What is the Heart Sutra?

The Heart Sutra is one of the most common sutra recited in temples and monasteries worldwide.  While being the shortest, at 260 Chinese characters, it expounds deep and profound teachings of Emptiness as taught by the Buddha.

色不异空、空不异色。

色即是空、空即是色。

What is Emptiness and how can we apply it in our life today? How do we recite this sutra and how can we change ourselves so that we can become happier? Come join us for the Heart Sutra workshop and learn more!

Workshop Programme (conducted in English)

Information & Registration

Email: budd...@singnet.com.sg Tel: (65) 6746-8435

Date & Time

September 2010 to October 2010 (6 sessions) Thursdays, 7:30pm to 9:30pm 9, 16, 23, 30 September 7, 14 October

Venue

The Buddhist Library 2, Lorong 24A, Geylang Singapore 398526

Attendance By registration ONLY.

Closing Date 31st August 2010.

Updated Registration is now open and a fee of $20 / $30 (members / non-members) will be charged. All . . . → Read More: z201009 Sep ~ Oct Heart Sutra Workshop @ the Buddhist Library]]>

What is the Heart Sutra?

The Heart Sutra is one of the most common sutra recited in temples and monasteries worldwide.  While being the shortest, at 260 Chinese characters, it expounds deep and profound teachings of Emptiness as taught by the Buddha.

色不异空、空不异色。

色即是空、空即是色。

What is Emptiness and how can we apply it in our life today?
How do we recite this sutra and how can we change ourselves so that we can become happier?
Come join us for the Heart Sutra workshop and learn more!

Updated Registration is now open and a fee of $20 / $30 (members / non-members) will be charged. All proceeds will go to the working fund of the Buddhist Library. 

Conducting Venerable

Venerable Chuan Guan was ordained in 2002 under Master MiuKing (Master MiaoJing) and received his higher ordination in 2003. From 2002, he stayed in Fa Yun Monastery (New Mexico, United States) learning the sutras and practised meditation under the Mahayana Buddhist tradition while studying the Theravadin Pali Canon.  Returning to Singapore in 2006, he continued his learning and practices, residing in Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery till 2009.

Presently, he is residing in the Buddhist Library, while giving Dharma and meditation classes at the library and various Buddhist organisations.  He received his degree in Computer Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and worked in the IT industry prior to monkhood.

May this msg find you well n happy. Good opportunity to meetup and spend a meaningful last few hours of 2007 together at the Spiritual Countdown 2007 – FaithAspirationPractice @ Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on the 31 Dec.

Door Price S$15 (Inclusive of entry fee, evening temple tour and an exclusive spiritual journal!)

For more details: http://www.kmspks.org/youth/countdown.htm#

Do drop me note if i can help you with any ticket reservations

Hope to see you there! Cell. Tono of NBAS: New Buddhists @ Singapore

Facebook event link

PS: Reposting for Cell on this blog.

Details after the jump … Talk: “The significance of Vesak Day” Date: 25 May 2007, Friday Time: 8.00am Venue: Maris Stella High School Participation: This is a private session with the school only. Organiser: Maris Stella High

Event: Harmony In Action (Vesak Celebration) Date: 25 ~ 26 May 2007 Time: Whole day Venue: Ngee Ann City

Participation: Public.http://www.vesakcelebrations.sg/ Organiser: Singapore Buddhist Federation

Event: NTU Buddhist Society Alumni Vesak Celebration Date: 27 May 2007 Time: 9:30am ~ 12:00pm (duration is about 2.5 hrs) Venue: Little Bodhi Student Care Centre Blk 159, Woodlands St. 13 #01-665 (Behind Marsiling MRT)

A short talk on Vesak will be given.

