Teacher: Reverend Jikai (In Person, Visiting from the Hawkesbury Region, NSW)

Wed 6 May | 7.00-8.30pm AEST

Location: In person at Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus (Entry at 1 Parramatta Square), Level 7, Room 01.7.39B

or Online (Zoom link below)

Cost: Free

In an era of unprecedented information overload, the Dharma-seeker has access to a wider range of teachings and resources than ever before. Traditions that once never met are now in dialogue; teachings once confined to small corners of the Buddhist World now circulate in global languages; and, thanks to the Indra’s Net of the World Wide Web, we can instantly access these painstakingly preserved gems with the press of a button. Yet without the compass of discernment, we are set adrift on a sea of noise.

In the mire of Saṃsāra, how do we distinguish the timeless Dharma from the fleeting currents of the algorithm? How do we distill the essential meaning from the language used to convey it? How do we differentiate the core teachings from the temporarily useful? And how do we cultivate the inner capacity to discriminate between those thoughts which accurately represent the Dharma, and those which do not?

For millennia, the tradition has framed these pitfalls, and identified the means of discerning the Dharma (Dharma-pravicaya), through the Four Reliances 四依:

1)Rely on the Dharma, and do not rely upon persons 依法, 不依人;
2)Rely on the Meaning, and do not rely upon words 依義, 不依語;
3)Rely on Comprehension, and do not rely upon thought 依智, 不依識;
4)Rely on Complete Teachings, and do not rely upon incomplete teachings 依了義,不依不了義.

In this Dharma-talk we will explore these criteria for navigating the sea of noise, and consider how to orient ourselves toward the Other Shore. Whether we are new practitioners or long-time seekers- and whatever our tradition- we all share a commitment to discerning the Dharma. And in this exercise, we must learn to choose the Dharma over persons; the Meaning over the letter; the Definitive over the provisional; and knowledge over opinion.

Join us as we explore how to develop this discernment!

About the Teacher: Reverend Jikai 慈海 Tyler Dehn grew up Catholic, but became a Buddhist at the age of 15 during a year-long exchange in Toyama (富山県), Japan. During the week he would read whichever Buddhist sūtras he could get his hands on, and then on weekends he would ride his bicycle to various temples, attending services and asking many questions. After returning to Australia he contacted Reverend Jiryo 慈了Moxon who was running a small Tendai community in Brisbane, Australia. Though Jiryo Sensei and Jikai lived in very different parts of Australia, they managed to meet a few times a year and regularly made contact. Via Jiryo Sensei, Jikai was introduced to the late Archbishop Ara Ryokan 荒了寛大僧正 of the Hawaii Tendai Mission ハワイ天台別院 in Honolulu.

Shortly thereafter Jikai became a disciple of Ara Ryokan, who impressed upon him the importance of one’s“karmic connections”to the Buddha-Dharma. He took Ordination or Tokudo 得度 at the Tendai Hawaii Mission in Honolulu, and trained there under Venerable Ara’s direction. Finally, in 2015 Jikai was accepted to, and attended the Seminary Programme (known as ‘Gyoin’ 行院) on Mt Hiei 比叡山延暦寺, Japan.
After the completion of his training, Jikai moved to Tokyo, and worked at the Tendai Buddhist High School of Komagome Gakuen 駒込学園 for five years. During this time, he assisted at a number of temples, participated in seminars on behalf of the Tendai School, and translated various materials into English.
At the end of 2020 he returned to Australia, and now operates the Tendai Buddhist Sangha of Australia at Enmitsuji Temple (圓密寺) in the Hawkesbury Region, NSW. They offer weekly lessons on Tiantai/Tendai Teachings and instruction in meditation, chanting and making offerings. Reverend Jikai Dehn also holds a Master of Research Degree from Macquarie University, and has made it his life-long labour of love, to translate Buddhist sūtras and Tendai texts, in hopes that the seeds of the Buddha-Dharma may be firmly planted in the soils of the West.

Online event: Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive session online by clicking on this link to access the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83506489824?pwd=cmpNQ1ljSmFVYURLWVN1dWllYUN1dz09 Alternatively, you can dial in from your telephone (call charges apply): +61 2 8015 6011 | Meeting ID: 835 0648 9824| Passcode: 718905