Channa Sutta

“I helped the Buddha to become the Buddha, therefore this Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha is my Buddha, my Dhamma and my Sangha” thought Venerable Channa. This conceited thought had caused this Venerable to have no respect for the other monks during the Buddha’s time.

In tonight Dhamma talk at BMBMC, Sayadaw U Vimalacarabhivamsa explained the situation faced by Venerable Chanda as mentioned in the Channa Sutta [see link for further more detail]
After the demise of the Buddha, Venerable Channa who was isolated from the other monks began to feel bored. Venerable Channa decided to proceed to a gathering of elder monks and requested them to give him a Dhamma talk.

Fearing that Venerable Channa will blame them and every other things of suffering, the elders decided to teach him that Rupa, Vedana, Sanna, Sankhara and Vinnana are impermanent and non-self only.

Venerable Channa is a good meditator but he has wrong views in related to self as he believes in there exist a self or ego and also there is no existence after this life.

Not satisfied and with doubt, Venerable Channa decided to seek Venerable Ananda for advice. Venerable Ananda who is endured with wisdom and foresight, expounded the Paticca Samupada to Venerable Channa. Paticca Samupada which tenets is based on Cause and Effect and the cessation of the cause resulted in the cessation of effect is able to eradicate the wrong views as being held by Venerable Channa.

Realising the meaning of the Dhamma explained by Venerable Ananda, Venerable Channa is able to attain to the First stage of Sainthood.

Sayadaw U Vimala hoped that tonight Dhamma talk will encourages members of BMBMC to try to achieve the first stage of Sainthood and not to have wrong views such as Sakayaditthi and  Uccheda ditthi.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Vassa Begins Today

Sayadaw U Vimalacarabhimvasa giving a short Dhamma talk

Tonight both Amy and I attended the invitation to enter the Vassa ceremony at BMBMC. This year, Sayadaw U Vimalacarabhivamsa had accepted BMBMC invitation to enter Sayadaw’s 34th Vassa at the centre.  

Paying respect to the Triple Gem

In the shoirt Dhamma talk, Sayadaw advises us to constantly practise what was taught to us by the Buddha, namely to practise Dana, Sila and Bhavana. If we do not practise these three things, said Sayadaw, then we will not perform them.

Consequently, it will then lead us further down into suffering. However, if we had keep up with the practises, then eventually we will succeed in our quest to achieve our goal in eradication of the kilesa and realised Nibbana.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

The arrival of Sayadaw U Vimala

Amy and I were at BMBMC to receive Sayadaw U Vimala who had accepted the invitation to reside at BMBMC for this year Vassa. It was raining heavily and Sayadaw arrived at BMBMC at about 8 pm.

I am glad to see Sayadaw in good health.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Visit to Dhamma Rain Santuary, Bagan Serai

Both Amy and I followed BMBMC members to Bagan Serai to witness the handling of keys to kuti of Dhamma Rain Santuary at Bagan Serai. 
Led by Uncle Lim, we travelled by two cars, one driven by Peter and the other by me. Amy, Bro Chai Keang and Bro Teoh are my passengers.
We arrived at the Santuary at 10 am after a fulfilling breakfast stop at Sg Bakap Chai Kuay restaurant.
Bhante Kusala was about to be invited to begin the occasion, what a timing it is. After the key-handling over ceremony, we take a peep at the kuti.
Then there is a Dhamma talk by Bhante Kusala about the benefit of dana and tranference of merit with Bhante using the example of Venerable Anuruddha.
A Dana was performed and we of course stayed for the lunch.

Respecting to the Buddha

"Buddhists respect the Buddha and we bow to the Buddha image," said Bro. Foong in tonight Dhamma talk at BMBMC, "But to what degree do we respect the Buddha?"

During the Buddha's time in Rajagaha, a group of brahmins were discussing the respect gained by teachers of 7 different sects including Buddha's. All of them agreed that 6 of the teachers of the sects do not command any respect from their followers because they had observed that their disciples questioned the authorities of their teachers or found that the teaching of their teachers is inadequate. They declared that the Buddha's disciples did not did dishonoured the Buddha. On contrary, they had respected the Buddha and listened with earnest the Teaching of the Buddha.

