|
Dharmavahini Introduces a" Meditation
Retreat via TV" - from 13th till 17th August 2007
(Interview with Ven. Denmarke Mettavihari- Patron of Dharmavahini
Foundation.)
-Interviewed by Ramani D.Wickramaratne-
Venerable Mettavihari Thero is a Dutch national by birth, he was ordained
in 1988 under the Most Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha Mahanayake Thero
at the Sri Vajiragnana Dharmayathane, Maharagama. While still living
in Holland as a layman, Venerable Mettavihari Thero was a qualified
Engineer in computer technology and therefore has the knowledge and
experience to develop in this field. The first Dhamma email network
website @metta.lk was a "first" created by Ven. Mettavihari
Thero which commenced operations about 10 years ago.
According to Ven.Mettavihari Thero, the late Ven.Madihe Pannaseeha
Mahanayake Thero was keen to disseminate The Dhamma through modern technology
and was planning to computerize The Tripitaka for which he already had
8 computers ready for use at the time Ven. Mettavihari Thero was ordained
at The Sri Vajiragnana Dharmayathane, Maharagama. Seeing the computers
ready for use and being qualified in the field, he sought permission
from the late Ven. Madihe Pannaseeha Mahanayake Thero,to involve himself
with this work. Ven.Mettavihari Thero took over the work at the Computer
Room and began computer training before commencing work on The Tripitaka.
After a few years of hard work, it was possible to put the entire Tripitake
on public domain on "Journal of Buddhist Ethics (JBE) with free
access to all. Subsequently, the EDB (Export Development Board) came
forward to support and provide a server where The Tripitake is housed
in 3 languages- Pali / Sinhala / English.
Dharmavahini is another "first" of Ven. Mettavihari Thero
through which he continues to look for new methods to engage the Buddhist
public in Dhamma activities. Dharmavahini has produced programmes to
disseminate Dhamma through internet initially and since May 2007, has
been doing cable network programmes through LBN. Dharmavahini is now
ready to offer another "first" to those keen on meditation-
"Meditation via TV" is the latest innovation of Ven.Mettavihari
Thero through which he is offering the opportunity to the public, to
participate in "a meditation retreat" for 5 days from 13th-17th
August 2007 via Cable TV (LBN). This method will open doors for the
lay public, to follow meditation classes from their own homes or with
friends using cable TV.
Given below are details of an interview the writer had with Ven. Mettavihari
Thero to discuss and understand how he works, as well as his plans for
Dharmavahini programmes now and in the future.
Q.Venerable Sir,could you please tell me a bit about Dharmavahini?
A.Dharmavahini started several years ago initially broadcasting its
Dhamma Talks via the Internet. Only recently we got the opportunity
to broadcast locally when on the 7th of May 2007 we started a channel
on Lanka Broadband Network (LBN).
Q.I heard that you have a special program next week running on LBN ?
A.Yes, we are trying something new via TV. The program is a 5 day meditation
retreat which you can follow from home with your own TV.
Q.When is the program running?
A.The program will start on the 13th of August and go on for 5 days
until 17th August 2007
Q.What are the times it will be broadcast ?
A.We will start broadcasting at 8 am and go on till 4 pm which will
give the public an effective 8 hour Meditation retreat at your own home.
This is ideal for home-bound housewives to spend a week in meditation.
Q.What is the content of the program ?
A.We start with a 2 hours introduction to the meditation technique.
It is essential that you understand the way of meditation for you to
follow this retreat. I therefore would suggest that you follow the program
from day one onwards.
Q.Who is the Teacher on this program ?
A.The Teacher is Ven Abheya. He is a pupil of Ven Ajhan Brahmavanso
in Australia. He has followed Ven Bhramavanso's teaching and translated
several of his books into Sinhala.
Q.Is it a live broadcast ?
A.The program is not live, but you have Ven Abhaya available" live"
to ask questions during the entire retreat,
We will announce a number on the channel that you can call, and then
you can talk to the teacher one-to-one and get your doubts clarified
as the course is progressing.
Q.How does a person join the course ? Is there some kind of Registration
?
A.There is no registration. All you have to do is to find a place where
you have access to a cable TV connection.
Q.Where was the program recorded ?
A.The course was recorded at the Lanka Vipassana Meditation Center on
Wijerama Road, That is the place that Ven Abhaya is residing.
Q.How different is this from the other channels?
A.Well it is quite different. And I understand that it is difficult
for the other channels to have such a long time for one program since
they depend on Advertisements. However the new channel on DialogTV (The
Buddhist) could follow up, and do the same, which would be very good.
