Topic: Buddhism for Health and Happiness
Synopsis: This talk will focus on how to use the Buddha’s teachings to achieve optimum health in all areas (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually) as well as happiness
Speaker: Dr. Ong Tien Kwan
Date: 26 May 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 8 – 10pm
Venue: SLBS centre

All are welcome!

INVITATION TO WESAK CELEBRATION & BLOOD DONATION

Wesak is a very significant and auspicious day for Buddhists. It is a celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment as well as his passing away.

This year, Sungai Long Buddhist Society will once again celebrate Wesak at our centre on 5 May 2012 with a dhamma talk and blessings by a monk, followed by performances by our Sunday Dhamma School children and a dana.

Venerable Sumedha, our invited monk for this year, is from Sri Lanka and speaks well in English. He is currently attending a counseling course at the HELP institute. As such, we expect quite an interesting and insightful dhamma talk from him.

Therefore, we joyously invite you and your family to join us at the centre to participate in the celebration of Wesak on 5 May 2012. Attached is a copy of the programme for that day.

wesak program flyers

May the blessings of the Triple Gems be upon you.

With metta,

Mr. Yong Choon Huat

President

Sg. Long Buddhist Society

Here is a list of his schedule:

EVENT 1: Dhamma Talk @ BGF
Date: 28 Apr 2012 (Sat)
Time: 8.30pm – 10pm
Venue: BGF Centre PJ

EVENT 2: BYND – Buddhist Youth Networking Day (Youths Age 16 – 25)
THEME: Buddhist Wisdom That Works for You
Date: 29 Apr 2012 (Sun)
Time: 9am – 5pm
Venue: Shah Alam Buddhist Society (SABS), Bukit Rimau Selangor
Location Map: http://www.sabs.org.my/en/pages/contact-us.php
Registration Required: http://bynd2012.eventbrite.com/

EVENT 3: Dont Worry Be Happy – A Night to Remember 2012 Dinner Talk & Fund Raising for BGF New Centre
Date: 29 Apr 2012 (Sun)
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Venue: HGH Convention Hall Sentul Kuala Lumpur
Location Map: http://www.hghconvention.com/location.html
Tickets per TABLE at RM1200, RM2000, RM3000 & RM5000
Further Details: http://www.bgf.org.my/index.php?29-apr-2012-dont-worry-be-happy-a-night-to-remember-2012-charity-dinner-talk-by-ajahn-brahm

EVENT 4: PUBLIC SEMINAR – The Meaning of Life, Service, Love, Fullfilment
Date: 1 May 2012
Time: 9am – 5pm
Venue: Sunway University Auditorium, Subang Jaya Selangor
Location Map: http://sunway.edu.my/university/contact/map
Registration Required: http://abps2012.eventbrite.com/

EVENT 5: Dhamma Talk @ SABS
Date: 1 May 2012 (Tue) Time: 8pm – 10pm
Venue: Shah Alam Buddhist Society (SABS), Bukit Rimau Selangor

Venerable will be in Sg. Long Buddhist Society on 20 and 27th April (Fridays, 8pm – 10pm) for dhamma sharing. All are welcome.

Below is Venerable’s dhamma full schedule in KL, PJ and Malacca. Please click on image to view.

Dated: March 1th, 2012

BY ORDER OF THE COMMITTEE

Secretary

Download AGM report here

Student : Yes, sir. Apart from my timed sittings, I have also been trying to be aware of the times when I feel happy, sad or angry.

Teacher : And have you been successful?

Student : Not really. There are times when it takes me days before I realized that I am feelinghappy or sad. But there were also times when I was able to catch it almost immediately.

Teacher : When mindfulness is strong, you will be able to notice the change in your moods quickly. When mindfulness is weak, you may not even realize that you are being made a fool by your emotions.

Student : What is mindfulness?

Teacher : The very instance that your mind becomes aware about a change in its state (eg. from happy to sad), that is the moment you have mindfulness. The moment that you “know” is when you are mindful.

Student : So, it is the moment when I know that my mind has drifted from my breath to a thought. Or the moment when I know I am feeling happy or sad. Correct?

Teacher : Yes. That is correct.

Student : I have another question. Sometimes when I try to sit in meditation, I get a lot of aches and pains, especially in my legs and my back. When that happens, I find it hard to concentrate.

Teacher : When there are aches, is the mind calm or agitated?

Student : Oh…It is agitated, for sure!

Teacher : If it is agitated, is there suffering?

Student : There is suffering.

Teacher : If that is the case, then you should make the effort to observe the mind when it is in a state of agitation and be aware that “this is suffering”.

Student : Okay. But, sir, just being aware about the pains does not solve my aches. In fact, it seems to be getting worse because I’m so fixated by it.

