29/5/2014

Pali text translation.
Vinaya. Mahavagga. Chapter one, parts of...

This is one of the books in the basket of discipline. Chapter one is quite long, talking about the events after the awakening of the Buddha.

After enlightenment, the Buddha went from tree to tree, staying cross legged for 7 days at each place, enjoying the bliss of liberation. In the first week, he contemplated on dependent origination. In the second week, a brahmin whose practice is to say hum asked the Buddha on what is a Brahmin, and got an answer that the Brahmin. Is not one who says hum, but one who cast out evil.

The third week, there was a great storm that lasted for a week. The serpent king came out of his meditation, coiled around the Buddha 7 times, and spread its hood over Buddha's head, determined to shelter him from cold and heat.

The fourth week, two merchants were advised by their deva relatives to offer barley gruel and honey ball to the Buddha, for their blessing and happiness for a long time. When they offered, the Buddha says that the Tathagatha does not receive with hands. The 4 deva kjngs, having known this, send bowls to the Buddha. The Buddha received bowls made of rock crystals from 4 directions from the 4 deva kings. Thus the Buddha received the food and partook it. The two merchants then took refuge in the Buddha and Dhamma and became the first lay followers of the Buddha.

On the fifth week, the Buddha was reflecting that the Dhamma he had realised is subtle, hard to realise and understand. To teach it would be tiring to him, bringing vexation. To be continued....

I have read the chapter in Sylvia Bay's book in between the lines, an analytical appreciation of the Buddha's life that described the period after Buddha enlightenment and before the first sermon. She contrasted the popular Theravada account of the period with what is said in the Sutta and Vinaya. The Theravada account has 7 weeks, of which a lot of events like staring at the Bodhi tree for a week, walking on a jeweled bridge, contemplating on Abhidhamma, and the three Mara daughters were not found in the Canon. Thus, this remind us to look beyond what we were told and to not attach to even the words of Dhamma, but to practice non attachment in daily life.

Poh Ming Tse- Bodhicitta M.U.S.I.C programme batch 2 graduation ceremony

On 28th May 2014, Wednesday, a new batch of MUSICians has been born out of the collaboration between PMT and Bodhicitta.

PMT is a quite an old temple in Singapore, but has gotten a new modern looking building in 2009. Since then, Poh Ming Tse has been nonsectarian, allowing any Buddhist groups to rent their place for an event or class. Many classes are held there from all three traditions. Due to it's dedicated and super good committee members, staff and patron, PMT is open enough to make a collaboration with Bodhicitta.

Bodhicitta is a music band formed in 1997, inspired by the Dhamma, since then over 100,000 albums they as produced has been circulated. Their music style is smoothing, and they are nonsectarian, they sing songs based on any of the three traditions. They were looking for young talented Buddhist musicians to train and keep Buddhist music alive and has been in talks with many temples before PMT.

In 2012, the temple and the music band has formed their collaboration and decided to train a selected group of students with interviews to train every week, starting 2013.

Now it's 2014 and the second batch of their first of three modules has just graduated from 10 weeks of weekly Wednesday training. M.U.S.I.C. captures the aim of the MUSICians group. Motivate and Unite the practice of the Dhamma. Smooth the mind, Inspire and Care.

Personally, I know a lot of the batch one and not so many of the batch 2 people. I usually go to these music events as a karaoke session, singing with them. You see I have a large collection of Buddhist songs totalling almost 24 hours of playtime and I played them over and over again during my uni days. I believe I have two of the Bodhicitta albums. So I am quite familiar with their songs. These are nice stress out sessions for me.

Now for the structure, the songs are in many languages, with the session conducted in English, with Chinese translation. The opening puja song was in Pali, then there are English songs, Tibetan Matra songs, Chinese songs were featured too.

The programme trains them in using their musical skills to conduct a Buddhist activity using songs. There are also vocal trainings for the students. After graduation, they have a commitment to fulfill a certain hours of song presentations in PMT and their own Buddhist society. The batch one had presented in concerts, conferences and weddings in addition to the current monthly Sunday service with songs and Dhamma talk in PMT.

The style of their Buddhist music is to use music to allow the Dhamma to sink into people's heart. Thus it is very suitable to bring beginners or your free thinker friends to come and join in their performances. Some songs can even be a guide to relaxation and meditation. Some can lift the spirits up and motivate the listeners. It's also a very suitable place for those who can't learn Buddhism well from sutta readings to learn the Dhamma from the lyrics, tone of the songs, presentation, and the mind of the Buddhist songs leaders. Or if you just like Music, this can be the door for you to enter into the Dhamma.

Here's to greater heights and wider reach of the MUSICians!

Temple Explorers Singapore

I recently (a few weeks ago) created a group on facebook called "Temple Explorers Singapore".

Here's the about on the page:

 Hi all, I'm Ng Xin Zhao and I'm currently exploring the temples in Singapore, so I might as well invite my spiritual friends along the tour. You can see each week having at least one temple. (On average) I'm looking forward to new temples that I haven't been to.

 This group is meant for those who wishes to explore more of Singapore's Buddhist Temples and Organisations. As such, almost every weekend there will be visits to Temples and Organisations in Singapore.

 The activities are mainly to join in the existing events and activities of other organisations and temples to find out if it is suitable for us. Temple tour is optional and secondary to getting the feel of the atmosphere.

 Why should you join in the ride?

 If you only know a few or one Buddhist Society or Organisation or temple, and wish to open up your border of knowledge and unstated assumptions,

 If you wish to explore other temples but don't have friends to come with you,

 If you wish to introduce your own temple to your friends, If you wish to understand other traditions of Buddhism,

 If you wish to just hanging around good and kind friends,

 If you wish to score well in the next Om quest, 

If you wish to be the next Buddhist leaders of Singapore,

 You know this group is for you!

 Of course, if you stumble upon a temple you like, you can feel free to become a regular there! No need to follow in this nomadic existence.

 If you're an existing Buddhist Committee, do carry on your work and not join this if it clashes with your own activities. We may join you later on. However, if you want to know more about how others run their activities and events first hand, then do come and join in.

 If you are totally new to Buddhism, please note that some of these tours will go to places that are not exactly beginner friendly.

 Especially do take note of the language used for a particular event.

 Ground rules:
1. Everyone of all religions are invited.
2. Travelling fee are individual responsibilities.
3. No clashing of events timing.
4. Everyone who comes along should keep an open mind to learn for themselves.

 This is because I'm in the exploring stage, having emerged from the cocoon of NUSBS, and although I represented NUSBS to visit a lot of temples and places, and I've started the idea of inviting lots of different Buddhist Organisations and Temples to Dana Lunch of NUSBS, I do think that visiting and joining in their activities is the one thing that a lot of people who's starting out in Buddhism might encounter. Well, some people started with a temple/Organisation, and then stick to it for most of their life. So if they join in this one, it's an opportunity to get to know other ways of approaching the Dharma and to expose themselves to various different stuffs.

 Anyway, so far the activities that I've been to are:

•  Mangala Vihara Temple Visit Saturday, July 14, 2012 at 10:50am To register myself for the Diploma at Buddhist and Pali College Singapore http://www.mangalavihara.org.sg/Buddhist%20and%20Pali%20College/Diploma.html 
•  Retracing buddha's footsteps Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 7:30pm This is one course I'm going currently, at 4/10 session now. 
•  Abhidhamma class by Sayalay Susila Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 2:00pm One example of an event that happens to happen around that time. 
•  Buddhism and Science Symposium IV “Growi... Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 8:30am This one is part of my interest in Science and Buddhism, but this time's topic is getting very far from Physics and Buddhism, it's more of Education, so didn't sparked my interest much. And only at the last event above was there some more people joining in. 

Well, in the following future events, more and more people are joining in too!

•  Pa-Auk Meditation Outing: Fort Canning Sunday at 6:00pm Once a month thing that I'm thinking of committing too. 
•  NUS Tzu Ching Welcome Tea! Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 7:00pm Joining in Tzu Chi as a member soon! 
•  NUSBS Welcome Tea Friday, August 17, 2012 at 6:00pm Of course, my alma mater. I'm joining in more NUSBS activites too but not all are suitable to be advertised out. Like the Camp Ehi Passiko for freshmen tomorrow. 
•  Camp Lions Workshop: The Making of a Bud... Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 8:45am Regrettably, I forgot that I'm going back to Malaysia this weekend. But it does give awareness to the people in the group about this good leadership training thing. 
•  Joy of Living Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 9:00am $50 class, not one I would go during my time as a student. But well, now I'm exploring! Including this style of meditation!
•  VISUDDHI MAGGA CLASSES Sunday, September 16, 2012 at 6:00pm I'm pretty interested in this one, haven't got the chance to read this difficult book, which apparently needs a class to teach it! 
• Dandelion Dharma & Tulku Films, T.H.I.S.... Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 3:15pm Part of the few films I'm planning to watch at the Thus Have I Seen Film Festival! I think calling might be more effective to ask people out in this one. 

 Some other events are closed to the public but not for the people who are regulars at the temples.. I'm joining these too. Well, after the Diploma Classes started at Mangala Vihara in October, my Sundays will be restricted. And I'm planning for Postgraduate Diploma Class at Buddhist Library too! By then I'll be tied down and considered settled down. So unless the momentum for the group keeps growing, and I can appoint a successor who's in the exploring stage, the group's going down within half a year. Are you the one I'm looking for? Go to :https://www.facebook.com/groups/395157920531963/ to find the group and join in! I'll approve anyone.