Tradition

Theme of family camp is tradition and it is also vesak. So we will combine these themes together. So Vesak is about the Birth, Enlightenment and passing way of the Buddha, which in this tradition is agreed upon, that it all happened on the same day.

What is a Tradition?

Welcome evening - Saturday AM PM Puja Birth of a tradition - Sunday AM PM Puja Enlightened Tradition - Monday how traditions cease

We also made the Rainbows magazine - on line here

We had a photo journalist make a slide show about rainbows - on line soon

An art therapist running art groups

We made a song about tradition- listen here
and
we had some hindu Swami's chant mantra -listen here (2mb mp3)

Swami Mangalananda from The Omkareshwar Ashram

the Family camp also sang a song at the Monastery Vesak celebration - listen here (2mb mp3)

 

 

 

 

What is a Tradition?

1.What makes something a tradition?
2.Does a practice have to be old to be a tradition?
3.How many people have to know about a practice for it to be a tradition?
4.How many people have to follow a practice for it to be a tradition?
5.If everyone stopped following it, would it still be a tradition?
6.Can one person have their own traditions?
7.Who has the power to make something a tradition?

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Evening

We used these cards (1mb PDF) to form groups based on the list below from the Kalama sutta about how NOT to judge a tradition by.

 

1. Oral history
2. Traditional
3. News sources
4. Scriptures or other official texts
5. Logical reasoning
6. Philosophical reasoning
7. Common sense
8. One's own opinions
9. Authorities or experts
10. One's own teacher

 

Saturday Morning (Birth of A tradition)

We had a guided meditation on Birth and we play the game called speaking to aliens

and then used theartifact game to explore the kalma sutta.

 

The Buddha provides ten specific sources which should not be used to accept a specific teaching as true, without further verification:
1. Oral history
2. Traditional
3. News sources
4. Scriptures or other official texts
5. Logical reasoning
6. Philosophical reasoning
7. Common sense
8. One's own opinions
9. Authorities or experts
10. One's own teacher
(when you know it for yourself)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/authenticity.html
“This leaves only two methods for ascertaining the Dhamma, both of them related to the question raised in this passage and central to other teachings in the canon: What is skillful, what is unskillful? In developing any skill, you must (1) pay attention to the results of your own actions; and (2) listen to those who have already mastered the skill. Similarly, in ascertaining the Dhamma, you must (1) examine the results that come for putting a particular teaching in practice; and (2) check those results against the opinions of the wise.”

1)Association with people of integrity.
2) Listening to the True Dhamma.
“Once you've determined to the best of your ability that certain people embody integrity, the suttas advise listening to their Dhamma, both to learn about them — to further test their integrity — and to learn from them, to gain a sense of what the Dhamma might be. And again, the suttas recommend both how to listen to the Dhamma and how to recognize true Dhamma when you hear it.”
3)Appropriate attention.
4)Practice in accordance with the Dhamma.

From the canki sutta
So if a teacher free from greed , hatred and delusion
if they are how did they do that through exertion, what type? - contemplation – what quality – willingness - what quality – desire (enthusiasm) – what helpful for desire to arise – agree with the essence of the dhamma – what quality can help with this – understand the meaning – what is helpful for this – remembering the dhamma – what quality is helpful for this – hearing the dhamma – what is helpful for hearing – listening – what is helpful for listening - getting closer to the situation – what helpful for this – visiting – what's helpful for visiting – conviction (strong belief)
so this is how you become you own teacher
from the kalama sutta
"But when you know for yourselves — these things are immoral, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken conduce to ruin and sorrow — then indeed do you reject them.
"When you know for yourselves — these things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness — then do you live acting accordingly."

Saturday Evening

Guided mediation on truth

We played the truth game the cards are here and a activity called topsy turvey

 

Sunday Morning - a quiet puja

 

Sunday Evening (enlightened tradition)

We played this very powerful game about co-operation called chairs and followed it with a discussion.

 

Monday Closing Ceremony - how tradition cease

four groups
1)discuss the facts of the weekend what do we do
2)feeling about the weekend -was the experience new, fun, boring, confusing, enlightening, disappointing, stimulating, challenging, affirming ... or what?
3)Findings - What have you learned? -What did you like about this weekend?
4)Future - How do you expect to apply what you have learned? How could this have been better?

So on this weekend we have have explored theme of tradition and have used the Kalama sutta as a way of exploring that. What the Buddhas was pointing to was know the teaching for yourself by having a deep appreciation of what he was teaching by finding teacher that can explain it and enthusiasm to understand it

Like all things the Tradition change and grow and cease but as the Buddhas said on his death bed...

as the buddha said
The Law be your light,
The Law be your refuge!
Do not look for any other refuge!