jul/aug 2015 MCI (P) 078/02/2015 May you remain with us forever His Holiness the Dalai Lama Turns 80 Rio Helmi/JLTC

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1 jul/aug 2015 MCI (P) 078/02/ May you remain with us forever His Holiness the Dalai Lama Turns 80 Rio Helmi/JLTC

2 Amitabha Buddhist Centre is a centre for the study and practice of Mahayana Buddhism, based on the tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa, in the lineage of Lama Thubten Yeshe and our Spiritual Director, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. OUR VISION Learn to Be Happy Courage to cherish all Wisdom to see the truth Faith in Buddha s peace Follow Our Four-fold Path Inspire Connect Learn Practise SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche RESIDENT TEACHER Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi PRESIDENT OFFICE HOURS Open daily except Mondays Tuesdays Saturdays: am 6 pm Sundays: 10 am 6 pm (Hours extended to 7.30 pm when evening sessions are scheduled) AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE 44 Lorong 25A Geylang Singapore Tel: Fax: centre@fpmtabc.org When you wake up in the morning, take a moment to think about how the whole of humanity are your brothers and sisters. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Brisbane public talk, 12 th June 2015 His Holiness the Dalai Lama celebrates his 80 th birthday on 6 th July. TASHI DELEK dedicates this issue especially to our eminent and peerless guide in the Dharma, with heartfelt prayers for his continuing long life, perfect health and the spontaneous fulfilment of his holy wishes. O Holy One, eye of the world, May you remain with us forever And fulfil the three legacies of a master: Giving spiritual teachings that reveal The essential thought of the buddhas; Leading discussions that dispel mistaken dogmas; And composing texts that fill with delight The fortunate beings that love great Compassion: The Way to Peace and Happiness In honour of his 80 th birthday on 6 th July, we pay homage to our greatly beloved spiritual guide, His Holiness the 14 th Dalai Lama, by sharing his message on a subject he holds dear compassion. The greatest degree of inner tranquillity comes from the development of love and compassion. I believe that no one is born free from the need for love. And this demonstrates that, although some modern schools of thought seek to do so, human beings cannot be defined as solely physical. No material object, however beautiful or valuable, can make us feel loved, because our deeper identity and true character lie in the subjective nature of the mind. Tan Hup Cheng 2 thoughts. 3 Until all living beings have crossed the Developing Compassion positive thoughts, the body will not one partner s attitude changes, the SPIRITUALPROGRAMME paths and stages Some of my friends have told me easily fall prey to disease. other partner is often disappointed COORDINATOR Remain with us forever that, while love and compassion are and his or her attitude changes too. Ven. Tenzin Gyurme That lead to great enlightenment, As a great navigator of living beings. marvellous and good, they are not This is an indication that love has And the two purposes are spontaneously Fulfil ordinary and higher aims of CENTRE MANAGER really very relevant. Our world, they been motivated more by personal fulfilled. Koh Zi Yen living beings say, is not a place where such beliefs need than by genuine care for the have much influence or power. They other individual. Office staff Verses from the Long Life Prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama composed by Regent Reteng claim that anger and hatred are so Administration - Alicia Lee Tulku for the enthronement of the 14 th Dalai Lama; English translation by Glenn H. Mullin in The much a part of human nature that Operations - Denis Kwan Fourteen Dalai Lamas A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation. humanity will always be dominated retail - Serene Tan by them. I do not agree. 80 th Birthday Prayer Celebration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama Namgyalma Puja for Long Life Monday 6 July 7.30 pm By sailing the ship of profound learning In the traditions of sutra and tantra, Your driving force the strong and steady wind Of the three noble disciplines. O Great Guru, Holder of the White Lotus, May you continue to manifest as a teacher of the Great Way Cover photo: courtesy of Rio Helmi for Jangchup Lamrim Teachings 2014 Come join us as we offer our heartfelt prayers for His Holiness to continue to remain with us in a long life, with perfect health and for all his holy wishes to be accomplished. We humans have existed in our present form for about a hundred thousand years. I believe that if during this time the human mind had been primarily controlled by anger and hatred, our overall population would have decreased. But today, despite all our wars, we find that the human population is greater than ever. This clearly indicates to me that love and compassion predominate in the world. And this is why unpleasant events are news. Compassionate activities are so much part of daily life that they are taken for granted and, therefore, largely ignored. So far I have been discussing mainly the mental benefits of compassion, but it contributes to good physical health as well, According to my personal experience, mental stability and physical wellbeing are directly related. Without question, anger and agitation make us more susceptible to illness. On the other hand, if the mind is tranquil and occupied with But of course it is also true that we all have an innate self-centredness that inhibits our love for others. So, since we desire the true happiness that is brought about by only a calm mind, and since such peace of mind is brought