PRAJNA NTU Buddhist Society by Mellita Angga

Letter from the editor

If You Have The Chance to Just Be, Just Be “If you have a chance to be kind, be kind. If you have a chance to show compassion, show compassion. If you have the chance to know love, know love. If you have the chance to just be, just be.”

I chanced upon this quote not a long time ago, and I couldn’t help but give it some thought sometimes we are so overwhelmed with everything in life, we forget to be present, to just be. Especially as students, our minds are constantly cluttered with deadlines, responsibilities, goals, dreams, and aspirations. We are constantly aiming for perfect GPA, social status, good relationships, and other goals we set in life. Of course it is never wrong to strive for the best, but don’t let those

thoughts and ambitions hinder us from having peaceful mind due to regret about the past and worry about the future. Just breathe, be present in the moment, and peace and happiness will gradually come to you. This edition of Prajna will guide you in finding the inner peace, especially put together by a team of students who are still trying to find peace as well. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

facebook.com/NTUBS buddhist@e.ntu.edu.sg clubs.ntu.edu.sg/buddhist

Mellita Angga, Editor-in-chief

One Stop@SAC, 50 Nanyang Avenue NS3-01-03, Academic complex North Singapore, 639798

Table of Contents 4

Messages Letters from Patron, Spiritual Advisor, President and Main Committee of NTUBS

NTUBS Past Events and Activities What we have done this past one year

Committee Photos Introducing the people behind NTUBS

Article Title: Mindfulness and Meditation

Interview With Chade-Meng Tan

Article Title: Learning to See Things as They Are

Article Title: The Three Poisons

Technology App and website review

Article Title: Healthy Organic Lifestyle

Recipe Smoothies Recipe

Snakes and Ladders Of life and happiness

Entertainment Poem and Puzzle

Chinese Article 如何寻求内心的平静？

Editor-in-chief Mellita Angga

Writers

Hui Lin Hutama Satria Olivia Agatha Thao Huynh Wong Pei Si

Layout Designer Dhika Aditya Finnie Tesiana Gary Khoo Ryan Eka Cahaya

Special Thanks

Fabulous Printer Marcus Frois from MPH NTUBS 33rd Main-Committee

About the Magazine

Prajna is the annual publication of NTUBS Buddhist Society and Alumni. With different theme each year, Prajna aims to introduce NTUBS and share Buddhism knowledge to NTU and NIE society, especially to NTUBS members.

About the Theme

As students, we are often faced with a series of challenges and stress. Sometimes, we are overwhelmed by our assignments, quizzes, and exams. Sometimes, we try our best, but we don’t succeed. Sometimes, we feel lonely for no reason. However, the solution to this problem lies nowhere, but within ourselves. Buddhism teaches us to understand and prevent the causes of problems and stress by looking inwards. We have to eliminate our negative states of mind - anger, attachment, and ignorance by developing generosity, compassion, wisdom, and other positive states of mind.

DONOR LIST

Tai Pei yuan Temple Palyul Nyingma Buddhist Association Evergreen Buddhist Culture Service PTE LTD Fo Guang Shan Amitofo Care Centre Charitable Assitance Society Foo Hai Ch’an Monastery VimalakrtiBudhhist Society BW Monastery Sagaramudra Buddhist Society Lotus Sutra Buddhist Association 法藏精舍 The Buddha Voyage Society Amitabha Buddhist Centre Singapore Buddhist Youth Mission Kwan-In Welfare Society Mangala Vihara Buddhist Temple Zu-Lin Temple Association Meow Inn Kok Yuen Kong Meng Shan Phor Kark See Monastery

31法藏精舍

NTUBS would like to convey our heartfelt appreciation to all donors for their kind support. It is with your generosity that NTUBS is able to continue spreading the Buddha’s teachings and sowing the seeds of virtue. Sadhu!

The Buddha Voyage Society

No. 48 Toh Guan Road East #06-155, Enterprise Hub 6844 2306

Letter from NTUBS’ Patron

INNER PEACE By Dr Ang Beng Choo

Inner peace is a state of mind. The image of the Buddha shows a peaceful smile and downcast eyes. He does not look outwards to search for peace. His image reminds us that a peaceful mind arises from within and not from external factors. Many of us are unable to have a peaceful mind due to our habitual harbouring of two negative thoughts: regret for the past and worry for the future. We often have regret for what we have said or done. We frequently hear, “If I knew it, I would not have said or done so.” But we cannot travel back in time to undo whatever was said or done. Regret for the past only gives rise to a troubled mind. Think twice and act wise before we say or do things. Then we will have less remorse.

On the other hand, we often worry about possible negative outcome of our words and actions. We have to remind ourselves that individual people have their own unique perceptions. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Whatever we say or do, there will always be different reactions and reflections. Worrying about it cannot change others’ perceptions of it. If we are mindful about what we say, and think carefully before we act, there is no point worrying about it. We also cling to what we have and are afraid of losing our possessions, such as our health, our property, our position and our loved ones. However, fear alone cannot prevent illness, prolong lives or stop the loss of property, position, power and loved ones from happening. On the contrary, fear evokes negative emotions of stress, loss of confidence and worry. Statistics show that out of 100 things we worry about, only less than 2 things actually

happen. Thus, it does not make good sense for us to be afraid of or worry about things. In Bhaddekaratta Sutta, the Buddha teaches us: “Do not regret the past. Do not worry about the future. The past no longer is. The future has not yet come. Looking deeply at life as it is in the very here and now, the practitioners live in stability and freedom.” Therefore, we do not have to regret or worry about outcomes which are out of our control. This is an imperfect and impermanent world and there will always be ups and downs in life. We cannot expect all things turn out our way. Being our own “masters”, we do not depend on others to bestow us a peaceful mind. It depends on our own choice. Our present situation is a result of our past choices and the choices we make now will determine our future. Let us choose to live in the present moment with positive thoughts and move on mindfully. We will then be able to have a peaceful mind. 4

Letter from NTUBS’ Spiritual Advisor

How to Find Peace in This Frantic World By Ven Chuan-Guan

This Frantic World

External Changes

Another academic year has come and gone, let us reflect on how the year has gone and how we can find peace in our life amidst this fast paced frantic world. As I write this, I recall the recent bombing in Istanbul airport and shopping district in Baghdad. 2015 and 2016 has been pockmarked with so much attacks in public places, one has to wonder if humanity is on its way to write itself out of existence.

Many people think that Buddhism exclude making changes to the world, that we are supposed to only change ourselves to suit the world and never ever make any changes to the world at all. This is an antithesis to the “The world needs changing, not me” approach. Both are extreme views. Sometimes there is a need to introduce changes to the external world or environment. The Buddha allowed the building of huts for use by the Sangha during the rainy seasons, and also made attempts to prevent a few conflicts between states and succeeded in preventing a number of them. [1] When a disciple reflected to Ajahn Chah that he could not stand the noise of the roof and windows banging with the wind and rain, he replied simply that the noise from the banging window can be solved by keeping them shut and secured while the noise from the rain hitting the roof should be accepted as they are.

And when bombings are not in the news, natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts, floods and typhoons seem to be the new norm in weather and news reports. As though man-made and natural disasters are not enough, we see news about the economy and it’s not a pretty sight whether back home or globally. Even if one can ignore the news, there is the seemingly never-ending cycle of exams. Is there ever an end to all these? What can we do about all these? There are three main areas that we would be looking at. 1) Areas of changes externally 2) Areas of changes internally 3) Areas of acceptance

因上努力，果上隨緣 - Put in effort where we can, accept the fruits arise according to conditions Instead of adopting a saviourcomplex trying to change the whole world or a passive doormat-complex,

resigning oneself to whatever comes our way, we should consider each situation as they are, and try to improve the situation with courage and strength, but realise with wisdom when to accept the outcome according to the conditions that are beyond our control. This approach means that we live our life with vigour and energy but have realistic expectations about the outcome.

Internal Changes Talking about expectations, often times, we lose our peace when we do not get what we want, exactly the way we want it. It would be nice if we can have our desired outcome but are we doomed to be stressed, upset or angry the moment we don’t get what we want? The Buddha highlighted in the First Noble Truth that we suffer when we do not get what we want. [2] But he did not teach that we are doomed to suffer in this way. And what causes us to suffer in this way? It is when we insist on getting what we want and expect to get it, regardless of the conditions facing us, that we will suffer. When we are affixed and attached to what we want that we suffer when it does not turn out the way we expect it to.

The tempting approach is to simply not to expect anything. Afterall, it seems to be the logical conclusion. If expectations lead to disappointments then no expectations will result in no disappointments. This approach require us to become aloof of the world in order not to be disappointed. Some take it up and perhaps account for the perceived notion that Buddhists are aloof and detached of the world. A care-less, apathetic attitude at best. This seem to be disjointed with both how the Buddha did care for the world and how we are inclined to feel towards ourselves and others. It is not about having no expectations, but to calibrate our expectations so that they are realistically grounded in reality. To not peg our expectations in some idealised state but to frequently review the existing conditions surrounding us, and revise the expectations accordingly. By doing so, we are neither pessimistic nor optimistic, but as realistic as possible, as the Buddha is.

