IMU Buddhist Society

Wherever You Are, Be There Totally

2012-01-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy,

you have three options:

Remove yourself from the situation,

Change it,

or Accept it totally.

If you want to take responsibility for your life,

you must choose one of those three options,

and you must choose now.

Then accept the consequences.

- Eckhart Tolle -

Online Dhamma Resources

2012-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

Dear lovely readers,

If you have trouble getting hold of good Dhamma reading materials, your trouble is over. They are just a click away!

Here: http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/index.htm

Transcend Sorrow

2012-01-19T01:50:00.000-08:00

Everything arises and passes away.

When you see this, you are above sorrow.

This is the shining way.

Existence is sorrow.

Understand, and go beyond.

- Buddha -

Chinese New Year Celebration

2012-01-19T01:44:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Chinese New Year with your friends,

So happy that you will wish the day never ends.

You will want to know what where why and when,

Details shown are accurate, if everything is as planned.

Venue: Dong Zen Temple

Date: 1.2.2012

Time:5.00 pm - 10.30pm ( gather in front of IMU at 5 pm sharp)

Activity: Food Fair, Floating Parade

Fee: RM5/=

Snacks and drinks provided. Transport provided. To register, please visit IMU Buddhist Society Facebook page. For more information, please call Jessie at 017 7141200.

Friday Gathering

2012-01-19T01:37:00.000-08:00

Wondering what to do on a Friday afternoon???

Hang out at de Brio? NAH.

Study in the library? NAH.

Come join us!!

spend your break time with us and have some fun!

Friday Gathering,

brought to you by IMU BS.

It is What We Do With The Ingredients That Counts

2012-01-17T02:10:00.000-08:00

Most westerners misunderstood the law of karma. They mistake it for fatalism, where one is doomed to suffer for some unknown crime in a forgotten past life. This is not quite so, as this story will show.

Two women were each baking a cake.

The first women had miserable ingredients. The old white flour had to have the green mouldy bits removed first. The cholesterol-enriched butter was almost going rancid. She had to pick the brown lumps out of the white sugar (because someone had put in a spoon wet with coffee), and the only fruit she had were ancient raisins, as hard as depleted uranium. And her kitchen was of the style called "pre-World-War" - which World War was a matter of debate.

The second woman had the very best of ingredients. The organically grown whole-wheat flour was guaranteed GM-free. She had trans-fat-free canola-oil spread, raw sugar, and succulent fruit grown in her own garden. And her kitchen was "state-of-the-art," with every modern gadget.

Which woman baked the more delicious cake?

It is often not the person with the best ingredients who bakes the better cake - there is more to baking a cake than just the ingredients. Sometimes the person with miserable ingredients puts so much effort, care and love into their baking that their cake comes out the most delicious of all. It is what we do with the ingredients that counts.

I have some friends who have had miserable ingredients to work with in this life: they were born into poverty, possibly abused as children, not clever at school, maybe disabled and unable to play sports. But the few qualities they did have they put together so well that they baked a mightily impressive cake. I admire them greatly. Do you recognize such people?

I have other friends who have had wonderful ingredients to work with in this life. Their families were wealthy and loving, they were successful at school, talented athletes, good-looking, and popular, and yet they wasted their young lives with drugs and alcohol. Do you recognize such a one?

Half of karma is the ingredients we have got to work with. The other half, the most crucial part, is what we make of them in this life.

Excerpt from: Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung by Ajahn Brahm

Anchoring

2012-01-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hang on to the inner body, let it be the anchor, then you're present.
If they say something challenging and you lose it again, pause, and anchor again.
Practice, practice, continuous practice—because when you're in touch with the inner body, spaciousness arises.

- Eckhart Tolle -

Wanting to Be Better

2012-01-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

Yogi: I often observe myself wanting other people to do poorly so that I will look best.

SUT: Yes, that's good, you know your mind! It is in the nature of the mind to always want to be better than others, to want to see others as inferior. Only when this is recognized do we get the opportunity to change.

Yogi: How can I work skillfully with such observations?

SUT: Look at how it feels when the mind has a thought like that. You will see that it is not very pleasant. If you recognize this feeling every time there are such thoughts, the mind will become so familiar with the unpleasantness of them, that it will no longer want to be that way. The mind will not only realize that such thoughts are unpleasant but also that it is unnecessary to have them and that they are unwholesome. Once the mind really understands all this, it will easily let go.

Excerpt from: Awareness Alone is Not Enough, Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Meditation Camp 2012

2011-12-29T05:52:00.001-08:00

Note: Click to enlarge

Breakaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life, and join us on a journey of understanding yourself, your life and your mind.

This meditation camp is non-religious, and we welcome anyone to join us with an open heart :)

However, seats are limited, so we accept participants on a first come first serve basis.

Details

Date: 4th-6th Feb (6th is a public holiday)

Venue: Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary, Taiping

Fee: RM 20

Transportation, food and lodgings are provided. Come join us if wisdom and understanding is what you seek :)

For more info, please contact: Engelbert 016-4232970 or Kaizia 014-9034798

Self Acceptance

2011-12-26T23:35:00.000-08:00

To be beautiful means to be yourself.

You don't need to be accepted by others, you just need to accept yourself.

- Thich Nhat Hanh -

Letting Go

2011-12-26T22:28:00.001-08:00

Each time you let go of fear and uncertainty,

you're letting go of the habitual way of finding security and comfort.

- Pema Chodron -

Just Trust

2011-12-20T00:45:00.000-08:00

Generally, I consider taxi rides to be a treat. But not always. Around 1:00 am on Halloween, I hailed a cab with a friend. "Drive around to the front of this building. Can ya leave the meter running while I go inside to tell our friends that we've left? Thanks, man...I appreciate it." A few minutes later, the cabbie told my friend to run inside and get me because he was in a hurry and had someone waiting. After she left the car to get me, the cabbie took off. With my backpack on the seat. A backpack with…

my money
drivers license
ATM card
house keys
halloween supplies
and a digital camera.

Ech. About $500 worth of stuff and hassle. So what do I do? I don't even know what cab company it was. My friend felt really bad. She said, "I guess I need to learn to trust people less." Ouch. That sounds terrible. Losing faith is much worse than losing some stuff. So this is how I'm looking at it all: Spending $500 every once-in-a-while is a small price to pay to be able to continue trusting people. I can get another driver's license. I have another camera. I have more money. I can buy more trashy, frosted-pink lipstick. I'll consider the loss to be part of my optimism tax. I sporadically pay this fee (when people take advantage of my trust in goodness) in exchange for optimistic freedom.

I would be less at-risk if I concentrated more on the negatives. "What if _____ happens?" But it's not worth it. The cost to my quality of life (by worrying more) is far more expensive than the cost of losing some stuff.

Source: Cocky Bastard

The Observance (Ud 5.5)

2011-12-19T23:40:00.000-08:00

Just as the ocean has a single taste — that of salt — in the same way,

this Dhamma & Discipline has a single taste: that of release.

The Observance (Ud 5.5)

静思小语

2011-12-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

一个人的快乐，

不是因为他拥有得多，

而是因为他计较得少。

Happiness

is not about how much we possess,

but how little we bicker over trivialities.

