Cantonese Dhamma Talk by Bhante Sakkaro

Bhante Sakkaro （洒甘露法师） will be giving three Cantonese dhamma talks at Buddhist Maha Vihara, Jln Berhala, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.

Date : Wednesdays - 7, 10 & 14 October 2009
Time : 8:00pm
Topic : Thus as it is (如来..如去）

The above dhamma talks were the last few dhamma talks arranged by our late Sis. G G Tan. Her dhammaduta shall continue despite her absence. May she has good rebirth and attain the bliss of Nibbana.

Our Forthcoming Activities in October 2009

Sunday, 4 October 2009

We will be attending Kathina Ceremony at Bhante Sakkaro's Buddhist Centre (Asrama Dhammapala) in Nilai.

Meet at Buddhist Maha Vihara at 7:30pm
Mode of Transport : Car pool
Dress code : BMSMWS T-Shirt

Saturday, 10 October 2009

Chanting cum Potluck at Bro. Teh's house at 39, Jln 9/42, Taman Sehjatera, Kuala Lumpur
Time : 3:00pm
Bro. Soon Kok will be arranging a herbalist to talk about cancer prevention
Dress code : BMSMWS T-Shirt

BMSM Welfare Section Uniform

Did you notice the white T-shirts embroidered with the word "BMSMWS" worn by some of us during the recent Raub Charity trip ?

It is our uniform. Looking smart and neat ,isn't it?

There are two designs, i.e. male and female.

The male design is embroidered with word in dark blue and has a pocket. The female design is pocketless and the word is in maroon color.

The T-shirts are sold at cost at RM25 each. Welfare Section does not make a single sen. The committee is required to pay for it too.

We manage the welfare fund scrupulously and spend on its intended purpose only. Hence, the committee also pay for their transport, food and accomodation (if any) during any charity trips or religious outings.

So far 20 shirts have been sold. Some members have bought 2 pieces. We hope more members will purchase the uniform so that on one fine day, all members can wear it together for our outings to project a cohesive and uniformity image.

Raub Charity Trip on 15 - 16 August 2009

On 15 August 2009, we left for Raub at about 8:45 pm after attending the blessing service conducted by Rev. Vijita at the Shrine Hall.

We reached Raub Buddhist Association (RBA) centre at about 11:30 am. We were then given a welcoming vegetarian lunch at the Silver City Vegetarian Restaurant.

We headed for Sungai Ruan at about 1:30PM. Our first itinerary was at the Sungai Ruan Old Folks Home. This home has no caretaker, the old folks have to take care of themselves. Those physically abled-old folks have to take up a job to supplement their income. When all of us occupied the front porch of the home to accompany and talk with them, they were excited of this pleasant change in their daily mundane activities, but most importantly, they needed the company. We distributed gift of cash and kind to the old folks followed by a blessing service.

Our next itinerary was visiting a lung cancer patient with 3 children.

For the rest of the afternoon, we visited another six needy families and individuals, unfortunately all the photographs I have taken have damaged and could not be downloaded :
(a) A speech and hearing impaired couple with 4 children
(b) A man with a Vietnamese wife who is paralysed from the waist down. We have visited him in our previous Raub Charity Trips. His mother who took care of him have already passed away. His relatives had arranged to marry him with a Vietnamese wife to take care of him.
(c) A single mother with 3 children.
(d) Three kidney patients and a man who is paralysed from his neck down.

We have our dinner at the Kum Leng Restaurant at about 6:30PM.

At 8:30pm, Dato' Ang Choo Hong (the immediate past BMSM president) delivered a talk about "Fire" at the Shrine Hall of the RBA centre.


Basically, the talk was about Buddha's fire sermon (Adittapariyaya Sutta), which teaches us how to achieve liberation from suffering through detachment from the five senses and mind.

On the following day (16/8/2009), due to a very tight schedule, most of us woke up quite early, some of us as early as 5:00am. The ladies had a group massage session to stretch and relax their tight musscle in the morning.

