MICA (P) 155/05/2010EVENTS & TALKS HIGHLIGHTS

I first picked up Ajahn Brahm’s “Simply This Moment” about a year ago. At the time, I read a few pages, decided it was beyond my depth, and put it away. So no one was more surprised than I when, at the last BF editorial meeting, I volunteered to write about it. “Why on earth did I do that?” I wondered on the way home that day. Nonetheless, I’d given my word (indi-rectly to Ajahn Brahm no less!).

A miracle: what had previously been in-comprehensible made perfect sense, and became a true pleasure to read this time! I can say without exaggeration, this book opened my eyes and changed my life.

The work is a collection of talks given by Ajahn Brahm to monks during the rains retreat; when their minds were presumably more receptive. So the Dhamma is deep; quite a different league to Ajahn’s usual talks to us (lay people) here.

Ajahn (perhaps rather controversially in the current Buddhist world) emphasises the importance of Jhanas to attain enlight-enment. At this point, any mind, particu-larly the minds of those who have read and analysed Buddhism a lot, will probably begin weighing the pros and cons of this statement; agreeing or disagreeing with it.

In my (limited) experience, that sort of over-analysis prevents deeper insights from hap-pening. One of the most profound and (for me) life changing points Ajahn makes in the work, is on the ultimate inaccuracy, and there-fore futility, of all thought. Even a rocket sci-entist is conditioned (by ignorance), and all thought produced by any mind is ultimately erroneous. This includes all opinion, judge-ment, assessment; everything.

So what happens when we don’t believe our thoughts, and just watch them instead? We naturally give way to the inner silence beyond thought. Ajahn says in the book, “If I have faith in anything, I have faith in the silence”.

Another transformative insight was Ajahn Brahm’s instruction to “put mindfulness in the right place”. To do this, he says, we need to let go of the controller: the voice inside that judges and craves; even craves enlightenment, and tries to force Nibbana! Instead we’re told to just watch within, with “mindfulness in the right place”. A useful tip Ajahn gives for do-ing this, is to use the concept of Anatta (non-self ); even if we haven’t yet gained a clear in-sight into it. This is where a bit of intelligent faith in the Buddha comes in handy!

Even as we’re reading this, what happens if,

instead of identifying with the mind as ‘me’, we allow all thought and emotion to be, and watch them as ‘not I’? When I allow myself to accept fully (even if only on faith) that there is no I; thoughts, emotions and sensations within can be observed with detachment, ease and honesty. When done wholeheartedly and with conviction, I can, through this practice alone, know freedom and peace; even in daily life.

The stuff inside may still be there, but there’s peace around it. There’s detached observation with no vested interest. Many take up Bud-dhism, and then fall into the trap of reach-ing for an ‘idealised’ self; even as they profess non-self. Yes, we need to work towards reduc-ing our defilements and cultivating goodness. However it’s important to understand that as long as there is “I”, there’s bound to be impuri-ties. The whole process is an act of gradually dropping the “I”.

The moment I embrace the idea that nothing is “me”, in that instant the controller disap-pears, and there’s freedom to see all that’s in-side; the good and bad; without judgement. Then, instead of hiding from certain aspects of ‘my’ nature that I may otherwise shy away from because they’re ‘negative’; I can afford to look at the whole thing as it happens. In the seeing, the freeing begins.

Of course sustaining this mindfulness is the next challenge. This is where right effort comes in, and that’s proving pretty tough!

WEDNESDAY TALKS05 JAN 2011

12 JAN 2011

19 JAN 2011

26 JAN 2011

02 FEB 201109 FEB 2011

16 FEB 2011

23 FEB 2011

02 MAR 2011

09 MAR 2011

16 MAR 201123 MAR 2011

30 MAR 2011

SUNDAY TALKS02 JAN 2011

09 JAN 2011

16 JAN 2011

23 JAN 2011

30 JAN 2011

06 FEB 2011

13 FEB 2011

20 FEB 2011

27 FEB 2011

Sis Chan Jer Luang | The 12 DependentsOriginsVen.Tezin Palzang | Cultivating Emotional Balance in Life : AttachementBro George Lim | Glimpses of Tibet, Monastries & Lhass Xi-Ning ExpressVen.Tezin Palzang | Dealing with Afflictive Emotions : AngerChinese New Year Eve | No ServiceBro Yap Kheng Guan | What Buddhism is and isn’t. Who is the Buddha? Significant events and milestones in Bud-dhism. The Buddha’s Life from Birth to ParinirvanaBro Yap Kheng Guan | What did the Bud-dha teach? The Middle Way. The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Paths. Ti-Sarana (3 Refuges)Bro Yap Kheng Guan | Morality and eth-ics in Buddhist Practice. Right Speech. Right Action. Right Livelihood. The 5 Pre-ceptsBro Yap Kheng Guan | Mental cultiva-tion and development. Right Effort. Right Mindfulness. Right Concentration. Medi-tationBro Yap Kheng Guan | Wisdom, the heart of Buddhist Practice. Right Understanding. Right ThoughtAjahn Sujato | To be AdviseBro Yap Kheng Guan | Dependent origination and Karma. Introduction to the Tripitaka and SuttaBro Yap Kheng Guan | Buddhism today. The difference schools of Buddhism. Monks, nuns and lay people

Bro Tan Hun Tong | Inspiring AspirationsVen. Rathanasara | Should Buddhist be conservativeVen. Rathanasara | Is it a taboo to talk about DeathBro Lee Teng Yong | 31 Planes of ExistenceDr. Ng Wai Chong | Meditation and WisdomSis. Sylvia Bay | The purpose of DanaSis. Sylvia Bay | What does it mean by the Triple GensDr. Ang Beng Choo | Building a society for allBro Yap Kheng Guan | Respecting Parents

*talks highlights continues on last page

By Kumudu Amarasingham

ONNECTIONCNEWSLETTER OF THE BUDDHIST FELLOWSHIP | JANUARY - MARCH 2011

NEWS

The Charter-cum-Chapter event was held in the evening of 25th November 2010 at Hotel Miramar with over 80 en-thusiastic attendees. We had the honour of having Mr Low Teck Suan, Founder President and Patron of Buddhist Fel-lowship, as our Guest of Honour to grace this inaugural event. In his opening ad-dress, Mr Low cautioned members on the supreme power of the tongue. “This mere 4-inch organ, though not a physi-cal sword, can "kill" if not used properly. However the power of speech is a tremendously powerful tool that can move moun-tains and sea. We hope the members will engage the power of words and com-munication skills for the good of society.”

Our Club Mentor and the Division S Governor, Ms Leela Kawani gave her spe-cial address. She pointed out the benefits for men and women to learn the art of speaking, listening and thinking. These are the vital skills that promote self-actuali-sation, enhance leadership potential, fos-ter human understanding, and contrib-ute to the betterment of mankind. Every opportunity will be given to members to learn and practise for personal growth and to develop self-confidence.

The Toast Masters Club was first intro-duced to Buddhist Fellowship two years ago. Owing to other priorities and condi-tions at that time, it did not take off. To-day, that seed planted two years ago, has germinated and its initial leaves are grow-ing out. We are grateful to the dedication and hard work put in by Ms Vera Wee, our Club Sponsor, who spearheaded the team in sponsoring the formation of Bud-dhist Fellowship Toast Masters Club. We appreciate the effort of our two sponsor-ing clubs, Changi-Simei Toast Masters Club and Entrepreneurs Toast Masters Club for extending their supporting arms to help us integrate into the bigger part of the Toast Masters International family.

Toast Masters International empowers its members to achieve their full poten-tial and realise their dreams. Through our member clubs, it provides a mutually supportive and positive learning environ-ment, in which members are given the opportunity to improve communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change. Toast Masters International's

core values are integrity, dedication to ex-cellence, service to others, and respect for individual. These are values worthy of any society. Toast Masters International pro-vides us with a means of not only guiding but also evaluating our operations, our planning and our vision for the future. Toast Masters International's vision and core values align well with ours. As a member of Toast Masters International club, we believe we are in a good position to achieve our goals of providing a mutu-ally supportive and positive learning en-vironment for our members.

On behalf of the Buddhist Fellowship, we wish to take this opportunity to con-vey our gratitude to all who had in one way or another, helped to charter Bud-dhist Fellowship Toast Masters Club. We were encouraged to have received our first 20 charter members for the club. The EXCO were also being installed at the event. This is certainly an exciting journey we embark on, as we take our

learning together with other Toast Mas-ters Clubs.

To learn-by-doing, our three newly char-tered members, Toast Masters Messrs Moses Lee, TJ Koh and Joycelyn Bay, each did their maiden Competent Com-municator Project 1; "Ice-Breaker" pre-pared speech, at this inaugural Charter-

cum-Chapter meeting. Even though the speak-ers had so much more to tell the audience on their life-stories, they had to wrap up when the Timer, Toast Mas-ter Andrew Lee raised his yellow card (5min-utes), before raising his red (near-disqualified) card!

