Blog

Dharma Sharing Nite
~ Bodhicitta, the Precious “Jewel” 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What is Bodhicitta?
Why is Bodhicitta held like a precious jewel by all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all the great Masters?
How can giving rise to Bodhicitta lead to ultimate Enlightenment?
How does one cultivate Bodhicitta?

In this session, we will be sharing about Bodhicitta and its significance for our spiritual path and Enlightenment.

May your presence be guided.

May Bodhicitta, the excellent and precious mind 
Arise where it has not been
where it has arisen, may it not decline
But  ever increase,
higher and higher

With Loving Kindness,
Jian Xin

Date: 6 Sep 2013, Friday
Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Venue: 
Good Hearts Garden (English)

1-Day Pure Land Retreat
~Chanting Of Amituofo

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Come and join us for Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land Retreat this Saturday. We will be reciting and meditating on Amitabha Buddha’s name.

“Amitabha” means “Infinite Light and Infinite Life”.

By reciting and meditating on HIS name, one can enjoy the benefits of:

Good health and well being
Protection from natural calamities and disasters
Blessings from the Divine beings
Protection from rebirth in lower realms
Gaining rebirth in Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land
Awakening the Buddha within oneself

We will also be sharing the teachings, aspirations and practices of Amitabha Buddha. Please feel free to bring your loved ones and friends.

We look forward to your loving presence.

Love & Blessings,
Jian Xin

” If a man’s mind becomes pure, his surroundings will also become pure”
~ The Buddha

Date: 21 Sep 13, Saturday
Time: 2pm – 6pm
Venue:
Good Hearts Garden (English)
Miao Xin Lin (Chinese)

We recommend that you be vegetarian (no meat, eggs, onion or garlic) on the day to keep your vibrations high. Please wear comfortable clothing as we will be seated on the floor.

Dharma Sharing Nite
Seventh Month Special~Let’s Talk About Ghosts

Dear Friends,

Are there really ghosts?

What did the Buddha talk about ghosts?

What is the significance of the Seventh Month for our Spirituality?

Come join us this Fri, 30 Aug, 7.30pm-9.30pm and let’s talk about the Seventh Month and ghosts. Feel free to bring your loved ones and friends.

We look forward to your loving presence.

Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn,
A bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp,
A phantom, & a dream
~ The Buddha

Date: 30 Aug 2013, Friday
Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Venue: Good Hearts Garden (English)
Miao Xin Lin (Chinese)

Please wear comfortable clothing as we will be seated on the floor.

How do you feel about the impermanent nature of things/events in this world?
Do you know why impermanence can be our teacher in life?
Are there times when you are faced with “impermanence” and you really grow from the experience and gain in wisdom?
What Truth did the Buddha share in the Sutra on Impermanence?

Pure Land Group Practice

Dear friends,

Come and join us for an evening of Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land Group Practice. We will be reciting and meditating on Amitabha Buddha’s name.

“Amitabha” means “Infinite Light and Infinite Life”.

By reciting and meditating on HIS name, one can enjoy the benefits of:

• Good health and well being
• Protection from natural calamities and disasters
• Blessings from the Divine beings
• Protection from rebirth in lower realms
• Gaining rebirth in Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land
• Awakening the Buddha within oneself

We will also be sharing the teachings, aspirations and practices of Amitabha Buddha. Please feel free to bring your loved ones and friends.

We look forward to your loving presence.
Love & Blessings,

Jian Xin (Hwee San)

” If a man’s mind becomes pure, his surroundings will also become pure” ~ The Buddha

Date: 25 Jan 2013, Friday
Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Energy Exchange: Donation of any amount
Venue:
Leksem Ling (Tibetan)
Good Hearts Garden (English)
Miao Xin Lin (Chinese)

We recommend that you be vegetarian (no meat, eggs, onion or garlic) on the day to keep your vibrations high. Please wear comfortable clothing as we will be seated on the floor.

Amitabha Buddha & His Great 48 Vows
~4-Session Sharing Starting from 22 Feb, Friday

How did Amitabha Buddha gain His Enlightenment? What great aspirations and Vows did he make, out of His great Love and Compassion for all beings?

What is the significance of His Vows for all of us – Earth beings living in this 21^st Century?

For those who aspire to gain liberation from Samsara, the cycle of birth and death, in this very lifetime, what promise does Amitabha Buddha give?

