ONE DAY RETREAT @ SANTARAMA

A Day Retreat on

8th November 2009

at

SANTARAMA BUDDHIST
HERMITAGE BALIK PULAU
138 Mukim 5
Balik Pulau (Rumah Bukit)
11000 Penang
MALAYSIA

The Retreat Time Table

7 November 2009

5.00 - 6.30 pm: Arrival/Registration/Check-In
6.30 - 7.00 pm: Tea Break
7.00 - 8.00 pm: Taking 8 Precept & Briefing
8.00 - 10.00 pm: Dhamma Talk, Q&A
10.00 - 10.30 pm: Metta Chanting & Transference of Merits
10.30 - 11.00 pm: Refreshment

8 November 2009

5.00 - 5.30 am: Morning wake-up bell & Washing up
5.30 - 6.15 am: Walking Meditation
6.15 - 7.00 am: Sitting Meditation
7.00 - 8.30 am: Breakfast & Washing Up/ Shower
8.30 - 9.30 am: Walking Meditation
9.30 - 10.30 am: Sitting Meditation
10.30 - 11.00 am: Walking Meditation/Shower
11.00 - 12.00 noon: Lunch
12.00 - 1.00 pm: Rest/Shower/ Interview
1.00 - 2.00 pm: Walking Meditation
2.00 - 3.00 pm: Sitting Meditation
3.00 - 4.00 pm: Tea Break/Walking Meditation
4.00 - 5.00 pm: Sitting Meditation/ Group Interview
5.00 - 6.00 pm: Sitting Meditation/ Group Interview
6.00 - 6.15 pm: Cleaning Up & Packing
6.15 - 6.30 pm: Talk & Transference of Merits
6.45 pm: Departure

Reminders for items to bring

-Sleeping bag/blanket/mattress/ pillow/bedsheet
-Water bottle/drinking water
-Meditation cushion (optional)
-Mosquito and insect repellent
-Long sleeve shirt and trousers
-Bathing towel and toiletries
-Own preferred food (breakfast and lunch)
-Candles/torch/light
-Notes/files/stationary
-Umbrella/raincoat (optional)

Also please be reminded to bring along your filled-up registration form on the day of retreat.

For further information, please contact

Sister Gin 012-348 2703
Kean Beng 016-400 8053
Hong Bian 016-443 8594

THURSDAY MEDITATION PRACTICE SESSIONS

These sessions are only opened to those
who have attended the Tuesday night course.

There will be sitting and walking meditation sessions at House of Inward Journey with Sis. Gavesini (Gin) every Thursday, starting 1 Oct 2009. These sessions are meant for those who prefer to practise in a group environment on an on-going basis. No talks or lesson notes will be given in these sessions as Noble Silence will be observed during the practice sessions. The details of the sessions are as follows:

8.00 - 8.45 pm Walking Meditation
8.45 - 9.30 pm Sitting meditation
9.30 - 10.15 pm Interview/Q & A

WALKING MEDITATION

Lesson Three

Walkathon to Create More Welfare Activities

檀 香 爱 心 福 利 会
Than Hsiang Mitra Welfare Association
No.14, Jalan 1/3, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Than Hsiang Mitra Welfare Association was founded by Venerable Wei Wu in the year 1993. The Association carries out welfare activities with the aim of creating a peaceful, harmony and caring society and environment.

Aimed to raise fund for the commencement of more activities in Kuala Lumpur, the Association has decided to organize a Walkathon, which will be held on:

1st November 2009 (Sunday)
7:00am to 11:00am
Taman Jaya, Petaling Jaya

The Association would like to seek your sponsorship in supporting this walkathon event.
Your sponsorship to this event is very much appreciated.

For more information,
please visit the Association's website @
http://www.thanhsiang.org
or call: 603 - 7782 6414 / 603- 7785 4143

Thank you.

Ven. Zhen Man

Vipassana Meditation? What is that?

It was the second lesson of the Vipassana Meditation Course. Arriving yogis were filling up the meditation hall as the clock indicated five minutes more before striking 8. Everyone sitting in the hall was eagerly waiting for Sister Gin, the instructor, to break out the noble silence session by delivering her lecture for the day. Most of them came to this meditation lesson to satisfy their curiosity on two major questions ‘What is Meditation’ and ‘Why do we meditate’ playing in their mind.