To add to the fun, there was also a Table Topic Session for the audience to participate in, giving impromptu speeches. Adding to all these, there was the Ahs Counter, Toast Master Linda Chew,

who was listening attentively to pick out and count the number of the ahs & uhms spoken by the speakers. No worry, no-body was actually verifying if the count was accurate! The Toast Masters jour-ney is indeed fun-filled and interesting. Members get to learn by doing, and ben-efiting from it.

We thank everyone who was there, espe-cially our Guest of Honor, Mr Lau Teck Suan, for taking time off from their busy schedule to come and support Buddhist Fellowship Toast Masters Club inaugura-tion. We hope everyone enjoyed the eve-ning, the food and have fun!

For those who are interested in finding out more about the Buddhist Fellowship Toast Masters Club, please contact BF staff. The registration with a 1-year sub-scription is S$160 for a new member.

By BF Toast Masters Club EXCO

The first batch of the 20 members receiving their Toast Masters Certificate. In the middle are Messrs Leela Kawani, Division S Governor and Vera Wee, Area Governor S4 (some members were absent at the charter event

2

NEWS

We left S i n g a -pore on the eve-ning flight to Perth. By the time we reached JG it was mid-night. With a tired, chaotic and impatient mind-set, I pulled the luggage into the retreat room. The view upon open-ing the door was a dream land because in the past meditation

retreats I had not come across such 5-star facilities, with at-tached toilet and shower.

Such spaciousness and brightness shining all over the place! Instantly my tiredness vanished and I was filled with appreciation, praise, joy and gratitude. To think that our teacher Ajahn Brahm conceived such an elegant beau-tiful meditation centre for us meditators; we can only repay if we endeavour to make progress in our time here.

The next day I woke up early in the morning, joyfully jumped off the bed and ran outside to experience the surrounding. Once again, it was like a dream. Wow, a bit out of the world! The whole meditation centre was surrounded by soft forest, with two lovely ponds. The atmosphere was peaceful, lovely and quiet. The interior was simple, practical and elegant. If we cannot progress in such a place, where else can we? I ran towards the dining hall for breakfast, and was pleasantly

By Yausan Cheung (Translated from a Chines article)

surprised by a familiar sound. For the past two years, I had been listen-ing on my MP3 to the same sound in my home in California. Our teacher Ajahn Brahm at last appeared. When I turned around to see him, tears were rolling down my cheeks. Joy and emotion almost overwhelmed me. This teacher had saved me. Had it not been for his clear, simple, ac-curate and easy to digest teaching, I would have remained stagnant; full of worry, frustration and difficulties. I was moved further by his compassion and skilful ways. His encouragement has helped many meditators to stay the path towards liberation. After lunch, all of us gathered and walked towards the monas-tery. It was an elegant structure. Due to Ajahn’s absence, we were able to take a peek at his cave. Oh what a cave! Once the door is closed, we could not see our fingers nor could we hear any sound. It will be diffi-cult to stay in such a dark nar-row en-closed cave if you are not a prac-titioner. I was told that Ajahn spends many hours inside when he is not engaged to give talks outside. During the rains retreat, it was a solid two weeks con-finement. The energy level was high and we sat quietly for a while, not willing to move away any sooner. Simple evening dinner was followed by instructions on rules and regulations. During the day, I experienced the friendliness, kindness and efficiency of the considerate BF members. I was filled with gratitude! Finally we got down to the real business of meditation guided by Ajahn. In the peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, we tried to progress. Noble Silence was in force, and metta does not require verbal expression. After a few days of adjustment, our energy level began to elevate. After the night time Q & A, the number of meditators remaining to continue also in-creased. I was rejoicing for all of us. As editorial space is limited, I am not able to report on all the finer details of the retreat, except to say how fortunate I felt to join in such a retreat. Every retreat brings us further along the path to liberation. Ajahn's words of encouragement: “Do not worry, do not fear, we are on the path. As long as we do not turn back, and carry on progressing, we will reach our destina-tion!”

3

It was a sunny Friday morning when about 30 BF mem-bers gathered together and set off for Malacca to attend the SKE International Buddhist Convention. The event organized in double quick time, was headed by our PRO sisters Catherine and Katherine and the various team members. Since this was an international event, BF’s presence and support brought with it a cross straits co-operation that was both memorable and meaningful for all the participants involved.

Seck Kia Eenh (SKE, Lord Buddha Monastery) is at Jalan Gajah, Malacca. It was started 90 years ago by Straits-born Chinese and has since grown to be a repu-table Buddhist institution known not only in Malaysia but internationally. To celebrate its 90th Anniversay, SKE organized the International Buddhist Confer-ence in November 2010.

SKE has been responsible for nurturing a generation of Dhamma teachers who are still actively involved in teach-ing the Dhamma, including Bro Piya Tan, Tan Huat Chye and Datuk Dr Victor Wee to name a few. In 1969 it start-ed the SKE Dhamma School to promote Dhamma to the young and today it still runs 10 classes with an enrolment of 200. The Dhamma-inspired kindergarten (started in 1978) has 250 students today. In 2005 it developed a 4 storey building with a large multi-purpose hall, classrooms for kindergarten, Dhamma and meditation rooms and other facilities. The temple complex has dormitories to ac-commodate visiting monks and those on retreat. Besides fund raising for charities and natural disasters, it also runs the SKE Mudita Home for orphans and children from broken homes. Buddhist Fellowship members visiting Malacca are encouraged to visit SKE and enjoy their warm hospitality.

Highlights of the event were the talks by two great teachers, Ajahn Brahm (topic: Before Things fall Apart) and Vener-able Hue Can (topic: Buddhism – challenges ahead).

The convention was attended by close to 200 participants, and some of them came from as far away as Sweden.

There were many good speakers. Some of the distin-guished local speaker included Mr. Tan Huat Chye, who gave a talk on Buddhist Leadership Renewal, Datuk Dr. Victor Wee Eng Lye, who’s topic was Unity in Diversity

and Mr. Ronald Gan Yong Hoe, on Confronting Bogus Monk – The Melaka Experience.

During the three-day conference,

all of us had a good time sharing dharma discussions with new found friends during, break-fast, lunch and dinner. Our BF juniors came out fearlessly with questions for the various speakers and Ajahn Brahm, to the delight and admiration of the participants at the convention. Well done! We now have young hopefuls in our midst that promise leadership.

We had the opportunity to have a sitting meditation ses-sion with Ajahn Brahm, and also a morning chanting ser-vice with Ven Ratanasiri. Ven Ratanasiri’s sonorous chant is an extremely delightful experience.

Entertainment during the bus journey was provided by the C-Katherine sisters and Bro Jason, with songs, dances and Dhamma sharing.

Not to be missed in Malacca is the night market at Jonkers Walk, the Peranakan food and the durian Chendol. Shop-ping stretched through to Malacca’s new JUSCO, some snack joint at Yong Peng, and culminated in a sunset din-ner at a fishing village in Johor Bahru.

It was a lovely experience and we couldn’t have asked for more!

Thank you all for the company, fun and the dharma expe-rience. May all of you be well and happy always!

( 19 - 21 NOvEmbEr 2010 ) By George and Henry

NEWS

4

In modern society, stress has become part and parcel of our daily lives. The medical community has even identified stress as a major cause for various, sometimes life-threatening, illnesses. Therefore Ajahn Brahm drew people’s attention to receive an-tidotes for stress in the form of pills of wisdom drawn from the Buddha’s teachings.He opened the talk by sharing his personal experience. He jok-ingly lamented that he might have suffered from anorexia (an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight), because every time he saw his reflection, he always saw himself getting fatter, although he ate little food! Despite the responsibilities that he currently holds; from a so-called “monk factory” in Bodhinyana monastery, spiritual patron for various Buddhist communities in many countries, to listening and giving advice to many people’s problems, he concluded that he is not wor-ried enough to make him lose weight! In other words, he can live and deal with these problems and responsibilities without any stress at all. That is something that many people envy and would like to learn the secret of ! The first secret that Ajahn Brahm shared is a “positive attitude” towards failure. Often, people stress about failure; such as a failed business or failed marriage. While failure is often inevi-table, stress is unnecessary if we have the right attitude. Ajahn termed it “forward failing”, which means that we should ac-cept our failure, learn and grow from it. A lot of people learned from failed businesses and made fortunes later. As for failure in marriage, Ajahn said that the term “marriage” derives from a Latin word which means “to gamble”.The second lesson was that often the cause of stress was fear. For instance, people often fear other people’s disapproval. Ajahn explained that such fear indicated our discomfort with ourselves. When we do not like ourselves, we always try to be someone else. If we could truly love ourselves, half the stress would be gone. Another example is the fear of public speaking. As a good pub-lic speaker himself, Ajahn shared the reason he had no fear. It’s simply because he always looks at the audience as good friends, not as strangers. It is much easier and more comfortable to speak with good friends rather than with enemies or strangers. Being confident means being at ease. The secret to confidence was to learn how to make friends with everything, including with unpleasant situations.Problems did not necessarily incur stress, if we took them as growing pains and made them useful. Ajahn shared o n e

