Duruthu Poya falls on January 1

I feel a difference in my life now

By Albert Blandon

Next month it will be one year since I have been attending North Hollywood's Buddhist Meditation Centre to learn the techniques on how to meditate, from the monks there. My progress has been slow but continuous. Each time I come to this centre I leave with more insight about Buddhism, my environment and myself.

The first thing we learn when we meditate is to practise awareness. It is through the practice of awareness that I have learned to forgive, accept and love myself. By doing this I have also learned to forgive, accept and love others. This practice of awareness through meditation has allowed me to become less critical and less judgemental of others and to liberate myself of much ignorance and prejudice. That in no way means that things do not matter or that I have become indifferent or callous. It simply means there is more room for growth, for keeping an open mind and for being more tolerant.

Through meditation I have also learnt to understand a little more of the principle of impermanence, and to feel more comfortable with the idea that nothing ever remains the same, that all things are constantly changing including ourselves. This knowledge has allowed me the opportunity to see all situations , both expected and unexpected in a different light and with more than one solution.

I have come to realise the importance of living in the present moment. No longer do I have to do battle with those two real enemies called the past and the future. When uncomfortable situations arise, I do not have to revert to pleasant memories or to wish that my life passes quickly into the future in order to escape. Rather, I am learning to make every moment of my life become the most important. After all, the only thing that we have is the present. The past is history and the future is a result of the outcome of the present. Another principle that I have learnt, is that all of us are born with pure minds. But just like we pollute the earth the water and the air, we also pollute our minds with anger, selfishness and foolishness.

By learning to control our minds, and we can do this through the practice of meditation, we can control our anger, our selfish way and the manner in which we think and act. All of this will ultimately help us to become better human beings. We will be better liked by others. We will also enjoy life more and have better health. However, the most important benefit that I have discovered is that we can lower our stress level, from having a lot of stress to having little stress or no stress in our lives.

Meditation has not only been beneficial in my life, but it has also helped me tremendously in my work-place. By practising awareness and keeping a positive attitude my workplace has become an enjoyable place to work.

On many occasions my co-workers have asked me "What's the reason for your happiness?", "Why aren't you stressed like the rest of us?", and "What kind of drug are you taking?" to which I simply respond, that the only thing that I am doing different at this time in my life is to feed on positive energy.

At other times I have heard comments like, "I wish that we could work together all the time." "I am so happy that you are here today," and "When I found out that we were working together, I knew that everything would be alright".

I am grateful that I have found this place to come and learn to meditate.

What I have learnt here has made a tremendous difference in my life.

(This speech was delivered at the ceremonial opening of the Sarathchandra Buddhist Meditation Centre's two storied new meditation hall and shrine room at North Hollywood, California on October 17, 1998).

Sparkling wine or boiling milk…

By Ayesha R. Rafiq and Wathsala Mendis

It is not every year that you get to live through a millennium. Imagine. A date like December 31, 1999 only comes around once in every 1000 years! Amazing. More so that it will be upon us in just one year's time. Just 365 days more to the 21st Century.

So what if every time you try to teach your kids something, they may dismiss you with "what do you know, mother? You're from another century," or if the world's computers may crash when the clock strikes 12.01 am, 2000.

Whatever happens you're sure to want to be there- celebrating the entry into the second millennium, a once in many lifetimes chance, a real blast.

A story which you can pass onto your children, your grandchildren, making sure they all know exactly what exciting and out of this world thing grandma or grandpa was doing when the Year 2000 came around.

Do you see yourself on a fantastic cruise, watching the sky turn multi-coloured with fireworks. Or on top of a mountain, greeting the first day of the new century. Or on the moon, maybe. Or at the country's biggest millennium celebrations.

Maybe it's not that wild. Would you like to get down your entire family from all around the world, and greet the 21st century with them? Or spend it with the love of your life, or quietly at home, feeling thankful for the chance to be part of such a big event.

Yes, the possibilities are endless, aren't they? Let's see what Sri Lanka's people plan on doing.

As for Dr. Arthur C. Clarke, the renowned space scientist, who used the lure of the millennium for the title of his famous trilogy beginning with 2001, has so far not made any plans for the big day. "I just try to live from day to day now."

If you're looking for a cynical point of view though, radio presenter Shaquille has got it.

"At the rate the world is going today, I don't think there'll be anything to celebrate about. As for me, I'll be fasting on December 31, 1999. So it doesn't mean anything to me. OK, living through a millennium is a big thing. At least one day you can tell your kids about it. But other than that it's absolutely nothing. Just another day and a year."

Television news anchorwoman Sanjeewani Ranasinghe predicts love and marriage for her to add the final perfect touch to her entry into a new life and a new world.

"I'd like to be by the beach, under the moon and the stars with the man I love and some sparkling wine. I'm in a very romantic mood these days, you know. But, definitely, marriage is on the cards for me in the next millennium."

Actress Anoja Weerasinghe values home and hearth, and for her, there's no place like home to celebrate the Year 2000. I'd like to be at home with my family. I'll do what I've been doing for the past so many years, boiling milk at 12 midnight in keeping with our traditions. It signifies hope and prosperity for the coming year. I'd prefer to have a nice quiet time with my family.

"Let's hope that this war would come to a close and peace would prevail. That's my one and only wish for the new millennium."

Minister A.H.M Fowzie would like to have his family gathered together at one place. "Since it's fasting time, we can't go anywhere or do anything, as it's not allowed. So it will be rather quiet."

What about the not so fortunate? What would the millennium mean to them? Anthony, a CMC worker says,

"I just try to live from day to day. I'll be retiring next year, so things will be very hard on my family. I doubt we'll even be able to notice the New Year." Well, so much for the big guys. How would the kiddies react? "I want to be eating the biggest roast turkey in the world," quipped a small kid, true to the limitless and often impossible-to-realize imagination of a child.

So it's onwards to the new millennium, and roast turkey or not, January 1, 2000 is sure to be a day worth remembering. So remember that wherever you are and whatever you're doing when the clock strikes twelve midnight, signalling the dawn of a new era, just make sure you're having fun and are happy, (no matter what the computer experts say).

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