On Sunday 1 November, Venerable Ayya Susīlā gave a Dhamma talk on ‘Mindfulness and daily meditation practice’. The topic is a popular request, even among devotees overseas. Ayya Susīlā gave the definition of mindfulness, sati, as “keeping the mind in the present moment. When we keep our minds in the present moment, our minds are clear”.
Read moreOn Saturday 31 October, Venerable Ayya Susīlā and Appamādaviharī Meditation Centre Committee Members from Penang visited Nalanda Centre on a familiarisation tour. They were warmly greeted by Nalandians who made them welcome and gladly took them around the centre. Ayya Susīlā and the visitors then met with senior Nalanda officers for a genial discussion on the Society’s operations and educational activities.
Read more“The Verb is Me” was the interesting Dhamma talk given by Achariya Tan Siang Chye on Service Sunday, 25 October. He explained that humans exist because they are constantly changing, vibrating and moving. In reality, humans are ‘verbs and not nouns’.
Read moreOn Wednesday 21 October, Venerable Sayadaw Asabhacara gave a guided meditation and Dhamma talk at Nalanda Centre. In his talk, Ven. Asabhacara encouraged devotees to meditate diligently and maintain mindfulness in our daily activities. Devotees also took the opportunity to clarify doubts on their daily practice during the Q & A session.
Read moreOn 4 October, Achariya Vijaya Samarawickrama gave a Dhamma talk on “Mindfulness: The Way to Happiness” during Service Sunday. He said many people have misconceptions about what constitutes happiness. For example, people often mistake pleasure for happiness. When we seek pleasure, which is tenuous and fleeting, inevitably we will become dissatisfied and unhappy.
Read moreOn Sunday 11 October, Dhamma teacher Sis. Tan Yee Yong gave a talk based on 10 Buddhist stories taken from the Jataka Tales, Samyutta Nikaya, and Majjhima Nikaya. One of the stories, taken from Samyutta Nikaya 11.6(6) The Bird Nests, tells of how kindness saved Sakka, lord of the devas and his army who were escaping from their enemy, the asuras.
Read moreOn Sunday 27 September, a memorial service was held in honour of two illustrious teachers – Venerable Kakkapalliye Anuruddha, a foremost and distinguished scholar in the Pāli language; and Acharya Satya Narayan Goenka, a prodigious teacher who taught millions of practitioners the technique and bliss of Vipassāna Meditation. Both great men passed away on the same day, 29 September 2013; their likes will rarely be seen again.
Read moreOn Saturday 26 September, Lecture 10 of BPS 303 – Certificate in Buddhist Studies – was conducted at Nalanda Centre in Sri Serdang by Achariya Vijaya Samarawickrama. Achariya Vijaya explained the origin of devotional practices in Buddhism and why it was important to carry out these practices with wisdom and right understanding, and not just on blind faith. He also explained the meaning of Saddha (faith) in the Buddhist context.
Read moreOn Saturday 26 September, Nalanda Buddhist Society Founder Bro. Tan was invited to give two motivational talks to the staff of Buddhist Institute Sunday Dhamma School (BISDS) at the Buddhist Māha Vihāra, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. The talks were attended by 45 BISDS staff members, as well as six facilitators and four students from Nalanda Dhamma School.
Read moreOn Sunday 20 September, Bro. Ananda Fong gave a talk on “Rebirth”. He related a few Buddhist accounts of rebirth, besides showing scientific research on the subject by Dr. Ian Stevenson and Dr. Brian Weiss. In ‘Majjhima Nikāya’ No. 41 the ‘Saleyyaka Sutta’, the Buddha elaborated on why some beings after death reappear in happy or unhappy destinations. It is through righteous conduct in accordance with the Dhamma that beings are born in fortunate realms.
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