about by only a compassionate attitude, how can we develop this? Obviously, it is not enough for us simply to think about how nice compassion is! We need to make a concerted effort to develop it; we must use all the events of our daily life to transform our thoughts and behaviour. First of all, we must be clear about what we mean by compassion. Many forms of compassionate feeling are mixed with desire and attachment. For instance, the love parents feel for their child is often strongly associated with their own emotional needs, so it is not fully compassionate. Again, in marriage, the love between husband and wife particularly at the beginning, when each partner still may not know the other s deeper character very well depends more on attachment than genuine love. Our desire can be so strong that the person to whom we are attached appears to be good, when in fact he or she is very negative. In addition, we have a tendency to exaggerate small positive qualities. Thus when True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude towards others does not change even if they behave negatively. Of course, developing this kind of compassion is not at all easy! As a start, let us consider the following facts: Whether people are beautiful and friendly or unattractive and disruptive, ultimately they are human beings, just like oneself. Like oneself, they want happiness and do not want suffering. Furthermore, their right to overcome suffering and

3 be happy is equal to one s own. Now, when you recognise that all beings are equal in both their desire for happiness and their right to obtain it, you automatically feel empathy and closeness for them. Through accustoming your mind to this sense of universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others, the wish to help them actively overcome their problems. Nor is this wish selective; it applies equally to all. As long as they are human beings experiencing pleasure and pain just as you do, there is no logical basis to discriminate between them or to alter your concern for them if they behave negatively. Let me emphasise that it is within your power, given patience and time, to develop this kind of compassion. Of course, our self-centredness, our distinctive attachment to the feeling of an independent, selfexistent [ I ], works fundamentally to inhibit our compassion. Indeed, true compassion can be experienced only when this type of self-grasping is eliminated. But this does not mean that we cannot start and make Compassion and the World In conclusion, I would like briefly to expand my thoughts beyond the topic of this short piece and make a wider point: individual happiness can contribute in a profound and effective way to the overall improvement of our entire human community. Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behaviour, there is no significant division between us and other people. It is foolish to dwell on external differences, because our basic natures are the same. Ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the selfcentred motives that cause people to 4 Moreover, if anger increases to the deceive and misuse one another. should be done with compassion, the forces we most need to confront friends, but as our status and health 5 progress now. How Can We Start? We should begin by removing the greatest hindrances to compassion: anger and hatred. As we all know, these are extremely powerful emotions and they can overwhelm our entire mind. Nevertheless, they can be controlled. If, however, they are not, these negative emotions will plague us (with no extra effort on their part!) and impede our quest for the happiness of a loving mind. So as a start, it is useful to investigate whether or not anger is of value. Sometimes, when we are discouraged by a difficult situation, anger does seem helpful, appearing to bring with it more energy, confidence and determination. Here, though, we must examine our mental state carefully. While it is true that anger brings extra energy, if we explore the nature of this energy, we discover that it is blind: we cannot be sure whether its result will be positive or negative. This is because anger eclipses the best part of our brain: its rationality. So the energy of anger is almost always unreliable. It can cause an immense amount of destructive, unfortunate behaviour. extreme, one becomes like a mad person, acting in ways that are as damaging to oneself as they are to others. It is possible, however, to develop an equally forceful but far more controlled energy with which to handle difficult situations. This controlled energy comes not only from a compassionate attitude, but also from reason and patience. These are the most powerful antidotes to anger. Unfortunately, many people misjudge these qualities as signs of weakness. I believe the opposite to be true: that they are the true signs of inner strength. Compassion is by nature gentle, peaceful and soft, but it is very powerful. It is those who easily lose their patience who are insecure and unstable. Thus, to me, the arousal of anger is a direct sign of weakness. So, when a problem first arises, try to remain humble and maintain a sincere attitude and be concerned that the outcome is fair. Of course, others may try to take advantage of you, and if your remaining detached only encourages unjust aggression, adopt a strong stand, This, however, and if it is necessary to express your views and take strong counter measures, do so without anger or ill intent. You should realise that even though your opponents appear to be harming you, in the end, their destructive activity will damage only themselves. In order to check your own selfish impulse to retaliate, you should recall your desire to practise compassion and assume responsibility for helping prevent the other person from suffering the consequences of his or her acts. Thus, because the measures you employ have been calmly chosen, they will be more effective, more accurate and more forceful. Retaliation based on the blind energy of anger seldom hits the target. Friends and Enemies I must emphasise again that merely thinking that compassion and reason and patience are good will not be enough to develop them. We must wait for difficulties to arise and then attempt to practise them. And who creates such opportunities? Not our friends, of course, but our enemies. They are the ones who give us the most trouble, so if we truly wish to learn, we should consider enemies to be our best teacher! For a person who cherishes compassion and love, the practice of tolerance is essential, and for that, an enemy is indispensable. So we should feel grateful to our enemies, for it is they who can best help us develop a tranquil mind! Also, it is often the case in both personal and public life, that with a change in circumstances, enemies become friends. So anger and hatred are always harmful, and unless we train our minds and work to reduce their negative force, they will continue to disturb us and disrupt our attempts to develop a calm mind. Anger and hatred are our real enemies. These are and defeat, not the temporary enemies who appear intermittently throughout life. Anger and hatred are our real enemies. These are the forces we most need to confront and defeat, not the temporary enemies who appear intermittently throughout life. Of course, it is natural and right that we all want friends. I often joke that if you really want to be selfish, you should be very altruistic! You should take good care of others, be concerned for their welfare, help them, serve them, make more friends, make more smiles. The result? When you yourself need help, you find plenty of helpers! If, on the other hand, you neglect the happiness of others, in the long term you will be the loser. And is friendship produced through quarrels and anger, jealousy and intense competitiveness? I do not think so. Only affection brings us genuine close friends. In today s materialistic society, if you have money and power, you seem to have many friends. But they are not friends of yours; they are the friends of your money and power. When you lose your wealth and influence, you will find it very difficult to track these people down. The trouble is that when things in the world go well for us, we become confident that we can manage by ourselves and feel we do not need decline, we quickly realise how wrong we were. That is the moment when we learn who is really helpful and who is completely useless. So to prepare for that moment, to make genuine friends who will help us when the need arises, we ourselves must cultivate altruism! Though sometimes people laugh when I say it, I myself always want more friends. I love smiles. Because of this I have the problem of knowing how to make more friends and how to get more smiles, in particular, genuine smiles, for there are many kinds of smile, such as sarcastic, artificial or diplomatic smiles. Many smiles produce no feeling of satisfaction, and sometimes they can even create suspicion or fear, can t they? But a genuine smile really gives us a feeling of freshness and is, I believe, unique to human beings. If these are the smiles we want, then we ourselves must create the reasons for them to appear. If you have a sincere and open heart, you naturally feel self-worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others. I believe that at every level of society familial, tribal, national and international the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities. I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend. This gives me a genuine feeling of happiness. It is the practice of compassion. From Compassion and the Individual by His Holiness the 14 th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, courtesy of

4 Raising Children with the Good Heart In a new book, Joyful Parents, Successful Children, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has advice for parents on how to give their children a healthy and positive start to life by teaching them to live with a good heart. Here is an excerpt. Young people are the future of the world. How much happiness and peace, and likewise, how much fear and danger future generations will experience, depends on how children are educated right now. A more peaceful world depends on children practising the good heart important and entails a truly big responsibility. From Chapter 3, Generating the Good Heart Joyful Parents, Successful Children. Published by Amitabha Buddhist Centre, available at ABC s Free Publications at Level 1. 6 helping others and not harming beings, you have a 7 them. This is the most important education you can give children and the very first thing to teach them. Initially, it is very important to make a plan for your children s lives to be beneficial, both for their own sake and for the rest of the world. People who are starting a new business, for example, begin by developing a plan to make it the most profitable possible. Similarly, even before you bring children into the world, you should make a plan given that a sentient being s life is much more important than a business! Every day, you, as a Buddhist parent, make prayers, recite mantras and so forth, for the benefit of all sentient beings the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, asuras, suras and intermediate state beings. Since your children are also included in those sentient beings, you must think about how to make their lives the most beneficial possible. This is because, among the numberless sentient special responsibility for your children s