Participation: NTU Alumnus & friends. General public are also welcome. Organiser: NTU Buddhist Society

Talk: Little India Vesak Celebrations Date: 29 . . . → Read More: News: Upcoming talks and events]]> In-Brief

1. The significance of Vesak Day @ 25 May 2007 (Private talk, Maris Stella High School)
2. Million Lotus Celebrations @25 ~ 26 May 2007 (Public, Ngee Ann City)
3. NTU Buddhist Society Alumni Vesak Celebration @ 27 May 2007 (Alumnus & friends, Venue TBC)
4. Dharma talk for Little India Vesak Celebration @ 29 May 2007 (Public, See below for venue)
5. Meditation Practice @ 31 May 2007 (Public, Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery)

Details after the jump …
Talk: “The significance of Vesak Day”
Date: 25 May 2007, Friday
Time: 8.00am
Venue: Maris Stella High School

Participation: This is a private session with the school only.
Organiser: Maris Stella High

Event: Harmony In Action (Vesak Celebration)
Date: 25 ~ 26 May 2007
Time: Whole day
Venue: Ngee Ann City

Participation: Public.http://www.vesakcelebrations.sg/
Organiser: Singapore Buddhist Federation

Event: NTU Buddhist Society Alumni Vesak Celebration
Date: 27 May 2007
Time: 9:30am ~ 12:00pm (duration is about 2.5 hrs)
Venue: Little Bodhi Student Care Centre
Blk 159, Woodlands St. 13
#01-665
(Behind Marsiling MRT)

A short talk on Vesak will be given.

Participation: NTU Alumnus & friends. General public are also welcome.
Organiser: NTU Buddhist Society

Talk: Little India Vesak Celebrations
Date: 29 May 2007
Time: 8.00pm (duration about 1 to 1.5 hrs)
Venue: Event premise is bounded by Serangoon Road, Burmah Road and Birch Road

Participation: Public.
Organiser: Little India Vesak Celebrations

Dharma Practice: Meditation
Date: 31 May 2007, Thursday (Vesak day)
Time: Session 1 – 10.00am ~ 10.45am
Session 2 – 03.00pm ~ 03.45pm
Venue: Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, Dharma Hall.

Participation: Public.
Organiser: Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

Location:

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery 88 Bright Hill Road Singapore 574117

Participation fee: Sincerity and kindness

Date & Time: 6th April 9:00am ~ 9:00pm

Details:

The chanting day will be split into 6 continuous sessions of 2hrs each.

Each session will have:

Guiding Monastic:

Chuanguan bhikkhu

Please contact KMSPKS Youth Ministry, Billy @ you...@kmspks.org or 6849 5346 or sms: 9765 4322 for participation slots.

1st December, 2006

Some of the folks who come across my desk may wonder why a toothbrush is on my desk and not in the toilet where it belongs. Most people either miss it or are too polite to ask, so I shared with the Youth Ministry in Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery during their YMers retreat.

You see, sometimes in the day, I would find a piece of food stuck in my teeth, or find my teeth too grimy for myself, and no amount of rinsing or flossing ( … talking about flossing, they are there on my desk too! ) will cleanse it. I’m sure we have that once a while … or maybe we don’t notice.

Routine and Normalization Brushing our teeth has become a routine for most people. Its something we do, just like breathing. You just don’t really think about it. For those who have meditated, you will find that our mind tends to wander away while we try to focus on the breath (or whatever meditation object you use). It may . . . → Read More: Of Brushing or Cleansing our teeth?]]> This is just another placeholder for future entry …

1st December, 2006

Some of the folks who come across my desk may wonder why a toothbrush is on my desk and not in the toilet where it belongs. Most people either miss it or are too polite to ask, so I shared with the Youth Ministry in Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery during their YMers retreat.

You see, sometimes in the day, I would find a piece of food stuck in my teeth, or find my teeth too grimy for myself, and no amount of rinsing or flossing ( … talking about flossing, they are there on my desk too! ) will cleanse it. I’m sure we have that once a while … or maybe we don’t notice.

