New Zealand Buddhist Youth Seminar “Secret Code of Life 2” – Investigating the Rebirth of Life through 12 Link Chain Dependent Origination
The New Zealand Buddhist Youth Seminar titled “Secret Code of Life 2” was held at the temple on 19th June. This seminar seeks to investigate important questions of life and how to enrich this life.
The day’s 60 participating youth were organised into 5 groups named: “Great Vow”, “Great Compassion”, “Great Loving Kindness”, “Great Wisdom” and “Great Practice”. They were then set upon a game of scavenger hunt to in order to locate hidden cache of a treasured vase. After finding this vase each team had to complete 2 tasks, with task 1 being posing for a photo reminiscing images of the Dunhuang grotto cave carvings, and task 2 being making a short 30 seconds clip to act out the gatha: “I have a single bright pearl, long imprisoned in dust. Now that the dust is gone, brightness shines through, Illuminating all mountains and rivers.” which was originally uttered by Venerable Master Chaling Yu in Song Dynasty upon his awakening. All teams used team thinking and creativity to tackle these tasks, with team “Great Practice” eventually taking first place.
In the afternoon a seminar by Venerable Abbess Manshin titled “Life’s Cycles of Rebirth” was held. The Abbess used life’s examples and anecdotes to explain the profound meanings of the 12 Link Chain Dependent Origination. This allowed everyone to understand life’s truth and true process of life and death. The Abbess expressed that 12 Link Chain Dependent Origination uses the relationship between two kinds of causes and effects from the three time period to explain the reasons for the cycle of birth and death. She further explained the sequence of the 12 linked causes and conditions to give rise to the process of birth and death, where she emphasised that action (karma) is the driving force for future karmic retributions. Because the creation of karma is endless, hence the receivable karmic retributions are also endless. The continuation of this cycle forms the cycle of the 12 Link Chain Dependent Origination.
The Abbess continued to explain that “By contemplating 12 Link Chain Dependent Origination from a positive sequence or from a negative sequence are both valid ways to practicing this Dharma method. This can allow us to understand how cycle of birth and death within the 6 realms has been formed. Then the method of “Returning to Peace of Extinguishment” can point us toward the direction of how to transcend from the cycle of birth and death through the 12 Link Chain Dependent Origination. Therefore truly live a life of freedom.” The Abbess emphasised that only by recognising what suffering is can one truly avoid and alleviate suffering. Hence we need to nurture right views and amend our attitude, so we can replace bright, reliable and positive energy into our lives.
Despite the seriousness of the day’s topic, these Buddhist youth enthusiastically raised questions at the end of the seminar, such as: “What is Buddhism’s view on abortion?” To this the Abbess replied that as soon as the consciousness enters the womb it will become a new life, so if you forcibly kill your child at this moment, it is a great mistake. So it is both shameful and lamentable that current social attitude and moral compass on this matter is so careless. This is why young people need to learn self discipline to avoid inappropriate behaviour. If one cannot avoid making this sort of mistake, then they need to sincerely repent to these “children of cut off affinities” and participate in practices to liberate their suffering and elevate their conditions of existence.
“How to find direction in life?” is another questioned to the Abbess, to which she explained that we need to learn to use wisdom to solve issues, to change ourselves, and to understand causes and conditions, only then can we find a future path for ourselves. For that life’s value can be continuously increased by serving others. Even though we may face stress and distress during our navigation through, we should never easily give up, but instead to self affirm ourselves to travel toward our goals with determination. When our confidence increases our insecurity with decrease, and with the appearance of brightness, darkness will disappear forever.
Finally the Abbess reminded the youths that the human body is like a car and the car is driver is like our consciousness, when the car is finally broken down then the driver need to abandon it to seek for a new vehicle. But the habit of the driver will remain and will be brought into the new car. So only through cultivation to change our behaviour can we truly be liberated from the bondage of rebirth.