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Dhamma in a tea cupBy Teo Chiang Wee

Blessed with sunny weather, we went about serving two types o Chinese Pu-Erh

tea at the BF Vesak Fair this year. The ully ermented Pu-Erh was served rom the

dispenser and the naturally ermented seven year-old tea was brewed through a

process known as the ‘Chinese Tea Ceremony’, as and when ordered. The process

o Chinese Tea Ceremony brings out the characteristics o the tea being brewed:

the colour, the ragrance and the taste.

In this day and age, people tend to preer instant products: instant noodle, instant

coee, instant tea. The liestyle is based on instant response and wanting instant

results: instant solutions. Our tea stall was themed on the basis o no rush. Even the

ully ermented Pu-Erh tea had to be consumed slowly because it was hot. As or

the Chinese Tea Ceremony, the tea drinkers had to spend a minimum o 10 minutes

to appreciate the tea. The tea had to be sipped and the cup had to be smelled.

The Right Stuf To brew a 'good enough' cup o tea, we need the right ingredients: right amount

o good quality tea leaves, reasonable quality tea pot, right water temperature,

appropriate utensils, right mind-set o the tea maker and the openness o the tea

drinkers. Like when we walk the Buddhist Path, we equip ourselves with the right

ingredients: paying homage to the Buddha, taking the Reuge in Triple Gems,

observing the 5 Precepts, taking the Eight-Fold Path, doing meditation, attending

Dhamma talks and much more.

Two-Way Process

The mental-preparedness o calmness by the tea maker is similar to the Dhamma

speaker preparing or Dhamma talk. Cultivating loving kindness with body, speech

and mind, beore action. The tea drinkers (the audience) with an open heart can

then receive the essence o this communication. The peaceulness is transmitted

Newsletter o the Buddhist Fellowship • July - September 2010

Address: 2 Telok Blangah Street 31 Singapore 108942 • Tel: 6278 0900 • Fax: 6278 0102 • Email: [email protected] • www.buddhistellowship.orgO f f i c e H o u r s : M o n - F r i : 1 0 a m - 8 p m , S a t - S u n : 1 0 a m - 5 p m • C l o s e d o n P u b l i c H o l i d a y s

MICA (P) 155/05/2010

HIGHLIGHTS

EVENTS

13-15 Aug 2010 Project Nargis Step 6

WEDNESDAY TALKS

21 Jul 2010 Bro Richard Chia: Noble Eight-Fold Path

- Part 1

28 Jul 2010 Bro Richard Chia: Noble Eight-Fold Path

- Part 24 Aug 2010 Bro Richard Chia: Four Foundations

o Mindulness

11 Aug 2010 Bro Richard Chia: Dependent Origination

18 Aug 2010 Bro Richard Chia: Karma & Rebirth

25 Aug 2010 TBC

1 Sep 2010 Angie Chew: Meditation & Buddhism

- Applying it at work


- Applying it with riends


- Applying it with amily


- Applying it at work


- Applying it on onesel

SUNDAY TALKS

25 Jul 2010 Ven Rathanasara The Purpose

o Meditation

1 Aug 2010 Bro Piya Tan: How do we know

Buddhism is true?

8 Aug 2010 TBC

15 Aug 2010 TBC

22 Aug 2010 Sis Sylvia Baey: Can we attain

enlightenment while living a laylie?

29 Aug 2010 Angie Chew: Applying Dhamma

in Making Dicult Choices in Lie

5 Sep 2010 Dr Wong Yin Onn: TBC

12 Sep 2010 Pro Wong Weng Fai: TBC

19 Sep 2010 Sis Sylvia Bay: How to deal with stress?

26 Sep 2010 Ven Shi Chun Hui: How to have a

good rebirth

Spiritual Patron: Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso

Advisor Patron: Mr Low Teck Suan

Patrons: Dr. Ang Beng Choo

Dr. Tan Choon Kim

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang

MONTHLY INDONESIAN SERVICE

18 July 2010 Bro Usman Tan: Symbols in Buddhism

15 Aug 2010 Bro Heinz Kurnia: Teamwork

19 Sep 2010 Bro Luis Lioe: Discussion on animal release

17 Oct 2010 Sis Vina: How good is your knowledgeo Buddhism?”



rom the tea maker to the tea drinkers through the cup o tea. This

is similar to attending a good concert or play where the audience

receives the essence rom well prepared perormers. The key is to

capture the essence in the present moment.

The Tea O Change: Impermanence

The naturally matured Pu-Erh tea is known to change its taste more

prominently compared to other types o tea rom one time-period

to another. Generally, the taste gets better as it ages. Suppose you

drink the tea taken rom the same batch a month later using the same

equipment and same method to brew, you can notice a change in the

taste. A good reminder o impermanence: we are changing rom time

to time and hopeully or the better, with mindul cultivation. When

this tea is young, it tastes bitter.

Five years later, it tastes much better. You can even eel the ow o the

Chi in your body when you drink tea that is at least 10 years old. This is

similar to our spiritual maturity; the Dhamma serves to rene us rom

coarseness. The reward is more happiness and less suering.

Stillness and Flowing

Ajahn Chah in his book “Everything is Teaching Us” wrote that

“tranquillity is stillness, owing is wisdom”. We practice meditation

to calm the mind and make it still; then it can ow.” This is related to

when we brew tea with a still mind; the output o our energy rom

our preparedness can ow and inuse the essence into the tea. This is

the Ying (stillness) and the Yang (ow) in union. Similar to top athletes

that experience “in the zone” mental state, the surrounding seems to

be still and the process o movement is uid with the ow. Coupled

with well-polished skills the result is always optimum.

True Happiness Equals TranquilityI we strive or happiness, we end up suering. Ajahn Chah advocated

the cultivation o the quality o heart. As or Ajahn Brahm in the 2010

Chiang Rai Retreat, he emphasized the daily practice o peaceulness

and loving kindness and letting go. We have a choice o incorporating

these cultivations in our body, speech and mind to get rid o spiritual

poverty and gain wisdom. True happiness is when we achieve a state

o tranquillity: in good times and bad. We deal with the outcome with

peace and let wisdom ow.

Dhamma is everywhere, whenever you open your heart to the ow.

Each o us carries a unique piece o jigsaw puzzle in the tapestry o

lie. We have a choice to reshape the edges into renement that will

lead us into the path o peaceand tranquillity.

May we all journey into

wholeness, into light.

News2

“Operation No Release”by Hendri Tan.

NParks collaborated with Buddhist Fellowship to do "Operation No

Release" on Saturday afternoon, May 29th, 2010, between 3 pm - 7 pm.

The purpose o this operation is to prevent the release o animals into

nature reserves and reservoirs or which they are unsuited.

Every year, people release animals on Vesak day. Most people believe

that releasing animals into the wild is a benevolent act that promotes

good karma. Actually, this practice o release is considered an oence

under The Parks & Trees Act 2005. Furthermore, this well-intentioned

act might do the animals more harm than good. For one thing, these

animals would not adapt well as they don’t have the natural instinct

and capability to nd ood themselves since they’re used to being ed

by humans. Moreover Releasing animals in relatively large amounts

can cause ecological imbalance.

Thereore, this operation is done to educate people, through brochures

and educational exercises, about the harm caused by indiscriminate

animal release. We met Vanessa, the Nparks volunteer at Casuarina

Road and she gave us a short brieing about the operation. We

were divided into three groups. First group, Ivy and Catherine, were

stationed at Mandai Fishing Pond. Second group, Linda, Shi Xuan, and

Lycky were stationed at Mandai Bus Stop. Third group, Eddie, Anne,

Hendri, and Yennita were stationed at Upper Seletar. Below are the

details about the situation on each spot.

Mandai Fishing Pond, is the hot-spot where most releases would

occur. Sign boards were placed at the stairway to remind the publicthat they are doing more harm than good i they release animals

into the nature reserve. The reserve was quiet, serene and a beautiul

scenic area. Drivers stopped by the car-park & drove o when they saw

us patrolling the area. A car with a amily o our, stopped by the car

park. Father and two sons alighted whilst their mother, who was

seated at the back, was about to take something out o the car. She

saw us watching and hence she alighted rom the car empty handed

and the amily walked to the reserve to take photos. Our mission has

eectively brought awareness to the public that it is against the law

to release animals into the reserve.

Not many activities were on at Mandai Bus Stop as it is not as large as

other parts o Mandai. We only saw 3 people shing. There was no signo animal release. We hope dangerous animal release will be reduced

in uture as people are educated by temples and other organisations.

Eddie, Anne, Hendri, and Yennita at Upper Seletar ound the place

quiet and peaceul. We did not spot anyone releasing or attempting

to release animals. We only saw a amily (young couple and their baby)

drive by, stop or a while, sightsee and leave.

The ope r at ion

was cancelled at

around 5 pm due

to the impending

rain.

Vesak Celebrations at BF



News 3

CELEBRATING VESAKby Fanny Foo

Extracted from Wikipidea : “Vesākha (Pali;

Sanskrit: Vaiśākha) is an annual holiday

observed traditionally by Buddhists in the

Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, and the South

East Asian countries o Singapore, Vietnam,

Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar,

and Indonesia. ]Sometimes inormally called

"Buddha's Birthday," it actually encompasses

the birth, enlightenment (nirvāna), and

passing away (Parinirvāna) of Gautama

Buddha.

