Vassana

The 3-months period which usually fall between the 7th lunar month full moon and 10th lunar month full moon is known as 'Vassana' ot the Rainy Retreat. The members of the Sangha are required to stay at one location during this period.

In the early days of the Buddhist Order, no special activities were planned for the monks during the rainy season. Therefore, the monks kept on wandering all over the places to preach the Dhamma to the people as originally instructed by the Buddha.

This was frowned upon by the people and other religious practitioners when they appeared with wey, soggy and ragged robes. The people complaint and criticize that :-

a) trudging down and destroying the newly grown greens or saplings of crops - is a violation of religious rules.

b) destroying many small creatures emerging from the ground.

Having heard these complaints, the Buddha imposed a new rule in the Vinaya for the monks. "O monks, I prescribe you to stay in one particular place during the rainy season."

Thus there evolved a new code of conduct in the disciplinary practice of the monks. In Buddhist communities, these 3 months of Vassana are considered a holy period which helps create more merits for both monks and laity.

Vassana 2012 - 2 Aug 2012 through 29 October 2012.

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Sayings

Yesterday is a memory,
Tomorrow is a mystery, and
Today is a gift which is why it is called the Present.

What the caterpillar perceives is the end;
To the butterfly is just the beginning.

Everything that has a beginning has an ending.
Make your peace with that and all will be well.

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Happy

"Happy is he who has lofty and noble aspirations.

Happy is he who enriches the lives of others.

Happy is he who allows others to live in peace.

Happy is he who makes this world a better place to live in.

Happy is he whose work, chores and daily tasks are labours of love.

Happy is he who loves love".

Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda (1919-2006)

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All You Can

DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN
BY ALL THE MEANS YOU CAN
IN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN
IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN
AT ALL TIMES YOU CAN
TO ALL PEOPLE YOU CAN
AS LONG AS YOU CAN

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Ajahn Chah

Timeless teaching of Ajahn Chah by Ajahn Siripanno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_56UYN10bA&feature=email

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oycJE_FUSzo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Jd4hJBwHg&feature=related

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Ajahn Siripanno, the only son of Malaysia’s second richest man who is Ananda Krishan, who is second generation Sri Lankan Tamil.

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84000

There are 84000 Dhamma doors to the Buddha's teaching for Awakening.

This is a common expression and it means:-

8 - The 8-fold Noble Path

4 - The 4 Noble Truths

000 - Seeing all things in reality as empty, without a solid unchanging self, each ‘zero’ represents the Universal characteristics of (i) Impermanence [anicca], (ii) Suffering [dukkha] and (iii) Non Self [anatta]

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BE 2555

DEALING with INSULT

The Buddha explained how to handle insult and maintain compassion. One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. "You have no right teaching others," he shouted. "You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake."

Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?"

The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, "It would belong to me, because I bought the gift."

The Buddha smiled and said, "That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself."

"If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy."

The young man listened closely to these wise words of the Buddha. "You are right, o Enlightened One, "he said. "Please teach me the path of love. I wish to become your follower."

The Buddha answered kindly, "Of course. I teach anyone who truly wants to learn. Come with me."

If you are right then there is no need to get angry.
And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry.

2,600th Anniversary of the Buddha's Enlightenment!

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Wat Chedi Luang - Temple in Ruins

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From Another Perspective

A millionaire who was bothered by severe eye pain consultedso many physicians and was getting his treatment done. Despite consuming heavy loads of drugs and underwent injections, the ache persisted.

At last, the millionaire summoned a monk. The monk understood his problem and said that for some time he should concentrate only on green colors and not to fall his eyes on any other colors.

The millionaire got a group of painters and purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object his eye was likely to fall on to be painted green.

When the monk came to visit him, the millionaire's servants ran with buckets of green paints and poured on him since he was in saffron robe.

The monk laughed and said "If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few dollars, you could have saved these walls, trees, pots and all other articles and also saved a large share of your fortune. You cannot paint the world green."

Lets change the way we see things.

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Impermanence

Anicca vata sankhara - Impermanent, alas, are all conditions.

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Ehipasiko

A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery Store. As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the Post Office is ?"

The little boy replied, "Sure! Just go straight down this street a couple blocks and turn to your right."

The man thanked the boy kindly and said, "I'm the new pastor in town. I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday. I'll show you how to get to Heaven."

The little boy replied with a chuckle. "Awww, come on...You don't even know the way to the Post Office."

“As the wise test gold by burning, cutting, and rubbing it on a piece of touchstone, so are you to accept my words after examining them and not merely out of regard for me."…..The Buddha.

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Liberation

With an image of liberation as the goal, the wise abandon darkness and cherish light, leave petty security behind and seek freedom from attachment.

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Merits

Do not disregard merit saying it will not come to me.
By each drop of water is a water-jar filled.
Similarly the wise man gathering little by little, fills himself with good.

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Do Something For Others

"Death is no cause for sorrow, but it would be sorrow if one dies without having done something for oneself and for the world."

Late Ven. Dr. Kirinde Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera

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Dhamma

Dhammo have rhakkati dhammachari.

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Same, Isn't It ?

Amal makruf, Nahi mungkar.
(Command good, forbid evil)

Sabbha papassa akaranam,
Kusalassa upasampada,
Sachittha pariyodhapanam,
Etambaddhanu sasanam.
(Avoid evil, do good, purify the mind)

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Death

Sabbe satta marissanti, maranantan hi jivitam.
- All living beings die, life ends in death.

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Peace

There is no way to Peace, PEACE is the way.
Discover PEACE in every breath.

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Sow It Right

Sow a thought and reap a habit,

Sow a habit and reap a character,

Sow a character and reap a destiny.

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Meditation

There's no one else who can do it for us.

We each have to do it for ourselves.

Be aware, moment to moment,

paying attention to what's happening in a total way.

There's nothing mystical about it,

it's so simple, direct and straighforward ;

but it takes doing.

That's what meditation is all about.

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