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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 13

What is your main motivation life. How do you balance that? especially that they will not burn
in starting the Bodhicitta Not always well! It’s hard to be out?
Foundation, and why in India? peaceful when all around you see

suffering and gross inequality. Basically it’s all in the schedule.
I visited Nagpur in India by Basically it took me many years We spend half the day meditating
chance and I saw the enthusiasm and a bit of burnout to realize that and studying Dharma, and half
of the local people for Dharma. if I was going to help others, I also the day doing social work. Social
But I also saw a lot of poverty. needed self-care. That is why I am workers need to work shorter
They were some of the poorest starting a monastery and meditation hours and take more holidays, as
Buddhists in the world, and very center for activists and monastics they see shocking things - acts of
few organizations even know in Australia to complement our great violence. We have counseling
Ambedkarite Buddhists exist. social work. Activism is a long term and debriefing. Humor helps! We
Because of the revolutionary human race. We may not see the massive have regular retreats and Dharma
rights campaigner, Dr Ambedkar, change we hope for immediately classes.
the local people were motivated for as it may take a generation but we
change. I was moved by their plight keep working for justice. Because People tend to associate Buddhist
and as a nun from a developed without justice, without empathy monastics as sitting in deep
country with white privileges, for those living in real suffering, all meditation in caves, chanting
I realized they did not need my our spiritual words about love and in monasteries, or conducting
prayers, as someone with the compassion don’t mean much. If we empowerment ceremonies and
bodhisattva vow to help all beings. don’t meditate daily we lose touch rituals. How much is social work
But they needed direct action in with peace and our activism is not like what you’re doing actually
terms of employment, vocational sustainable or we can feel cynical. emphasized or encouraged in the
training, education etc. Bodhicitta Spiritual practice reminds us to Buddhist scriptures?
or sublime compassion and the focus on the bigger picture, that
local people’s fighting spirit was my even if the world can be cruel, we The Buddha saw a monk lying sick
motivation. don’t have to be. and helped him. He cleaned the sick
man himself. The Buddha accepted
You wanted to be socially engaged How do you train Buddhist women and ‘low caste’ people into
so that you can bring Buddhism activists to be engaged in social the monastic community in a time
to the people, but yet you need to work and yet have time for inner when they were not regarded as
maintain a contemplative way of reflection and mental peace, and equal human beings.