The exact date of Vesākha varies according to

the various lunar calendars used in dierent

traditions. In Theravada countries ollowingthe Buddhist calendar, it alls on the ull moon

Uposatha day (typically the 5th or 6th lunar

month). Vesākha Day in China is on the eighth of

the ourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.

The date varies rom year to year in the Western

Gregorian calendar but alls in April or May.

In 2010 the irst ull moon

day in May is the twenty-

seventh. However, Myanmar

and Cambodia observe the

event this year on April 28,2010.”

Singapore, too, celebrated it

on the 28th May 2010.

Vesak is usually celebrated

with monks giving dhamma

talks and devotees distributing

ood to the needy. At Buddhist

Fellowship this year, Ajahn

Brahm was in town to give

two talks, one in the morning

and one in the aternoon andto conduct a Reuge Taking

Ceremony. The children o

Rahula had the benet o Ajahn

Brahm giving them a talk too.

At the same time, the car park

was converted to a unair with games and ood stalls. Kind

sponsorship rom various quarters coupled with the volunteers

who worked tirelessly throughout the day helped make the event

a successul one.

From the games stall, the obvious draw was the dunking machinewhich drew loads of laughter and excitement when someone

managed to hit the target. The dunking machine was designed by

Charles Baey who also designed the “Mothball Pounding” game

and “Hitting the Bell”. It took approximately 2 weeks to complete

the dunking machine with saety eatures

oremost in mind. The contractor who

abricated the 3 devices had not heard o

Buddhist Fellowship beore. Despite that, he

was very kind to get his hourly paid workers

to work on the devices ree o charge with

materials thrown in. They also came a day

early to set up the equipment and to remove

the equipment at the end o the event. It is

this type o kind generosity rom him and

many other sponsors that made the Vesak

Day a special event. It also reinorced my

belie that everyone has a “Buddha nature”

in them. Especially in working or a good

cause, this “Buddha nature” will emerge.

To all the volunteers, your “ Buddha nature”

was shining clear and bright on Vesak day.

You made the day special as we were unitedin one common objective “To enjoy Vesak

day and do something meaningul without

expecting anything in return“. Thank you.

Vesak Celebrations at BF

Face Painting

Dunking Machine that added to the excitement level

Some o the volunteers at the end o the day on dynamo power

Oering o fowers to the Buddha to signiy the impermanence

o all things

Calligraphy master showing his skill

Which tube will the mothball come

out rom ?



News4 Vesak with Ajahn Brahm

Brainless, body-less and baffling

By Viduranga Waisundara

Ever heard o the boy with no brain? I am not making this up and

neither was Ajahn Brahm during his sermon bright and early in the

morning on Vesak day at the Buddhist Fellowship Center. This case

goes back to an article published in the Science Magazine in 1980,

where neurologist Proessor John Lorber o Sheield University

mentioned an unusual phenomenon associated with one o his

students. Apparently, this student had an IQ of 126, gained a rst-

class honours degree in mathematics, and was completely normal

in all aspects. However, a scan revealed that the student had only 1

millimeter o brain tissue lining the inside o his skull: uid lled the

area where the rest o his brain should have been! How is that or a

mystery?!

Anyway, in going back to the very beginning, Ajahn Brahm’s sermonstarted o with a ew case studies on patients who had undergone

organ transplants. The cases that he presented made us believe at

rst that consciousness exists in the physical body, or rather the

brain, since the gist o the stories implied that those who underwent

transplant surgery tend to take the characteristics o their donors.

As a scientist mysel, I did a bit o homework on such cases to nd

out the truth – whether it was actually the mind or consciousness

being transerred over rom one person to another. Ater going

through a ew published journal articles, I discovered that the passing

o donors’ characteristics to receivers via organ transplantations

could be associated with certain types o neuropeptides. These arechemicals ound in all our major organs and muscles, which enable

communication between the brain and the organs. Certain types o

neural patterns could get transerred over to an organ receiver due to

the transmission o these neuropeptides which are associated with the

transplanted organ. In summary, the transer o donor characteristics

to a receiver is nothing more than a precipitating eect rom the

transer o chemicals and these chemicals behaving in a previously

known pattern. Thus, it may be saely concluded that this is not a

transer o consciousness rom one person to another.

Back to the content covered in Ajahn Brahm’s sermon…

Near Death Experiences (NDEs) were also mentioned as examples

o where the consciousness is shown to be a separate entity rom

the brain or the physical body itsel. The research paper o Dr. Pim

Van Lommel which was published in the journal Lancet in 2001 was

highlighted in particular. This was a comprehensive study conducted

on patients who suered rom heart attacks but were successully

resuscitated in coronary care units in ten Dutch hospitals. I quote the

following statistics taken from publication: 62 patients (18%) reported

NDE, of whom 41 (12%) described a core (or deep) experience. It was

mentioned in this paper that psychological, neuro-physiological, or

physiological factors did not cause these experiences in the patients

ater cardiac arrest. Ajahn Brahm mentioned that there is but one

explanation for this occurrence, that the body is a mere vessel inwhich the consciousness houses itsel; when the body gives away,

the consciousness drifts away and exists as a separate entity.

Speaking along the same lines, Ajahn Brahn also mentioned Out

of Body Experiences (OBEs) as another experience which conrms

the existence of the consciousness independently from the body.

This typically involves a sensation o loating outside the body.

The dierence between NDEs and OBEs is that NDEs are usually

experienced when the physical body is close upon experiencing

death, whereas OBEs mostly occur during sleep or sometimes even

when during deep meditation.

Interestingly enough, all these examples and stories lead to the single

conclusion that the stream of consciousness exist after death. As

Ajahn Brahm pointed out, in the event o the demise o one o our

loved ones, we should not be cry and wail. Ater all, the consciousness

which resided in him or her will carry on existing. In fact, many who

have experienced NDEs and even OBEs had described the sensation

outside o the body to be a eeling o bliss rather than torment. We

must, in the event o death, be happy that the person is ree rom

the suering or burden o having to carry around a physical sel – at

least temporarily, since unless one is an Arahat, another lie will be

guaranteed ollowing death. In Ajahn Brahm’s own words, death ismerely ‘taking a break’!

From a personal point of view, we may never get to see or experience

what Ajahn Brahm tried to explain using real-life situations, that the

consciousness or mind is independent o the body. My suggestion?

Meditate. Take a break! In fact, this was exactly what Ajahn Brahm’s

second Vesak day sermon was all about. Those who attended his

sermons at the Buddhist Fellowship Center on this day would have

received nothing but a complete package o science, reality, materials

and methodology – and that is all thanks to the wit and sel-styled

pedagogy o Ajahn Brahm!



News 5

“The Suuuper-naaatuurallll”By Kumudu Amarasingham

"I shall not commit the ashionable stupidity o regarding everything I cannot

explain as a fraud." famous psychiatrist C.G. Jung once said. Whatever else

Buddhists may be, provided we’ve taken to Buddhism ater careul reection,

we’re not typically stupid – at least not ashionably so!

Hence, generally, most Buddhists assume, based on the Buddha’s word –

though they might leave a margin or error until they happen to bump into

one – that ghosts, gods, aliens, demons, angels, devils and myriad other

beings can and do exist. Not only do they exist, seen or not, we live side by

side with them! This piece o news will hardly be startling to any Asian culture;

certainly not here in Singapore where ghosts are worshipped, revered and

burnt or on a regular basis. All this notwithstanding however, they are oten

misunderstood; with the predominant emotion at the mention o anything

super-natural being ear.

Given this intrinsic, cultural ascination with the para-normal, it was with much

interest that many sat down on the night of May 27, to listen to Ajahn Brahm

speak about: “the suuuper-naaatuurallll”, as he eerily whispered.

Happily or the purpose o the talk, Cambridge University’s highly respected

paranormal researcher and UK’s top ghost hunter, Tony Cornell, happened

to be one o Ajahn Brahm’s close personal riends. Cornell had, according

to Ajahn, interestingly and encouragingly said that never in over 40 years

o research and ghostly encounters, had he ever heard o a ghost harming

a human being.

We are much stronger than ghosts said Ajahn, emphasising, “Humans beingaraid o ghosts is like elephants being araid o mice”

Furthermore, they can actually be quite helpul. Ask the poor builder, in dire

need o money, who happened to be passing by an old Australian house,

when he clearly heard a voice tell him to “put his hand under the house” (this

was a very old-ashioned home on poles). Bewildered, he did as he was told.

Similar to Aladdin, he was presented with an old biscuit tin ull o cash that

the previous owner had buried to hide from the tax man!

Even better, ask the monks at the Boddhiyana Monastery (where Ajahn

Brahm is currently Abbot) about George. George’s wie didn’t trust him, so

she asked the monks there to give her a decent burial, and oered to donate

hal her estate (in her will) to the monastery in return. Shortly ater she died

the monks arranged her uneral as promised. Being monks however they

did not ask George or the promised donation – though o course it was his

duty to give it. When people did approach George on the matter they were

told he didn’t have the will.

Some time later, a very agitated George ran to the monastery with the

‘missing’ will, and begged the monks to take it – emphatically stating he

didn’t want anything to do with it! He told them his wie had come to him

in the night and said, “George, you know where the will is George: give it to

them”. That settled matters soon enough!

