Ven Khemanando

Sukihotu

In recent time over the last decade, we have experienced a surge of interest in Buddhism in Indonesia. There is an increase of interest among ordinary especially in the Theravada tradition. If you do a search on Google and You tube, you will notice that there is a lot of activities going on. New Buddhists center are sprouting like mushroom. There is so many talks by Monks, meditation and retreats, pindapacara and other activities.

A couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of having Ven Khemanando the chief Monk of Indonesia Theravada Buddhist Center (ITBC) to deliver a talk at our center. In this sharing Bhante spoke about compassion (karuna). It was good to know that he has done so much in Indonesia. Ven Sir is such a skillful monk that he even managed to get the people on the street from all walks of lives to participate in the alms round.

Here is a video of one of his event

Pls click here to go to You tube

Here is a brief of  Ven. Bhikkhu Khemanando

Bhikkhu Khemanando was born in 1978 and lives in Jepara, West Java, Indonesia. Bhikkhu Khemanando was ordained as a monk on 21st October 2002 in Wat Thungho-Buriram, Thailand by Chief Y.M. Bhante Avuddhapanno Mahathera (Choukan Phraprasatsarakhun) for 5.5 years in Thailand. He obtained his  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and Dhamma (Nakdham III (EK) / Dhamma-Vibhangga III) in Mahamakut Buddhist University Thailand. He was an assistant Dosen in Mahamakut Buddhist University for about two years.

In 2009 he returned to Indonesia and was appointed  the chief monk of Indonesia Theravada Buddhist Temple. He has given many Dhamma talks in Medan and most of the Buddhist Temple in Sumatra. 

Thank you Bhante for dropping by at BUBS. We hope you come back again. May you be well and happy. May you continue to guide us.

Mettacittena

Bugs Tan 

3rd Feb 2013

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Rev Dr Sumana Siri Sangha Nayaka

Sukihotu

Kindly allow me to introduce to you Rev Dr Sumana Siri Sangha Nayaka, who have visited us recently.

Ven.Dr Sumana Siri, a Singapore-Malaysian monk resides in (Buddhist Realist's Vihara) in London and Italy. 40 years ago Ven.becomes a monk under MoratuweMahaThera, Chief Monk of Sri Lankaramaya. Venerable got himself trained in all aspects of Buddhism including Oriental Languages.

Learning science at college with Western Classics and Economics, Ven.then embarked on Universiti education, which earned him a Diploma and an Honours degree together with certs in German, French and Hindi.

The last 25 years, Ven.Sumana read research papers as a Sociology and historian in 52 countries. A qualified medical doctor (UK & USA) Ven.has a post graduate in Christian Theology too.

Venerable Dr.Sumana was appointed the Chief Sangha NayakaThera of the UK & Europe  and recently Malaysia and Singapore by the Sri Lankan Sangha.

Mettacittena

Bugs Tan 

1st Feb 2013

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Things we can't understand

Sukihotu,

It is very difficult to avoid people from blaming you for things you didn't do. You have no hands in it and yet, people blamed you for certain things and point the finger at you. This is very damaging. Things like this happened because of jealousy.

People are jealous of your success. They just could not stand you for getting all the attention and glamour while he did not. Due to jealousy, he talked behind your back. Spreading lies and poison other people's mind about you. They even write to your bosses. This stab right on your back and it's painful.

However, these things are natural phenomena. It happens to me all the time. And it will continue to happen as long as I live. In fact there are a few more natural phenomena you need to watch out for. They will come to you whether you like it or not. And when it comes, you need to be strong. You need to be as solid as a rock and do not let those things affect you. You should not be swayed. Watch you emotions (Vedena). Even though some of these winds are good things.

These are 4 pairs of Dhamma winds that we experience through out our lives. No matter if we a just a normal person on the street or a big shot in the society. Even Arahants and the Buddha also faced such phenomena. They are :-

Praise and blame.

Honor and disgrace

Gain and lost

Happiness and sadness

There is so many things we cannot understand. Especially, seeing the people we trust the most doing the wrong things even though they know it's not a right thing to do, and yet they commit to it.

I hope this helps. I wish you well and may you be wiser the next time these winds hits you.

Mettacittena
Bugs Tan
1st Feb 2013

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Oh Allah, if only they knew...