Teacher : Being aware is always the first step. Now, tell me what will ease your suffering.

Student : A change in position, sir.

Teacher : Then, on knowing that a change in position will relieve suffering, you should mindfully change positions.

Student : Ahhh…

Teacher : Now that you have shifted, is there still pain?

Student : No, sir. The change in positions has eased the pain.

Teacher : When there is no pain, is the mind calm or agitated?

Student : It is calm.

Teacher : When it is calm, is there suffering or not?

Student : There is no suffering.

Teacher : Very good. You have just experienced suffering and the release from suffering.

Student : Does that mean every time my leg aches, I can shift positions?

Teacher : Only after you make yourself aware of it.

Student : Okay.

Teacher : Most times, we are not aware of when we are scratching to relieve an itch, or shifting our sitting positions to relieve an ache. In fact, many are not even aware about their in and out breaths. Meditation aims to make you more aware of your own body. When you are eating, know that you are eating, when you are breathing, know that you are breathing. When you can understand your own mind, you can understand your environment.

Exercise:

Try to observe your breaths to see if you fall asleep on your in-breath or out-breath.

The society will also be making offerings to Bhante Sumedha as a way of sponsoring his master courses.

With Metta,

Committee

In order not to disrupt our weekly Wednesday puja and meditation practices, the committee has agreed to arrange for at least one committee member to open up the centre and continue with the weekly puja and meditation practices when I am not available.

This means that our weekly puja and meditation sessions will continue as usual every Wednesday at 8pm at the centre.

On those days when I am not present, one committee member will lead the puja, after which everyone practices meditation quietly on his or her own. On the second and fourth Wednesdays, when I am present, I will continue to lead the puja and give guided instructions on the meditation.

Our weekly puja and meditation will resume as usual after the Chinese New Year holidays. There will be no puja and meditation sessions in January.

With metta,

Dr. Ong

“I do not see even a single kind of form from the change and alteration of which there would not arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair in one who lusts for it and takes delight in it!”

The same is true of all transient feeling, perception, mental construction=intention & sorts of consciousness! If we tenaciously cling to any of them, then we suffer, when they decay!

This passage clearly states, that suffering arises from the attachment to form, not because the form is impermanent, but because we are attached to impermanent form.

When we attain full enlightenment, we do not suffer! This happens not because we make any impermanent things now everlasting!

This happens only because we release our clinging to all impermanent things.

Impermanent phenomena continue to be impermanent, whether we ever gain enlightenment or not. As the blessed Buddha also has explained exactly: ”Bhikkhus, whether Tathāgatas appear or do not appear, there is always this constantly established element of Dhamma, this fixed law of Dhamma: All that is conditioned and constructed is impermanent. To this a Tathāgata fully awakens and fully understands. So awakened and thus understanding, he announces, points it out, declares, establishes, expounds, and explains it, classifies and clarifies it: All that is conditioned is actually impermanent…
Bhikkhus, whether Tathāgatas appear or do not appear, there is always this precedent condition and absolute of Dhamma, this anchored law of Dhamma: All that is conditioned and constructed is unsatisfactory, & thus suffering!

To this a Tathāgata fully awakens and fully understands. So awakened and thus understanding, he announces, points out, declares, establishes, explains, and clarifies it: All that is conditioned and constructed is indeed Suffering!

Bhikkhus, whether Tathāgatas appear or do not appear, there is always this situation present, a subtle truth of Dhamma, this safe doctrine of Dhamma: All states are without a self! To this fact anyTathāgata fully awakens and fully understands. So awakened and understanding, he announces, points out, declares, establishes, explains, and clarifies it: All states are without self!” - Anguttara Nikāya I 285

By seeing the impermanence, suffering & selflessness thus in all conditioned things in this and any other world, one naturally becomes disenchanted with everything constructed. Disenchantment leads to disillusion and dispassion towards everything. Within a dispassionate mind craving for everything will gradually fade away (virāga). With this insight one lets go of all attachment.

Being dispassionate, one thereby liberates oneself from all this evil misery… Being liberated, one knows that one is liberated, has ended rebirth, has lived the Noble life, has done what should be done, and that there is nothing more to be done! This means that attaining full freedom from all suffering indeed begins with this very perfect and acute awareness of impermanence…!

Bhante Gunaratana

Instead of the weekly Wednesday puja and meditation, we will now be having puja and meditation on the second and fourth Wednesday only, starting as usual at 8pm at the centre.

In addition, there will be no puja and meditation sessions in January 2012. We will begin the puja and meditation in February, after the Chinese New Year holidays.

I apologize for any inconvenience caused by these changes.