Wesak a day to reflect on the teachings of Buddha
Wesak a day to reflect on the teachings of Buddha |
- Wesak a day to reflect on the teachings of Buddha
- Buddhists to observe Waisak at Mendut, Borobudur temples
- Inside the Summer 2012 Buddhadharma magazine
- Singapore: Public advised against releasing animals on Vesak Day
- Vesak spirit envelopes Sri Lanka
- Wesak Day Address by Venerable Dagpo Lama Rinpoche
- First Cause
- Wesak Greetings 2012
- Wesak Greetings 2012
- Wesak Greetings 2012
| Wesak a day to reflect on the teachings of Buddha Posted: 05 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT By CHRISTINA LOW, The Star, May 5, 2012Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- BUDDHISTS celebrate Wesak today by paying respect to Lord Buddha on his birthday, for attainment of enlightenment and to commemorate his death.
Buddhists pray in temples early in the morning, attend chanting sessions, have vegetarian food as well as take part in community service. Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple chief monk Venerable Saranankara Nayaka Maha Thera said devotees could also commemorate and honour Buddha not just by buying joss-sticks and flowers to be offered but understanding his teachings and most of all put it to practice. "Every religion has a beautiful set of teachings but we must all learn to practise it and understand the philosophical side of it.
He added that one should practice Dana (act of giving), Sila (observing Buddhist precepts) and Bhavana (wisdom through meditation) not only on Wesak but should also make it an everyday ritual. "People often misunderstand this concept. Dana does not only mean feeding the monks, but also giving in terms of material, spiritual and also donating anything from blood or even your organs," he said. He said in Sri Lanka cornea donation had become popular among residents there because donors believe they would receive better vision in their next life. This year, the 59-year-old resident monk will be participating in the blood donation campaign together with fellow monks and devotees. He said the practice had been introduced since 1986 and had become a yearly affair at the temple for Wesak and Kathina festival. Chief High Priest of Malaysia Venerable Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana Maha Nayaka Thera said Wesak was a day where devotees should get involved in religious activities instead of turning the day into a party. "Unfortunately when you visit the temple nowadays, it is like a carnival," said Dhammaratana, referring to the street outside the Buddhist Maha Vihara where he resides. He said it was nice to see devotees of all ages coming to the temple but he hoped more would spend their time to understand the religion better, too. "We should also refrain from talking bad about others or indulge in negative activities and try to do good, "As devotees one should at least know their great master's basic teachings, if not all and try to practise it," he said. More than 30,000 devotees from all over Klang Valley are expected to participate in the annual procession which will begin at the Brickfields Buddhist Maha Vihara in Jalan Berhala at 7pm today, passing through Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Petaling, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Pudu and back to Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Read More @ SourceHeart Sutra in English 
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| Buddhists to observe Waisak at Mendut, Borobudur temples Posted: 05 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT by Bambang Muryanto, The Jakarta Post, May 3, 2012Magelang, Indonesia -- Tens of thousands of Buddhists from across Indonesia and abroad are expected to observe Waisak (Buddhist Day of Enlightenment) 2556 this year at the two neighboring temples of Mendut and Borobudur in Magelang, Central Java, on Sunday.
"Through the celebration, hopefully people will be able to increase their love and compassion in order that they will also become wise and prudent," Bhante Pabhakaro told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. He said processions began on Monday with the taking of 10,000 bottles of holy water from the Jumprit spring in Tegalrejo subdistrict, Ngadirejo district, Temanggung regency, Central Java.
The following day, on Saturday, another ritual will be held to take the flame from the source of the eternal flame of Mrapen in Purwodadi, Central Java. The flame, according to Pabhakaro, symbolized light that would bring enlightenment to human beings. Other activities held to observe the Buddhist Day of Enlightenment include social services on Wednesday and Thursday, and the Pindapata ritual on Thursday, during which Buddhist monks receive charity from the people. The highlight of the commemoration will take place on Sunday at Mendut and Borobudur temples. The precise moment of Waisak is due to fall on Sunday at 34 minutes and 39 seconds past 10 a.m. and will be observed at Mendut Temple. "We will mark the moment with the hitting of a gong by Bhikku Wongsin Labikho Mahatera of the Tangha Walubi Council, followed by meditation," Pabhakaro said. On Sunday afternoon, both the holy water and the flame will be brought to Borobudur Temple for the Waisak celebration, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. that evening. During this occasion, Buddhist monks will perform Pradaksina, or walking a circuit around the temple three times while meditating as a form of tribute to the temple. The whole commemoration will be brought to a close with the lighting of 1,000 lanterns, which will be released into the sky. "This symbolizes the illumination of life, health and fortune," Pabhakaro said. Separately, the director of PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Pujo Suwarno, invited people to visit Borobudur to enjoy the Waisak procession that would be held in the grounds in front of the temple. "We welcome visitors to watch the procession but they are not allowed to climb up the temple during the procession," Pujo said. Read More @ SourceDocumentary About Buddha Boy (4 of 5) Ram Bahadur Bamjan - Prahlad Jani 
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| Inside the Summer 2012 Buddhadharma magazine Posted: 05 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT
* Forum: Heal the Self, Free the Self — Bringing together Western psychology and Buddhism to help your practice and your life. John Welwood, Grace Schireson, and Andrew Holecek explain how. * The Wisdom Mind of Thinley Norbu — The great Nyingma master passed away last December at the age of 80. We celebrate his life with remembrances and a selection of the profound Dzogchen teachings he imparted to the West. * Carolyn Rose Gimian on taking refuge, and taking it seriously. Plus: Teachings by Tenshin Reb Anderson and Anne Carolyn Klein; a discussion with the director of Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche; our new "Let's Talk" column, in which Genjo Marinello explores how sanghas can better navigate conflict; book reviews; and much more. Click here to visit Buddhadharma on the web, and be sure to follow Buddhadharma News to keep up with what's happening in the Buddhist world. Read More @ Source5 Types Of Religion 
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| Singapore: Public advised against releasing animals on Vesak Day Posted: 05 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT AsiaOne, May 3, 2012Singapore -- The National Parks Board (NParks) is reminding the public not to release animals into the wild this Vesak Day.
