drawn to this tradition through a need for spirituality in our materialistic western societies.

“Buddha” means “The Awakened One,” one who has arisen from the sleep of ignorance into enlightenment. The original Buddha was Shakyamuni, born as a royal prince, Prince Siddhartha, in 624 BC in Lumbini, originally in northern India, but now part of Nepal. He devoted his life to the pursuit of enlightenment for the sake of all, and relinquished his attachments to worldly riches.

Kadampa Buddhism referred originally to a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the great Indian Master Atisha (AD 982-1054). Followers of this tradition were known as “Old Kadampas” and those who came after Je Tsongkhapa in Tibet (AD 1357-1419) have been known as “New Kadampas.”

What drew me towards Buddhism, was the offer of a practical method for attaining inner peace, even within the walls of our urban jungles. I started off by attending Saturday morning “drop-in” sessions at Bondi Beach Pavilion, the seagulls, waves and murmurs from beach-goers a constant buzz in the background. I listened to the practical advice offered by the young monk and followed the simple but powerful meditation directions along with the rest of the class. It was good value for $14. My mood changed progressively over time from one of frustration at the obstacles life was throwing up, to one of peaceful acceptance that I could meet whatever came my way. The support of the group helped in an inexplicable way, especially for going deeply into that quiet centre within yourself during meditation.

I later on progressed to the more intensive Wednesday evening classes at the main centre (not quite a “temple” as yet) in a terrace house in Bondi Junction.

The main message that seemed to help me and others is the very simple one, that life presumes problems, i.e. suffering is an inevitable part of being alive, and it is your attitude towards this that can make the difference. In addition we were opened up to the possibility that anger may not be the most helpful way of responding to difficult situations and to solving problems The other important message was to do with unhealthy attachment that holds many people in its thrall, and if challenged appropriately, may be the key to freedom from suffering. But the overriding principle lessons that came out of these sessions, was that of the importance of developing a good heart and the realisation that everything depends upon the mind.

The Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso resides at the Manjushri Centre near the Lakes District in the UK and has taught and written books on Buddhism there for the last 30 years. There are now over a thousand centres throughout the world that follow the Kadampa tradition.

There are four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingmapa (The Ancient Way); Kagyupa (The Oral Lineage); Sakyapa (The scholarly tradition); and Gelugpa (Way of Virtue). The latter had its birth in the 14th and 15th centuries and is linked to a Kadampa tradition and to Je Tsongkhapa. The four main traditions of Tibetan Buddhism have always lived with conflicts and contradictions, but what connects them despite their differences are certain spiritual aspects, some of which have been mentioned above.

manjushri

The Manjushri Temple in England

What drove me to leave the group, and to carry on spiritual development alone, using the valuable meditation skills I’d learnt, was what turns me away from all organised religious groups: too much dogma wrapped up in fear, and the lack of an open forum.

However, I’ll  be forever grateful for the spiritual lessons I learnt, the meditation techniques, and the beautiful Liberating Prayer  that has to be sung to music— or listened to—to appreciate it properly.

This experience of learning about and practising Buddhism, made me realise that all religions have a spiritual base that is similar. All religions, be it Christianity or an Eastern form of religion, have their strengths and weaknesses, being human representations on earth of the divine.

Buddhism for Westerners was last modified: July 14th, 2018 by Anne Skyvington
New Kadampa Tradition of buddhismthe Manjushri Centre in the UKwho is geshe kelsang gyatso?who was the original Buddha?
2 comments
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Anne Skyvington

I have been a reader/writer all of my life as far back as I can remember. Blogging has opened me up to another world, where I can share my skills and continue to create through word and picture. Writing is about seeing the world and recreating it for others to see through different eyes.

previous post
More About Bipolar and Depression
next post
Melancholia

You may also like

Blackbird Mythology: Crows and Magpies of Australia

December 22, 2018

Learning to Have Courage and Compassion

October 31, 2016

Finding peace … going deeper … meditating

September 29, 2016

The Parable of the Twins

January 22, 2016

Fear of Death/ Fear of Life

August 21, 2016

Ancient Stories from Childhood

September 8, 2019

An ancient mystic: Rumi

January 2, 2016

What is your favourite myth?

October 14, 2018

In praise of mothers and other positive...

May 7, 2018

Networking and Emotional Intelligence

September 22, 2016

2 comments

Maureen Mendelowitz August 6, 2018 at 1:50 pm

Thank you Anne. I am attempting to incorporate the principles of Buddhism in my life. Only scratching the surface but I feel the effects already. Best, Maureen

Reply
Anne Skyvington August 11, 2018 at 6:03 pm

A great idea. It really helped me. Let’s talk about it some time. It’s amazing, I still meditate. Best wishes.

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

About Me

About Me

Anne Skyvington

Anne Skyvington is a writer based in Sydney who has been practising and teaching creative writing skills for many years. You can learn here about structuring a short story and how to go about creating a longer work, such as a novel or a memoir. Subscribe to this blog and receive a monthly newsletter on creative writing topics and events.

Subscribe

Buy online from Amazon

In Australia you can purchase the book from Harry Hartog in Bondi Junction, from Amazon Australia and bookshops linked to IngramSpark

 

Included in Feedspot’s Top 30 for 2020

Top 30 Creative Writing Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

This blog is Included in List of 100 Best Writers’ Sites 2019

 

The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2019

Connect With Me

Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest Linkedin Youtube Email

Recent Posts

  • How I Created My Debut Novel

    July 4, 2020
  • A Useful Site for Readers and Indie Authors: Books 2 Read

    October 18, 2020
  • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills

    May 7, 2020
  • 5 Further Publishing Facts

    April 1, 2020
  • 5 Facts I Learnt About Self/Publishing

    March 23, 2020

Categories

  • Writing
  • Craft of Writing
  • Publishing
  • Australia
  • Childhood
  • Nature
  • Travel
  • Poetry
  • Memoir
  • Emotions and Health
  • Book Reviews
  • Guest Post
  • Art
  • Politics

I’ve joined ALLI

About Me

About Me

Anne Skyvington is a Sydney-based writer and blogger. Read more...

Popular Posts

  • How I Created My Debut Novel

    July 4, 2020
  • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills

    May 7, 2020
  • The Golden Ratio in Nature

    August 24, 2016
  • 5 Further Publishing Facts

    April 1, 2020

Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Copyright @ 2017 Anne Skyvington. All Rights Reserved. Site by gina.digital.


Back To Top