My name is Steve Allan, almost as far
back as I can remember, even in high school in Sydney Australia back in the
60’s, when ever there was a ‘what is your religion?’ question , as a semi
serious, semi rebellious joke, I always said I was a ‘Backyard Buddhist’ – I
don’t know why! However it never got me out of Christian Fellowship 1st
period every Friday morning.
In the 70’s we were all getting in to
TM, The Beatles and the Marharishi and then life kicked in, career, family,
stress, the time when we really need some meditation but are too busy and too
stressed with life to fit it in.
For me , 25 years later the circle
closed and my meditation practice started again and then I began to look behind
the meditation to the to the concepts, the teachings and its origins, the more
I looked the more rational the whole thing became.
10 years ago, living in a rural tourist
town in Australia I began the practice of the ‘Trilogy of Hearing’ studying via
book and internet and travelling throughout Australia, Asia and India for
teachings, so instead of a backyard Buddhist I became a mobile Buddhist.
In a question and answer session after a
teaching with the Dali Lama, he was asked,”what is the meaning of life” – his
answer,”I don’t know the meaning of life but I know the purpose of life – to be
of benefit to others, do no harm and be happy”. On the surface this seemed a
simple little sentence, so why did it affect me so much? So I delved into it –
Be of benefit; the practice of compassion and generosity. Do no harm; take up
the practice of The 5 Precepts. Be happy; end suffering via ‘The 4 Noble
Truths’ and the ‘8 Fold Path’, mixed with ‘The 5 Hindrances’ and a dab of
‘Dependant Rising’ and a whole lot of ‘Karma’ What a simple little sentence!!
In an effort to be of benefit I
instigated Buddhist teachings in my Australian home town of Airlie Beach, bringing
Tibetan Geshi’s and a teaching nun to town and I built, open and ran ‘The
Whitsunday Meditation Society‘for 5 years until I retired.
But something in the Mahayana system was
not quite right for me. I think it was the ancient Tibetan traditions that
permeate their practice. I found them colourful, dramatic, awe inspiring and
full of pageantry, but I kept coming back to just the Buddha’s words, maybe I was
a fundamental mobile Buddhist!
It was these thoughts that reignited my
search in Buddhism and after a couple of years I came to Zen due to its
simplicity, honesty of practice and its focus on meditation.
Now retired and living in Bali I looked
around Australia and S.E. Asia for a Sangha, I knew it was time for this mobile
Buddhist to settle down.
After looking at a wide variety of Zen
centres I settled on a small and very personal Zen centre on the central coast
of NSW Australia, Silky Oak Zen, where I have now formally taken the precepts
and found a home sangha.
In my desire to continue to be of
benefit to others I am now seeking ordination and hopefully the opportunity to
open a Zen centre in the mountains of North Bali in association with OBW.
With Metta, 3 bows.
