Peoples Republic of South Devon

Being a Buddhist in Devon

March 17th, 2008

Artist Anne Radu offers a personal insight into Buddhism and the persecution in Tibet. Her image Paradise (below) will be auctioned to raise funds for the Free Tibet Campaign. For details, read the Bids for Paradise story on the PRSD or contact Anne on info@anneradu.com

posted by Anne Radu

You may be watching what is going on in the news in Tibet and wondering “what is Buddhism exactly?“ I am just one of many Buddhists living in Devon. Being a Buddhist is more a way of life than a religion – it effects everything you do, right down to what type of job you do. For example, you could not do a job which potentially causes harm to others or the environment. I am an artist and much of my work raises issues about the nature of reality, because one of the main beliefs of Buddhists is that the world is not as we normally “see” it, which is interesting because scientists are saying the same thing!

You might not realise that, similar to Christians, there are different types of Buddhists and my main practice is called Mahayana, which is a type of Tibetan Buddhism. As I cannot get to a group easily where I live at the moment I have recently joined up with some other Buddhists who have set up a teleconferencing network for those who wish to join together once a fortnight. I think one of the most useful aspects of the practice, as well as seeing everyone as one big family, is the emphasis on living in the present, rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. Most people spend an awful lot of time worrying about things that might never happen and of course, I sometimes catching myself doing the same thing – the difference is we would actively try and stop ourselves.

Most people think of chanting and meditating when they think of us and it is true that mediation is a part of life. Some groups do not chant at all and some chant all the time. What I really like is the emphasis on “being” rather than the Western belief that you always have to be doing something. In fact, most people feel guilty if they are not doing something, preferably three things at once… In contrast, we would certainly try to do everything that really needs to be done, but we would try to simplify our lives and actually stop everything regularly to meditate. We must be doing something right because scientific studies have shown Buddhists to be more contented and very practised meditators can slow down their bodily functions, such as breathing until they are almost in a state of hibernation.

I am very sad about what has happening in Tibet at the moment, especially as it has now led to more violence, as normally peaceful people have got fed up with the persecution of monks and nuns. I would ask everyone to kindly do what they can to help. A useful place to find out what you can do is the Free Tibet website. The main thing Buddhists ask for is cultural freedom for Tibetans (and indeed everybody) and this means dialogue. We would like our Prime Minister to agree to officially meet with the Dalai Lama when he visits Britain in May and we would like the Chinese authorities to release all political prisoners, including monks and nuns and agree to negotiate a non-violent way forward.

You may think that people power is not enough, but I saw what it can do in Romania and we all saw what it did in places like the former East Germany and Hungary. There is no reason why it is not possible in the future for Tibetans and Chinese to live peacefully alongside each other, as long as there is mutual respect for each others’ cultures.

A lotus flower for you all.

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Entry Filed under: Society