Oh Allah, if only they knew…

If only they knew how beautiful Islam is

Then they’ll know how it is like to be in peace

If only they knew how amazing it feels to love You

They’ll stop questioning could this be true

If only they knew the joy to this wonderful Deen

They’ll stay in Faith and always be keen

If only they knew what they don’t understand

That they will all be gathered in the Promised Land

If only they knew what is right and what is wrong

They will sure be there standing strong

If only they knew that Islam is right

They will feel safe and secure under Your sight

If only they knew of our beloved Prophet (SAW)

They will run to You and ask to be purified

Oh Allah, give us the best of Taufiq & Hidayah upon us

Oh Allah, don’t leave any of us astray

Oh Allah, bring us closer to You and our Prophet (SAW)

Oh Allah, bring us all together and worship no one but You

Oh Allah, hear and fulfill this prayer that has always been with us

As there is no deity worthy to be worshipped but You, Oh Allah

And our Prophet Muhammad is Your servant and messenger.

We conclude with a humble prayer to You Oh Allah

May You cleanse the hearts and soul of those who are genuine seekers of truth

May You bless the community of believers

And May You guide us all to Your Jannah

Ameen Ya Rabb

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah (SWT) has stated:

“Truly, the religion on the sight of Allah is Islam.” (Surah Aali-Imraan (3):19)

In another verse of the Holy Qur’an, Allah has stated:

“And whosoever desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who are lost.” (Surah Aali-Imraan (3):85)

Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), said:

 “Islam is based on five pillars: Testifying that there is no God worthy to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and His servant; performing the prayer; paying the Zakat (obligatory charity); fasting the month of Ramadan and performing Hajj.”

Assalamua’laikum Warahmatullah Hiwabarakatuh♥

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Daily Practice of a Buddhist

Sukihotu,

These are the things I observed everyday....


Avoid evil, do good and purify the mind

	10 Meritorious Deeds	10 Evil Deeds
1	Generosity	Killing
2	Morality	Stealing
3	Meditation	Sexual misconduct
4	Reverence	Lying
5	Service	Slandering
6	Transference of merits	Harsh speech
7	Rejoice in other’s merits	Vain talk
8	Hearing the doctrine	Covetousness (grasping)
9	Expounding the doctrine	Ill will
10	Straightening one’s right view	False belief

Mettacittena
Bugs Tan
16th Jan 2013

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Greed is embedded strongly in our system

Sukihotu,

Generosity is an important Buddhist practice. We have been taught to practice giving (dana). Giving can be in the form of money or kind. It also include services to others And when you are able to give, it reduces your greed (lobha).

In this video, you will notice, greed is embedded strongly in our system. When we owned somethings, it's hard for us to give away. It is shown here in this video, nearly all kids freaked out when their parents told them that they have eaten their candies.

But, if you watch till the end, you will see generosity in action. I'm sure you would agree that being able to share is lovely. When you are able to give-up things in life, you are in full control. Though you may feel some amount of pain, but you are better off.

Happy viewing...





Pls click here to go to You tube

Mettacittena
Bugs Tan
16th Jan 2013

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War, exploitation, human trafficking, racism

War, exploitation, human trafficking, racism are some of the evils that has been and continue to be done as a result of not valuing correctly another human being.

By valuing another human being we do not mean in his potential in terms of slavery but in terms of freedom.

It is only through freedom and respect can a human being achieve his god given and true potential by making the fullest of his life.

It is thus essential that human beings look upon another human being as someone precious in terms of his future potential to the world. Someone to be helped rather than to be used.

A young starving child in some part of the world may hold the key within him to someday save mankind through his research or work.

He or she may be grateful of being saved by his fellow mankind and make it his or her mission to save mankind.

By feeding, clothing,sheltering, educating good values, employing and caring for this person; mankind and the world has a stronger chance of being saved from destructive acts of man.

While mankind cannot stops natural disasters, it can save from itself.

Romil Shamsudin

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Shame on us!

It's hard to imagine that Malaysia, our beloved country.... has became a world champion!!

For corruption!!!!


Shame on us!

Shame on us!

Shame on us!




Pls click here to go to You tube

Pls also read my articles regarding this shameful practice here, here, here, here, here and here

I feel so sick.


Here is the accompanying story

Washington 13/12/2012

Despite Malaysia's high-profile anti-corruption crusade, half of the corporate executives surveyed by a global corruption watchdog believe that competitors have obtained business in the country through bribery.

Transparency International said Malaysia scored worst in the 2012

Bribe Payers Survey.It asked nearly 3,000 executives from 30 countries whether they had lost a contract in the past year because competitors paid a bribe, and in Malaysia, 50% of them said 'yes'.

Second on the dubious honor roll was Mexico, which was at 48%.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Japan was ranked as the world's least-corrupt place to do business, with just 2% of respondents saying they had lost out due to bribery.

Malaysia's neighbour Singapore was second-cleanest, which was at 9%.

Even Indonesia, with a long-standing reputation for corruption, fared better than more-developed Malaysia.

By comparison, 27% of respondents in China said they thought bribes had cost them business, the report said.

"It shows the attitude of private companies in Malaysia, indicating that bribery in the public sector could be systemic and in a sense institutionalized," Paul Low, president of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International, said.

Mettacittena
Bugs Tan
19th Jan 2013

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Annual General Meeting 2012

The term has ended for our leaders of NPMSS of 2012

Alhamdulilah, It was a very fruitful journey for them. After all the hard work, sweat and tears done solely for NPMSS, the benefits, subbhannallah... :)  

May Allah accept all their hard work and bless them in this life and the hereafter insya'Allah. 

For Allah s.w.t 

Stay tune for our new leaders of NPMSS for 2013 in our next post..

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NPMSS Columnist | Intentions

Everything that we do has to have one vital component, intention. A simple sentence that will actually prevent a great number of unnecessary and meaningless actions. A simple sentence of an intention will actually bring you far to reach your desired goal. When a person locks that intention in his/her heart, the desire to perform something out of the context in getting to the intended goal will never be done.

Innamal a’maalu biniyyaat…

“Verily, actions are judged by intentions”.

This very popular and well-known hadith by Imam Nawawi, narrated by Bukhari & Muslim, serves as the basis for all actions that we do as a believer, submitter, and as Muslims in our daily lives. Why do we say so, because, it’s these words of intentions that turns whatever actions we do into either a form of ibadah (good deed) o into something meaningless . Because one needs to know that the reason we live here is all about returning back to Allah. And we really want to return back to Allah with a smile on our faces don’t we? So whatever that we do in this life has to be for the pleasure of Allah, to make Allah happy, to make your life, which Allah has rewarded you, worthwhile.

From a simple intention. That’s all we need.

And from a sincere and pure intention, you will find that your actions will always circulate, rotate, revolves around that intention. You won’t go astray form it. And did we say if intentions are placed for the sake of Allah, it becomes an act of worship? See how merciful Allah is…

So take this opportunity to plant a sincere intention for Allah into every action that you do, be it from a simple form of eating to reciting the Holy Qur’an. Every action, is of course decreed by Allah, what we have control over is only our intentions, we determine what the fate of our actions will become. Either it is for the good, or for something else.

However be mindful…we as humans, we tend to have this desire to become better than others, to amaze others and to impress others. We tend to boast. One question for all of us to ponder upon, “Do we really think Allah loves those who boast about their deeds?” As much as we love doing deeds for Allah’s sake, we tend to forget that sometimes our actions may turn into a form of boasting. Without realizing we are actually making an impression for others instead of impressing Allah. Now this happens when we realize that people around us start to praise us for our works. Its dangerous, really. This is what we call Riya’.

One has to know that Allah really dislikes those who boasts, and those who does good deeds other than the for sake of Allah. Allah s.w.t will never accept those deeds.

Al-Nasa`i reported that a man asked the Prophet (saw), “What is your opinion of one who fights [in the way of Allah] seeking fame [in the profane world] and reward [from Allah]?”

The Prophet (saw) replied, “He receives nothing by way of reward from Allah.”

The Prophet (saw) repeated this three times and then said, “Allah accepts no deeds other than those that are performed solely for His sake and by which His face is sought.”

So dear seekers of faith, constantly check ourselves, our actions and deeds, are they for Allah? or are they to impress a particular person or a group. May all our deeds that we do while we are still living is for Allah and Allah alone. The one who you need to impress is Him. No one else is worthy to be impressed. And never, never, never stop to re-new our intentions every time we feel that we are starting to go astray.

Wallahua’alam.

CZ

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The Cookie Thief

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,

with several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shops,

bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was so engrossed in her book but happened to see,

that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,

grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,

which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,

as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,

thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”

With each cookie she took, he took one too,

when only one was left, she wondered what he would do.

