DDS Outdoor Meditation Retreat 户外禅一

Finally, Dharma Drum Singapore organised their One day Outdoor Meditation Retreat again at Labrador Nature Reserve!

It was Thunderstorms in most parts of Singapore before 7am on the event day 27 April 2014 and we were all kind of worried but luckily the rain stopped in time.
When we gathered by 8.30am at Labrador Park MRT, we had a cooling walk to the Park.

Starting with the 8 meditative movements of DDM, we warmed up and I am certainly glad to be back to the same old spot years later under the wonderful shades of the trees.
It made me realise how much gratitude the Buddha must have had for the Bodhi tree which sheltered Him till Enlightenment.

In harmony with the nature orchestra such as sounds of insects, birds, sea waves, tree leaves swaying, as well as sound of passing boats and voices of other users of the park...  
Lowering my eyes, I relaxed my eyes with the greenery...
Levelling my eyes, I relaxed my eyes with scenes of vast ocean and sky.
Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the sunshine and breeze...
The relaxation nature closeness made it a perfect spot for meditation techniques such as Sound and Objectless meditation learnt in recent years.

Invading into the territories of the insects, especially the ants, I helped some of them took refuge in the Triple Gem and endured their bites.
Oh a small toad was also refuged.:-)

Tested my skill of Amitabha Buddha chanting with steps of water bowl exercise...

A relaxing day!
Thank you to all the volunteers and protectors! _/|\_

Outdoor Zen Meditation by Dharma Drum Singapore

Had a meaningful weekend starting with a Basic Meditation class at Dharma Drum Mountain (S'pore branch) followed by the next day Outdoor Meditation retreat at Labrador Park.
It is a crushed course but a good one that taught us about the basics for application the next day.
The relaxation care for your body massage before and after meditation, the 8 Form Moving Meditation that combined Yoga, Tai-Ji and exercise movements devised by late Master Sheng Yen, the water-carrying meditation, slow jog meditation, blindfold activity, the sharing of experience, the indulgence into the nature.

Meditating under the trees on the straw mats, listening to voices of nature orchestra ~ birds and insects' singing, rustling sound of tree leaves like rain drizzling, sound of the waves, such breezy wind (good weather) with natural slope and under the shades of the trees that is conducive as a meditation ground, we are fortunate to enjoy a meaningful day under the guidance of Venerable.
(oh, a straw mat is a necessity as the grasses are not the soft type and the fragrant smell of the straw mat blends in with the environment and acts as a nature aroma. One must also be prepared to be real close to the insects such as the different species of mosquitoes, ants and any species of insects you may not had seen before in the city. Be mentally prepared to live in harmony with them for the day:P...)


A very different experience to meditate outdoor, a great experience that one could not describe in words but must experience for oneself.

Very refreshing that one feels recharged and no longer craves for a quick get-away for oversea recharge.

Thankful to the guidance of Venerable, all the volunteers and the conducive environment...

Looking forward to next session...
 :-)

Meditation

As if answering prayer search for a meditation teacher, I heard from a friend that Dharma Drum Singapore (DDS) is hosting a 3 evening Dharma talk on Meditation ( 信心銘讲座会) by Ven Changhui from DDM(Malaysia) from 6-8 May 7.30pm.

After attending the 2nd nite's talk, I began to Regret missing the 1st nite's talk which is Venerable's start of 6th attempt to give the talk on the topic ever since invited by the late Master Shengyen to introduce it to the final year Meditation class graduates of DDM University.

Using powerpoint and many simple illustrations, Venerable managed to share with us on the practice of meditation in simplified manner (to me it is somehow difficult to read alone :P) on the work believed to be by China's 3rd Zen Great Master.

Heard that there are plans to invite Venerable to conduct a meditation class soon, this blog entry is to remind me to keep a lookout for it:-)
http://www.ddsingapore.org/main.htm

Amituofo!

The Common Endeavor of Buddhists

Visited Dharma Drum Singapore recently and found some additions in their Free Book Distribution Shelves.
I like their new card (right bottom of picture) with the Buddha on the background with following phrases:

The Common Endeavor of Buddhists
Have Faith in the Buddha, Follow the Dharma, Respect the Sangha;
The Three Jewels are a bright lamp shining throughout eternity.

Uplift the character of humanity
And build a pure land on earth.

Being grateful, repaying kindness,: this is first;
Benefit others and you benefit yourself.

Foremost is to exert your wholehearted effort
Without measuring more or less.

Kindness and compassion have no enemies,
And wisdom engenders no vexations.

The busy make the most of time;
The diligent enjoy the best of health.

In broadly sowing the fields of merit,
Why fear any any hardship or rebuke?

Those who give selflessly are blessed;
Those who do good deeds are happy.