~ Dharma Master Cheng Yen ~

Illuminate - 7th Ehipassiko Camp

2011-12-06T22:56:00.001-08:00

The annual Ehipassiko Camp brought to you specially by the IMU Buddhist Society had always been a fun and inspiring experience. This camp is packed with activities, workshops and talks, learning the dharma had never been made so interesting. Get away from the less than exciting IMU campus life and enjoy a 3 days break at the camp. Feel yourself getting rejuvenated, inspired, refreshed and ready to face the long year ahead full of mind boggling lectures and unanswerable exam questions. =)

There is no need to wait, or think. Just register yourself with us for the 7th Ehapassiko Camp NOW and we will bring you on a memorable journey, an experience to be remembered forever.

IMUBS

*please refer to the poster above for information.

Journey

2011-11-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

In between where you are and your desire

is a journey and a path of purification.

Instead of looking at what you don't have and demanding it now,

settle into the journey, let yourself find joy in the teachings you are receiving

and know that you are being purified for your greatest good.

Life is about the adventures,

not just getting to the end!

- The Daily Love -

静思小语

2011-11-26T01:24:00.000-08:00

在逆流中要有毅力，

不要随波逐流、

旋转而去。

when facing the tide of difficulties,

be determined and persevere;

do not let yourself be swept away.

~ Dharma Master Cheng Yen ~

Live and Learn Workshop

2011-11-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Note: Click to enlarge

Finding Your Zen

2011-11-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

Be Mindful of Your Journey.

Searching to understand cause and effect, and recognize the causes of enlightenment.

-Finding Your Zen-

Dhammapada Quotes

2011-11-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

Your work is to discover your world, and with all your heart give yourself to it.

-Dhammapada-

INCOVAR dhamma camp

2011-11-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/incovar

The INCOVAR is a inter college and inter university Dhamma Camp organised twice yearly by the BGF. It is a truly inspiring experience as it allows us to learn the dhamma, having fun and making new friends along the way.

Please do join this camp. If you need any help signing up, please do not hesitate to contact any one of the committee members of the IMU Buddhist Society. We will be glad to help.

Thank you very much and for those who are having holidays, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! =) =)

IMUBS

Aloka foundation's 24hr metta event

2011-10-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

1-Day Buddhist Youth Workshop

2011-10-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

Bro. Jeff Oliver is coming to Malaysia and he'll be conducting a 1 Day Buddhist Youth Workshop at Brickfields on 26th Nov. He is a very experienced speaker. His workshops are always fun, informative and an eye-opener. Please inform us if you are interested, as places are limited. Here are the details:

Date: 26th Nov 2011 (Saturday)
Venue: BMSM Youth Section - Buddhist Mahavihara (BMV)
Time: 830am – 500pm
Topic: "1-Day Buddhist Youth Workshop"

# Open to all Buddhist Society members of Public & Private Universities and Colleges (limited pax)

** For IMU students who are interested, please leave your names in IMU Buddhist Society's facebook group http://www.facebook.com/groups/5644474093/

Hope you will join us in this meaningful event. =)

IMU Buddhist Society

Sabbatical

2011-10-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

This blog will be on a sabbatical till mid-November
due to End-of-Semester Exam.

Happy studying! :)

Less Pain, More Love

2011-10-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

There are some people we feel we’ll never understand. They make choices we’d never make, they don’t understand why we do what we do, and they don’t give us what we need in our relationships with them.

Vegetarian author and advocate John Robbins had a man like that in his life. That man was his father, and the thing he didn’t know to give was love.

I saw John speak this weekend at Bonfire Heights, the retreat I mentioned yesterday. His father, Irv Robbins, co-founded the ice cream company Baskin Robbins, and lived a life dominated by the pursuit of more.

Irv believed children should be seen but not heard, and fathered with an authoritarian coldness. In fact, years later, after Irv held his autistic grandson—the first time he ever held a child—he asked John, “Do you think all children need love, or just those kind?”

John could have unleashed a lifetime of bitterness for a childhood without warmth and affection. But instead he saw his father for who he was in that moment—an old man from a different time, who was open to learning a different way.

Years later, when Irv was on his death bed, John repeatedly kissed his forehead as morphine dulled his final pain. Irv asked John why he did that, and he responded, “Because I’m showing my love.”

Irv responded, “That’s been important to you, huh?” Followed by, “Less pain!”

To which John responded, “More love.”

Then Irv said, “Less pain!”

To which John responded, “More love.”

When John kissed his forehead one more time, Irv released and fully accepted it, even saying, “That felt good.”

John said, “Less pain?” The last words he ever heard his father say were “More love.”

Sometimes the people who need our love the most are the ones we may feel deserve it the least. We can make that judgment and stay bitter—or we can actively contribute to making the world a more loving place.

Less pain, more love.

Tiny Buddha

Self-Love

2011-10-27T03:41:00.000-07:00

If you want everyone to like you, you don't like yourself enough.

- Steve Pavlina -

Without self-love, no other kind of love is possible.

- Mastin Kipp -

Your Gift

2011-10-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

The greatest gift you can ever give another person is your own happiness.

- Esther Hicks -

Galenism

2011-10-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

Nature acts with perfect wisdom, and the body is
but an instrument for the soul.

-Galen, Greek physician (129-199 AD)-

Exams

2011-10-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

HOW TO GET THROUGH EXAMS

Here are 10 top tips by educational psychologists:

Get help: ask a teacher or tutor about how to revise, and exam skills - how to work when you are in an exam.
Take short rests during your time of work and revision. If your mind is tired, it will not remember well.
Plan your work: revise at times when you know you will work at your best.
Stay healthy: get enough sleep, eat sensibly.
Exercise: you need exercise to work well. Walk, run, play sport - whatever you enjoy.
Be positive: stop thinking about the future and failing.
Do your best: no-one can do more than this.
Be alert: if you feel ill, talk to someone about your worries.
But don't be too relaxed! Some stress over exams makes you work hard for them.
Be sensible: if it upsets you to talk to your friends about an exam when it is finished, don't do it! In fact, don't even think about the exam you have finished. What is done is done. You cannot change what you have written!

from: http://www.soon.org.uk/problems/exams.htm

Good Luck in your exams =)

2011-10-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

Good luck in your upcoming exams!!!! Study hard, study smart and do your very best!!!

May luck be on your side always.

Smile!!!! =)

Best wishes from

IMU Buddhist Society

Spiritual Friends

2011-10-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone of us comes into Dhamma through some friends. Isn't that true? We tend to forget that especially when we are reminded so often on being self reliant... paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi ti… to be attained by the wise, each by himself.

On many occasions, the Buddha emphasised the importance of having spiritual friends supporting one another in our journey out of samsara. Some notable examples were his own and Yasodhara, Venerable Sariputta and Venerable Moggallana and many more. The Buddha corrected Venerable Ananda that spiritual friendship is the whole, not half, of the spiritual life.

In many suttas (Raga-vinaya sutta, Sikkha Sutta, Chavalata Sutta, Hita Sutta, Sedaka Sutta) the Buddha explained the different kinds of practitioners and why when one practises for the benefit of oneself AND for the benefit of others is the foremost, the chief, the principal, the best and the supreme.

