A Dozen Dangers

Do you understands the Paticca Samuppada well? Ananda once told Lord Buddha that Paticca Samupada is easy to understand. The Buddha said that many beings do not yet understand Paticca Samupada. In tonight talk, Sayadaw U Vimala hope that BMBMC members can try to understand the Pattica Samupada as this talk is based on Mahnidna Sutta.

Why is it that we do not understand the Paticca Samuppada? Sayadaw asked, "It is because most of us tends to take things as pleasurable"

Tanha (craving) is the cause that will lead to Upadana. Tanha arises because of upadaniya (object of tanha) that we always take as pleasurable. Once upadana (clinging) arises, then bhava (becoming) follows.

Bhava (becoming) leads to Kamma (action). Sayadaw pointed out that Kamma will be present all the time (only absent when we sleep). Even when we meditate, there is Kamma performed.
Then bhava causes jati (birth) to arise. When we have jati, then we will expect to have jara, maranam, soka, parideva, dukkha, domanassa and upayasa.

Sayadaw said that our samsara is long because we tends to take things as pleasurable. When we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, we observe their objects as pleasurable.

In Vipassana, Sayadaw said we have to observe things as unpleasant or danger or disadvantage. This is how we should practise. By doing this, we will eradicate tanha and if tanha is eradicate, then upadana, bhava, jati and jara-maranam-soka-parideva-dukkha-domanasa-upayasa will be eradicate. Then one will attained Nibbana.

Personally, I think it is not easy for one to maintain or even observe things as unpleasant. That is why we need to do vipassana bhavana. Bhavana will help one to observe these things as unpleasant.

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.

Graphics taken from these sites
http://files.myopera.com/Pesala/albums/144146/Dependent%20Origination.png
http://www.chromasia.com/images/sleeping_under_glass_b.jpg
http://www.buddha.sg/gif/general/meditation.gif

BMBMC Kathina Day Celebration 2009

Yesterday, Amy and I participated in the BMBMC Kathina Day Celebration. We arrived at the centre at about 7:30 am and there were already many people there.
Amy is in charged of the free-books distribution stall in which various titles of Dhamma books were distributed free. Some of the books were given to me by Inward Path Publisher which is a prominent Dhamma Books publisher in Penang.

For the second time, the Kathina Celebration commenced with a pindapatta session. This year we are fortunate to be able to invite 12 bhikkhus for the Kathina Day Celebration including our two residing Sayadaws.

Most of us at BMBMC were a little bit worried as the sky decided to open up just after 8.00 am. Probably due to the blessing and good intentions of the members of BMBMC, the rain stopped just before the pindapatta session is about to start.

A total number of 300 members lined up along the road leading away from the centre; each member was given a packet of rice (Amy brought hers from home) given free by the centre.

Led by Sayadaws, the sight of 12 bhikkhus, walking mindfully and patiently waiting for us to put our scoops of rice in the bowl was indeed an experience worth remembering.

After the pindapatta session, Sayadaw U Vimala gave a Dhamma talk. Unfortunately, I was unable to mindfully listen to it as a result of being given the responsibility of taking care of the robes offering ceremony.

With Amy able to man the book stall, I am fortunate this year to be able to help in the food offering ceremony. This year, the bhikkhus took their food from the buffet-long table as compared to being presented in trays as previously done.

While the bhikkhus were having their meal, our members and guests were also invited to help themselves with various types of food and fruits. This year, the quantity of food exceeds the consumption rate and most of the helpers managed to have their fill before the robes offering ceremony.

The robes-presentation ceremony went on smoothly.

After repacking and clearing up, about 20 of us went to Lunas Buddhist Hermitage sima hall to witness the proclaimation of the Kathina robe.

Purposely purpose

Why are you here today? asked Bhante Jinnadata. You must have a purpose to be here today for dana, said Bhante, But most of us feel funny about having a purpose to do good as it is culturally thought to be bad. In contrary, we must have an aim or motivation or cause in what ever we do, even the Buddha's former name has the word 'attha'.
So in performing any deeds, it is good for us to have aims that can be classified to be of

1. benefit for one self
2. benefit for others
3. benefit for both oneself and others

Now here, what degree of benefits should one aim for? Bhante Jinnadata pointed out that there are three types of benefit, namely

1. Benefit gained in this very life
2. Benefit gained in the next life
3. Benefit of Final good/excellence

Unfortunately, most of us have not encountered the benefit of the final good and thus, we keep on seeking the first two benefits. And we keep on seeking worldly things that we hope to be of permanence but they are impermanence (kaliko).

Why is it not permanence? Bhante said that what we seek had itself immersed in a temporal dimension. Time causes things to change, from past to present to future. This is continuous e.g today one may be good but in the future be bad, yesterday was mooncake festival, today if we were to celebrate mooncake festival it will be of no meaning as it had past its time.
So, only things not subjected to time is permanent and one and only one thing not subjected to time is NIBBANA.

Therefore, Bhante advised us to seek for the bliss of Nibbana by practising what our teacher, the Buddha had taught us. Seeking things that will changed will not give as any benefits. Our aim or goal should be to gain benefit of Final good that is 'akaliko'
Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.

