Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary

Ajahn Thong Bai of Sukhavana (Bercham Cave) comes with Phra Ujuko, three abbots from Ajahn Gunhah’s lineage and 10 devotees for a visit.
Ven Aggacitta and Ven Balacitta go to Penang for Ven Gavesi’s late mother’s funeral wake. There Ven Aggacitta gives a short Dhamma talk in Hokkien.

After pindacara, Ven Aggacitta gives a Dhamma talk entitled “Satipatthana for Daily Living”. He explains how to contemplate body, feelings, mind and mental objects while going about daily activities, the objective of doing so and how that can improve the quality of our lives.
Ven Aggacitta discusses with Ven Anandajoti the forthcoming 120th anniversary celebrations of Bodhi Lanka Ram Buddhist Temple and the popular request to continue conducting the Saturday night meditation class there instead of at SBS after the Pa Auk Meditation Retreat ends in mid-June.

SBS monastics are invited to Sepetang to conduct a bereavement service for the late mother of Mr Ho Ah Hon, the boss of Beng Motor which services SBS vehicles f.o.c. Mr Ho is YB Datuk Ho Cheng Wan’s younger brother.
Ven Mangala (24 vassas), Director of Sri Sudhammananda Bhikkhu Training Centre, Haloluwa, Kandy, Sri Lanka comes for a visit with Jeff Samuels, an American academic who intends to write a book on the social history of Theravada Buddhism in Malaysia. He interviews Ven Aggacitta.
Members of Persatuan Buddhist Hilir Perak, Teluk Intan bid farewell to Ven Kumara who leaves for Ipoh to continue his Dhamma tour.

Ven Balacitta gives a Dhamma talk in Cantonese Cemetery Pavilion after pindacara. He talks on various topics.

Ven Balacitta resumes his Dhamma propagation work in Taiping Prison after a lapse of about two and a half months because of his retreat.
Ven Kumara leaves Serdang for Teluk Intan where he continue his Dhamma tour.

After morning pindacara, Ven Aggacitta resumes Ven Kumara’s initiative to guide and encourage devotees to practise satipatthana while listening to the monks’ chanting of blessings after collecting pindapata. Ven Kumara initiated this from 01 April – 11 May when Ven Aggacitta was away.

After a talk at Zheng Xin Buddhist Asssociation, Puchong, Ven Kumara goes to stay in Nalanda House, Serdang.

Regular activities for this second half of May:
* Saturday nights: Ven Aggacitta gives guidance on meditation for the public in Taiping Bodhi Lanka Ram Temple.
* Sunday mornings: Pindacara in the markets around Taiping.
* Friday evenings: Ven U Mangala gives a Dhamma talk in Mandarin in Taiping Bodhi Lanka Ram Temple.

SBS monastics are invited for house dana by Ms Ang. As it is her birthday, Ven Aggacitta asks us to ponder if we should greet a Buddhist ‘happy birthday’ as birth is suffering according to the Buddha. Yet, he says, we cannot deny that it is fortunate to be born a healthy human in a good family, to encounter Buddhism and to be able to live in a locality where the Dhamma is regularly taught and practised. He reminds us of the need to guard the actions of our body, speech and mind. As the mind is the forerunner of all things, we should learn to observe our thoughts to identify and restrain unwholesome intentions so that there will be less greed, anger and delusion. Using mindfulness of bodily sensations as a reference point, we can cultivate the good habit of tracking our thoughts, feelings and perceptions whenever we remember, be it at home or in retreat. So “Now everyone can meditate!”

Ven Kumara continues his Dhamma tour with a workshop titled “Ending Suffering Here & Now”. It is a workshop for people who desire freedom from some sufferings in life, enough to be willing to change. It guides them to look into the causes of the suffering and meet them with understanding, thereby releasing them. See below for further information on the tour:

Bhante Kumāra’s Dhamma Tour Programme in Selangor
16 May 2009 (Sat) 9:00am-5:30pm
Sungai Long Buddhist Society, Kajang
1-day workshop: Ending Suffering Here & Now by applying the Noble 8Fold Path
17 May 2009 (Sun) 10:00am
Zheng Xin Buddhist Association, Puchong
Dhamma Talk: 忙碌者如何修习戒、定、慧 (How to practice sila, samadhi & pañña for a busy person)
18 May 2009 (Mon) 8:00-10:00pm
Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Petaling Jaya
Dhamma Talk: Striving with Calm & Insight
19 May 2009 (Tues) 8:00-10:00pm
Nalanda Dharma Centre, Serdang
Dhamma Talk: Spiritual Development in the Real World
20 May 2009 (Wed) 7:45-9:30pm
Sukhi Hotu, Petaling Jaya
Dhamma Sharing: Religious or Spiritual?
Bhante Kumāra’s Dhamma Tour Programme in Ipoh  
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Dhamma Talk: 原始佛教与现代社会 (Early Buddhist Teachings and Today's Society)
Venue: MBA branch, Pasir Puteh
Time: 8-10pm
 