So, we encourage everyone not only to practice for oneself but do his part to share and help others in their spiritual journey too. We can recall how the Buddha exhorted the first 60 Arahants to go forth for the good of the many, for the happiness of many.

"There is so much misery all around. If we can wipe the tears of even a few people who are suffering, we have paid back a little of our debt of gratitude to the Buddha and to the Sangha, the chain of teachers who have maintained the tradition from ancient times. May all of you develop Dhamma strength. May you all keep growing in Dhamma, and help others to grow in Dhamma. May more and more people benefit from your service. May the wheel of Dhamma keep rotating. May the light of Dhamma spread throughout the world. May the darkness of ignorance be dispelled. May more and more people come out of their misery. May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated!"

- S.N. Goenka

One Paged Dhamma

The Right Way

2011-10-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”

-Buddhist Proverb-

Attachment

2011-10-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

How do you let go of attachment to things?

Don't even try. It's impossible. Attachment to things drops away by itself

when you no longer seek to find yourself in them. In the meantime,

just be aware of your attachment to things. Sometimes you may not

know that you are attached to something, which is to say, identified, until

you lose it or there is the threat of loss. If you then become upset, anxious,

and so on, it means you are attached. If you are aware that you are

identified with a thing, the identification is no longer total.

"I am the awareness that is aware that there is attachment."

That's the beginning of the transformation of consciousness.

(Excerpt from A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle)

Love is Natural

2011-10-10T02:14:00.000-07:00

Your task is not to seek for love.
Your task is to seek and find all the barriers you have
built against it.

-Rumi-

Steve's Quote

2011-10-08T02:16:00.000-07:00

Apple of Wisdom

Reminder from Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

2011-10-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

[...]

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Mindfulness Meditation 6.10.2011 (Last class)

2011-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most important component of our practice,

is the very Reason and Purpose of it.

When the reason and purpose of it is questioned,

that is how, our practice thrives.

Also,

to remember and not forget,

To cultivate love and gentleness with ourselves,

on the journey to Truth and Freedom.

So let's meet, if Wisdom and Understanding is what you seek :)

Heart of a Buddha

2011-10-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

Peace comes from

within.

Do not seek it

without.

Heart of a Buddha

2011-10-03T03:52:00.000-07:00

To be

honourable in thoughts,

sincere in words,

good in deeds

is to have

the heart of a Buddha.

True Living

2011-09-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Death isn't sad.

The sad thing is: Most people don't live at all.

-Socrates-

Announcement

2011-09-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

Please take note that the talk on

Newton's Third Law

has been canceled due to

unforeseen circumstances.

Have a nice week! :)

Why Judging Others Make Ourselves Unhappy

2011-09-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~Henry David Thoreau

A friend of mine likes to joke that dying will be a relief because it will put an end to the “heavy burden of judging” as she calls it. She envisions herself lying in a hospital bed and, moments before death, noticing the ceiling and thinking, “What a hideous green.”

Here’s a modest proposal: Vow that for the rest of the day, you won’t judge your friends and you won’t judge any strangers you happen to see. This would include a friend who’s a non-stop talker; it would include a friend who’s always complaining about his life. It would include the strangers you pass on the street or see in a waiting room.

I call it a modest proposal because I’m not even addressing the issue of self-judgment, let alone BP or Gaddafi. No. I’m just asking you not to judge friends or strangers.

It’s entirely possible you won’t make it past a few minutes without judging someone!

So, why not just “judge away?”

To answer that, let me start by drawing a distinction between judgment and discernment. Discernment means perceiving the way things are, period.

Judgment is what we add to discernment when we make a comparison (implicit or explicit) between how things or people are and how we think they ought to be. So, in judgment, there’s an element of dissatisfaction with the way things are and a desire to have things be the way we want them to be.

Take that talkative friend. To think or speak in a neutral, purely descriptive tone, “She can talk non-stop for 15 minutes,” is an example of discernment—assuming the assessment is accurate, we’re just describing the way things are.

On the other hand, to think or speak in a negative tone, “She can talk non-stop for 15 minutes,” is an example of judgment because that negative tone reveals our dissatisfaction with how she is and our desire for her to be different.

The same analysis applies to the complaining friend. If we say, “He complained about this life the entire evening,” depending on our tone, it could be a neutral observation (discernment) or it could reflect our dissatisfaction with him and our desire for him to be different (a judgment).

Now think about strangers. If you’re like me, there’s almost always a subtle judgment waiting in the wings. “She could stand to lose some weight.” “Doesn’t he know how to pick a tie that goes with a shirt?”

So, again, why not just “judge away”? Recall that in judgment, there’s an element of dissatisfaction with the way things are and a desire to have things (in my examples: people) be the way we want them to be.

So, judgment is just a recipe for suffering: start with our dissatisfaction over how a person happens to be and mix in our desire for them to be otherwise. To make that suffering nice and rich, be sure the desire clings tightly to the dissatisfaction!

It doesn’t mean we have to hang out with someone who talks more than we’d like or who does nothing but complains about his life. But we can make the choice about whether to be with them without judging them. When we do, it feels good; it has that peaceful quality of letting go of clinging to the way we want people to be.

As for those strangers, maybe the woman I saw has a medical condition that results in weight gain, or maybe she eats to deal with uncomfortable feelings. Perhaps the man was wearing the only tie he owns. Judging them did nothing to ease their suffering, and it certainly didn’t ease mine.

Now try this experiment. Think about a couple of friends who annoy you in some way. Can you let them be the way they are without desiring them to be otherwise? Sticking with my two examples, can you open your heart to her talkativeness or to his constant complaining?

Walt Whitman said, “I contain multitudes.” I like to think of the world as containing multitudes. I do this by consciously thinking: “This world is big enough for both the talkative and the untalkative; for both the complainers and the non-complainers.”

Judging is such a well-ingrained response that I hardly notice when I’m doing it, so I know I have a lifetime of conditioning to overcome. But it’s worth it because when I don’t judge, I feel the benefits in both my mind and my body: I feel as light as a feather.

I truly hope I can shed that heavy burden of judging before that moment in the hospital bed when I’m starring at the green ceiling!

Written by: Tony Bernhard

Tiny Buddha

On Samadhi

2011-09-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

Q: How did we lose our peace?

A: We never lost peace; it has always been there. We were just too preoccupied with our emotions and were not aware of our peaceful state. This peaceful state is nothing extraordinary. But one has to be very careful here. As long as we think this stillness is extraordinary, we cling to it. This clinging is so subtle and refined that it is difficult to recognize in oneself. One does not realize that one is still on a very refined ego trip. So long as that is the case, even when one experiences stillness through samadhi (stability of mind), there is no chance for panna (wisdom) to arise.

Q: Don't you need samadhi to achieve panna (wisdom)?

A: Sure - but let's be clear. There are two kinds of samadhi. In addition to jhanic samadhi, there is also what is called khanika samadhi. It is only momentary in nature but it is penetrating enought to realize Truth. Khanika samadhi can occur even without strenous meditative efforts, given the right circumstances and mental state. Even in jhanic samadhi, realization of Truth or anatta (non-self) is only momentary. After that, one is back to ordinary consciousness. The unfolding of insight wisdom with khanika samadhi occurs with few or none of the mystic experiences or sensations of bliss that are usually encountered in jhanic samadhi; thus, the person has no chance to cling to blissful sensations. Before they know it, they are back to ordinary consciousness.