When asked by the Buddha on what are the reason His disciples respected him, one of the brahmins replied that it could be due to the fact that the Buddha only partake very little food, not fussy with his robes, stayed in any types of shelter, always go for alms and prefered a secluded solitary life.
These reasons were refuted by the Buddha.

Then the Buddha explained that the reasons why He commanded the utmost respect from His disciples.
They are

1.  The Buddha holds the Highest Sila in the speech, action and thought at all time
2. The Buddha command the Highest Knowledge and Vision
3. The Buddha has Supreme Wisdom
4. The Buddha had explained the Four Noble Truth clearly and comprehensively
5. The Buddha is able to teach and guide His disciples in the 37 Factors of Enlightenment.

These are the reasons why Buddhists should realised when we respect the Buddha even though at this present time is only the Buddha's image.

It had been a very interesting one and a half hour talk (in Hokkien/Mandarin/English) Dhamma talk shared with us by Bro Foong.

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu

Train to catch

Out thought moments are like the train moving in high speed and we have a race to catch this train, said Bhante Jinnadatta in tonight Dhamma talk at BM Buddhist Meditation Centre. 

"Can we catch this train?" asked Bhante, "The answer is Yes but only with Mindfulness or Sati. Only with Sati, can we then catch up with this train of thoughts. But we must catch it and we have to be strong to hold on this train because if we are weak, then we will be swerved by it. Here, samadhi come in as samadhi gives us the stability to hold on to our thought.

Interesting simile and very informative. That is always the case when Bhante Jinnadatta share with us his interpretation of the Buddha Dhamma - only that Bhante speaks in Hokkien/Mandarin which I had a problem understanding some of what he said.

Our mind is conditioned, our thoughts are linked with one another - hence we have a train of thoughts. When a object touches the sense-door and contact arises. But due to ignorance, this contact will lead to the arisen of vedana or feeling and so forth. Worry, lamentation, complaint and bias developed in our mind.

We refused to note the sense objects as it is but we "calculated and compare" the object with our background ideas. Hence here lies the conditioned mind.

Only by mindfully watching the mind can we then see the real nature of things.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Wat Pin Ban Onn visit

Today both Amy and I visited Wat Pin Ban Onn at Jalan Masjid Negeri. It is the first time Amy had been to this wat.

Then we proceed to MBMC for lunch dana

Taking refuge part 2

In continuing with last week Dhamma Talk, Sayadaw U Sumana added that taking refuge by means of paying homage should be done with faith and understanding.

Sayadaw pointed out that there are four type of paying homage, namely

1. Paying homage to a person because he is your relative or someone related to you or elders
2. Paying homage due to fear or order by the law or regulation
3. Paying homage to a teacher or someone that hold that position 
• [these three type of paying homage will not be the form of taking refuge as it is not done with understanding]
4. Paying homage due to the understanding of the attribute of that person

The  forth type is what taking refuge should be. Sayadaw said that by paying homage one had to remember the 9 attributes of the Buddha. Similarly, the attributes of the Dhamma and the Sangha

Therefore, Sayadaw advises members of BMBMC to take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha systematically so that this action will be beneficial to us such as protection and safety to us.

Incidentally, tonight Dhamma talk will the last one for the year 2010 for Sayadaw U Sumana  at BMBMC.

Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu

Taking refuge systematically

Buddhists take refuge to the Triple Gems but do you do it systematically? asked Sayadaw U Sumana in tonight Dhamma Talk at BM Buddhist Meditation Centre.

According to the late Sayadaw U Silananda, there are many ways one takes refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Sayadaw U Sumana will share with us the ways one takes refuge in the Triple Gem from the writings of the late Sayadaw U Silananda

There are two types of way on taking refuge, namely

1. the supramundane way in which when one had attained the Enlightenment, the refuge of a Noble person in the Triple Gem is unshakeable, and 
2. the mundane way

Accordingly, there are four mundane ways which will be dealt with in tonight talk. They are

1. By surrendering oneself to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha - this can be shown in how Angulimala surrendered himself to the Buddha and follow the Buddha 
2. By considering the Triple Gem as supreme resort - this can be shown by Pattacari who had lost all her kin but after listening to the Buddha's word, she had taken refuge in the Triple Gem
3. By assuming one as the pupil of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and hence shows great respect to the Triple Gem
4. By paying homage to the Triple Gem