Bendigo Buddha Au Go-Go

The highlight of the weekend was venturing out of germy Melbourne for a day trip in Bendigo. Although a mere two hours by train it is well over twenty years since I have been to said town, and that was for parliamentary work. Like its larger regional sibling, Ballarat, Bendigo was originally a gold mining town and now has a modest manufacturing, finance, and regional service base. It's an attractive place with plentiful Victorian-era buildings and parklands, and surrounded by rather lovely natural forest. The primary purpose of my journey however was to visit lebens_art9, a Scottish medic whose prankster and cheery exterior hides the deep commitment of a traveling healer. Currently in Bendigo for several months to carry out coronavirus vaccinations, lebens_art9 has previously been working in remote communities and refugee health. She basically lives out of a suitcase, like Paul Erdős, with whatever accommodation that the current service provider offers. It is really people like these that are the dedicated backbone of virtuous projects. Anyway, even such people with their quiet achievements have a day off, and in their company I spent the day, visiting the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, collecting their highly-educated friend Anne from the airport, and cooking dinner for the pair in preference to visiting a restaurant. It certainly made for a more convivial conversational environment and there is not much more than one can wish from life than good company and good conversation.

The Stupa and surrounds are well worth commentary. Whilst still in construction it is the home of the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery to be established in Australia and is associated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Of popular note is the four-tonne jade Buddha, apparently the largest of its type. However, like other visits to Buddhist sites (an important exception being Borobudur), I found myself less, rather than more, inclined towards the religion. My naturalistic pantheism led me to feel that the forested surroundings were more my temple than the stupa itself. On reflection, I also find the behaviour of many self-proclaimed Buddhists rather at odds at what the teachings would suggest, rather like many self-proclaimed Christians, I suppose, especially including our Prime Minister. I am perplexed by Buddhists who chow down on the flesh of animals without concern or interpret non-attachment to a harmful indifference to others. In this context that I must mention Thích Nhất Hạnh's "engaged Buddhism" to the most valuable; a detachment from things, matched with a compassionate engagement with sentient beings. I am again especially thankful to strang_er for introducing me to this body of thought.

The train trip home is also worthy of mention. I was invited by a lass who was celebrating her eighteenth birthday to join her semi-inebriated and slightly boisterous group of friends as they made their way for a big night out. Playing the role of the cool aged punk-rock uncle among such youngsters was easy as they regaled tales of slight legal infractions, their fondness of marijuana, same-sex experimentations, etc. One sassy lass insisted on a couple of photos. There is a certain charm in the vibrancy and optimism of the female of the species at that age that I find is lacking in most males of equivalent age, probably victims of their own hormones and socialization. Still, as they departed in good spirits my mind sadly turned to remember the working-class girls in the great longitudinal sociology "Up" series, so lively and forward-looking as they entered their youth, their enthusiasms quickly dulled as they encountered the twin weights of the class system and patriarchal structures. Whilst I probably will never see them again, I dearly hope that they can overcome these unjust barriers.