- Dr. Thynn Thynn (Living Meditation, Living Insight)

7 Healthy Ways to Deal with Incessant Worrying

2011-09-20T02:58:00.001-07:00

Editor’s Note: This is a contribution by Evelyn Lim

“I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

When you think about the future, are you filled with hope or worry? If you are like most people, it’s probably anxiety. You have largely been experiencing worry. Your mind feels unsettled.

Worry arises because you realize that you cannot predict what is going to happen tomorrow and know that you cannot have full control over how events turn out. You are uncomfortable with not having absolute certainty.

Incessant worrying happens when you find it hard to let go. You fret over the same details repeatedly. A fertile imagination causes you to play out mental scenarios of doom, failure, and fatal consequences over and over again.

Well, I used to worry incessantly over the smallest of things. Before learning meditation, I did not know how to relax. Worry was my psychological mantra.

When my children were born, my anxiety levels went into over-drive. Were they eating enough? Were they having a happy time with their friends? Were they faring well in school?

I soon realized that I was not the only one. In talking with one of my girlfriends, I realized she was excessively worrying over her children, too. I noticed how tense she was. She was not fun to be with.

Eventually I knew that I needed to reclaim my sanity. Not doing so would mean continued misery. I realized that it was only when I could lose my back load of worries could I be light and free.

Once I made a commitment, I started looking into the true nature of my emotions. Even though I continue to have my worries, I am now better able to cope with them. I no longer obsess over every detail either.

Here is what I discovered.

The mind likes to anchor itself to the known, which creates anxiety. Worry is a symptom of the deeper-rooted fear you experience when you have to tread into the unknown.

You prefer things to be predictable. You fear that any unexpected turn in events would throw your meticulous planning into disarray. The more energy you give to your fears, the more anxious you become.

In reality, all forms of worry represent an underlying lack of trust. You are unable to trust in the goodness of life. Even though things could turn out in a number of ways, you have a tendency to believe that things are going to turn out negative rather than positive.

Worry displaces. You become ungrounded. With your mind constantly in the future, it is difficult to be present. You lose the capacity to experience life in the here and now. With worry, you deny yourself the opportunity of living your moments in freedom.

Worrying causes you to leak energy. You feel low. You are more apt to complain about things and compare yourself with others, and you’re less likely to be rational. Excessive worrying can cause you to stifle your dreams.

Your relationships with others get affected, too. No one likes being near a prophet of doom and gloom.

It is important to recognize that uncertainty is a natural part of life. You cannot know with absolute certainty what is going to happen next. When you release your attachment to control, it’s easier to breathe.

Some people deal with anxiety by drinking, overeating, and turning to other bad habits. However, none of these are real solutions for worrying. The best approach is to learn how to deal with your anxiety in healthy ways.

1. Work it off.

Although exercise may not actually solve the issues that are causing you to feel anxious, engaging yourself in activity takes your mind off things. You become clearer after taking a break.

2. Address your fears.

Instead of suppressing your anxiety, it is important to face your fears head on. Ask yourself what is truly causing your anxiety. You may even find that your worries are mostly FalseEvidence Appearing Real.

3. Meditate.

Meditation helps your mind with needed breaks from all that clutter. The practice also helps you with greater focus. You find yourself experiencing increased clarity and less likely to worry over unnecessary things.

4. Stay hydrated.

Did you know that dehydration has been linked to depression? Just about every person has heard that it is important to drink enough water, but most people do not realize that their mental health actually improves when they are hydrated.

5. Change your perspective.

Energy flows where you focus your attention. Understand that you can choose to focus on positive rather than negative thoughts. In fact, as you become more positive, you’ll be better able to create more positive outcomes.

6. Relax.

It’s hard not to feel bombarded living in modern times. You probably spend your days in a constant state of flux. Your heart beats a lot faster as a result. So set aside time to relax. You’ll find that your feelings of anxiety subside.

7. Seek help.

You may find yourself feeling worse and worse if you are unable to stop yourself from incessant worrying. It may be a good idea to seek counseling or to talk to someone who can help. Anxiety is very common. There is nothing to feel ashamed about when you approach for help.

The best way find relief from constant worrying is to learn to let go. Worrying does not bring you any closer to solving problems. In fact, it only makes it more difficult to find clarity.

Make a commitment to reducing your anxiety levels today. It starts with a simple choice.

Tiny Buddha

Mindfulness Meditation 22.9.2011

2011-09-20T02:12:00.000-07:00

With Right View, comes Right Intentions.
What you intend, you become.
Lets learn to watch Intentions.

Dhamma Talk

2011-09-15T03:40:00.001-07:00

Movie Sharing

2011-09-15T03:37:00.000-07:00

Friday Gathering

2011-09-15T03:05:00.001-07:00

Not All Happiness is Created Equal

2011-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

How many of you have said, looking at the current state of your life, “I wish I could get back to how happy I was 10/20/30 years ago?” Maybe you long for the good old days of your marriage, before things went south. Maybe you long for the days when you actually enjoyed your job, before you became jaded. But I think the truth is that you really DON’T wish to return to those days, because there is a deeper happiness in store for you around the corner. Let me explain.

Once upon a time, I was a bouncy, exuberant college student. I had a group of friends I enjoyed, a major I was great at, and plunged myself head-first in communities such as Society for Women Engineers. I skipped around the globe studying abroad in France, volunteering in Thailand and interning in Colorado and Tennessee. I did all of this with the sort of wide-eyed bliss of someone trying out his or her wings for the first time. It was easy to be happy because everything was going so well. Can you relate?

Then I went on to graduate school and I entered Phase 2. The bouncy stopped. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a bioengineer, but had no idea what my life’s passion was. I wasn’t sure who I wanted to be friends with, who I wanted to marry or what I wanted to get involved in. I felt stuck, unsure, indecisive and lost. It was hard for me to be happy because of all the turmoil I felt.

I thought back to my gleeful days in college and wished I were back there. After all, I was so happy. What went wrong? What would it take to bring back the bouncy?

Then I realized that I actually wouldn’t want to bring back that form of happiness. My happiness in college was due to circumstance. Consider how it is easy to eat well when you are hanging out at organic vegan summer camp, but then you go home and out comes the box of brownies. It was easy for me to be happy in college because I was somewhat naive about who I really was and everything was working out so well, but that wasn’t lasting happiness. My happiness was circumstantial because when I went to grad school and circumstances changed, I was no longer happy. That is not the sort of happiness you want to hang your hat on.

Enter Phase 3: cultivated happiness. Cultivated happiness comes from having learned how to build your own happiness, regardless of what is going on around you. It comes from knowing yourself and taking on the challenges that you are passionate about and being proud of the path you are on, no matter what bumps it may have. Cultivated happiness is lasting happiness and is a skill you can bring to any situation. For me, cultivated happiness came when I realized that I, and I alone, was in charge of making sure I had a good time each day and that I really did have the power to enjoy my life no matter what.