I remember in my childhood in Denmark, I have followed teaching programs
via the TV and found them very useful. If this could be done in a foreign
country with science programs then I presume it could also be done in
Sri Lanka teaching Meditation.
Q. You say your program is a meditation program running for 8 hours
a day for 5 days. Can someone not do it as a part time course only?
A.Yes you can do it part time, however the first 2 hours in the morning
are very important since that is where most of the meditation instructions
are given.
Q.How can I get help from the teacher during the course when I am staying
at home and doing my home work ?
A.What we have to learn about meditation, is that it is really meant
for you while you do your work like look after the children, sweep the
house, do your cooking etc. etc.
Q.How can I find a way of seeing this program if I do not have LBN.?
A.You can call LBN on 5-300-300 and check where the closest location
where there is a cable connection, Then see if you have a friend in
that area and visit your friend for the meditation time. We have to
remember, that being a kalyanamitta to others is very important for
our own progress in the Dhamma. So try to get a friend to join at your
place or try to go to the friend's house and do this programme together,
that way there is more strength in the practice.
Q.Your station is presently a dedicated Buddhist Channel. Do you have
any intentions of running other programmes like Cultural / Educational
Programs / Films / Plays / Musicals etc.?
A.We established our channel to run Religious, Cultural, Educational,
and Science programs, however since the other channels are already providing
much of this service, we might not get into all of those areas right
now. We will concentrate more on education and Dhamma and how Dhamma
can be best used in daily life.
Q. Could you please explain how Dharmavahini is funded?
A.We are funded just like any temple is funded. Dayakes/Donors offer
donations, we produce programmes and broadcast them free-of-charge.
Donors are welcome to ask us to publish a simple "in memoir"
notice on the programs. The cost of sponsoring a one hour program is
only Rs.2.000.00.Our programmes are available thereafter, for other
channels to broadcast as well. We are open to anyone contacting us for
programmes.
Q. Since Dharmavahini does not utilize advertisements, it seems that
there isn't much funding to run the station. How do you get staff to
run the place?
A.We have very few paid employees, and use more volunteer staff. Like
I said earlier, in a temple no one pays to do the account or other administration
work. In the same way we manage to run our operations through the commitment
of volunteers who are willing to help in spreading the Dhamma.
It has several benefits. The Dhamma is spread in a Dharmika way. Young
persons have opportunities to do Dhamma work while they learn how to
work in a TV channel. This in turn enhances their skills.They are then
better equipped to face the job market after having worked as a volunteer
for one or 2 year in our place. They can learn several things such as
computer work, video editing, recording and program planning etc. There
are many different processes required in running a channel, even just
a simple thing like answering the phone and typing letters could be
done by volunteers.
Q.How long does it take to complete recording one programme?
A.That depends very much on the kind of program we are producing, but
as an example the programme we are starting on August 13th has been
in the planning and preparation process for 2 month before it finally
gets on line. Other programs might take as little as one day for the
entire thing.
Q.Currently, how many persons do you have to help you in this work?
A.As I mentioned, most of our staff are volunteers. Due to this fact,
we cannot mention a specific number of staff working at any given particular
time. When volunteers have the time and the leave to come and help,
then they increase and diminish as it goes on. Because of that we have
to have a larger buffer stock of programs as we may not always have
persons available to go out and help in the production.
Q.There is no doubt that there are many operations that go to complete
a programme- Could you list out the operations involved?
A. A few important parts are: Script writing; planning; finding the
right locations; finding the right persons to act in the programmes;
the actual job of going and filming the program; editing the rushes
into a final programmme. All this however, is very much simpler when
you get down to actually doing it. However, it requires a dedication
that is far beyond the normal office work, since the job MUST be completed
in time.
Q.Could you say that your work is giving you the satisfaction you anticipate
when you complete a programme?
A. No, the satisfaction does not come when completing the programme.
The satisfaction comes only when we get the feedback from viewers/listeners
that they have made good use of what we have produced. Therefore,if
you like our work, please let us know. This helps us to improve the
quality of our productions and also enables to build up a better relationship
with us-the producers of programmes and you "the public" that
is benefiting from our programmes. The public is welcome to send their
views to: info@dharmavahini.tv or call on (011)-5666588
Q. What are the future plans you have Venerable Sir, for your channel?
A. It is difficult to read into the future, but let me give a small
wish list here. I will be happy when we have the opportunity to broadcast
to a broader public and I think that will come as we progress. The important
thing is to understand where we are now. Not to be living in dreams
about tomorrow, but to be happy with what we have achieved up to date.
|
