Report by Stephanie Chua.

Achariya Vijaya speaking on living a harmonious life in a conflicting world.

On Sunday 27 August, Achariya S. Vijaya shared with us how harmonious living leads to happiness.  Living in harmony means not harbouring conflicts with the world, nor within ourselves.  Suffering arises when we try to conquer or change the world to suit our liking.  However the world and its quirks have always been the way they are for a long time.  Since we cannot change the world, we should instead change our attitude towards it by accepting the way it works, and learning to live in harmony with it.

Having learned to coexist harmoniously with all aspects of life, we can live peacefully at the personal level.  We then extend this quality to the social and universal level, like a diamond spreading its radiance – with loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity – to all sentient beings.

The Sunday morning chanting was led by Bro. Choong Li (right) and Bro. Alex Loo.

Achariya Vijaya shared the Buddha’s teaching on harmonious living from the Sigalovada Sutta.  A noble disciple should honour the six directions: parents as the east; teachers as the south; spouse and family as the west; friends and colleagues as the north; workers and servants as the nadir; and ascetics and spiritual practitioners as the zenith.  By knowing how to honour each of these groups, we can create harmony and peace with our communities.

We thank Achariya Vijaya for his insightful talk.  May the cultivation of this practice lead to more harmony in our lives.  Sadhu anumodana!