Acceptance As much as we try to be realistic, sometimes the outcome can be undesirable or outrightly discouraging. Realistically speaking, we sometimes know that our understanding of a certain subject is not quite on par with what is expected to pass, but a fail grade is still likely to hurt regardless of how an enlightened one would react to it. This brings us to the final piece of the puzzle to our inner peace. Acceptance. Before we jump to the outcome, half the time, we are beset with stress over potential outcomes and it can be paralysing. There are two magically questions that we can ask when we find ourselves stuck in uncontrolled, discursive thinking and worry.

1. Does the matter require an immediate solution? 2. Am I able to solve it immediately?

and ourselves, and move forward.

While we face the myriad of challenges in our lives, we have to consider if they require immediate solutions. Recognising that they do not always require immediate solutions can free us to ‘schedule’ them a time-slot for brainstorming or if not a ‘5-minute worry slot’. In this way, we start to break away from unscheduled guests occupying our precious mind, burdening us with undue cognitive load!

In closing, please join me to extend our deepest condolences, comfort and compassion to our brothers and sisters who are hurt or perished in Istanbul, Turkey and in Baghdad in the recent bombings.

In the event if the matter require an immediate solution, then we should consider if we have the means to solve it immediately. And if the answer is yes, then solve it now! Move on with your happy stressfree life and take a walk in the park (remember to ask me along!) or go help someone else with their challenges.

May those who cause such harm also find peace within themselves without the need to bring fear and harm to others.

If however, you find that you do not have the ability to solve it immediately, consider consulting our friends or calling a life-line. Sometimes we take the Buddha’s advice on self-reliance a bit too far, and end up suffering alone when a helping hand from a friend is around the corner. When Venerable Ananda proclaimed spiritual friendship to be half the holy life, the Buddha corrected him, declaring spiritual friendship to be the whole of the holy life! [3] If in the end, we find that we really do not have the means to solve the matter immediately by ourselves or with others, then we have to learn to accept the realities … for now. The fear of or refusal to accept the outcome or consequences is often times more damaging than the outcome itself.

To have inner peace.

May they receive aid to rebuild their country and find strength and courage to go through this difficult part of their life.

May all beings be free from fear, harm and danger! May all beings be Well and Happy!

Reference

[1] Dhammapada Verses 197, 198 and 199 Natikalahavupasamana Vatthu http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/ verseload.php?verse=197 [2] SN 56.11 PTS: S v 420 CDB ii 1843 Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html [3] SN 45.2 PTS: S v 2 CDB ii 1524 Upaddha Sutta: Half (of the Holy Life) http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.002.than.html

Acceptance moves us away from escapism and resignation. It taps on mindfulness to take a good unadulterated look at the present, to accept it in its totality. Accepting the outcome that is less than ideal. Accepting when external factors or individuals are not what we expected. And perhaps most importantly, accepting that given the current conditions, we and others are still unenlightened, and so are still subject to follies. To forgive others

FINDING HAPPINESS

Letter from NTUBS’ President

When was the last time you checked your smartphone? How many notifications from WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, etc., have you received over the past hour? The answers to those questions are good reflection on how frantic our lives are. Pursuing a degree in one of the best universities in the world sometimes can be extremely demanding. Time is a scarce commodity to be bartered with GPA, opportunities to join competitions, social life or the precious sleep. Yet we see some high achievers on the pinnacle of the university. So the question is, how can they do that? I participated in a Community Involvement Project (CIP) few years back in a small village in East Java, Indonesia. The family I stayed with worked as producer of wooden skewers, producing an astonishing number of 10,000 skewers daily to make $0.2-$0.3, per day. Immediately, questions lingered in the back of my mind. How can they survive? Why do they do this job? Why don’t they go to big cities to find a better life instead? I was stunned. I realized they desperately needed my help. I vowed to myself to offer my help as best as I can. I spent my time there working hard with the

By Jefferson Qiu intention to bring more money to the family, I kept prompting them to improve their efficiency to increase production, and I even educated their children and encouraged them not to be afraid to pursue their dream. Four days passed, and not a single thing was changed. They still stubbornly lived their life in sloth pace, mingling around with neighbours at the day, watching soap operas until the night came. I thought I had failed. But in a hindsight, I was fortunate that I failed. I realized that I was the one who needed their help, not vice versa. They might not be well-off materially, yet they are perfectly happy. I was too naïve for being engrossed with materialistic notion of success. I overlooked the most important achievement in life: to be happy. They taught me that happiness is not only constructed of external gains but rather of internal satisfaction; more of people relations and less of physical possessions. They see things as they really are since they afford to take one thing at a time, permitted by their slow-mo pace of life. A simple yet valuable lesson, but somewhat seems impractical in this fast-paced university life. Things get tricky when we try to slow down our life as constant stream of expectations haunts us. Is it possible to take one thing at a time while still meeting those expectations?

Yes it is. Given that you have a daily proper planning. Often times, we are overwhelmed with life because we try to do too much things at a time. We worry about the future too much, especially the near future, e.g. constantly pondering about what to do next. This is counterproductive. This makes us unhappy. Being mindful of exactly one thing at a time allows our mind to have a laser sharpness and high efficiency. This is achievable through daily planning the night before we go to bed. Planning removes the unnecessary worry that continually plagues us, otherwise. Planning allows us to reproduce the slowmo-take-one-thing-at-a-time of the villagers to our hustle-bustleuniversity-life. Invest 20-30 minutes to write down what we are going to do in great details including the duration. We know exactly what we will accomplish by when, hence our mind will no longer float around. This mindfulness practice improves our quality by enabling us to be in control of our time and enjoying every moment of our life.

So, what is your plan for today?

Illustration by Gary Khoo

Letter from NTUBS’ Main Committee

President

Jefferson

From the 31st to 33rd, it is heartwarming to see NTUBS grew from year to year, as individuals and as a society. The major structural change we made this year was propelled by intention to serve NTU population better, providing a holistic package of Buddhism learning for everyone. This is enabled by the competent team of 33rd Management Committee who has worked well and complemented each other in one way or another. It was not all a walk in the park journey, but the satisfaction this experience has brought makes me feel beyond lucky to have joined this society early in my university life.

“You are just as good as what you think you are”

Vice President (Event)

Vice President (Dharma)

Evando

Three years have passed since my first time joining NTUBS. It has been a fruitful journey and it is one of the best decisions that I have never regretted so far. I meet my Kalyana Mitra, my family who are willing to learn and share dharma. Aside from that, I also got the opportunity to learn about managing a society and I believe the valuable experience I gained in NTUBS will help my future. I wish all the best for NTUBS’ future endeavour! May you all be well and happy! Saddhu Saddhu Saddhu...

“Be ‘Positive’ and Keep Learning!”

Kenrick

Secretary

Winnie

I hope that in this one year, NTUBS has catered basic Buddhism to be applied and practised in daily lives. I would like to thank Marshall (Dharma Propagation Director), Xiao Hui (Fellowship Director), and Mellita (Publication Director) in leading their teams to propagate Dharma, fostering spiritual friendship, and publicizing NTUBS. I would also like to thank the whole 33rd committees for making NTUBS a better place for everyone. Through ups and down, I hope that the journey is worth the effort. Finally, I wish that NTUBS continues to be a place called home for learning, practising, realizing, and sharing Dharma.

It is more of the commitment throughout the journey that matters. Choosing NTUBS over school work (yes you will automatically do that), over so many things that life as a student offers you. But I don’t mind. It is great to have a group of friends whom you know will be there when you need support.

“Subject to change are all conditioned things, strive on with diligence” -- Buddha’s last words

“Make sure you are prepared when opportunities arrive.”

Welfare Director

Marketing Director

Sherly

Nindya

Event Director

Handoko

I want to say thank you to all the coordis & maincomms, and also my subcomms for sticking with me throughout our journey this year. It’s been a great experience working with you all, and thanks to NTUBS for this friendship.

For my past MCs (Francesca, James, Juan, Jessy), my past headchefs (Kelvin, Hermanto, Suteja) and my hardworking minions (Christy, Hokie, Meisien), thank you for all your hardwork and dedication this whole year. Hope you have learnt something from NTUBS by joining welfare portfolio. For Winnie as my coordi, thank you for your guidance and patience for me. Lastly, for the 33rd committee buddies, good job for all of us! I am glad that I have found my fellow Kalyana Mitras in NTUBS. An addition for my minions, hope to see you guys in the next recruitment ;)

I have joined NTUBS for three years and I am very grateful that I joined NTUBS in the first place. There are many things I have learnt in NTUBS in the past three years. Besides learning Dharma, I can also gain more experience in organizing events, etc. People in NTUBS are very friendly and supportive to me as they gave advices to me so I can improve myself. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to everyone in NTUBS, fellow main committees for the amazing past year, and lastly to my event team as we finally made it for all our events.

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

“You are stronger than you think.”

“When you feel like quitting, Remember why you started.”

Treasurer

External Liaison

Inggrid

Entering the university is like transitioning to a whole new stage of life. No one really tells you how and what to do. In short, you see. You ask. You learn. You do. While it seems tough, I am blessed with kind and dedicated people around me whom I can always seek guidance from. My heartfelt thank you goes out to all the people in NTUBS committee both in the past and present. For the past committee, thank you for the guidance as well as making NTUBS happens for all of the juniors to learn Dhamma and forge a strong friendship. For the present committee, it is an honour to be able to work alongside each and every one of you. Once again, thank you for making the impossible possible both for me and NTUBS. “If you can’t find what you love to do, then learn to love what you do.”