Ajahn Brahm also told o the ghost that wrote his daughter’s phone numberso that his riend could contact her beore his uneral and ask her to attend.

Not to mention the extremely comforting and loving appearance of a man’s

mother at his bedside right ater she died, even though she lived miles away.

He knew immediately she had died, and got a phone call a ew minutes later

rom his sister, confrming the event.

“None o these ghosts wanted to scare anyone, they just wanted to say

goodbye or fnish some unfnished business, like you or I would” Ajahn

said.

He added; sure, rarely there may be one who’s upset, in which case it’s always

worth remembering that because o their morality and mental cultivation,

Buddhist monks are “the best ghost-busters around!” (Provided they observe

and live as monks are supposed to)

A step higher and you’ve got those known as devas: gods or angels. “Angel’s

are very rare and they only help really good people” said Ajahn Brahm.

For instance, at a time when the British were killing o monks in Thailand, one

(monk) decided to ee to a remote reuge. He had to march through dense

orest, walking or many days without any ood. One day, at the end o his

tether, he called on the devas saying, “I’m a virtuous monk, and it has beensaid devas help people like me, so i there are such beings, please help”. Just

as he rounded the next bend he saw a very well dressed man (which was

practically impossible given the place and time) holding a lunch (tin) box.

He oered hot, delicious ood, which the monk accepted. The man however

didn’t speak, and when asked where he came rom, pointed towards the sky.

The monk made it to his destination thanks to that meal.

Closer to home (metaphorically speaking) Ajahn Brahm had a similar

experience. Walking from one Monastery to the other through remote Thai

jungles at the height o summer, a young Ajahn grew unbearably thirsty.

Finally he too called on the devas, “I’m a good monk; I keep my precepts and

everything! Now I’m really thirsty. If you exist, please send me a Pepsi!”

Soon ater, a young boy in a nearby village he happened to be passing called

out to Ajahn Brahm, Pepsi bottle in hand. What’s really interesting though, is

that eight other people did as well – all oering him a bottle o Pepsi – which

meant he got a total o nine bottles o Pepsi – ruling out co-incidence entirely!

Even more intriguing is that, according to Ajahn, nine is the lucky number

in Thailand! He said, with a chuckle, the episode showed him the devas had

a sense o humour.

Ajahn also spoke of various near death experiences; most notably the case of

Ryan Edwards who blew up in a land-mine. A ash o unbearable pain later,

Ryan ound himsel oating ree in the air, away rom his body which was

lying maimed. The sense o peace and reedom was palpable, and he didn’t

want to go back. Until that is, he remembered his new-born son and elt his

amily needed him. In a ash he was back in his body, and being taken to

the hospital.

One only need search NDE online for thousands of such experiences, often

well documented, researched and studied, rom around the world.

Quite apart rom the ‘enthral and thrill’ actor, ghosts and other paranormal

phenomena have an important message. Not only is there lie ater death,

there are other realms, and any one o us may be born in any one o them –

depending on our thoughts and actions – so make good karma now!



News6

Outwitting the thief!By: Luis Tirtasanjaya Lioe

This topic was interesting because it was the rst time I heard Ajahn

Brahm talk about procrastination as a culprit. All along, Ajahn has

always strongly supported procrastination. One o his amous quotes

is “never do today what you can put o until tomorrow, because

you may die tonight!” In this talk, Ajahn shed light on what kind o

procrastination he actually supports.

“Right” Procrastination?Ajahn explained that the procrastination he supports is not that

driven by laziness. To procrastinate because o idleness is wrong

action, as Ajahn said, since we have to give our best to any task in

the moment. However, it is a act that we cannot do everything at

once. Thereore, there is a need to “procrastinate”, but we have to do

it right. We have to choose, what important things that we have to

do now, and what less important things that we can delay. In otherwords, we have to learn to prioritise in order to achieve right time

management.

It takes right understanding to prioritise things according to level

o importance. People oten prioritise wrongly; like giving rest and

relaxation low precedence. Knowing when and how to rest is as

important as knowing when and how to work eectively.

To illustrate this, Ajahn told his story o a business proessor who

demonstrated an experiment. He started with a big empty jar and

lled it up with big rocks until there was no more space. He then

asked his students i the jar could take up anymore thing. Thestudents answered “no”. But it turned out that the proessor could

pour in another bag o small stones, then pebbles, then sand and

nally water. The lesson of this experiment should not be mistaken

as “no matter how tight our schedule is, we can always t in more

tasks”. Rather, it’s “i we do not put the big rocks in the jar rst, we will

never be able to put the rest later”.

What are the big rocks in lie?People are oten deceived about the big rocks in lie. They usually

think their career is the biggest rock, and hence they have to put

their career rst. Deluded, they sacrice their health, relationships,

and happiness to their career. Only when they approach a lie-

halting experience: that is death, do they suddenly wake up to the

act that they’ve mistakenly put the wrong thing on top. Suddenly

precious things like spending time with their loved ones become

so important.

Ajahn Brahm told the story o a ather who worked very hard to

support his amily and always reached home late. He thought that

what he did was actually or his amily’s happiness. One day, when

he reached home he ound his son was still awake. He got angry and

scolded the boy. Ater cooling o, he asked his son why he stayed up

that late to wait or him. The son in return asked how much his dad

made per hour. Surprised, he said $20. The son then asked i he could

borrow $10 rom his ather. Once again, he got angry and scolded thechild, but eventually gave him the $10. The little boy was very happy,

and immediately took another $10, composed o ew notes and many

coins, rom under his pillow, and putting them together asked his

ather, “Can I buy an hour o your time to play with me? I really wanted

to play with you; that’s why I needed to borrow $10 rom you rst. I

promise I will return it later.” Immediately the ather realised his error:

he had mistakenly taken small stones to be big rocks.

Ajahn advised us to ask ourselves, “I today was the last day o my

lie, what would I do?” I you have ound what your big rocks are,

prioritise them now.

Another big rock?Ajahn explained there is another big rock that is equally as important

as spending time with our loved ones: spending time alone. We need

time to spend alone, give everything to ourselves. We need time to

go or a meditation retreat every now and then, and re-energise our

body and mind.

To illustrate the importance o spending time with ourselves, Ajahn

quoted Blaise Pascal; “All o humanity's problems stem rom man's

inability to sit quietly in a room alone".

Ajahn shared his own story when he was still studying in Cambridge

and went through a week full of nal examinations. Each day, there

were two examinations, morning and afternoon, with only a one

hour lunch break between. Unlike other students who used the

break to study, Ajahn actually went to a quiet place and meditated.

By meditating, he enjoyed his lunch break to the maximum (that is

the real meaning of break!). When he entered the examination room,

he entered fresh and clear. As the result, in doing his examination,

the ideas owed and the “data retrieving process” went smoothly. As

a result he passed brilliantly!

So, what is the real thie o time?With this Ajahn highlighted that the real thie o time is worry,

because worry takes away precious time or enjoying lie, here and

now. Our uture is made right at this present moment. That is, in the

true sense, the law o karma.

To overcome the thie o time, Ajahn summarised the ollowing three

points as a recipe or success

Understand the law o karma•

Live in this moment, do not go ar ahead•

Be gentle, generous, peaceul, and righteous•

Vesak with Ajahn Brahm



News 7Vesak with Ajahn Brahm

“I who have nothing” on everythingBy Luis Tirtasanjaya Lioe

What does Ajahn Brahm, who has nothing, have to do with creating

and managing wealth?

This talk marked the beginning o the Vesak programme, with a topic

that’s very close to us: creating and managing wealth. We all know

that Ajahn Brahm is a disciplined monk. He does not carry a penny!

It is still resh in our memory, when Straits Times reported this in its

interview with him in 2008, in an article titled “I who have nothing”.

Ajahn has been invited several times to talk to various groups, some

even consisting o CEOs rom multinational companies, all o whom

beneted rom the wisdom o this simple and moneyless monk! Why?

“It’s because I meditate!”

Meditation trains the mind to have clarity in seeing things as they are,including how wealth is generated, even i one does not deal with it

personally. Interestingly, the Buddha himself described it 2600 years

ago, as can be ound in the suttas.

What creates wealth? The rst question is “Why are some people successul in creating

wealth and others not?” Wealth is created by karmic energy. People

who practice generosity are planting ‘wealth seeds’. Moreover, they

are happier. Ajahn explained that this mechanism is supported by lots

o scientic studies that report strong correlation between people’s

generosity and their levels o happiness.

The story of Visākhā, the female chief supporter of the Sasana, in

dealing with her in laws reservations about giving dana to monks,

explains why generosity is the karma for creating wealth. Visākhā’s

father-in-law, Migāra, was a wealthy man but he refused to oer alms

to a monk. Visākhā skilfully taught the Dhamma to him, by telling the

monk that it was okay not to receive the ood rom her ather-in-law,

because the food was “old”. Migāra, furious, asked Visākhā to explain.

She claried that at that time, her ather-in-law’s amily was wealthy

because they were reaping the results o their past karma, but now

the ood was “old” because he no longer created good karma or

uture wealth.

