Memories

Let us rewind the tape recorder to July 2009, and press the play button. From the first gathering till the final gathering of the year, IMU Buddhist Society's first attempt to introduce a more regular fellowship based concept was well received by members. Through the ten gatherings and the other events, we have brought so many Buddhist students from totally different backgrounds together to form a new bond.

We would like to thank everyone who have supported us in this course. We also hope that we can get more support from you in our future events in order to propagate the Buddha Sasana.

Sukhi Hotu

Final Friday Gathering of the Year

It has been a great four months of a total of ten Friday Gatherings that had brought so many people from different places together. But unfortunately, many organizers will be having their Semester Examinations and are unable to conduct these gatherings until next year. As the final gathering, we will be recollecting all the memories throughout the short time we have spent with you.

Friday Gathering Group Photo in Early September

Venue: SR2

Time: 1.15pm-2.15pm

Date: 30 October 2009

As usual, please have your lunch before the event and please be punctual.

Home

2nd Last Friday Gathering of the Year

Hey everyone! Sorry for not posting last week's Friday Gathering details here, the Newsletter Manager (me) was away on holiday. But now I'm back, and this week's theme is very simple, short and sweet,

HARMONY

As everyone know, harmony is a crucial part of life. I'm not talking about music or tunes, this is the Art of Living Together. Just looking at history, we all know that it is not easy to live in harmony in a place where everyone thinks differently. Disharmony vary in degrees, from personal fights, group debates, inter-religious and racial turmoil and finally war. It is always known that the only way to live in harmony is to have good inter-personal skills.

We will be sharing a Game with the aim to improve inter-personal skills. So do join us!

Venue: SR3
Time: 1.15pm-2.15pm
Date: 23 October 2009
As usual, please have your lunch before the event and please be punctual.

October '09 Newsletter

EHIPASSIKO

As mentioned in the previous post, this is the first e-newsletter of the society. For a start, I utilized a very relevant theme, Buddhism & Health. If you continue reading here, you will find that Buddha didn't just educate us in ways to cultivate mental health but also several aspects of physical health. Similar to the Malay saying "Badan sihat, Otak Cerdas", it is mentioned in many parts of the Tipitaka that health is quintessential in uplifting our mental insight. As students of IMU, it is useful to get a glimpse of dietary and health care practices of the past and relate them to the common practices now.

Diet in Buddhism?

Did you know the Buddha went on a long anorexic diet before enlightenment?

Well, in India, 2500 years ago, extreme ascetic practices were very common. Many believed that inflicting pain in the form of starvation and self torture could uplift an individual spiritually. In the process of searching the truth, Ascetic Gotama once attempted this intensive practice which nearly claimed his life without any of the expected progress, nor results. As shown in picture below, he ended his attempt by accepting an offering of milk rice, a traditional Indian meal, prepared by lady Sujata. It was this meal which started his resolve that he should stop this practice and discover other methods. Soon after, he attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, becoming the Buddha.

"Health is the greatest gift,
contentment is the greatest wealth,
a trusted friend is the greatest relative,
Nibbana is the greatest bliss"
~Dhammapada verse 204~

Asceticism and many other extreme practices are obviously not the right way. Notice that the word "Too" in English is always used in negative terms. The only way to avoid this is by being mindful of food intake and consume food in moderation. That is why Buddhism teaches us to be moderate in every aspect of our life.

~part 1 end~

Part 2 will be released during the January post

Updates for the week!!!

Friday Gathering

This Friday's gathering will be CANCELLED for further preparations for the coming Mooncake Festival Party on this Sunday. We are preparing food, games and most importantly, mooncake + lanterns for this event. For those who are still not aware of this, you may want to contact Sis. Ai Xin for more information. Friday Gatherings will resume next week.

Meditation ClassesThere will be 3 more meditation classes that will be held in IMU until the end of this year. For those who have not been to this session before, we would suggest that you do so for its well-known benefits as well as a rare opportunity to get an experience teacher, Bro Tan to guide you. The meditation classes are held at SR5 3.06 every Wednesday. You may contact Sis. Sing Ean for more information.

Newsletter
As mentioned in the announcement in the previous newsletter entitled "Going Green", we will be releasing our first multi-coloured e-newsletter in the month of October. This month's theme will be focused on Buddhism and Health, a combination suitable to us as future health practitioners. There will be short articles regarding Buddhist preference in food, Buddhist ways of taking care of the body and many more. So for those of you who would like to know more, stay tune to the blog regularly for these updates. *no printed copies will be made*

ECA Recruitment Drive

main booth

small exhibition area beside the booth

Despite many difficulties, we managed to set up our booth in the recent recuitment drive and received great response. We would like to thank all members who had contributed to this event and also welcome all new members who had registered with us. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu to all of you!