The Good Heart Newsletter, October 2008
Dear friends,
Welcome to the new electronic edition of The Good Heart, the newsletter of the Maitreya Education Project.
Previously, The Good Heart was sent by postal mail only to sponsors of the Maitreya Education Project. Now the e-news format will enable Maitreya Project to share the newsletter with a much wider audience and the printing and postage costs that are saved can be used to benefit the children at the school. Additionally, it makes sound environmental sense, saving paper and also the fuel used in delivering hard copies around the world.
Many thanks for your interest and support,
Maitreya Project
The Good Heart is the Newsletter of the Maitreya Education Project
- Farewell and Heartfelt Thanks to Dick Jeffrey
- Our New Principal
- Namaste from Doug!
- Vocational Training Programme
- A Stupa in the Garden
- The Eyes Have It
- A Volunteer's Story
- Maitreya School Drama Programme
- A Message from Venerable Kabir
- We Can Do So Much More - With a little help from our sponsors
Farewell and Heartfelt Thanks to Dick Jeffrey
I first met Dick Jeffrey in the late 1990s. It was clear from the outset that Dick poured himself totally into not only the day-to-day organisation and running, but also the funding of the school. It was very demanding work, conducted in the kind of conditions that would be difficult for a Westerner to initially comprehend, let alone tolerate.
Dick would make sure he was there at every assembly, take a short twenty minute nap after lunch and go back to school for the afternoon session even in the baking heat of summer, and of course spend a lot of his time in the evenings on school related matters. He would take a few teachers out to the stupa in the evenings after dinner and cast a fatherly eye upon all. I realised how much Dick cared for the children when I noticed tears in his eyes during one of the scenes in a promotional CD. He invested so much of himself physically, intellectually and emotionally.
Unfortunately, Dick suffered a medical crisis in mid-March that forced him back to Australia. Despite this, Dick has been until recently continuing with school related work and is only now free of his educational commitments so that he can focus on restoring his health.
Everyone involved in the school would like to join in giving a big heartfelt "thank you" to Dick and pray that his health improves so that he can continue the work of benefiting others.
Venerable Kabir Saxena
Our New Principal
We are pleased to report the engagement of Canadian Doug Allen as our new school principal. Doug comes to the Maitreya UE School for a two-year assignment with excellent qualifications and a wealth of experience as principal at junior and secondary levels in Canada.
Namaste from Doug!
"Several months ago, through a link on the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) website, I discovered the Maitreya Universal Education School page. As a Canadian educator and a student of Dharma, I was immediately taken by the truly amazing work that Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the FPMT, and the staff are doing at the school.
"The valuing of equity among genders and religious traditions, the emphasis on social outreach programmes, the provision of healthcare to the students, and the amazing Special Programme curriculum seemed to me an inconceivable dream. I felt very strongly that I wanted to offer my services to this school, in any capacity. After a few weeks of correspondence with the Directors I was absolutely thrilled to be offered the job of Principal."
Let us make a new world
We little children
Will make a new world,
As bright as the sun
And as radiant as light.
We will be cool like the moon
Will soothe the world.
Will bring joy to all
And happy fragrance will rain down.
Clouds that bring rain
Will bless the earth,
Every inch will rejoice
With fragrance from the flowers.
We little children will make a new world.
- Mausam, Class 5.
"I have been in Bodhgaya for a couple of weeks now, and would like to share my initial observations. What strikes me most is that the children here are no different from the children I have taught in the West. Once one gets past the cultural and linguistic differences, and of course the sad reality of their economic situation and impoverished home lives, one sees that these children have hopes and dreams just like children in the West. They have the same need for love and recognition, the same innocent sense of humour, and the same desire to learn. If everyone in the West could see them as individual personalities and not simply as pathetic faces on charity posters, I know that everyone would help the way our kind sponsors do.
"The other thing that stands out is that the Maitreya Universal Education students truly have begun to develop the "Good Heart". I see them practicing kindness and compassion every day, rather than the greed and selfishness I have frequently seen in children from other schools. They have also developed calm, focussed minds as a result of our Universal Education programme. It is no surprise that the students and staff at the school have very high regard for our programme, as the results are so tangible.
"I am extremely excited about my work at the Maitreya Universal Education School. I have begun to learn about the staff, the students, and the generous sponsorship that makes the project possible. I know that I have huge shoes to fill following the work of Dick Jeffrey and Kabir Saxena, but I can assure you that I absolutely have the heart for it! I look forward to my involvement and to developing a beneficial relationship with all the supporters of the school."
Sincere Wishes
Doug Allen
Vocational Training Programme
We are about to branch out into the area of vocational training, which is much needed in Bodhgaya. We have secured a grant that will allow us to build four training workshops at the Maitreya Project site which is just 2 km from the existing school. While they are under construction we will investigate suitable courses to offer that are accredited by the National Institute of Open Schooling.
