Maybe if we take a page from this gamer, then folks of different faiths need not be so eager to attack other religions?
Category: Buddhism
Daily Readings Updated with Selectable Books
The Daily Readings was recently updated with the Dhammapada verses and I received a comment suggesting for the previous verses from “Buddha Vacana” to be available.
After writing a php script to order the Dhammapada verses uniformly according to the sutta count in each book, I wrote an option to choose the book to read from.
From the screenshot above, you can find the dropdown list option with “Buddha Vacana” and “Dhammapada”. The new code will remember your choice and display verses from the same book you chose.
For your convenience, you can change your options any time you want. There is nothing to register or login to.
To keep it simple, the cookie just store ONE value, a bookid with value “1” or “2” (defaulting to “2”). No personal information of yours is captured or stored, only this bookid.
If you do not have cookies enabled, it will default to “Dhammapada” and require you to choose the other available books manually.
If this new code breaks or crashes your browser, let me know. I’ll fix it. If it gives your cat sleepless nights and make your dog growl incessantly, let me know. We may have discovered something amazing or crazy. Or it could be totally unrelated.
Be Good, Be Mindful, Be Happy.
Buddhist Centres and Monasteries Around Singapore!
A 30,000 feet view of Singapore with Buddhist centres and monasteries listed!
This map was created under Singapore Buddhist Federation by the Web team in KMSPKS
The inSync project will link up our friends and family with Dharma activities nearest to them, keeping them inSync with the Dharma! 🙂
Keep a look out for it! 
View BUDDHIST CENTRES, SINGAPORE in a larger map
Eat and Drink in Moderation 於食知量
Documentary film ‘In the Beginning, There Was Light’ gave her the idea
Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reports that a woman starved to death after embarking on a spiritual diet that required her to stop eating or drinking and live off sunlight alone.
It is saddening to see such a news. Sad on two counts. 1. That this woman lost her live because she adopted an inappropriate practice that would seem to be unsuitable for human beings. 2. While many hundreds and thousands around the world go hungry or starve, they don’t go on the news.
Eat and drink in moderation 於食知量
The Buddha taught the way to True Happiness by the Middle Way, the Noble Eightfold Path. With respect to food and drinks, he advocated moderation as well.
In the Aparihani Sutta (AN4.37 [1]), the Buddha advised thus:
“And how does a monk know moderation in eating? There is the case where a monk, considering it appropriately, takes his food not playfully, nor for intoxication, nor for putting on bulk, nor for beautification, but simply for the survival & continuance of this body, for ending its afflictions, for the support of the holy life, thinking, ‘I will destroy old feelings [of hunger] & not create new feelings [from overeating]. Thus I will maintain myself, be blameless, & live in comfort.’ This is how a monk knows moderation in eating.”
To eat enough to sustain the body, and not to overeat. Eating mindfully, one may allay hunger and not give rise to greed, hatred and delusion.
In the Buddhist commentary, Yogacarabhumi sastra 瑜伽二十一卷七頁云[2]：
云何於食知量？謂彼如是守諸根已；以正思擇，食於所食，不為倡蕩，不為憍逸，不為飾好，不為端嚴，食於所食，然食所食，為身安住，為暫支持，為除飢渴，為攝梵行，為斷故受，為令新受當不更生，為當存養力樂無罪安隱而住。如是名為於食知量。What is Moderation in Food? Where one has guarded one’s sense doors, reflecting rightly, consuming food not in excess, not for pride or wantonly, not for adornment or beautification, but for calming one’s body, for sustaining it temporarily, for removing hunger and thirst, for enabling one’s cultivation, for removing old feelings and not give rise to new feelings, for sustaining the effort and joy in blameless calm abiding. This is named “Moderation in Food”.
Dear friends, are you hungry yet?
Reference
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- [1] Anguttara Nikaya 4.37 Aparihani Sutta: No Falling Away
- In brief, on Moderation in Food. Search in page for “於食知量”
[2] Yogacarabhumi sastra Chapter 21 瑜伽二十一卷[0396b15] - A further exposition on the subject
[2.1] Yogacarabhumi sastra Chapter 23 瑜伽二十三卷[0396b15]
Addendum to Tonight’s Heart Sutra Workshop Class
Much appreciation to Tenzin‘s queries into the story of Queen Mallika’s rebirth that I share in class, it got me piqued and first thing when I got to the library, I checked up on the section from the text “Great Disciples of the Buddha“, page 262 – 263.
I made a mistake in missing out the part that Queen Mallika’s rebirth in hell was due to a “twofold transgression”, “1) her sexual contact with the dog and 2) her mendacious attempt to free herself from blame”, and not merely due to bestiality.
My sincere apologies for the forgetful omission. See picture below for reference.
May this clarify and lead to right understanding. Sabbe satta sukhita hontu!
References
- Great Disciples of the Buddha in Amazon.com
- Reference of this incident found in the Dhammapad. Search for “Queen Mallikā” in the link below.
http://blogs.cf.ac.uk/birthstories/entry/birth_stories_in_the_dhammapada