"As some of these animals are usually kept as pets, they are not likely to survive as they are not used to the surroundings and are not able to cope in the wild. If these animals carry viruses, they will also affect other native wildlife," warns Mr Wong Tuan Wah, Director of Conservation in Nparks. "Operation No Release" hopes to educate and advise members of the public on the harmful effects of this practice. "It would be more beneficial to reduce our meat intake all year round than simply releasing animals during Vesak as this could also encourage vendors to increase the supply of animals for this very purpose," advises Angie Chew Monksfield, President of the Buddhist Fellowship. To complement efforts of the "Operation No Release", NParks is partnering with Primary Four students from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace to conduct an Outreach Ambassador session. The session will educate and advise the public against releasing animals into nature areas. Volunteers and students will be setting up a station at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on May 19 from 9am to 12noon. Read More @ SourceThe Awakening: A dedication to the Lord Sakyamuni Buddha 
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| Vesak spirit envelopes Sri Lanka Posted: 05 May 2012 05:00 AM PDT by Chaminda Perera and Priyanka Kurugala, Lanka Daily News, May 5, 2012Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The entire country is enveloped in spiritual fervour as the nation prepares to celebrate yet another Vesak Full Moon Poya Day marking the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha.
Thousands are expected to visit over eight special Vesak Zones where Bakthi gee recitals and lantern competitions are held. Tens of thousands are expected to visit Amadhara Vesak Zone organised by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited opposite the company premises for the 22nd consecutive year in association with Sri Lanka Telecom. Acting Media Minister and Deputy Economic Development Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena will open the Vesak Zone on May 6. There are over 13 main Vesak pandals within Colombo city limits and danselas and bakthi gee recitals are organised by government and private organisations islandwide. The Police Department yesterday said special security arrangements covering all areas of the country would be in place from today. A special contingent of police personnel will be deployed for the safety of the public, Police Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said. Read More @ SourceLife of the Buddha (Khmer) 8 
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| Wesak Day Address by Venerable Dagpo Lama Rinpoche Posted: 05 May 2012 04:00 AM PDT The Buddhist Channel, May 5, 2012 Greetings to all of you on this most auspicious occasion, Waisak, which is the most important of all Buddhist holy days. Although I would have very much preferred being with you physically that was not possible. However, rest assured that you are very much in my thoughts today as always.
You are aware that Waisak corresponds to several major events in the life of Lord Buddha Shakymuni, the foremost being his attainment of Enlightenment. There are many possible ways of celebrating Waisak but perhaps of them all the most important is to recall Lord Buddha's extraordinary good qualities: his unlimited wisdom, compassion and activity. His major activity was turning the wheel of the law or teaching for it was in that way that He gave sentient beings the means to free themselves from suffering and create their happiness. It is by relying on the methods explained in his discourses that they can in effect end suffering and attain peace. Lord Buddha taught extensively over the forty-five year period between his Enlightenment and his parinirvana. However, all the key elements of his teaching are included in the comprehensive instruction called The Stages of the Path of the three kinds of practitioners. He taught the stages of the path of lesser beings' to enable practitioners to avoid the sufferings of the lower realms; he explained the stages of the path of intermediate beings' so that they might free themselves from the misery of samsara as a whole; finally he elucidated the stages of the path of great beings' to allow them to free themselves from the fault of self-cherishing and to attain Buddhahood.
In this way, Lord Buddha manifested his immeasurable compassion for us. Since the methods he taught are now available to us, to repay his kindness and to fulfill his aspirations regarding each and every one of us, we should reflect upon these methods well, practice them and pray fervently to attain Buddhahood as quickly as we can for the benefit of all sentient beings, our dear mothers. Please pray too that all beings in this world may find the favourable conditions to do the same and that they may soon find the peace to which they aspire. Read More @ SourceThai Monks Chant New Home Blessing 1 of 2 in USA 
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| Posted: 05 May 2012 03:00 AM PDT
Ryokan The rest of the poem to follow tomorrow, hopefully Read More @ Source
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| Posted: 05 May 2012 02:00 AM PDT (DVD6/9)-Pilgrimage to Sri Lanka-Pt04 
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| Posted: 05 May 2012 01:00 AM PDT Timeless Quotes from The Buddha 
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| Posted: 05 May 2012 01:00 AM PDT Ask A Monk: Strong Attachments 
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<< Getting ready: Volunteer Sherice Por cleaning the Thousand Arm Kuan Yin also known as Chenrezig on the wall of the Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society in Petaling Jaya.
Bhante Pabhakaro Thera, from the Waisak's organizing committee, said that among the foreign worshipers expected to come to the temples for the celebration included those from Thailand, Hong Kong, China and the US.
To raise public awareness on the rationale behind this, NParks is working with volunteers to carry out "Operation No Release" in the nature reserves and reservoirs.
Religious activities, including meditation programmes, will take pride of place in Vesak Full Moon day celebrations at all temples and Buddhist monasteries islandwide during the Vesak Week which commenced on May 2.
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