We had our breakfast at a food court opposite the Raub wet market. After the breakfast, most of us have a buying spree at the Pasar Tani.

Here were some of the unknown vegetables/fruits that I've never bother to find out eventhough I have visited the market since 1998.

The Malay auntie told me that this is "pelat". (probably spelt wrongly)

I was told these are tamboi (probably spelt wrongly). Can anyone help me?

I have also learnt that yam shoot is edible. A Malay gentleman told me that if the shoot is not probably cooked, it can cause itchiness in your mouth.

Our next charity itinerary was bringing joy to the old folks at the Sungai Lui Old Folk Home.

We then visited a single mother with 2 children and a bachelor with brain tumour. One of his eye has blinded by the tumour.



Many of us found the trip to Raub without buying the Sempalit groundnuts incomplete. Hence, we stopped over at the factory before proceeding to Gua Kechil.

Our visit to Gua Kecil was exciting. The bus has to stop at about 1 km away from the cave as the remaining journey is not accessible to buses as there is no space for the bus to u-turn. I later found out that it takes obout 15 minutes' walk to reach the destination. Thanks to Dato' Ang , Bro Li (RBA) and Bro. Teh for fecthing us to the cave.

The guide told us there are spirits in the cave. There are drawings by ancient men at some part of the cave (the drawings are similar to those found in caves in Sarawak), which is an evidence that it had been inhabited by ancient men thousand years ago.

I was surprised to find orbs appeared in some of the photographs I have taken in the cave.

Orbs are unexpected, typically circular artifacts in photograph. Those who believe in paranormal phenomeon interpret orbs as presence of invisible spirits, auras, angels, ghosts, energy fields, psychoenergetic artifacts, energy balls, etc.

Scientifically, the orb is the result from reflection of light off solid particles (e.g., dust, pollen), liquid particles (water droplets - especially rain) or other foreign material within the camera lens.

It was a pity that my camera ran out of battery and I was unable to take any photographs in the cave, particularly the naturally formed Guanyin statue.

After visiting Sempalit Old Folks Home, we had our lunch at Happiness Corner Restaurant.

Visiting three old folks home in Raub made me recalled a report in the Star which reported that 33% of the residents in government-run old folk homes were Chinese, although Chinese only make up 25% of the population. Why some people are so inconsiderate to dump their love ones to old folk home? How lonely, painful and heart-broken they must feel when after bringing up their children, they were ignored and treated like a hindrance and ultimately abandoned to live the rest of their old age alone.

Nevertheless, most of the old folk home residents in Raub are bachelors.

Bro. Li of RBA fetched me to a Supermarket (located next to the Restaurant) to buy batteries for my camera after lunch.

We visited three needy single mothers after lunch. One of them suffers from SLE and kidney failure, and another suffers from breast cancer.

We returned to RBA centre a about 3:30PM and met a mother of a young man who suffers from hepatitis C.

We had a group photograph with the RBA committee before bidding farewell to them.

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to RBA committee for their valuable assistance and hospitality that had made this trip fruitful, meaningful and enjoyable.

We also wish to thank Dato' Ang for delivering a dhamma talk at RBA and his help for providing shuttle service to Gua Kecil. Big sadhu to Mr. & Mrs. Teh too for making arrangement for us to visit Gua Kecil as well as providing shuttle service to the cave.

Chanting cum Potluck Fellowship on 1 August 2009 has been cancelled

Dear BMSM Welfare members & supporters,

Please be informed that the Chanting cum Potluck Fellowship on Saturday 1 August 2009 has been cancelled.

Buddhism Won "The Best Religion in the World" Award?

15 July 2009, Tribune de Geneve
This news is published in beliefnet but is probably fabricated. Source

1. The organisation (International Coalition for the Advancement of Religious and Sprituality) that sponsored this award couldn't be found anywhere on the web other than Beliefnet. Neither were the personalities quoted in the news, such as ICARUS Director, Hans Groehlichen and Bhante Ghruata Hanta.