Chin Bing

You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. Do what you love regardless what people tell you. You don’t want to regret not doing what you love at old age when you don’t have much time left.

“Everything happens in life for a reason to lead you to where you really want to be. Life happens for you.”

Special Project Director

Felloswhip Director

Xiao Hui

Dian

People say “Time flies”, and that’s true! I still remember when I joined CNS2014 as a freshmen. Suddenly, it has been a great two years for me in this wonderful family called NTUBS. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for the supports and for all of the fantastic memories! I hope you enjoy being part of this family as much as I do! I also want to give my special thanks to Sri, Felix, Melvina, Mei Sien, KC, Cindy and Pranata. You guys have become the 7 Wonders of CNS2016! Let’s keep learning and growing together! :)

“It is good to have an end to the journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

Publication Director

Mellita

I’m really glad that I have a chance to learn dharma through NTUBS. The journey of learning dharma together with NTUBS family has given me so many invaluable life lessons and spiritual friendships which I believe have shaped who I am as a person now. In the end, I wish that I have contributed a small role in propagating the dharma with my fellow main committee and publication team. For Dhika, Finnie, Gary, Hui Lin, Hutama, Olivia, Pei Si, Ryan, Thao, and Kenrick, thank you for taking this ride with me. For the 33rd main committee of NTUBS, thanks for being the lamest yet warmest bunch of people I’ve ever met.

“If you have a chance to just be, just be.”

Hello! Thank you for your interest in Prajna or Buddhism in general! I am a Buddhist by name but I am more of a layman Buddhist than a ‘hardcore’ Buddhist. Having been to events of other religious groups, I won’t say that there is any religion that is superior. Do whatever that fits you best and maximizes your potentials and also aligns with your personal values. One lesson I have learnt is that there is no right or wrong. Religion is a state of mind that we would like to pursue. Believe in yourself and your choices - I’ve met many strongwilled yet kind-hearted individuals with their own unique personalities through NTUBS and really appreciate my time here!(: Whatever that you wish to do or pursue, I do wish you the very best! ((:

Dharma Propagation Director

Marshall

In NTUBS, I have made a lot of mistakes, I have been given a lot of advices, I have made a lot of good friends, I have met incredible people, I have overcome some of my fears, I have been inspired and motivated by the committees, I have been helped by a lot of people, and most importantly I have learned! Thank you so much NTUBS and all the committees! It has been a fruitful year! I have learned a lot from all of you. Let’s continue to learn, to practise, to realize, and to share!

“I cried because i had no shoes, until i met a man who had no feet.”

Resource Director

Elmer

The fruitful journey of being a part of NTUBS family has left me with valuable memories that shall be etched in my mind. I had an amazing time learning and practising Dhamma, while also doing my best to commit myself into contributing positive deeds for the society. I would like to give my special thanks to the coordis for supporting and guiding me, and to my fellow main committees and resource team for your perseverance and effort. It is an honour to be part of NTUBS and NTUBS will always be my home and my family.

“Life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to enjoy.”

“Fear is my greatest fear.”

Metta Director

Thiri

Be happy, nothing is really worth stressing over. Be kind, love is all we really have. Be yourself, you don’t have to explain your choices to anyone. Let the future settle itself, worrying won’t change anything. Live your life, never let anyone tell you what you should do. Enjoy life, go on adventures, we are not robots :D

“Nothing is worth it if you aren’t happy :)”

past events and activities Camp Nirvana Singapore 2015 - Mission I’mPossible Camp Nirvana Singapore (CNS), NTUBS’ annual camp, is a platform to introduce NTU and NTUBS to the freshmen. But not only that, its objective is to create spiritual friendship among NTU Buddhist Society members. Last year’s CNS featured not only Dharma knowledge sharing but also fun bonding activities. We had short basic Dharma classes and a Dharma talk, in which we invited Venerable Chuan Guan as the speaker. Moreover, we also had fun playing the beach games and night games. On the last day, we had a chance to visit temples from different Buddhist traditions to widen our knowledge about Buddhism.

CNS Participants

All in all, we can say that CNS 2015 : Mission I’mpossible was one fun and fruitful experience! CNS Night Games

CNS Beach Games

Dharma Classes In the previous year, NTUBS has held 4 dharma classes to equip NTU students with basic knowledge about Buddhism. The first three classes, with the themes of ‘Basic Buddhism’, ‘Buddhist Misconceptions’, and ‘Tilakkhana: Three Marks of Existence’ were conducted by Ven. Phra Goh Chun Kiang, while the last class, ‘What is Karma?’ was conducted by Bhante Rathanasara. Ven Phra Goh Chun Kiang

Bhante Rathanasara

Besides listening to the talk, participants could also clear doubts about the topic and ask any questions related to Buddhism during the Q&A session. Icebreaking games and sharing sessions were also conducted before and after the classes to strengthen their spiritual friendships. Moreover, light refreshments were always provided in every session to ensure that all participants are always full and happy. What better way to learn dharma, than with food and friends?

Ice-Breaking Games

Dharma Talks and Meditation Classes Dharma should not only be learned, but it should be applied to our life as well. NTUBS’ dharma talks and meditation classes provide students with practical skills to apply dharma in our daily life, with the current, real world context.

Impromptu meditation during Dharma Talk 1

The three themes we brought for our dharma talks were ‘Happy Student Life’ by Dr. Ang Beng Choo, ‘Dharma & Society’ by Ven. Chuan-Guan, and ‘Let it Go’ by Bro Xin Zhao. The three meditation classes we organized were conducted by Bro Kalfian Jo and Bro Xin Zhao. We hope that all participants enjoyed and learned something from the different sessions.

Tea meditation

Bro Kalfian Jo

Buddhism Awareness Week 2016: Mind Your Mind Buddhism Awareness Week is an annual exhibition to introduce NTUBS and Buddhism to NTU and NIE population. This year, we brought the theme ‘Mind Your Mind’ to introduce mindfulness and its benefits to our life. This whole package of fun and mindfulness practice were passionately prepared by NTUBS’ committee and volunteers to provide the best experience for all visitors. The list of booths and activities we had this year could be seen in the photos below. Not only exhibition, we also had meditation class and BS Night at the end of the week to make it the most memorable week for NTUBS’ committees and members.

Introduction to Buddhism

Designing a clay

Interactive games and prizes

Mindful eating

Introduction to NTUBS

Photobooth

past events and activities NTUBS Night 2016: Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Never Walk Alone NTUBS Night is the night when members of the society, alumni, advisors, patrons and public, to celebrate the society after its first milestone. To add the joy, also celebrated are 23rd NTUBS Alumni (NTUBSA) and the 13th birthday of Little Bodhi Student Care Centre (LBSCC), a non-profit student care centre founded by NTUBS Alumni.

Cake-cutting ceremony

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NTUBS night was full of laughter with new and old friends. With entertaining drama performance, good food, photobooth, and good companion, this event taught us one important thing: With NTUBS, we will never walk alone.

NTUBS Drama Performance

Photobooth

Welcome Tea

Little Bodhi Outing to Sentosa Little Bodhi Outing (LBO) is another NTUBS annual event, in which we conduct an outing with students from Little Bodhi Student Care Centre (LBSCC). This time, it was held in December, and participated by 55 students, ranging from kindergarten to upper primary level. It was a memorable day for both the kids and volunteers. From volunteers perspectives, it was an eye-opening experience to cultivate patience and loving kindness, while the participants had a lot of fun building sandcastles, playing games, watching parrots and so on. Hope to see them all again in the next academic year!

Mass photo-taking after the parrot show

Committee Day

NTUBS Compassion in Action & Welfare Visit Organized by the metta team of NTUBS, CIA (Compassion in Action) and welfare visit are community involvement programs of NTUBS to share loving kindness to others. In the first semester, NTUBS visited IMH (Institution of Mental Health) to interact and spread some happiness to IMH patients. In the second semester, NTUBS managed to raise enough funds to offer small help to the needy elderlies. A team of volunteers went to clean and deliver welfare packs to the elderlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house.

Delivering welfare packs to needy residents

CIA and welfare visit have been proven to help not only the beneficiaries, but also the volunteers. From time to time, volunteers have shared how the eyeopening experience encouraged them to practise loving kindness every day. Cleaning an elderlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house

Visit to IMH (Institute of Mental Health)

NTUBS Exam Supper

NTUBS Vesak Day

Exam supper is definitely the best platform to destress before exam! Participants could enjoy a fun night of games, karaoke, goodie bags, good food, and good companion. Most of participants found the event relaxing and stress relieving, where one could make friends and catch up with old friends through the fun activities.

Vesak day remarks the birth, the Nirvana (enlightenment), and the Parinirvana (death) of Buddha Gautama.

Distribution of goodie bags

Mass photo taking

During the games

Scrumptious homemade supper.

On this day, NTUBS members visited Buddhist Fellowship and Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery to listen to dharma talk and participate in meaningful vesak activities.

