1 January 2013 marks the birth of Nalanda Youth Library. This new addition to our expanding Pustaka Nalanda caters to the learning needs and reading interest of youths and young adults. We were honoured to have the presence of Venerable Sing Kan and Nalanda’s founder, Bro. H S Tan at the simple yet meaningful launching ceremony on 6 January 2013.
In his sharing, Bro. Tan emphasised on the importance of cultivating the habit of reading books (citing a few scientific findings), in comparison to looking up information via the Internet and modern devices. So, we need to ‘launch’ ourselves into the habit of reading, and not just launch the Library.
Knowledge is vast, life is short. Start learning! However, by just having a lot of knowledge without morality or discipline is useless. It may sometimes even lead one to harm. This saying resonates well with what the Buddha has said in the Mangala Sutta:
Bāhu saccañ ca sippañ ca
Vinayo ca susikkhito
Subhāsitā ca yā vācā
Etam mangala-muttamam
Vast learning, perfect handicraft,
a highly trained discipline, and
pleasant speech,
this is Blessing Supreme!
So, dear friends, read a good book today!
For Nalanda Youth Library’s online catalogue, please visit our website at www.nalanda.org.my/youthlibrary