story of an Australian who was diagnosed with cancer but re-mained calm and relaxed, and followed the doctor’s treatment. In due course, the cancer turned benign (not harmful). There were often cases when diseases got worse because people made it stressful, and stress weakened the immune system. Ajahn made a remark that successful people are those who know how to relax in a crisis. They know that “this too will pass”. In situ-ations when there is nothing they can do, they enjoy “a cup of tea”. The last point about stress is our habitual tendency to carry pain from the past, and worry towards the future. Too often we neglect the NOW. Too much precious time was wasted and our mind loaded with unnecessary baggage, which created tiredness mentally and physically. We were told to LET GO of the unnecessary baggage of past and future.For many of us however, a positive attitude towards failure, making friends with ourselves and letting go of unnecessary baggage was easier said than done. It all made sense to us, but it required mental cultivation to develop these qualities. This was where meditation really HELPED. Meditation allowed us to relax and be at ease with our experiences, and sharpened our intuition to do what was best in each moment.When we meditated, we were resting ourselves in the present moment, and that enabled us to gently let go of the past and fu-ture. Ajahn taught the famous method called “suitcases medi-tation” which can be found in his book “Happiness through Meditation”. Essentially, we imagined carrying two heavy suit-cases on our left and right hand, one containing the past and the other containing the future. By stopping at one point and dropping the two suitcases, we gave our body chance to rest and heal. After such good break, we regained our energy. This powerful simile represented the tiredness of the muscles in our mind. In giving it a chance to rest in the present moment, and it recharged itself and regained energy.Similarly, often this tiredness occurred when we held on to something for too long, such as working on one thing for too long. Ajahn used the simile of holding a cup of water which ini-tially did not weigh much, but over time got heavier and heavier. This was when the stress occurred; when the muscle was tired but we kept holding on. The idea of meditation was knowing when and how to put “the glass” down, to ease the tiredness and re-gain energy to pick it up later on. With the regained energy, the glass will be much lighter and we can hold it with ease and more effectively. In the same way, after a good break (even meditating for only few minutes); our work will be light-

er when we pick it up. The time loss incurred by meditation is easily gained

with the increased effi-ciency and productivity.

( Dhamma talk by ajahn brahm on 18 november 2010 )By Luis Lioe

NEWS

5

NEWS

Shortly before 2010 comes to a squeaking halt and while looking back at another year of booming econom-ic growth and the occasional spiritu-al contemplation, we were blessed with another talk from our spiritual leader.

Interfaith was there and invited several people from other re-ligions to join the talk and share with us their thoughts. In total there were 15 people from Interfaith, r e p r e s e nt i n g Christianit y, Bahai, Quaker and of course Buddhism.

The topic was one that touches us all: we all

regret things and the guilt chases us over many years thereafter. Yet we don’t really know how to deal with these feelings. This talk offered a trip through Buddhism and Ajahn Brahm’s own experi-ence, with guilt and regret as a red line.

A powerful first anecdote speaks of Ajahn Brahm’s youth-job as an encyclopedia seller. He sold an encyclopedia to a young couple at the door. They just had a baby and he convinced them that not buying this encyclopedia for their child was the closest thing to child abuse! They bought the encyclopedia and Ajahn Brahm felt so guilty for taking the large sum of money for such a poor (in his view) product that he quit his job the next day. The guilt made him believe that the couple now did not have any more money to buy food for the baby and this was his fault!

Many years later, having become a monk, he spoke about this sell and how guilty it made him feels. After the talk a woman came to him and said that her parent bought an encyclopedia from a young guy at the door and that she absolutely loved the books. She read them to pieces in her childhood!

This teaches us the key to understanding guilt and regret: guilt is makes you exaggerate and blow matters out of proportion. The feeling starts to have a life of its own, though our actions may have been a blessing in disguise for someone.

Of course there are differences in guilt: Small Guilt, BIG GUILT. While we normally think our guilt is huge and all controlling, most of the cases, like the pervious one, fall under small guilt. What about big guilt however. Changi prison is filled with people filled with big regret over the sometimes horrible things they have done.

These are things the people have done however, not who they are; they are not murderers but people who have murdered. The person is not the action. In his encounters with prisoners Ajahn Brahm taught them to look at themselves as human beings again, to look past the shackles and prison clothes. Underneath them there is a human body with feeling, both positive and negative. This meant that, though this person made a terrible mistake in the past, there is still the potential to even become a good per-son. It takes the word “there is a Buddha in all of us” literally and teaches people that there is always the possibility to start new karma, here and now.

Most prisoners Ajahn spoke to became productive members of society and never returned to prison again.

The same goes for us: though we may feel very bad about some-thing we did, we should realize the numerous good things we also did. At the same time we should be able to to simply say “sorry” and mean it. It is never too late for that. Even when the person involved has passed away.

For this we need to create an atmosphere of openness and hon-esty; in our marriage, at work, amongst friends and towards our children. After all, no matter what they have done, are we going to really going stop loving them, respecting them? Have the rea-sons for doing so completely disappeared, just because they have made a mistake? People usually lie to us because they fear that we will not forgive them. We just need to allow people to make mistakes.

Forgiving is a beautiful thing: it helps one become a better per-son. It turns horrible situations into beautiful success stories. The main rule is of course that, once forgiven, you learn from this and never do it again.

In order to forgive someone it helps to realize what we respect and honor in a person. Ajahn Brahm told the story of a man that kept a slip of paper in his pocket his whole life. The story behind this slip of paper goes back to a fight he had in class when he was young. Breaking up the fighting youngsters the teacher told all involved to write down on a piece of paper on the left side what they hate about their worst enemy. That part was easy. Then they were told to write down what they respected and admired in that person. Though difficult, they did so. Next they were told to tear off and throw away the negative part of the paper and to give the positive part to their enemy. This slip of paper was what the man kept in his pocket to his last – and what gave him strength and courage. It always reminded him of what his enemy was able to admire in him. It helped him forgive and love himself and re-

minded him to do the same for others.

(Dhamma talk by Ajahn brahm)

6

NEWS

Buddhist Fellowship recently initiated a special forum for gathering and exchanges among senior citizens; to help share their wisdom on how to grow old gracefully. The first session was held on January 8.

Some members were at the venue well before the session began at 2.30pm. Dr Ang, the facilitator, gave a lively introduction on the different aspects of aging, before leading the participants into small group discussion and presentations. The participants

came up with many solu-tions to the problems of aging. Suggestions include keeping fit, main-taining close family ties, having friends, keeping informed and more. But nothing beats learning the Dhamma to cultivate compassion and loving kindness to our fellow beings and ourselves. The session ended on a high note with a Hokkien song on aging. We are supposed to end at 4.00pm, but went on till well past 5.00pm. This was followed by a fellowship session over tea and cakes.

Coming up in February is a session on editing and publishing your photographs Online. Bring your photographs and your lap-tops and join the fun! The organizers plan to have one Dhamma discussion session and one hobby/outing session each month, starting March. Members with ideas for activities, and those who are keen on con-tributing towards the development of this group, please write to Se-niors@BF at info@buddhistfellowship.org. Members who wish to be on our mailing list, can also write to the same address.

By Low Ming Choo

I have arrived, I am home. Thich Nhat Hanhs words came back to me when I arrived Jhana Grove for the second time. The place was the same, yet it had changed. Of course, nothing is perma-nent. I looked around and saw a new walking meditation path, many new trees had been planted by the lake, the birds were still singing their funny songs, and the forest trees were there to wel-come me back.

What makes me come from the other side of the world; basically to spend 9 days doing NOTHING? Well, it is an opportunity to deepen my practice, meet fellow meditators but above all listen-ing and learning from Ajahn Brahm.

We had a kind of a “rough” start when Ajahn Brahm announced that Friday 22 October was Ajahn Barahmali´s birthday, and you need to do something! Eng Chin and I pondered what to do remembering that Ajahn Brahmali does not like too much fuss. We found the Middle Way: A birthday card signed by all of us, and a unison saying of Happy Birthday, Ajahn Brahmali, when I handed over the card (a great honor for me, thanks Eng Chin for asking). Both Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Brahmali were inspiring and compassionate: ” Please take it easy the first days, be kind to your body, rest if you need to, this is your holiday”. And then what happens?

The first couple of days I really went through some emotional pain, old karma coming up like an overflowing river. Ajahn Brahm must have known what we were going through (I presume I was not the only one) because he told us to enjoy every moment of the retreat and everything was GOOD ENOUGH. Good Enough does not apply only on the retreat but also in our daily life. We’ve always strived for something better, never pleased, al-ways chasing the rainbow. Imagine how much better life could be when we were able to say, “GOOD ENOUGH”, to everything that happens to us!

The following day Ajahn Brahm continued: in Jhana Grove you have everything, there is nothing to complain about and yet you are not happy, you are still suffering. Why? Because we fear letting go, we think we do not deserve happiness and we are so afraid of silence. We are all afraid of failure and its consequences. This is how conditioned we are. Ajahn Brahm said: I love you as you are, I accept every one of you as you are. But you also need to ACCEPT YOURSELF as you are.

Powerful teaching, but I think it pushed us all in the right direc-tion. I felt the old karma vanish, peace, contentment and later happiness arrived. I felt bliss without having experienced the nimmita or Jhanas.

