MAY/JUN 2015 MCI (P) 078/02/2015 1 Celebrate the Buddha’s Enlightenment The Best Way to Amitabha Buddhist Centre is a centre Celebrate Vesak Day for the study and practice of Mahayana Buddhism, based on the tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa, in the lineage of Lama Thubten Yeshe and our Spiritual Director, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Vesak Day falls on 1st June this year. What is the significance of Vesak and what is the most OUR VISION To all TASHI DELEK readers and meaningful way to celebrate the day? Here is how Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi explained Learn to Be Happy ABC members and friends: “The Significance of Vesak Day” at Vesak Celebration 2014. Courage to cherish all Wisdom to see the truth May your celebration of the Buddha’s day Faith in Buddha’s peace of birth, enlightenment and parinirvana be oday is Vesak Day, the day remember that this is the best way to therefore Buddha said do not create Follow Our Four-fold Path Inspire blessed and wish fulfilling! Buddha came to this world. celebrate Vesak Day. It is the best way any negative action. Whatever we Connect TToday is the Buddha’s birthday. to repay the Buddha’s kindness. It is suffer, unhappiness, suffering, pain, Learn Today is the day Buddha became the best way to repay your parents’ everything, sickness, comes from our Practise fully enlightened. Also, today is the kindness. If you like Buddha then own negative actions in the past. day Buddha showed passing into always remember the advice. Buddha th hether it is Vesak Day or the Saka Dawa 15 as observed on the parinirvana. Three things happened gave very simple advice to everyone. Then Buddha advised: ”Accumulate SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR Tibetan lunar calendar, make this a meaningful occasion to pay Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche on this day. perfect virtues.” Whomage to the Buddha in thought and deed. If you find yourself Buddha said: “Do not create any in need of information or inspiration for your practice, then look no further RESIDENT TEACHER Buddha is reminding us that we have negative action.” Because we want happiness, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi than the articles featured in this issue. From “The Best Way to Celebrate to take rebirth and we also have to therefore all the happiness, all the Vesak Day” by Khen Rinpoche to “Eight Good Reasons to Celebrate Vesak die. Once you take rebirth you have That was one advice he gave to us. good fortune comes from virtuous PRESIDENT with Us”, you will find the ideas and answers right here. to die. In between, we must do good Why did he say that? It is because actions. Therefore Buddha said if we Tan Hup Cheng things. This is what Buddha said: all the negative actions brings only want that, we must create virtuous 2 th 3 The Annual General Meeting on 25 April may not be an event that stirs up we take rebirth and we have to die. suffering. You don’t want suffering so actions. SPIRITUALPROGRAMME excitement, but still, as a registered society that has entered its 26th year, the COORDINATOR Therefore we must do good things protocols of the AGM function to ensure our continued existence. And who during the period of life. Ven. Tenzin Gyurme are the ones who quietly helm the centre and keep it running on a smooth and steady track? For the benefit of those who don’t have a clue, the members CENTRE MANAGER Vesak Day is all about that. Always Koh Zi Yen currently serving in ABC’s Executive Committee are: remember that we took rebirth and President Assistant Hon. Secretary we have to die one day, so therefore, OFFICE staff Tan Hup Cheng Tan Chun How do virtuous things. When you are still Administration - Alicia Lee First Vice-president Treasurer alive, when you are healthy, when you Operations - Denis Kwan have everything within you, must do retail - Serene Tan Ven. Tenzin Drachom Lee Whye Yee Second Vice-president Assistant Treasurer good things. That is celebration of Benny Soh Toh Su Fen Vesak Day. OFFICE HOURS Honorary Secretary Committee Members Open daily except Mondays Sandra Chen Vincent Koh, Ng Swee Kim, Today is the day to remind oneself Tuesdays – Saturdays: Wee Geok Hua to practise virtue, remembering 10.30 am – 6 pm Buddha, to remind oneself to do Sundays: 10 am – 6 pm Ven. Tenzin Gyurme, as Spiritual Programme Coordinator, and Koh Zi Yen, as some virtuous action. Today is a (Hours extended to 7.30 pm when the Centre Manager, also sit in board meetings. special day because it is the Buddha’s evening sessions are scheduled) birthday. It is also the day Buddha got “The Heart of Our Happiness”, our Silver Jubilee commemorative video that enlightened. Because