In this 4-session Sharing, Venerable Jian Xin will share with you all about Amitabha Buddha and His Great 48 Vows. From her 20 over years of study and practice in this Pure Land Tradition of Buddhism, she has greatly benefitted and wishes to repay the immeasurable Kindness of Amitabha Buddha, Bodhisattva Guan Yin and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas through this sharing.

We look forward to your loving presence.

The painful sea of birth and death knows no bounds.
We have long been submerged.
Only the ship of Amitabha Buddha’s Vows
Will take us aboard and carry us across without fail.

Date: Fridays, 22 Feb, 1, 8, 15 Mar 2013
Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Energy Exchange:Donation of any amount
Venue:
Leksem Ling (Tibetan)
Good Hearts Garden (English)
Miao Xin Lin (Chinese)

Please wear comfortable clothing as we will be seated on the floor. 
Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested. Thank you.

About The Teacher
Venerable Jian Xin has been a practicing Buddhist for more than 20 years. Due to her immense interest in the Dharma right after graduation from University, she went to pursue a 3-year postgraduate studies in Yuan Guan Buddhist Institute in Taiwan and a Master’s Degree in Buddhist Studies in University of London.

Since her first encounter with Pure Land Buddhism at the age of 18, it has greatly transformed her life. She now shares the aspiration and teachings of Amitabha Buddha and aspires to assist in the awakening and Enlightenment of beings.

Dear Friends,

Do you believe there are six realms of existence?
Besides the human and animal realms that we can see, do you know of other realms of existence?
What are the worlds of the six realms like?
Why are these worlds unfavourable for existence?

The six realms as expounded by the Buddha are:

1. Heavenly Realm
2. Asura Realm
3. Human Realm
4. Animal Realm
5. Spirits Realm
6. Hell Realm

We will be sharing with you in-depth details of the life-forms and characteristics of each of the above realms. We will also discuss the causes and conditions of rebirth in those realms as well as the limitations and dissatisfactions of existence in the realms. How then can one get out of such cyclic existence? We will be sharing some fascinating and enlightening stories expounded by the Buddha regarding the experiences in the various realms.

We look forward to your loving presence. Please feel free to bring your loved ones and friends.

Dharma Sharing Nite
~The Importance of Spiritual Practice

Weekly Tuesday Meditation
~Experience the Power of Our Mind

Come and experience deep relaxation, rejuvenation and empowerment on all levels of your being-physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Learn meditation techniques to connect with your Inner Self and to empower you on your life journey.

Meditation is a very effective technique for improving your creativity, problem solving capacity and enhancing your total well-being. Artists and poets do it naturally and enhance their inspiration. Great scientists such as Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were known to have practiced various forms of meditation. Meditation is sometimes described as “listening to the silence between thoughts”. Our effort in meditation is directed towards consciously increasing the periods of such silence. When the mind is silent and still, everything becomes clear.

Meditate frequently and you will find that you gain a deeper understanding of yourself through the observation of what occurs in your mind. You will find that you gain valuable insights into who you really are.

Some other benefits of Meditation:

• Greater faith in, or understanding of, one’s religion or beliefs
• An increase in patience, compassion, and other virtues and morals or the understanding of them
• Feelings of calm or peace, and/or moments of great joy
• Physiological effects – Reduced blood pressure, lower pulse rate, slow down aging process.

We look forward to your loving presence. Feel free to bring your loved ones and friends. Beginners are welcome.

Do you know the importance & power of Aspiration? All the Buddhas made strong and great Aspirations before they gained their Enlightenment. Below is a true Buddha’s story that illustrates the power of Aspiration.

Once, the Buddha and his disciple, Maudgalyayana went with a large gathering of followers to another country. When the citizens saw the Buddha, they ignored him. When they saw Maudgalyayana, they ran to greet him and everyone, from the King and the Ministers to the citizens all bowed and made offerings to him.

The Buddha’s disciples were really puzzled. The Buddha explained “This is because of past affinities. Many aeons ago Maudgalyayana lived in the mountain and I lived in the hut below. A swam of bees was bothering me and I decided to smoke them out. But Maudgalyayana didn’t smoke them even though they stung him until his hands were swollen and painful. Instead, he made an aspiration, ‘it must be miserable to be a bee. I vow that when I attain the Way , I will try to save these bees!’ Many lifetimes later, the bees were reborn as the citizens of this country. The queen bee became the King, the drones became the ministers and the workers became the citizens. Because I didn’t like the bees, I now have no affinity with these people. But because of his vow, all the citizens revere Maudgalyayana.”

Such is the power of Aspirations. So it is very good and meritorious to make aspirations that benefit Mankind and all beings.