With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,

he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,

she snatched it from him and thought… oh, brother.

This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude,

why he didn’t even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,

and sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,

refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,

then she sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,

there was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,

the others were his, and he tried to share.

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

By Valerie Cox in “A Matter of Perspective”

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The story of the jar.

A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. 

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. 

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. 

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. 

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. 

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. 

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. 

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' 

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 

'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.' 

The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. 

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. 

The sand is everything else - the small stuff. 

If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. 

The same goes for life. 

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

 So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. 

Play with your children. 

Take time to get medical checkups. 

Take your partner out to dinner. 

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 

Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. 

Set your priorities. 

The rest is just, sand.' 

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. 

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. 

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

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NPMSS 2012 Video

Here we present to you our own newest NPMSS 2012 Introductory video!

Wanna know who we are and what we do in this CCA?

Have a look at this video and feel our experiences,

It will show everything about us,

Oh, wait, not everything though!

Unless you join us in the journey! ^.^

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NPMSS Columnist | Life: An enduring run.

At times I find myself preoccupied with school work and life I find myself stuck in the rut. I feel like giving up with every moment passing by. The stress that piles up on my shoulders seem to burden me and I feel hopeless. Despite the challenges in life, I've been advised, encouraged by people around me not to give up - on life. Furthermore, my love for running gives me the edge to turn the tides of life. Just a single hobby and you can derive a thousand and one lessons from it. Alhamdulillah. 

I don't know about the rest of you but  I see life as a repetition. We're given 24 hours a day, everyday. We wake up to the same daily routine: fajr, school, home. Of course this is succinct but I'm sure if elaborated our schedule would be more complex.

"How then, life is a repetition?" One might ask.

As Muslims, we've been told to worship the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, to obey to his commands and avoid whatever He has forbidden. Some muster the courage to overcome these challenges and succeed. Others, though they try their best, fail at certain tasks/challenges. It is normal to fail in life. Some take it as a lesson while others fail to learn from their failure. If they could widen their minds and look at life at a different angle, perhaps it could change everything.

Repetition. Everything that needs perfection requires repetition. Practice makes perfect they say, but how perfect is the practice if there isn't proper focus and will towards the repetition done? Often we see top runners achieve excellence through repetition of focus and determination. What made them achieve what they wanted? One can say preparation and a clear definite goal set in their mind pave the way towards success for them. It is true. We often overlook certain aspects of life without much introspection. I for one, enjoy running and I recall once when I had won first in a marathon. I remember how  the time and effort put in the competition was set; I made early preparation for it and I had a clear goal set in mind. Thus, the focus and determination came in naturally. The reward was satisfying, as I felt every drop of sweat produced was worth the sacrifice.

I see life the way I see running itself. I've learnt a lot from engrossing myself with sports, especially running. I thank Allah for the opportunity given, to see life from a different point of view - for a clearer view. Life is a repetition that we need to excel each and every day. We should know our purpose and objective in life; a clear and definite purpose and make an early preparation for the betterment of our souls. Time and health: This is perhaps the greatest gift we've been given from Allah. In this day and age, we are bound to be careless towards our time and health. Pause for a moment and ask yourself: Have I been doing everything for the pleasure of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He)? Utilizing these two benefits provide productivity for one's soul and in turn create happiness.

I know, every individual has their own set of problems to solve every single day, but if we keep reminding ourselves of our true goal and stay focus, we can be motivated to achieve perfection. "You are what you do repetitively" is an adage we can put in our hearts, because if we do good regularly, we receive good! As for the other, it can be said the same.

Early planning --> Early preparation --> Clear goal in mind --> Practice (Repetition with focus and determination) --> GOAL

We are still in our youth, let's make the best of everything to plan and prepare for the real purpose in life. We're not perfect but we can strive for perfection.

Life is an enduring run everyone is facing. Look up and keep running towards the Goal, for winners never quit and quitters never win! (Jannah for the winners and Jahannam for the quitters!)

May Allah bless each and every one who reads this and May Allah grant us the Strength to implement what we have learnt in life. Ameen.

And with the new Islamic year and new Islamic month, Awal Muharram coming our way, let's rectify and purify our intentions and renew the engine of our hearts. Let's try to achieve greater heights in life Insya'Allah! Start with Bismillah, end with Alhamdulillah! :)

- The Yellow Glass

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