Sydney MITRA Conf. 1/2 May

[cooran]

Hello all,

Any Oz members may be interested in attending The 2010 MITRA Conference in Sydney which takes place over two days, Saturday 1st May and Sunday 2nd May 2010.

Speakers will be:

Jetsunma (Venerable Master) Tenzin Palmo
Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera
Venerable Heng Sure
Venerable Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
Venerable Huifeng
Venerable Bhikkhuni Dhammananda
Gregory Kramer
Sarah Napthali
http://buddhistfestivalmonth.org.au/conference

with metta
Chris

[Ben]

Hi Chris,
I think the conference starts in one month, rather than in two days!
I would love to attend and meet Bhante in person. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to get away.
metta

Ben

[appicchato]

...takes place over two days...

[Ben]

Thank you Bhante.
Its very late here and I don't have my reading glasses on!
kind regards

Ben

[Sobeh]

Sunday, 2nd May 2010
09:30 - 10:45: Session 1
1. 'Buddha, Buddha, Buddha: The Overuse of Buddha' - Ajahn Brahm

I am sooo interested in what this talk will involve.

[Paññāsikhara]

Thanks Chris!

I feel kind of embarrassed that they invited me, given that all the other speakers are really amazing teachers!
Hope I don't let the team down.

[Ben]

Thanks Chris!

I feel kind of embarrassed that they invited me, given that all the other speakers are really amazing teachers!
Hope I don't let the team down.

Somehow Bhante, I can't see that happening!
metta

Ben

[cooran]

Paññāsikhara said: I feel kind of embarrassed that they invited me, given that all the other speakers are really amazing teachers!
Hope I don't let the team down.

I get the same feelings even when I'm just giving an 8 week course on Parenting to working people.
(I don't need to tell you dear Bhante that the feeling is just omāna )
http://www.palikanon.com/english/wtb/g_m/maana.htm

I'm thinking of going - I've been to one once before - and it isn't the "stage presence" or "fame" of the speakers ... it's the content of what they say and how it influences your thought processes and practice.

Fingers crossed that I can make it.

with metta and respect
Chris

[zavk]

Hey hey! I would love to attend too! Hmmmm... I'll need to check on my work schedule. Would be great if we could catch up there, Chris! It would also be great if I could get to meet Ven. Huifeng!

[BlackBird]

Hope I don't let the team down.

You'll do great Bhante! Best of luck (although you don't need it)

1. 'Buddha, Buddha, Buddha: The Overuse of Buddha' - Ajahn Brahm

There's something about Ajahn Brahm that always makes me smile.

metta
Jack

[Paññāsikhara]

Should also be at Santi Forest Monastery on the Friday immediately before, along with Ven Thubten Chodron and of course Bhante Sujato who is resident there.

[cooran]

Hey hey! I would love to attend too! Hmmmm... I'll need to check on my work schedule. Would be great if we could catch up there, Chris! It would also be great if I could get to meet Ven. Huifeng!

Did you check your work schedule? I'm booked ~ coming down with a friend (Joanne from Dhammagiri) on the Friday night - returning on the Monday.

with metta
Chris

[zavk]

Hey hey! I would love to attend too! Hmmmm... I'll need to check on my work schedule. Would be great if we could catch up there, Chris! It would also be great if I could get to meet Ven. Huifeng!

Did you check your work schedule? I'm booked ~ coming down with a friend (Joanne from Dhammagiri) on the Friday night - returning on the Monday.

with metta
Chris

Oh dear... that is the busiest period for me. If I attend I will have to leave on Sunday night. Will get back to you soon!

[zavk]

Looks like I won't be able to attend the conference. The reason is mainly because I'm (I have sent you a PM Chris)

All the best to you, Ven. Hufeng.

[Moggalana]

Will there be some kind of audio or video podcast? That would be cool. Sydney is a bit too far for a weekend trip

[cooran]

Hello all,

I had the good fortune to meet up with Ven. Huifeng at the Mitra Conference in Sydney this last weekend. Strange how things happen. A friend and I were taking the lift down in our hotel to have breakfast before going to the first day of the "Buddhism unplugged Conference" at another venue. The lift stopped, the doors opened, and a lone monk was standing there. A lone monk whom I recognised from his photo previously seen ... Ven. Huifeng (Paññāsikhara)! We introduced ourselves and had a great discussion over breakfast that day, as well as this morning again before I straggled back north to the Sunshine State.

