Six Animals Tied to A Pole

Tonight Dhamma talk by Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa is about how one can guard the six senses. This talk is based on Ayatana Sutta (further detail please see ayatana) mentioned by the Buddha. Sayadaw described the six senses in ourselves as likened to six animals, namely the snake, the crocodile, bird, dog, fox and monkey.
Our eyes are like the snake always try to get to its mount where lots of complicated things can be seen. The crocodile is our ears, wanting to submerge in the sound like the croc in the pond.
Our nose is the bird that want to fly to the air, wanting to smell the things in the air. The dog and the fox are our tongue and body respectively. The dog likes to go to the kitchen in for nice food just like our tongue and the fox to the cemetery to eat and to lie down just like our body that want to feel good things and later take a rest.
The monkey is the best representation of our mind - always jumping from one thing to another.
These animals are tied together in a knot of ignorance and when they do, each one of them will try to go to their respective goal, thus pulling the other five along. Usually the one that is most powerful at that moment will overpowered the rest and pull the others along. But the six of them will always compete with one another.
Only through Vipassana meditation that one can controlled these six animals. A yogi in meditation will tied these six animals to a pole thus quietened them by observing each one of them. Sayadaw advised the yogi to try to do this so that during the retreat, the six senses of ours will be controlled and noted. This will helped a yogi to progress further in his meditation.
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu

One Day Retreat at BMBMC

Just complete my first one-day retreat from 6 June at BMBMC with Amy. We signed in on the 5th and ends on the morning 7th of June. BMBMC conducted a 10-day retreat under the auspicious guidance of Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa.
Since it is our first time going to retreat, we are very. enthusiatic with it. Happy and hoping to do a lot on the first day.
But alas, the mind is wonderful. What you want you do not necessarily get. So, what can I say, the retreat is suffering to me. Due to the huge amount of energy, I did not get enough sleep. This brought to a dull mind. So every time I try to do sitting meditation, what I get is dream. Yes dream is like watching tv in front of you. Pictures of dramatic scenario played in front of you before you know it.
Pain, whoa, teribble. It comes and it never goes away. With a dull mind, what can one observe but only to endure it. That too is too much for me. For a usual period of 30 to an hour sitting, I can only sit for not more than 15 minutes.
Good thing about this is that I learn something in walking mediation. I find that walking mediation to be interesting. Now I learn how to do walking meditation, at least the three stages one. It is by doing walking meditation that keep me going in this retreat.
Amy also find that sleepiness affected her meditation. Both of us are tired, fatigue and a lot of aching all over the body.
Sleep for almost 7 hours today, only to wake up to eat lunch. For a day of just sitting and walking, it looks like we had gone hiking for days. So who says meditating is easy. It never will but it is the way is we as Buddhists need to do.
Want to try again? Amy says she will think about it. Any way sadhu to both of us, now we had the experience of going to retreat. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu

Satipatthana Sutta

Tonight talk given by Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa is about Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta which is very useful to the yogis that are doing their first day retreat at BMBMC. Sayadaw pointed out that in this Sutta, the Lord Buddha had mentioned a village named Kammasadhamma where eveyone do Satipatthana meditation. Sayadaw equated BMBMC with this village as in the conditions mentioned in the Sutta. I think Sayadaw wants to tell us in BMBMC to practise meditation as what were done by the villagers. Sayadaw further mentioned about how the villagers taught a parrot how to meditate. The parrot was taught to be aware of bone, group of bones. The story goes that one day a hawk catched the parrot but was rescued by a Samaneri. When asked the parrot said that it was meditating during the time it was caught by the hawk. It was meditating a group of large bones catching a group of small bones. That is interesting

Vipassana Meditation Retreat

Tonight marks the beginning of 10-days Vipassana Meditation Retreat at BM Buddhist Meditation Centre conducted by Ven. Sayadaw U Ukkhamsa. In the talk directed to the yogis, Sayadaw pointed out the ways to meditate such as sitting and walking meditation. Sayadaw urges the yogis to maintain constant mindfulness at all time in all activities during their retreat at the centre. Sadhu to the yogis.

Happy Wesak 2009

Today Amy and I celebrated Happy Wesak Day at BM Buddhist Meditation Centre. We arrived at BMBMC at 10.00 am. Amy cooked for Dana. Sayadaw U Sumana gave a talk on the 8Lokadhamma (but I was not listening as our "Robes-offering stall" is highly famous today. Beside the Sayadaw, we are honoured to have invited another Bhante for the dana. Tonight there will be a chanting session as today is the 15th day and a Dhamma talk by Sayadaw. Yesterday (the eve of Wesak) we also had listened to a Dhamma talk by Sayalay.

More pictures of Wat Siam Olak Maju

A visit to Wat Siam Olak Maju

Today both Fu Fung and I followed BMBMC members for a visit to Wat Siam Olak Maju in Sedim Kiri, Kedah about 10 minutes drive from Padang Serai. We started from BM at about 1:30 pm and reaches the temple at 3 pm. There we were joined by 3 car-loads of BMBMC members who either arrived earlier or were following us (in Ah Hooi's car).
We paid our respect to the residence monk and also Ajahn Shanti.
Ajahn Shanti is kind enough to take us on a tour of the temple. The original temple was an old one with one dipilated shrine hall and monk quarter (we notice a date of 1950 on one of the cement tank)
Most of the buildings are newly constructed. Some in the midst of construction. There are 8 monks in the temple. A beautiful Sima Hall and a big monk quarter of about 15 rooms were already completed.
Ajahn also shows us the dining hall which cost about RM85,000. It has a massive dining space that some of the member says will take a person an hour to mop the floor.
Another interesting feature is a very unique herbal spa that were used by the surrounding residents.

Some people were seen filling up 4 massive water tanks for tomorrow Songhla fesitival.
We left the temple and arrived at BMBMC at about 5 pm.