How to create wealth?Ajahn continued with how to eectively make such karma. Its secret

is the two mental qualities, virtue and kindness. Virtue is cultivated

through keeping the ve precepts: which renders the intention

or generosity pure. In addition, generosity must be merged with

kindness.

Meditation also helps us in creating our wealth. We are able to

better cope with stress and think and work more productively. Many

companies lose because o their rigidity and inability to cope with

dynamic change. Moreover, generating a healthy mind also helps to

build a healthy body.

This is a reason why many CEOs become Buddhists and many

companies send their employees or regular meditation retreats.

Interestingly, Ajahn also shared an article published in one

business journal

that reported the

economic benets

o Buddhist monks.

The article states

that dishonesty

in business incurs

transaction costs.

The author argues

t h a t B u d d h i s t

monks teach positive values to people, which results in their

becoming more trustworthy. This reduces transaction costs; thereby

generating more wealth.

Ajahn told a story o a businessman who once sought to close a

big deal, and was asked to join the night entertainment: entailing

alcohol and prostitutes. As a practicing Buddhist he reused. He lost

initially, but later got a call. Ater reecting, the clients decided they

preerred to do business with someone who did not cheat on hiswie or drink.

Is being wealthy ‘wrong’?Another common misapprehension among Buddhists is that wealth

is wrong. Ajahn corrected this, adding; wealthy people can support

the clergy and help in propagation o the Dhamma.

The core idea in managing wealth is the balance between ullling

needs and simplicity. Ajahn explained that although he kept talking

about generous acts to share wealth or others’ happiness, it is not

wise to be overly generous and neglect our own amily’s needs. The

Buddha has actually taught us wealth management. In AṅguttaraNikāya 4.61, the Buddha described four worthy ways to spend

money: for daily expenses, for the happiness of oneself and one’s

amily (including riends, employees, and co-workers), or savings and

insurance, or making oerings to relatives, guests, and ancestors, and

for providing alms to monks and nuns. In Sigālovāda Sutta (Digha

Nikaya 31), he advised us to avoid six forms of squander: indulging in

intoxicants, wandering the streets at night, frequenting public fairs,

compulsive gambling, bad companionship, and habitual idleness.

Ajahn added one practical tip; that is not to buy a big house. In

his experience and various encounters, big houses create lots of

emptiness, while smaller ones, help build amily ties and create

warmth.

Material wealth vs Spiritual wealth The last 10 minutes o the talk was actually the core o the day’s

discussion. Having spoken a lot about what generates wealth and

how to manage it, we learned that there is something ar more

important than material wealth: spiritual wealth.

The second noble truth explains that craving is the cause of suering,

and can never be completely ullled as it always generates more

desire. The third noble truth is about the end o suering, which

is perect contentment. Our spiritual wealth is more valuable as it

gives us inner peace and contentment. “Contentment is the greatestwealth”, (santutthi paramam dhanam) said the Buddha.

To sum up, Ajahn advised us not to let our material wealth destroy our

peace and happiness: because peace and happiness is true wealth.



By Kumudu Amarasingham

Do you have lie mapped out? Are their images dancing in your

head; portraying how things should go, how people should behave

in relationships, what kind o house you

should live in, how much money you should

earn and what kind o position you ought

to hold?

We all have a picture o the perect lie – or

perhaps more accurately the perect “I”.

This picture o how things must pan out

is usually the product o our individual

tendencies, combined with social and

cultural conditioning: a case in point being

the inamous 5Cs that supposedly measure

‘success’ (in Singapore).

This need to make the world t our (or other

peoples’) image o it is at the root o most o

our suering.

Hollywood, Bollywood, Broadway, airytales

and other antasy churners play a huge

role, especially in our expectations from

relationships. Boy meets girl, they all in love,

vanquish the villain and everybody lives

happily ever ater.

The problem with this ormula is actually

quite simple: the bad guy is always outside.

Buddhist Fellowship’s recent musical,

Expectations! took it a little further into

reality: showcasing the villains within. Every

boy and girl; mother and ather; brother and

sister; son and daughter – has a villain and

a hero within.

Greed, selishness, insecurity, pride, lust,

regret, vengeance and ear, constitute a part

o even the best o us; as much as generosity,kindness, sellessness, bravery, humility,

wisdom, love and orgiveness constitute a part o even the worst.

Moreover, everything really is impermanent, changing. To expect a

changing world, with changing people, to always cater to our whims

is stupidity personied – and yet – it’s just what we all do on a daily

basis! This, to me, was the essence o this play.

To expect the unexpected, to live without images of how things ought

to go, to abandon the “control reak” in all o us, in all situations – is

to live truly ree and happy. (Easier said than done – but nonetheless

the only ormula or lasting peace).

This message was beautiully and entertainingly staged by the

Soracco Group in the highly acclaimed musical Expectations! from

May 20-23 at the Rafes Hotel Jubilee Hall.

The musical marked well known proessional actor and cast member

Lim Kay Siu’s debut as a playwright, director and composer. The cast

also included TV actor Nick Shen, Etienne Wang, Jacklyn Kuah, TayHwee Mei and Angie Monkseld. Music was composed and directed

by August Lum.

“It was professionally done;the acting was good. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back if they have another show.” - Rui Fen

“I’m over-whelmed. I’mimpressed. It was very professionally done. Theeveryday emotions depicted are very current. This

is better than counselling: it provides insight intothings like truth, support and friendship.” - Dr.Kanwaljit Soin

“I’m crying because it touched me deeply; I’m muchmoved. This is too real: it is every couple’s everyday life. It was good, all good” - Catherine Tan

“This shows that everyone has problems and it’sa matter of how we deal with them. Very real.” - Ashok Buxani

“They don’t comeacross as amateurs.The theme was great and standard wasvery high.” - ChenYeng Kit

“Very well produced.The songs were very good. The themewas very reflectiveof Asian society.” -Leong Cheng Chik

Side-stepping stupidity - “Expect the unexpected!”

BF would like to thank all thevolunteers, sponsors and well-wisherswho contributed towards making thisevent the success it was. May you all

be well and happy!

News8



News 9

A brush with realityBy Justin Poh

“Youth these days do not understand the spirit o giving and

instead selshly enjoy their good ortune; heedless o the need to

cultivate generosity and gratitude towards the community.”

No need to be alarmed by this actuality because I can assure you

that this phrase, while sadly being more and more apt, is totally

unbetting in the case o 30 Buddhist Fellowship Youth, who

volunteered their services to the Cheshire Home on May 15th.

The Cheshire Home is a residential home or those suering rom

muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and other physical impediments

that render them unable to move around the way most o us,

privileged through our past kammic actions are able to.

It was a meticulously planned aair by three youths: Alex Chen (16),

Kenneth Lim (17) and Nicole Lai (15). They coordinated with the

home, the perormance arm o Buddhist Fellowship Youth and other

Youth Captains such as mysel to put orth a

seamlessly executed day of exciting activity

or the residents.

One popular item on the menu was the BF

Youth Bingo Challenge – which saw some o

the residents breaking into a wide smile ater

winning, not to mention excited exclamations

rom those who nearly won! The BF YouthDance Perormance didn’t disappoint either,

with most in the audience sitting captivated

throughout the perormance. Last came the

BF Youth Connection Session: where youths

partnered up with the residents (some as

young as in their mid 30s) to engage in

meaningul banter about lie, beore saying

their arewells to them. The encounter let the

usually cheerful Samantha Baey (16) tearful,

as she realized the reality o human suering

and impermanence.

In a word “We went to give, and instead got back so much more”.



News10

Ajahn Brahm goes to school..By Kumudu Amarasingham

Ajahn Brahm went to school last Thursday (May 27th)!

He went to the Mee Toh School. He was not late so he

didn’t get detention. He did get a lot o laughter and

claps though. The other children loved him.

I say “other children” implying he is a child, with the

greatest possible respect or Ajahn: because he has

the heart o a child: a pure heart. And there’s no way

you can be a great man or woman without the heart

o a child. You can be very smart and have big titles;

even be called great by everyone in the world – but

only a pure heart makes anyone truly great.

So what did the great Ajahn tell the

children? Well, or one thing, he told themlots o interesting stories about jungles

and tsunamis, and snakes and talkative

tortoises.

He told them about a mango tree that was

riends with a little boy. Throughout his lie,

whenever the boy wanted anything, the

tree would oer up a part o itsel to be sold

so the boy had the money to buy what he

needed. First he sold the leaves o the tree,

then the ruits, the branches and inally

even most o the trunk. By the time the boygrew into an old man, the tree had only a

small part o the trunk let, and even this

part he oered to the boy to rest his head

on before he died. He then explained that

the tree represented our parents, who give

up everything or us. He told everyone to

love, honour and take care o their mother

and ather always; especially when they

grow old.

The true story about the good man who

ed crocodiles in Sri Lanka and was later

rescued by one, when he got caught in thetsunami, showed everybody that being kind

to people and animals meant they would get

kindness in return when needed.

A ew little talkative tortoises were also

told by Ajahn: opening your mouth too

oten could lead to a big, bad all that turns

tortoises, and people, into hamburgers – so

don’t talk too much!

The children had lots o questions or Ajahn:

like how come a crocodile lived at sea andhow to be helpul to others. He answered

all o them. Soon it was time to go, so the

children said goodbye beore Ajahn Brahm

was driven away rom school in a big car.