Happy, Happy, Happy

Be happy why worry! So be happy is what most of us want, and in fact we had been trying to be happy. We think that we will be happy if we have big cars or houses, or have more money and so on, as mentioned by Sayadaw U Vimala in a pre-dana session talk this morning.

There are three types of happiness, namely, happiness of human, happiness of deva and happiness of Nibbana.

Sayadaw further explained that while we had been trying to obtain material things in our quest for happiness, many of us tend to forget that our Kamma does play an important factor here. For example, if one's Kamma enable one to be beautiful, one does not have to do much to beautify oneself.

However, for one who are not that fortunate due to Kammic forces, he/she will be disappointed if beauty is the criteria set for his/her happiness.
Sayadaw U Vimala further said that when one performs Dana with correct understanding, then in the future, one may gain the happiness of the deva. Moreover, if one were to cultivate one's mind to the fullest, one may gain Nibbanic happiness or bliss which is the ultimate happiness for one.

Happiness comes with harmony, and in a community, harmony among its member will ensure that the people in the community will be happy. This advice was given by Sayadaw as a guidance before our Kathina celebration committee/devotee meeting begins. A timely advice indeed.

Sayadaw further elaborates that there are two types of people not easily encountered, that are, namely (1) people with similar desires and (2) grateful people.

Two people cannot have similar desires, said Sayadaw. Even husband and wife ofter quarreled because of dissimilar or conflicting desires. In a temple committee with so many people, it is virtually impossible for everybody to have similar desires.

Then how can we be harmony? By trying to be the second type of people, said Sayadaw. We had to try to be grateful for the help rendered to us. For example, Sayadaw said that in BMBMC, the chairman had be very helpful to the secretary and hence, the secretary must be grateful to the chairman.

This is true also in reverse. By doing that, we can then create a harmonious environment with each other, seeing other in a loving-kindness eye. Happiness can then be achieved by us.

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.

Seven versus five

What do you do when you see a beautiful girl? Hah! Most of us will think about her, think and think. For some, this might even lead to inability to sleep and fell sick (love sick as some may call it).

However, Sayadaw U Vimala called it the arising of sensual desire (kāmacchanda). The five hindrances (sensual desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and doubt) can obstruct our progress in meditation and as laypersons, we have to be aware of it in our daily life.

How then can one check the advances of these pañca nīvaraṇāni? Sayadaw pointed out that one must try to cultivate the seven factors of enlightenment (bojjhanga) namely mindfulness, investigating the Dhamma, energy/effort, joy, tranquility, concentration and equanimity. Through the cultivation of these 7 bojjhangas, one can then overcome the arising of the 5 nivaranani especially during meditation.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

Mahindarama Sunday Pali School 50th Anniversary Dinner

Yesterday night 12 Sept 2009, both of us attended the MSPS 50th Anniversary Dinner. At first, I had thought of skipping this occassion as we will miss our meditation sitting and Dhamma talk. After receiving an invitation call from Bro Hor Kwei On, I decided to go as MSPS is a part of my life, my Buddhist life.
Mahindarama Sunday Pali School was set up on the 6th of September 1959 and is part of Mahindarama Buddhist Temple, a Sri Lankan's temple at 2 Kampar Road, Penang.
It is a night full of surprises.

Chattering mind

Tonight I heard a talk given by Bhante Jinnadatta about conditioned mind. Although this talk is given in Hokkien/Mandarin, Bhante also uses some English terms and with my pasar Hokkien I can managed to get the gist of what tonight talk is all about.
Our mind is conditioned, said Bhante. This conditioned mind will always judged things to be good or bad, right or wrong. Therefore, one is confused about facts and opinions.

The conditioned mind is the second link in Dependent Origination that is sankhara. Because of A, B followed, just like what happened to the dog in Pavlov's Experiment.

Our mind like a pendulum, always swinging from the past to the future. Our mind begins to judge because we conditioned it to judge, to judge things to be yes or no.

What then conditioned our mind? It is our thoughts. Our thoughts also identify. We use our thoughts to identify things with another things for example we sometimes identify happiness with wealth or success. But sometimes we did not identify thing with the truth.

For instance, we identify self or ego with thought. Thoughts conditioned us, and we think that these thoughts are our self.

Since awakened from our sleep, we live in the realm of thought. We get lost in our thought.
Our mind is full of thoughts. It is always yes or no. This then gives rise to attraction (if it is a yes) and repulsiveness if it is a no.

Because we are always thinking (eating, walking and so forth), we identify it as our ego. And what give rise to thought? Bhante said it is ignorance that causes thought to arise.

So our thoughts kept on talking in ourselves; we have a chattering mind, and we will not have any peace. Thought swings from the past to the future. Our ego cannot let go of the past. The thought condition us.

How then can we stop ourselves from thinking? Awareness is the answer. We have to aware, not to know, not to think. In meditation, we are aware of the object at the present. To have our mind at the present, not to think of the past or the future. Thus we are aware of ourselves.

Bhante said we know but we do not know our selves ("chai e'ay, bo chai lan" in Hokkien). We have the sense doors to know other things outside of ourselves but we do not know inside ourselves.

I have always find Bhante's talk to be enlightening as Bhante is able to explained abhidhamma things in a layman terms.

Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.