Dr. Samantha Sutton
The Daily Love

Mindfulness Meditation 15.9.2011

2011-09-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

Let's go beyond just knowing what's happening around us.
Let's go much more deeper.

To observe,

The mental states,
The feelings,
The observer itself.

This week we'll be touching on Intentions.

So let's meet, if Wisdom and Understanding is what you're after :)

For more info please contact:
Engelbert Teh (016-4232970)
Stella Tan Pei Zin (016-2617757)

Heart of a Buddha

2011-09-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

Natural laws are impartial.

Only those who are virtuous

are in harmony with nature.

J. Krishnamurti on Meditation

2011-09-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

Meditation
by J. Krishnamurti

Meditation is not following any system; it is not constant repetition and imitation. Meditation is not concentration. It is one of the favourite gambits of some teachers of meditation to insist on their pupils learning concentration - that is, fixing the mind on one thought and driving out all other thoughts. This is a most stupid, ugly thing, which any schoolboy can do because he is forced to.

It means that all the time you are having a battle between the insistence that you must concentrate on the one hand and your mind on the other which wanders away to all sorts of other things, whereas you should be attentive to every movement of the mind wherever it wanders. When your mind wanders off it means you are interested in something else.

Meditation demands an astonishingly alert mind; meditation is the understanding of the totality of life in which every form of fragmentation has ceased. Meditation is not control of thought, for when thought is controlled it breeds conflict in the mind, but when you understand the structure and origin of thought, which we have already been into, then thought will not interfere. That very understanding of the structure of thinking is its own discipline which is meditation.

Meditation is to be aware of every thought and of every feeling, never to say it is right or wrong but just to watch it and move with it. In that watching you begin to understand the whole movement of thought and feeling. And out of this awareness comes silence. Silence put together by thought is stagnation, is dead, but the silence that comes when thought has understood its own beginning, the nature of itself, understood how all thought is never free but always old - this silence is meditation in which the meditator is entirely absent, for the mind has emptied itself of the past.

If you have read this book for a whole hour attentively, that is meditation. If you have merely taken away a few words and gathered a few ideas to think about later, then it is no longer meditation. Meditation is a state of mind which looks at everything with complete attention, totally, not just parts of it. And no one can teach you how to be attentive. If any system teaches you how to be attentive, then you are attentive to the system and that is not attention.

Meditation is one of the greatest arts in life - perhaps the greatest, and one cannot possibly learn it from anybody, that is the beauty of it. It has no technique and therefore no authority. When you learn about yourself, watch yourself, watch the way you walk, how you eat, what you say, the gossip, the hate, the jealousy - if you are aware of all that in yourself, without any choice, that is part of meditation.

So meditation can take place when you are sitting in a bus or walking in the woods full of light and shadows, or listening to the singing of birds or looking at the face of your wife or child. In the understanding of meditation there is love, and love is not the product of systems, of habits, of following a method.

Love cannot be cultivated by thought. Love can perhaps come into being when there is complete silence, a silence in which the mediator is entirely absent; and the mind can be silent only when it understands its own movement as thought and feeling. To understand this movement of thought and feeling there can be no condemnation in observing it. To observe in such a way is the discipline, and that kind of discipline is fluid, free, not the discipline of conformity.

Activities in September

2011-09-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the activities in September. The Buddhist Society has a lot of fun and meaningful activities organised just for you. =)

Dhamma talks: Listen to our experienced Dhamma speaker and learn how to deal better with challenges in everyday life following the teachings of the Buddha.

Dates: 5th and 29th of September

Movie sharings: Watch a movie and learn to watch out for meanings behind the movie. Not everything we see is what it really is. Step back, and learn to see situations as it truly is, not what we assume and perceive them to be. Most importantly, enjoy an entertaining FREE movie with your friends.

Date: 21st of September

Meditations: Learn the art of meditation. Learn to be cool and calm when facing problems. Learn how to deal with stress. Most importantly, learn to understand yourself better. An opportunity not to be missed. Meditation will bring you a lot of invaluable benefits.

Dates: 15th and 22nd of September

Semester gathering and Friday gatherings: Build up friendships and have some fun with your friends. The semester gathering will be held in conjunction with the Mid Autumn Festival. Do come and join us!!!

Date of Semester gathering: 12th September

Dates of Friday gatherings: 9th and 23rd of September

Recruitment Drive: Sign up and be a member of the Buddhist Society. You will never regret this as you will meet great friends and at the same time LEARN while joining our meaningful activities. =)

Date of recruitment drive: 22nd of September

Blood Donation Drive Photography Competition

2011-09-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Picture taken by first prize winner Woo Chien Ling.

Congratulations to the winners of the Photography Competition held during the recent Blood Donation Drive!!!!

First Prize : Woo Chien Ling (259 votes)

Second Prize: Kuok Huey Wen (238 votes)

Third Prize: Tung Kin Fai (213 votes)

Hopefully, you all have enjoyed this opportunity to capture the beauty in the act of giving and sharing. Please do join us for our other events which are as meaningful and as full of rewards.

7 Everyday Ways to Uplift Your Mood

2011-09-07T19:51:00.001-07:00

7 Everyday Ways to Uplift Your Mood
By JOE WILNER

Every day we run into hassles and stressors that can start to build up and bring us down. Maybe you don’t have enough time, you have too many responsibilities, or you’re worried about some upcoming obligation.

Whatever hassles you’re experiencing it’s important to learn to deal with them, though at the same time, it’s also important to fill our day with positive and uplifting experiences.

Uplifting experiences help us build positive emotions and become more resilient when times get rough. Having the good with the bad is crucial in order to cope with the stress of everyday life.

These don’t have to be anything extreme or out of the ordinary. Positive uplifting experiences are all around us.

Here are some simple everyday experiences that can help give you an emotional boost.

Relating well with family and friends – Whether its friends or family, having healthy and positive relationships is very valuable to our emotional health. When we have shared connections with friends and family each day we will find more amusement, joy and affection in our life.

Feeling healthy – We may not have perfect health or always get the amount of exercise we desire, but as long as we do things here and there to help us be healthy it offers us a chance to feel good about ourselves. Setting healthy goals is a wonderful way to start feeling content with your health.

Getting enough sleep – You may feel like you have so much to do you have to stay up late and wake up early – though this is ultimately counterproductive. When we don’t get enough sleep it drains our energy, lessens our creative juices, and steals our emotional well-being. To increase your energy level and have a more cheerful attitude get ample sleep.

Eating out at restaurants – Sometimes eating out isn’t the most economical thing to do, but it certainly offers a chance to have a fun and enjoyable experience. It can save us time from cooking and lets us just relax. Many restaurants also offer a warm and stirring environment that can boost our mood.

Completing a task – The feeling that comes with doing a job well done and accomplishing our goals is paramount to increasing self-esteem and confidence. When we trust and believe in ourselves we will be more likely to set and achieve successful goals. When we are able to manage time and meet our responsibilities life is immensely easier to handle.

Visiting, phoning, or writing someone – Is there someone you haven’t talked with in a while that you want to connect with? It’s never been easier to reach out to old friends and acquaintances we want to connect with. With social media we can contact someone and make plans to unite and visit. We can share how we feel and offer kindness.