2. Thank you Riglin for pointed out that this news couldn't be found on Tribune de Geneve online. I can't read French and is unable to verify it myself.

A lesson for me that all news shall be verified against all sources before posting it.

Nevertheless, I hope this article would stir up the minds of all religious leaders a bit.

1. Organised religions have increasingly been used to inflame rather than to bring together. Practise of compassion is the solution.

2. The spirit of modesty.

I would've verified the source if this article mentioned certain Buddhist commnunity had accepted "this award".

(updated 17/7/2009 11:45pm)

In advance of their annual Leading Figure award to a religious figure who has done the most to advance the cause of humanism and peace, the Geneva-based International Coalition for the Advancement of Religious and Spirituality (ICARUS) has chosen to bestow a special award this year on the Buddhist Community. "We typically prefer an under-the-radar approach for the organization, as we try to embody the spirit of modesty found in the greatest traditions," said ICARUS director Hans Groehlichen in a phone conference Monday. "But with organized religion increasingly used as a tool to separate and inflame rather than bring together, we felt we had to take the unusual step of creating a "Best Religion in the World" award and making a bit of a stir, to inspire other religious leaders to see what is possible when you practice compassion."

Groehlichen said the award was voted on by an international roundtable of more than 200 religious leaders from every part of the spiritual spectrum. "It was interesting to note that once we supplied the criteria, many religious leaders voted for Buddhism rather than their own religion," said Groehlichen. "Buddhists actually make up a tiny minority of our membership, so it was fascinating but quite exciting that they won."

Criteria included factors such as promoting personal and community peace, increasing compassion and a sense of connection, and encouraging preservation of the natural environment. Groehlichen continued "The biggest factor for us is that ICARUS was founded by spiritual and religious people to bring the concepts of non-violence to prominence in society. One of the key questions in our voting process was which religion actually practices non-violence."

When presenting the information to the voting members, ICARUS researched each of the 38 religions on the ballot extensively, offering background, philosophy, and the religions role in government and warfare. Jonna Hult, Director of Research for ICARUS said "It wasn't a surprise to me that Buddhism won Best Religion in the World, because we could find literally not one single instance of a war fought in the name of Buddhism, in contrast to every other religion that seems to keep a gun in the closet just in case God makes a mistake. We were hard pressed to even find a Buddhist that had ever been in an army. These people practice what they preach to an extent we simply could not document with any other spiritual tradition."

At least one Catholic priest spoke out on behalf of Buddhism. Father Ted O'Shaughnessy said from Belfast, "As much as I love the Catholic Church, it has always bothered me to no end that we preach love in our scripture yet then claim to know God's will when it comes to killing other humans. For that reason, I did have to cast my vote for the Buddhists." And Muslim Cleric Tal Bin Wassad agreed from Pakistan via his translator. "While I am a devout Muslim, I can see how much anger and bloodshed is channeled into religious expression rather than dealt with on a personal level. The Buddhists have that figured out." Bin Wassad, the ICARUS voting member for Pakistan's Muslim community continued, "In fact, some of my best friends are Buddhist." And Rabbi Shmuel Wasserstein said from Jerusalem, "Of course, I love Judaism, and I think it's the greatest religion in the world. But to be honest, I've been practicing Vipassana meditation every day before minyan (daily Jewish prayer) since 1993. So I get it."

Groehlichen said that the plan was for the award to Buddhism for "Best Religion in the World" to be given to leaders from the various lineages in the Buddhist community. However, there was one snag. "Basically we can't find anyone to give it to," said Groehlichen in a followup call late Tuesday. "All the Buddhists we call keep saying they don't want the award." Groehlichen explained the strange behavior, saying "Basically they are all saying they are a philosophical tradition, not a religion. But that doesn't change the fact that with this award we acknowledge their philosophy of personal responsibility and personal transformation to be the best in the world and the most important for the challenges facing every individual and all living beings in the coming centuries."