A Stupa in the Garden
Whoever made this school,
Whoever invited the teachers here,
Whoever gave wisdom to us all,
Whoever gives wisdom to the children,
Let us sing their praise,
And bow our heads with love to him.
- Sonali and Sarita. Class 6B.
A few years ago Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project, asked us to build a two-storey stupa at the school, as part of his wish to bring psychological and spiritual benefit to the children as well as the wider family of all living beings.
Stupas have been built since the time of the Buddha's passing and were originally made to house the relics of great spiritual practitioners. The outer shape and exact geometry are very important, symbolising the body, speech and mind of the Buddha as well as the whole path to enlightenment. However, what is fascinating, (and time-consuming to achieve), is what goes inside the stupa.
Just as what sort of benefits human beings will bring others can be gauged primarily by what sort of inner qualities they possess, so the stupa's inner ingredients are paramount to bringing positive energy to the beings who see, circumambulate or otherwise make a connection with them.
We expect the stupa to take at least another six months to complete, part of the time being spent on engaging expert monks who know exactly how to painstakingly lead us in assembling the inner matter, the brain-circuitry if you like, without which the edifice is simply an object of outer superficial beauty, lacking vital transformative essence.
If a stupa is built properly and with the motivation of great compassion, it's really a marvellous achievement of great benefit to the world.
The Eyes Have It
Real humanity depends on its constituents: love, compassion, discipline and the wish to help others. Without these qualities we cannot nurture the seed of humanity in the human heart. That is why our school's main aim is to produce adults of good character with a kind heart.
It's crystal clear that theoretical study gives us knowledge regarding such matters, but it's the practical application that makes the learner perfect in a particular field.
Some of us are fortunate enough that once a year we get the chance to convert our theory into practice. Every November, the highly esteemed Bhansali Trust from Gujarat conducts Eye Camps in Bodhgaya. At that time about 50 students and a couple of teachers work as volunteers in the camp doing their best to fulfil the needs of patients and organisers.
I've been serving as Coordinator in the Eye Camps for the last seven years and the work really does aid most students in developing positive qualities. We learn a great deal, from the operating theatre where we learn so much about the processes of the body, to database work in the computer section. There is also the constant patience and care needed when working with old, sick and tired patients who are often a little rough and impatient.
I can confidently say that our work improves all of us and the school. The Eye Camp is the place where we can practice wonderful qualities such as loving-kindness, self-discipline and generosity, which otherwise run the risk of remaining empty words.
Deepak Kumar
Teacher and Eye Camp Coordinator
A Volunteer's Story
At the end of October 2007 I travelled to Bodhgaya to work for 3 weeks teaching yoga at the Maitreya Universal Education School. I had been at a conference about Universal Education in Australia where Dick Jeffrey, then Director of the school, had expressed the wish that the yoga programmes could be developed further. I offered my services as a yoga teacher.
This was my first visit to India and the thought of it was sometimes a little daunting. However, I tried to keep the motivation, to be of as much benefit as possible, at the forefront of my mind. This was very helpful in allaying my fears.
The plan included teaching the teachers. Sixteen teachers made themselves available for daily yoga classes. Because of the school timetable and other commitments it was not always possible for them to attend every day but many of them made a special effort. The middle school students attended a practice session at 6.30 am every morning, and the younger students, night students and senior students attended in the afternoons. All practiced with an enthusiasm and commitment that made my work pure joy.
I like three things
First the sun,
then the moon,
and the school.
The sun for the day,
the moon for the night,
the school forever.
Some like Sundays,
Some like Mondays,
But I like school days.
- Sonali Kumari, Class 6B
I tried to impart some of the benefits of the practice of Hatha Yoga (the physical aspect of yoga) and together we practiced the postures and finished each session with a practice of Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation).
I don't know if my efforts will have any lasting effect on the staff or students of Maitreya Project or the development of their yoga programmes in the school. Three weeks is such a short time and there is so much to do. However, Bodhgaya, and the Maitreya UE School and all the students and staff have had a lasting effect on my heart.
It was very clear to me that the school programmes and the mission to impart the life skills of love and compassion is having a profound effect! The energy is immediately noticeable when entering the school grounds. I give thanks every day for the opportunity I had to work with such an inspiring group of people and I pray that one day I will return and finish off what we started together.
Robi Cleeland
Maitreya School Drama Programme
An important way our students reach out to the community is through our Music and Drama Programme. In this issue of The Good Heart, we would like to feature the major school production presented in Gaya and Bodhgaya in December 2007 and January 2008.
Prior to that time, most of our productions had involved programmes based on a combination of short dance and drama items with the emphasis on song and dance, which gave our many talented singers and dancers a chance to show their talents.
However, for the productions planned for the winter season 2007/8, which coincided with a visit to Bodhgaya by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of the Maitreya Project, Ven Kabir decided to prepare a specific drama production based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
Clouds arrive like fine ornaments,
Wind advances dancing and singing,
Doors and windows open in the alleys,
The guest of the city has arrived in the village too.
