Distributing Buddhist books to buddhist centres and monasteries is not easy. At first, Buddhist Fellowship agreed to help with the distribution, but when the books arrived, the person-in-charge never replied! However, I managed to contact other centres. Most of the centres that had a resident monastic wouldn’t want to take the books, probably because they have their own books to distribute. I was glad that the staff from Mangala Vihara, the temple where I took my diploma in Buddhism, warmly accepted the books and helped with the distribution.
Other temples and centres include Palelai Temple, Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, Sinhala Buddhist Temple and Evergreen Buddhist. Two copies were donated to our national library and two copies were given to the public. Melanie gave six copies to her friend who are interested in understanding the Buddha’s teachings. Finally, Sister Foo who uses Ayya Khema’s teachings to teach at the Buddhist Library also helped with the distribution.
Melanie kept one copy for herself and I ordered another copy for public distribution which I intend to distribute one by one. I am not confident about ordering another hundred copies, as many may not want to take.
Ayya Khema spoke about her experiences in meditation that I have not heard anyone speak before and what she shared is very important to me. I guess it’s hard to come across such good teachers who not only have profound experience but are also willing to share it. In her autobiography “I give my life to you” she shared not only her personally journey but also valuable experiences – experiences rooted in the Buddha’s teachings.
It is the original teaching from the Buddha from 2500 years ago that we need to preserve. When one has experienced the Buddha’s teachings, one would know that the truth has been preserved and successfully passed down.
May the true Dhamma continue to flourish and benefit all sentient beings and lead us on the path towards liberation – that is Nibbāna.
Cats who teach me to fly... 