Buddhism As Education

If the Earth were your body, you would be able to feel the many areas where it is suffering. War, political and economic oppression, famine and pollution wreak havoc in so many continents. Everyday, children are becoming blind from malnutrition, their hands searching hopelessly through mounds of trash for a few ounces of food. Adults are dying slowly in prisons for trying to oppose violence. Rivers are dying and the air is becoming more and more polluted and with difficulty to breathe. Although the two great super powers are becoming little more friendly, they still have sufficient nuclear weapons to destroy the Earth of dozen times. Many more people are aware of the world's suffering; their hearts are filled with compassion, they know what needs to be done and they engage in political, social and environmental work to try to change things around. But after a period of intense involvement, they may become discouraged if they lack the strength needed to sustain a life of acti...

The mind of love brings peace, joy and happiness to ourselves and others. Mindful observation is the element which nourishes the tree of understanding and compassion and love are the most beautiful flowers. When we realize the mind of love, we have to go to the one who has been the object of our mindful observation, so that our mind of love is not just an object of our imagination but a source of energy which has a real effect in the world. The meditation on love is not just sitting still and visualizing that our love will spread out into the space like waves of sound or light. Sound and light have the ability to penetrate everywhere and love and compassion can do the same. But if our love is only a kind of imagination, then it is not likely to have any real effect.  It is in the midst of our daily life and in our actual contact with others that we can know whether our mind of love is really present and how stable it is. If love is real it will be evident in our daily...

Love is a mind that brings peace, joy and happiness to another person. Compassion is a mind that removes the suffering that is present in the other. We all have the seeds of love and compassion in our minds and we can develop these fine and wonderful source of energy. We can nurture the unconditional love that does not expect anything in return and therefore does not lead to anxiety and sorrow. The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves inside the skin of the other. We go inside their body, feelings and mental formations and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the object of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means literally, :to suffer with". We begin by choosing as the object our...

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you do not blame the lettuce. You look into reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer or more water or even less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is the experience. No blame, no reasoning, just understanding. If you understand and you show that you understand, you can love and the situation will definitely change. Understanding Understanding and love are not two things, but just one. Suppose your son wakes up in the morning and sees that it is already quite late, he decides to wake up his younger sister in order to give her enough time to take her breakfast before going to school. It happens that she is grouchy and instead of saying "thank you for w...

The Nandaka Vihara Meditation Society situated at Lot 1250 Mukim 17, Jalan Kolam, Cherok Tokun, 14000 Bukit Mertajam will be holding its Kathina and Ground Breaking Ceremony concurrently on 11th November 2012. Programs for the event are as follows: 07.00 am - Welcome the Kathina Robes ceremony 08.00 am - Pindapata (Almsround) 08.30 am - Food Stalls Open To Devotees 10.00 am - Ground Breaking Ceremony for New Building Project 10.30 am - Sanghikadana (Offering of Food to the Sangha) 12.00 pm - Robes Offering to the Sangha, Dhamma Talk, Paritta Chanting and Sharing of Merits 01.30 pm - Blessing of Food Stall Sponsors at Dana Hall How to Donate? You can come personally to the vihara to make your cash donation; by telegraphic transfer (TT) direct into the vihara's bank account no. 3151741619 under the name of Persatuan Meditasi Nandaka Vihara or you could also pay by cheque/bank draft payable to PErsatuan Meditasi Nandaka Vihara. Kindly write your name and contact detai...

The Dhammavijaya Buddhist Centre at Lot 850 Jalan Besar, Kampung Sungai Buah Luar, 43800 Dengkil, Selangor will be holding its annual Kathina and Sanghikadana Ceremony on the 4th November and 5th November 2012 respectively. The Kathina on the 4th November shall commence from 9.00 am while the Sanghikadana on the 5th November will commence at 11.00 am. For more details on the event and sponsorship, please contact HK Chong at 019-2377799 or Christine Wong 012-2876650. May you be well and happy. Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu.