Staying home and relaxing – Simply staying home, relaxing, and putting your feet up may be just what you need to remain positive and in high spirits. Making sure to unwind and enjoy our down time can be a wonderful solution to stress and turmoil.

These are just a few ideas that we can focus on in order to provide us with more opportunities for positivity.

How many of these are part of your life? What could you add to your daily routine to help improve your mood and decrease stress?

Source: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/positive-psychology/2011/07/7-everyday-ways-to-uplift-your-mood/

Heart of a Buddha

2011-09-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

Dignity and quiet joy

in all that we do

are the expression of

perfect concentration

and

perfect wisdom.

Friday Gathering

2011-09-06T06:57:00.001-07:00

Meditation Class

2011-09-06T06:55:00.001-07:00

Awakening

2011-08-31T01:05:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from "Freedom from Buddha Nature"

Written by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Buddha thus based all his teaching on freedom of choice. As he said, if

everything were predetermined by the past, there would be no point in teaching

a path to Awakening. The number of people who would reach Awakening

would already have been set a long time ago, and they would have no need for a

path or a teacher. Those preordained to awaken would get there inevitably as a

result of a long-past action or an essential nature already built into the mind.

Those preordained not to awaken wouldn’t stand a chance.

But these things are not preordained. No one is doomed never to awaken, but—

until you’ve had your first sight of the deathless at stream-entry—neither is

Awakening assured. It’s contingent on intentional actions chosen in each present

moment. And even after stream-entry, you’re constantly faced with choices that will

speed up final Awakening or slow it down. Nibbana, of course, is independent and

unconditioned; but the act of awakening to nibbana depends on a path of practice

that has to be willed. It happens only if you choose to give rise to its causes. This, as 2

the Buddha noted, involves determining to do four things: not to neglect

discernment, to preserve truth, to develop relinquishment, and to train for peace.

Here's the link for the complete essay :)

http://dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/CrossIndexed/Uncollected/MiscEssays/Freedom%20from%20Buddha%20Nature.pdf

The Benefits of Meditation

2011-08-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Meditation
by DR. SANDRA OLIC on AUGUST 7, 2011

One very powerful practice that can increase the quality your life substantially is meditation. Meditation used to be thought of as something only Buddhist monks and new age hippie folks did. Fortunately, it has now become more mainstream and accepted in scientific and medical communities, for good reason. Solid research over the years has shown it to not only improve physical, mental and psychological well-being, but it has now been proven to literally change the structure of your brain.

Here are a just few benefits:

• Studies have shown meditation can increase the grey matter in the hippocampus of the brain, which is associated with memory and learning. Stress and aging actually decrease the functioning of the neurons in this part of the brain. See, your brain shrinks as you stress and age unless you do something about it, and meditation is just the antidote (exercise prevents this from happening too).

• If you are having trouble focusing, studies also show meditation can greatly increase cognition and attention as well. You may want to seriously consider meditation if ADHD is an issue for you at all. Research has shown as little as 20 minutes of meditation after only 4 days improved attention and cognition in subjects. You don’t need to meditate for hours every day. Just do it consistently.

• Regular meditation practice will also not only increase your resistance to stress, but it will decrease the anxiety and depression byproducts of chronic stress. Meditation has been shown to decrease the grey matter in the amygdala, the part of your brain associated with anxiety and stress.

• Meditating during the day will improve your sleep at night.

• You may also want to consider meditation for a longer life. Research has shown that the improved psychological well-being resulting from meditation practice can increase the enzyme telomerase. Telomeres are sequences of DNA at the end of our chromosomes. Every time a cell divides (our cells are constantly dividing), these telomeres get shorter until they eventually die. Telomerase is an enzyme that can rebuild and lengthen telomeres, potentially increasing our longevity. A regular meditation practice will also enhance immune function, leading to less colds and flu’s, as well as chronic illness. It also has been shown to lower blood pressure leading to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

• If you are experiencing chronic pain at all, try meditation. It has been shown to sharply decrease the sensation of pain, more than placebos and painkilling drugs.

I would like to share with you how meditation helps me in my life….

I love what I do. I see patients, run a business, teach, write and read research articles on a daily basis, while trying to eat healthy, maintain some sort of social life, regular exercise, yoga and 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Like many of you, I have a lot on my plate and although I love what I do, I wouldn’t be able to do it if I didn’t hit the pause button on my brain everyday with meditation.

There are certainly some days my stress hormones creep up on me and compromise my mood, concentration and energy. That’s when I stop everything, close my office door, shut my eyes and focus on my breath for about 15-20 minutes. Then I open my eyes and see things a little differently than I did before. I also like to set aside some time for meditation when I get home from the office as a sort of mental reset before I do anything else.

Meditation has also been extremely useful for me when I am trying to find a solution or answer to something. I ask my question and then just close my eyes and focus on my breath. After a while the answers come. You could say it’s just my brain working better because it’s more relaxed. Some people would also say that when you meditate you are more in tune with your intuition and higher self. Whatever the reason, it works and can be quite profound. Try it next time you need some answers or inspiration.

If you have never meditated before, you may find it challenging to sit still at first, but that’s why it’s a practice. Stay with it. If you do it consistently, it gets easier and you will not only enjoy it, but you’ll eventually crave it. The thoughts will come and that’s ok. It isn’t about stopping your mind. It’s about watching your mind and your thoughts. When you have a thought, just acknowledge it, let it go and bring your attention back to your breath. In doing this you realize you are not your thoughts, but you are greater than your thoughts. Eventually the space between the thoughts becomes bigger and you find peace within those spaces. And with inner peace, you find health and happiness.

Wishing you much love, health and happiness,

Dr. Sandra Olic, NMD

Source: http://thedailylove.com/the-benefits-of-meditation/

Ayoniso-manasikara Sutta: Inappropriate Attention

2011-08-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

I have heard that on one occasion a certain monk was dwelling among the Kosalans in a forest thicket. Now at that time, he spent the day's abiding thinking evil, unskillful thoughts: i.e., thoughts of sensuality, thoughts of ill will, thoughts of doing harm.

Then the devata inhabiting the forest thicket, feeling sympathy for the monk, desiring his benefit, desiring to bring him to his senses, approached him and addressed him with this verse:

From inappropriate attention
you're being chewed by your thoughts.
Relinquishing what's inappropriate,
contemplate
appropriately.

Keeping your mind on the Teacher,
the Dhamma, the Sangha, your virtues,
you will arrive at
joy,
rapture,
pleasure
without doubt.

Then, saturated
with joy,
you will put an end
to suffering & stress.
The monk, chastened by the devata, came to his senses.
-SN 12.19

(Translated from Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

Blood Donation Drive Photography Competition

2011-08-24T06:24:00.002-07:00

Dhamma Talk

2011-08-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dhamma Talk

Have you been feeling stressed out? Is your university life too much to handle?Do you feel like you are having more PBLs than dates lately? Have you been thinking that your boyfriend is treating you like a Streptococcus sp? Please do join us. Learn to handle suffering, learn to lead a better University life.

Blood Donation and Organ Pledge

2011-08-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

Blood Donation and Organ Pledge Drive

Share Blood, Spread Hope, Save Life. Show your love, care and kindness by donating blood and pledging to donate your organs.