Ajahn Brahm is such an inspiration and I don´t think the word ‘no’ exists in his vocabulary! He gave two sessions of interviews every day, and several of us went more than once to share with him our experiences and seek advice. He gave us all lots of en-couragement on the way. Ajahn Brham went out of his way to make sure we were all comfortable.

Carl was a fabulous cook; we ate so well and his food was delicious. Dania and Mike, ever present caretakers, helped us with bits and pieces that needed attention.

I would also extend a big THANK YOU to the volunteers that brought us dana on Saturday and Sunday. We all had our daily du-ties and I noticed that there were always helping hands around ev-ery day, doing the odd things that needed attention. Lai Ping had made Jhana Grove T-shirts available with Ajahn Brahms famous slogan: Make peace, be kind, be gentle. It was a good way to raise donations for Jhana Grove. Ajahn Brahm ended the retreat with a very powerful metta meditation. And when we finally could speak it was as if 60 champagne bottle corks went off with a bang. There were hugs, laughter, smiling faces and non-stop talking! As I am writing this, I am at Changi airport going home. Yes, it was well worth travelling so far to do NOTHING and I will do it again.

A big THANK YOU to Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Brahmali for being such wonderful teachers and giving us so much; and also to Eng Chin for being a steady captain during the retreat.

By Helen Hancke

7

FEATUrE By Catherine Tham

Thirty-four enthusiastic BF members ac-companied by two venerables: Venerable Upekkha and Venerable Analaya, both from Santi Forest Monastery in Perth, embarked on the journey to trace the Buddha’s foot-steps in India and Nepal. The expedition took place from 5th to 16th Nov 2010. The pilgrimage was organised by Buddhist Fel-lowship and led by Brother Pei Chong.

We covered four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites; namely Lumbini (where the Buddha was born), Bodhgaya (where he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree), Sar-nath (where he preached his first sermon) and Kushinagar (where he passed into Ma-haparinibbana). We were also given the op-portunity to cover three other minor sites, Rajgir (the Vulture’s Peak), Vaishali (where Lord Buddha gave his alms bowl on his way to Mahaparinirvana) and Sravasti (the place where Lord Buddha spent over twenty vassa or rains retreats).

All of us single-mindedly and consistently inspired by the Buddha’s advice: one should try to visit these places at least once, and reflect with reverence; that the faithful may gain inspiration in their spiritual practice.

Every morning, throughout the journey, Venerable Upekkha and Venerable Analaya would lead us through the chanting of NamoTassa, taking the Three Refuges, the Five Precepts, the ‘Itipiso’ and the chant of metta in Eng-lish.

At every spiritual site we visited, the Venerables would recount the inspiring stories of the lifetime of Lord Bud-dha. We also had Dhamma talks and meditation at the grounds of the spiritual sites. We had sharing sessions in the coach, where Ven Upekkha shared with us the dharma lesson learnt from the Divine Messenger in the group and the caregiver to the care-taker.

In the evening, whenever time permits, we would have dharma sharing sessions in the hotel lobby before we re-tired to bed.

The highlights of the pilgrimage were as follows:

Kolkatta: Victoria Memorial Museum, Dalhousie Square.Tour of the city; where we saw the locals performing the sending off of the deities into the river ritual. Locals col-lecting holy water from the river in canisters.

Rajgir :Nalanda University and Vulture’s Peak. Vulture’s Peak was the Buddha’s favourite retreat place. We watched the sunset and had a wonderful half-hour meditation sit-ting, led by Ven Upekkha.

Bodhgaya :Maha Bodhi Temple, Sujata Village and other templesM a h a B o d h i Te m p l e w a s w h e r e the Bud-dha at-t a i n e d enlight-e nm e n t u n d e r the Bo-dhi Tree.A group of three e n t h u -s i a s t i c participants wanted to experience meditating in the Maha Bodhi Temple through the night. On visiting the temple in the afternoon, we assessed the temple grounds. There were loudspeakers blasting the chant of “Buddham Sara-nan Gaccami” over and over again, and a huge crowd at the temple grounds. Finally, only three Dhamma broth-ers continued their mediation overnight in the temple. The rest of the group was advised to revisit the temple at 4.30am for meditation at the Bodhi Tree. The three Dhamma brothers shared their dramatic experience with the rest of the group in the evening Dhamma sharing ses-sion. The group saluted the three Dhamma brothers for their perseverance and spiritual achievements.

A group photo taken at Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar, India

Performing the morning puja at Jetavana Monastery, Sravasti

8

India Pilgrimage

More HighlightsKushinagar :Rambhar Stupa, Mahaparinirvaan Temple (where Lord Buddha entered Mahaparinibana at the age of 80). At Rambhar Stupa, where the Buddha was cremated, Ven Upekkha lead us through a walking and chanting proces-sion around the stupa, three times in paying our respect to the Buddha.

Lumbini (Nepal) : International Goutima Nun Temple, Lumbini Peace Pagoda, Sacred Garden, Mayadevi Temple where Prince Siddhattha was born in the year 563 BC. We also visited the Asoka Pillar, which was erected by Emperor Asoka to commemorate the important spot. Moreover we had the good kamma to experience pinda-pata (giving alms) for both the Venerables at the hotel res-taurant.

Sravasti :Jethvana Monastery, Angulimaal StupaAnother important stop, Jethvana Monastery; where the Buddha spent the over 20 vassas (rain retreats).Varanasi : Sarnath or Deer-Park, Dhamekh Stupa, Chaukhandi StupaSarnath or Deer Park was the place where Buddha gave his first sermon. The group spent a valuable twenty minutes in meditation facing the Dhamekh Stupa.

We also did a Varanasi City Tour with a boat ride through the Ganges River.We watched the sunrise, the group was amazed at the sight of the colourful rituals of the locals soaking and bathing in the river, sending the deities off down the river and the dolbi washing and drying the clothes at the banks.

A l -

though we had similar food everyday there were no

complaints. We felt blessed to be given the oppor-tunity to taste milk rice, which Sujata once served Lord Buddha along the Neranjara River.

The average coach rides took six to ten hours; the longest being a good fourteen hours from Bodh-gaya (via Vaishali) to Kushinagar.

The overnight express train rides were also the most memorable and exciting experiences that I had encountered, both ways.

The first train ride was from Kolkata to Gaya. The group of 36, with luggages in tow, was to disem-bark from the train onto the station within five minutes, before the train left for the next station. With the total cooperation and the cohesiveness of the group, and the kind assistance from our Dhamma brothers, we disembarked from train smoothly and safely at the Gaya train station.

The return train ride was more exciting when we were departed from Varanasi to Kolkata. As there was a curfew for buses to travel along the bridge linking the train station, we had to take a detour. As we were running late for our train, Pei Chong informed us to board the several autos (similar to the tuk tuks in Thailand) to the train station. With no questions asked, the group cohesively pulled each other along and arrived at the train station safe and sound.

We saw many beggars everywhere and in most of the pilgrimage spiritual sites. They approached us with the Pali chant-ing of “Buddham Saranan Gaccami”, over and over again. The group was constantly reminded to act with wisdom. This was my first India Pilgrimage and I had a most fruit-ful and eye-opening experience. The cohesive closeness of the group, the readiness to provide assistance and the true display of the Buddha nature in each member made

this pilgrimage a most memorable trip for me. I benefited from this trip spiritually; as well as reinforcing the quali-ties of faith, humility and determination within.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu.

9

YOUTH

How often do you hear of Singapore Buddhist Youths organizing and conducting a camp? Hardly! BFY has maintained this tradition of hav-ing an annual December youth camp for at least 6 to 7 years since it first began. To-date, committed youth leaders have been giving their all to contribute back to the very society from whence they came, which very much needs an avenue like this to grow and develop in the most spiri-tual and wholesome way possible for a Singaporean youth. Sadly, youth forming secret societies and gangs are gaining much more publicity and at an increasingly alarming rate, especially in recent times.

The good news is that youth groups in Singapore are also putting in their efforts to create and uphold a platform for youths nowadays to grow healthily and happily; just as BFY has done in the past 7 years. At long last, the much anticipated 4 days 3 nights BF Youth December camp ended on high key on the 20th Dec 2010. After months of planning and organizing, the camp had successfully been carried through to its very last moment, when the campers lingered on for as long as they could till parents did them part! That was testimony of a great camp conducted.

Not knowing what they were in for, many new participants of the camp strolled in on day one, some hyped up with excitement and some prob-ably filled with reluctance; rather expecting the kind of stereotype that Buddhism has received. Little did they realize that they were in for a big eye-opener!

In their individual camp groups, the campers participated in 4 days and 3 nights worth of non-stop, action-packed activities. The very first dinner was prepared and cooked by the campers themselves; with the guidance of kind parents from the Youth Support Group (YSG). It was a time for the campers to display their creativity using the ingredients that they had obtained during a food hunt. Though the ingredients were mostly similar among all the groups, it was impressive how each group could churn out something different from the other groups. And although being youths with limited cooking experience, the result was admittedly mouth-watering.

