News in brief
Theravadan Buddhist to visit the Bay
An Australian Theravadan Buddhist Monk, Venerable Jaganatha, or Ven Jag for short, will visit Golden Bay from Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 February.
He will give a meditation class on Monday 21 at 7.30pm at the Community Centre, and everyone is welcome. The class will be free, though donations to cover the Venerable’s needs are appreciated. Ven Jag will also be going on alms rounds (food collection) every day in Takaka from 10.30am to 11.30am.
“This is a tradition for monks in south-east Asia,” says Ven Jag, “and I like to continue that tradition wherever I happen to be.” He has been on alms-rounds in Nelson since Christmas. “People seem to be enjoying the opportunity to help out. It’s a display of generosity without demands, as monks are not allowed to ask for things from strangers. We rely completely on random acts of kindness.”
Buddhist monks are not allowed to use money or cook for themselves, so the food given has to be ready to eat. “These rules ensure that we connect with people in a simple, non-demanding way. There have only been two days in my life as a monk when I haven’t had any food,” he said.
Buddhist monks strive to practise meditation in quiet places like forests. They then go through the streets and stand quietly waiting for alms food, returning to the monastery to eat. “Back at the monastery, we help visitors with counselling and meditation, which helps us to be happier in life,” Ven Jag added.
He is visiting New Zealand mainly to see if there is any need for a monastery where ordained men and women who are interested in meditation can stay.
“I’m aware that there are a few Tibetan and Zen groups in the South Island, but there is little by way of the Theravadan style of practice so I thought there might be a possibility here. Golden Bay, from what I have heard, seems to be a place where people come to live in a peaceful and simple way. The ideas of simplicity and peace were greatly emphasised by the Buddha as being important to the path of freedom.
“I’ve heard a lot about it being quite an open-minded place and am looking forward to meeting with people”.
Submitted
Community board meeting last week
Waste water. The GB Community Board heard that the introductory meeting of the Takaka Waste-water Working Group is scheduled for 28 February at 9.15am.
The board considered the possibility of co-opting a small number of members of the public.
“It worked well with the fire-wells,” said TDC utilities asset manager Jeff Cuthbertson. “Just so long as we elect a chair at that first meeting and any publicity that goes out must be through them.”
Board chair Carolyn McLellan said that board members had found a tour of the existing waste-water plant in the company of Mr Cuthbertson and utilities asset engineer Gavin Hutchison “very informative”.
Riverbed management. Since the major December flooding in the Aorere Valley, described in a council report as a “one-in-169-year return period flood event”, people have shown particular interest in proposed changes to the Tasman Resource Management Plan, especially as it relates to riverbed management.
“Should the board be submitting to this process?” asked Mrs McLellan “We’re an interested party. Whether it happens at Anatoki or Aorere, our community is affected so we should be involved, not so much as submitters as taking an active role.”
“The Resource Management Act has some very controversial areas about rivers and lakes,” said Mayor Richard Kempthorne. “There is a tension between the management of riverbed and environmental protection. The community must be part of the planning process. In particular we want the farmer groups to get involved to bring about good river management. What the council does need is a selection of the people who are affected and who have got their heads around the requirements of the act to be involved.”
Compliance officer presence. The board expressed its appreciation for the $3000 granted by the council to fund the increased presence of compliance officer, Sally Quickfall, in the Bay over the visitor season.
The ranger’s van was highly visible and the fact that the officer was in the Bay every day meant that people camped illegally were being spoken to and moved on very regularly. The board will receive more reports at its March meeting.
Neil Wilson