In every moment feel the joy of the Dharma,
And abide in the bliss of meditation.

Recite "Guanyin Bodhisattva" everywhere
And chant "Amitabha Buddha" without end.

Amituofo! :-)

Each Grain of Rice is Precious

Miss the meals at the Mountain...
Meals are generally in buffet style, served with rice, or sometimes buns are available too, around 3 dishes: tofu, green vege or mushrooms, with fruits and soup. You just choose what and how much you could eat, with unlimited helpings. Unlike rice generally eaten in Singapore, the rice there are locally grown and of the short grain species, tastes very much like Japanese rice, very Q and soft.

And all these delicious meals prepared for the hugh number of devotees are made possible due to the hardwork of Venerables, volunteers and donors behind the scenes.
(An day's experience as a volunteer at the kitchen, you can see many mothers or grandmothers all helping and they were also very kind to give a tip or two to the clumsy young volunteers like myself on how to use the knives to cut the vegetables safely when they saw our clumsiness.:P In the evening, some of us helped at the cutlery washing section, where we washed, cleaned, and dried the various gigantic pots, ladles, bowls, etc, used to serve the mass.)
After seeing the process & helping to prepare the vegetables to be cooked into a meal, we better understood & treasure even more the meals being served to us during meal times. The appreciation of the famous phrase of "Each grain of rice is precious" (粒粒皆辛苦) was much enhanced just based on the work required to plan and prepare even a simple meal (for the thousands of devotees...), not to mention the stages before the vegetables are delivered to the temple….
The meals, which already tasted delicious, became even more delicious....
Caring Snacks
No matter where you are, they are sent to you...

Lovely bread being delivered to us by volunteers while we were helping to sweep the road to the main shrine near the foot of the mountain.

Reflecting back on the days of volunteering at DDM, one will really appreciate the planning and logistics of all for an event.

Review on Feb09 trip to Dharma Drum Mountain Taipei (Jinshan)

We had originally enrolled for 生命自覺營 Awakening Life Retreat at Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Taipei (Jinshan) and as it was my 1^st time to stay on a temple to experience monastic life, I was rather excited about the trip. However, just days before our trip, on 3^rd Feb 2009, it was saddening to hear the news of Master Sheng Yen passing away. The retreat became instead a rare occasion for us to participate in a simple yet grand Buddhist memorial rituals for a high monk of the century. It was really touching to see thousands of devotees from all over Taiwan and overseas visited DDM Taipei (Jinshan) to pay their final respect to the Master.

During the 11 days there, besides chanting at the main shrine, participating in the main events: the Encoffining, Cremation and Ashes burial ceremonies, one-day meditation retreat and a half day excursion, we also had memorial experience as volunteers at DDM.

Through doing the volunteering work together, including preparation of food, washing and drying of the cutlery and the gigantic pots, ladles, etc used to serve the mass, washing the kitchen floor, drying and folding (recycling) the disposable raincoats, washing and drying the oil lamp containers, sweeping the roads to the main shrine, preparing souvenirs for thousands of devotees, etc, the participants from Singapore and in fact Malaysia too had fortified our friendship and team spirit.

After seeing the process and helping to prepare the vegetables to be cooked into a meal, we better understood & treasure even more the meals being served to us during meal times. The appreciation of the famous phrase of "Each grain of rice is precious" (粒粒皆辛苦) was much enhanced just based on the work required to plan and prepare even a simple meal (for the thousands of devotees...), not to mention the stages before the vegetables are being delivered to the temple….

The meals, which were already delicious, became even more delicious....

During our short stay and volunteering work at their “Environmental protection” unit, we can observe that DDM has also done very well in their environmental protection and energy conservation. During normal times, we are also strongly discouraged to take lifts except for the elderly, those with weak health and those carrying bulky items. The buildings have long flights of stairs that every day travelling to & fro different sections of the buildings, is really good training for vertical marathon. Most of us felt that we had climbed whole year's worth of stairs in the days there (we are really very pampered & fortunate in Singapore & I now feel guilty if am sole traveller using the lift after the trip). Likewise is light conservation at the halls & their recycling effort on differentiating kitchen and normal waste, etc, are all good practices worth our learning.

The close encounter with the Venerables, working alongside with them, seeing how committed and serene the Venerables were in a different role, the warmth, care and concern displayed by everyone at DDM really touched us. 

The trip's experience (very much to true monastic life rather than a much fantasy one which we were told our original retreat cancelled was supposed to be) is very memorable to all of us...

