[Report] VBCM Losar Gathering held @SDC

the reception of the VBCN Losar Gathering

Yesterday, 26 feb 2012, Sunday, was the first time Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia ("VBCM") organised a gathering/open house for Losar.   When they requested that it be held at our centre premises, we were delighted and accepted the request without hesitation.

As the current President said that it was done for the purpose of improving the fellowship among the Sangha members and practitioners of the Tibetan Buddhist Community. We were happy and honoured to be able to do our part for the community.

VBCM President Bro Allan Koo giving the welcome speech.

Further, VBCM also took the opportunity to launch their 

"SANGHA WELFARE FUND",

 a fund designed for the purposes of helping any sngha members in needs, e.g. emergency medical treatment, emergency accommodation & lodging...etc.

Many of our members showed support of the event by turning and helping in the general logistic of the event. It was an interesting and fun day as we had the chance to meet different people form different centre and also different tradition/lineages, which otherwise we may not meet. We had opportunity to pray together, eat together, chit chat and even a chance to watch movie together.

The following are some photo taken yesterday:

Sis Tee Siew Seet, the VBCM religious officer, welcoming  the guests

prayer

prayer

light offering

sangha members

making food offering prayer

veg buffet lunch

photo of sangha members and the two presidents,
namely Bro Allan Koo, VBCM; and our president, Bro LS Khor

[Report] Geshe's Lhakdor Visit to SDC

It has been a very auspicious start to the year of the "water Dragon" for us at the centre. We have had many happening at the centre that we could rejoice, one of them being a visit by Geshe Lhakdor to our centre on Monday, 20 Feb 2012.

Many of you would know that Geshe Lhakdor has served as a translator and religious assistant to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and is currently a director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India. (for more info on LTAW, pls click HERE). So when we heard that Geshela would be in Malaysia to conduct a Dharma enrichment camp organised by BGF (see our earlier post for more details), we decided that we should invite him to visit our centre. To our great delight, and through the effort of our Past President, Bro Lai SK, Geshela accepted our invitation.

On that Monday, namely 20 Feb 2012, in great anticipation of the visit and Dharma talk by Geshela, many members arrived very early at the centre, to prepare and wait for Geshela's arrival.

members waiting at the hall

Preparing to welcome Geshela at the gate.

Geshela arrived promptly at 8.00pm, before he entered our main hall, he made a light offering at the Namgyal Stupa at our Garden. Once Geshela sat down on his seat, we started our short prayer and made mandala offering to Geshela. (This a traditional ritual we do as a request for the teaching for a short explanation of it meaning => HERE. courtesy of Berzin Archives)

Geshela arriving

Geshela making light offering

Geshela making offering at the main altar

members making mandala offering

members making mandala offering

From the onset, we could see that Geshela was a very humble and friendly. As the talk progressed, it was also obvious that he also has a great sense of humour too. His talk was SIMPLE.

SIMPLE to understand

SIMPLE to implement; and

SIMPLY no excuse for us NOT to put it into practice.

It would do Geshela no justice to recount the full text of his talk, I would just set out my favourite quotes from the talk (sligthly edited and rephrased for the blog). They are as follows:

"What is DHARMA?

Dharma is simply the LAW of NATURE"

"BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

But you're BUSY with WHAT?"

"We'll die. That's certain.

But we live and prepare our lives as if we'll live forever"

"The core of Buddha's teaching is Wsidom & Method....

...The Training of our Heads & Hearts...."

It was an inspiring teaching, it gave rise in many of our hearts, a sense of regret that we have not put the things we had learned into practice. It gave many of us new impetus to revitalise our daily practices.

After the teaching, some of  the senior members of our centre took the opportunity to catch up with Geshela by looking through the old photographs taken in the 1990's when they first met Geshela.

Catching up with Geshela

Catching up with Geshela

Old photo from our archive (is that Geshe Lhakdor?)

Old photo from our Archive (Audience w HHDL)

Old photo from our Archive (Audience w HHDL)
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (on the left)
Our teacher the late H.E. Khensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche (right)

Then we took a group photo before proceeding to our garden for a light refreshment.

wow, what to eat?

Geshela chating with Bro Lai SK, and Bro HP Lim

light refreshment

Thank you, Ven Geshe Lhakdor, for your Inspiring teaching!

Group Photo
(many happy people!!!)

The Building Fund Committee Thanksgiving Dinner (16 September 2011)

Tt has always being the wish of our Guru that we should have a permanent premises to call our own. The reason being that with the stability of not need to worry about rental and also the threat of needing to move from time to time at the mercy of a landlord, it would allow the centre to focus on the purpose of its existence, i.e. to perform Dharma and Charitable activities so as to help more sentient beings.

Therefore, it seems more than a coincidence that the date for us to pay our final installment should fall on 16 September 2012, the day after we have completed our 49 day cycle of Guru Puja in memory of our Guru. Many of us was amazed at the all dates which seems to be auspiciously arranged.

To mark the occasion, we held a small thank giving dinner. The Building Fund Committee had felt that a small but solemn event would be more appropriate in view of the recent passing of our Guru. The event was attended by many of the sponsors, friends and members. The Guests of Honour for the dinner were Chief Reverend Saranankara of Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple of Sentul Temple and Datuk Dr Victor Wee. We were honoured to have the presence of these two distinguished guests, who have been great friends to our centre.

Arrival of Chief Rev Saranankara

Chief Reverend Saranankara
& Datuk Dr Victor Wee

A further note on the matter, although we have completed the payment of installments, the transfer of the building has yet to be executed. The transfer can only be done after all the legal requirements has been fulfilled, all the legal processes are now being handled by our solicitors and also the relevant authorities.

It has taken us five years to reached this stage, it would not have been possible without the kindness and hard work of all the members, sponsors, families and friends, we would like thank all of you for your help.

A special note of thanks should also go to all the members of the Building Fund Committee, namely Bro HP Lim, Bro Lai SK, Bro Loo CK, and Bro David Cheong Kian Young. Their planning, persistence and perseverance had made the whole exercise less taxing on the centre and committee members.

[news] Geshe Konchok Tashi Visiting Malaysia

Geshe Konchok Tashi

We are pleased to annouce that Geshe Konchok Tashi will visit us for two week. Geshela would arrive at our centre in Petaling Jaya today (i.e. Saturday 23 July 2011).

As you know Geshe Konchok Tashi is not only a learned scholar and also a accomplished artist. During his period as our Resident teacher, he has done many things, the chief amongst them was to help SDC to construct the Namgyal Stupa now sitting in our garden.

Geshela taking photo with Lam Phuntsho and Geshe Thupten Jhinpa in front of the namgyal Stupa.

It is indeed auspicious that Geshela would visit us during this period as we have several auspicious dates coming, one of them being the date when Buddha first turn the wheel of Dharma. We shall announce the details of the Pujas and events, once we have consulted Geshela upon his arrival. We look forward to seeing you all.

Tashi Delek!

The Sangha Members Back In India Safely.

The Sangha members have returned to India yesterday afternoon. They have arrived safely in Bangalore India. Will be back in the Monsatery by tomorrow.

We would like thank the Visiting Sangha members for their hard work and dedication in helping us executing all the activities during our One-Month-Long Wesak Celebration.

Of course, we would also like to say a BIG Thank you to everyone for your part in making our Wesak Event a success.