Happy Vesak Day 2556!

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Tomorrow is Vesak Day 2556!  Yes, you didn’t read it wrong.  It is 2556 years since the Buddha’s final passing into Mahaparinibbana (Sanskrit: Mahaparinirvana) and 2601 years since his Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

Buddhists around the world celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinibbana of the Buddha around this period.  Some countries such as Japan has evolved into a flower festival, said to have developed over time with the offering of flowers to Buddha in Buddhist monasteries and later developed into the former.

While commonly seen as a Buddhist celebration, it is significant to all people, all sentient beings.  The celebration marks the conquering of our common human state of unknowing, of delusion, of ignorance, of worry, of anxiety, of stress, of suffering.  Of transcending the extremes of sensual pleasure and extreme ascetism.  Of going beyond words and petty differences, and seeing how things truly are.  Of fulfilling the maxim of human potential, Nirvana, Arahanthood, Buddhahood!

This potential is in each and everyone of us, whether we believe or subscribe to it or not.  That despite our faults and flaws, we can cultivate wholesome mental habits and attain to Perfection.  That while we look so different, speak different languages, think and act so differently, we share the common human experience of wanting happiness.  And if we start cultivating in ourselves love (metta 慈), compassion (悲) and wisdom (智), we can slowly but surely overcome the defilements of greed, hatred and delusion.

We can and we should strive towards this goal.  For this is our birthright as sentient beings.  For all sentient beings have Buddha Nature, the potential to become a Buddha, to be free from defilements, free from Cravings and Attachments, free from Suffering.

Happy Vesak!

Daily Readings Updated with Selectable Books

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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!

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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

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Swiss woman dies after attempting to live on sunlight; Woman gave up food and water on spiritual journey

 

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?

 

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