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Dhamma Talk: 忙碌者如何修习戒、定、慧 (How to practice sila, samadhi & pañña for a busy person)
Venue: 净宗学会 (Chin Choong Hock Wui)
Time: 8-10pm

Friday, 29 May 2009
Dhamma Talk: 理想的在家佛教徒 (The Ideal Buddhist Householder)
Venue: Bercham Buddhist Society
Time: 8-10pm

Saturday, 30 May 2009
Dhamma Discussion
Time: 11am - 1pm
Dhamma Talk: How Can We Not Suffer and Be Happy? (Mandarin/English)
Time: 8-10pm
Venue: Sukhavana Monastery (Bercham Cave)
 
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Dhamma Talk: Dana - What, Why, When & How? (Mandarin/English)
Time: 9am
Dhamma Talk: 讲骗话 (for children—small, big and old), plus Q&A
Time: 11am-1pm
Venue: Sukhavana Monastery (Bercham Cave)

Dhamma Talk: Saddha: Faith or Confidence?
Time: 8-10pm
Venue: Buddhist Society Ipoh, Tambun Garden

The Abbot of Kek Lok Si comes and pays respects to Pa Auk Sayadaw.
Later Ajahn Mahañano comes with another three Thai monks to pay respects to Pa Auk Sayadaw and Ven Aggacitta. Five lay people come along and Ven Aggacitta gives them a Dhamma talk, “Now Everyone Can Meditate.”

Ven Kumara leaves for a Dhamma Tour, starting with Selangor. (See programme below)
Bhante Kumāra’s Programme in Selangor

Thu 14
8:00pm
Venue: BMS Kajang Buddhist Centre
Dhamma Talk & Discussion: Practicable Spiritual Teachings of Buddhism
Fri 15
8:00pm
Venue: Sg Long Buddhist Society, Kajang
Dhamma Discussion: Spirituality and Healing

Today Ven Meghacitta is accepted into the bhikkhu order, with Ven Aggacitta as his preceptor and Ven Kumāra as his instructor. This second upasampada (bhikkhu ordination) ceremony in SBS is attended by a sangha of 26 monks, including Pa Auk Sayadaw.

Ven Aggacitta is back from his East Malaysia Dhamma tour (See programme below) via Penang International Airport. Barry Ong invites him to stay overnight in his new house in Taiping.

A group of five monks come and pay respects to Pa Auk Sayadaw.
Ven Dhammasubho and Ven Sopaka also come and pay respects to Pa Auk Sayalaw.

Although today is Wesak Day, there is no special event organised in SBS to allow the yogis in the Pa Auk Meditation Retreat to practice in peace.
Ven Balacitta gives a Dhamma talk in Cantonese Cemetery Pavilion after pindacara. His talk, “Three Kinds of Samadhi”, is based on the experience of forest monks. In the first kind, one can achieve temporary calmness and is in the investigating mode. In the second kind, meditation will last longer and visions may arise while in the final kind, one will be completely absorbed and the mind will be very steady.
Zhi Xian, a masseur from Bukit Mertajam comes and gives treatments to monastics and helpers.

Ven U Mangala, Ven Upekkhananda, Ven Abhirata and another monk leave for Kuching for a few days for the Wesak celebration there.
The Abbot of Kek Lok Si comes and pays respects to Pa Auk Sayadaw.
An acupuncturist, Ven Shi Ji Guang’s friend from Penang comes to give treatments to monastics and voluntary helpers.
As this is Wesak eve, Ven Kumara and Ven Balacitta are invited to Bodhi Lanka Ram Temple where Ven Kumara gives a Dhamma talk commemorating the birth, the enlightenment and parinibbana of the Buddha. He also explains to the devotees the practical aspects of the Four Noble Truths, which tells us how to bring about the ending of suffering.

After morning pindacara in Taiping market, Ven Kumara goes to Taiping Buddhist Society to share Dhamma with National Service trainees. Besides Q&A, he also teaches them basic meditation and shows them some photos of SBS.
Ven Ashin Gandathara (38 vassas) from UK comes with ten of Ma Nang Sam Pong’s family members to pay respects to Pa Auk Sayadaw.
In Kuching, Ven Aggacitta leaves for Lundu for a short personal meditation retreat till 8 May.