Jill Rees: Welcome Press

  Every Sunday the Abuja District meet for chanting and other activities. This morning 11 members and 5 guests chanted for 1 hour, then slow gongyo as some members are quite new to gongyo, then the 2nd part of our study of the meaning of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo given by the incredibly clear Gody, who has been practising for many many years, some in the US. We sang a strange song called The Power of the Gohonzon, Do your Chantin’, Do your Gongyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for ever, and so on.We had bananas and nuts, which is the tradition here and I must say a lot healthier than jaffa cakes.

Some of the guests had studied Buddhism for a while and decided to start to practise. The others stayed on for chorus. We found a song in Efi, one of the African languages, and bizarrely or not, one of the guests was an Efi speaker who helped us understand the meaning. As resident poet, I translated it into singable English. Another guest, a young man, used his experience in Church choir to help with the arrangements, and Princess Omo my new friend who we bumped into at a swimming pool the first week when we had a meeting with Dr Afolabi the Head of SGI Nigeria, just boogied and enjoyed it a lot. We’re going to perform it at next week’s meeting. Then we planned for our Song of Nigeria, of course For The Sake of Peace. First I read the words and blubbed as usual because it moves me so much, then we  listend a couple of times to the DVD which came with AOL, then learned it. You know it’s really hard to sing, very high and very low, so we had guidance on inspiring and motivating the audience as well as ourselves. I told Rees’ story about the song at Trets at New Year. We plan to translate the title into lots of languages including some African languages, and sing it at the Nigeria AGM in 3 weeks time. Then at New Year the children (did I mention our 4 Dove Division members?) will do the fade out at the end. It’ll be lovely. I promised to report about this song to A Certain Person in Somerset.

We are doing lots of Study, which has been lacking here, and next week I’m giving the Gosho study on Happiness in this World of course - frightening as I’ve never done study on my own before. We in education division are preparing the first study exam here, which is more or less the English one, and the Core Study group we’re forming is to take the exam on November 18th same as you guys. In Lagos. By we I mean myself and Bob and Stephanie Tansey of the Soka Educators International Forum. They are mystically here with me in Abuja having made the cause to be together in previous lifetimes as well as at the local Chinese in Penel Orlieu Bridgwater two years ago when they visited. Some of you were there. They send their love. The SEIN AGM is online this week, if you’re interested let me know.

I’m having the usual karmic excitements and once again my job is on the line due to a dramatic scandal in the House of Representatives of Nigeria. The Speaker is in the process of being kicked out for fraud, she took 65,000,000 naira to furnish her house which had only been done 1 year previously. I think this money was used to finance my school, as corruption is the norm here, and my boss the Honorable Wole Oke if you want to research it online is very close to her. They are from the same tribe down south. Tribal links really matter here. He is trying to become the speaker. Meanwhile, my salary has been held as well as the school funding, and the live wire from the generator is still dangling around the classrooms. They’re trying to threaten and bribe me into taking less money, being demoted and so on. I’m the only trained teacher here and the only expat, so if I go the project grinds to a halt. It is very difficult. I’m doing a 5×5 (five hours chantin’ a day for 5 days) to overcome my crapland karma and manifest the Pure Land, as it’s interfering with my mission now. tomorrow Monday at 2pm is the big meeting, anyone who has time to chant please do so, for me and also for education in Nigeria.

Meanwhile I want to ask anyone who has textbooks, reading books for young people and babies, or educatinal toys they are chucking out to consider taking them to Rees to send on to me as resources are very very limited here and we are unable at the moment to order some for the little kids we have.  Education is very much below the UK levels here, although the parents and children really value it. It’s very exciting and like the 50s where ordinary people really tried to become educated and raise their opportunities. We aim to educate really well including critical thinking, in fact I’m going to tout after school criti thinkiing around Abuja in other schools to help develop their minds. Our children are starving for books to read, and delighted when you find some for them.

Also if it’s not too much, if you have accidentally bought 2 copies of anything on Buddhism from Taplow, or have any spare butsugu or Buddhist paraphenalia, really they have nothing here, we’re providing as much as we can and using the net, but should you be able to spare anything it would really be appreciated and would help kosen rufu in Nigeria tremendously.

The editor of the local intelligent rag has commissioned an article from me which I’m still finishing, so I’ll meet with him this week. I’ve put stuff on my website but haven’t had time, also there’s no broadband here yet, and can you remember what it was like before broadband? So bear with me, but check it out if you like http://www.jillrees.com/

Otherwise I’m STILL in a hotel as my appartment isn’t built but thinking of finding a cheap house in a nearby village perhaps, will go and see it this week. I have to have security for obvious reasons. (White) Everyone including locals has secure walls and gates and hires security guards for 20,000 naira a month. Tip them or the gate will start to mysteriously stick. I’m driving a Chevy around ha ha, have joined the gym and otherwise made good friends, met some expats and boy are they wierd and drunken in part, been on a sponsored walk for an orphanage, met an American diplomat whose armoured car got smashed up when he was fishing and had broken down on the side of the road in Abuja, not too secure, America, is it? VERY nice simple guy we had met at an Embassy party previously. Also spent Sat lunchtime with an Israeli spy! Very interesting account of various wars in Israel that he’d been in, has lived in Nigeria for 15 years. We had a good talk and it helped my article.

Also with Princess Omo we may be starting an online Mandela shirt business, and perhaps marketing African paintings online too.  Or I may be home soon, jobless and despondent. Depends on if the Gohonzon works or not - watch this space, or don’t bother if you already know and have no doubts!

REALLY missing you guys, thinking of you and I’d really appreciate your news and views. Love you ALL (Dame Edna?)  Keep well, Keep on Do your chantin’ Do your Gongyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, for ever………………..clap clap clap

Jill

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