G e t t i ng t o r e ad t he s e q u e r i e s w as o ne o f t he b e s t t hi ng s ab o u t d o i ng t hi s

ne w s l e t t e r ! T he R ahu l a k i d s w e r e as k e d t o j o t d o w n any q u e s t i o ns t he y ’ d

l i k e t o as k t he B u d d ha , i n t he f o r m o f hi s r e p r e s e nt at i v e A j ahn B r ahm. T he

q u e s t i o ns w e r e p r o f o u nd , c o mp as s i o nat e and v e r y v e r y w i s e ( ap ar t f r o m

b e i ng hi l ar i o u s ! ) . H e r e ar e s o me – u ne d i t e d !

K i d s ’ q u i z z i c a l q u e s t i o n s !

“ How can I get r id of anger if I’ m v er y mad?” ( K eif er )

“ How c an I mak e my f r iends happy ? ” ( Nat alie)

“ W hen w ill t he w or ld end? ” ( D ar r en)

“Ho w can I fl y b y m ysel f wi thou t

tak ing a plane ? ” (De Bao )

“Ho w can I s ta y ali ve fore ver ? ” (De

Bao ) “ Wh y am I born on Ma y 26 ? ” (De Bao )

“Why do we still need to chant again even though we know all the rules and teachings?”

(Unnamed) “How do I score straight As in all subjects?” (Unnamed)

“W hy did y ouwant to be amonk ?” (Darry l)

“How much will the new xbox 480 cost?” (Sean)

“W hy must all Buddha’s be bald?” (Julian)

“Ho w do I ge t an i-phone from m y

mum ? ” ( Tara )

“Why isn’t lie perect?” (Samantha)

“How can I be a happy person?”(Amabel)

“How do I mak e more f riends?” (V enus)

“Who taught you so much kindness, compassion and teachings?” (Jean)“How can I let go o anger, hatred and other things?” (Jean)

“Can you make me Enlightened?” (Jean)

“How do I become a Buddha?” (Rebecca)

“How do I get rid o people that disturb me?”

“ Where do we come from?” (Sha wn )

“Can you make everybody enlightened?” (Goh Ming)

“Why do we need to splash on a little water?” (Goh Ming)

“How can I stop murder?” (Zhua)



youth 11Vesak @Orchard

Destination: Happiness!by Justin Poh

May 8th and 9th saw the Buddhist Fellowship Youth (BFY) invited

by the Singapore Buddhist Federation to jointly participate in their

Vesak Celebration at Orchard Road. A large tent had been erected

in ront o the main entrance o Takashimaya Shopping Centre.

This invitation was also extended to a number of other Buddhist

Youth Groups along with a request or perormances to showcase

the Buddhist Youth presence in Singapore.

The other youth group presentations included singing, dancing

and even drumming.

Our BFY perormance brought the words “Youth” and “Vibrancy”

to a whole new level, with two colourul and energetic dance

acts rom Korean Pop (Heartbreaker by G- Dragon) and Indian

Bollywood (Jai Ho by The Pussycat Dolls).

Even more exciting was the fact that our BF Youth dance troupe

consisted o two o the youngest and most talented

youth on the stage: Teo Heng Soon and Baey Yu Ling,

both aged 13.

All in all, the estive season worked in our avour,

inspiring no less than an overwhelming 136 young

people to leave their names and contact details with

us, in the hope o joining BF Youth.

This portrayed the eagerness to look or new riendsat Buddhist Fellowship Youth, where we welcome new

comers with open arms and open hearts.



Peace, paradise and Pandanus JuiceBy C-u Pinn

Despite the many trials and tribulations aced by the coordinators

o the event this year (limited transportation, cancelled ights and

other exigencies), kudos to Buddhist Fellowship for holding the best

Executive Meditation Retreat that I have ever been on.

Inherently picturesque, Chiang Rai exudes a laid-back charm that

supplements perectly the mindset required or meditation. The

concept o time seems to vanish, and only the sheer enjoyment o

the moment remains. The choice o Le Meridien as the centre or the

meditation retreat was another aultless decision. Set along the Mae

Kok river against the backdrop o a magnicent mountain range, the

resort aorded many antastic spots or practicing meditation amidst

man-made comorts complemented by natural scenery.

Two spectacular rain trees more than 100 years old each spreadtheir protective boughs over the lush lawns o Le Meridien. And it

is under one o these ancient guardians that Ajahn Brahm held the

early morning meditations. The session was slated for 6.30am, and

the hotel was kind enough to start serving breakfast at 6am for those

who wished to have a quick bite beore meditating. I have to admit

rueully, that waking up this early was dicult or me. But once I

was under the gentle shade o the rustling leaves listening to the

morning song o the birds, I elt peaceul. When insects crawled over

my feet and mosquitoes buzzed next to my ear, I remembered Ajahn

Brahm’s advice that we should treat them as “Ajahn Mosquitoes”, and

my innate aversion decreased.

Lie at the retreat was what lie should always be everyday, but

unortunately never is. Ater the early morning meditation (optional),

each day would ocially begin with a sumptuous breakast served

in the hotel’s immaculate restaurant “Latest Recipe” which aorded a

panoramic view o the landscape beyond. Due to the wide variety o

ood which included interesting beverages such as “Pandanus Juice”,

I had the tendency to gorge mysel, which unortunately led to me

eeling a little drowsy at the 9am Dharma talk. Fortuitously, my little

unborn baby in my womb would kick me into paying attention. And

when Ajahn Brahm guided us into meditation ater his talk, I could

eel her settling, calming down as though she too was moved into

a meditative state by the soothing energies emanating rom Ajahn

Brahm. Once meditation ended, we were treated to another east o goodies – teatime!

Aternoons were ree and easy – serious meditators went back into

the hall to meditate on their own while others did their walking

meditation in the open grounds, early birds who signed up or

personal interviews received their 10 minutes o elucidation rom

Ajahn Brahm, some went sightseeing, some went or massages, some

did yoga on the verdant grass while the younger participants had un

in the three-tier innity pool. Personally, I liked curling up in the library

with a good book, enjoying simultaneously the mellow music and

beautiul vista outside while protected rom the heat by the generous

air-conditioning cooling the glass paneled chamber. Mesmerized bythe rolling white clouds in the azure sky, unbeknownst, it was time

or dinner: yet another mouth-watering lavish spread.

In the evenings just beore bedtime, Ajahn Brahm answered questions

with unailing patience

and compassion. Closing

o the day, he wouldguide us through another

meditation which assisted

much in a restul sleep.

Although the days passed

languidly, my instance o

serenity came to an end all

too soon. Glancing back

longingly even as I was

preparing to board the

bus, I promised mysel that

“I will be back to regain

this precious moment o personal peace at next

year’s Buddhist Fellowship

Executive Meditation

Retreat!”.

lotus soup for the heart12



Executive Retreat Junkie!By Lai Peng

This is my 3rd Executive Retreat with BF. Yes, I admitted I am a slow

student who’s not yet graduated. Better still, call me a Executive

Retreat Junkie!

This Executive Retreat is an excellent environment that appealed to

my parents to join, as it has the comort and conditions or a gentle

break-in to a meditation retreat.

The un 5 days were lled with a lot o joy and amily bonding;

spending time together with my parents, aunt and brother. They

let ater the 5th day to continue their un in Chiang Mai beore

returning home.

They carried home the memories o peace, nature illed

experience, great food and loads of laughter, and promises tocome back next year. To me, it is sheer happiness and blessing to

have a wonderul amily holiday with my loved ones. Incidentally,

I turned 40 during midweek o the retreat, I elt so elated and

grateul to have my amily giving me hugs and wishes. I thank

my parents or bringing me up to this age.

I could see they were very happy with their biggest smile beaming

when they greeted me. Being in the vicinity o Dhamma talks

and Guided meditation by Ajahn Brahm was another blessing I

am thankul or.

The happy experience left me very elated, settling into the silentretreat. I can understand why Ajahn recommended us to have a

happy state o mind or meditation. It became so peaceul I elt

there's nothing more I want at that moment in time. Imagine i this

eeling lasts a lie time! It must be something similar to what the

Teacher meant by lack o desire.

Having attended several retreats before, this Executive Retreat is

much more luxurious. I nd that I became kinder to myself and this

lead to general awareness o what my body likes and dislikes. Though

luxury may be seen as a hindrance to a 'proper' retreat, I feel that

luxury - couples with right understanding, helps us reect on what

we have and don't have.

When we go through hardship in dicult physical conditions, I see

mysel pushing and attempting to tolerate physically - more to keep up

with other yogis. Eventually, the mental state becomes unwholesome

or just neutral. At times, I attempt to push away the negativity

to generate

s o m e

p o s i t i v i t y ,

o t e n

knowing ly

or by orce.

Some have

commentedt h i s

E x e c u t i v e

Retreat to

be 'lax'. It is

really sel motivation that determines i you wish to put in the

meditation hours or not. I nd that during my dicult sittings, I had

the option to get up and nd another area which can help to divert

rom beating mysel up during meditation. The resort was just so

beautiul, there's so many corners that I can choose to settle my

mind into. Not to mention, the comort o air-conditioning, chair and

big cushion - I don't have an excuse NOT to meditate. I had many

peaceful experiences, also a lot of reection on gratitude for all that

was given to me.