During the same meal on Saturday, when I went to make some toast, I turned around, and there was Ajahn Brahmavamso standing next to me. I made an anjali and he said "Aha! a Buddhist!" with a big smile. We had a brief friendly conversation and he was interested to hear that I was from Dhammagiri (~ the abbott Ven Dhammasiha spent many years with Ajahn Brahms and I promised to take his greetings back with me).

I found the presentation by Ven.Huifeng interesting and enjoyable - but I have to confess, not just as everyone else did because it was novel and thought-provoking, - but because I was one of the three volunteers in his experiment to show the way the Mind works (which I hope he will say more about here).... and ended up scoring two Mars bars ~ much to the envy of the other 100 + people in the Room. It was not a bribe!!!!

I hope Ven Huifeng will say a little more about his paper and the Conference in general.

Moggalana - the Mitra people sell the DVD of the main presenters for $20.

with metta
Chris

with metta
Chris

[mikenz66]

Thanks for the wonderful report Chris.

Looking forward to hear Venerable's report. Perhaps next time the prize will be:


Metta
Mike

[zavk]

Hello all,

I had the good fortune to meet up with Ven. Huifeng at the Mitra Conference in Sydney this last weekend. Strange how things happen. A friend and I were taking the lift down in our hotel to have breakfast before going to the first day of the "Buddhism unplugged Conference" at another venue. The lift stopped, the doors opened, and a lone monk was standing there. A lone monk whom I recognised from his photo previously seen ... Ven. Huifeng (Paññāsikhara)! We introduced ourselves and had a great discussion over breakfast that day, as well as this morning again before I straggled back north to the Sunshine State.

During the same meal on Saturday, when I went to make some toast, I turned around, and there was Ajahn Brahmavamso standing next to me. I made an anjali and he said "Aha! a Buddhist!" with a big smile. We had a brief friendly conversation and he was interested to hear that I was from Dhammagiri (~ the abbott Ven Dhammasiha spent many years with Ajahn Brahms and I promised to take his greetings back with me).

I found the presentation by Ven.Huifeng interesting and enjoyable - but I have to confess, not just as everyone else did because it was novel and thought-provoking, - but because I was one of the three volunteers in his experiment to show the way the Mind works (which I hope he will say more about here).... and ended up scoring two Mars bars ~ much to the envy of the other 100 + people in the Room. It was not a bribe!!!!

I hope Ven Huifeng will say a little more about his paper and the Conference in general.

Moggalana - the Mitra people sell the DVD of the main presenters for $20.

with metta
Chris

with metta
Chris

DVD? Most excellent!!!!

Yes would be good to hear from Ven. Huifeng.

Speaking of which... I ought to get in touch with Bhante soon, Chris.

[cooran]

Yes Ed ~ that was going to be my next question

[Paññāsikhara]

Hi!

First of all, yes, it was great to meet Chris in person, during the conference, and just great in general to be in Aus, and feel part of the local Buddhist scene, at least for a couple of days. hhmmm, but I don't know what to say about the "world in a Mars Bar" talk, though. hehe. But definitely Thanks!, to Chris, for being my third volunteer from the audience. We also had a great range of speakers there, and I managed to spend some time with Ven Heng Sure, whom I have met before and long looked up to, and also Ven Thubten Chodron, as we talked about Madhyamaka in Tibet and China, over lunch.

After the conference finished, I headed down to Wollongong for a day and a night, staying at Nan Tien Temple down there, where I received my full and bodhisattva ordination some years ago. From there, it was off to Santi Forest Monastery, where I not only had the good fortune to meet up with and talk with Bhante Sujato, but Bhante Brahms was also staying there at the time, so spent an evening with the rest of the community as he spoke and we all talked, before mooching a lift with him to the air-port - he back to Perth, and me to HK.

A great week it was!