lives. You must therefore make a plan to ensure that their lives are meaningful and not passed in suffering, at the very least for themselves but ideally, also for the entire family, society, country and world. You have a huge responsibility for the kind of people your children will grow up to be. Because you spend so much time with them, your attitude and behaviour can have a lasting influence on them. Of course, there is no guarantee they will do everything you tell them to do; they also have their own individual karma. Having created strong karma in their past lives, your children s lives may well turn out to be completely different to the way you brought them up. But because what happens to them also depends on other causes and conditions, you are responsible for helping them as much as you possibly can. Therefore, you need to have a clear plan as to how to educate them. If instead, you miss out on directing your children s lives in a positive way, their futures will be very unsure and the opportunity you had to help them will be lost. Although many good things could have happened to your children because you lacked a clear idea about parenting, their lives might become filled with constant suffering and problems. A good parenting plan comes from having a healthy, positive motivation for bringing up your children, one that is based on a good heart rather than on attachment. If you have a good heart and a good attitude toward life, and consequently try to do positive things to help others in your daily life, it will have a strong impact on your children. It will be of great benefit to them and they will grow up with a healthy mind a positive, pure Dharma mind. With this type of mind, they won t harm themselves, nor will they harm other sentient beings: their families, neighbours, fellow countrymen and the people of the world, not to mention animals. Not only that, their healthy minds will also make it possible for them to bring peace and happiness to others. Children learn from their parents, so if they see you trying to benefit others, they will receive a positive message from your example. Then, when your children have their own children, they will pass on that same education by also living their lives with a good heart and helping others. Your children will be an example for their own children, that is, for your grandchildren. Like this, parents can help to transmit from generation to generation the importance of a good heart, of not causing harm to others and of doing as many positive actions as possible. If you do this, the result will not only be an enjoyable family life for you and your children, but it will also bring much happiness and peace to the sentient beings of this world, life after life. Therefore, your role as a parent is extremely Children learn from their parents, so if they see you trying to benefit others, they will receive a positive message from your example. Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment In this book, His Holiness the Dalai Lama explains how to practise the lam-rim based on two classic texts: Lama Atisha s Lamp for the Path and Lama Tsong Khapa s Lines of Experience. First published in 2002, this book is available now in a NEW reprint from our Free Publications. Copies are available for free at our Level 1 foyer.

5 Vesak Celebration 2015 Bigger and Better Thousands of people thronged our three-day Vesak Celebration from 30 th May to 1 st June. Hot humid weather did not deter crowds of the faithful as well as the curious from visiting our festival and celebrating the Buddha s date of birth, enlightenment and parinirvana with us. Long queues waited patiently to offer bath to the infant Buddha, to receive auspicious blessings from Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, and to enjoy free hearty servings of vegetarian lunch on Vesak Day itself. Seats were filled as people came to attend the pujas performed by the Sangha, and hundreds took part in the light offering and circumambulation procession every night. 8 9 The main focus of the festival continued to be the display of our magnificent thangka of Amitabha Buddha s Pure Land, which attracted the attention of the thousands who passed by and was captured by countless photo-taking devices. This was ABC s 18 th year of hosting our Vesak Celebration at the field next to the Aljunied MRT station but not quite the way it used to be. A notification from the authorities just two weeks before the event required that we relocate our site to the plot right beside the MRT station itself. Our president, Tan Hup Cheng, explained the move: The change in the location of the tentage was because the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) expanded the current car park into one-third of the land we traditionally use for the tentage. We were given the alternative use of the plot of land between the condominium showroom, church and MRT station. This plot is much bigger, wider and deeper 70 by 60 metres than the old plot. In addition, we were subsequently allowed to use the opposite plot of empty land next to the MRT station for the big Amitabha thangka and Dzambhala ponds. This was a great blessing in that we had an extra large parcel of land to display the Amitabha thangka, which could be pushed right back and afforded an excellent picture postcard view. Going by the swell of visitors that streamed in, the unexpected change of location worked out well, providing favourable conditions for us to offer the inconceivable benefits of our vibrant Vesak Celebration to our community once again. Our Vesak festivities included a special lunchtime performance by ABC s vocal group, Mudita. Their crowd-pleasing interlude included the debut of the Heart Sutra and Amitabha in Our Heart, sung in Chinese.