For those who are sceptical on this Executive Retreat, I highly

recommend this as a wonderul holiday or the body and mind. Both

body and mind has the chance to nd the peace on this retreat.

13lotus soup for the heart



“Growing Up Gifted”By a parent

With the Vesak season upon us, the Buddhist Fellowship Exco,

members and volunteers were all working everishly to celebrate

with a BANG! The “Expectations!” musical, Ajahn Brahm’s talks,

Vesak Day Fun & Food Fair and the Youth camp were just some

highlights o a very busy period in May.

I would say however the idea o having the inaugural Junior

Camp during the Vesak long weekend was indeed among the best

initiatives, albeit a tad ambitious with resources being stretched

so thinly.

Timing was perect: with the opportunity or the young ones to be

treated to Ajahn Brahm’s story-telling, the synergy o having the Youth

and Junior camps simultaneously, as well as the extra day of rest

during the long weekend to recuperate from the physical exertionand sleep deprivation or some (adults in particular; kids are having

their term break)!

Despite the (relatively) low publicity or the camp, the response had

been overwhelming. Originally intended or the upper primary (10-13

years), it was later extended to younger students by popular demand

– subject to certain conditions being met, such as the attendance o

an older sibling. In our case, Jean is 8, so we had to cajole Sis Bita into

letting her participate on conditions o no sleepover, plus 2 pairs o

watchul eyes (mine and Vanessa’s!) during the outdoor activities.

Registration and admin started at 5.30pm. The warmth and smileso the Youth leaders let us in no doubt that Jean would be in good

hands, especially with the oversight o Sis Irene, Katherine and Bita,

who are amongst the best in the business o handling children! In act,

or group size o about 35 kids, the teacher/instructor-to-kids ratio

would have beaten any commercially-run activity o the same.

While we headed o to get some bites, I was really curious to nd

out the children’s state o mindulness during the 1-hour talk by

Ajahn Brahm. Feedback rom Jean later suggested that she had been

attentive to Ajahn’s ‘scary’ tales!

The handicrat work by ood artist Angela, which ollowed, also let a

huge impression on her. Rian (Jean’s older brother by 2 years) also gothis hands on some o the dough to help with the sushi creation. The

end product had remained a eature in Jean’s bedroom or days.

The classroom activities and high concentration levels obviously

whetted the

c h i l d r e n ’ s

appetite and

the items o

the BBQ menu:

chicken wings,

sausage rolls,

c h i p s , a n dmarshmallows

– were wiped

out in no time!

It was especially

gratiying or

the parent volunteers to see the ood prepared by them being so

well appreciated!

What ollowed was a real blast or the kids – “showers o blessing” –

which were in act water-play. Alliances were ormed, targets identied

and tactics employed - all in the name o play! The large, open-air andisolated compound also proved to be a conducive setting or the

children to indulge in some sae, good and clean un.

[I you would still recall, there was to be no sleepover or Jean. She did

put us in a spot by wanting to join her new-ound and old riends in

staying over! We had her sensible friends to thank in helping to coax

her out o it.] Lights out and ater a little shut eye or the teachers,

youth leaders and the hyperactive children, all were up at 6am the

next day for breakfast Dana with Ajahn Brahm.

Next highlight was the Amazing Race at Hort Park and time for the

Youth leaders to take charge. They did not disappoint and I wasparticularly impressed with their propensity to lead and care or the

juniors. It also dawned on me that role-modelling can be key to a

child’s learning and development.

The Mindulness walk along Henderson Bridge with Bro Yap capped

o the outdoor activities or the day. Ater lunch, we headed back to

base camp at Yeo’s building. More water-play ensued – a timely reward

for their physical exertions in the morning.

The session on “Right Speech” by Rose Tan touched on a topic which

I nd to be oten neglected, especially in the young. The advent o

the internet, prevalence o TV and the omnipotent peer inuence

can conuse educated and seasoned grown-ups, let alone youngminds. The least we can do is to raise their consciousness o such

inuences, and encourage them to question the meaning, relevance

and appropriateness o some o the words being used today.

The camp ended on a nice note: with awards, appreciation and

recognition aplenty, especially to the Youth leaders. Throughout

the camp, I was impressed by how much the children had enjoyed

themselves. This will undoubtedly create positive associations with

the Dhamma, and set them on the right path towards cultivating the

mind and building character.

Kudos to Sis Bita, Irene, Katherine, Jessie and Bro Matthew, Yew Thong,Chin Tuan, Kheng Guan and the Youth leaders or pulling this o.

The success o this camp can be best summed by Jean,

“I HAVEN’T HAD ENOUGH...PLEASE HAVE A WEEK-LONG CAMP NEXT

TIME!”

rahula college14 Junior Camp 28-29 May 2010



17DhaMMa By the youNg

Camping with my Rahula Buddies!By Natalie Ang

I had a lot o un at the camp held by the Rahula Sunday School. It

was also the FIRST EVER camp that I have been to. I was so excited

as it was my rst camp, I just couldn’t wait!

During the camp, we learnt a lot o un new songs and dances.

I had a REALLY great time playing all the interesting games. We

attended a talk by Ajahn Brahm. I ound the talk very interesting

and unny. I enjoyed the unny stories Ajahn Brahm told us. I learnt

that we must be obedient and listen to our parents. Ater the talk,

we had a CAMPFIRE!! I really enjoyed the campre, as we got to

eat yummy ood, sing and dance! We also got to eat sticky roasted

marshmallows! Ater the campre, we had some water un!! We

threw water bombs and sprayed water at each other! We were

having a great time! After an exciting round of water games, every

single one o us were soaked to the core, even the teachers! Ater anexhausting day, we all snuggled into “bed” after calling out to each

other, “Good Night!”

The next morning, the youths came into our sleeping area to wake

us up. Once they icked on the lights, I literally “jumped” out o bed

and said cheerully, “ok, I’m up!” Ater a wonderul breakast, we got

ready or the day ahead o us. The day’s main event was the Amazing

Race and walk on the Alexandra Bridge. I LOVE the Amazing Race!! It

was great!! I had SO much FUN!! I was worried that some o us would

get hungry, injured or bitten by mosquitoes so I packed a whole lot

o ood, a ew plasters and a bottle o insect repellent spray in my

backpack.

During the Amazing Race, we had to go through obstacles, complete

tasks and do a lot o running! We thought we were not the rst to reach

the ending point, but in fact, we were! Next, we went for a walk on

the Alexandra Bridge. We saw squirrels, dierent kinds of plants and a

cute little bird house on a tree. We were told that the bird house was

used to rear a type o bird called the “Hornbill”.

Back at Yeo’s Building, the youths taught us a new dance! We had so

much un, we never stopped laughing. We were treated to yummy

ice-cream while the youths were preparing the prize presentation.

During the prize presentation, we were given a certicate which was

personally signed by Ajahn Bhram. The results or the Amazing Racewere also announced. Finally, they gave out the prizes or the best

‘Smiling Face’, the best ‘Improvement o Attitude’, ‘Most Energetic’ and

A ew more. I was surprised I was awarded the ‘Best Camper Award’! I

really want to thank all the teachers, all the youths and my great pals

that stayed by my side!! Thanks Everyone!!

In summary, this is what I have achieved during my camp

experience:

I learnt to share with my riends.1.

I learnt about leadership skills and teamwork.2.

I learnt to be grateul to my parents, my grandparents and my3.

teachers and riends.I learnt to be mindul at all times4.

I learnt to be kind to all living things.5.

I learnt that we have to care or one another and we have to help6.

each other in times o need.

A Pr o se On “ W ha t Ha p p ine s s I s ”

Wri t ten b y : Brian Toh (a 11- year old Rahula s tu

den t )

Inspired b y li t tle ac ts o k indness

Some times your jo y is the source o your smile,

Bu t some times your smile can be the source o your jo y.

Happiness is in fni te; share i t wi th people b y co

ns tan tl y smiling!

Being happ y is the mos t impor tan t thing in the uni verse.

E ven when you can’ t be happ y, look a t the bri

gh t side

and you migh t fnd some thing surprising to help you o vercome

the obs tacle!

Happiness is :

Being Happ y Al wa ys Jo y ul

Helping People

Cheering People Up

Brigh t SideNe ver Be Sad

E ver yda y is a happ y da y SMILE :)

S ta ying Happ y!

To me, al though I don’ t smile much,

I think when I’mhapp y,

e ver ybod y is happ y!

P.S. Sta y Ha p p y !!! LOL!!

Brian Toh

Extracted from website of MDAS (www.mdas.org.sg)

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore), MDAS, is a sel-help organization ormed in March 2000. We are committed to uplit

the lives o people with Muscular Dystrophy.

Muscular Dystrophy is the name given to a large group o muscle

diseases characterized by the development o muscle weakness,

wasting and contractures, that are usually progressive and

sometimes lie threatening. These diseases oten maniest in

childhood, although some may begin in adulthood. Each disease

is caused by one o a large variety o inherited gene abnormalities.

At present, there is no cure or Muscular Dystrophy.

MDAS understands the challenges aced by people with MuscularDystrophy and their families. MDAS extends its membership

privileges to all children, youth and adults with Muscular Dystrophy

as well as their amilies.