of the power of the Buddha, so whatever offering you AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE documented ABC’s development through 25 years, can be viewed at last on our 44 Lorong 25A Geylang YouTube channel. The YouTube version has been slightly re-edited with new make, whatever you pray, your virtues Singapore 388244 opening and closing theme tracks (a surprise!), keeping the entire production become a million times greater than Tel: 6745 8547 Fax: 6741 0438 original and all in the “family”. The first cut that was screened at last year’s 25th on a normal day. Once a year we www.fpmtabc.org anniversary celebration featured music for which a required public performance have just this one day. Make sure on [email protected] licence had been obtained. Now, we are pleased to share “The Heart of Our Vesak Day you create some virtuous Happiness” with the public at www.youtube.com/user/ABCFPMT action. It is extremely important to Then Buddha said the third line: celebrate Vesak Day, to create virtues Therefore, try to make even a small “Subdue your mind.” as much as possible. When you are offering. One thing that is good to healthy, when you are not sick, when remember, as Buddha mentioned Subduing your mind means to be you have all the opportunity, then in sutra, even if you make one light a kind person, a loving person, a you must create virtue as much as offering, by remembering Buddha, Eight Good Reasons to good-hearted person. What is the possible. when you make one light offering, reason for being good-hearted? That you create so much merit. The result is because if you are good-hearted, Vesak Day is about how Buddha of the merit is even when you get loving and caring, you can give so got enlightened. He put up with so enlightened, Buddha mentioned, Celebrate Vesak with Us much happiness to other sentient much hardship for the practice. He you won’t complete experiencing the beings. By doing that, you become even sacrificed his own life for other result of that good karma. Therefore the happiest person in the world. sentient beings. He manifested as your coming here and making a different animals, as a tiger, a turtle, small offering to a holy object, like Sponsor and Dedicate Whenever you celebrate Vesak Day, it a deer. He manifested in different for example, offering to Amitabha is good to remember these three lines: forms and sacrificed his life for other Buddha, is extremely fortunate. Pujas sentient beings. He put so much Always be happy and joyful. Whatever Five different pujas will be held over “Do not create negative actions effort into helping others. Through you make as offering, create a sense of the three days, conducted by Khen Create perfect virtues this practice he became enlightened. joy and happiness always. Rinpoche and monks from Kopan Subdue your mind.” Vesak Day is to remember Buddha’s Monastery of Nepal. Each of the life, how he became enlightened. Transcribed and lightly edited by pujas relies on a specific deity and Remember this on Vesak Day Remembering that, we should try to Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim from an invokes their respective qualities: especially, but on normal days, you practise as much as possible. audio recording of a talk given by • Tara Puja for the swift fulfilment should also remember this advice Khen Rinpoche, in English, on “The of one’s wishes and try to live as much as possible Today is a special day so even if you Significance of Vesak Day” at Vesak according to the advice. It is extremely make a small light offering, you Celebration 2014. • Yamantaka Pacifying Fire Puja to important to remember the advice create numberless merits because eliminate obstacles in daily life. This is how we should of the Buddha’s enlightenment. • Namgyalma Puja for long life • Medicine Buddha Puja and Vajravidarana Purifying Ritual for good health and purification 4 What Is Merit and How to • White Dzambhala Wealth Deity 5 Puja to generate abundance and welcome to sponsor any of the pujas infant Buddha, applying gold leaf Accumulate It? prosperity and to dedicate the merits towards to a statue of Buddha, presenting one’s own wishes and aspirations. tokens to the 21 Taras, as well as the n one way, merit and virtue creates merit. If it becomes an The collection of merit results in offering of oil lamps, lotus candles, As the pujas are performed in relation are the same. In general, virtue accumulation, then something the Form Body. The collection of fresh flowers and fragrant incense to is virtuous karma, for it is a is left on the mental continuum. wisdom results in the Truth Body. to the merit field of the Buddhas, Make Skies of Offerings I Numerous opportunities are at the entire merit field.