6 The Nepal Earthquake: A Shake-up for Self-Cherishing Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim tells her side of the story of what it was like to land in Nepal in the middle of its recent earthquake crisis. For about ten seconds, the aeroplane suddenly rocked vigorously from side to side. I was inside a toilet in the rear of the cabin when this happened. All I thought was, Why is the plane moving sideways when it s supposed to go forward? What s the pilot doing? The plane was parked on the tarmac of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, waiting to taxi to a landing bay. It was one p.m. on 26 th April. The plane had finally landed after circling for half an hour and had been stationary for another are going to die today. Those who are practising pure Dharma, it is not something very peculiar. Every day, you might die, not just in an earthquake. So continuously practise Dharma. Whether walking, eating, sleeping, always remember Dharma. Everything becomes Dharma. Everyday when you train in that, then everything becomes Dharma. So it makes life meaningful. Rinpoche said that when the earthquake occurred, he made this prayer: May all the sentient beings sufferings ripen on me. What I gathered afterwards from speaking separately to Khen Rinpoche and Rinpoche s attendant, Ven. Sangpo, is that as the whole room shook and various statues and water bowls went 10 half hour. I returned to my seat and experienced its worst up debris, donating blood at hospitals self-cherishing, we should give death crashing to the floor, Rinpoche sat 11 asked my travel companion, Did the plane just move? She looked up briefly from her mobile phone and said, Yes, the plane just moved forward. That was odd, I thought, as I looked out of a window. If we had just moved forward, why was the search-and-rescue helicopter in the exact same place as before? After a while, an airline official walked through the half-empty cabin to explain that we had just experienced an earthquake. This was followed by an announcement from the pilot (who had been silent for what felt like eternity), informing us that he had been trying to contact the flight control tower for a long time but no one had picked up his calls they had all evacuated the building due to the earthquake alarm! I found out later that the violent shaking we had experienced on board the plane was indeed an aftershock that registered at about six on the Richter scale. We were stuck inside the grounded plane for two hours. The passengers comprised a handful of local Nepalese, news network camera crews, and seven people from Amitabha Buddhist Centre who put their wish to receive a certain initiation from Lama Zopa Rinpoche above considerations of sanity and safety. As was widely reported, Nepal earthquake in 82 years just the day before. For several tense moments while confined in the plane, I entered a near-panic zone where I questioned my own decision to fly to Nepal the very day after the earthquake. TV images from the disaster floated through my mind as well as the thought that I might die soon. As I resisted an oncoming surge of irrational fear, I reasoned that it was entirely my self-cherishing that was rising up. If I were to die then, it would be quite a fortunate way to die because I had flown all the way there, into an earthquake crisis, to see my guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. I thought about what it was like for people who perished while trapped inside aircraft that went plummeting towards a fatal crash or explosion, their sheer terror. Compared to their horrific suffering, to die in a halfempty plane would be much better. I told myself, this is what death and impermanence really is. When we finally disembarked from the plane, everything was surreal. Passing large groups waiting beside the runway to board their planes, walking by more people camping in the airport s parking lot ready to flee on the next flight, going past a neverending queue of Indian nationals waiting to be evacuated, driving through deserted city streets, and arriving