Another highlight of the camp was the amazing race. Through this fun-filled activity, the campers exhibited great team work, despite just knowing each other for only a day. It was inspiring to witness how the campers motivated each other on to overcome their physical and mental boundaries. Although the campers were affected by the untimely rain during the amazing race, and although some campers took wrong turns and made big detours, the youths’ competitive spirit and perseverance drove them on. All in the name of good fun, every group was a winner in their own right.

Speaking of good fun, the night walk, or rather confidence walk, was a huge attraction during the camp. Several youth leaders got into the Halloween mood and created an eerie passage for the campers to walk

through while they dressed up and made up to look the part themselves. It was interesting to observe; knowing that everything was fake and in a familiar environment; yet seeing how the mind tends to get the better of people and allows fear to set in. Upon conducting a debrief after the ac-tivity, many campers had a chance to express their feelings and thoughts. One of them even shared how she chanted “Namo Tassa Bhagavato Ara-hato Sama Sambuddhassa” repeatedly throughout the walk in order to prevent fear from setting in. Another said objectively that knowing ev-erything was propped up and staged; it was easier to keep calm and not let the mind wander off.

On the last night of the camp, the parents of the campers were invited for dinner and to sit in for the finale night. Each camp group had pre-pared a skit within a limited time of around two and a half hours. The challenge was to add in Dhamma content into the skits and at the same time ensure that the skits were entertaining. That was indeed a night for all to witness creativity at work, making it a tough choice for the judges to decide on who the best skit should be awarded to. As a parent said, “I got to witness their activities and skits, to partake of their innova-tiveness and creativity during the parent-campers night. My heart burst with joy, gratitude and reassurance seeing how these youths used limited resources to create and portray Dhamma and all in good, wholesome fun.” Tears and laughter filled the air and the night ended on a high with cheers from the various groups.

Apart from all fun and activities, the campers were guided through re-flective sessions at the end of each day to pick out learning points and interesting experiences during the day. Campers were also introduced to meditation and chanting for those who had never experienced chanting or meditation before. Youth advisor, Teo Heng Bin, gave an inspiring talk on “Bullet-proofing your inner confidence” and encouraged the youths to create opportunities for themselves rather than to wait for things to happen. Additionally, a workshop on improving parent-child relationship was conducted for both campers and their parents who turned up. It turned out to be fruitful and effective in bridging the gap between parents and children, helping both parties to understand one another better.

All in all, the December 2010 youth camp was deemed a GREAT suc-cess. Credit goes to the youth leaders who worked tirelessly, with the never-dying support from the youth mentors Jayson Goh and Teo Yew Thong, the Youth Support Group, the Youth Advisors and the wonder-ful campers who displayed great team spirit, positivity, leadership and enthusiasm.

A very appreciative and satisfied parent stated, “My two boys thorough-ly, utterly enjoyed themselves throughout the camp. They also made many great friends and I could detect a certain "settledness" in them. Their change was amazing and highly gratifying. Do know that you and the team at BF are making life enhancing differences for us as parents and at a personal level, as people. My boys are so much more receptive to attending BF functions and to attending Dharma sessions.”~Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!~

10

YOUTH

I'm Tay Sook Muay, mother of Bryont and Benedect Chin who recently completed the Buddhist Fellowship camp from Dec 17-20Do allow me to share this with you as you're 1 of the organizers of this camp Bryont, who's 15 and Benedect, 13, were intensely, and I do mean intensely against attending any such camp when I first signed them up. They were very negative, resistant and derogative about this activity. A pivotal person who assisted towards enlisting Bryont into the camp is Yue Guang. It was fortuitous that we met Yue Guang at the BF reception counter on our maiden visit to BF for the morning Dharma talk. Yue Guang was very friendly, persuasive and gently persistent in talking and sharing with Bryont about the camp. It also helps that both Yue Guang and Bryont shared a common alma mater in the form of ACSI. It took persuasion, some threats and even bribery to get them to eventually get to the camp. I need not worry at all! My 2 boys thoroughly, utterly enjoyed themselves throughout the camp. They also made many great friends and I could detect certain "settledness" in them. Their change was amazing and highly gratifying. I got to witness their activities and skits, to partake of their innovativeness and creativity during the parent-campers night. My heart burst with joy, gratitude and reassurance seeing how these youths used limited resources to create and portray Dharma teaching and all in good, wholesome fun. The laughters were constant and heartfelt, and I suspect parents laughed the loudest! My boys were very well taken care of, with medical and first aid expertise standby. Food was galore and wholesome, with the pantry freely open to all 24h as my always hungry-growing boys confided in me post-camp. I, too made many friends and get to connect with many caring-loving parents during the parent sharing session. Indeed, we found strength in our shared concerns and this session was a great platform for us parents to tap into our collective wisdom, to share heartache and deep concerns about parenting. Thank YOU Brother Yew Thong!

Do know that you and team at BF are making life enhancing differences for us as parents and at a personal level, as people? My boys are so much more receptive to attending BF functions and to attending Dharma sessions. They in fact, were the ones who initiated that they wish to attend the Youth Session from now on. I salute you and team at BF Do keep well, keep up your great work and transformation May I and family wish you and loved ones a very Happy New Year, one brimming with Love, Health, Joy, Peace and many heart-warming moments Yours trulytay sook muay

By Tay Sook Muay

11

Thirty eight BF members set-off for the walk through the rustic roads of Pulau Ubin on 13 December 2010. The nature walk was organised by a group of PROs, families and friends, lead and guided by Sister Evelyn Ong, a volunteer at NParks.

We were grouped into threes and set-out for a bumboat boat ride to Pulau Ubin at the Changi Village Ferry Terminal. The smooth ride on the bumboat was a very refreshing and enjoyable, cutting through the smooth waves of the waters.

We were soon met by Sister Evelyn Ong and she showed us the map of Pulau Ubin Island and the trail. She shared with us in-formation about the island; like Pulau Ubin actually means Granite Island, as there were many granite quarries around the island, now abandoned.

Sis Evelyn led us thru the Sensory Trail and shared information on recognising the dif-ferent specifies of plants and their fruits. Our sense was put to test on the wonderful fra-grance of pandan leaves growing on the side-walks, as well as ginger, lemon grass, mint leaves and much more vegetarian that we do not get to see in the main land.

Then there were the fruits trees and plants. The children were excited when they saw many small pomelos hang from the tree.

FEATUrE

There were jackfruit, chempadak, coffee trees, durian trees and banana trees. For a short moment, the environment brought back sweet memories of the childhood days for the mature folk, where these fruits were so easily found in their kampongs and could easily be plucked from the trees and eaten!

We passed by the last remains of the Malay Kampong in Singapore. We were shown water wells the Ubin residents relied on for daily consumption and the diesel generator. We were also reminded that the well water had to be boiled before drinking. Hence, we were reminded residents staying on the main land should not waste water, as clean drink-ing water is easily accessible by just turning on the tap.

There were few residents left in Ubin except for those who made their living through fish-ing, bicycle renting, bumboats, taxis around the island and a few restaurants meant for the hungry tourists after their trekking.

Soon we reached the junction that would lead us to the coastal boardwalk. A thank you to Brother Pei Chong’s mother, who of-fered us the Hainanese kuehs; normally eaten during festive season! She woke up at 4am in the morning to make and steam the kuehs. Sadhu sadhu sadhu!

We took a walk along the coastal boardwalk.

The yearly Inter Racial and Religious Confi-dence Circle (IRCC) event tie-up was kindly extended to BF once again.

On a fine morning on November 27, 2010, six representatives from Buddhist Fellow-ship: Brother Albert Lee, Sister Catherine Tham, Sister Linda Chiew, Brother Andrew Lee, Brother Kelvin and myself attended the “IRCC Teambuilding Retreat & City Heri-tage Tour” held at City Beach Resort along Labrador Park, which was organized by Te-lok Blangah & Clementi IRCC.

For a start, we were led through by Facilitator Brother Farid through an interesting team-building session with ice-breaking games and activities, incorporating the spirit of team-work in us.

One of the Teambuilding activities was called the “Helium Stick”, where participants were spilt into 2 groups. They were to balance the long “Helium Stick” on their fingers and lower it to the ground. Each group, consist-ing of participants from different faiths, was able to achieve this thru teamwork and co-operation.

Thereafter, we gathered for a workshop dis-cussion session ‘Exploring Ethnic and Re-ligious Stereotypes’ and were asked to pen down our thoughts and views on the differ-ent racial and religious faiths, as well as shar-ing what we had learned from the session. Through this, we gained a better understand-ing of the various faiths and their beliefs, re-inforcing mutual cohesiveness that is vital for religious peace and harmony.

After a sumptuous halal lunch at the resort lobby, we headed for our next program, for the second half of the day. An exciting open-air joyride on board the Hippo City tour bus awaited us, as we toured through several cultural heritage areas like Kampong Glam, Little India and ChinaTown.

Thereafter, we transited from land to water on board the Hippo River Cruise ride at Clarke Quay, taking us through scenic icons like Esplanade, Marina Bay Sands, Merlion and many more along Singapore River.

For most of us, it was our first time on this journey, and we were treated to a marvelous sight along the river quay. On our return to

By Jaclyn Ng

the Hippo Bus, we stopped by for Turkish ice-cream and were captivated by the ice-cream man’s entertaining performance.