When asked why the Burmese Buddhist community refused the award, Buddhist monk Bhante Ghurata Hanta said from Burma, "We are grateful for the acknowledgement, but we give this award to all humanity, for Buddha nature lies within each of us." Groehlichen went on to say "We're going to keep calling around until we find a Buddhist who will accept it. We'll let you know when we do."

Buddhism thrives as China relaxes religious policy

WUTAISHAN, China (AFP) — Temples thrive, monks travel far and wide in search of enlightenment, the faithful fill the halls of worship -- after decades of atheist policies, Buddhism is making a huge comeback in China.

For decades, the communist-run State Administration for Religious Affairs has said there were only about 100 million religious believers in China, but state press reports have recently said that number has grown to 300 million.

Nowhere is this revival more apparent than at Wutaishan, the most important of China's four holy mountains and home to a sprawling complex of temples, 300 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of Beijing.

In late June, Wutaishan was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nation's cultural arm UNESCO, a move expected to bring more visitors to this holy shrine that houses some of China's oldest Buddhist manuscripts.

Currently 53 temples house monks and nuns, while the ruins of more than 150 temples are scattered around hillside terraces or isolated on remote mountain tops.

The earliest temples date back to the first century when Buddhism first arrived to China from India.

"Twenty years ago, as we started recovering from the Cultural Revolution, the total number of monks here was just a few hundred," said Yi Bo, spokesman for the Wutaishan Buddhist Association.

"Since then Buddhism has not stopped developing. More and more monks have come. The numbers hit 1,000, then 2,000, then 3,000. Three years ago we hit 5,000."

At that time the government stepped in and began restricting the number of monks who could study here, he said.

Meanwhile, 2.8 million visitors came to Wutaishan in 2008, bringing in 1.4 billion yuan (206 million dollars) in tourist revenues, according to government figures. This year more than 3.1 million visitors are expected.

"The government supports us mainly with policy, but funding for our growth mainly comes from donations from the Buddhist faithful," said Miao Yi, a nun at the Buddhist Institute at the Pushou Temple, China's largest convent.

More than 600 nuns are studying in the Buddhist Institute which has received generous funding from Buddhists in Hong Kong and Taiwan, she said.

Source

8 Day Meditation Retreat at BMV

There will be an 8 DAY MEDITATION RETREAT held from the 22-29 August 2009.
This Meditation retreat will be conducted by Ven Punnaji Thero.

For those who are interested, please call the BMV office at 03 22741141 for more information.

The Sichuan Cultural Troupe Variety Show has been cancelled

Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia regrets to announce that the Sichuan Cultural Troupe Variety Show which has been scheduled to be held on 19 July 2009 at Buddhist Maha Vihara has been cancelled as the troupe members are infected with A(H1N1) flu.

All ticket holders will be refunded.

The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

Fa Yu Chan Si ( 法雨禪寺) - the "Ang Kor Wat" of Malaysia

Land is a scarce commodity in Singapore. Other than the existing temples, there isn't much land to build new temples in the city-state. As a result, many Buddhist devotees and monks build their temples or contribute towards the expansion of the existing temples in Johor.

Thanks to the contribution of a Singaporean collector who is also a devout Buddhist, thousands of ancient Buddha statues as well as time-honoured stone, wooden and copper statues have been placed at the Fa Yu Chan Si monastery (法雨禪寺) in Ulu Tiram. Being built in the woods on a 3-acre site at about 2km from the town of Ulu Tiram, the monastery offers an excellent haven for religious retreat.

Even though the monastery is still undergoing beautification, renovation and further development at this moment, once you step inside the temple, you will be able to find countless of stone statues of Buddha.

