Tag: Metta

Metta Round The World @ BL

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Dear Friends,

Back for awhile from a retreat, trust that you all are well!

The Buddhist Library is hosting the next session of Metta Round the World on 29th Oct 2012 and we hope that you can join us for a quiet peaceful evening of simple ‘love making’, or more traditionally known as developing and radiating metta (loving kindness) towards all sentient beings!

What is Metta Round The World?

Metta in the Pali language means love and kindness.  It manifest as a wish for others to be happy.
While it is easy to wish for our loved ones to be happy, it may not be so easy for some to wish for strangers to be happy.  Can we still say “May you be Well and Happy” towards our boss or customers who appear to be so unreasonable?  Regardless of our religion, beliefs or creed, can we look at foreigners and say “May you be Well and Happy?”

Fortunately, we can, even if it is sometimes trying or difficult.

In the Buddhist tradition, part of our spiritual practice is to cultivate Metta amongst other wholesome qualities.  Metta, or the capacity to love others and to wish for others happiness can be developed.  If developed over time, it gets internalised and become a natural part of how we see this world.  When fully developed, this love becomes boundless and is all encompassing.

Metta Round The World (MRTW) hopes to share this with everyone, to encourage everyone, regardless of one’s religion, beliefs or creed, to develop this boundless love.

I hope to see you all join us for this simple session at the Buddhist Library.

Please find the programme brief below.  I’ll be happy to answer your queries through this email thread or sms/whatsapp @ 91772284.

7pm Start of Session

  • Puja (Simple Chanting)
  • Metta & Mindfulness Meditation
  • Sharing on Metta
  • Sharing and Thoughts

9pm End of Session

2 LORONG 24A GEYLANG
Singapore 398526

~With Blessings from the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha~

Metta Charity Walk cum Family Carnival 2011 慈光义走与嘉年华会

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Metta Charity Walk cum Family Carnival  2011

慈光义走与嘉年华会 

Sunday, 20 March 2011
9am – 5pm

Metta Building
32 Simei Street 1 Singapore(529950)

Free Shuttle-Bus Service between Simei MRT and Metta Welfare Association, 8am to 5.30pm.

More info: Metta Charity Walk cum Family Carnival 2011

Why you should support this Carnival?

This annual carnival serves a two-prong purpose:  1) It is a day for the beneficiaries, students, volunteers and supporters to come together to celebrate the great service that Metta Welfare has been providing to the people in Singapore, inclusive of all, regardless of race, language or religion.  2) It is to raise awareness of its services it is running and to raise fund for its operations.

Playing a pivotal role in realising its mission are nine welfare centres and a social enterprise that are located islandwide. Currently serving over 900 beneficiaries from various races and religions, these centres are segregated into the following areas:

Disability Care

Metta Day Activity Centre for the Intellectually Disabled (a day care centre for the intellectually disabled)
Metta Home for the Disabled (a residential home for the disabled)
Metta Home Day Activity Centre (a day care centre for the disabled)

Medical Care

Metta Day Rehabilitation Centre for the Elderly (a day rehabilitation centre for elderly and stroke patients)
Metta Hospice Care (home hospice care for the terminally ill)

Children Care

Metta PreSchool @Simei and Punggol (preschools that offer early intervention programmes to young children aged three to six with special needs)
SE CDC – Metta Student Care Centre

Special Education

Metta School (a special education school for children aged seven to 18 with mild intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorders)

Social Enterprise

Happy Arts Enterprise Ltd (a social enterprise that creates vocational training and employment opportunities for adolescents aged 18 and above from special education schools)

Water, Power, Food Scarce in Vast Waths of Japan

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110313/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

To the south, in Miyagi prefecture, or state, the police chief told a gathering of disaster relief officials that his estimate for deaths was more than 10,000, police spokesman Go Sugawara told The Associated Press. Miyagi has a population of 2.3 million and is one of the three prefectures hardest hit in Friday’s disaster. Fewer than 400 people have officially been confirmed as dead in Miyagi.

I feel compelled to stop existing classes and volunteer myself to join aid services in Japan.  Dedicating merits and send metta just does not cut it for me.  Can someone enlighten me on this?

Suki hontu. -__-

Japan Suffers Major Damage from Tsunami after Earthquake Hits

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http://www.suntimes.com/4255573-417/8.8-magnitude-eathquake-tsunamis-hit-japan

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed Japan’s northeastern coast Friday, unleashing a 13-foot (4-meter) tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland. Fires triggered by the quake burned out of control up and down the coast.

Prayers, support and aid goes out to them.  If there is any support group setup, please share and disseminate.

Suki hontu. -__-

南無觀世音菩薩 (Hokkien)

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This is a short prayer commonly said by lay Chinese Buddhists in Singapore from 60s till perhaps early 90s.

南無觀世音菩薩 佛祖保佑 x 3
Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Buddha Bless x 3

一家大小
The whole family from the eldest to the youngest

平安順順
to be safe and sound, have little obstacles (in their day and life)

爸爸大賺！
and may my dad earn big bucks!

^o^

While some may find it bordering on being materialistic, I think it reflects on the very simple needs that people had — Safety and physical Well being and not have difficulty time (be Happy) whether in school, at work, at home or away from home.

Singaporeans in the 60s and 70s had it tough.  Most families were very closely knitted and had to chip in to make ends meet.  The last line reflects this.  Perhaps it is place last because it was very crucial or perhaps it was not as important as safety and the likes.  Or maybe this was just how our parents were taught.

 

Today, I see this as a precursor to Metta Bhavana, the Cultivation of Loving Kindness.  While Metta extends to all sentient beings, this prayer starts with the family, wishing for the family members to be Well and Happy.

Even simply wishing for this, I believe, is a good start.  For, I have counselled many families where the parents and children do not even speak to each other or they hate each others’ gut, and I think for them, it would be difficult to even say the above prayers wholeheartedly.  So if a family can even start with this simple prayer, each encompassing their heart with love-kindness and compassion for each other, it would be really wonderful.

Further if someone reflects on the Matta sutta http://bit.ly/gWhRrt then the “whole family 一家大小” expands and extends to include all sentient beings.

This would then pave the way towards higher bhavana (cultivation), towards Final Liberation, Nirvana!

 

Suki hontu! ^_^

PS: This prayer is usually said in the heart and not chanted or recited out loud.  The video is a chant sang in the tune of “This is the Buddha’s Light of Mine”.

 

Image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva courtesy of Rebecca Arnett from Castleton, Vermont, USA via wikimedia Commons.