Our last stop was at Arab Street, where a group of us got down together for some teh-tarik before entering a local mosque there. Inside, we were given a detailed introduction to the mosque’s day-to-day routine by one of the full-time voluntary members, who was surprisingly from the US. That was certainly an eye-opener for all of us as we gained a clearer picture of the Islamic religion and the Muslims’ affirmed way of worship, practice and beliefs. We’ve learnt the importance of mutual re-spect and understanding among the various faiths in order to establish a cohesive reli-gious society.

Moreover, we had a wonderful experience bonding with one another; having the op-portunity to meet and network with differ-ent religious leaders through this event.

Though hot and tired, it was indeed a well-spent meaningful Saturday.

Mudskippers, tiny orange small crabs and monitor lizards were spotted along the way and these fascinated the young members. Across the swarm, we spotted nipah plant flowers where attap seeds were harvested. The energetic members climbed the 7-storey observation tower. The breathtaking aerial view of the island and the top of the rain forest made the panting group’s climb worth-while.

We chanced upon the oldest and tallest tree “Khua” which the British used as a landmark during World War II. This tree can be spot-ted even from the distant shores of Changi.

Round the bend, we passed thru the “Juizhai-kou” of Ubin, the abandoned granite quarry.

Soon we got back to the jetty were served sumptuous six-course home-cooked lunch at the restaurant.

We parted ways after the lunch and took the bumboats back to main land.

We had wonderful companionship during this trip to Pulau Ubin.

Thanks to members who brought along food and snacks to keep our stomachs happy! Thanks to the PROs, for their kind assistance in ensuring that everyone was safe and well taken care!

12

LOTUS SOUP FOr THE HEArT

It all started when my wife was diagnosed with colon cancers three years ago in her mid-thirties. At that time, but

told ourselves to try face it bravely. My daughter was just six. In my wife’s case the standard procedure was to have

an operation to remove the affected part and follow-up with chemotherapy. The operation went well but less than

6 weeks later she suddenly felt deep pain and fainted. We rushed her to hospital, where they performed a second

operation to correct a twist on her intestine due to an abrasion caused by the first procedure.

It was very painful for me to see her in such agony. Fearful and tumultuous, my mind began at that time to look for

deeper answers. We listened to all friends and relatives opinions, and did everything; sometimes giving in to tradi-

tional superstition, but I felt little hope. Then one Sunday morning, for no reason, I left home early to visit a Thai

temple which I’d frequented for past fifteen years as a ‘joss stick worshipper’. The temple was about a 40 minute-drive

from my place. I had never been to the temple so early in the morning, and so never knew of the activities there.

When I finished my ritual joss stick offering to the Buddha and deities, I observed that many devotees were sitting at

the main shrine waiting for something. I went in, discovered their morning chanting and joined in quietly. For the

first time in a long time, I actually started to feel peaceful and safe. Subsequently, I went every week to participate,

learn and understand the chant. I also joined Dhamma talks and activities. This can be considered my entrance into

the Way of Dhamma.

Two years ago my wife completed chemotherapy successfully. To add to our joy was the news of my her pregnancy. It

was more of a blessing, as it was also a sign of her recovery. The pregnancy went well and things were good, though

I faced job security issues that exist to this day.

Then one night she shouted in pain again, saying it was the same pain as before. I became very afraid for her and

our baby.

However a sense of tranquillity arose within me, allowing my breath to slow down. I assessed the situation and took

her to the delivery room instead of the consulting surgeon. I decided to drive instead of waiting for an ambulance.

I steadily helped my wife to wear warmer clothes, though she could hardly stand upright. Then I awoke my mum,

who was staying with us to take care of my daughter, without scaring her. Steadily I drove my wife to hospital, all the

while chanting “Itipiso” with her, though I sensed her immense pain from her weakened voice.

With the blessing of the triple gem, it seemed that the decision I had made was correct. At the hospital the delivery

doctor quickly referred to their newly instituted in-house consultant surgeon, who happened to be the mentor of

the previous one that attended my wife.

It was the delivery doctor and surgeon’s quick thinking and action that gave our family the chance to rejoice with my

wife and baby son later. The Dhamma and Sangha stood by us the whole time. They proceeded to deliver the baby,

while also correcting my wife’s twisted intestine. The delivery was just 30 minutes long, and I melted in great tears

as I carried my new born child. The rest of the procedure took four hours to complete, and there were some scary

times! I remained mindful, observing all the ups and downs, and my desire to cling to the joyful news and avoid the

sad news. I resolved to mindfully accept anything.

All went well. My wife and baby were discharged in “eight days” amidst congratulations from the compassionate

nurses. They told me later that delivering a baby “one month before due date” posed very high risks.

To this day, I believe it was our faith in the Dhamma that enabled us to face that situation in a calm and rational

manner, and come out triumphant.

By Andrew Sim

13

FEATUrE

I am sure many of us have visited temples with our parents or grandparents when we were young and all we did was to offer some fruits, flowers and a donation. Children are not supposed to ask questions but just follow what the elders direct them to do. It is likely that they do not have the answers to their curiosities and so they go home without under-standing the significance of the ritu-als and the images they have seen.

When Brother Jerry invited me to be the tour guide for the temple trip I accepted without any hesitation for I have been doing it for tertiary insti-tutions, temples, friends of the Museum and many other organizations for the past forty years. So we decided on a Saturday afternoon to visit three Buddhist temples, each belong-ing to a different sect.

Our first destination is a Mahayana temple in Toa Payoh known as the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery. On reaching it we saw a Taoist temple known as the City God Temple, at the entrance of the compound. Out of curiosity we decided to go in and pay a visit, although it was not a part of our itinerary .This temple is very popular among the Hokkien speaking Chinese people and it belongs to the main monastery. At the side of the entrance is an image of a horse with 4-D numbers scribbled on its saddle. No wonder this temple is also a favourite haunt for punters and gamblers who come to pray for prosperity.

The image of the City God sits on the centre of the altar and surrounding it are a variety of other images of different deities. Standing on the floor are also two tall images known as the Elder Uncle and the 2nd Uncle. They are popular with devotees who come and pray

By Peter Chew

for good health and prosperity. At one end

of the hall is another popular corner dedicated to the Tiger God. Anyone who wants to overcome obstacles must bring offerings of meat and eggs. An old lady who sits next to the shrine will help you with the ritual if you d o not know how to perform.

After visiting the Taoist temple, we stepped into the compound of the Mahayana monastery known as the Lian Shan Sh-uang Lin Monastery. It’s the oldest and only Buddhist mon-astery gazetted as a National Monument in Singapore. It was built in accordance with the traditional Chinese courtyard layout, blending architectural styles from the

southern provinces of China. Two tall gates coloured gold, purple and vermillion welcomed us into a pic-turesque zen garden, which leads us to the main entrance known as the ‘Mountain Gate’ (Shan Men).Walking through it gives us a feel-ing of liberation from our secular life and we were mesmerized by its silence and tranquility. Imme-diately after the first courtyard is the Hall of the Celestial Kings (Tian Wang Tian). At the centre is a huge smiling golden Mai-

treya Bodhisattva (the future Buddha, commonly known as the laughing Buddha) flanked by four fierce-looking deva rajahs who are supposed to be the guardians of the four heavens. Behind it and facing the main shrine is a statue of Skanda Bodhisattva. He is supposed to be the protector of the Ma-

havira Hall (Da xiong Bao Dian).

The second courtyard has a bell tower and a drum tower which are being used for its morn-ing and evening services and bordering it are two rows of rooms which are used as library, guest rooms and quarters for the monks. The main shrine is occupied by three huge marble Buddhas . The central figure is Sakyamuni Buddha and on his sides are Amitabha Bud-dha and Bhaishajaguru Buddha. After paying our respects we moved to the Avaloketesvara Hall (Guan Yin Dian) which houses a huge 11.2m bronze Avaloketesvara Bodhisattva with a thousand hands and eyes. It personi-fies compassion and boundless abilities. A group of devotees was getting ready for the afternoon chanting and I had to hasten my explanations. Suddenly it started to rain heavily and we were wondered how we could get to our bus. Fortunately the bus could drive up to side of the temple where there

was a shelter

for us to board.It was really a shower of blessing, for the rain stopped when we reached our next destina-tion which was the Sri Lankaramaya Temple at St. Michael Road. This was a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist temple. Facing the main road is a shrine which houses a huge serene reclining Bud-dha. The Buddha was supposed to be lying in this position when he attained Nirvana. Af-ter paying our respects we went into the main compound. As in all Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist temples, there was a Bodhi tree. It was surrounded by gilded railings and Bud-dha images with altars where one can place oil lamps and flowers. This is the most im-portant part of the temple, where pujas are conducted on New Moon and Full Moon days. After meeting a few monks in one the

14

FEATUrE

buildings we left for our final destination.