Other than the nost notable Big Buddha's Head and half-body Buddha statues, the most eye-catching relics are the Buddhist columns and pagoda. These masterfully crafted carvings have created an atmosphere of a thousand-year-old ancient monastery. Besides, rows of intricately carved Buddha statues have been neatly placed on both sides of the pagoda and Buddhist Columns.

The Cultural Relics Hall, meanwhile, looks like a relic site full of inscribed texts, stone statues of Buddha, etc, the most outstanding being the 500 Luo Han statues in different postures, costumes, and names.You can also find thousand-year-old stone tortoise statue, statues of Bodhidharma and the God of Mercy, among others. There are also relics from the Tang, Yuan and Han dynasties.

Other than the Sakyamuni Valuable Palace, the God of Prosperity Temple, Di Zhan Dian Cinerarium Pavilion and the Hall of Spirit Tablets which have been completed within the compound of the Fa Yu Chan Si monastery, the remaining buildings such as Buddhist Relics Hall, Cultural Relics Hall and the Bodhidharma Pavilion are under construction.

The abbot of the monastery, Master Shi Zhen Guan said many devout Buddhists gave up their faith when they got old. Hence, the main focus of development in future for this manastery is to provide a quiet retreat for these people.

He aspired to develop the monastery to something similar to the renowned Kek Lok Si temple in Penang. While encouraging Buddhist devotees to study the Doctrine and retreat, he also hoped opening the monastery for public viewing would enable more people to appreciate the relics of great artistic values.

Fa Yu Chan Si

Address: Lot 380
Jalan Sungai Tiram
Batu 133/4 Kampong Sungai Tiram
81800 Ulu Tiram, Johor
Contact: 016-717 9633 (Ms Chen Yi Ping)

Source : Sin Chew Daily News (星洲日报）

Our Charity Program in Raub on 15/8 - 16/8/2009

Raub Buddhist Association has recommended 14 deserving individuals/families for our charity program there on 15/8 - 16/8/2009. Here are their background:

Sg. Ruan

1. A lung cancer patient, 51. He is married with three children, aged 7 - 10 years old. He was the sole breadwinner of the family.

2. A hearing disabled couple with 4 children

3. A 47 year-old bachelor who has been paralysed from waist down due to an accident many years ago. He was taken care by his mother but she has passed away two years ago.

Tras New Village

4. A single mother with 3 children. Her husband was died of cancer. Her brother-in-law has been paralysed from neck down after a diving accident since he was 18.

Kg. Sang Lee

5. Three kidney patients and a handicapped old man.

Sg. Lui
6. A brain tumour patient.

7. A single mother with 2 children, who is unable to make ends meet to pay for food and rental.

Bukit Koman
8. A single lady with skin disease.
9. A single mother, who is an SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) and kidney patient.

Kg. Sempalit
10. A single mother with breast cancer.
11. A single mother with one child. She plants vegetable for living.

We will also visit three old folk homes (total around 35 inmates) in Sg. Ruan, Sg. Lui and Kg. Sempalit.

China’s sacred Buddhist Mount Wutai inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

26 June 2009
The Mount Wutai (五台山），a sacred Buddhist mountain in China that has witnessed to centuries of Buddhist history was added Friday to UNESCO's World Heritage List during the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Seville, Spain.

The site is in Wutai County, Xinzhou City in Shanxi Province, 230 kilometers from the provincial capital, Taiyuan City.

Mount Wutai, literally, the five terrace mountain, is the highest mountain in northern China and is remarkable for its morphology characterized by precipitous sides with five open treeless peaks. Temples have been built on the site since the 1st century AD to the early 20th century.

The cultural landscape numbers 53 monasteries and includes the East Main Hall of Foguang Temple, the highest surviving timber Building of the Tang Dynasty with life size clay sculptures. It also features the Ming Dynasty Shuxiang Temple with a huge complex of 500 statues representing Buddhist stories woven into three dimensional pictures of mountains and water.

