Sunday, 8 -  This Sunday, Dr. Ng Yuen Yen gave a Dhamma talk on the Samma Ditthi Sutta (Discourse on Right View).  This discourse is in Majjhima Nikaya, Discourse 9 and spoken by  Venerable Sariputta.  Dr. Ng went through the different ways for right view and said that if one is able to see through any of these means,  one will be able to see the true dhamma.  These are:
1. Knowing the roots of wholesome and unwholesome acts.
a. Unwholesome acts e.g. killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech etc. The roots of unwholesome acts are greed, hatred and delusion
b. Wholesome acts are the opposite of unwholesome acts
2. Understanding nutriment and the cessation of nutriment
a. Nutriments are food, contact, mental volition and consciousness.
b. Origin is craving and with the cessation of craving, nutriments will cease.
3. Understanding the 4 Noble Truths – suffering, origin of suffering, cessation of suffering and the path to cessation of suffering (Noble Eight Fold Path).
4. Understanding Ageing and Death and their cessation. The origin of ageing and death is birth.
5. Understanding the origin of birth and its cessation. The origin of birth is being.
6. Understanding the origin of being and its cessation. The origin of being is clinging.
7. Understanding the origin of clinging and its cessation. The origin of clinging is craving.
8. Understanding the origin of craving and its cessation. The origin of craving is feeling.
9. Understanding the origin of feeling and its cessation. The origin of feeling is contact.
10. Understanding the origin of contact and its cessation. The origin of contact is 6 sense base of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind.
11. Understanding the origin of 6 sense base and its cessation. The origin of 6 sense base is mind and body.
12. Understanding the origin of mind and body and its cessation. The origin of mind and body is consciousness.
13. Understanding the origin of consciousness and its cessation. The origin of consciousness is volition.
14. Understanding the volition and its cessation. The origin of volition is ignorance.
15. Understanding the ignorance and its cessation. The origin of ignorance is taint of sense pleasure, taint of being.

Sunday, 15 This morning Venerable Rathanasara was our Dhamma speaker and he shared the knowledge of “Merits”with the devotees. Venerable said that usually around this time before Chinese New Year, most household will be busy spring cleaning their houses and replacing old worn-out items with new ones.  However, it is very seldom that we take care of our minds that way.  He said our minds also need the same cleaning and we should be throwing out defilements and unwholesome thoughts/habits to replace them with good thoughts and intention. Therefore, it would a good opportunity now to make aspiration to make the new year a better one (spiritually) than the last.  Venerable said that in order to lead a successful life, there should be a balance in materiality and spirituality and this morning he emphasized on spiritual side.  He said it is important to understand from the beginning of the year how to make merits.  Merits are wholesome thoughts, positive kammic energy.  Merits is the happiness that arises in the human mind as a result of performing good deeds (be in thoughts, speech or action).  Why do we need merits?  It is the base for happy life here and now.  When meritorious power is active it projects bright energy and consequently everything runs smoothly and well - good health, good associates, etc.  It is the base for happy life beyond death.  The only thing one brings along after death is kammic energy, nothing else.  Journey beyond death depends on kammic energy.  Heaven is open for those who possess merits - the key to heaven’s door.   Buddhist point of view is heaven is for all good people, those who perform meritorious deeds.  Merits can lead one to the door of enlightenment (produces pleasurable conditions) but the key to open the door is wisdom.  As the Buddha had said, it is a rare opportunity to be born as a human being due to past meritorious deeds, therefore we should not waste the potentials.  Perform meritorious deeds whenever/wherever is possible.  The wise will do (perform meritorious deeds) again and again.  Merits can be made in our normal daily life.  It can be done anywhere, anytime. - volunteering work, helping the needy, give words of encouragement - done out of good intention and with compassion and loving-kindness.  However, it is also important to have proper understanding because without that, merits could turn into demerits.  Most importantly, the 3 main ingredients are to set the mind in positive/happy mode before, during and after performing any meritorious deed.  Merits can be produced in 3 ways - thought, speech and action.  Practising meditation is to cultivate healthy mental state, producing positive wholesome energy.  Speaking pleasantly, politely, meaningfully and truthfully.  Performing good deeds motivated by loving-kindness, compassion, goodwill and generosity.

There are three ways to recognize if a deed is meritorious - (1) motivated by wholesome thoughts (2) intention is purely for the benefit/well being of self and other and the consequence of the deed is beneficial and joyful.   The three meritorious deeds are (1) Dana (giving with compassion and goodwill), giving should be done personally and offered with both hands.  (2) Sila (morality - be kind, uphold wholesome principles) (3) Bhavana (meditation - only way to purify the mind).

Sunday, 22 - Many devotees gathered at the temple this evening to participate in the Chinese New Year Eve night service.  The event started at 10.00 p.m.. with a count down at 11.59 p.m. to usher in the DragonYear. The evening concluded with a round of water blessing by the Abbot.

Sunday, 29 is last Sunday of the month..  UBT’s teacher in Buddhism and Meditation classes gave a 2 part talk on How to Practise Buddhism as a Lay Person.  Next Sunday , he will continue with Part 2.  No doubt this talk is very beneficial to all and help them in the progress of their spiritual path..  Everyone is reminded of the last day of Chinese New Year which is also Makha Puja Day in the Buddhist calendar.  This is one of the significant days in Buddhist history and there will be an evening service.