Listening to dharma talk

Vesak greeting cards

past events and activities NTUBS Dharma Camp 2016: Dharma in You Dharma Camp is an NTUBS annual camp where participants get to learn more about dharma through a monastic life experience. This year’s Dharma Camp brought the theme ‘Dharma in You’, which introduced the concept of Brahmavihara or the four immeasurables to the participants. As a result, the four groups’ names were also taken from the four immeasurables, namely Metta (loving-kindness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (sympathetic joy), and Upekkha (equanimity). Conducted in Fo Guang Shan Singapore, NTUBS Dharma Camp introduced a monastic life experience to the participants, where participants performed mindful eating and observed the precepts in the temple. What did they think about this event? Find out more below:

Dedrick Tan, Participant What do you think about the camp? “Dharma camp 2016 was an interesting experience for me, from the venue of the camp to the dharma classes that were conducted in the camp. From the dharma classes, I learned about the Brahmavihara and how to practise it. The games throughout the camp were also well thought of, as it allowed us to learn more about the dharma in a fun way.” What is your most memorable moment and why? “My most memorable moment in the camp was the formal lunch session. It was a unique experience for me as it was my first time experiencing it. There were quite a few formalities that had to be followed and I was afraid that I would do it wrongly. Therefore, during the lunch, I was mindful of what I was doing to make sure that I adhere to the formalities for the formal lunch.” What is your most important learning point from the camp? “My most important learning point from the camp was from Venerable Chuan Guan’s dharma class. In his class, he gave us an activity to do. He told us the next time we hear a voice or sound, try to identify if the voice or sound contains any form of suffering or not. I feel it is an important learning point as it teaches us how to be more mindful towards others and also, to practise compassion.”

Cherish Yeo, Participant What do you think about the camp? “The camp was definitely meaningful, well thought-out with detailed planning and careful execution by the committee. The committee was cohesive, displaying excellent teamwork. As such, participants are able to enjoy themselves thoroughly.” What is your most memorable moment and why? “The formal lunch. It taught me of mindfulness, especially at meal times, not allowing oneself to be distracted by external factors.” What is your most important learning point from the camp? “My most important learning point in the camp is that competition can be a good thing for business, but not when we start hurting each other due to selfishness. Very practical example are the bruises on Evando’s and my knees!”

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Formal Lunch: a monastic style of mass lunch where participants had to perform mindful eating while being served by an army of dharma volunteers.

Ice-breaking games activity

“Practice of dharma is not just about knowing, it’s about true practice and cultivation.”

Thomas Lee, Chief Group Leader

Calligraphy writing activity

What do you think about the camp? “The camp was interesting as it was different from other camp we usually joined. The camp emphasized a lot on the cultivation of teachings of Buddha. But still it was fun because we had all the games prepared by programmers!! Yay.. Their games were not just fun but they were also inspiring. Really thanks for all the hardwork and effort from the committees in organising this camp.” What is your most memorable moment and why? “My most memorable moment was the song singing session. As I’m not good in singing, I was really scared that I would spoil the whole session. Luckily I had all the GLs and committees to help me to bring up the atmosphere... I really appreciated it. Many thanks to all GLs and committees.”

Group photo

What is your most important learning point from the camp? “Practice of dharma is not just about knowing, it’s about true practice and cultivation. This is what I have learnt throughout the camp, from dharma talks and the games prepared by programmers.”

Dharma talk by Ven. Chuan-Guan

COMMITEE PHOTOS!

MAIN COMM ITTEE

4 coordinactors, the 3 solo fighters, and dire lio tfo por 8 the of ing The Main Committee, consist n into each of its activities. t pumps its vision and missio tha S UB NT of rt hea the tors – are doko Tham, Su Thiri Tun, Marid Hartanto, Jefferson Qiu, Han Ingr ga, Ang ita Mell , gara Hui Ang Kenrick ya Azelia, Sherly Ong, Ong Xiao Left to right: Evando Kuswanto, Jesslyn, Elmer Augustinus, Nind nie Win ti, Bak Dian , Bing shall Lugan, Yong Chin

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E R A F WEL

NTUBS coordinators: The top 4 of NTUBS committee that consists of the president, vice president (event), vice president (dharma), and hon. gen. secretary.

NTUBS solo fighters: Consist of the treasurer, external liaison, and special project director who have no sub-committee below them. Because they’re just that capable (and awesome)!

These are the people who have been working hard to prepare the food and ensure the welfare of the members. They also take care of the members’ mental health before exam with the exam supper! Left to right (back row): Winnie Jesslyn, Kevin Suteja, Lie Mei Sien, Hermanto Tanzil, Christy Angka, Hokie Christian, Sherly Ong. Front row: Kelvin Suriyaputra, Fransesca Tang, Juan Antonio, Jessy Shi, James Alessandro

RCCEES U O S R E R U O S E R

Do you know that NTUBS has been keeping our resources in the Nanyang House? And if you’re an NTU student, you must’ve known how far Nanyang House is from the school and residential area. Yet, these people have been sacrificing themselves to walk up and down the hill in order to prepare all the stuff needed for various NTUBS activities. No wonder they look stronger and more muscular after a year! Left to right: Anthony Morgan, Zhi Huang Ong, Felix Putera, Elmer Augustinus, Winnie Jesslyn, Prabowo, Marco So

Behind every photo, there is a person who presses the shutter to preserve the moment. Presenting to you, the legendary photographers of NTUBS, the publication team! They also have diverse set of skills which contribute into the making of Prajna, our annual publication. You’re reading it! XD Left to right: Kenrick Anggara, Dhika Aditya, Wong Pei Si, Finnie Tesiana, Olivia Agatha, Ryan Eka, Mellita Angga, Hutama Satria, Gary Khoo, Hui Lin Not featured: Thao Huynh

PUBLICATION 18

Have you heard of the te tra refers to the “spiritual fr guides on the path, and pe Life can be stressful sometim lowship team who is in cha ing in NTUBS. Through shar ways know where to go to

Left to right: Raymond Tanadi, Ong Xiao Anggara Not featured: Aryani Paramita, Marcellin

METTA

S, the Metta loving kindness. In NTUB ans me a” ett “m rd wo The Pali involvement provarious CIP (community g ctin du con of rge cha ies they orgateam is in ess to others. The activit dn kin ing lov re sha to Little Bodhi grammes) assion in Action (CIA), and mp Co it, vis re lfa we as volunteers. nize such beneficiaries, but also the the ly on t no lp he O) Outing (LB i Miharja, Jonathan Wijaya Left to right (back row): Ton Shirleen Tan Thiri Tun, Sanryani Cahaya, Front row: Selina Setiadi, Su ri Hadi Not featured: Paing Htet, Har

EVENT

Every event needs an organizer, and these people are the ones who have been organizing different events of NTUBS over the past year. Introducing the brains behind our events, the Event team! Left to right (back row): Erik Angtoni, Kelvin Chandra, Kelvin Tjong, Handoko Tham, Raymond Rafael, Jaka Ong, Gilbert Alexander, Front row: Wendy Wirodjojo, Sri Devi Wijaya, Cindy Sinli, Sheryl Su

UB S RA W KS

erm ‘Kalyana Mitra’ before? Kalyanamiriend,” who can be a spiritual teacher that eers who travel the path along with you. mes, but it’s always nice to have the Felarge of the spiritual support and bondring sessions and fun outings, you will alwhen you need a warm support in life.

o Hui, Joandy Leonata, Meliana Chen, Kenrick

FELLOWS HIP

ION T A G A P O R P A M R DHA Do you know that NTUBS has conducted hundreds of various dharma sessions since it first started? These people are the ones who have been organising various dharma sessions over the past one year. Feel free to approach them and voice your curiousity of certain dharma topic, because they will certainly be happy to share their dharma knowledge! Left to right: Dedrick Tan, Stephen Franseda, Marshall Lugan, Thomas Lee, Melvina Chen

G ING M ARRKKEETTIN MA

Have you ever seen NTUBS posters around the school or on our social media pages? Well, they are the creative bunch of people behind those posters! Not only posters, they are also taking charge of the branding of NTUBS and the Welcome Week Booth! Left to right: Cindy Suryautama, Hardian Lawi, Winnie Jesslyn, Nindya Azelia, Kevin Luvian, Janet Jeun, Robert Limanto Not featured: Natalia Darmaja

S S E N L U F D MIN & ON

I T A T I D E M

Before diving into meditation, let’s take a look at the meaning of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the mental state where the awareness is focused on the present moment, while feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations are being acknowledged and accepted. Sounds like meditation? Yes, it is similar, but not the same. Meanwhile, meditation is conscious effort to encourage and develop concentration, and seeing the true nature of things. Hence, meditation is a form of mindfulness. Mindfulness can be done anytime and anywhere, but not meditation.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MINDFULNESS Mindfulness is NOT about relaxing. Usually, one needs to relax one’s body and mind to ease the process of being mindful, but the objective of mindfulness itself is not about relaxing. Being mindful is simply being aware of the present moment. Mindfulness is NOT only meditation. One will learn mindfulness when learning meditation, but mindfulness can be achieved without meditation and be done anytime & anywhere. Mindfulness is NOT a technique. Mindfulness is not an action that needs to be done, but is a state of being aware of the present moment. Mindfulness is NOT to fix problems. There are actually no problems present to be fixed. Instead, there are just internal thoughts to be simply observed, and one can see that the thought can arise and cease over time. Mindfulness is NOT doing things slowly. Being slow does not mean being mindful. Whether a person is doing actions mindfully or not is not determined by the speed of the action, that is a person can do things quickly yet be mindful of one’s action Mindfulness is NOT emptying mind. Being mindful is not thinking of nothing. A mindful person will recognize that there is a thought in one’s mind and simply being aware of the thought. Mindfulness is NOT only for Buddhist. Mindfulness is a secular practice. There are many ways to practice mindfulness, not just the ones that is being taught in Buddhism. 21

From various researches published in scientific journals, practising meditation can:

By Kenrick Anggara

fyi!

- Improve mindfulness, attention, selfcompassion - Increase well-being, positive emotions, hope, optimism, self-efficacy, resiliency - Reduce stress - Calm down brain activity - Develop keener emotional appraisal - Develop ability to step back from automatic, habitual reactions to distress

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MEDITATION Mindfulness meditation is NOT used to escape reality. Instead, mindful meditation is actually facing it, as one does not “push away” the current thought to be mindful, but simply acknowledging the current thought that are present in the mind. Mindfulness meditation is NOT self-absorption. Mindfulness is not about being more absorbed into the notion of “self”, in fact, when one is mindful enough, one began to realize the notion of “non-self”. Non-self in Buddhism means that there is no permanent soul in living beings, meaning that what one attributes as controllable is actually not controllable and eventually what one usually attributes as self is not self. Beginning to realize the nature of non-self, one should also realize the interconnectivity of all beings, and shall be grateful and kind towards others and oneself. It does NOT take much time. One can be mindful anytime and anywhere. But to practice mindful meditation, one can just spare 10 minutes of 24 hours daily. How much time do we spend our time doing those unproductive stuff on the Internet? If we can just replace those 10 minutes of that time to practice meditation, isn’t that more productive? Meditation is NOT only for those who are seeking enlightenment. Theoretically, meditation can lead to enlightenment, and those who seek enlightenment shall practice meditation. But those who are not, are also welcome to practice meditation as there are lots of positive “side-effects” of practising meditation.

References

* J. Carmody and R. A. Baer, “Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program,” Journal of behavioral medicine, vol. 31, pp. 23-33, 2008. * Lutz, L. L. Greischar, N. B. Rawlings, M. Ricard, and R. J. Davidson, “Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 101, pp. 16369-16373, 2004. * P. Malinowski, and H. J. Lim, “Mindfulness at Work: Positive Affect, Hope, and Optimism Mediate the Relationship Between Dispositional Mindfulness, Work Engagement, and Well-Being”, Mindfulness, vol. 6, pp. 1250-1262, 2015. * E. H. Kozasa, S. S. Lacerda, C. Menezes, B. A. Wallace, J. Radvany, L. E. A. M. Mello, J. R. Sato, “Effects of a 9-Day Shamatha Buddhist Meditation Retreat on Attention, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion in Participants with a Broad Range of Meditation Experience”, Mindfulness, vol. 6, pp. 1235-1241, 2015. * “Be Mindful”, Bemindful.co.uk, 2016. [Online]. Available: http://bemindful.co.uk/. * C. A. Francis, “10 Misconceptions about Mindfulness Meditation | The Mindfulness Meditation Institute”, Mindfulnessmeditationinstitute. org, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.mindfulnessmeditationinstitute.org/2015/08/10-misconceptions-about-mindfulness-meditation/. [Accessed: 29- Jun- 2016]. * Vishvapani, “What Mindfulness Isn’t … And What It Is | Wildmind Buddhist Meditation”, Wildmind.org, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://www. wildmind.org/blogs/on-practice/what-mindfulness-isnt-and-what-it-is

INTERVIEW WITH CHADE-MENG TAN fyi!

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Chade-Meng Tan is a former software engineer and motivator at Google. He was Google employee number 107 and his job title was Jolly Good Fellow. In Google, he started the mindfulness training courses at the company, named “Search Inside Yourself.” Motivated by his belief that happiness is a state-of-mind, these mindfulness training courses were meant to help Googlers find inner peace and clear their minds to manage stress and negativity. Meng is still the Chairman of the Board of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, and is part of the team of the non-profit organisation, One Billion Acts of Peace that has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. Source: Wikipedia

Q: Most people know you as the motivator or mindfulness guru at Google. But how would you describe yourself as a person? Who are you, according to you? A: Well, I’m just some random guy, nothing much, just… Me. On a more serious note, I’d describe myself as somebody who dedicates his life in Buddha and dharma, and by extension, the world. Q: What made you start practising meditation? A: During my university time, I attended some meditation sessions and dharma camps, but I still couldn’t really get it. I meditated, but I didn’t really know the proper way to do it at that time. Then, after listening to a talk by Sangye Khadro, suddenly I realized that it is all about cultivating the mind. Everything just made sense. Then I also learned from a meditation teacher from Sri Lanka called Godwin Samararatne, and

he really taught me a lot about cultivation of the mind. Q: What kind of person you think you’ll be today, if you never learned meditation? A: Horrible, horrible person, a lot more horrible than the person I am today. I believe that everything that’s good in me comes from the Buddha and his teachings. Q: How did you encourage people to meditate in Google? Did they simply follow what you did? A: We first started as a small group of people sitting together. So we would invite people to join us at 12 o’clock and meditate, and there were only around 3 to 10 people at that time. Eventually we invited the famous people to speak, such as Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. Then we started “Search Inside Yourself”, relying only on word of mouth. I remember that 50 friends of mine came to

the session, they were all my own friends (laughs). After a while, suddenly it became a hit and people started to realize the benefits of meditation. Q: In your book, you mentioned that mindfulness creates greater productivity at work, how does this actually work? A: Actually not only productivity, but there are a lot of factors that contribute to success, such as clarity of mind and resilience. Resilience is particularly useful for entrepreneur, because in order to gain success, you have to be resilient to challenges and failures ahead of you. Hence meditation gives you an advantage as an entrepreneur. People who meditate are also known to be more creative, as alert and relaxed mind is highly conducive to creativity. Meditation is also highly beneficial to improve your leadership skills, because you will learn how to calm the mind on demand. 23

When there is a problem, you will be able to think under fire, and therefore you are the leader who keeps everything under control. Kindness and compassion has been proven to be a success and leadership factor as well. Q: So did meditation help you with your studies when you were a student? A: I was a very bad meditator, which is why I wrote a book – to help people smooth the path of meditation. But, yeah, I meditated too when I was a student, and I was able to find peace and joy in meditation. Q: This makes me wonder, what kind of student were you back then? A: I was famous for not attending class, but getting good grades in the end. I realized that I was always far ahead of the lecturer’s topics, so I always slept in class. One day, the lecturer told me to sleep at home rather than sleeping at class, so that’s when I decided to skip classes and sleep at home. I only attended class three times in one semester: the first lecture, the last, and somewhere in the middle of the semester. In my third year, if I’m not mistaken, I remember that the lecturer was going through the topics he had covered that semester, and he said, “If you don’t understand what I’ve written here, you’re in a big trouble.” From the audience seat, I shouted, “I’ve never seen all this before,” and all my friends laughed. But in the end, I still got an A for this module, and I only studied for two days. That is how I had a reputation as the student who never attended class but got good grades in the end. I was a bad student. Q: What’s the thing which you wish you’d have done or known when you were a student?

A: I wish I had taken better care of my body. Q: You wrote a book about Joy on Demand. So the question is, how do we actually find joy? A: Joy is always there. However, our mind is constantly seeking for two types of pleasures: pleasure of the senses and pleasure of the ego. The key to be happy is to let go of those things, and train our mind to experience joy independent of sensual and ego pleasures. Buddha also said that the path of dharma is a path of joy, so you can definitely find joy in learning dharma. Best thing in the world is dharma. Q: You mentioned in your books and interviews, that you aspire to create the conditions of world peace. How do you do this? A: I believe that we have the ability to put an end to the global poverty, injustice, and environmental destruction. We should always start from ourselves, by having inner peace, inner joy, and compassion.

A: Firstly, go to billionacts.org, a campaign website encouraging thoughtful actions that will create world peace. Here, you can start your acts of peace within your community. Secondly, practise loving kindness. This can be done through a single thought, by wishing people to be happy. Make this a mental habit, say in your mind, “I wish this person to be happy,” and slowly, you will be able to familiarize the mind with loving kindness, and it will stay with you. Third, always have inner peace. Breathe one breath a day, in which you bring full attention of the breath. Just be aware of your breath, be aware of the present moment, be aware that you are breathing. Q: Any last word? A: Meditation is highly conducive to success, hence there is no excuse for Buddhist youths not to meditate.

Q: So is peace of mind and mindfulness the same thing? Or do they complement each other? A: They are different. Mindfulness is the quality of attention, while peace is another factor of mind. However, they do complement each other. Our life is always full of challenges and obstacles, and lack of ability to overcome them is the problem. Hence, we have to train our mind to be resilient to challenges. Once the mind is stronger, you can overcome things and find peace inside you. Q: Going back to world peace, what can every single of us do to achieve this? Say if you have minions of young people to help you achieve the world peace, what specific tasks will you give to them?

“Best

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in the

world is

dharma” 24

LEARNING TO SEE THINGS AS THEY ARE By Wong Pei Si

The Buddhist practice is about learning to see things as they are. It entails looking inwards and developing our own mental resources. In life, we all go through ups and downs. Sometimes we go through difficult periods and feel down and overwhelmed. Learning to see things as they are helps us to be less affected by external circumstances and maintain a level of inner well-being even during tough times. All conditioned phenomena share the 3 Universal Characteristics – they are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self. These include all our experiences, feelings, thoughts, et cetera. Everything arises due to various conditions; some are within our control and some are not. Things are impermanent as they are subject to change. If we are facing a difficult situation, we can take comfort in that it may be painful now but will not last forever. Similarly, we should not take things for granted when all is well; we can reflect on the good

conditions we have and develop a sense of gratitude. As things are subject to change, they are unsatisfactory. Some situations may be unsatisfactory now because they are not favourable and difficult to bear. Even favourable things are unsatisfactory as they are subject to change. Non-self means that things are subject to change and we cannot control them as we wish. For example, we cannot prevent our bodies from falling sick out of sheer will; we can only create the conditions for good health by leading healthy lifestyles. It is about doing our best to provide the best conditions within our control while understanding that there are other conditions that affect the outcome as well. All our unhappiness arises from the wish for ourselves to be happy. We wish we could control things so they happen in our favour. But when we realise these 3 Universal Characteristics, even to a small extent, we start to see things as

they are. We do not have to own our experiences, feelings, thoughts, et cetera as they are conditioned. For instance, when there is an emotion such as anger, we often think, “I am angry”. But in fact we cannot control anger and will it to go away; it will come and go at its own accord. It is liberating when we do not have to cling to and own our experiences, feelings, thoughts, et cetera. We are conditioned to think that we have to be happy all the time but going through ups and downs is part of life. It helps to have the courage to let negative emotions run their course rather than bottling them up or trying very hard to make them go away. Our desire for control manifests itself in the form of expectations. When others fall short of our expectations, we get upset and blame them for our unhappiness. For instance, we may expect people to speak to us nicely and when they do not we feel hurt. Some of us have high expectations of ourselves, and may beat ourselves up if we feel that we fall short of our own 25

we will sit down for 5 minutes and not have to do anything, and give that mind that has been thinking 24/7 a well-deserved break.

expectations. What helps is developing kindness and acceptance towards ourselves, others and the situation. Sometimes the conditions are just not ideal and cannot be the way we want them to be. When we realise this we can focus on making the best out of the situation instead of getting upset. There is a greater sense of ease and motivation. So much of our time and energy is wasted thinking about the past and worrying about the future, but actually we can only take action in the present moment. Meditation is a practice that helps us train ourselves to observe things as they are in the present moment, rather than trying to make things happen a certain way e.g. trying to be calm and to have no thoughts. When we bring awareness to the sensations in different body parts and the breath, we simply observe them as they are, not trying to change anything. If our mind is full of thoughts, just observe and experience how it is like to be full of thoughts. We can tell ourselves that

Sometimes we regret our past actions, wishing we had done differently. However, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Bemoaning the past leads us nowhere as we cannot change it. By focusing on the present moment, we can focus our energy and resources on making the best out of the present situation. Remaining in the present moment also entails not over thinking decisions we have already made or worrying about what is to come. It is not to beat ourselves up for regret, worry, over thinking et cetera. It is about recognising that we have these and that they are not helpful. Then we can move on and do what we feel is best given the situation. After all, nothing is really certain as everything is subject to conditions. It is better to relax and be present, and deal with situations when they come.

“Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.” – Erma Bombeck When we face difficulties, we often ask, “What can I do?” The correct question is actually, “How do I calm my mind?” We are afraid of situations affecting us negatively. But if we are mentally strong, we will have the fortitude to face tough situations. So the important thing is to develop fortitude rather than to try to escape unfavourable situations which we will inevitably have to face. We may catastrophise and fear the worst but things may not turn out as bad as we fear. A good tip is to have backup plans, and have faith that things would be resolved even if they are not ideal. Putting things in perspective helps us to have a more balanced view. We tend to focus on negative things and often neglect the

positive things. For instance, when we have seemingly endless tasks, instead of dwelling on what has not been done, we can rejoice in what has been done and appreciate ourselves for our effort. We can also remind ourselves that we are not alone as everyone goes through difficulties as well, and we can talk to trusted family members and friends.

“Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best you can.” Another way of putting things into perspective is to reflect on our blessings. We may be under a lot of stress, but most of us do not have to worry about our basic needs. In other parts of the world, people are facing serious issues like war, poverty and injustice. Every day, they do not know if they would live to see the next day. If we think about it, a lot of conditions have gone right for us. We have food to eat, a roof over our heads, electricity, transport, et cetera; there are countless people who have contributed to all these wonderful conditions that we so often take for granted. When we contemplate this way, it does not decrease or trivialise our suffering, but we can simply realise that things are not actually as bad as we think and we can develop a sense of gratitude. After all, many of the things we get stressed and unhappy over do not pertain our basic survival. Even if we mess up a project or get yelled at by someone, it is not a matter of life and death. Our unhappiness comes from a distorted view of things, which is like a hand covering one’s face. But if one were to stretch out the hand, one can see the hand and everything else in perspective. In the same way, learning to see things as they are helps us to have a balanced view and live with greater ease.

THREE POISONS

Anxious and stressful. ”Is it impossible for you not to add on to my stress?” How often do we conflict within ourselves on our work, study, relationship, diet, fashion, prestige? When will we ever find inner peace?

which is no other than enlightenment, we will always be in “fundamental darkness”. Out of all the beguile instinct, ignorance is considered the most fundamental in Buddhism. Indeed, it is the root that can cause greed and hatred.

Well, do you know that there are actually ways to reduce those troubles?

Now that we know the three main causes of our suffering, isn’t the answer to the cure there already? As a description from a Buddhist text: “Tranquility of mind comes from having successfully transcended greed, hatred and ignorance.”

We all have different priorities and different troubles. This means that not all of the things in this world can trouble us. This also indicates that somehow we all have inner peace – a state of mind in which we are not anxious. We just need to reduce those troubles and “awaken” our inner peace. First of all, let’s take a glimpse on the speech given by the Buddha, where he conveyed his view on how the world is drowned in suffering. In his speech, Shakyamuni mentioned that all the problems in this world arise primarily due to the “three poisons” greed, hatred and ignorance/delusion. Greed describes affection for materialistic desires, such as money, power and fame. Greed is a passion which will never be satiated and therefore will only make us tormented as we strive for more and more. Hatred can then be born due to the dissatisfaction of our greed. We come to resent and envy. If left unsettled, it may trigger us to resort to violence. Ignorance is always a bliss, isn’t it? Especially ignorance towards the rules – this ignorance never fails to justify our “actions”. But the truth is, ignorance is a great foolishness. Ignorance conceals the path to understanding our nature, Buddha nature. It deludes us and will eventually hide the path to true happiness. As long as we deny the true wisdom that governs this life,

So now we come across the main question, how can then we demolish those inner poisons? Well, we can never eradicate those inner poisons. However, Buddhism tells us how to channel the energy of those inner poisons into creating value through three antidotes – non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion. First of all, we need to meditate on which of those inner poisons are disturbing us. Then, we need to overcome them through the three antidotes further elaborated below. To overcome our greed towards certain objects, we need to develop generosity. Selflessness can be achieved by offering service and charity without any wish for compensation or recognition, or even with a small prayer for the happiness of everyone. As a matter of fact, happiness can come from the fulfillment of sharing with others. Greed and attachment only come when we view happiness as something that originates from outside. Next, we need to practice detachment and contentment by first scrutinizing the impermanence and withdraws of the object we are drawn to, simply said recognizing the desire, without any judging. Then, we

By Olivia Agatha

can go to the next step – let go those objects we would like to keep. Letting go does not mean throwing away. Instead, it is the act of leaving them as they are. We may develop sense of guilt as we realize our foolish desires, but we should not try to throw it away. Trying to throw it away will only create a new desire – a desire to get rid. So, just let it aside. To overcome hatred, we need to practice compassion, patience and forgiveness. Just as we try to face unpleasant outer experiences with compassion, patience and forgiveness, we also need to face our own unpleasant feelings in the same way. Our hurt, loneliness, doubt and so forth, all necessitate us to open our heart and let go of any hatred and denial. This will then enable us to embrace oneself, others, also all inner and outer experiences with prominent benevolence and insight. To overcome delusion, we need to practice wisdom and right understanding. We need to experience and understand reality as it is without any self-centered fears or expectations. It is through harmonizing ourselves with the dynamical world, perceiving that happiness comes from within ourselves and discerning the rule of karma, shall we free ourselves from delusion. We need to learn the Dharma and apply it properly in our daily lives. By then, we will circumspectly graze even the most obstinate habitual behaviors, fully relieving ourselves from stress and suffering. The Buddha addresses this the “taintless liberation of the mind”. It is an unparalleled state of peace and wisdom, the bliss of Nirvana, when the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion have finally been subdued.

Illustration by Mellita Angga

LET'S MEDITATE! By Hutama Satria

The Writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pick - Insight Timer Available on App Store and Play Store

Do you have the intention to meditate regularly but lack the motivation? Or have you been practicing routinely and looking for a way to keep track of your meditation achievements? Do you wish to find a community of people similar to you? If the answer is yes, then Insight timer is a very practical app for you to enhance your meditation experience, giving you a more tangible record and milestones as you meditate each day. And the best thing is, it is free! The first main feature is the meditation timer where you can set the duration of your meditation. Once you press start, a soothing and relaxing bell will ring in 10 seconds to mark the start of your meditation session. The bell will ring for the second time once the timer is done. Furthermore, you can add in interval bells in between the session. You can choose the ringing sound of the bell, and also select ambient sounds which play in the background to accompany your meditation, if you prefer to. To make you feel connected to other similar people, this app allows you to see other people who are currently using the app in all parts of the world. This may give you the extra push to meditate. Supportive communities can encourage discussion regarding Buddhism and Meditation.

There are 1300 free guided meditations from experienced teachers, accessible from your fingertip. You can find a wide variety of meditation types including loving kindness, body scan, relaxation, and awareness.

In your profile, you can track your milestones, consecutive days of meditation, total hours, and other achievements. You can also find a detailed charts of your meditation routine in days, weeks, and months.

Headspace

Stop, Breathe & Think

Headspace provides guided meditation which works like your personal trainer, who helps you to train your mind. You should definitely try the free Take 10 programme, especially if you are a beginner in meditation. The best thing about Headspace is its animation videos in the beginning of some meditation sessions, which explain the concepts of meditation and mindfulness in a very simple yet attractive way. However, in order to unlock the entire collection, you have to subscribe to the app with a price range of US$6.24 to $12.95/ month.

This app is a simple tool to guide people of all ages and backgrounds through mindfulness, meditation, and compassion building. This app will ask you how you are feeling mentally, physically and emotionally before you begin, and customize a few meditation choices based on your current state of mind. This app will be the best choice for people who want to start meditation but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where to start.

Available on App Store and Play Store

LET'S surf! By Hui Lin

Lifehack.org This is a brilliant site that provides the source of wisdoms and tips to improve your life in every way. The site focuses on giving straightforward tips by the experts to issues from the complex such as relationships to the day-to-day such as productivity. If you are looking for expert advices on certain topic such as lifestyle and productivity, this site might work perfectly well for you.

tinybuddha.com “Tiny Buddha is about reflecting on simple wisdom and learning new ways to apply it to our complex lives—complete with responsibilities, struggles, dreams, and relationships.” -Lori Deschene Tiny Buddha is the perfect site for providing solutions so simple yet so powerful to the problems we face in our complex life. Founded in 2009 by Lori Deschene, this site is a platform for people across the globe to share their stories and tips which helped them to survive through tough times in their lives. The topics range from coping with depression to simple things we can do to lead a happier and more fulfilling life. There will definitely be a topic that will meet your need. The community of the site is growing to a whooping number of 1.5 million followers on social media and 3 million monthly readers. This site is built

I have used Lifehack for almost a year now and most of the articles I read have helped me in many ways. I started to open Lifehack at the time when I was struggling with changes in my life and I could not handle it. The site provided me with advices that I need to get on with my life and gave me the motivation to face whatever challenges that cross my path. Since then, I turn to it whenever I need a kick of motivation.

with the mindset that it belongs to the masses, not to the founder, and that there is no need for complex solutions to our already complex lives. It is no surprise that this website is gaining its popularity as its brilliantly simple approaches to problems have benefited many. A side note is that the Tiny Buddha is not a Buddhist site, most of its wisdoms stem from Buddhism, but they are not limited to Buddhists. The wisdoms are universal and they transcend religions, races, nationalities, ages and any other forms of differences. I often turn to Tiny Buddha when faced with challenges in life. Whenever I’m faced with sticky problem or issue which I could not comprehend, Tiny Buddha helped me to view the issue at hand from a different perspective and gave me the wisdom to handle it. The articles from Tiny Buddha nourishes my soul with wisdoms, helping me to find solace amidst the complexities in life.

I use Tiny Buddha and Lifehack interchangeably as both sites serve me equally well. Both sites seems to complement each other as one gives advices and tips to improve aspects of life and the other adds wisdoms to your soul that will help you navigate through the complexities of life. Whether they are advices from the “common” people or the experts, I would like to think both sources are as equally helpful as they are all from fellow humans who make mistakes, who went through difficult times in their life, and in the process gain invaluable wisdoms and become a better version of themselves. However do look through these sites with an open mind and use them in ways that serve your purposes.

healthy

ORGANIC

healthy organic lifestyle lifestyle By Hui Lin

Smoothies! Having smoothies as breakfast is a great way to start your day.

They are packed with loads of nutrients, giving you the boost that you need to kick-start your day. They are the healthy alternatives to satisfy your sweet junks cravings and help you to lose weight because they leave you full, and you eat less (and less junk food), and your body (and your sweet tooth) will thank you for it. Oh, did I mention that it set your creative juice running? Because there are countless combinations of fruits and vegetables and milks that will produce smoothies so delicious that you will never believe they are healthy (and yes they are! You have my words)! So be creative and create your own specialty smoothie blend! For starters, let’s learn about some of the nutrients powerhouse most smoothies can’t blend without.

Banana

Nutritional facts: Excellent source of fibre, carbohydrates, manganese, vitamin B-6, vitamin C and potassium. It also contains iron, calcium, phosphorous, vitamins A, E and folate. Banana is an excellent food for healthy digestive system, bone formation, cell growth and metabolism. The high level of potassium keeps your nervous and muscular system healthy and also helps in maintaining healthy balance of body fluid. Tips: Bananas are at their sweetest when black spots start appearing on their skin. They will give smoothie that extra sweetness and the creamy texture. Some note on banana’s potassium: it helps to calm anxiety and fight depression.

Strawberries

Nutritional facts: They are excellent source of vitamin C (antioxidant) and contain good amount of vitamin K, manganese, folic acid, fiber and potassium. They also contain protein, and a dose of vitamin B3, B5 and B6. Strawberries are another antioxidant rich food which help boost the immune system, reduce bad cholesterol, promote eye health, prevent wrinkles, and regulate blood pressure. The presence of phytochemicals prevent cancer and reduce inflammation as they help to fight free radicals in our body. Tips: Blueberries and strawberries are often a little sour. They can make your smoothie refreshing, however if you are not into sour, I suggest adding bananas and/or natural sweeteners like honey.

Spinach

Nutritional facts: Rich in iron and vitamin K. Contains good amount of protein, calcium, zinc, folate, magnesium, dietary fibre, copper, potassium, vitamin B2, A, C, folic acid, manganese, Omega-3 fatty acids and flavonoids. Spinach is an energy boosting food due to its high level of iron. It is also one of the most vitamin K-rich vegetables you will find, hence it is good for healthy bone formation. The high level of flavonoids and vitamins in spinach protects the body from free radical and fights cancer. A bonus in this wonderful vegetable is that it keeps your brain young and healthy. Tips: If you have iron deficiency, adding spinach in your smoothie will help you improve your iron level in your body. They don’t have strong “vegetable” taste, which tastes bitter and grassy. Instead their taste is very light and actually complement the taste of fruits in your smoothie, making your drink green, healthy and delicious.

Almond milk

Nutritional facts: High in energy, proteins, fiber, Omega acids, vitamin A, D, E and calcium. Contains iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, vitamin C, B-6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate and vitamin E. Another delicious lactose-free milk alternative. The vitamins in almond milk promote muscle and bone health. They also help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. The high amount of vitamin E has antioxidant properties that gives you healthy and beautiful skin. With only 60 calories per cup, it is certainly a guilt-free pleasure. Tips: Adding milk will make your smoothie even creamier and smoother, it also give your smoothie that extra flavor which make it so delicious and irresistible.

Coconut milk

Nutritional facts: Best source of lauric acid. Contains proteins, calcium, copper, manganese, magnesium, iron. It contains good amount of proteins, fiber, phosphorous, potassium, Omega-6 fatty acid. ¼ cup of coconut contains 138 of calories. Free from dairy and lactose, coconut milk is a delicious alternative to milk. I would say it taste as good as or even better than milk, without compromising its nutritional value. Lauric acid is a type of healthy fats known to reduce cholesterol and promote heart and blood health, it also has antibacterial and antiviral activities. The presence of electrolyte and healthy fats improve digestion and relieve constipation. It is said that coconut milk is among the healthiestheathiest food in the world. Tips: As coconut milk is high in calories, it is recommended that one should stick to ½ cup per day. Choose organic, cold-pressured and unsweetened coconut milk for best health result.

fyi!

- A study by the journal Circulation found that eating strawberries and blueberries together actually reduce risk of heart attack by up to 33 percent. Mixed berries smoothie anyone? - There are many other types of vegan milk such as flax milk, rice milk, soy milk, hazelnut milk, quinoa milk, and many more. Calling for all vegans out there, you will be spoilt for choice!

So now we have the basic knowledge about the ingredients to make smoothies, let’s start to make our own super healthy smoothie! (Don’t worry, they are super easy to make) 32

SMOOTHIES RECIPE By Hui Lin

Nutritious mixed berries smoothie

Green-berries smoothie

1-2 bananas (if you like it cold, you can froze the banana beforehand)

A handful of spinach ½ cup blueberries 1-2 banana ½-1 cup milk of your choice A tsp of natural sweetener if you like

4-5 baby carrots (they are the size of pinky)

Blend them all together and you have your delicious green smoothie!

¼- ½ cup blueberries 3-5 strawberries ½-1 cup milk of your choice (for me I prefer coconut milk for this, but remember ½ cup max for coconut milk) Now mix them all together in a blender and enjoy!

Tips: You can add water and less milk if you want your smoothie “thinner”, do experiment and see which quantity suits you best

Tips: Another version of this smoothie is switching blueberries to baby carrots, it taste surprisingly good too!

creamy strawberries Greek yogurt (give your smoothie creamy texture) Almond milk (or milk of your choice) 3-4 large strawberries or more if they’re small ones Natural sweetener

There you go! Creamy strawberries smoothie 33

The Snakes and Ladders of

Life

By Wong Pei Si

Play with your friend!

We all seek happiness and tend to look for it in external circumstances. The bright colours represent how life is full of external pleasures and distractions that we chase after futilely, giving us temporary pleasure without contributing to our spiritual progress. Spirituality is important because suffering is a fact of life and we cannot totally avoid unfavourable circumstances. If we rely on external circumstances we cannot truly find a peace of mind and well-being. Being young, we experience many pleasures which can make us complacent, taking for granted the suffering we would face especially in old age. We fight so hard and rush through things, only to find ourselves heading for the grave. We cling to things like money, possessions, status, family members and associates, but ultimately we have to leave them behind when we die. It is this clinging that makes us reborn again and again in the endless cycle of samsara.

The Snakes and Ladders of

happiness

By Wong Pei Si

Play with your friend!

This is why the Buddhist practice entails training ourselves to look inwards. Cultivate our minds to develop happiness that is not dependant on external circumstances. It may seem difficult and unappealing, just like how the browns and greens dull in comparison to bright colours. This is because it is a gradual path that brings us back to our true nature that is pure and undefiled. This training takes time and persistence but is a greater long-term happiness in comparison to short-term pleasures. The only two requirements to reach the end goal, enlightenment, are to start and to continue. Giving in to unwholesome actions impedes our spiritual progress. Adversities we face may seem to get us down, but with the right mindset, they can in fact be turned into opportunities to cultivate our minds and become stronger. Even if we do not attain enlightenment this life, practising well increases our well-being, and creates the conditions for us to continue practising in future lives until we attain enlightenment.

poem

PUBLIC ENEMY

By Wong Pei Si

We often look outwards and view people as our enemies. This is evident in the terrorist threats we face these days. What many of us do not realise that the real enemy is actually the greed, anger and delusion in all of us. It is these three poisons that lead to harmful thoughts, speech and actions in the first place. You are the public enemy Dividing our societies Who do you think you are Tearing our lives apart

Look inward, not outward Change of heart starts with us If it’s this hard changing ourselves How can we expect to change others?

Breeding fear, breeding hatred Bigotry and intolerance I’m right, you’re wrong That’s what everybody believes I bomb you, you bomb me Violence to counter violence Is a vicious cycle of revenge and retaliation!

Don’t believe everything you think Leave room for uncertainty Though it’s not gonna be easy It will definitely be worth it For fixed views can lead to bigotry And so much suffering

Brothers and sisters We are all in this together Regardless of country, status, race or religion Do not allow fear and hatred to get the better of us Stay united, stay vigilant Be the bigger people by opening our hearts

There’s no you And there’s no me We are all human beings who want to be happy Greed, anger and delusion are in all of us For those who believe that harming and killing makes the world a better place How much hatred, how much suffering must they hold on their hearts? Hatred is never ceased by hatred But only love and compassion

There’s no you And there’s no me We are all part of humanity Look inwards, we’ll find the true public enemy It’s in all of our hearts To varying degrees But it’s not an inherent part of us

You may say I’m an idealist But I know the world is not a perfect place And will never be But each of us can do our part By letting go of anger and fixed views And cultivating love and compassion in our hearts

Greed, anger, delusion! Makes us humans turn our weapons against each other!

Even if the world is falling apart The peace that we hold in our hearts Would make our inner world a better place That nothing can tear apart

Greed, anger, delusion! May bring temporary satisfaction But what good will they bring eventually? None!

quiz riddle: Magic square: number each square with the numbers 1 to 9 so that the sum in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal row is the same.

What begins with T, ends with T and has T in it?

SMS your answer to +65 84310091 by 31 December 2016 to win attractive prizes by NTUBS. Include your full name, school, year of study, contact number, and email address in your entry. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

如何寻求内心的平静》南大佛学会般若杂志稿 By Thomas Lee Ming Zhi 如何寻求内心的平静？文 \ 李明智（正使居士）内心的平静，乃众生所本具，一切生灵的本心自性，本来便是智慧具足、清净无染的。故《华严经》云：“无一众生而不具有如来智慧，但以妄想颠倒执着而不证得”，如来的智慧德相、清净法身，如《大般涅槃经》所述“涅槃四德”，乃是“常、乐、我、净” 的，若舍离那一分执着妄想，内心自然恢复纯净，内在的平静自然不求自得。故《坛经》云：“何期自性，本自清净”，盖自性本来清净，欲得清净，唯无所期，而可得之。祖师大德说得好，“但向己求，莫从他觅”，只有从内修心，不着外境，才能着实得到清净的利益，若对外在种种境界起诸妄想、分别、执着，则一切时处不得平静而徒增烦恼。既知平静本具，唯从内得，则依何法而可得之？或谓由戒生定，由定生慧，依戒定慧三学长时熏修、精进行持，而可得之。然诸众生见而难之，谓是难行道，不易修习，欲求易行道法。然则何谓易行道？念佛即是易行道，也就是容易简便的修行方法，依教奉行，容易成就，对现代人来说，尤其适宜。现代人忙于工作，忙于家务，鲜有闲暇坐禅修心，而念佛则不拘时处，不论如厕吃饭皆可行持，故念佛法门是现代人对治烦恼的一味良药。由念佛故，便可减少妄想，让纷扰的内心重拾平静。何谓念佛？念佛者，一心专念诸佛名号也。所谓一心，指的是除了佛菩萨名号之外，不作他想，不起他想故，佛号相继，净念相续，念念之中，内心自然恢复平静，烦恼（压力等）自然消灭。佛号者，诸佛如来之洪名德号也，我们可以选择持念任何一尊与自己最有缘的佛菩萨名号，如阿弥陀佛、释迦牟尼佛、观世音菩萨等诸佛菩萨名号。佛者，觉也，‘觉’则‘不迷’，对内外境界无有迷惑，不起妄想、分别、执着，如是之故，内心清净，无有烦恼，是为觉也。故称念一句佛菩萨名号，便是生起一个清净的念头。如是一心专念诸佛名号，则念念净念，觉净渐生，不起烦恼，毕竟清净。重拾内心平静，自然可以从念佛中得。念佛时亦不必时时口诵，重要的是在内心里生起佛号净念，只要内心时刻忆念诸佛便可，口诵与否并不碍事。有者虽口诵佛号，然心生他想，未如实一心念佛，故终不能得念佛之利益。若人能一心念佛，从内心里如实生起佛号净念，则虽不口诵亦利益无边。 37

BW MONASTERY Address - 30 Lorong 27 Geylang #03-01/02 Citiraya Centre Singapore 388164 Phone: T: +65 6547 1580 E-mail: info@bwm.org.sg Website: bwmonastery.org.sg facebook.com/bwmonastery

We’re a Buddhist Organisation that promotes the learning of “The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” also known as Lamrim Chenmo (广论). This classical doctrine presents a comprehensive teaching on Buddhist paths and practices and it is the principle guidance for all of our endeavors.

PALYUL NYINGMA BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION Centre Address

721 Geylang Road, Singapore 389 632 (directly opposite Lorong 42 Geylang) Tel : (+65) 6742 9261

Fax : (+65) 6742 9904

You can also drop us an email at palyulsg@palyulsg.org

Centre Operating Hours

Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00 am to 09.30 pm Close on every Mondays unless there’s activity and the following day shall be a rest day. If you wish to be part of our e-newsletter or announcement list, please send your full name, contact number and email address to enews@palyulsg.org

Singapore Daimoku-ji

9, Lorong 29, Geylang. #07-01 388065, Singapore Phone: 65-6748-2018 Fax: 65-6748-7385 Email: nichiren_southeast.asia@yahoo.com.sg Rev. Kangyo Noda

open to

all ages

Sunday Group Cultivation Sunday Group Cultivation encourages you to learn and understand the Buddha’s teachings through the weekly practice sessions that consist of short chanting, short guided meditation and discussion.

Learnin g

»Every Sunday 2.00pm – 3.30pm

the

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery Ven Hong Choon Memorial Hall Level 1 | Classroom 5 & 6

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»Every nd 2 Thursd & 4 th ay of th e month 7.30pm – 9.30p m Awaren Well-Be ess Place ing Cen tre

We are a group of youth who aspire to lead a happy and healthy life by applying the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings) in our daily

lives. We have a series of activities to facilitate learning and application of the Dharma.

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Y Arts scouts, & Culture is an perform nurtures and sh interest group in th o by provid g arts, stage pro wcases talents at for perf ing holistic tra duction and vis in the ormanc in ual arts ing and es. Kark See Monaste Currently, Kon opportunities g Meng ry has re Sa g n Ph ula that are open to r Zen Drum cla or all ages. sses

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Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery 88 Bright Hill Road • 6849 5300 • kmspks.org

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