3G-GRATITUDE: Card Game For Cultivating Happiness

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Tim

It’s gives me great joy to announce that KL Buddhist Mental Health Association (BMHA) is launching its first product, the “3G-GRATITUDE: Card Game For Happiness Workout.” This product is specially designed to cultivate gratitude & contentment for mental health & happiness in life. The ‘mind-gym’ game is based on ancient Buddhist wisdom & state-of-the-art research in positive psychology.

For a preview of the cards:
http://www.slide.com/r/HnZFb5Gh6T-xR6K9HbdQCGjiUCuD-9Sa

How to play the game?

1. There are 50 cards to guide you to recall the various things that you can be thankful for in life. Randomly pick a card from the 50 selections

2. Try to recall something that has happened today, recently, or a long time ago that matches the description in the card. For example, “Be GRATEFUL to Some-Body who has contributed to who you are today.” I will think of my previous school teacher who was kind to me

3. Try to be specific and elaborate on what we are grateful for in life. You can play this game in a group, and share your gratefulness with others. The joy of gratitude will multiply as we share it with others

4. Repeat step no 1 with another card. It’s OK if you are unable to recall anything that matches the description in a card. Just move on to another card. Practice this regularly, e.g. once a day before going off to sleep at night

5. As you move on with your daily life, try to count your blessings, and constantly look out for things to be grateful for as reminded in the cards

Besides for psycho-spiritual education, BMHA is selling the 3G products for fundraising to support its activities. You may support BMHA by purchasing the entire set of 3G cards, mug, T-shirt & bookmark at RM100 per set during our 3G talks. Come early as we only have about 100 sets.

Educational & promotional talks on 3G-GRATITUDE will be carried out on the following dates:

13th November, 2011 – Utama Bodhi Vihara, 9am
26th November, 2011 – Sentul Buddhist Temple, 2pm
25th December, 2011 – Nalanda Buddhist Society, 9am

Kindly let me know if your Buddhist centre wishes to organize a talk related to the above…016 396 9080

Mudita,

Dr. Phang Cheng Kar
President
KLBMHA

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Bro. Jeff Oliver Dhamma Tour in November 2011

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Tim

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Dhamma,

Sukhi Hotu! Kindly find the following Dhamma talk schedules for Bro Jeff Oliver’s tour to Malaysia. Kindly help to share with all friends, family members and anyone that may benefit from these sessions.

Date: 15th Nov 2011 (Tuesday)
Venue: Setenang, Damai Utama Puchong.
Time: 800pm
Topic: “Being here and now”
Past is gone, future won’t come, the present is all we can experience. Do we really understand this and how does it change our lives?
Contact: Bro. Jerry Khoo (012-6211098)

Date: 16th Nov 2011 (Wednesday)
Venue: SJBA, Subang Jaya.
Time: 800pm
Topic: “The Practice of Wisdom”
We have concentration meditation, mindfulness/insight meditation, many types of meditation… What about Wisdom Meditation?
Contact: SJBA Office (Sis Lily at 03-56315299)

Date: 17th Nov 2011 (Thursday)
Venue: Monfort Boys Town, Shah Alam
Time: 730pm
Topic: “Managing Stress and Being Successful”
#Special session for Monfort Boys Town students.

Date: 18th & 19 Nov 2011 (Friday & Saturday)
Venue: Jitra Buddhist Association/Perlis Buddhist Society
Time: 800pm (nightly)
Topics:

“Intentions and Expectations”
These are two very common mental states in our daily life. With awareness of these two, we may learn the nature of the mind and experience freedom from samsara, freedom from suffering.

“Forgiveness as a Way of Life”
Forgiveness isn’t something you do in a temple or sitting cross-legged on the floor, it is an attitude and a way of lif
Contact : Bro. Lim Tai Eng (012-4942353)

Date: 21st Nov 2011 (Monday)
Venue: Metta Lodge Buddhist Society, Johor Bahru.
Time: 800pm
Topic: “The Practice of Wisdom”
We have concentration meditation, mindfulness/insight meditation, many types of meditation… What about Wisdom Meditation?
Contact: Bro. Heng Chai Teet (016-7611666)