Interesting health benefits of donating your blood:

(extracted from http://www.livestrong.com/article/96891-health-benefits-donating-blood/)

1. Lower body iron levels.

2. Reduce cancer risk.

3. Reduce heart attack risk.

4. Replenish blood.

You have nothing to lose but approximately a pint of blood. Join us, you can save lives even before starting your career as a health care professional.

Temple Visit

2011-08-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

Meditation Class

2011-08-16T07:06:00.001-07:00

Learn Meditation

Be a master of your emotions, not through control but through knowing.

Come join us to experience for yourself the benefits of meditation.

Movie Sharing

2011-08-09T07:19:00.001-07:00

Activities in August

2011-07-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

August is packed with fun and meaningful activities by IMU Buddhist Society. Learn the teachings of the Buddha and ways of meditation to release stress. Or donate blood to save lives. Come join us!!!!

Please refer to our beautiful posters posted in this Blog for more information.

Hope to see you!!!

Mindfulness Meditation

2011-07-25T23:19:00.001-07:00

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION:

YOU CAN DO IT ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.

Feeling tired all the time? Having stress? Are things bothering you lately?

Do not worry, cause we just have the right solution for you!

>>MINDFULNESS MEDITATION<<

- It is easy to learn

- No, it is not religion based teaching

- You can do it anytime, anywhere

- It is FREE and you have nothing to lose, but just so much more to gain.

Committee Members 2011-2012

2011-07-24T07:50:00.001-07:00

Chor Kaizia
President
kaizia5584@hotmail.com

Chua Jia Ying
Vice President
jiaying1225@hotmail.com

See Jian Ming
Secretary
ingrid_0991@hotmail.com

Cheah See Ying
Treasurer
dolphin_angeline@hotmail.com

Aaron Phua Junye
Dharma Sharing Group Manager
aaronjunye@gmail.com

Engelbert Teh Fu Chang
Meditation Manager
hetuf_chang@hotmail.com

Jessie Tan Jiale
Welfare Manager
jctan92@hotmail.com

Lee Su Saint
Multimedia Manager
susaintlee@gmail.com

Wee Sze Ling
Publicity Manager
sl_wsling@hotmail.com

Ng Eng Hong
Friday Gathering Manager
nicholas_4550@hotmail.com

Not in photo: Lee Su Saint

Dharma Talk

2011-07-22T03:51:00.001-07:00

2011-07-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

maintain a state of balance
between
physical acts and
inner serenity,
like a lute whose strings are
finely tuned.

weekly dharma quote 54

2011-07-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

those who are truly wise will
remain unmoved by feelings of
happiness and suffering,
fame and disgrace,
praise and blame,
gain and loss.

They will remain calm like the
eye of a hurricane.

weekly dharma quote 53

2011-07-15T03:13:00.000-07:00

always be mindful of
the kindness and not the faults
of others.

weekly dharma quote 52

2011-06-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

Do not become attached to the
things you like,

do not cherish aversion to the
things you dislike.

Sorrow, fear and bondage come
from one's
like and dislikes.

weekly dharma quote 51

2011-06-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Awakening is natural,

delusion is not.

weekly dharma quote 50

2011-06-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

Our problems are Not solved
by physical force,
by hatred,
by war.

Our problems are solved
by lovingkindness,
by gentleness,
by joy.

weekly dharma quote 49

2011-06-26T01:19:00.000-07:00

Cultivate peace first
in the garden of your heart by
removing the weeds of
selfishness and jealousy,
greed and anger,
pride and ego.

Then all will benefit from your
peace and harmony.

weekly dharma quote 48

2011-06-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

He who receives kindness
should NEVER forget it;

but he who performs it
should NEVER remember it.

weekly dharma quote 47

2011-06-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

Until he has

unconditional and unbiased
love

for all beings,

man will not find peace.

weekly dharma quote 46

2011-06-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

There are three ways
to correct our faults:

We can change
through behavior.

We can change
through understanding.

We can change
from the heart.

6th Ehipassiko Camp

2011-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Have you been.....
Unable to juggle between studies and personal life?
Having too many roles to take up and unable to prioritize?
Taking things for granted all these while?

Here is your chance....
To get to know yourself better, identify the challenges and look out for the solutions.
To learn through fun and games.
To apply what you have already known, and what you'll be learning soon..into your daily life.
To get to know more kalyana mitras in IMU ^^

So, Join us in this 6th Ehipassiko Camp!

Date: 1st - 3rd July 2011
Venue: Tan Yew Lai Hilltop Buddhist Centre, OUG.
Camp fee: RM35 (includes t-shirt and transportation)

For more information, do contact
Eng Hong (012-2824550)
Ingrid (017-6960379)

or simply leave a message in the FB event, we'll get back to you soon!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172864602775440

Hope to see you in the camp!

Registration form can be downloaded from http://cid-c3cef6970b445760.office.live.com/browse.aspx/PUblic?uc=1&nl=1 . Please download, complete the form and send it to the email stated by 30th June 2011.

2011-05-21T02:43:00.001-07:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Dhamma,

How much do you know about The 5 Precepts? What are the 5 Precepts? And what does it have to do with me?

INCOVAR Dhamma Camp is back to share with you insights on The 5 Precepts, the second of the main pillars of Buddhist for us laypeople. Join us in the next step in our journey to understand and experience more about the Buddha’s basic teachings.

INCOVAR is happy to present:

The 34th INCOVAR Dhamma Camp

23 – 26 June 2011 @ Subang Jaya Buddhist Association (SJBA)

Come and join us in the next step in our journey! Individual Registration: Camp Fees: Rm100/-

Group Registration: RM420 for 5 participants As a token of appreciation for registering early, the first 10 participants will receive a special gift which will be presented during the camp.

Why wait, register now to book yourself a place in a journey of a lifetime @

http://www.incovar.org/IncovarDhammaCampOnlineApplication.htm

Registration will be closed on 13^th June 2011, so what are you waiting for? For more information and updates, kindly login to our FB fan page @ www.facebook.com/incovar.

Do have a look at our teaser video @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StCP1XbK6lk

For IMU students, please contact Kaizia (014-9034798) for group registration =)

KAIZIA

weekly dharma quote 45

2011-05-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

When things are going well,

be mindful

of adversity.

When prosperous,

be mindful

of poverty.

When loved,

be mindful

of thoughtfulness.

When respected,

be mindful

of humility.

weekly dharma quote 44

2011-05-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

Since everything

is a reflection of

our minds,

everything

can be changed by

our minds.

weekly dharma quote 43

2011-05-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

When giving to others

do not linger on thoughts of

I am giving,

what was given, or

the one who has received.

weekly dharma quote 42

2011-04-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Lovingkindness

is giving others happiness.

Compassion

is removing others' bitterness.

Joy

is freeing others from suffering.

weekly dharma quote 41

2011-04-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

If we can look upon our work

not for self-benefit,

but as a means

to benefit society,

we will be practising

appreciation and patience

in our daily lives.

weekly dharma quote 40

2011-04-05T00:38:00.000-07:00

Why do we persist in

our anger,

our hatred,

our fighting?

Why do we have

intolerance,

selfishness?

We do not truly understand that

everything arises from our minds,

that every thought we have is instantly felt

throughout the entire universe.