The Management Committees of Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society and Buddhist Missionary Society is organizing the Annual Kathina Celebration at the Buddhist Maha Vihara on the 4th November 2012, at 123 Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur. The Kathina programme on that day would be as follows: 6.45 am   Buddha Puja & Offering of Morning Alms to the Sangha 7.00 am   Procession Round the Temple by members, devotees and well-wishers 7.45 am   Offering of Kathina Civara (Robes) to the Sangha 9.00 am   Tailoring of the Kathina Robes 11.15 am  Buddha Puja and Sanghikadana, Transference of Merits 12.15 pm  Lunch for Devotees 6.30 pm    Illumination of the Vihara premises 7.30 pm    Gilampasa Buddha Puja (Blessing Service) and Sermon You can participate by sponsoring: RM50.00   - Food items, medicines and toiletries RM100.00 - Monks' robes in varying sizes RM250.00 - Monks' robes, alms bowl, medicines, to...

The Chempaka Buddhist Lodge will be organising the Great Merits Blessing Ceremony on the 28 October 2012. The blessing service shall commence from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm. The blessing service shall be conducted by Venerable Utamasara, a distinguished monk from Myanmar. All devotees are most welcomed.

The Samadhi Vihara of the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia is organising the Annual Kathina Robes Offering ceremony which marks the completion of the three months Vassana retreat observed by the members of the Sangha at the Vihara. During this ceremony, robes and other allowable requisites are offered to the monks as well as gifts for the upkeep of the vihara. Members of the Sangha are the protectors and teachers of the Noble Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha and if diligently practised, will lead to final liberation. As such, lending support to the Sangha members will enable them to continue spreading the Noble Dhamma. This act of support and reverence is one of the highest meritorious deeds that you may accrue when you participate in this ceremony. Date: 21 October 2012 (Sunday) Time: 9.00 am to 12.30 pm Venue: Samadhi Vihara, 1B Jalan Pegaga U12/8, Seksyen U12, Kawasan Perindusrian Bukit Raja, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor. You are therefore cordially invited to jo...

Heong Sun See is organising a Vegetarian Food Fair in conjunction with the Nine Emperor Gods (Kiew Ong Ya) Birthday. The food fair organised in the aid of the temple's building fund is commencing today 14 October 2012 (29th of the 8th Lunar Month) to 23 October 2012 (9th day of the 9th Lunar Month) from 7.30 am to 8.30 pm daily at the temple's premises. Coupons and tickers for the food fair could be obtain from the temple on any day beginning today. Contribution in cash or in any kind will be greatly appreciated. Voluntary helpers are also invited to assist on the food fair which begin from today until 23 October 2012. The Medicine Buddha's Lotus Lamp Lighting for good fortune and elimination of obstacles will be incorporated in the Medicine Buddha Repentance Puja which is to be held on 21 October 2012 (7th day of the 9th Lunar Month) from 8.00 am to 12.00 pm. For those who are interested to participate in this lamp lighting, it is RM10.00 for indivudual while RM20.0...

We always ask, "What is wrong?" Doing so, we invite painful seeds of sorrow to come up and manifest. We feel suffering, anger and depression and produce even more of such seeds. We could be much happier if we tried to stay in touch with the healthy, joyful seeds inside and around us. We should learn to ask, "What is not wrong?" and be in touch with that. There are so many elements in the world and within our bodies, feelings, perceptions and consciousness that are wholesome, refreshing and healing. If we block ourselves, if we stay in the prison of our sorrow, we will not be able to be in touch with these healing elements. Life is filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. Our breathing, for example, can be very enjoyable. I enjoy breathing everyday. But many people appreciate the joy of breathing only when they have asthma or a stuffed up nose. We do not have to wait untul we have asthma to enjoy our breathing. Awareness...

In Buddhism, the word "suchness" is used to mean "the essence or particular characteristics of a thing or a person, its true nature". Each person has his or her suchness. If we want to live in peace and happiness with a person, we have to see the suchness of that person. Upon seeing it, we understand him or her and there will be no trouble. We can live peacefully and happily together. When we bring natural gas into our homes for heating and cooking, we know the suchness of gas. We know that gas is dangerous - it can kill us if we are not mindful. But we also know that we need the gas in order to cook, so we do not hesitate to bring it into our homes. The same is true of electricity. We could get electrocuted by it, but when we are mindful, it can help us, and there's no problem, because we know something about suchness of electricity. A person is the same as well. If we do not know enough about the suchness of a person, we may get ourselves into trouble...