Date: 22nd Nov 2011 (Tuesday)
Venue: Kinrara Metta Buddhist Society, Puchong.
Time: 830pm
Topic: “How to purify Negative Kamma”
Contact: Sis. Julie Tan (016-2702120)

Date: 23rd Nov 2011 (Wednesday)
Venue: Nalanda Buddhist Society, Serdang.
Time: 830pm
Topic: “Forgiveness as a Way of Life”
Forgiveness isn’t something you do in a temple or sitting cross-legged on the floor, it is an attitude and a way
Contact: Nalanda Office (03-8948 8055)

Date: 24th Nov 2011 (Thursday)
Venue: BMSM Kajang, Kajang.
Time: 830pm
Topic:”Change your mind, change your life”
Create the life you want, find balance and harmony, live in peace no matter where you go or what you do, its all about attitude.
Contact: Bro Liew YL (0192748958)

Date: 25th Nov 2011 (Friday) Venue: SJBAYS – D’Lot, SS15 Subang Jaya.
Time: 830pm
Topic: “Practicing Dana in Our Daily Lives”
Contact: Sis Marilyn Teoh (017-3338033)
# Ideal for Buddhist Youths (aged 18yrs old – 30yrs old).

Date: 26th Nov 2011 (Saturday)
Venue: BMSM Youth Section – Buddhist Mahavihara (BMV)
Time: 830am – 500pm
Topic: “1-Day Buddhist Youth Workshop”
Contact: Bro. Mui Han (016-6822028)
# Open to all Buddhist Society members of Public & Private Universities and Colleges (limited pax)

Date: 27th Nov 2011 (Sunday)
Venue: Dhammaduta Youths (D2Y) – Buddhist Mahavihara (BMV)
Time: 200pm
Topic: “Being Street Smart Buddhist Youths”
Contact: Bro. Wei Wing (016-6781620)
# Ideal for Buddhist Youths & Teens (aged 16yrs old – 25yrs old).

Profile
Jeff Oliver is a dynamic and creative meditation teacher from Australia. He has been practicing vipassana (Awareness and Wisdom) meditation for about 19 years, eight of which he was ordained as a Buddhist Monk in the Burmese tradition. Jeff has shared practical life skills and ‘mind management’ in many areas of the world including Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe including Turkey.

Jeff’s teachings are based on both ancient and modern ways of mind training especially, such as appreciation, forgiveness, “metta” unconditional love, concentration, awareness and wisdom. Basically, Jeff is offering us a ‘toolbox’ of techniques to be used both in formal, intensive meditation and in any situation during our busy and complicated daily life. His style is open, approachable, friendly and gentle yet very effective for the modern seeker of truth.

Many thanks and kind regards,
MUI HAN

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November Movie: Amish Grace – How Forgiveness transcended Tragedy

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Tim
NOVEMBER MOVIE SCREENING

Title: Amish Grace
Date: 19 November 2011
Time: 8:00pm
Venue: SLBS Centre

Amish Grace is a movie based on the 2006 Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, Amish school shooting and the spirit of forgiveness the Amish community demonstrated in its aftermath. The movie stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tammy Blanchard, and Matt Letscher and is based on the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher.

Synopsis

When a group of Amish schoolgirls are taken hostage and killed in their classroom, their parents and the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, stun the outside world by immediately forgiving the killer. Ida Graber (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), mother of one of the murdered children, has a tougher time than the others accepting the tragedy, but in her anguish and pain, she begins a personal journey of renewed faith, ultimately accepting the heart-wrenching tragedy of losing a child; reconnecting with her husband (Matt Letscher), family, and community; offering forgiveness to the killer; and even showing kindness and compassion to the killer’s widow (Tammy Blanchard) and children – all in the form of Amish Grace.

A beautiful family movie about the power and healing effects of forgiveness. Suitable for all ages. All are welcome!

 

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A Reason, A Season or a Lifetime

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Tim

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
to provide you with guidance and support,
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met,
our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person and put what you have learned to use
in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life,
Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

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Old Age, Sickness and Death – The Divine Messengers

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Tim

In Pali, there is a passage
“I am subject to aging…………………
I am subject to sickness…………………..
I am subject to death………”

Those verses are chanted daily by monks and wise lay people.
In reality, Sickness is normal…………………….Death is normal…………old age is normal………….. It is part and parcel of Life.

Society however acts as if these things are not normal! Ajahn Brahm used to teach us that when we are Sick, we are Normal! For everyone gets sick, everyone falls ill! We pretend that aging, sickness and death don’t have a right to be there. They get in the way of our lives, plans, expectations and so forth. We act as though they have no business to upset our lives forgetting that they are in fact very much PARTS OF OUR LIVES! With that attitude we will suffer a lot, because these things inevitably come. They inevitably come, simply because they are normal

The most important training we can do is to prepare the mind for the inevitable. Continue reading →

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October inspirational movie: The Dhamma Brothers

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Tim

Date: 29 October 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 8pm – 10pm                                
Venue: Sg. Long Buddhist Society

“A wonderful, powerful, and unsentimental film about
incarcerated men getting below the surface of things. The freedom
and community they find sitting on meditation cushions in an
Alabama prison is a rare inspiration to all of us.” 
– Richard Gere

Donaldson Correctional Facility is situated in the Alabama countryside southwest of Birmingham. 1,500 men, considered the state’s most dangerous prisoners, live behind high security towers and a double row of barbed and electrical wire fences.

Within this dark environment, a spark was ignited. A growing network of men had been gathering to meditate on a regular basis. Intrigued by this, Jenny Phillips, cultural anthropologist and psychotherapist, first visited Donaldson Correctional Facility in the fall of 1999. She planned to observe the meditation classes facilitated by inmates and to interview the inmate meditators about their lives as prisoners. Continue reading →

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Joyful Living, Healthy Lifestyle

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Tim

Dear friends,

Greetings!

Aimed at promoting physical and mental well-being, Buddhist Community Alliance (BCA) is organizing a Health Programme from 10am to 4pm on 16 October 2011 (Sunday) at Nalanda Centre. This non-profit health event serves to create greater awareness on healthy living among the general public.

The Health Programme will highlight key health issues through public talks and an exhibition supported by Family Medicine Department of UKM Medical Centre (PPUKM) and the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The event also strives to educate the public about the associated health and risk behaviours that may influence the quality of life for children and adults in later years. Continue reading →

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The Buddhists’ Attitude towards Death

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Tim

This article is from a sharing by Dr. Wong Yin Onn to his Buddhist friends.

The early Buddhists followed the Indian custom of cremation. The Buddha’s body was cremated and this set the example for many Buddhists.

When someone is dying in a Buddhist home, monks and laypeople come to comfort them by chanting verses for them, and sharing the Dhamma. It is hoped that if the last thoughts of the patient are directed to Buddha and the Dhamma, taking refuge in the Triple Gems and Precepts, and recalling a virtuous life keeping the precepts, then the fruit of this meritorious act will bring good to the deceased in his/her new existence. The dying person must be put at ease from pain, and given a serene and familiar place to have a composed and calm mind. He and the family must be reassured that the wholesome acts done in the past will assure a good rebirth. He/she and the family must be counseled that Death is a natural process and merely a door to a new existence. Birth and Death are but 2 sides of a coin. Continue reading →

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September Movie Screening: Miracle

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Tim

Movie: Miracle

Date: 24 September 2011

Time: 8:30pm – 10:00pm

Venue: SLBS centre

Synopsis: Miracle tells the true story of Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Russian squad.

The show is listed as one of the top 3 inspirational sport movies. It shows how with vision, determination and courage, one can achieve the seemingly impossible dream.

This movie received the Best Sport Movie award in 2004.

Main cast: Kurt Russell
Movie time: 1.5 hour

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Buddhism A to Z

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Tim

There is a buddhist website that I am happy to share with you. It’s called Buddhism A to Z and its URL is at http://buddhisma2z.com

The purpose of this website is to offer concise and authentic information on Buddhist doctrine, the Buddhist perspective on various contemporary issues and subjects pertaining to Buddhism. Included are hundreds of authentic quotations from the sacred scriptures, each with references from the Pali Tipitaka, the oldest record of the Buddha’s teachings, and information about life in India during the Buddha’s time.

You can use the search tool to find the topic you are interested in, or you can browse the Alphabetical Index or Subject Index. There is also a guide to the Abbreviations.

Click here to check out this site.

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