Overall, the buildings on the site present a catalogue of the way Buddhist architecture developed and influenced palace building in China over more than one millennium.

(UNESCO's announcement)

Happiness quotes

Cheer yourself up by watching this peaceful video and reflect on the happiness quotes.

Smiling can make you happier, even if you fake it

"Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you."

"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. If we really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile? Our smile affirms our awareness and determination to live in peace and joy. The source of a true smile is an awakened mind." - Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step : The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life (1992)

A recent study demonstrated that our facial expression and posture triggered our related emotions. Hence, if you smile, lift your chin, and stand upright, you’ll feel happy and confident. If you frown, shrug, or slump, you’ll feel sad or angry. (source : "Emotional Consciousness" by PhD Lisa Feldman Barrett)

Putting your smile muscles to work during times of stress changes your outlook for a couple of reasons. First, the brain interprets this muscle movement to mean that you’re happy or contented. Even holding a pencil horizontally between your teeth is enough to approximate a smile, as far as your brain is concerned.

Second, your mood and perceptions of neutral events grow more positive simply from “acting” happy. Happy behavior isn’t likely to erase the trauma of a crisis, but it will encourage you to view mundane events from a more generous perspective. An upbeat posture and expression primes your brain to give others the benefit of the doubt or to see the “lighter side.”

Besides these advantages, the sheer absurdity of smiling in moments of duress breaks the problem-centered mindset of anxiety and anger. When you take yourself less seriously, you can be a little gentler with everyone else, too.

Try it out today and find out how much of an immediate physical difference smiling can cheer you up.

Source:Faking it: Can smiling make you happier?"

Ajahn Brahm showed correct path to business

Ajahn Brahmavamso was invited to give a talk on how managers can improve their ability by following the principles of Buddhism at the Sasin Graduate Institue of Business Administration, Thailand in May 2009. He said executives were successful not because of their IQ or intellectual capabilities, but because of their "EQ" [emotional quotient], or their ability to communicate and to make great friendships and networks. Here is the summary of his talk:

1. RELAX

Ajahn Brahm held up a glass of water at arm's length and asked his audience: "How heavy this glass?

"If I keep holding it for five minutes, it will appear to be quite heavy. In 10 minutes, I'll be in pain. If I hold it for half an hour, I'll be very stupid monk," he said, laughing.

Then he explained his point: it doesn't matter how much responsibility one has, a person becomes stressed if they hold on to duties for too long without taking a rest.

"It's the law of mind," the abbot said. "If your body needs to exercise, your mind becomes powerful through stillness. In business, you need to have a strong mind to compete, and to see what others don't see."

2. DON'T DWELL ON YOUR PAST FAILURES

Dwelling on past failures and assigning blame for mistakes caused a loss of morale. On the other hand, inspiration and encouragement can be found from recalling successes, and repeating them again for greater accomplishments.

"Success is taken for granted," he said. "That's why we are not happy

Ajarn Brahm said "Now" is the most important time but many people are too busy thinking about what's going to happen next.

He told a story that came originally from his Buddhist master Ajahn Chah Bodhinyana Mahathera.

"Once upon a time, there were two chicken farmers," he said. "Farmer No 1 got up early in the morning to go to his chicken shed to collect the chickens' s*** in a basket. Then he took it home, where it smelled so bad that everybody had to run away. Farmer No 2 collected his chickens' eggs in his basket, prepared omelets for his family and sold the rest of the eggs on the market.

"When you remember your past and bring it into your present, are you collecting s***, or are you collecting eggs?" Ajahn Brahm asked.

3. THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IS THE ONE YOU'RE WITH

The most important person is the one you're with, whoever that person may happen to be.

If you're in your organisation, the most important one is whoever is in front of you right now. If you're with clients, they're your most important persons. If you think that the one in front of you is your most important person, then you can communicate with him well, instead of thinking: when will he go away?

