The Gifts We Can Offer
- Parami
- Feb 17
- 3 min read
I’m writing this in the Mitchell Library - one of my favourite places to work. I have just finished preparing a talk for the class tonight. It is on Positive Emotion. We are exploring Bhante’s talks from 50 years ago: Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow. As part of the first of those talks (a method of personal development) we are looking at the Triratna system of practice. This was first outlined in a talk given by Bhante on an Order convention in 1978.
He specifically talked about it then in terms of meditation but subsequently made it clear that it had much broader implications. He referred to it a system for the whole life. The stages (not linear) are: integration; positive emotion; spiritual death; spiritual rebirth and receptivity. As well as thinking in terms of developing these through specific meditations, they are also elements of our Spiritual Path, our spiritual life. Some weeks ago I gave an introductory talk to the series, setting the scene for our Mandala night classes through 2026.
Today I have been preparing a talk to introduce positive emotion. I had notes from talks I have given in the past and had planned to recycle one of them but yesterday I realised that I wanted to offer something fresher. I found myself reflecting particularly on the brahma viharas as an expression of positive emotion - not only as meditation practices but, again, as a way of life. The term Brahma Vihara is often translated as the Divine Abodes - when we dwell in these states we live like divine beings. They are: Metta or loving kindness; Karuna or compassion; Mudita or sympathetic joy and Upekkha or equanimity. I’ve been thinking about them in terms of social application - of being a force for good in the world, individually and collectively. I have thought of some questions for folk to explore in groups and here they are in case any of you, not at the class, might want to reflect on them:
Questions
When do you most naturally experience positive emotion in your life?
Which is easier for you: kindness to others or kindness to yourself?
What tends to block positive emotion for you — fear, cynicism, busyness, self-criticism?
How might muditā function as an antidote to contemporary culture’s competitiveness?
Can equanimity coexist with activism?
Going back to the overall theme of Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow, I am fascinated by the fact that 50 years have passed. Bhante described these things as gifts that the then FWBO could offer the world. The world is very different now 50 years on but I do believe we still have gifts to offer. The world still needs these gifts - maybe more than ever. I am interested to think about this and to talk to some younger friends about how they see the world. I had a great conversation with Amayaraja yesterday and we agreed that we want to offer gifts to the world and we recognise that the world has changed immensely in those 50 years. We were talking about a series of podcasts that he and I with others plan to make later in the year, talking about areas where the world looks different - for example what difference does the existence of the internet make? Other areas might be the effect of globalisation, the climate crisis. We are an international community - are there different issues facing different parts of the world? Obviously we have a large presence in India so we will talk to folk there. I am excited about this and look forward to collaborating with Amayaraja and others.
I was 25 when I walked through the door of the GBC and these talks were the first lectures of Bhante’s that I heard. They captivated me, they seemed so relevant about the world I lived in. I was on fire. I want to know what is important to folk in their 20s and 30s now - well everyone really. What matters? What are the issues we face? What are the gifts we can offer?
For now, as always,
May all beings be well, may all beings find true happiness and its causes and may all beings be free from suffering.
Where the Bodhichitta has not yet arisen
May it arise
Where it has arisen
May it flourish
Where it flourishes
May it never die
Comments