"KOSMOS" goes to DANDENONGS
Wurundjeri are the people who have been living here for the past 40,000 years. 20,000 years ago was the time of the Ice Age! An ancient history of hunting and fishing and gathering and story-telling.
Stories of raids by seal hunters who stole the women for sex-partners, tales of small-pox epidemics, tales of the meetings with the new people.
Stories about the times for profit. A chance to get rich quick. A good time and place to unload the convict ships. And that is what colonials did, at the expense of local people and creatures and Mother Earth. And all this is only in the last 200 years. And we are still doing it.
And stories of the "Tanderrum:" a ceremony of hospitality for any people (native or European) desiring to pass trough their lands, allowing them safe passage and permission to use the land and all resources. This freedom of the bush ceremony was finalized by an exchange of gifts.
"Tanderum" was the practice of the Warunjeri; "Terra Nullius" on the other hand,was the official British colonial statement, that before the arrival of the British there was no land-ownership. Aboriginal peoples could not sell the land, because it did not belong to them. It simply belonged to the British Colonials by right of taking it. At one such place where squatters drove-out the native people, we offered a "Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions." Squatters needing land for their sheep could just do such things. By the time
of the founding of Melbourne there were only about 28 living Wurunjeri people. Today there are about 100 Wurunjeri. Some very small settlements were granted to the Aboriginals, but only at safe distances far away from the white settlement of Melbourne. Later even farther away.
"Dream-time" is the age of stories. Stories from long long ago when the first ancestors travelled over the land, creating everything, naming everything. From these old stories comes a reverence for the land. "Dreaming" is the stories from both ancient times and the present time. "Dreaming." Past and present are drawn into a single moment of Now-ness. Timeless-ness. In this forest known as the Dandenongs, nine people from six countries found a place of natural beauty, a place of sacred beauty,
and sat down under this giant eucalyptus tree. Long ago, lightning struck this tree from the very top branches, and bored out the centre of the tree all the way to the ground. Here on this spot of "The Lightning of Blessings," the primordial stroke joining heaven and earth,
Aine from Ireland offered the traditional "Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions." There was a strong feeling that our tea offering was accepted into the opening of this chimney-like tree and carried skyward high into the heavens.
To this Good Man Michael, we say thank you. He prepared all this for us, and for countless others. May we quickly return to the Heart of Basic Good-ness. The heart that knows reverence for this land and all who walk on it. The heart that is not trapped by territoriality and therefore knows generosity practices like "Tanderrum." A heart that has somehow not forgotten the ancient practice of "Dreaming." And, thank you to Harry from Poland, Joann and William from Melbourne, Sharon from Queensland, Talas from Ukraine.
KINGDOM of SIAM
There seems to be an ancient longing in the human heart for good society. And there seems to be proof that such societies have existed in the past and even in the present. For example, the Kingdom of Wa-no-Kuni of Shotoku-Taishi in Japan, the Kingdom of Gesar of Ling in Tibet, Queen Guinevere and King Arthur's Round Table at Camelot, the Kingdoms of Ashoka and Shambhala and Bhutan. Maybe such a place of inspiration for others is your own house.
Maybe even your garden.
Places founded on the qualities of loving kind-ness and the happy-ness of others first. Persuasion rather than aggression. Places founded on the simple truth that people all have basic good-ness. Perhaps one such country in our human history was the Kingdom of Siam.
There is evidence that even in the 1300's there was a buddhist king in the Kingdom of Sukhothai who did not rule by force; relying instead on virtue to care for both the spiritual and material needs of the people.
All this was destroyed by invasions from outside, but a new kingdom grew-up at Ayutthaya (now a part of Bangkok). Since the 1500's Ayutthaya has been described as beautiful, even as the most beautiful city in the Asia. Even more beautiful than Paris, according to some French travelers. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam--home to fabulous temples, gardens, Thai national arts and crafts, royal monasteries. The home of great kings and queens, and one million people in 1700. A great spiritual centre in the world. Known to the Portuguese as Siam-- a name that lasted until 1949. Threatened and over-run by neighbours, Siam was the only south-east Asia kingdom to not become a western colony.
Destruction by neighbours is still visible. Repairs are hindered by "no available funding," advancing tourism, urban encroachment, and flooding. Once the place of a peaceful buddhist nation, now the place of blackened brick and plaster, ruins, head-less statues. And on their way home to Australia, at this place of sacred beauty in Thailand, Amrita and Ben offered
"A Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions."
Long long ago, invaders lopped-off this head of a buddhist statue. Somehow it was picked-up by the roots of a tree and somehow sheltered for all these many years. May this natural shrine from the past be our inspiration to protect the vision of good society in our lifetime, for all the children of the next 10 generations. 100 generations.
We are all Earth-Protectors.
Maybe even your garden.
Or your work place.
There is evidence that even in the 1300's there was a buddhist king in the Kingdom of Sukhothai who did not rule by force; relying instead on virtue to care for both the spiritual and material needs of the people.
All this was destroyed by invasions from outside, but a new kingdom grew-up at Ayutthaya (now a part of Bangkok). Since the 1500's Ayutthaya has been described as beautiful, even as the most beautiful city in the Asia. Even more beautiful than Paris, according to some French travelers. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam--home to fabulous temples, gardens, Thai national arts and crafts, royal monasteries. The home of great kings and queens, and one million people in 1700. A great spiritual centre in the world. Known to the Portuguese as Siam-- a name that lasted until 1949. Threatened and over-run by neighbours, Siam was the only south-east Asia kingdom to not become a western colony.
Destruction by neighbours is still visible. Repairs are hindered by "no available funding," advancing tourism, urban encroachment, and flooding. Once the place of a peaceful buddhist nation, now the place of blackened brick and plaster, ruins, head-less statues. And on their way home to Australia, at this place of sacred beauty in Thailand, Amrita and Ben offered
"A Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions."
Long long ago, invaders lopped-off this head of a buddhist statue. Somehow it was picked-up by the roots of a tree and somehow sheltered for all these many years. May this natural shrine from the past be our inspiration to protect the vision of good society in our lifetime, for all the children of the next 10 generations. 100 generations.
We are all Earth-Protectors.