Good Relations to the Society

Sayadaw preparing to give a talk

Sayadaw give a talk

"We have to know what is kusala? and what is akusala?" said Sayadaw U Vimala in tonight's Dhamma Talk after the group meditation session and also incidentally the Vassa Entry ceremony.
Sometimes we do kusala kamma either individually or in a group of same wishes. But when we are in a group there may arises problems and to avoid these problems from affecting the group members, we should remember what had been taught by the Buddha in Saraniya Sutta.




There are things that we should remember when we are in a society. And to remember them there are six ways.

1. Kayakama Metta or loving kindness in action  
• Actions like respecting the monks, bowing down to the monks, respecting your parents are considered as doing things in loving kindness. Even sweeping the floors of the temple shows that one has metta towards members of the society. Occasionally things may not be in right order due to the ignorance of some members of the society. One must then helps to clean up the mess and do it with no anger. This will create a harmony environment in the society
2. Vacikama metta or kind words or speech
• Greet one another whenever we meet some one is a form of vacikama metta
• Use sweet words and avoid harsh words as all people do not like to listen to harsh and rough words
• Otherwise we will quarrel or fight among each other
• Another form of vacikama metta is chanting of the Suttas such as Karaniya Metta Sutta or Ratana Sutta
3. Manokama metta or kind thoughts
• Radiating metta to all beings without saying any words is an example of manokama metta
4. Sharing things with other people or Pativipata bodhi 
• Doing dana or share things with others 
5. Have precepts or morality
6. Have right views and understanding 
• Having the views that
1. There are good and bad kamma
2. There are results of these Kamma
3. The present is due to the past Kamma and the future is the result of the previous kamma
4. There are devas and Brahmas
5. There are Arahats and Buddha and these Noble persons exist due to their practice

These six ways should be remembered so that we can avoid problems in the society and create harmonious condition for the practice of good kamma.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Vassa Entry for 2011

Sayadaw reciting the Vassa entry formula

Completion of the ceremony. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu

Tonight we are fortunate to be able to attend the Vassa Entry ceremony for this year at BMBMC. Sayadaw U Vimalabhivamsa is entering his 34th Vassa this year. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Gratitude

Bhante Jinadata given the Dhamma talk

"To cultivate gratitude is a must in every Buddhists," Bhante Jinadata advises our BMBMC members in his short Dhamma talk during lunch dana.

Gratitude allows us to prevent the spiritual numbness from developing in ourselves. Our Lord Buddha had shown us by example when the Buddha Himself express His gratitude to the Bodhi tree just after His Enlightenment.

Laymen and monks should remember to show gratitude to each other. This will in turn create a healthy and happy relationship between the community especially in a Buddhist centre.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Meaning of Life

Picture taken from http://inwardpathpublisher.blogspot.com

"Do you know yourself?" asked Bhante Jinadata in tonight's Dhamma Talk at BMBMC.

We should always ask who we are.Most people knows a lot of external things; they had gained lots of knowledge but most of us never search for the answer to who are we.

Because of this, there are times when we find life has no meaning at all. Living becomes meaningless.
What then is the meaning of life? It is happiness that brings us the meaning of living. However, we have to be certain which part of life can we find this happiness. If we equate life to success and think that we can only find happiness in success, then at times we may not be happy. This is because, we are looking at the ultimate of our goal and hoping to find happiness there.

We should realised that the ultimate (the end) of our search are relative and not absolute. There is no guarantee that we will always encounter success. Occasionally we may also encounter failure as everything is conditioned.

So we should look at the means and not the end. We should find happiness in the means, in the process, in the doing process.

To further illustrate this point, Bhante said that many people take up meditation because they want to achieve something. But if we think that after meditating we must achieve something like able to see nimmita or some kind of vision then we are wrong and will not be able to be happy. We had view achieving something in meditating as successful and if we don't achieve something then we considered our meditating as failure. This then brought to unhappiness and hence, there is no meaning in meditating. Then we should be happy with this act of doing meditating. Hence we will not be conditioned to think that success will brings us happiness.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Cetana

Tonight Dhamma Talk by Sayadaw U Sumana concerns Cetana - one of the 52 cetasikas.

Cetana is the volition of doing. Cetana is the doer. Cetana is kamma and Cetana determines our future
Any action intentional or unintentional has cetana or volition. Therefore, only actions without cetana has no effect. Sayadaw gave illustrate the point with the story of Venerable Cakkhupala the blind Arahat.

Cetana orders one to do things such as doing dana. Hence, Sayadaw said that cetana can be understand to be like a Monitor of the class - directing, leading and moving any activities of the class. Therefore, our mind always has cetana or volition and this cetana plays an important role in everyone's life.

Picture from http://lfhw-pages.wrap.org.uk

The forerunner of the mind is cetana.It is very important for our cetana to be pure and wholesome. Just like a story of a person who offered a spoonful of rice to Arahat Anuruddha. For one spoonful of rice offered with strong wholesome intention, that man was reborn as a deva with more power.

Another story illustrate the importance of cetana in our action. If cetana is not unwholesome, even though one's action may seen to be unwholesome, the action has no bad effect as cetana in not unwholesome. Just like a story told that even though she prepared weapons for her husband to hunt, a streamwinner wife do it with no intention to kill. This because she had kept her precepts well and just to fulfill her responsibility as a wife

A yogi in the process of meditation, should always try to observe his mind's characteristics namely the 52 cetasikas. To know the consciousness as they arises. For to be mindful of the arising of the conciousness, the yogis' mind will then be freed from the defilement.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Wesak Day 2011

Pindapata with 4 Bhikkhus

Amy and I arrived at BMBMC at around 8:30 am. Just like last year, not many people had yet arrived. Sayadaw U Sumana is out at the lobby and I showed Sayadaw the new book from Inward Path - a translated into Mandarin of a  book by the late Sayadaw U Silananda.

Pindapata

Another visitor that came to the centre after a long absence is Bro Chai Peng Hooi. Most of us are happy to see him again though he is yet fully recovered from his unfortunate accident one year ago.

Amy in charge of counter

At 9 am., members lined up the road in front of the centre for pindapata ceremony. We are fortunate to be able to perform pindapata for 4 bhikkhus, Sayadaw U Sumana, one sayadaw from Berapit, Bhante Vimala and Bhante Javana.

Listening to Dhamma talk

At 10 am, Sayadaw U Sumana gave a Dhamma Talk titled the Buddha's story. In the Dhamma talk, Sayadaw advises members to emulate the Buddha's life and practice His Teachings.This year there are 10 yogis observing the 8 precepts and practicing vipassana meditation.









The crowd begins to build up at about 10.30 am. The hall and the lobby are seated with people. Amy was busy serving the devotees on the robes and bowls offering.

Offering food to monk

Dana is at 11.00 am. Two round tables are set up and devotees offered the foods and requisites.

Having lunch after offering food to monks

We left the centre with increased Sadha and happy able to perform meritorious deeds this wee.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Bhante Suvanno's 4th Year Memorial Ceremony

Both Amy and I were at the BMBMC at 8.00 am
Amy set-up the table for free Dhamma books and Dhamma Talk CDs

Members start to arrive and by 9 am the crowd had swells to 50.










Pindapata is at 9.00 am and this time there are 8 Bhikkhus.

A brief memorial service is conducted in the Bhante Suvanno's Library.













Sayadaw U Sumana gave a Dhamma talk.

Lunch dana is at 11.00 am