It would be hard to imagine that we could find a Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist Temple in the heartland of Pasir Ris, situated in between tall HDB buildings and a modern condominium. This temple belongs to the Singapore Buddha Sasana Society (Sakya Tenphel Ling) and is the only Tibetan Bud-dhist Temple built in the Tibetan style in Southeast Asia. Seated on the forefront of the building is a gilded Dharma Wheel with two deer, and one could see flapping colour-ful prayer flags streaming down from the rooftop of the squarish maroon building. We were greeted by a few members before we went in to pay our respect.

Typical offerings of a Tibetan temple like oil lamps and toma made of colourful pas-try butter were being offered on the altar in front the Buddha image. At one corner in front of the shrine was a table with ritual instruments. This is for the resident lama to conduct his daily prayers. Decorating the hall were Medicine Buddha tiles and tangkas (silk paintings) of gurus and bodhisattvas. It was a great relief to me when Brother Kevin, one of the members of the society, took over the ex-planations and gave a guided tour around the shrine. Our trip ended on schedule and we were treated to a tea reception prepared by two of the committee members, Sister Sarah and Sister Lena, before we went home.

The Indonesian group at Buddhist Fellowship has grown in both qual-ity and quantity. Beginning in July 2008, a regular Indonesian Service conducted every 3rd Sunday of the month (1:30 – 3:30 pm) has attracted many Buddhist Indonesians to con-duct a puja in Indonesian style, learn the Dhamma in their home language, and enlarge the circle of spiritual friends. In recent months, the ser-vice has been consistently attended by over 40 members and has a wide range of activities including Dhamma interactive games, group discussion, and temple tours. Every 3rd Sunday afternoon is indeed a chance for In-donesian members to get together

and engage in meaningful activities as part of the BF family.

With the increased num-ber of members and ac-tivities, it is natural to raise more demand for certain types of activities. The core one is Dhamma discussion, for a sub-group of members who are keen to study the Dhamma deeper by go-ing into suttas and share their personal experiences in practicing the Buddha’s teaching. Therefore, in late 2010, a new sub-group named “Indonesian Dhamma Discussion” (IDD) was launched.

Two sessions of IDD were conducted in Oct 2010 and Dec 2010 on Sunday afternoon, led by Bro Luis. The first session took the form of a one-way Dhamma dis-cussion on “Who is the Buddha in earliest literature”. In this session, Bro Luis spoke of how the Buddha looked and what he did as recorded in the suttas compared to what the tradition believes. Differentiating the facts from the myths brings us closer to understanding our Teacher and his Teachings. In the second session, with a smaller group of attendees, the discussion was done in a more inter-active manner, shifting out members’ personal experiences in their own

By Luis Lioe

p r a c -tice. The topic was “What is the Dhamma?” that blended the sharing on characteristics of the Dhamma as stated in the suttas and members’

personal experience relating to the Dhamma. The two sessions projected what form of IDD was preferred by the members and how to optimize its benefits for their practice.

Subsequently, the IDD will be held regularly every 4th Sunday of the month, from 1:30-3:30 pm, at the

Soracco room. The small group size makes the Soracco room a cozy and conducive place to have a meaningful Sunday afternoon Dhamma sharing. The monthly schedule will be an-nounced in the BF newsletter and the website. This session is open to the public, with no registration required. For Indonesian members, or those who are willing to share and learn the Dhamma in Bahasa Indonesia, we in-vite you to join the IDD sessions.

continued from page 14

15

By Sabrina Tan

FEATUrE

On 25 September 2010, Bro Pei Chong, Sis Lin Dai and I started our two-day journey via a plane to Bangkok (Thailand), an overnight train to Ubon Ratchathani (Thailand) and then a cross-border bus, before we arrived at Pakse (Laos). As we had time to spare in between connections, we did not miss the opportunity to quickly visit the two main monaster-ies (Wat Nong Pat Pong and Wat Pa Nanachat) where Ajahn Chah (Ajahn Brahm’s teacher) had set up in Ubon Ratchathani. After a good night’s rest in Pakse, the team made a courtesy call to the De-partment of Tourism the following morning and got the necessary bless-ings for the trip before we began an-other three-hour journey to Attapeu (the capital of the Attapeu province which was badly affected by the ty-phoon). Coincidentally, it was the

first anniversary of Typhoon Ketsana when we arrived in the city.

Paying another courtesy call to the local authorities, we started out on a 2-hour journey to the eight villages (in Sanamsay district) along River Se Kong. Roads leading to the villages were in a good condition, though the journey into the village was long. Al-though the typhoon had slowed down by the time it reached Laos, the level of devastation was still high because

the typhoon brought in large volumes of rain and caused the river to flood. This resulted in widespread dam-age to the crops (mainly paddy) and animals owned by the villagers.

Through the var-ious discussions with the villag-ers, we came to understand that

the villages were flooded badly dur-ing the typhoon with water levels at least a metre high. It was impass-able by vehicles, and the only mode of transport was by boat. Some of the houses still bear the evidence of the devastation of the flood (i.e. wa-termarks were clearly visible on the stilts of the houses). The villagers had also lost valuable live stock during the flood.

While the government had made ef-forts to help the villagers by providing them with food, much more needs to be done. Although it was sup-posed to be the rainy season (while we were there), it was relatively dry in the villages. Similar to the abnor-mal weather conditions faced in the other parts of the world, the rains did not fall in this part of the world. This has created more problems (on top of Typhoon Kestana) to the farmers, as without rain, they are unable to start their paddy cultivation.

During the journey, we met some of the poorer families who could not even afford regular meals (some re-sort to looking for food in the jun-

Sis Catherine Tham Waving Goodbye to the villagers of Ban Sam Poi

The innocence in the eyes of a child

16

FEATUrE

NO NAME KILOGRAME OF RICE1 BAN SAM POI 3,1502 BAN HUT UDOMXAI 1,4503 BAN THA GIAO 8004 BAN BONG KYAO 1,5505 BAN KAN MAN MAO 1,0006 BAN HUT CHEY SOON 1,6507 BAN NAM KONG 1,2508 BAN HIN SONG BAHT 750 11,600

ReportFollowing up from the trip in Sep 2010, the team (Bro Vera, Bro Pei Chong, Bro Teow Heng, Sis Lin Dai, Sis Catherine and myself ) vis-ited Laos again on 9 Jan 2011 and delivered 11,600 Kilograms of Glu-tinous Rice to eight villages along River Sekong (Sanamsay District, Attapeu Province).

Before the rice distribution in every village, the villagers gathered in the community area so that they could be informed of the purpose of our visit. As we had also brought along some toys, we distributed them to the children.

The distribution was as follows:

On behalf of the villagers, Buddhist Fellowship thanks all donors for their kind donations!

The Project Ketsana team with the villagers of Ban Kan

Man Mao

gle). Most of the villagers informed us that their immediate request was to have food for the next 3 months. While most city dwell-ers like us would need white rice as the basic sta-ple, they requested for sticky rice as

they know that white rice would be more expensive while sticky rice is more filling (i.e. their supply would last longer).

Based on my observations, life in Laos is basic and hard. There was no elec-tricity and some families only have a solar panel for lights. There were no telephones except a wireless one in the village head's house. Some of the women only wear a bra and a sinh (a Laos equivalent of a sarong).

As I brought along some used tennis balls, I decided to coerce the kids into playing with me. They were rather shy (as with most Laotians), not knowing how to react to the ball that was thrown to them. It was with a

few tries and nudging from our driver, that they started to pick the ball and engage in this ball-throwing activity with me.

We visited eight villages along River Sekong. With the help of local representatives, the trip had been smooth sailing. Just before we left for the city, the local representative invited us to his house and we were treated to some steamed roots (which tasted like potatoes) dipped in sugar. While it tasted good, it was difficult for us to imagine eating this as a staple. However, this was the kind of "food" which some villagers had to depend on for their sur-vival during the flood.

17

Everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine. No one will dispute this, especially given the scientific reason-ing that laughter increases the amount of air taken into the lungs, which in turn results in an increased volume of Oxygen being added to the circulatory system. If Michael Jackson ever slept in a hyperbaric chamber, all he need-ed to do was listen to some of Ajahn Brahm’s jokes to increase the amount of Oxygen in his system – advice which should have been given to the King of Pop while he was still alive!

Happiness can be achieved in many dif-ferent ways. Nevertheless, what is truly meant by happiness from a Buddhist’s point of view? In one word, it could be summarized as contentment. This, however, cannot be achieved by spend-ing time in a hyperbaric chamber.

Contentment can only be achieved by the simple act of ‘letting go’. The best method of achieving this perfection is to practice meditation on a regular ba-sis. It is during meditation that we let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of thinking, let go of the controller dwelling inside of us and remain still, unshaken and unmoved. It was in this blissful state of tranquility that the Buddha spent the initial few weeks fol-lowing enlightenment.

FEATUrE

By Viduranga Waisundara

calorie intake in text books.Many of the present-day global pan-demics (i.e. diabetes, cancer, cardiovas-cular disease) have a dietary aspect to their persistence other than genetics and the environment. It is an accepted theory among the scientific commu-nity that calorie restriction is a remedy to reducing the prevalence of these diseases. Although the search for a pill which will reduce the calorie intake no matter how much we eat is considered the Holy Grail among researchers, in my opinion, the so-called pill has al-ready been discovered in Buddhism and it is none other than meditation.