Routine and Normalization
Brushing our teeth has become a routine for most people. Its something we do, just like breathing. You just don’t really think about it. For those who have meditated, you will find that our mind tends to wander away while we try to focus on the breath (or whatever meditation object you use). It may wander to something that happened in the future, or something in the past. Or it may start spinning fiction about the past and future. Or it may get caught up with a sound, a physical sensation in the present and later continue to spin from there. It just never ponder about the teeth brushing that we do practically everyday of our lives ever since we outlived our cuteness are capable enough to do so. And why so? Why not? Well, to me, its because we don’t really do it with much effort, or we do it too unmindfully. Or maybe its because we do it everyday, and its become a routine.

Humans (and perhaps all sentient beings) have this capacity to filter out things that are insignificant. I call it normalization. Consider how we can more or less fake carry on a conversation in the midst of a noisy environment. We can hear the background sounds, but as my previous biased statement already stated, these background sounds are considered noise! While we hear them, we do not listen to their content, we filter them out, just as we filter out the humming of the fridge or air-conditioner, and become aware of its humming only when a power-blackout cuts it off and the absence of it indicates its prior presence! In the same manner, we filter out other events, things or even people, including our teeth brushing everyday.

Brushing vs Cleansing

It can be that it became too routine, and hence we filter it out or that we filter it out, so it became routine. Either way, it is currently filtered out and is a routine … at least for most. The outcome is that we end up brushing our teeth everyday, and not cleansing our teeth. Ok ok, I know what you are thinking. Cleansing is part and parcel of brushing our teeth. But do we consciously check our teeth to make sure its thoroughly cleansed and rework on those teeth that aren’t or do we simply go through our daily motion of brushing them and rinsing thereafter? Most people do the latter, though the mere mentioning of it here could possibly invoke a certain level of consciousness to take more notice on our teeth’s cleaniness, if only for a few days. So cleansing, or thorough cleansing is certainly not necessarily a part of brushing our tooth.

Regularity

The third point is that of regularity. Most people brush their teeth at a fixed time. Either in the morning, at night, or both. Some also brush their teeth after every meal! Good for you folks! For those who do only in the morning, at night or both, and not in the day after meal, it means that we are possibly leaving traces of food grim coating our teeth the whole day until we brush our teeth at night or the next day. Over time, with brushing and not cleansing, layers accumulate and after awhile, we need a major overhaul; we need to visit the dentist.

So what is this about? Its our Dhamma practise that I was referring to. Sometimes people who just learnt about Buddhism are more earnest about their practise, because everything is so new to them. They have to make an extra effort just to learn how to sit cross-legged, much less chant! But after some time, they either drift away or their practice becomes a routine, just like our good ‘ol “toothbrushing”. We start to normalize it once we do it regularly. Then it becomes routine, and that’s the better half. For others, they get bored with it and stop altogether.

We also don’t do a cleanse-check with our practice. We just do it. We should in fact check constantly to see if we are improving or not, whether our practice is helping us or not. Or in another sense, instead of waiting for our routine practice, we should check if our defilements are arising and should apply our toothbrushing practice and cleanse it there and then!

Just as toothbrushing should not be limited to day or night, toilets or dental visits, Dhamma practice should not be limited to just routine practice, a special day or the temples and monasteries or for retreats. Ok, maybe for others’ mental health sake, toothbrushing could be restricted to toilets, but let Dhamma practice be with us all the time. For did not the Buddha in his final moments exhorted so:
” And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: ‘Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!’ ” Digha Nikaya 16: Maha-parinibbana Sutta, Last Days of the Buddha.

I think I’ll just write down what I explained during my workshop about the laksa, instead of making it into a proper article.

So back in August and October, I conducted two four-day workshops on the Heart Sutra. It was mooted by the Youth Ministry of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery during one of the informal “Dharma discussions”. While the heart sutra is famous for its “form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form” verse, apparently many books on this sutra were incorrect or misguided to say the least. Consequently, many people also had a somewhat tinted idea of what this sutra is about. Hence the Heart Sutra workshop.

This blog entry is not trying to explaining the whole sutra but focuses on one of the example given during . . . → Read More: A bowl of delicious laksa … 8′)]]> If there’s such a thing as writer’s block, this is it. I inserted this entry like weeks ago in the hope of pushing myself to pen down my thoughts about emptiness via the illustration of a bowl of delicious laksa, and yet as I sat here weeks later, there is just no impetus to write anything. hmmm ….

I think I’ll just write down what I explained during my workshop about the laksa, instead of making it into a proper article.

So back in August and October, I conducted two four-day workshops on the Heart Sutra. It was mooted by the Youth Ministry of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery during one of the informal “Dharma discussions”. While the heart sutra is famous for its “form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form” verse, apparently many books on this sutra were incorrect or misguided to say the least. Consequently, many people also had a somewhat tinted idea of what this sutra is about. Hence the Heart Sutra workshop.

This blog entry is not trying to explaining the whole sutra but focuses on one of the example given during the workshop to illustrate emptiness as simple as can be, and as close to our everyday life as possible, that is the delicious laksa!

For the uninformed, laksa is a southeast asia delicacy that has two variant. One, the gravy like curry noodle that has a tinge of spice, sweetness, richness (from coconut milk or diary milk for the health conscious) and other assortment of ingredient. This variant can be normally found in Singapore and … hmmm … I think only in Singapore! … Two, the other variant (or original version depending on whether you are a Malaysian or a Singaporean!) is the Penang laksa, that is basically what is known as Asam Laksa. The soup base is slightly more diluted and has the sour spicy taste of asam curry! mmmm … … Depending on individual, the two variants have their own fan bases.

The explaination below will work for either variant, but since the workshop was conducted in Singapore, I referred to the Singapore variant, and more specifically the Katong Laksa. The Katong laksa is basically the standard laksa with its rice noodle cut shorter and served in a small porcelein bowl and with only a porcelein spoon. I’ve tried it before and frankly, there’s nothing really sooo special about it, but some swear by it. For those who still have no idea what laksa, Penang, Singapore, Katong or otherwise, replace it with some food that you find absolutely delicious.

So a simple question to ask is “What does a bowl of delicious laksa comprise?” I threw this question to many different people and got back many similar replies and some … not so similar replies. Here’s what is needed:

• Laksa (Obviously! *DUH*)
• Bowl (Apparent as an afterthought but something we usually assume to be present and hence cancel out as a factor)
• Liking
• Perception
• Desire
• Craving
• Appetite/hunger
• Health (Again, apparent as an afterthought but usually not considered initially)
• Ambience
• Quantity
• Price
• Taster / Perceiver / Us (Someone got to eat the laksa right?)
• etc etc …

From this simple exercise, we find that a bowl of deliciousness laksa requires many more factors than one might realise. We could think of many more factors required for delicious laksa to hold true, but from the non-exhaustive list itself, we can already see that it is not as discrete as we may think it to be. Most of the factors are in fact common sense, except that we tend to filter out all these and veer towards thinking that deliciousness exist inherently in laksa. Further, not everyone likes laksa. Some may just feel ambivalent about it. Others may dislike it. So not everyone find laksa delicious. In that case, does the deliciousness exist in and of the laksa itself, separate from external conditions or does it not? If it really exist in the laksa, then everyone should be able to experience it. But not everyone finds laksa delicious. So does it mean the deliciousness do not exist? But if it does not, then what of those who find laksa delicious?

Steering clear of the two extreme of absolute intrinsic existence and absolute intrinsic non-existence, we say that deliciousness is not intrinsic in laksa. That the laksa is empty of an intrinsic characteristic of deliciousness. The emptiness of delicious laksa refers to this lack of inherent, intrinsic, characteristic of deliciousness in laksa. Deliciousness however, do arise when conditions are present. It arises dependent on conditions, i.e. the lists of conditions above. It is what we call dependent arising. Emptiness and Dependent Arising are really two names for the same phenomena.