Shitoku’s correspondentie met Ven. U Ohn Ghine
Shitoku’s correspondence with Ven. U Ohn Ghine

Shitoku’s correspondentie met Ven. U Ohn Ghine

Shitoku’s correspondence with Ven. U Ohn Ghine

Reeds sinds midden 1954 is onze stichter, Shitoku A. Peel in contact met diverse buitenlandse boeddhistische organisaties, o.a. met de heer David Maurice, Ven. U Ohn Ghine, editor bij het English Editorial Department van de Union Buddha Sasana Council in Rangoon, Union of Burma.

We hebben een bundeltje brieven teruggevonden. Leest u even een aantal passages mee?

Our founder, Shitoku A. Peel, already had contacts with several foreign buddhist organisations from mid 1954 on, amongst others with Mr. David Maurice, Ven. U Ohn Ghine, Editor at the English Editorial Department of the Union Buddha Sasana Council in Rangoon, Union of Burma.

We have found several letters exchanged between them. Do you join us reading some passages?
   
   

17/07/1954, eerste contact via R.M. Kiere (zie Schatten op Zolder, eerste bundeltje):

07/17/1954, first contact via R.M. Kiere (cfr. Treasures we Found, first collection):

Venerable Sir,

Your address was given to me with favorable advises by M. Kiere, the leader of the Mission bouddique Belge, well known to you, on my asking him where I should be able to get documentation about Buddhism.

In Antwerp, where I live, there is up to now no Buddhist groupment, but I intend to try founding a Centre for Buddhist Study and Informations. “The gift of the Dhamma excels all other gifts.” But it seems advisable to me to get an extensive documentation to learn myself before teaching others, and also to lend out or give away. Hitherto I got as much as possible from M. Kiere.

I hope you can manage to procure me some booklets, leaflets, periodicals, etc.

Awaiting the favour of an affirmative answer, I remain,

Yours faithfully, In Saddhama.


24/07/1954, eerste reactie van Ven. U Ohn Ghine:

07/24/1954, first reaction of Ven. U Ohn Ghine:



 

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your letter of 17th which arrived today and I am sending you what back copies we have of The Light of the Dhamma and The Sanghyana. These are sent by sea mail and may make sometime to reach you. I shall see that you get further literature also and shall be very glad to hear from you always.

Yours in the Dhamma.

Shitoku schrijft hem op 08/09/1954 dat hij van plan is een Boeddhistisch Studiecentrum in Antwerpen op te richten en een Nederlandse folder klaar te stomen.

On 09/08/1954, Shitoku writes him telling that he is intended to found in Antwerp, a Buddhist Study Center, and to prepare a Dutch leaflet.
   

Eén passage in het antwoord van 02/10/1954 (na een maand verlof) verraste ons (Mahayana versus Theravada-accenten?):

One passage in the answer from 10/02/1954 after returning from a months holiday, surprised us (Mahayana versus Theravada-accents?):

You will understand that in Malaya and Vietnam there are only a few cases of Buddhism in a desert of Mahayanism.

Een andere reactie van 14/10/1954:

Another answer from 10/14/1954:

Dear Brother, Thank you for your letter of September the 8th and we must congratulate you on your good work.


Als reactie op een briefje met de tekst van de folder, en met een vraag voor support aan de kleine Europese groepen schrijft U. Ohn Ghine op 13/11/1954:

As a reaction to a letter with the text of the Dutch leaflet, and with a request for supporting the small European groups, U. Ohn Ghine writes on 11/13/1954:

Dear Mr. Peel,

Thank you for your very lucid, very interesting and very sincere letter of 26th October.

I am sending a copy to a generous Buddhist of Mandalay (…) in the hope that he may do something. But you should not write to him unless he approaches you. I am also putting your letter before the Propagation Sub-Committee of the Union Buddha Sāsana Council, giving a copy to U Hla Maung, Editor of The Sanghyana in case he wishes to use it.

I personally realise that you are doing excellent work and we do need in every country Buddhists who are real Buddhists.

Kindest regards, Mettacittena.


Op 12/12/1954 vraagt Shitoku dan voor een patronage vanuit Burma voor het kind dat hij en zijn vrouw in maart 1955 verwachten. De reactie van 25/01/1955:

On 12/12/1954, Shitoku asks for a patronage from Burma for the child he and his wive are expecting in March, 1955. This is the reaction from 01/25/1955:

Very often in such cases a bikkhu is asked to suggest a suitable name and may I suggest that you give a Pāli name as one of the names of your child. In such cases it is an old tradition to fit the name to the day of the week on which the child is born. If this idea appeals to you, please let me know and I shall try to arrange a naming ceremony here - though it is so far away. In this case you would have to give me a sort of parental authority and inform me of the day on which the child is born and of course the sex.

Op 10/02/1955 meldt Shitoku dat hij een correspondentiecursus over boeddhisme is gestart.

On 02/10/1955 Shitoku informs his friend that he started a correspondence course about Buddhism.

En voilà, Shitoku krijgt al waardering (17/02/1955):

And look, Shitoku already gets appreciation (02/17/1955):

As we regard you as a valued correspondent in Belgium, we shall be asking your help to keep us informed of all matters at all pertaining to Buddhism.

We shall be happy to have all your news, and photographs wherever possible, for our English-language publications - The Light of the Dhamma and The Sanghyana.

U. Ohn Ghine beantwoordt meerdere brieven op 18/03/1955:

U. Ohn Ghine answers several letters on 03/18/1955:

I enclose two batches of Pāli names very kindly compiled by our Pāli scholar, U Hla Maung, B.A., who is editor of The Sanghyana.

I think your article on Buddhism in Belgium is exceptionally good. (…)

The book you mention of the Life of the Buddha with coloured plates I shall send you if I can still get a copy. Actually it roused a little opposition here due to the fact that it was more like cartoon illustration but that should not be a matter for much concern when it is for children.

Op 30/03/1955 schrijft Shitoku over zijn vlekkeloze prinses, geboren op een woensdag…

On 03/30/1955, Shitoku writes about his immaculate princess, born on a Wednesday…

In hurry I announce to you that the child born to my wife and to me, is a girl and named Adelaide Hendrika Johanna Vimaladevī.

Will you please make arrangements for the name-giving ceremony?

Laat ons deze correspondentie besluiten met een paar passages uit de brief van 23/11/1955.

To conclude this correspondence folder, let’s read some passages from the letter of 11/23/1955.

Eerst omtrent Shitoku’s dochter…

First of all about Shitoku’s daughter…

- Thank you for the photograph. What intelligence and beauty the little Princess has. May she be as wise as she looks. I have quite fallen in love with her.

… dan over de economische toestand in Birma (herkenbaar?):

… then about the economic situation in Burma (recognizable?):

- The economic situation here is still very bad and I’m afraid it’ll be next year before conditions improve. However, I shall, when any chance seems likely to bear fruit, put forward your needs, which I feel are as important as any in the world.

… en tenslotte omtrent een niet zo vredevolle actie (om aan te geven dat ook Boeddhistische monniken soms te ver kunnen gaan…):

… and finally about a not so peaceful action (to indicate that buddhist monks also can go too far sometimes…):

- Now as to the stone-throwing by monks at Colombo, I’m afraid it may be true. But one must not judge the Sangha of Ceylon by a few unruly wearers of the Yellow Robe, any more than one may judge the Bhikkhus of Burma by the few wearers of the Yellow Robe who frequent football matches, for instance.

You must remember that we here, including most Bhikkhus, are Buddhists and not yet Buddhas. In Ceylon, as in Burma, most of the Sangha are pure, devout and worthy of the Yellow Robe, but even in the Buddha’s time were those who had to be mentioned by him as: “There are many sinful men, wicked and unrestrained, who are covered with the Yellow Robe. They are born in hell on account of their evil deeds.” Dh. 307.

How much more is this true after so long a time since the Buddha attained His maha-paranibbāna.

Because Buddhism is not a strictly-controlled dogmatic “Church” such people can creep in, and many of even these are just carried away by impulse. Those who really live the life and attain are comparatively few, though the majority in Ceylon, as in Burma, lead comparatively Holy lives.


Shitoku heeft via brieven erg geanimeerde discussies gevoerd met Ven. U Ohn Ghine en diverse andere correspondenten: een aanduiding dat hij al heel vroeg erg grondig is tewerk gegaan als (toekomstig) dharma-leraar - iets waarvan onze sangha nu nog de vruchten plukt…

Shitoku has exchanged rather animated letters with Ven. U Ohn Ghine and with several other correspondents, each with profound discussions: a proof that he, at that time already, took his job as (future) dharma teacher very seriously - a solid foundation for our sangha, up until today…
   

We zijn hem hiervoor dankbaar!

For that, we are so grateful to him!
Ekō 117 - Schatten op Zolder

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