Brian is a young

volunteer at the

Muscular Dystrophy

Association (MDAS).

He enjoys visiting the Centre every school holiday to play

games, work on projects and just have un with his riends!

Brian helping a young member with a project

on the computer.



youth16

Straighten up - it’s boot-camp!By Baey Yi Wei

As the Vesak Celebrations came to a close on

the evening o May 28, every one o the BF

volunteers exhaled. Not just in relief, but also

in accomplishment. The mammoth task o

coordinating three consecutive days o events

at our new premises in Yeo’s Building had

successfully been executed.

Meanwhile at another part o the building, our

Youths took a deep breath. BFY’s Mid Year ‘Boot

Camp’ was about to commence. Most walked

in with little or no clue as to what to expect.

BFY Camps were typically adulterated un and

learning – but this – was a camp like no other.

For the rst 24 hours, instilling discipline was the

Camp Committee’s priority. Ater Ajahn Brahm’s

opening Dhamma talk and some ice breakers,

they were sent to bed; only to be woken up and rmly

reprimanded because none had adhered to the lights out

timing! No one was happy. But this was Boot Camp.

Amazing Race, Condence Walk and a Camp Fire were

the key highlights in the ollowing days. Coupled with

the numerous station challenges, the amazing race

saw all 4 teams trekking through the Henderson Wave,

Mount Faber and Tree-top walks. As soon as night ell, thecampers proceeded to the Condence Walk, where they

had to tread down Mount Faber Hill on a hair-raisingly

dark path towards Harbour Front.

An excellent concluding event came in the form of the

Camp Fire, where campers’ parents and riends were

invited. The individual teams very enthusiastically put

up skits using what little props were available, while their

relations watched in awe at their sheer creativity.

It is without any hesitation that I declare the camp a

success! However I must rst acknowledge that while

our Youth Leaders had the passion and commitmentto see through the weeks and months o tedious

planning, much could not have been done without

the support o our beloved parents and riends who

comprise the very dedicated Youth Support Group

(YSG). With them, ood, water and saety were never

neglected. Many a time, they would also go out o their

way just to make the camp a more positive experience

or everyone.

SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!



21 Days At Santi Forest MonasteryBy Matthew Rikard

Having spent our months working in Sydney I was ortunate enough

to be able to stay at Santi Forest Monastery or three weeks, beore

returning to Singapore in late April. Keen to urther develop my

practice and learn more about Buddhism, a orest monastery was

sure to make the ideal setting. Santi Forest Monastery is nestled in

the orests surrounding Bundanoon, a small country town two hours

south o Sydney.

The monastery was set up by Bhante Sujato seven

years ago and is now home to ve monastics as well

as the training Anagarakas, and part time guests. The

grounds are made up o spectacular Australian orest

with a host o wild lie including Lyer Birds (birds

that imitate the sounds o other animals), Wombats,

Kangaroos, snakes and many other animals and plantlie. There are small paths through the orests that

lead to many caves you can hide away in, and guests

get to stay in simple orest huts, ideal sanctuary or

meditation and relection. Arriving on a Sunday

evening, I decided to make the trip rom Sydney

city by train to Bundanoon and then walk the 5kms

to Santi to soak up some o the resh country air and

allow mysel some time to slow down rom city to monastery pace

beore arriving.

During my rst week at the monastery I stayed in the main building

which had two small rooms, each with a basic bed, and a meditationmat. The daily schedule had everyone meditating rom 5am or an

hour either on their own or in the main hall as a group. Breakast

was then oered before a short meeting at 7.30 to assign work

duties or the morning. The work time ran until lunch at 11am with

a whole range o duties including cooking in the kitchen, painting

or other odd jobs in the shed, or maybe looking ater the gardens

and grounds. During the aternoon there was plenty o time to

meditate or read, and on some days there were Sutta, Pali and also

History classes. I attended both Sutta and Pali classes during my

stay and though both were interesting much o it was beyond my

understanding. The Pali class brought back memories o Latin classes

I attended at secondary school. Not a subject I excelled at! For me

the highlight o the week was the Wednesday evening Dharma talk in the cave. ‘The Big Cave’, as it was known, was a ten-minute walk in

to the forest from the monastery and was large enough for sixty or

seventy people to sit whilst Bhante Sujato gave a talk. Lit by candles

and with a large Buddha statue at the back wall it was easy to imagine

the Dharma being shared in this way hundreds o years ago.

Ater ten days I moved rom my room in the main building to a kuti

out in the orest about hal way walk to the cave. Called The Bridge

Kuti, my new home was a small shed, again with a small bed and

meditation mat, but with the addition o a wood burner or the cold

evenings. Winter in Australia alls between June and August so April

is spring time, however the temperature still dropped as low as 5degrees on one clear night. Evening drinks at 6pm were always an

interesting event at Santi. Most evenings Bhante Sujato would sit

and answer questions or visiting guests and with the wide range

o people that were either staying or just popping in to say hello or

the drinks, there was always a

new and interesting topic o

discussion. And o course the

opportunity or a ew squares

o dark chocolate beore bed.

A prized luxury when the last

meal o the day was at 12pm!

On Sunday evenings we watched a short topical video o the Internet,

everything rom documentaries on re-incarnation to talks on the

psychology o happiness or discussions on vegetarianism and diet.

With one o my objectives being to learn more about Buddhism I also

made use of the extensive library. The collection covered everythingfrom books on Buddhist logic and complex explanations on karma

and rebirth to Buddhism or Idiots (which I have to admit I picked up

to reerence something and could not put it down or hal an hour).

As usual though I found myself consumed by Ajhan Chah’s texts and

other teachings by the monks that practiced under him.

By my nal week at the monastery I had ound mysel very much in

the ow o the daily routine and it seemed time had gone by very

quickly. I was also very content living in the simplicity o my kuti with

just a mattress, torch and wood burner. As much as learning about

Buddhism and urther developing my practice, I had also made some

good riends, and learnt a lot more about being environmentally

friendly. Santi is one of the best examples I have seen of living in

harmony with the environment. Things such as recycling, composting,

using less water, and simply turning o lights as much as possible

are all part o the daily routine. Though some o these things are not

possible living in a city such as Singapore, many are, and it did help

develop my awareness o the small things that can be done to make

a dierence.

So, my stay was over and time to head back to the ‘real world’ and get

back to work! As I reected on all the experiences of my stay at Santi

the thing I remembered above all was a Dharma talk Bhante gave in

the cave on my second week. A heart elt talk, the theme was around

riendship, amily and spirituality. Themes I would use to describe SantiForest Monastery and my experience being part of the community

there. I you would like to stay at Santi Forest Monastery more details

can be ound at www.santi.org.



Being present with little devasIrene Tham, an accounts assistant by proession, has been an active

BF volunteer since 2005. In addition to being a PRO and amiliar

riendly ace at almost all BF events, Irene teaches Buddhism to the

lower primary students o Rahula Sunday Service. She is also involved

in Community service and takes part in regular meditation retreats.

Her pet project though is the Rahula Service.

The Rahula Sunday Service allows children to learn the basics o

Buddhism, while their parents attend Dhamma talks and take part

in other BF activities. The number o kids currently attending stands

at 120 and growing. Students age range in age from 6 years to 12

years.

What attracted you to Buddhism?It is the simple yet practical teachings o Buddhism; rom the Four

Noble Truths and Eight-old Path that makes sense and attracts me

most to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a deep inner sense o purpose in lie and helped me to be at peace with mysel.

I am able to apply Buddhist teachings in my daily lie and have ound

ullment and contentment, resulting in ewer cravings.

What made you join BF?I was invited to Ajahn Brahm's talk at Kong Meng San Monastery on

the topic “Open the door to your heart” conducted by BF in 2005.

BF members & volunteers impressed me with their riendliness &

wholesome image both proessionally & spiritually. BF's diversied

activities enable my curious mind to explore further the teachings

of the Buddha. For example: the Rahula Sunday Service allows me

to share Buddha's teachings with the young whilst their parents/guardians attend Dharma talks, and the Indonesian Service allows

me to meet new riends rom Indonedia and share dierent cultural

experiences. The Inter-faith conference teaches tolerance and non-

discrimination o other religions

and Matripals helps practice unconditional metta. Community service

such as GEHA (Geylang East Home or the Aged) is a study in aging and

impermanence as well as lial piety. I also have the privilege to display

my cooking skills in helping prepare dinner or the GEHA residents.

Meditation Retreats help me be at peace with mysel, clear my mind

and reconnect with mysel spiritually, to be more orgiving.

Can you comment on your experience as avolunteer?Volunteer work is tangible but the experience derived from it is

intangible. It helps in broadening your horizons and developing new

social skills outside the corporate world. The laughter & contentment

rom the audience at each Ajahn Brahm talk gives you personal joy

and impetus to reach out to others, and the appreciation rom the

public: "keep up the good work", gives you a great eeling o giving

back to society. It is immeasurably gratiying.

Why Rahula? There was a shortage o teachers in Rahula College (now Rahula

Sunday Service) during year 2007. There were 20-30 students in aclassroom managed by 1 teacher then. It was so easy or me to be

critical o their 1st perormance at the Main Dhamma Hall. Brother Tai

Wee (Principal o Rahula SS) had kindly asked me to work together in

teaching the Lower Primary students on Buddhism during year 2008,

whilst Bro Yap takes care o the Upper Primary students. Since then, my

Sundays were blessed with little "devas" smiles and laughter!