Be with them. If it's your boss, or a potential client, give them a degree of importance. Many people will say: I forgot about them 'because I'm busy'. I give them importance. It's an easy investment and you can get rewards.

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO AS A MANAGER

The most important thing to do as a manager is 'to care'.

If it's your customer, you care for her. Or if it's your boss, you care. It's a synergy to get people to work together.

5. TRUST

One of the biggest problems in achieving economic success was the cost involved in being unable to trust other people. For instance, sellers worry that buyers may not pay on time.

If we can trust, and trust is well-founded, then it will bring down transaction costs significantly and give a significant boost to any economy.

6. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

Very often managers give up performance assessment because they don't want to upset people.

However, in any business, it's a manager's job to improve performance and sometimes criticise subordinates. Ajahn Brahm suggested that managers use what he called "the sandwich method" by giving praise and pointing out a subordinate's positive qualities before identifying his weaknesses.

"When you praise someone, they will open up. Everyone likes a compliment, and it also shows that you care for them," he said. "Realise also that if a worker has a problem, it's your problem as well. When it becomes 'our problem', you will find a solution."

He cited a government department in the United Kingdom which was in the habit of measuring staff performance according to how many contracts they could get signed in Brussels [HQ of the European Commission]. A consequence was that all the department's qualified people "burned out" and left the organisation. The department later changed its system to reward officials who worked hard, or in other words, rewarded the process rather than the outcome.

Life is a process. It's how we achieve, more than what we achieve. If, this time, we're still not winning, then next time we will win. If you do it the right way, then eventually you will be rewarded. If you take short cuts or short-term profits, that's how we have ended up with - long-term recession.

Source : Monk shows correct path to business

TWENTY-FOUR BRAND-NEW HOURS

Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.

Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The Question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don't have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.

We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive at the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.

Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment. ...

PRAYER FOR FREEDOM FROM SUFFERING

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending each other.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness--
the children, the aged, the unprotected--
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

By Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh

One day 8 precept programme on Saturday 27 June 2009 at Buddhist Maha Vihara

Ven. Pemaratana will be conducting a One day 8 Precept Programme on Saturday, 27 June 2009 from 6:30am - 6:30pm within the Buddhist Maha Vihara premises at the Pagoda.

For those who are interested, kindly call the BMV Office at 03-22741141 and give your name and contact number.

Please click at the image to enlarge.

Dhamma in Business : Buddha's Teachings apply brake to greed

The Nation, 17 June 2009

Doing businesses is like swimming: you can never stop or you may drown. So says Chuleeporn Chompatana, managing director of Smart Vision, Thailand.

However, she believes managers must learn that moving too fast or being too greedy can bring disaster to a business, so Chuleeporn uses Dhamma "like a circuit breaker" to keep on a balanced course.

"Dhamma can be applied to business. Everyone can become greedy when doing business, but Dhamma will 'brake' us with consciousness," she said in a recent interview. "Sometimes, when you feel no fun in doing something, you will know it's time to stop."

Smart Vision is a provider of glasses, contact lenses and related products and services. In its 11 years of operations, Smart Vision has never made a loss. It posted record sales revenue of about Bt50 million last year.

Chuleeporn, 37, said she began studying Dhamma four or five years ago by reading the books of revered monk Phra Maha Wudhijaya Vajiramedhi - better known by his pen name, W Vajiramedhi. Since then she has joined retreats and practised meditation.

She said she had become more relaxed with her staff as a consequence and was not moody when staff failed to perform according to expectations. One direct effect of Dhamma on Smart Vision's business came when Chuleeporn learned to give. That launched the company's annual programme of donating glasses to communities.

"It is like [the donations] have an automatic return. In the communities where our company is located, word gets around. We never have any problems. Our staff has to arrive at the office at 5am so they can get to the health check-up location by 7am. If the villagers cannot see us well enough, [they will complain] we're making too much noise," she said.

