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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 21

progressively improve their ability the community are sufficient. evaluation and offer new activities
to embrace both newcomers as well One very evident example is in which people can participate
as regular attendees. the complaint that several of while maintaining the essential
these facilities have levelled at and cultural characteristics of
As a regular visitor to Malaysia, the diminution in their physical Buddhism. Music is an excellent
what would you suggest for audience as a result of the Covid. tool to promote Buddhism. Online
Buddhist organizations to be A significant number of centers programs can also better plan their
more effective in promoting do not know how to present their outreach and attract the attention of
Buddhism to others? outreach after the Covid. They also youth and others. Furthermore, all

miss strategies for attracting young Buddhist organizations should get
I can speak largely about the vast
people to their centres. As a result, out of their comfort zone and help
majority of Theravāda temples.
my recommendations to these the community in new and better
They will have to put in a lot of
institutions are to enhance how they ways. They should brainstorm. They
work to attract newcomers while
handle newcomers, their regular should become a part of society
also keeping their regular audience.
audience, and their children. They rather than simply seeking funding
Most of them still believe that
have to perform a comprehensive for ongoing and past projects. EH
traditional means of approaching

Did the Buddha only

teach Mindfulness?

By Venerable Ajahn Punnadhammo

Ajahn Punnadhammo is abbot of the Arrow River Forest Hermitage in northern
Ontario. He has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1979 and was
ordained in Thailand in the forest tradition of Ajahn Chah (novice ordination Feb.
1991, higher ordination Feb. 1992). Between 1990 and 1995 he was based at
Wat Pah Nanachat, Thailand. Ajahn Punnadhammo is a Canadian, born Michael
Dominskyj, in Toronto in 1955. The following on-line interview on the topic of
mindfulness with Ajahn Punnadhammo was conducted by Benny Liow and is
reproduced as follows:

Benny: Today mindfulness seems to be everywhere. The Sanksrit cognate is smirti which actually means
But what is the original meaning of mindfulness as “memory”. In the Pali texts when someone is praised for
mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures? being “mindful” he is called satimant and this is usually
glossed with “he recalls easily that which was said and
The English word “mindfulness” is the common done long ago.” The best way to express Sati is, I believe,
translation for the Pali word Sati. Some older translations is “remembering to be present.”
used “recollectedness” and although it is a somewhat
awkward word it does catch the original meaning better. It may seem counter intuitive to connect mindfulness
There is definite connection between Sati and memory. with memory as we often hear that one should “be in