at Kopan Monastery where everyone, including Lama Zopa Rinpoche, was camped outdoors around the stupa garden. Kopan Monastery was a paradise in comparison to other places. We were given rooms that we were told, were safe to sleep in and did sleep in except for one night. We had enough food. The day we arrived, there was no electricity but this was temporary. The water pipe in our hostel block was broken so for many days, there was no running water. But compared to the thousands who had lost their homes and lacked basic food and shelter, this was a very minor inconvenience. This was one trip to Nepal where I had to forgo the usual pilgrimage to Boudha Stupa, especially after being warned about the outbreak of swine flu there. Other than visits to Kopan Nunnery, I simply stayed put. There were aftershocks day after day and one did not know when to expect them or the next big one. Sometimes, the tremors occurred at night and would shake me out of the false security of my sleep. Even though I was only in Nepal for nine days, weeks later back home in Singapore, I felt the sensation of physical tremors on three occasions while half asleep. What it must be like for those who live in Nepal where aftershocks have persisted? During my week there, I saw how the Kopan monks initially ventured around the neighbourhood, cleaning and distributing cooked meals, then gradually fanned out to deliver emergency supplies to remote villages that had succumbed to destruction. The activities of Helping Hands of Kopan have been well documented on social media. I do not hesitate to add that the monks carried out their well-organised and extensive work every day with a steadfast attitude from morning to night. As a visitor, I did not feel that I could actually do much to help. But the quake relief station that the monks set up outside Reception encouraged me and others to come forward to contribute whatever might be useful. I gladly gave away my sleeping bag, bath towel, some medicine and cash. Rinpoche led prayers for the victims and the deceased at night and gave several teachings. I jotted down a few quotes. What Rinpoche said speaks volumes to sum up what I needed to learn about myself as a result of flying into the thick of the earthquake. Rinpoche said: Since this earthquake came from our selfcherishing attitude, we should give the earthquake back to our selfcherishing attitude. Even if we were to die, since the I comes from our back to our self-cherishing. Pure Dharma practitioners, every day, even every hour, think they The Day Boudha Stupa Shook A few ABC members had flown to Kathmandu on 24 th April, the day before the earthquake. Here is an upfront account from one of them on being there when the earthquake struck. She prefers to remain anonymous. After breakfast, we decided to go to Boudha to do kora, and had decided to go the upper level of Boudha Stupa because it was less crowded. I was looking out and suddenly, all the birds just rose up into the sky together in fright. [She was referring to a corner of the stupa habitually occupied by a large flock of pigeons.] The next moment, the stupa started shaking badly. It was almost instantaneous. I screamed, Earthquake! and shouted to my companions. We squatted down to keep our centre of gravity. We did our mantras and I thought of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and we waited for it to subside. Then everybody ran down and waited in the open area next to the stupa for about one hour. Everybody was praying. It was very frightening because immovable with his palms folded above his head while he made that prayer. you don t know what is going to happen next. I thought, This is it. I am going to die today. You cling on to the only thing you can think of refuge. I thought it was a very good thing to experience, all these things that you read about in newspapers that happen to other people. We got an experience of what it s like. We had it easy compared to those who got buried in the rubble. Of course, you think about death, the frailty of life. It can happen any time.