Unlike traditional shops, Smart Vision offers its products through a fleet of 10 vans that follow hospitals and health centres as they provided on-site health check-ups. Smart Vision has no retail stores but recently opened outlets in two Bangkok hospitals, near their ophthalmology departments.

Chuleeporn said normally, a factory or office she visited would have 300-1,000 staff and that 15-20 per cent of them would order glasses or other products from Smart Vision. Although the company has hundreds of competitors, only four or five are considered major rivals, she said.

Click here to read the full article.

A Father's letter to his daughter

My dearest daughter,

There will be one day that you see me old (I’m already grey!), please have patience and try to understand me.

If I get dirty or cannot dress... have patience. Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you.

If, when I speak, I repeat the same things a thousand times, please try to listen, if not with your ears, then with your heart.
When you were small, I had to answer you a thousand and one times, many, many questions until you were satisfied..

For many years, we as a family tried our best to walk the Noble Path guided by the Dhamma and the Five Precepts. You must now walk this Path firmly and steadily, and in turn you must help others too.

When you see my ignorance on new technologies.. give me the necessary time and not look at me with a mocking smile, the oldest and most applicable technology is the Dhamma, it is still the best, learn it well.

I taught you how to do so many things, to eat good food, to dress well, to confront life, to know what is right from wrong, the beautiful Dhamma… to question.

School and college can teach you science, maths and business, but we taught you the Buddha’s Teachings, I hope you had learnt well.. and is applying it.

When at some moment I lose the memory or the thread of our conversation.. let me have the necessary time to remember, and if I cannot do it, do not become nervous.. as the most important thing is to be with you. You may even now teach me back.

If ever I seem to test your patience, recall how your mummy and I were taught “patience” in raising you and your siblings.

When my tired legs do not allow me walk, give me your hand.. the same way I did when you had your first steps.

And when someday you find me spending much time just sitting in meditation, it is not that I reject your company, it’s jut that I’m trying to know myself better. Despite all these years, I am still learning.

Try to understand that like a sand clock flowing fast, I do not have the luxury of time, so every moment is precious; whether spent with you or alone.

Some day you will discover that despite our mistakes, your mummy and I, always wanted the best things for you and that we tried to prepare the way for you.

You must not feel sad, angry or frustrated when seeing my faults. Try to be next to me, to understand me and to help me as I did it when you were young.

Help me to walk this Noble Path, with love and patience, just as I tried to help you. I will pay you by a smile and by the immense love I always have for you.

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A Father's Letter To His Daughter

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Novitiate Program 2009 at Buddhist Maha Vihara

Buddhist Maha Vihara has announced that the application forms are now available for the Novitiate Programmes in 2009. For Further information please call the BMV office at Tel No: 03-22741141.

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Buddhist Maha Vihara launches fund for Sri Lankan orphans

The Star, 15 June 2009

SOME 400 orphans displaced in the Vavuniya district, 254km north of Colombo as a result of the recently concluded war between the Sri Lanka army and the Tamil Tigers are living in misery without basic necessities.

To help them, the Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields, is organising a project to raise money to educate and provide assistance to these children.

An initial RM30,000 has been collected to kick-start the programme.

“This will be an ongoing programme that constitutes scholarships and educational opportunities for these children,” the Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia K. Sri Dhammaratana Nayaka Maha Thera said.

“The Sri Lankan children are in need of help and through this fund-raising project we hope to give to some hope to these children and help them start a new life,” he said.

The temple is also starting a collection of items like sanitary products, toiletries, blankets and pillows, clothes and other necessities.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk M. Saravanan, who launched the project on 12 June 2009, also pledged RM10,000 from the ministry.

Those interested in donating can call the temple at 03-2274 1141.

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News in more detail is available at Lankaweb: Buddhist Maha Vihara in Malaysia launches a fund for Sri Lankan IDP Orphans