Wednesday, August 22, 2012

THE POWER OF MIND


by the late Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda
14 August 2002   •   Sabah, Malaysia

PART 01

PART 02

PART 03

PART 04

PART 05

PART 06

PART 07

PART 08

PART 09

PART10

PART 11
PART12

PART13

PART14

THE END

SADHU! SADHU! SADHU!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

End Rohingya Massacre!

OPEN LETTER 
from

YOUNG BUDDHIST 
ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA
(YBAM)

&

MALAYSIAN NETWORK OF
ENGAGED BUDDHISTS
(MNEB)
  
Posted by Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia
Aug 16, 2012 on www.malaysiakini.com

On behalf of the concerned community of Malaysian Buddhists, we would like to highlight the cause of the minority Rohingya people in Burma's Arakan province.

We have been following with deep concern and sadness on the Amnesty International (July 19, 2012) report on the ongoing oppression and massacre of the Rohingyas by both the Rakhine and security forces.

The human rights violations that include physical abuse, rape, destruction of property, and unlawful killings, are urgent calls for attention for Buddhists in Malaysia as the minority  Rohingya people suffer loss of lives and the extensive damage of property.

On July 11, Burma's National Human Rights Commission reported that at least 78 people have been killed since the violence began, but unofficial estimates exceed 100; with Amnesty International reporting up to 90,000 people have been displaced. 

This open letter is by both the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) and the Malaysian Network of Engaged Buddhists (MNEB), in representing the Buddhist community in Malaysia, to call for three actions:-
  • The immediate ceasing of all violence and all further bloodshed in Arakan, with a call to all parties involved to seriously seek resolution through peaceful, non-violent means.
  • For the government of Burma and opposition parties to lead immediate intervening efforts to halt further violence on the people in Arakan province through the fair implementation of the democratic law.
  • For the government of Burma to grant immediate access to independent and international humanitarian agencies and humanitarian aid workers into the affected areas to offer the necessary assistance to stop further bloodshed in and around the Arakan region.

We fervently pray that peace returns to the province of Arakan and for all to join us in this prayer.

MAY ALL BEINGS LIVE PEACEFULLY
MAY THEY BE FREE FROM SUFFERING
MAY THEY BE WELL AND HAPPY ALWAYS 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Saturday, August 11, 2012

MINDFULNESS IS USEFUL EVERYWHERE

"But mindfulness, 
bhikkhus (monks), 
I say is always useful."
~ BUDDHA (Samyutta Nikaya V, 46, 53)



Kim Jang-Mi says: 
Buddhist mindfulness training 
won her an Olympic Gold 2012

An Article News from www.examiner.com

Last week Sky Sports reported that South Korean teenager Kim Jang-Mi beat reigning Olympic champion Chen Ying of China with her final round to win a gold medal in the women's 25m air pistol. The 19-year-old set an Olympic record in qualifying. Then in the final, she shined with a five-shot final round of 51.8, including a perfect bullseye of 10.9, to beat Chen from Beijing.

On August 7, 2012 Emi Hailey Hayakawa reported for The Buddhist Channel "Kim Jang-Mi credits Buddhist mindfulness training for Olympic gold." It is said in Buddhism that athletic activities pull you into a natural state of mindfulness. When you engage in sports with your full attention it becomes a form of meditation.

Buddhists who participate in the Zen Way of Shooting Sport generally prefer the pistol / handgun target shooting events and competitions because the barrel lengths are shorter. Therefore there is typically a greater emphasis on body control, for which meditation serves as a great aid for better performances. And so Buddhists who participate in shooting sports generally prefer the pistol events.

After winning the gold medal Kim commented to Reuters "The men are really good but the last time the women won a gold was 20 years ago so before I came to London I wanted to show that the Korean men and women were equally competitive." Buddhist mindfulness training helped Kim make her point as a gold medal winner in the Olympics.

"Mindfulness meditation is a great foundation to develop insight as well as developing skills to improve your meditation practice. Its really a "Jack of all trades" meditation as it explores all aspects of the mind and body and can be used to develop deeper concentration and has a lot of hidden benefits on the side such as being a helpful anchor to prevent the mind getting lost in thoughts and feelings and skills to improve life quality. Here's a basic way to start and how to develop it." ~ WIKIHOW
"I'll use the term 'mindfulness' to refer to keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality (11) . . . keep your attention focused on the work, be alert and ready to handle ably and intelligently any situation which may arise-this is mindfulness. There is no reason why mindfulness should be different from focusing all one's attention on one's work, to be alert and to be using one's best judgment. . . . Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves . . . it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life. . . Thus mindfulness is at the same time a means and an end, the seed and the fruit. . . . mindfulness itself is the life of awareness . . . Mindfulness enables us to live" ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness