1

jan/feb 2015MIC (P) 057/02/2014

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and ABC – A Sincere Heart

Connection

2 3

It finally happened—having our precious guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche with us in Singapore for our 25th anniversary celebrations. In case you missed it, here is an excerpt from Rinpoche’s message during the grand dinner celebration held at the Grand Copthorne Hotel on 21st November 2014.

amitabha buddhist Centre is a centre for the study and practice of Mahayana buddhism, based on the tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa, in the lineage of Lama Thubten Yeshe and our Spiritual Director, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

OUR VISIONLearn to Be Happy

Courage to cherish allWisdom to see the truthfaith in buddha’s peace

Follow Our Four-fold PathInspire Connect Learn

Practise

SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

RESIDENT TEACHER

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi

PRESIDENT

Tan Hup Cheng

SPIRITUALPROGRAMME COORDINATOR

Ven. Tenzin Gyurme

CENTRE MANAGER

Koh Zi Yen

OFFICE STAFF

ADMINISTRATION - Alicia LeeOPERATIONS - Denis Kwan

RETAIL - Serene Tan

OFFICE HOURSOpen daily except Mondays

Tuesdays – Saturdays: 10.30 am – 6 pm

Sundays: 10 am – 6 pm(Hours extended to 7.30 pm when evening sessions are scheduled)

aMITabHa bUDDHIST CenTRe44 Lorong 25a Geylang

Singapore 388244Tel: 6745 8547 fax: 6741 0438

www.fpmtabc.orgcentre@fpmtabc.org

Rejoice for Amitabha Buddhist Centre

“Thank you billions and zillions. I want to thank you. This is like a dream that this centre started and today is the 25th, developed so many years. This is great, great, great!

The greatest success is benefiting sentient beings by Dharma. This is more than the Pacific Ocean’s depth, more wide and deep than the Pacific Ocean—benefiting sentient beings by Dharma. The centre’s accomplishment is that. So many different ways, not only through the teachings, but benefiting sentient beings in many different ways. Not only benefiting them but benefiting the mind because from the mind came or produced hell, came the narak [hell beings], and it produces full enlightenment, ‘sang-gye’, total elimination of all obscurations and completion of all the realisations.

From the mind comes samsara and from the mind comes nirvana, liberation from oceans of samsaric sufferings, and from the mind comes this life’s happiness and problems and the day-to-day happiness and suffering. Each hour and minute’s happiness and problems comes from one’s own mind; therefore, benefiting sentient beings is through the mind, and through the mind benefiting the body. From a correct way of thinking comes happiness, ultimate happiness, liberation from oceans of samsaric sufferings, the cause of sufferings, and also full enlightenment or ‘sang-gye’, the total

elimination of all obscurations and the completion of all the realisations. Therefore, the whole solution is to eliminate the root of samsara, the ignorance holding the ‘I’ to be truly existent, or existing from its own side, or existing by its nature, as it is appearing that way, as it has been appearing from beginningless rebirths and holding it in that way from beginningless rebirths. And so, have experienced the oceans of sufferings of hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras, and asuras up to now.

Up to now, we have been reborn and died, reborn and died, experiencing all the different realm sufferings as we get born in those realms. Therefore the antidote is Dharma, nothing else. The antidote is Dharma. The antidote to eliminate the root of all the sufferings, ignorance, is the Dharma. By eliminating that then all the oceans of suffering of samsara are eliminated. Whatever the global problems, country problems, individual problems, whatever, physical and mental, everything, the oceans of samsaric sufferings are eliminated. Then you achieve the ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara.

The Centre Is for Dharma Practice

Therefore, Dharma, benefiting sentient beings through Dharma, greater and greater success as year

by year up to now, the 25th year happened, so it is great. How much Amitabha Buddhist Centre has been able to offer service to sentient beings in many different ways, but the main thing is benefiting with Dharma in many different ways, not only with teachings.

This great benefit, this is what makes Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, Tara, Maitreya Buddha, all the numberless buddhas happy and pleased and numberless bodhisattvas happy and pleased, so that means His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It is the best offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as to Lama Yeshe who took care of me for many years, maybe more than 30 years, who started the FPMT, the organisation, so it is the best offering. You pleased Lama Yeshe and His Holiness the most. Of course there is no question that you pleased me, Mickey Mouse, that little Mickey Mouse. So really, really, it is fantastic. Really. And then making sentient beings happy, not delusion-attachment happy, excitement-hallucinated happy, no—real happiness and peace to sentient beings.

When I first came to Singapore, I stopped in Singapore when travelling from Europe to other countries, in a hotel with Lama Yeshe. Then Dharmawati [early student] organised a tour for me in Indonesia and Malaysia, and by the way, I came to Singapore. There

How marvellous! This year, 2015, the Lunar New Year and Tibetan Losar synchronise on the same dates, from 19th February to 5th March, a double celebration to look forward to. Coupled with that is the Tibetan tradition

of celebrating the New Year (Losar) in conjunction with the Buddhist festival known as the Display of Miracles, which elevates the coming festive season to the maximum level of auspiciousness.

The Display of Miracles commemorates a period in the Buddha’s life where he performed a series of miracles every day for 15 days, when he was confronted by a group of ascetics (‘tirthikas’) who opposed and challenged his views. The Buddha’s daily display of miracles not only subdued the ‘tirthikas’, they were won over and thereafter developed faith in the Buddha. The 15th full moon day came to be known as the Day of Miracles. Because of the power of the Buddha’s deeds, these 15 days are a merit-multiplying period where any virtue created is increased by 100 million times. This is stated in a Vinaya text called “Treasure of Quotations and Logic”. Other sutras mention that the merit-multiplying effect is an incredible one billion!

With this spectacular astrological line-up as the setting, ABC will be hosting a New Year Wealth Treasure Puja on 28th February that will harness these powerful potentials and channel them into prayers for wealth and prosperity to flow throughout the year and beyond. The prayers are for everyone in the ABC family, an occasion to herald the New Year in the most beneficial way possible. This is a new event where Khen Rinpoche and Sangha will perform the pujas of White Dzambhala and 12-Armed Red Ganapati. As it happens, these two wealth deities are emanations of Chenresig/Avalokiteshvara. Turn to the back page for more about the Wealth Treasure Puja. With the highly favourable aspects produced by 2015’s lunar conjunction, this is a New Year celebration not to be missed.

In celebrating the miracle of the Buddha and his triumph over all afflictions, here are some verses that arose in spontaneous homage.

With due respect for all beliefs,Without disdain for any creed,These lines below are mere expressionOf that which is a true distinction.

What do words mean in Buddhism?Some words do not appear to existIn the language of the Buddhadharma – This makes the difference between heaven and nirvana.

Instead of suffering with guilt, generate strong regretInstead of condemning others, practise equanimityInstead of the power to pardon, demonstrate loving kindness Instead of mercy, develop

compassion and bodhicitta

Instead of the will of a god, understand dependent arisingInstead of surrendering to almighty, rely on the Three JewelsInstead of seeking heaven, aspire to enlightenmentInstead of everlasting peace, abide in nirvana without remainder.

By depending on the mind of matchless reasonAnd three countless great eons of great compassionFor us, the Buddha realised true cessations.If one attains the same, what more is there to question?

Heaven and Nirvana

4 5

was a Dharma centre, a lay centre, Dharmachakra Centre. I don’t know his name. He passed away from cancer, the man who started Dharmachakra Centre. I was there. I felt that if in Singapore you ask the question, “How do you begin to practise Dharma?” I thought it was hard to get the answer. I felt that. If you ask a sangha or lay person how to begin to practise Dharma, it would be hard to get an answer.

For somebody who has studied lam-rim, the beginning of the path to enlightenment, the root of the path to enlightenment, is correctly following the virtuous friend or the graduated path of the lower capable being. The graduated path of lower capable being starts there. That is the beginning of Dharma practice. That is why it is the root of the path to enlightenment. I felt that if you ask the question, “How do you begin to practise Dharma?” it would be difficult to get an answer.

Before I came to Singapore, that time after Lama passed away, I felt going to Singapore would be of great, great, great benefit. I felt like this, like vomiting, not as vomiting, but I felt it here [at his throat], the feeling that it would be so great to start a centre in Singapore.

Normally, people come from all over the world to the Kopan meditation

course then go back to their country and start to do meditation and discussion with their friends. That is how most centres started. But a few—Amitabha Buddhist Centre is one—I said to start. I felt it would be beneficial. The feeling came here, up to here, that it would be of great benefit. So I came to Singapore and I felt that, so then we started the centre.

I don’t know what is his name. He was the head of Buddhism in Singapore. What is his name? [Rinpoche was referring to Lee Kwee Hock.] He passed away a long time ago. He started it in his house. I think who was teaching there was Dieter, a German monk. He disrobed but he was a monk at that time. It started in his house, the one who was head of Buddhism in Singapore [Lee Kwee Hock was the president of the Cheng Beng Buddhist Society at that time]. Later the meditation teaching was done at his centre. I remember one time I did it at his centre. He invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama in early times to Singapore. He applied to the government to teach Buddhism in the schools. He worked very hard and invited His Holiness to visit Singapore in the very early times. Then Thubten Chödron came as was shown [in the video of Amitabha Buddhist Centre’s history]. Then slowly, slowly it developed more and more like that: Thubten Chödron,

Sangye Khadro, those venerables, and Geshe Dawa… then after him, Geshe Chonyi, the Kopan abbot.

No Happiness without Dharma

There are so many people who met Buddhadharma because of Amitabha Buddhist Centre. So many people were able to meet Buddhadharma and practise it, whatever they could. Without Amitabha Buddhist Centre AAaaLL those people who met Buddhadharma, who came to learn, all that wouldn’t have happened. If it hadn’t happened, what do you think? What do you think?

Even if one is a human being, but what you think is the happiness of life is a hallucinated happiness. There is no inner peace. Hallucinated happiness, attachment and excitement, not inner happiness, not happiness with satisfaction. Without avoiding the attachment to disturbing thought obscuration, inner happiness, satisfaction doesn’t happen. Even though one has happiness it is hallucinated happiness, due to attachment. Even though you are a human being, the way of thinking is a totally wrong concept. The mind is like at night, totally dark, without sun, moon and stars, gloomy like a forest, like the rest of the world. Much of the world is like that, no idea at AAaaLL about mind, no idea at ALL about next life,

about reincarnation and karma. No idea at ALL, completely black, dark in the mind, completely dark. There is no light, the light of Dharma. Their life is so totally wrong. Just a human body, yes, due to past good karma, but the mind is exactly the same as animals, as mosquitoes sucking blood, same as tigers eating meat, killing people and deer and drinking their blood. Completely nothing else to think about, only the happiness of this life, which is a few years, months, days, very short.

Life is meant to be working for happiness. That is your motivation, working for happiness, but in reality it is working for suffering, working for the lower realms, working for samsara, day and night working for suffering. That is the main motivation for living life, nothing else. Even for you yourself, no liberation from samsara, not even better happiness for future lives, nothing, not the slightest. Somebody who has good heart may be doing something sincere for others, creates good karma, but no other good karma and so, suffering.

I will make it short. I am not going to speak all night until breakfast tomorrow! The Bodhisattvacharyavatara [“Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds”] says, the great bodhisattva Shantideva says, “Even though desiring happiness, with ignorance they destroy the cause of happiness.” Even though we wish for happiness but due to ignorance, not knowing Dharma, not having met Dharma, not knowing about the mind, reincarnation and karma, not knowing Dharma, because of ignorance, then the real cause of happiness, virtue, even though we have collected very little, we destroy it due to arising heresy and anger. We destroy the real cause of happiness all the time by arising heresy and anger, by not knowing what is the cause of happiness, and day and night we run to create the cause of suffering.

Suffering is what sentient beings do not like, but they do not know the cause, so day and night they

run, keep busy, to create the cause of suffering. Not knowing that it is the cause of suffering and thinking it is the cause of happiness, the cause of suffering, they think is the cause of happiness. They are totally wrong day and night. The cause of happiness is due to having created good karma in the past. What is experienced in this life, it didn’t get destroyed so it is experienced in this life. So not only continuously being in samsara but creating the cause to be born in the lower realms from where we came. We create the cause to go back there again.

If Amitabha Buddhist Centre hadn’t been started, our life would have been totally lost. In future lives when this life ends, so much of future lives in the lower realms. That is because the cause that we have been creating the most is for the lower realms, non-virtue, negative karma. It is possible that for a long time, even eons, you are in a place where you cannot even hear a human voice. You are somewhere else for eons, in the lower realms where you can’t even hear a human voice. That is possible.

Showing the Path to Happiness

Having started the centre then you see, first of all, by having met Dharma you take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha, Dharma and Sangha have the perfect power to guide us. By taking refuge in them, they guide us to be free from oceans of samsaric sufferings. They can definitely guide you to become free from oceans of samsaric sufferings, so they are the unmistaken refuge. No matter whether you know a lot, or you know middling, the qualities of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, or if you know small, or even if you don’t know, but you take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, that is correct. In whom you take refuge has the perfect power to free you from samsara, including the lower realms. That is the unmistaken, perfect object of refuge. Otherwise if you take refuge in what is not

perfect—samsaric beings who are under the control of karma and delusions, who die and take rebirth in the six realms—they are suffering so they can’t guide you.

In India there was a Hindu guru who was very good. He had renounced attachment to this life. He was very sincere. In Hong Kong there was an Indian family who before the economic recession, were very rich. They owned many buildings. The father and mother went to India every year to see the guru. The guru gave them advice for their business and by the way they would make charity of blankets and umbrellas to the sadhus.

The guru had been praying his whole life to Brahma and Shiva. He was a very good guru, a religious person. When he was dying he called them [Brahma and Shiva], but nobody came. Then he felt much regret. He discovered that they are worldly beings that you can’t trust. He had prayed to them his whole life but when he was dying he called and they didn’t come. He had Dharma books so he took refuge in Buddhadharma. He had Mahayana teaching texts. He went less and less to the temple to bless people. When he took refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, he stopped others from helping him, from working for him. He must have had Mahayana texts. When the guru became Buddhist then the Hong Kong family took interest in Buddhism and became Buddhist.

By having met Dharma, taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, having faith in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, it makes a HUuuGE change in life. Great, great protection, saved the life, wow, wow, wow, just by taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, by relying on Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Wow! Then understanding mind, understanding karma and reincarnation, abandoning as much as you can the cause of suffering and practising virtue makes a HUuuGE difference in life—so much happiness not only in this life but

6 7

A Sincere Heart Connection: Our 25th Anniversary with

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

hundreds of thousands of millions of lives’ happiness.

If you kill one insect, a person or an insect, without talking about being born in lower realms, even if you are born in the human realm due to another good karma you will be killed for 500 lifetimes. When you take precepts to abandon killing or make a promise renouncing to kill, it brings long life from life to life for millions and billions of lives. It brings happiness and success. That is the result of just abandoning one negative karma. If you cheat one sentient being, as a result you will be cheated in one thousand lifetimes. It is mentioned by Gyaltsab Je, the elder heart disciple of Lama Tsong Khapa, in one commentary: as a result of cheating one sentient being one time you will be cheated by that sentient being for one thousand lifetimes. If you abandon cheating sentient beings, wow, wow, wow, then you stop creating negative karma in thousands of lifetimes. When suffering is stopped, amazing peace and happiness! By protecting good karma, by not cheating, there is happiness life to life for thousands and millions of lives. It is unbelievable.

Learning the lam-rim, the essence of Dharma, the graduated path of the lower capable being, learning about refuge and karma, by faith and through the practice, you don’t get born in lower realms. You get higher rebirth, all the future lives’ happiness. That is the first way of guiding yourself. That is amazing, amazing, amazing. That is the benefit from the centre.

By learning the graduated path of the middle capable being, practising it, knowing what is samsara, the nature of suffering, then learning the three higher trainings—higher training in morality, higher training in concentration, higher training in wisdom—that helps to abandon the cause of samsara. That helps to be free from samsara. Listening, learning, reflecting and meditating helps to attain ultimate happiness, liberation from oceans of hell being suffering, oceans of hungry ghost suffering, oceans of animal suffering. It is a one-time practice of Dharma, but once you achieve that you are free forever from oceans of samsaric sufferings. This is what the centre offers.

By listening, reflecting, meditating on the graduated path of the higher capable being, the Mahayana teachings, by hearing that, the seven techniques of Mahayana cause and effect and equalising and exchanging oneself and others, Six Paramitas, wisdom of emptiness, that frees you from even the lower nirvana. Not only free from samsara but also free from the lower nirvana, and you achieve great nirvana, full enlightenment.

The students [here] have studied lam-rim: the essence of the entire Buddhadharma, the essence of the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha. So many students studied lam-rim and meditated, so, so many students got unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable preparation to achieve realisations. They created SOOoo much good karma in so many ways. Not only through meditation, in so many ways like the Six Paramitas,

making charity, practising morality, so many, so many, meditating on bodhicitta, renunciation, emptiness. Not only that, so many sentient beings created, made preparation to achieve enlightenment. They received so much benefit from the centre, good rebirth in the next life, happiness of future lives, liberation from samsara, enlightenment. So many got these benefits already. So many created the cause for this through Dharma practice.

On top of that is tantra. Among the four classes of tantra there is lower tantra, which has the greater method to achieve enlightenment in one life. In Mahayana sutra it takes three countless great eons to achieve enlightenment, because it takes that much time to collect the merits of wisdom and the merits of virtue. But here, the method is much greater so you achieve enlightenment in one life. There is kriya tantra, charya tantra, yoga tantra, and then highest yoga tantra. Highest tantra has the most skilful method so you can achieve enlightenment in one brief lifetime of degenerate times. In lower tantra you do long life practices to live for a hundred years or a thousand years, then you achieve enlightenment. But in highest tantra you achieve enlightenment in one brief lifetime of degenerate times. You receive initiation and do retreat and practice.

What the student receives from the centre is most unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable— deepest benefit from the centre. Therefore please rejoice. That is the benefit of the centre. It is depthless, deeper than the Pacific Ocean, so please rejoice. What the centre has been able to provide, what your life dedicated for the centre, what benefit you got, so please rejoice. There is so much to rejoice in due to Amitabha Buddhist Centre existing.”

Transcribed by Ven. Joan Nicell. Lightly edited by Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim for TASHI DELEK.

“There are so many people who met Buddhadharma because of Amitabha Buddhist Centre. So many people were able to meet Buddhadharma and practise it, whatever they could. Without Amitabha Buddhist Centre AAaaLL those people who met Buddhadharma, who came to learn, all that wouldn’t have happened.”

The students of Amitabha Buddhist Centre were sincerely praying for him, and there

was a heart connection between him and the students: this was what Lama Zopa Rinpoche felt after ABC students offered the long life puja on 23rd November 2014. Rinpoche

expressed these thoughts in private after the puja, indicating that the holy mind of our most precious Guru was well pleased by our collective efforts and prayers. It was a brief one-week visit, but it meant the world to us, the old and new members and students of ABC, to have Rinpoche with us at last

as we celebrated our 25th anniversary.

Here are select moments from Rinpoche’s much treasured presence at the grand dinner celebration on 21st November at the Grand Copthorne Hotel, and the long life puja on 23rd November.

8 9

Turning 25 in Style

Special performances, a documentary tribute to the past, surprise presents and awards, the company of 580 members, benefactors and friends, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche as our special guest-of-honour—some of the shining moments that made our Silver Jubilee celebration a night to remember.

A Long Life Marathon

We might have set a new record—a long life puja that stretched on for seven hours! Interspersed with the elaborate ceremonial rituals and offering procession of the puja were precious words of advice from Rinpoche and even an impromptu performance when Rinpoche asked Ven. Yeshe Gyatso to chant the prayer of Vajrayogini.

Blessing the Stupas

All the guests at our Silver Jubilee dinner celebration received a very special complimentary door gift—a miniature ceramic Kadampa stupa filled with thousands of powerful Four Dharmakaya Relic mantras. Lama Zopa Rinpoche personally consecrated all the stupas on the same day, some hours before the dinner. These limited edition stupas are now available for sponsorship at our Tashi Delek Retail Store.

10 11

both the living and the deceased:

• ExtensiveMedicineBuddhaPuja

• VajravidaranaRitualforPurifyingSickness and Pollution

• Medicine Buddha PurificationRitual for the Deceased

• White Umbrella Deity TormaOffering for Turning Away Harms

Sunday Pujas

Every Sunday afternoon at 4 pm, we hold a puja where anyone can join in and directly engage in guided prayers and meditation. Those taking part have the satisfaction of dedicating the merits at the end of the puja for themselves or to benefit loved ones.

Starting from January, the weekly Sunday pujas will follow a new schedule*:

• Medicine Buddha Puja – every 1st Sunday of the month

• Tara Puja – every 2nd and 4th Sunday

• Confession and Purification Practice – to be held every 3rd Sunday, this new event will combine the Confession to 35 Buddhas with Vajrasattva practice in one session, offering the opportunity to participate in purification practice as a group

Guru Puja – We also perform Lama Chöpa with tsog offering about twice a month, on the Tibetan 10th and 25th, which fulfils a tantric commitment for some. Even for those who haven’t received a highest yoga tantra initiation, the melodious chants and aspirational prayers of the Guru Puja help to develop the practice of guru devotion.

*Note: Actual dates for Sunday pujas will be scheduled based on our month-to-month programme. For more information about ABC’s pujas, visit our website: www.fpmtabc.org

Why do we have problems in life? If we understand karma, if we accept reincarnation, if we have learned about dependent arising, we know that whatever problems we experience is the result of negative karma that we created in the past. We also know that negative karma is not permanent. It can be purified, transformed and changed for the better.

We know we ourselves can create the cause for happiness. We know how important it is to continuously create merit so that we can enjoy happiness, not only in this life but for future lifetimes too. There is a very easy method available to us for collecting merit. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche has often explained, supporting the continual practice of pujas is an extremely important way to create

Why We Need Pujas

enormous merit and to change our karma.

Rinpoche has said: “How is it possible for a day to go by without doing pujas? It is so extremely important.” For nearly 20 years through the FPMT Puja Fund, Rinpoche himself has supported numerous pujas performed by thousands of monks in the monasteries in south India.

At the beginning of the month-long retreat in Bendigo, Australia, last September, Rinpoche remarked: “Why need pujas? There is great need, unbelievable great need. So many people die, so many have problems, so many people suffering. Just study, study! For what? What is the motivation? Only to benefit yourself? To get good peanut butter? So very,

very sad. Real study is bodhicitta, to live the life with good heart. Completely forgetting the practice, th e main thing about the essence of lam-rim. For what? Sentient beings need prayers.”

How does the puja work to give us merit? Pujas are designed to provide precious opportunities to accumulate merit. They contain prayers that enable the practitioner to pay homage and make extensive offerings to the Three Jewels, purify negativities through confession practice, engage in the mental act of rejoicing, and recite the powerful names of buddhas.

The tools for making merit are all there. It is up to us to put them to good use, either by participating in the pujas ourselves, or by contributing

a share to the offerings when others, such as a group of Sangha, who hold the higher vows of ordination, perform the prayers.

How we are motivated as we make our offerings or prayers corresponds to the type of result we receive, as Rinpoche has explained: “If by thinking of the guru you offer a cup of tea, a glass of water or even a candy to one of the pores of your guru, you collect more merit than if you had made offerings to all the numberless past, present and future buddhas, and to all the statues, stupas and scriptures in the ten directions… The merit of making offerings to all the numberless past, present and future buddhas is small when compared to the merit of offering even a glass of water to one of the guru’s pores with thought of the guru.”

At Amitabha Buddhist Centre, there are opportunities available to everyone all year round to accumulate vast merit and to drain away negative karma. The sky is without limit. This year, 2015, look forward to a calendar full of pujas big and small to help you create all the merit you need.

Prayer Festivals

New Year Wealth Treasure Puja – We start the year with prayers for an auspicious and abundant year ahead, on 28th February, during the merit-multiplying period of the Buddha’s Display of Miracles. The Wealth Treasure Puja combines the practices of two wealth deities, White

Dzambhala and 12-Armed Red Ganapati (details on the back page).

Qing Ming Puja – During the Qing Ming Festival in April we conduct the 100 Torma Offering Ritual, a practice of compassion and generosity towards a host of 12 types of guests, including all sentient beings. We dedicate the merit created to our ancestors and departed loved ones, to sweep away their negative karma and hasten their favourable rebirths.

Vesak Celebration 2015 – Our crowd-pleasing annual festival offers plenty of opportunities to create merit, including the many pujas on the programme, from Tara Puja to the Yamantaka Fire Puja. Vesak Day falls on 1st June this year.

The Most Secret Hayagriva Prayer Festival – A unique event at ABC where we perform three days of Most Secret Hayagriva pujas to pacify heavy harms and obstacles. This year’s festival is expected in August.

Ullambana Puja – To commemorate the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, we host another round of the 100 Torma Offering Ritual. This auspicious date celebrates the time when the Buddha was greatly pleased by the many monks who attained realisations and even liberation as a result of undertaking what is known as the Rains Retreat.

Medicine Buddha Healing Festival – Rounding off the year is this weekend event in October that offers four special pujas for the benefit of

12 13

Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice!Here are three good reasons to rejoice for our ABC family.

Animal Liberation Hits 200 MillionIn honour of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s visit to ABC last November, our Animal Liberation team completed the liberation of 200 million lives. 900,000 lives were liberated into the sea at the sessions held on 13th and 15th November, bringing the grand total to 200 million, in time for Rinpoche’s arrival in Singapore on 20th November. We rejoice for all the contributions that have poured in over the years from our members, benefactors and friends to make this feat possible! We thank the dedicated “animal liberators” for their efforts and prayers, and for achieving this amazing target during ABC’s 25th anniversary. Most importantly, we rejoice for the oceans of merit that have been dedicated for the long and healthy lives of all our gurus!

The Mosquito That Gave No Pain

By Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim

By conventional wisdom, the little mosquito is a universal enemy, a carrier

of disease and a nuisance to be destroyed. Can the mosquito be a friend and not a foe? It all depends.

Here in rural India where I have just arrived, mosquitoes make their presence sharply felt on a daily basis. As a regular visitor to Sera Je Monastery in southern India, I have used many methods to keep them at bay. Repellent sprays, smoke coils, high frequency emitters, skin patches, and just plain old shutting doors and windows. Whatever the method and no matter how unbearable the buzzing or their bite, the intention is not to kill them. We have mosquitoes in Singapore. But in India I encounter them in large numbers, and sizes. Their sting leaves red lumps, and the itchiness lingers uncomfortably for weeks.

Thanks to one particular mosquito however, my tolerance of the species has grown somewhat. It was an Australian mosquito in the Atisha Centre gompa in Bendigo. We made contact on the last day of my stay there, at the end of a retreat led by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the nearby Great Stupa.

On that warm afternoon, I thought it would be ideal to retreat to the Atisha gompa to finish my prayers.

“Just like a treasure appearing in my house idly without my accomplishing it, I should be happy at the enemy for he assists me in my deeds of enlightenment.” – Shantideva

Even though I had walked past the gompa numerous times throughout my month-long visit, this was my first time actually sitting inside. Immersed in peace and quiet, I began my prayers, seated before a mesmerising and life-like statue of Green Tara that adorns one side of the altar. It wasn’t long before the mosquito introduced itself. It went to one or two spots on yummy me before settling on my right arm, two inches above the elbow.

I was in the midst of contemplating bodhicitta, the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Through my brief meditation, a compassionate feeling arose. And here was this mosquito on my arm. It was fully absorbed, taking its fill of my blood, its proboscis buried in my flesh. I thought, I am meditating on cherishing others, and here is this sentient being right here, depending on me in this moment. I wondered about the karma it had accumulated to be born as a mosquito, and how short its life. I thought of its misery, flitting about, seeking out blood to stay alive. I considered its past karmic link with me.

Regarding it with kindness, looking at it as being born from ignorance, and thinking of the opportunity I had in that moment to put Dharma into practice, I

let it feast on me. Either it was a very hungry mosquito or I tasted delicious, because it drank, and drank, and drank. I returned to my prayers. A while later, there it was still sucking away. A red mound had swelled up around it. The mosquito stayed rooted to that one spot for at least seven minutes. Strangely enough, instead of impatience, I felt content. I must have moved my arm before it finally lifted off, filled to capacity. I continued with my prayers as Tara cast a beatific gaze.

Busy with packing and getting ready to leave, I forgot all about that mosquito. Several hours later, I realised the absence of itching from the punctured spot. I looked at my arm. Not only was there no itching, I couldn’t find the place where the mosquito had bitten me. No mark, no swelling, no pain, nothing!

That little Aussie mozzie had opened up a tiny crack in my vision, bringing a glimpse of the vast possibilities of the bodhicitta mind, which is the most powerful repellent against all harm. As I continue to attract hungry mosquitoes, I find myself pausing in my habitual instincts as I recognise a tolerance that was not there before.

Songs of JoyA round of applause for Mudita! ABC’s very own vocal group made their official debut on 21st November at our Silver Jubilee dinner celebration with “Because of You”, a song specially composed and dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Making their first appearance in July 2014, the nine-member choir was established by Khen Rinpoche with the wish to spread the sacred sounds of Dharma through music. Mudita (Sanskrit for “joy”) also released their first CD during the dinner celebration. The Mudita members spent long hours rehearsing and recording their album, “Sacred Springs – Rhythms of Joy”, which features seven original soundtracks. To listen to their joyful tunes, pick up a copy of the CD, now available for purchase at our Tashi Delek Retail Store.

Our Kids Are Winners

Congratulations to our young students from abc children’s place! They clinched the top spot at the “Kids’ Rising Star Talent Contest”, held on 30th November at the Sports Hub. For their winning performance in the dance competition, the pre-schoolers received a trophy, a $500 cash prize and hampers. abc children’s place in Tampines is a kindergarten and childcare centre run by Amitabha Buddhist Centre. It caters to children aged 18 months to six years, providing a secular education based on the universal values of compassion and wisdom.

14 15

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28

feb 2015jan 2015

New Basic Program ModuleOur education programme for 2015 starts off with Module 6 of the Basic Program: Chapter 1 of “The Sublime Continuum” by Maitreya. Basic Program students can look forward to a fresh round of classes by Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, which will begin on Tuesday, 3 February.

More New Classes SoonThe weekly Sunday “Chinese Lam-rim” sessions taught by Khen Rinpoche are slated to resume in February with the meditation topic, “Calming the Mind”. The actual dates will be announced soon as well as the schedule for new courses on “Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” and “Merit, Purification and Blessing” starting in March.

Stay ConnectedTASHI DELEK is a free publication of Amitabha Buddhist Centre.Subscribe: Call our office at 6745 8547Online: Download our full-colour edition directly from www.fpmtabc.orgAll events and dates published are up-to-date at the time of printing.For the latest schedule and on-going updates, subscribe to our e-mail or SMS updates, or visit us online: www.fpmtabc.org OR www.face-book.com/fpmtabc

Editor Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim (Vivian Seah)

Spiritual Programme Ven. Tenzin Gyurme

Design & Layout Kennedy Koh

Photographyabc children’s placeTan Seow KhengVen. Tenzin TsultrimNoelle Teoh

PrinterHighlight Printing Services

TASHI DELEK editorial team

Confession and Purification Practice 4pm

Animal Liberation 10am

Tara Puja 4pm

Dharma for Seniors 10.30am

Medicine Buddha Puja 4pm

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

Confession and Purification Practice 4pm

Tara Puja 4pm

Animal Liberation 10am

Tara Puja 4pm

iCare for Wellness Workshop (2/3) 2.30pm

iCare for Wellness Workshop (3/3) 2.30pm

iCare for Wellness Workshop (1/3) 2.30pm

Guru Puja 7.30pm

Guru Puja 4pm

Guru Puja 7.30pm

New Classes for a New Year

Medicine Buddha Puja 4pm

Basic Program - Chapter 1 of Sublime Continuum 7.30pm

Basic Program - Chapter 1 of Sublime Continuum 7.30pm

Basic Program - Chapter 1 of Sublime Continuum 7.30pm

Basic Program - Chapter 1 of Sublime Continuum 7.30pm

Basic Program - Chapter 1 of Sublime Continuum 7.30pm

Basic Program - Chapter 1 of Sublime Continuum 7.30pm

Chinese & Tibetan New Year

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)Palden Lhamo Puja 4.30am

Chinese New Year Blessing 10am

Chinese New Year Public Holiday

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day) (100 Million

Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

(100 Million Merit Multiplying Day)

New Year Wealth Treasure Puja 1.30pm – 5.30pm

NEW in 2015! Our Wealth Treasure Puja offers prayers to the Three Jewels and the wealth deities White Dzambhala and 12-Armed Red Ganapati to invoke their blessings for the coming year to be fruitful in all aspects of life, including the swift accumulation of merit for Dharma practice.

All are welcome to attend as the Sangha perform the following practices to garner the favourable conditions of wealth and power, for the benefit of sentient beings and the flourishing of the Buddhadharma:• Yamantakaself-generationpractice• WhiteDzambhalawealthgatheringpuja• 12-ArmedRedGanapatipuja

Blessings of ChenresigWhite Dzambhala and 12-Armed Red Ganapati are manifestations of Chenresig [Avalokiteshvara or Guan Yin] who has immeasurable compassion for all sentient beings. Through the aspect of these wealth deities, Chenresig enacts the welfare of all sentient beings by bestowing prosperity and abundance. While our own practice of generosity, such as making offerings to the Three Jewels, is the actual cause of wealth, the pujas serve as the ripening condition to obtain these desired results.

Merit-Multiplying Advantage!28 February 2015 falls on the 10th of the Tibetan first month. This coincides with the celebration of the Buddha’s deeds during the Display of Miracles—19 February to 5 March—a merit-multiplying period when all virtue accumulated is increased by 100 million times according to the “Treasure of Quotations and Logic”. Some texts say by one billion times!

Share in OfferingsA precious opportunity open to all! Contribute towards the extensive offerings that will be prepared for this puja. Any amount is welcome! Visit our office or donate on-line at fpmtabc.org from 11 January 2015.

Amitabha Buddhist Centre invites you to

Welcome the New Year with Our

Saturday 28 February 201510th day of Tibetan and Lunar New Year

1.30 – 5.30 pmPerformed by Khen Rinpoche and Sangha

Let’s celebrate with auspicious prayers for a prosperous and abundant New Year. Specially dedicated to our family of members, students, benefactors, volunteers and friends.