7 Continued from page 11 Substantial Aid Raised Just three days after Nepal suffered a devastating earthquake on 25 th April, ABC sent an to our members calling for voluntary donations in aid of emergency relief efforts for our FPMT monastery and nunnery in Kopan. While thankfully nobody was hurt, the two successive earthquakes did cause damage to buildings in Kopan Monastery and Nunnery as well as other FPMT centres, including in Lawudo. Our appeal went out in support of the FPMT s Nepal Earthquake Support Fund. ABC members will be pleased to know that your generous contributions raised a very substantial sum that has gone towards repairs and helping those whose lives have been adversely affected. Celebrate These Special Buddha Days with Us! Wheel Turning Day Monday 20 July 2015 Celebrating the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma Ullambana in August Sunday 30 August, 2 pm 100 Torma Offerings on the 15 th day of the 7 th month Bringing the Dharma to China In the village of Sishuang Chun, in Hebei province, China, a group comprised mainly of older women in their sixties and seventies received refuge vows with precepts in May. Nothing unusual about this really, except that the Join us in venerating the Buddha with meaningful practice and prayers, and strongly dedicating the vast oceans of merit for all our holy and ordinary wishes to be fulfilled. Golden Light Sutra Recitation, 1.30 pm Shakyamuni Buddha Puja with 1,000 Offerings, 7.30 pm A mega merit-multiplying day! All virtue accumulated 12 monk who gave the vows happened on this auspicious day is magnified by 100 million times the transcendental (the Three Jewels and deities) to the 13 to be from the Tibetan tradition and was a foreigner. It was in fact Ven. Tenzin Drachom from Singapore. This was Ven. Drachom s second visit to China within a six-month period. Following advice given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Drachom has visited Bejing twice on a mission to teach the Dharma. In early March, Ven. Drachom had met Rinpoche while at Kopan Monastery and had asked Rinpoche for further advice about what he should do while in China. Rinpoche s answer to him was that he should give refuge vows with precepts whenever possible because it would create so much merit, and so gave Ven. Drachom his permission and blessing to carry out the task. As connections fell into place, Ven. Drachom was able to take a trip out from Beijing to Sishuang Chun, via high-speed rail, during his most recent visit and to meet followers of a Buddhist temple called Bai Ta Shi. The nun who administers this temple from the Chinese tradition is a student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Ven. Drachom estimated that about 40 villagers attended his lectures. There were a number of children too. He also led an Animal Liberation session. Back in Beijing, more events followed as Ven. Drachom was invited to speak at an art gallery and the opening of a traditional teahouse. Ven. Drachom has been addressing his audiences throughout in Mandarin, without an interpreter! He noted, These people wanted a deeper experience of understanding Dharma. Ven. Drachom said that if it were left up to him, he would not go to Beijing. The city s pollution and traffic problems were a big turn off. However, in order to fulfil the guru s wishes, there will be more trips to China for the next few years. Ven. Tenzin Drachom serves as First Vice-president in ABC s Executive Committee. and even up to ONE BILLION times according to some sutras! To contribute to extensive offerings for the Shakyamuni Buddha Puja, cash donations can be made at our office. Performed by Khen Rinpoche & ABC Sangha Ullambana celebrates the day when the Buddha s ordained disciples completed the Rains Retreat, with many attaining realisations and even liberation. Furthermore, the Ullambana Sutra describes the great act of generosity that the Buddha s disciple, the arhat Maudgalyayana, performed on this day to free his mother from rebirths in the lower realms. Ullambana is therefore a time to practise generosity toward all sentient beings. Take part in joyful giving to the 12 types of guests with the 100 Torma Offering Ritual. Prayers are performed to invoke the blessings of the wealth deities White and Yellow Dzambhala, while specially blessed dough balls are offered to the 12 types of guests, from worldly (including spirits and hungry ghosts). Donations to the puja in any amount are welcome. Make your donation and/or dedication through our office or online at from the 2 nd week of August up to 2 pm on 30 August. Long Life Puja for Khen Rinpoche Sunday 26 July, from 9.30 am Come join our special birthday celebration for Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi! In honour of his 53 rd year, ABC s Executive Committee is offering a long life puja to Khen Rinpoche. The long life puja presents an elaborate series of offerings, praises and requests to the kind spiritual masters our gurus for their long and healthy lives. It is auspicious for the guru, and also for the disciples who, by offering the puja, create the cause to be blessed with their own longevity. The birthday celebration includes a free vegetarian lunch buffet. Registration is required for attendance at lunch to facilitate our catering arrangements. Log on to our website at and click on Register for Class under Quick Links.