The clouds arrive like fine ornaments,
The trees bending their necks as though peeping,
Tempest wind raising dust and skirts.
Clouds arrive like fine ornaments.
- Roshan Kumar, Class 9.
The concept and script were prepared in conjunction with our drama teachers, Bipul and Bhushan and with assistance from Vijay Kumarand and Bupendra Kumar, the advisors assigned by the National School of Drama in Delhi to help us develop our programme. The production featured many of the key events in Gandhi's life, particularly his crusade to maintain harmony between Hindus and Muslims.
The production was presented first in December 2007, at the Renaissance Theatre in Gaya, to an audience of around 50 people including Lama Zopa Rinpoche and members of Renaissance invited by our host and owner of the theatre, Sanjay Sahai.
In January, the production was presented at the Maitreya Universal Education School in Bodhgaya to an audience of parents, relatives and local people.
This has now become an annual event, much anticipated by the local community - attracting up to 2000 people.
A Message from Venerable Kabir
Being by nature basically quite a lazy, laid-back sort of person, I found that having to don the status of Acting Principal for the last eighteen months was quite a wake-up call. Acting out certain roles is pretty gruelling and time-consuming.
As my tenure came to an end in July with the advent of a much-needed pro, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that this school only runs due to the hard work of a large cast of characters, with special mention having to go to the Head Teacher Raj Kishore, whose thoroughness and sense of responsibility is a constant inspiration to me, and to Amir Rai, our sturdy Administrator who has to juggle computers, malfunctioning phone lines, wages, maintenance, sundry workers and accounts at the school.
Behind all of our school activities lies the brave efforts and guidance of Dick Jeffrey, who has offered so much to the school for the past eight years, and now retires for his health.
"For me this school is mother, father, teacher, everything. My family was unable to afford my education but a ray of luck showed me this school.
"I'm now studying for my Intermediate in Commerce and hope to study for an MBA so I can serve more and more helpless people like me around the world with maitri [loving-kindness]. This is the great inspiration that arose inside my heart living in this school."
- Jason Sumeru Dhame, Class 12.
As I mentioned in last year's newsletter, the challenges here are quite considerable and only reinforce the past conviction that appropriate vocational training in disciplines beneficial for the local society and environment is part of the way ahead. We are in fact putting energy into this sphere and hope to provide scholarships in such areas from next year.
Ravaged habitats, as we are experiencing more and more in Bodhgaya, are of course a pretty accurate reflection of ravaged minds, and the Maitreya school's efforts will have to continue to focus in a determined and courageous way on developing the qualities in our students that will contribute to more inner and outer healing in the world, beginning with our own doorstep. Toxic filth and waste spills onto streets and crop-bearing fields with incalculable long-term consequences for health and overall well-being. We need small-scale local initiatives that throughout history have proven their worth in terms of safety, sustainability and a contribution to human productivity and happiness.
Good work; work as worship, is what we have to be preparing our children for. Otherwise the future is not worth contemplating.
Venerable Kabir Saxena
We Can Do So Much More
- With a little help from our sponsors
Coming to Bodhgaya has made me realise how much we take for granted in other countries and in our modern schools. I had expected to see a lower standard of education than I'm accustomed to, but I had no idea how educationally deprived these children are due to the inadequacy of resources and the limited experience of teachers.
Perhaps the contrast between education here and education in more developed countries seems so stark because I have recently worked in a Canadian school. Given time, and if I allowed myself to, I could come to accept that this is all we can do for the children of Bodhgaya, but I hope I never permit myself to concede that these children are only worthy of a barebones education and that we cannot provide more than that.
At the Maitreya UE School, we are of course doing many things to address the needs of children. I would even say that we are doing some things better than we do in schools in Canada and other developed countries. Our Universal Education philosophy of fostering the qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, tolerance, and universal responsibility, and our goal of developing the universal elements of wisdom, are objectives that are very sadly lacking in most other schools. We have much to learn from the Maitreya Project philosophy.
Nonetheless, I feel we must offer more to these children than we are presently, and that with adequate support it will be possible to provide them with a high quality education in every respect. All that is limiting us is sufficient funding. It is for this reason that I appeal to you to help us provide what, in developed countries, we would consider the essentials of a basic education. We take for granted that children will have access to globes and atlases, a library full of inspiring literature, paper, scissors and glue for project work, and basic science equipment. We take for granted that our children's teachers will have adequate training and the tools to do their jobs. It is unacceptable that the children of Bodhgaya cannot have the same.
Through the continued support of our generous sponsors I know we can raise our standards to an acceptable level for today's Kindergarten child, not next year's.
I am so grateful for your past support that has made this project possible, but I urge you to help us, with your ongoing donations, take it the next step. Your generosity has truly made a difference for these children and your ongoing support will bring to them what we take for granted as the essentials of education.
Doug Allen
School Principal
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