Let me conclude with the following from the Dhammapada: Health is the highest gain; contentment is the high-est wealth; trusted people are the best relatives; Nirvana is the highest form of happiness. So, let us not delay any further in reducing our calorie intake by meditating every day.

Even in the present day, we have all heard of rumours and stories of great meditators who remain completely still for days and weeks, not taking a single grain of food or a drop of water. For us lay people, this seems an impos-sible feat to attain given the nutritive calculations that our body needs at least 1400 – 1600 calories per day for sustenance (and of course our gluttony for food itself !). How then do all these prodigious meditators remain content and survive with no food or water dur-ing their static meditative state?

In my opinion, we eat and drink most of the time, to satisfy our mind rather than for the nourishment of our body. Our mind does not need any calories for survival since it is well established by now that it is a mere form of energy. However, the architecture of our mind is bound by the requirements of our body, or rather, our mind has built it-self a body so that it may feast on the pleasures derived from our five senses. The moment the mind distances it-self from the body, it frees itself from the desire or requirement of having to maintain a body and thereby, frees itself from achieving satisfaction by pleasing the five senses – from a gus-tatory perspective, this freedom from hunger and thirst.

As a food scientist, here is something I would like to do, provided that I en-counter the required specimen some-day. I would like to measure the daily calorie intake of an arahat, for that in-deed will be the actual calorie require-ment for survival of our human form. In the absence of an unsettled mind, I am sure the amount of calories neces-sary for nourishment will be much less than what is considered as the daily

18

YOUNG PEOPLE

It sure looks like the many prayers of Buddhist parents in Singapore is set to be answered by way of the increased attention on young people’s practice of Buddhism. True to its theme and purpose, many young people congregate at the Buddhist Fellowship ev-ery Sunday to learn & investigate Buddhism in the newly formed BF YP (Young People) program.

What is BF YP & Who is it for?For the young inquisitive and energetic one (Secondary 1 & 2 students between 12 to 14 years old), Buddhist Fellowship has begun a time-slot on Sundays for the exclusive "YP (Young People) Service".

The YP series of programs are designed and created by the "Young & Youthful-minded" for the "Young People". Centered on the theme “Come & See” (pali : Ehipassiko), BF YP aims to become the Buddhist community of “BFF” – Best Friends Family.

BF YP is blessed with a team of dedicated & energetic volunteers who are convicted on the common vision for the young. Through these volunteers journeying on their own practice of giving, morality and training of the mind, with a common pur-pose, they are creating a Buddha-Dham-ma environment where like-minded and true-hearted young people can forge spir-itual friendships (pali : Kalyāa-mittatā). YPs will bond, discover and grow with Buddhism in their young lives.

How does a YP gain Dhamma knowl-edge?Young people learn best through life ex-periences, interactions & play. At the "YP Service", they will learn & practice the Buddha's Teachings through an empow-ering program of expressions consisting of music, dance, sports, cyber games and community involvement activities.

Both steeped in spiritual & practi-cal learning, the curriculum of BF YP structures around the empowerment of a responsible young, with a conviction towards goodness for self, others, com-munity. This is underscored by the YP motto of a faith of gentleness, kindness and happiness.

It will always be a purposeful day of Dhamma FUN, SMILES & GOOD-WILL at BF YP!

Young people enjoy learning in a creative and active learning environment. Using real-life, modern, yet practical applica-tion in Dhamma learning, this helps YP investigate their own lives and surround-ings thereby gaining more insights of the Buddhist teachings in a whole new excit-ing way!

“YP is about “Empowering towards self-responsibility. Learning & living with Buddha-Dhamma is interesting and fun.”

Out of the classroom… To the movies we go!

The YPs had a very special Sunday Ser-vice on 21st November 2010. Accom-panied by the adult coaches, parents & youth leaders, the group trooped out to watch “Harry Potter & the Deathly Hal-lows” at the local cinema. In between popcorns and soda, YPs investigated the truth and through what they saw in the movie, they were able to see the teach-ings of the “5 precepts” at play. “It was a refreshing & creative way to uncover new knowledge and Buddhist wisdom!”, exclaimed a young YP.

YP celebrates World Kindness Day Q : Ajahn Brahm : “Where is the sweet-est part of the apple?”Er… Hmmm..A : Ajahn Brahm : “The core of the apple is the sweetest. Like the apple, your heart right there, (pointing to the heart) with all the kindness and gentleness, is the sweet-est spot. YPs, go on the path of spreading kindness, gentle-ness in your lives and let it bear fruit.”

Inspired by this wise teaching, the YPs greeted their parents with a specially wrapped gift of an apple. With these words, “I may be the apple of your eye,

but, you are the STAR in my heart!” they melted their parents’ hearts with love and gratitude.

“WOW! WOW! WOW!” exclaimed the adult congregation on that Sun-day. YPs showered them with sunny daisies and sweet apples, capping an otherwise ordinary Sunday morning with loads of joy, warmth and smiles.

YP Charity BazaarIn promoting a life of giving and loving, YPs had an exciting day championing the “YP Charity Bazaar” to raise funds for their 2011’s community care projects. A total of $1190 was raised in an hour of selling “milo dinosaurs”, “ice-cream floats”, cakes, cookies, toys and many other good-ies. Thank you supporters and generous donors for your Dana!

Your generosity

will support us in our practice of “Dana” which we will be sharing in the 1st quar-ter of 2011 with the aged at the “Geylang East Home for the Aged”, for the animals at an animal shelter and for a group of peo-ple living with a disability. So, please stay tuned and join us in our activities!

How to Join YP?Come, register as a YP at Buddhist Fel-lowship! Join our YP Service!Every Sunday @ BF, starts at 10.15am, ends at 12.30pm

www.ypbuddhist-fellowship.org.sg

Sundays will be a day of Dhamma practice for the whole family! Come and join us!

Our faith is gentleness, kindness & happiness

By Bita Seow

19

PArTNEr PrOmOTIONS

CONNECTION (JANUARY - MARCH 2011)Officicial Newsletter of Buddhist FellowshipSpecial thanks to all volunteers for contributing artcles and information.VP Public Affairs : Yap Kheng GuanTraffic : Josephine PangEditor : Kumudu AmarasinghamLayout & Design : Shirley Goh

Articles or information to be considered for next issue must reach Traffic by 15 March 2011 by postal mail / email.

Please provide articles/information in WORD documents and images in JPEG format separately where possible.

(C) BF January 2011

EVENTS & TALKS HIGHLIGHTSSUNDAY TALKS06 MAR 201113 MAR 201120 MAR 201127 MAR 2011

MONTHLY INDONESIAN SERVICE16 JAN 2011

20 FEB 201120 MAR 2011

INDO DHAMMA DISCUSSION23 JAN 201127 FEB 201127 MAR 2011

SERVICESBedside Support GroupEhipassiko Chanting GroupCounselling ServicesLegal Advisory ServicesMarriage Solemnisation

ACTIVITIESSutta Discovery TUE | 7.30PM - 9.30PMWednesday Night Service WED | 7.45PM - 9.30PMVisit to Ren Ci Nursing Home FRI | 2.30PM - 4.30PMGroup Meditation FRI | 8.00PM - 9.00PMRahula Sunday Children SErvice SUN | 11.00AM - 12.30NNSunday Morning Service SUN | 11.00AM = 12.30NNSunday Youth Service SUN | 1.30PM - 5.00PMVisit to Gelang East Home for the Aged 4TH SAT | 3.30PM - 6.00PMClub Meditation at Fort Canning 1ST SUN | 6.45AM - 8.00AMFamily Club Meditation 2NDSUN | 9.15AM - 10.30AM

Bro Lee Teng Yong | The Island of LightVen. U Cittara | Kiasu - Fear to loseBhante Sujata | TBADr. Wong Weng Fai | The Happiness Paradox

Bro Welly | Practising Dhamma in daily life Bro Jufiur | Hiri OttappaBro Usman | Sharing of experience on novice pabajja and silacarini

Bro Luis | What is Sangha? Bro Luis | Generosity and GivingBro Luis | Spiritual Friendship

2011 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERSPresidentVP - AdministrationVP - Members AffairsVP - Public AffairsVP - Resource DevelopmentHon. SecretaryHon. TreasurerCommittee Members

BUDDHIST FELLOWSHIP TEAMCentre ManagerCentre AdministratorCentre ExecutiveFinance & Admin Officer

Spiritual PatronAdvisor PatronPatrons

: Henry Baey: Bita Seow: Angie Chew: Yap Kheng Guan: Jerry Ong: Poh Mui Hoon: Luar Ling Ling: Jayson Goh Lim Ai Ling Poh Joo Tung Henry Yeo Teo Yew Thong Wong Tai Wee Vera Santiboon Luis Tirtasanjaya Tikki Gee (co-opted) George Lim (co-opted)

: Ho Eng Chin: Kwok Poe Yin: Josephine Pang: Tresia Pua

: Ven.Ajahn Brahmavamso: Mr. Low Teck Suan: Dr. Ang Beng Choo Dr. Tan Choon Kim Mr Yeo Guat Kwang

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS