There has been a shift in Shrine opening dates post-Vesak, to avoid rushing to prepare the holy water. The Shrine will now reopen on 31 May, one week later than previously announced. New dates for the rest of the year are here.

There’s an ancient prayer called the Serenity Prayer. It’s commonly thought to be written by Reinhold Niebuhr, who was an American Protestant activist, but its popularity spread outside of the Christian religion and it’s now commonly repeated in support groups and has been adapted in many ways for many purposes.

It says:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.

I’ve always thought that acceptance was a tricky concept. On the one hand accepting things outside of our control helps us find happiness. There’s no use getting uptight about something in our lives we can’t change, especially if it doesn’t affect the core of who we are. Negative emotions like jealousy, anger and resentment come from wanting things to be different to the way they really are, and these kind of emotions have very negative impacts on our well-being.

On the other hand, many aspects of ourselves are choices we’ve made and that we continue to make. They’re not absolutes, they’re not “just the way it is” and they’re not inevitable. These things we can change.

When we look around and we see ways to make the world a better place, we have a choice of whether to take action or not. When we look inside and find ways of thinking or acting that are negative, again we have a choice.

Buddhism teaches acceptance, but it’s acceptance of the true nature of things. The lesson is not that we’re powerless to change anything. In fact, practices like meditation and selflessness are the opposite. They are tools we can use to harness our own power to make positive changes.

I saw a light-and-frothy Jim Carrey film called “Yes Man” last week. At the beginning of the film his life was a disaster. Bad decisions led to more bad decisions, his job was going nowhere, he was alienating his friends and he was miserable. Of course, all those things cycled on themselves. The more miserable he got, the more bad decisions he made. His fundamental change comes when he commits to saying “yes” to everything.

I’m not suggesting this is something you should do. It’s just a far-out comedy and it’s full of all kinds of unlikely situations. But there’s a fundamental truth under all the funny stuff. What happens is that events have unforeseen impacts. Benefits in ways he’d never imagined. One positive change leads to something else good happening in his life, which leads to something else, and so on. At the beginning of the film there is a spiral of circumstances downwards, but change reverses the spiral.

That’s why I’m a fan of resolutions. I think we’re all smart enough to know what changes we could and should make. Perhaps what changes we NEED to make. I know, we can make them anytime, it doesn’t need a special occasion. But if it helps to have a marker, like New Year, then why not? And who knows what positive benefits might result?

I wanted to share a list of New Year resolutions I found in a newspaper last week. I cut it out because there are a few in there I thought I might focus on this year. Perhaps there’s one or two that will resonate with you?

New Year Resolutions

• Quit smoking
• Lose weight
• Stop alcoholic drinks
• Remain calm and composed
• Face problems positively
• Practice kindness and selfless service
• Take up games and do exercise
• Practice sweetness of speech
• Replace anger with love and compassion
• Complain less and appreciate more
• Find no fault in others
• Endure challenges cheerfully
• Smile and laugh more
• Remove fear, worries and ill feelings
• Be caring and sharing
• To be content and not to yearn for more and more
• Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts and feelings
• Be more cheerful and be in the company of positive people

Whether you’ve got changes to make this year or you’re fine just the way you are, Happy New Year. I hope 2009 brings all our wishes closer.

=)  Marc

A tumultuous year with the US housing market debacle as the epicentre of the global financial woes.  Just six months before, the world economies were euphorically optimistic – the golden age of civilisation and Asia will ride the curve. How fast that has shifted. We enter 2009 with fear of a looming recession and possible higher unemployment. The Singapore economy could contract by -2% if not grow 1% in 2009, as the state agency has projected. Unemployment could reach 4%.

What does all this have to do with Buddhism? Nothing? By mere extension on a philosophical ground, one can argue that what we are experiencing in the financial market is a result of our own doing – the basic karmic principle or the law of cause and effect is just playing itself out in the current global economic woes. The years of cheap and lax credit environment in the US has provided the catalyst for the excessive leveraging of financial instruments without adequate oversight (or understanding)  that has imploded. The global economies now experience a de-leveraging of these assets that has sent financial institutions scurrying, tightening their credit to ensure their continual existence.

Of course, the vision is always perfect 20/20 in hindsight.  While I can sit here like many others and wag my disapproving finger at the US and financial institutions for causing this unnecessary pain on the global economy, it really serves no purpose. What is the outlook? Where is the bottom?
Do we really know? Does it matter? Probably not.

From the principle of relativity and impermanence, we know that physical experiences and events are often shaped by our personal mental construct and such experiences and event will change as surely as the sun will  rise on the east tomorrow. So why get overtly hung up about where things are heading? While it helps to plan ahead, we should also not live our life only thinking or fearing the future and miss out smelling the roses right in front of you.

As we enter the new year with a sour taste on our tongue, hopefully not from too much jollying over the past weeks, we need to reflect on the present and remain calm on what‘s to come. Present moment, wonderful moment. Cherish the present experiences with a learned and balanced mind. Go forth and prepare the future but go with an understanding of the basic Buddhist principles and not get trapped in that anticipation.

Welcome to 2009, I wish you the best and the shrine will continue to be there for you throughout the new year. We have lined up a new of calendar of events, so check it out on our calendar page. While we try to plan ahead, there will not doubt be changes along the way, so do check back for regular updates.

Have a calm and fruitful 2009.

A new series of Ted Talks is currently underway in the US.

I don’t know if you’re familiar, but they’re a mind-blowing series of lectures by some of the world’s greatest thinkers, on a whole range of topics, from the environment to space. As they happen during the $6000 a day conference they’re posted online, so people like us can watch them for free.

I just wanted to draw your attention to a few I thought you might like.

Bob Thurman: Becoming Buddha — on the Web
In our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment, says Buddhist scholar Bob Thurman, is our first step toward becoming Buddha. When we can know everything, we can see how everything is interconnected — and we can begin to feel compassion for every living being.

Matthieu Ricard: Habits of happiness
What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Buddhist monk, photographer and author Matthieu Ricard has devoted his life to these questions, and his answer is influenced by his faith as well as by his scientific turn of mind: We can train our minds in habits of happiness. Interwoven with his talk are stunning photographs of the Himalayas and of his spiritual community.

Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren’t we happy?
Psychologist Dan Gilbert challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our “psychological immune system” lets us feel real, enduring happiness, he says, even when things don’t go as planned. He calls this kind of happiness “synthetic happiness,” and he says it’s “every bit as real and enduring as the kind of happiness you stumble upon when you get exactly what you were aiming for.”

Rick Warren: Living a life of purpose
Pastor, philanthropist and author Rick Warren reflects on how the success of his book The Purpose-Driven Life triggered his own crisis of purpose. What should he do with this unanticipated wealth and attention? Warren uses his own story to explain the central tenet of his teaching: that the antidote to spiritual emptiness is recognizing what we have been given — wealth, creativity, talent — and using those gifts to make the world a better place.

Dan Dennett: A secular, scientific rebuttal to Rick Warren
Philosopher Dan Dennett thinks of religion as a natural phenomenon, a human feature that has evolved over millennia to meet each society’s changing needs. From this, he makes a brilliant case for studying religion — all religion — as rigorously as we do science. Dennett, who followed Rick Warren on stage at TED2006, then takes a few minutes to analyze Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life and dispute several of its claims — among them a belief that in order to be moral, one must deny evolution.

Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice
Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central belief of western societies: that freedom of choice leads to personal happiness. In Schwartz’s estimation, all that choice is making us miserable. We set unreasonably high expectations, question our choices before we even make them, and blame our failures entirely on ourselves. His relatable examples, from consumer products (jeans, TVs, salad dressings) to lifestyle choices (where to live, what job to take, whom and when to marry), underscore this central point: Too many choices undermine happiness.

Daniel Goleman: Why aren’t we all Good Samaritans?
Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, asks why we aren’t more compassionate more of the time. Sharing the results of psychological experiments (and the story of the Santa Cruz Strangler), he explains how we are all born with the capacity for empathy — but we sometimes choose to ignore it.

You can watch them online if your broadband is broad enough, or download them to your computer to watch later. If you have any comments on any of them, please do post them here. It would be great to hear what you think.

Happy viewing.

If you’ve got a little time to yourself during the New Year rush, these Buddhist comic books are a lovely way to relax.

The Buddhist Library in Geylang has just announced enrollment for two courses:

Diploma Course in Buddhist Studies  – a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental doctrines of Early Buddhism, their interpretation in the Abhidhamma, and their historical development in the early Buddhist schools. There are 3 modules:

• Fundamental Doctrines of Early Buddhism
• Doctrinal Interpretations in the Abhidamma
• Historical Survey of Buddhist Thought

Master of Arts (in Buddhist Studies) – in conjunction with the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka, with a pre-requisite of a good first degree in Buddhist Studies or Postgraduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies

Details are on their website.  Even if you’re not planning to do any formal study, you might like to surf to their website anyway. The Buddhist Library is open to the public and has over 16,000 books in English and Chinese. They also offer a variety of short informal courses like their 10 part “Discovering Buddhism” series, free-and-easy meditation sessions and yoga classes.  They also have Buddhist meditation MP3s available for free download here.

The Buddhist Library is at 2 Lorong 2A Geylang, open Tues – Sat 12-9pm, Sun 10am-9pm, closed on Mondays.

On Vesak Day, Buddhists all over the world commemorate the birth, enlightenment (Nirvana) and passing away (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha.

In Singapore and many other countries, Vesak is celebrated on the full moon of the fourth month of the lunar calendar. This is a tradition that dates back centuries, and was formalised at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, held in 1950.

You may think that the passing away of the Buddha would be a sad, mournful event, but the teachings of the Buddha himself tell us that this should not be the case.

When he saw his disciple and attendant Ananda weeping because he was dying, the Buddha advised his followers that they should understand that all things must disintegrate, including his own body, and that they should not cry. He asked them to regard his teachings (the Dharma) as their teacher from then on, because the Dharma truth is eternal and not subject to the laws of change. He instructed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely with symbolic offerings, but by truly and sincerely trying to follow his teachings.

And so, Buddhists celebrate Vesak Day by reiterating their determination to lead noble lives, develop their minds, practice loving-kindness and bring peace and harmony to humanity. It’s a time of great joy, happiness and affirmation of faith, and devotees make special efforts to eat only vegetarian food, spend time at their temple, be charitable and make offerings of homage.

It is a public celebration of the life and teachings of the Buddha and a personal celebration for each devotee of their own determination to follow in his footsteps and live life according to the Four Noble Truths.

Founded in Singapore in1965, the Moh Hong Buddhist Shrine follows the Mizong lineage of Buddhism. Although Mizong is sometimes referred to in English as “Secret Sect of Tibetan Lamaism� or “the secret doctrine�, the teachings of Moh Hong originate in India and were passed to our Spiritual Master by her Indian teacher here in Singapore.

We believe that Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Lord Buddha) was born in Nepal and travelled to India, where he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya and travelled to teach the Dharma.

The name “Mizong� does not refer to the secretive nature of the practice, but rather to its extensive and profound nature. It is a Tantric Buddhism tradition, most closely aligned to Red (Nyingma) Tradition.

A central practice of Tantric Buddhism is meditation and this is practiced around the world in many different ways, including qigong, yoga and martial arts. Moh Hong’s essential tenet is the understanding of truth through chanting of sutras. At Moh Hong, our members learn to sing hymns in Chinese (Mandarin and Teochew). Chanting of prayers are done specifically by our prayer group, who are trained to perform various religious rites such as for Vesak Day celebrations and funeral rites.

Our Spiritual Master has dedicated her life to karmic healing. We believe that some illnesses are karmic in nature, and Master uses her meditative abilities to lighten the load.

We have 9 founding philosophical pillars and we follow the Noble 8-Fold Path, often pictured as the Wheel of Dharma, which forms one of the cores of Buddhism throughout the world. Followers do not eat beef and are vegetarian on Fridays.

Since its founding, Moh Hong has been an active member of the community in Singapore, supporting other organisations. We are currently involved in a joint program with Alexandra Hospital to provide subsidised medical screening to our members and the public.

We currently have two places of worship and healing, in Pontian, Malaysia (permanent) and in Bishan, Singapore (temporary as we seek a suitable property for the Society).