A few minutes later, the lady instructor in white blouse and longy (sarong) made her way mindfully across the centre of the meditation hall towards the instructor’s seat. Finally, Sister Gin was in position and ready to clear out the doubts and qualms about the purpose for meditating. Despite that she had given a brief introduction on Vipassana meditation in the first lesson last week, yet some of the yogis still hold vague views towards Vipassana meditation is intended to create miracles and psychic powers.

She started her talk with some facts on ‘what Vipassana is not’ so that people could understand that meditation is not for gaining supernatural power, for praising the Gods and deities, for the ability fortune telling, for whispering to unseen beings. It is also not a skill to have perfect control over one’s mind nor is it to run away from reality and problems in life.

The proper sitting meditation postures were also taught in the lesson as the most essential basic knowledge for meditation practice, that is to keep the back (spine) straight and leg crossed as it is a very stable and conducive way for the development of deep concentration. Sister Gin also mentioned that Yogis with special needs may sit on the chair instead (back pain, spinal problems, pregnancy etc).



After providing clear descriptions of different meditation postures, Sister Gin went around to provide guided supervisions to assist fellow yogis in correcting their postures individually. Surprisingly, most of the first-timer yogis got their posture correct in the 15 minutes self practice and look forward to attend the next session next week.

Sobhana Tan & Hong Bian

ANNOUNCEMENT

Introduction Class @ 8th September 2009

For those who are still interested to
attend this meditation course,
they may register on this coming 2nd class,
15th September, Tuesday.

Kindly take note that the whole course consists of 8 weekly lessons
(not 7 weekly as stated previously) and a one-day retreat.
The course is held every Tuesday from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm and
conducted by Sister Gavesini (Sister Gin),
an experienced meditation instructor, who has been
practising for more than 25 years.

INSIGHT MEDITATION COURSE

Insight (Vipassana)
Meditation Course
with Sister Gavesini (Sis. Gin)

@ House of Inward Journey
8th Sept 09 - 31st Oct 09
Every Tuesday (8pm - 10pm)


ABOUT THE COURSE

This meditation course is tailored for busy people who want to learn up the basic technique of Insight Meditation in a systematic way within a short period of time.

Interested participants are encouraged to attend the whole course, which consists of 7 weekly lessons and a one-day retreat, spread out over 2 months. To acquire the maximum benefit from this course, participants are highly recommended to practice at home on a regular daily basis during that period.

Instructions together with handouts and interviews will be given at every lesson by the Course Instructor.

• Lesson 1 : What is Meditation? Samatha & Vipassana, Preliminaries
• Lesson 2 : Sitting Meditation — Posture & Basic Principles
• Lesson 3 : Walking & Standing Meditation
• Lesson 4 : How To Report At Interviews & The 6 Temperaments
• Lesson 5 : Mindfulness of Sensations — Sitting and Touching
• Lesson 6 : Mindfulness of Consciousness
• Lesson 7 : Mindfulness of Mental Objects — The Five Hindrances
• (Retreat) 8 : Joy & Bliss of Meditation

Please come in loose clothing like track bottoms, slacks, sarong or long skirts and bring along your 'zafu' (meditation cushion) or even a towel/blanket will do.


ABOUT THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Sister Gavesini (Gin) became interested in Buddhism in the early 70s. She started practising meditation with Ven. Sujiva in Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre, Penang, when he returned from Burma. Then for nearly 20 years she frequently travelled to Burma to practise intensive meditation with Sayadaw U Pandita and ordained as a temporary Tilashin (nun) in Mahasi Centre, Yangon in 1986. She also spent some time practising with Sayadaw U Kundala at Sadhammaramsi Yeiktha. Beside Vipassana meditation, she also practised Samatha meditation with Sayadaw U Pandita at Saddhamma Retreat in Oregon, USA. As a lay teacher she has taught meditation in various Buddhist Centres in PJ, Klang, Kajang and KL. For the past 8 years, since retiring from teaching actively she has been on self-retreat, mainly in Burma, Malaysia, Thailand (Chiang Mai), Australia (Bodhinyana, Serpentine) and New Zealand. She moved to Auckland, New Zealand in 2002. Since her return to Malaysia in September 2007, she has been on intensive self-retreats for a total of 11 months.

To register and for more information please call:

• Sunanda Lim (012 4302893)
• Hong Bian (016 4438594)
• House of Inward Journey (04 2262893)