2nd Workshop (Self-Awareness)

2011-04-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

It All Begins With Awareness

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” - Lao Tzu

Awareness is the first step in the nurturing process. As you grow in self awareness, you will better understand why you feel what you feel and why you behave as you behave. That understanding then gives you the opportunity and freedom to change those things you’d like to change about yourself and create the life you want. Without fully knowing who you are, self acceptance and change become impossible.

Having clarity about who you are and what you want (and why you want it), empowers you to consciously and actively make those wants a reality. Otherwise, you’ll continue to get “caught up” in your own internal dramas and unknown beliefs, allowing unknown thought processes to determine your feelings and actions.

If you think about it, not understanding why you do what you do, and feel what you feel is like going through your life with a stranger's mind. How do you make wise decisions and choices if you don't understand why you want what you want? It's a difficult and chaotic way to live never knowing what this stranger is going to do next. This session will equip you with some ideas for creating self awareness within you. The session will include a psychometric assessment tool.

The following are the details of this workshop:

Date: 8th April 2011 (Friday)

Time: 7.30pm - 9.30pm

Venue: 2.07.02

Speaker: Bro. Mui Han

Please RSVP (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201076273248556&index=1) if you're attending this workshop to facilitate better preparation by the speaker for the expected number of participants.

Thank you.

IMU Inter-religious Forum

2011-03-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

weekly dharma quote 39

2011-03-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Forgive and be free.

Forget that you have forgiven

and be freer.

weekly dharma quote 38

2011-03-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Find your faults,

feel deep regret, and

correct your mistakes,

reform sincerely,

practice kindness,

concentrate the mind,

sever selfishness,

awaken.

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation

2011-03-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ehipassiko!

There will be a introduction to mindfulness meditation class organised by IMU Buddhist Society.

Date: 1 April 2011

Time: 7:00pm to 10:00pm

Venue: MPH 5 2.07.02

Person in Charge:

Gong Li Wan M209 (hazel.kisser@rocketmail.com)

Stella Tan Pei Zin (016-2617757)

Objective

At the end of the talk, participants will be able to:-

Define mindfulness

Differentiate what is and is not mindfulness

Develop a mindfulness practice

Content

• What is and is not mindfulness

• Why mindfulness

• How to practice mindfulness

BIODATA OF SPEAKER ~

Ms. Choy Boon Ling is a corporate trainer for the past 17 years specialising in the area of train-the-trainer, compassionate communication, coaching, interpersonal skills, self development, self awareness/observation practices, job competency development and curriculum development.

She holds an MBA from University of South Australia, a Bachelors of Social Science from USM and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from South Australia. She has exposure to various learning approaches like Competency Based Training and Education, Neuro Semantics NLP, Accelerated learning, Kinesiology and has incorporated these approaches into helping learners learn in an effective and fun way.

Her passion has always been to train and develop people as she has a firm belief about creating upward spirals in people’s lives. In all her endeavours, she also advocates understanding of the mind as it an important part for a person to grow intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. This lead to her foray into mindfulness practices. These practices has been instrumental in helping her to gain clarity on her perceptions, limited beliefs, patterns and tendencies in her life in various areas like career, relationships and money. The profound changes in her personal life has prompted her together with her partners to start a new company called Nugget of Wisdom Sdn Bhd (NOW Sdn Bhd) to share with people on the principles of living in the present moment and being their own powerful resource for a productive, effective, happy and wise life both professionally and personally.

Semester Gathering

2011-03-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ehipassiko!

IMU Buddhist Society is organising a semester gathering this Friday (18 March 2011).

Date: 18 March 2011 (Friday)

Time: 1900-2200

Venue: 1.03

There will be free food and beverages provided. We also have games just for you!

So what are you waiting for? Come and join us! Let's have fun together! =)

weekly dharma quote 37

2011-03-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Through the true honesty,

deeply believe

that all sentient-beings are one.

That all beings have the same

true nature,

wisdom,

virtue.

weekly dharma quote 36

2011-03-08T01:48:00.000-08:00

When we free ourselves

of desire,

we will know

serenity and freedom.

Blood Donation and Organ Pledge Drive 2011

2011-03-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

Dear IMU Staffs and Students,

Biannual Blood Donation and Organ Pledge Drive organised by IMU Buddhist Society is back! It's now open to PUBLIC.

Details of the event are as follow:
Date: 10th - 12th March 2011 (Thursday - Saturday)
Time: 10am - 4pm
Venue: IMU Driveway

Why give blood?
- Save LIVES
- Remove excess iron in your body which can cause free radical formation
- Stimulate bone marrow to produce new Red Blood Cell
- Joy of giving to others in need

Can you donate?
- You are not sick and healthy on the day you wish to donate blood.
- you are 18-65 years old.
- your weight is above 45KG
- slept more than 5 hours the day before donating blood.
- Have eaten something in the past 4 hours before the blood donation.
- At least 3 months after your last blood donation.
- Do not have any medical problems and not on any medications.
- You are not pregnant or breastfeeding (for women)
- Do not take part in high-risk behaviors (multiple sexual partners)
- Do not have tattoos, ear/body piercing or acupuncture within 12 months

Priceless Gift of Life -- Pledge your organs today!
"It is not easy to decide whether or not to donate the organ of your loved ones. Even the medical practitioners understand the difficulty. So why don’t you pledge as a donor now. Free your loved ones from making the decision for you after your death. Your organ may help change the lives of others who are suffering from organ failure or dysfunctional tissues. Give them the priceless gift of life!" -- National Transplant Resource Centre.
To know more, please visit http://www.agiftoflife.gov.my/eng/index.html

"Accidents and medical emergencies don’t take holidays — we need blood every minute, every day of the year. ACT TODAY! "

p/s: Attached is the poster of the event. Please help to spread the words around! Thank you!

weekly dharma quote 34

2011-02-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

Overcome

...greed with generosity,

...anger with lovingkindness,

...ignorance with understanding.

Dharma Talk 1

2011-02-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

Dharma Talk

Date: 24 February 2011 (Thursday)

Time: 7:00pm

Venue: 3.06 (IMU Bukit Jalil Campus)

Speaker: Bro. Charlie Chia

Person-in-charge: Stella Tan (stella_tpz@hotmail.com)

Have you ever felt that there’s so much more you want to accomplish in life but somehow you’re just not getting there? We are, in fact, limiting ourselves with our beliefs. By limiting ourselves, we limit so much more happiness we can achieve in all areas of life.

Limiting beliefs are such:

1. I am not good enough.

2. Studying is a chore.

3. Dreams are not practical.

4. My life is not perfect.

And the list goes on.

Do you want to change your life? Do you want to live a happier, more fulfilling life than ever before? Change your beliefs and you change your life!

Join us in this workshop to learn the tools to recognize what are your limiting beliefs and develop your potential by understanding the mind =)

This workshop is facilitated by Bro. Charlie Chia, a very experienced speaker who gives inspiring talks and workshops to Buddhist Societies, universities and colleges.

This will be the first of our Personal Transformation Workshops for the month of Feb and March. Do drop a message here if you wish to inquire more information or you can drop me a message in my inbox =) - by Stella Tan