Wesak International Film Festival 2008

I'm looking forward to this event... I hope all who are interested will join in as well.

Wesak International Film Festival 2008 

馬來西亞佛光山2008年短期出家修道會 FGS Short monastic retreat dharma assembly.

The FGS (Fo Guang Shan) Malaysia is organizing a short monastic retreat (5 days) beginning 1st of June this year. Initially, Venerable Dharma Master Shih Xing Yun was supposed to be the honored Dharma Master to do the opening ceremony, however due to the tragic earthquake incident that had happened in Wen Chuan county in Si Chuan province, The Old Bodhisattva decided to fly over to China to provide assistance. 

At the same time, the taking refuge, upholding the 5 precepts ceremony will also be conducted at the end of the monastic retreat. All this is happening at the Dong Zen monastery in the quiet town of Jenjarom, Selangor. 

For more information on how these activities please click here. The FGS malaysia site is in chinese. For english please click here. 

Moving to a new blog...

Hello Hello.. I'm shifting. . . time for a new change and new layout. . . 

Om.......

A prayer for those perished in the earthquake incident in Wen Chuang, China and the cyclone in Myanmar.

Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya! 

Namah Ratnatrayaya, Namo Arya Jhana, Sagara, Vairochana, Vhuya Rajaya, Tathagataya, Arhate Samyaksambuddhaya, Namah Sarva Tathagatabyeh, Arhatebyeh, Samyaksambuddhebyeh, Namah Arya Avalokiteshvaraya Bodhisattvaya, Mahasattvaya, Mahakarunikaya, Tadyatha 

Om! Dhara Dhara Dhiri Dhiri Dhuru Dhuru, Itevey Ite chale chale, Pra chale Prac Chale, Kusume, Kusuma vare i li mili chiti jva lam apanaya svaha!

Om Pra Mani Dani Soha, Om Pra Mani Dani Soha, Om Pra Mani Dani Soha!

Ripa ripa tey, Ku ha Ku ha tey, Ta Ra Li Tey Ni ha Ra Tey Vi Ma Li Tey Soha!

Om Amrita Teja Hara Hum! Om Ha Ha Ha Vismaye Svaha! Om Mani Padme Hum!

Ohm Ah Hummmmmmmmm!

May all those who perished because of the earth quake incident in China and the cyclone disaster in Myanmar be free from their sufferings, May they find peace and find the light so they can move on to the next life. 

May all be well and happy!

Sadhu! Sarva Mangalam!

Wesakha day, everyday...

Wesak is coming next monday May 19th. Today is coincidently is the Mahayana celebration for our grand master, Sakyamuni Tathagata. These 2 days are special. What holds significant for these 2 days? For foremost reasons, it is the celebration to honor the Bhagavant, our great teacher Sakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Wesakha celebrates the Birth, renunciation of lay life, enlightenment and the parinirvana of our great teacher. It is this day, in Malaysia and Singapore, a public holiday, where lay buddhist will make merit, do dana and be mindful of their precepts. This is solely done to honor and remember grand master. 

I remember Wesakha day as a day full of prayer, devotion and abstinence during my teenage years. The day would be spend going to the Maha Vihara in Brickfield for blessings and performing dana. Then later the day, I would be temple hopping with other fellow friends to all 3 traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist way places. Now as I look back, I feel Wesakha is less remembered for its origins and celebrations. 

Traders blatantly putting up wares for display and sale, Offerings of light, food, incense, flowers, are being sold at a higher price for devotees so they could 'make' their offerings while at the main shrine. Some traders even went to the extent of putting birds on cage, with hope devotees would pay an exuberant price to 'release' them only to find that these birds will be caught again by the same people who sold them... If Grandmaster ever saw his this auspicious day, HIS day for the above reasons, He'd probably be in Fire samadhi and rolled his eyes... 

Why can't we put to practice and cultivate as if everyday is wesakha? Why do we need to allocate one day to perform all the above Why can't we do this everyday, in according to our schedule and fits the time and place? Now as with all other religious celebrations, We're seeing a commercialization of such auspicious event. These blessed days are slowly turning into capital playgrounds with pomp and pagentry befitting for an Emperor but not for a great Teacher of Gods and Men, The one who's well gone, the Lord, Arhat and perfect Buddha.....

Think about it? Why can't everyday be a wesakha day?