On Sunday 30 October, Nalanda was honoured to host Ven. Sujiva for a Dhamma talk in his maiden visit to Nalanda Centre. Many devotees including leaders from the Buddhist community rejoiced in the opportunity to welcome and meet Ven. Sujiva as he had been based in Europe and USA over the past 20 years. Prior to that, Venerable had taught meditation in Santisukharama Hermitage in Kota Tinggi, Johor and held many retreats throughout Malaysia.
In his talk, Venerable spoke on the subject of ‘anatta’ (non-self), one of the three characteristics of existence. This principle highlights that there is no unchanging or permanent self. To understand that, we need to immerse ourselves in the cultivation of the mind. Venerable then gave an explanation on the qualities of ‘samattha’ and ‘vipassana’ and their differences in cultivating our minds.
By having proper practice of vipassana, we gradually gain insight and understanding of the real nature of things, that of ‘anatta’. You may re-visit Venerable’s full talk on Nalanda’s YouTube channel .
We thank Ven. Sujiva for visiting us at Nalanda, and hope to have more opportunities in the future to learn meditation under Venerable’s guidance. We also wish Venerable the blessings of good health, long life and happiness.