23 April 2008
Kyogle's Three-year Buddhist retreat ends
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Tibetan Buddhists finish a thirty-nine month retreat at the Gonpa in Kyogle
Transcript
This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers.
Well less than an hour ago, a China Airlines plane from Jakarta carrying the Olympic torch touched down at the RAAF base outside Canberra, and the city is in virtual lockdown. This of course is just in case there's any more pro-Tibet protesters keen to snuff out the Olympic torch.
Meanwhile, in northern New South Wales last week at the Vajradhara Gonpa near Kyogle, 23 Tibetan Buddhists have just finished a three-year long retreat, and yes, I did say a three-year retreat.
Mel McMillan has the story.
DRUMS/BELLS/CYMBALS/RECITATION
Mel McMillan: You're listening to the Tibetan prayer, The White Tara, being recited for the first time in English and Tibetan simultaneously. The prayer marks the end of a 39-month long retreat at the Vajradara Gonpa in Northern New South Wales.
Here at the bush Gonpa, 23 retreatants have spent over three years in seclusion, un der the guidance of Zionzay Khyentse Rinpoche .Today the retreatants are re-entering the world. And to help them in their transition, 180 Buddhists have gathered at the Gonpa.
The temple's founder Kathy Chaudrin, says the ceremony has been going all week.
Kathy Chaudrin: The drubchen or accomplishment practice that we've been doing around the clock 24 hours a day, is being done for the first time in English as well as Tibetan. Originally our teacher Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche felt that it would be good to have it done just in English, but it seemed to be preferable once we tried to have the Tibetan as well, because it adds a lot of richness.
CHANTING/GONGS/BELLS/DRUMS
Mel McMillan: One of the retreatants is a former Sydney psychotherapist, Brigit Gebby who says she undertook the retreat to try and discover what life is all about.
Brigit Gebby: I trained as a psychotherapist so I've always been interested and wanting to know how it is, what actually is it all about. What is behind it all, you know, yes, that's been my interest ever since I was a tiny child, I've asked questions about that.
Mel McMillan: How has it changed you?
Brigit Gebby: I think I came in with an enormous amount of self concern and sensitivity about how I was in the world and about other people, that sort of thing, that's really I could say pretty much fallen away. Sorry, that's a very comfortable, physical, mental emotional place to be. I feel free. I feel free.
Mel McMillan: Three years is a very long time to go on a retreat. Did you ever want to leave?
Brigit Gebby: It just seemed endless sometimes. Because I got up every morning at 3, and I must be asleep by 8 if I possibly can, that sort of thing, and sometimes it just seemed like you're very stuck, and then there'd be a sort of a release, an opening I guess, and then you'd sort of be inspired to continue. But the guru's really always there in the background to be inspiration, and mostly what I came here about was before I met Buddhism, my mother was dying, she lived a really good life. But as she was dying, she said to me, 'What was it all about?' and I was a psychotherapist and I thought I was supposed to know what it was all about, and I realised I didn't know anything. And that's what this is about. And this is what it is for all people, What is it all about? You know, if they actually stopped and they looked at their lives, what is it? This underlying sort of insecurity, isn't it, and fear.
Mel McMillan: What is it all about?
Brigit Gebby: Ah, ha. Freedom. Freedom from that, freedom from that concern.
Stephen Crittenden: That report from Mel McMillan.
Before we go, a brief correction to our story on Scientology last week. I referred to James Packer as the owner of the Nine Network, when of course these days he only has 25%. But my hypothetical question still stands: given his continuing stake in Nine, would it be surprising if we began to see senior managers at Nine converting to Scientology?
Well that's all from me, Stephen Crittenden.
Further Information
Kyogle's Tibetan Buddhist retreat centre
Presenter
Stephen Crittenden
Producer
Noel Debien
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