Thank you, Master, for all the teachings, for all the efforts to advocate Pureland spirit in Samsara, for all the efforts in helping us realise the Truth … Amituofo… 

Comics by a Venerable

I picked up this copy during my last visit to Ci Yan Xuan. They too have a free Dharma books distribution shelve outside their shop. If you do not see them at the shelve, you may be able to find a copy inside their shop near the door or simply ask the owners. ;-)This was drawn by Venerable Guo Yu based on a few Buddhist stories that illustrated/reflected on Compassion, Wisdom and importance of Discipline (that's the essence of the stories that I interpreted from my limited understanding, do let me know your reviews/comments after reading) while the theme of the last story encourages Vegetarian. Do pickup a copy when you are around Chinatown.
Cheers:-)

Series of Dharma Talk & Events

法鼓山新加坡护法会主办:

佛理开示「念佛在现代繁忙生活中的意义」
果舟法师
日期：7月15日(星期二)
时间：晚上7.30pm
地点：法鼓山新加坡护法会 100A Duxton Rd
(需报名 Tel:6735 5900)

Venerable Guo Zhou and Venerable Guo Zeng are invited by Dharma Drum Singapore for the period 17 July to 19 July 2008 to conduct
Fo San Chanting and praying session.

Brief introduction of Fo San Chanting and Praying session:
Fo San Chanting and Praying session is a Buddhist form of spiritual practice. The whole prayer session will last for three days from 9am till 9.00pm, during which the devotees will meditate, prostrate to Buddha while chanting the name of Amituo Fo (Amitabha Buddha).


法鼓山新加坡护法会首次主办佛三(念佛三天)
圣严师父僧团弟子--果舟法师与果增法师亲自带领

愿以念佛功德回向
累世冤亲 现世眷属
舍万劫之缠爱 共成佛道

九品度众生 威德无穷极
十方三世佛 阿弥陀第一

举办日期：2008年7月17日(星期四)至19日(星期六)
时间：早上9am -- 晚上9pm
地点：大悲佛教中心 (不挂单住宿)

设有祈福消灾、超荐牌位

报名地点：法鼓山新加坡护法会 (Tel:6735 5900)
法会赞助金：$30


***For the benefit of those who cannot participate full time, they have kindly allowed part-timers, however, for logistics and food preparation purposes especially if you are staying over lunch or dinner, please kindly register with the centre. ***


Cheers :-)

Series of Dharma Talk & Events

Organised by Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery
Venerable Hui Min will be conducting two Buddhist Talks at Tai Pei Buddhist Centre (2 Lavender Street):

Date: 12 July 08 (Sat)
Time: 7.30pm
Title: 人生最后的48小时 (Mandarin)

Together with other Professors of Life Engineering
Date: 13 July 08 (Sun)
Time: 1.30pm - 6pm *
Title: Brain, DNA and the Metamorphosis of Life (English)
* Need Registration with Shuang Lin Shi at Tel: 6259 6924
or for more details: http://www.culturalcompass.org/symposium08.htm

李焯芬教授
Date: 13 July 08 (Sun)
Time: 7.30pm
Title: 佛教的现代价值观(Mandarin)

=========================================
法鼓山新加坡护法会同时恭邀惠敏法师莅临会所主办:
佛法与科学漫谈：日期：7月14日(星期一)
时间：晚上7.30pm
地点：法鼓山新加坡护法会 100A Duxton Rd (需报名 Tel:6735 5900)

佛理开示「念佛在现代繁忙生活中的意义」
果舟法师
日期：7月15日(星期二)
时间：晚上7.30pm
地点：法鼓山新加坡护法会 100A Duxton Rd (需报名 Tel:6735 5900)

Venerable Guo Zhou and Venerable Guo Zeng are invited by Dharma Drum Singapore for the period 17 July to 19 July 2008 to conduct
Fo San Chanting and praying session.
Brief introduction of Fo San Chanting and Praying session:Fo San Chanting and Praying session is a Buddhist form of spiritual practice. The whole prayer session will last for three days from 9am till 9.00pm, during which the devotees will meditate, prostrate to Buddha while chanting the name of Amituo Fo (Amitabha Buddha).

法鼓山新加坡护法会首次
主办佛三(念佛三天)
圣严师父僧团弟子--果舟法师与果增法师亲自带领
愿以念佛功德回向
累世冤亲 现世眷属
舍万劫之缠爱 共成佛道

九品度众生 威德无穷极
十方三世佛 阿弥陀第一

举办日期：2008年7月17日(星期四)至19日(星期六)时间：早上9am -- 晚上9pm
地点：大悲佛教中心 (不挂单住宿)
设有祈福消灾、超荐牌位

报名地点：法鼓山新加坡护法会 (Tel:6735 5900)
法会赞助金：$30

***For the benefit of those who cannot participate full time, they have kindly allowed part-timers, however, for logistics and food preparation purposes especially if you are staying over lunch or dinner, please kindly register with the centre. ***

Cheers :-)