How do you apply Buddhism in your day to daylie?Being in the accounting line or past 20yrs, I have come to realised

that most corporate companies would rely on budgets & orecasts

to match on company/sta's perormance. Imperection is usually

unacceptable. However, Buddhism teaches me the otherwise,

that: "The only real ailure in lie is not to be true to the best one knows"

a amous quotation by the Buddha.

The Noble 8-Fold Path is good practice and reminder to mysel to be

mindul o my speech and actions, be it with amily or riends. One

has to learn to lower her pride and ego in order to achieve Right

Wisdom, Right Ethical Conduct and Right Mental Cultivation. One

has to learn to change in order to suit to the Environment and not

the Environment to suit onesel.

"The secret o health or both mind and body is not to mourn or the

past, nor to worry about the uture, but to live the present moment

wisely and earnestly." said the Buddha

Whenever I ace obstacles in lie, and when things go wrong, I

would practice with the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and meditate

with my ellow members in BF. This constant practice, and chanting

the Metta Suttas helps me to calm my mind and to tackle problems

tactully without being rash and making hasty decisions.

What is the most important lesson you'd like to

teach the Rahula kids (and everyone)? To be able to teach everyone to be more compassionate, to give

unconditional Metta to amily and riends, without asking or anything

in return. To neither hold grudges nor seek revenge.

What is the most important lesson you eelyou've learnt rom the children?It’s been close to three years with Rahula students (2008 to 2010)

and the most valuable lesson I have learnt rom the kids is denitely

to "BE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT" - laugh with amily/riends and

even at onesel.

The lovely git rom eight year old student Jean Chua (shown in picture) during

the recent BF Junior Camp speaks or all. I am still learning rom the kids.

18 feature MEET OUR MEMBERS



Has Maitreya Come?By Piya Tan

Maitreya (Pali, Metteyya),

whom the Buddha prophesies

will be the uture Buddha in

the distant uture when his

teaching are totally orgotten,

is perhaps the most popular

religious igure, adopted by

numerous non-Buddhists. One

o the latest claims is that this

prophecy actually reers to the

coming o Christ!

S i n c e t h e T h e o s o p h i s t

m ove m e nt in the 19th

century, many non-Buddhistreligious groups and cults

have used Maitreya’s name

and characteristics o Maitreya

or teachers in their traditions.

Another such innovator was

Share International, ormerly

called the Tara Center; the

Ascended Master Teachings

(early 1930s-1956) which

called him “Cosmic Christ.”

Some Ahmaddiyya Muslims

claimed that their ounderMirza Ghulam Ahmad was

Maitreya. Some Bahais believed that their prophet Bahaullah ullled

the prophecy by appearing as Maitreya.

Since the 7th century, many had proclaimed themselves as Maitreya,

such as the Xiang Haiming (613); the empress Wu (690); Gung Ye, the

Korean warlord and briey king o Taebong (10th century); Yiguandao

patriarch, Lu Zhongyi, believed God mandated him as Maitreya (1905); L

Ron Hubbard, ounder o Scientology, in his poem, “Hymn o Asia” (1955),

hinted himself to be Maitreya. In 1973, a 27-year-old Frenchman, Claude

Vorilhon, a car racer and a sports journalist, claimed to have met Elohim

(God) in a UFO and told him that Maitreya would arise in France. Claiming

that he is the one, he called himsel Rael. Some Koreans believed thatMaitreya will arise in their country. A ew leaders o rebellions in China

and Thailand too proclaimed themselves to be Maitreya. And the list is

growing.

What is the real story behind Maitreya? Maitreya (Pali, Metteyya) is

mentioned only once in the early Buddhist texts: in the Cakka,vatti

Sha,nâda Sutta (D 26), which was probably compiled during Asoka’s

times. Even then, it is not so much prophecy, as it is an inspiration to the

emperor to be a truly good ruler. The Sutta closes with a teaching on the

our ocusses o mindulness (satipatthana) and a reminder or the monks

to practice lovingkindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. In

other words, it is a didactic (educational) discourse.

The Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta opens with the Buddha’s nal teachings,

that is, to dwell as island unto ourselves. This is a reerence to the our

ocusses o mindulness. Then ollows a Jataka story o king Dalhanemi

and the seven universal monarchs. All o them keep to the ancient way o

ruling which keep everyone happy. The eighth monarch, however, breaks

with tradition. As a result, poverty becomes bad, and when people begin

to steal, then deviant lustul conduct, and

nally disrespect or others.

In due course, the warring parties have

had enough and stop killing. With that

the human liespan doubled. As each

new generation begins to become more

moral, their lie-span doubles, until it

reaches 80,000 years again.

The king decides to help those who

steal by providing with their needs. This

encourages others to steal, to the extent

the king has to punish them with death.

With such a killing, the liespan o humans

declined rom 80.000 year to 40,000

years. Then lying becomes widespread;followed by slander, sexual misconduct,

then harsh speech and idle talk

At each worsening stage, the human

liespan declined by hal until the point

where human liespan is only 10 years,

at which point a woman o 5 years is

ready or marriage, In other words, the

maturing process o human is speeded

up dramatically. At that time, a terrible

“seven-day war” breaks out. Many ee

and hide in remote places. This is a time inthe distant uture when India and the world

become such a crowded and prosperous world.

This is when the next Buddha Metteyya would arise, teach the Dharma.

and establish the Teaching. The Sutta closes with the Buddha teaching

on the our ocusses o mindulness (satipatthana) and a reminder or

the monks to practice lovingkindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and

equanimity.

The ollowing points should be noted:

(1) The Sutta is a mythical story to remind the ruler to keep to the good

ways o his predecessors,

(2) The events described here have not yet happened, but will onlyoccur at least thousands o years rom now when the present Buddha’s

teachings are totally orgotten.

(3) Metteyya is the uture Buddha, not some cult leader or sel-proclaimed

religious guru.

(4) The Sutta reminds Buddhist monastics to meditate and practise

lovingkindness and other wholesome virtues.

The misuse and abuse o Maitreya’s name by others is like a reected

light, but with the warmth, a light that appears dazzling in the dark or

some. But or those with eyes will see true reality in the bright light o

day. Let us leave the dark dusty corners o strange religions or the open

resh space o Buddhist liberation. Let go o the past, it is gone; let go o the uture, it is yet to come. Live now with lovingkindness (metta): then

you yoursel are Maitreya at heart.

[Link to Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta https://sites.google.com/site/

dharmaarer/home/digha-nikaya].



DIRECTIONS TO YEO’S BUILDINGBy car AYE, exit by Alexandra Road (towards Telok Blangah Road).

Turn let into Telok Blangah Road and turn let into Telok Blangah Street 31.By Public transport Take MRT to Harbourront Station. Go to bus stop (no. 4) beside Harbourront

MRT Station (Exit C). Board bus services 10, 30, 57, 61, 97, 100, 143, 166.EXCO Members:

President: Henry Baey • VP - Administration: Bita Seow • VP - Members Afairs: Angie Monkseld • VP - Public Afairs:

Yap Kheng Guan • VP - Resource Development: Jerry Ong • Hon Secretary: Poh Mui Hoon • Hon. Treasurer: Luar Ling Ling• Committee Members: Jayson Goh, Lim Ai Ling, Poh Joo Tung, Tikki Gee, Henry Yeo, Teo Yew Thong, Wong Tai Wee, Vera

Santiboon, Luis Tirtasanjaya, Tikki Gee (co-opted), George Lim (co-opted)

General Manager: Wang Pei Chong • Centre Manager: Ho Eng Chin • Public Relations & Communications Executive: KumuduAmarasingham

WE HAVE MOVED!

T u e , 7 .3 0 - 9 .3 0 p m S u t t a D i s c o v e r y

W e d , 7 .4 5 - 9 .3 0 p m W e d n e s d ay N i g h t S e r v i c e

F r i , 2 .3 0 - 4 .3 0 p m V i s i t t o R e n C i N u r s i n g H o m e

F r i , 8 - 9 p m

G r o u p M e d i t at i o n

S u n , 11am - 12 .3 0 p m R ah u

l a S u n d ay C h i l d r e n S e r v i c e

S u n , 1.3 0 - 5 p m S u n d ay Y o u t h S e r v i c e

4 t h S at , 3 .3 0 - 6 p m V i s i t t o G e y l an g E as t H o m e f o r t h e Ag e d

1s t S u n , 6 .4 5 - 8 am C l u b M e d i t at i o n at Fort C

2 n d S u n , 9 .15 - 10 .3 0 am Famil

A C T I V I T I E S

B e d s i d e S u p p o r t

G r o u p • E

h i p a s s i k o C

h a n t i n g G r

o u p

S i n g l e s A g

a i n C l u b •

C o u n

s e l l i n g S e r

v i c e s

L e g a l A d v i

s o r y S e r v i

c e s • M a r r i a g e

S o l e m n i s

a t i o n

( P l e a s e r e f

e r t o w w w

. b u d d h i s t f e

l l o w s h i p . o

r g f o r m o r e d e t a

i l s )

S E R V

I C E

BF Newsletter(Jul - Sep10)

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