On Sunday 24 April, Sis. Santi Cheang gave a talk on ‘Observing the 5 Precepts’ to participants of BPS 033 ‘Buddhist Practice & Devotion’ course. She explained that Precepts form the basis of morality for Buddhists. It strengthens our commitment to spiritual practice, and ensures a life of integrity and peace. Precepts are observed voluntarily by devotees; they are not commandments from the Buddha.
Read moreOn Sunday 17 April, Sister Buddhini Tan gave a talk on ‘Going for Refuge’ to participants of BPS 033 ‘Buddhist Practice & Devotion’ course. Sis. Buddhini explained that the practice of ‘Going for Refuge’ existed even before the Buddha’s time. It was customary for a follower to proclaim his or her faith in the teacher or a higher power.
Read moreOn Sunday 27 March, Sis. Paru conducted the first of six modules of BPS 033 ‘Buddhist Devotional Practice’ course, where she touched on the topic of ‘What is Buddhism?’ and ‘The Three Jewels’. She explained that the coined English term ‘Buddhism’ refers to the religious tenets and practices centred upon the Buddha’s teachings. When Buddhism spread to other parts of the world, it took on different forms due to the influence of local beliefs and culture of the indigenous peoples.
Read moreOn Saturday 26 March, Nalanda Institute offered the third session of its BPS 201 Intermediate-level Buddhist Studies in Mandarin. The topic was ‘Buddhism after the Buddha’, and it was conducted by Sis. Santi Cheang and Sis. Sandy Lim. They also shared about the history of Buddhism in Malaysia and the significance of the Tipitaka in Buddhism.
Read moreOn Saturday 5 March, Nalanda Institute Malaysia welcomed about 50 participants to its new course, BPS 201 Intermediate-level Buddhist Studies in Mandarin. The participants consisted mainly of students who had successfully completed last year’s BPS 101 – Basic Buddhist Studies.
Read moreNalanda Institute Malaysia is pleased to offer its first Intermediate Buddhist Studies course in Mandarin (BPS201) from 5 March to 14 May. There will be 8 sessions held on designated Saturdays, from 3.00pm to 6.00pm. The course is suited for those who have attended the Basic Buddhist Studies course in Mandarin (BPS101 or BPS001) or its equivalent.
Read moreOn Sunday 10 January, parents of newly-enrolled Dhamma School students and new-comers to Nalanda Centre were invited to attend the first session of ‘Svagatam’ Induction Programme conducted by Bro. Aggaphala Yap. The six-session course aims to introduce Buddhist values, culture and etiquette to its participants. It also aims to provide essential knowledge on how to live in accordance with Dhamma.
Read moreOn Saturday, 21 November, BPS303 – Certificate in Buddhist Studies participants sat for the written examination which was held concurrently at Nalanda Centre and Kota Bharu Mettarama Centre in Kelantan. It was the last hurdle for the participants who had been diligently attending lectures and completing their personal and group assignments since the course started in early July.
Read moreThe 26 participants of BPS 303 – Certificate in Buddhist Studies from Kota Bharu, Kelantan, are certainly an inspiration to all students of Dhamma. Even though theirs was a distant-learning course, it did not put a damper to their spirits. This was especially evident on Saturday 21 November when many arrived for their examination one hour early despite the wet weather. A participant said that she had to drive more than an hour just to get to Kota Bharu Mettarama Centre where the examination was held.
Read moreSaturday 31 October was Group Assignment Presentation Day for participants of BPS 303 – Buddhist Studies course. It was the ‘grand finale’ to a 10-session course which began on 4 July. The participants were divided into 11 groups and they had two options to choose from. The first option was to conduct a survey to find out how much Buddhists themselves understood Buddhism, and the second was to take part in an activity which reflected the ‘Ten Wholesome Deeds’.
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