8 jul 2015 aug His Holiness the Dalai Lama s 80 th Birthday Namgyalma Puja for Long Life Buddha s First Beginners (3/5) 10am Buddhism The Most Secret Hayagriva Prayer Festival Day 2 9am - 6pm Beginners (4/5) 10am Purification Ritual of Most Secret Hayagriva 4pm Beginners (5/5) 10am Buddhism Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (100 Million Merit 15 Multiplying Day) Golden Light Sutra Recitation 1.30pm Shakyamuni Buddha Puja with 1,000 Offerings Buddhism Buddhism Guru Puja 4pm Beginners (1/5) 10am Buddhism Beginners (2/5) 10am Buddhism Dharma for Seniors 10.30am Medicine Buddha Puja 4pm Animal Liberation 10am Chinese Lam-rim 静心静修 1.30pm Tara Puja 4pm Chinese Lamrim 静心静修 1.30pm Confession and Purification Practice 4pm Long Life Puja for Khen Rinpoche 9.30am Buddhism Guru Puja The Most Secret Hayagriva Prayer Festival Day 1 9am - 6pm Buddhism Dharma for Seniors 10.30am Chinese Lam-rim 静心静修 1.30pm Medicine Buddha Puja 4pm The Most Secret Hayagriva Prayer Festival Day 3 9am - 6pm Ceremony for Increasing Virtuous Signs of Auspiciousness 4pm Tara Puja 4pm - Wheel of Sharp Weapons (Discussion) 1.30pm Confession and Purification Practice 4pm Ullambana Puja Torma Offerings 2pm TASHI DELEK editorial team Editor Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim (Vivian Seah) Spiritual Programme Ven. Tenzin Gyurme Design & Layout Kennedy Koh Photography Tan Seow Kheng Ven. Tenzin Drachom Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim Noelle Teoh Printer Highlight Printing Services Stay Connected TASHI DELEK is a free publication of Amitabha Buddhist Centre. Subscribe: Call our office at Online: Download our full-colour edition directly from All events and dates published are up-to-date at the time of printing. For the latest schedule and on-going updates, subscribe to our or SMS updates, or visit us online: OR Learn to Meditate A new round of the Beginners course begins, Saturday mornings 10 am, from 18 July to 15 August with Wee Geok Hua. To register, visit our website and click on Register for Class. Learn about Hayagriva Our annual Most Secret Hayagriva Prayer Festival will be held from 7 9 August (details on the back page). To learn more about the significance of the deity Most Secret Hayagriva, watch our YouTube video at user/abcfpmt

9 The Most Secret Prayer Festival Join us for 3 days of powerful prayers for protection from obstacles and harm 7 9 August 2015, 9 am 6 pm Performed by Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi & Sangha Once again, be blessed and protected by Most Secret Hayagriva, the wrathful aspect of Chenresig, Buddha of Compassion, against obstacles and harms. Contribute to the pujas for yourself, family or business. Profound Benefits of the Most Secret Hayagriva Puja [Tibetan: Tamdrin tsog kong ] Extremely powerful against obstacles from: Nagas cause of cancer, leprosy and skin diseases Landlord spirits manifesting as paralysis or spirit harm Spirit harm leading to epilepsy Relying on Most Secret Hayagriva who is in the nature of compassion, is the powerful method to pacify such obstacles, which arise from one s negative karma, precipitated by nonhuman entities. Come to Our Three-day Festival All are welcome! Ample and elaborate offerings are presented through ceremonious rituals dating back 600 years. Prayers include extensive confession practice, as well as supplications to various Dharma protectors for their swift enlightened activity. Purification Ritual of Most Secret Hayagriva Saturday 8 August, 4 pm Come in person to take part in this ceremony where sickness, contamination and negativities of body, speech and mind are purified. Bring family and friends along. NEW! Ceremony for Increasing Virtuous Signs of Auspiciousness Sunday, 9 August, 4 pm Join in the grand finale where the Sangha will perform an elaborate series of prayers to invoke: The descent of blessings Gathering of life essence Gathering of wealth and fortune The proclamation of auspiciousness All present will receive a portion of specially blessed longevity pills and nectar after the ritual for gathering the life essence. Count the Mantras from 20 July (Wheel Turning Day) up to 9 August Starting from 100 million merit-multiplying day, 20 July, join in accumulating the mantras of Most Secret Hayagriva, a meaningful practice to receive the blessings of the deity and to dedicate for the lives, health and wishes of our gurus, especially for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Pick up the practice text and counting slip from our office. For All Puja Sponsors Receive precious blessed Hayagriva nectar pills and torma powder from Sera Je Monastery. Smoke produced from burning the Hayagriva torma powder purifies illnesses and eliminates spirit harm. How to Sponsor Choose one of these options: Online sponsorship at (opens 10 July) Mail in a Sponsorship Form OR Visit our office from 10 July up to 9 August