monthly newsletter of losang dragpa center october 2005 ... · ~ october 2005 ~ shabda 1 ... design...

~ October 2005 ~ Shabda 1

© LOSANG DRAGPA CENTER Design by WOFS.COM

The Sanskrit word “Dharma” refers to that which guides, or saves, our mind from

suffering. However, there are thousands upon thousands of different types of suffering, and even within these, there can be many different kinds. For example, within illness, there are hundreds of different kinds.

As there are many different kinds of illness, so too are there hundreds of different kinds of medicine. But all these different medicines are for the purpose of curing disease, for saving people from the suffering of illness, and are, therefore, all medicine. Similarly, within the Dharma, there are thousands of different kinds of Dharma practice, but they are all Dharma.

But the effect of external medicine is vastly different from the effect of Dharma; as different as earth is from sky. External medicines are only temporal method - they offer only temporary relief; they don’t

Shabda Monthly Newsletter of Losang Dragpa Center

October 2005

A teaching by

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

What is dharma?

cure disease permanently. Medicine can stop illness for a short time but it can never prevent it from recurring. This is easy to understand; it’s common experience, and shows that medicine is only a temporal, not an ultimate, method. Sometimes medicine doesn’t even work at all, solves only part of the problem, or itself causes other physical or mental problems to arise. Medicine is by no means an ultimate way of dealing with disease.

The effect of Dharma is completely different. No matter how long you practice Dharma, you always benefi t.

Excerpt from Mandala Magazine

June 2001


2 Shabda ~ October 2005 ~ ~ October 2005 ~ Shabda 3


REJOICE REJOICE REJOICE

Your body, speech and mind become more pure and there’s never any danger to your body or your mind - unless, of course, you practice a method that does not diminish or eradicate your delusions. That can lead you into trouble.

Some people take drugs to feel good. If you carry on taking drugs in the belief that they’ll always produce the same effect, you can drive yourself crazy or otherwise endanger your life. Drugs make your mind increasingly unconscious, your body, speech and mind less disciplined and jeopardize your precious human life.

Dharma practitioners don’t need drugs. Their dependence on drugs has finished. Drugs are for those whose minds are limited, who have no idea of Dharma or the meaning of life, who have no understanding of past and future lives, who believe just the limited phenomena they see before them.

Similarly, all the normal, everyday things we do to protect ourselves from suffering, the kinds of things that animals do, are also merely temporal methods. Eating, drinking, wearing clothes, doing our jobs - none of these are ultimate methods that will put an end to suffering forever. No matter how highly we develop materially and technologically, none of this will put a final end to problems.

In ancient times, long before our

modern, material development, people had problems. The very first humans on earth had many problems - mental problems, life problem, suffering, and dissatisfaction. Nowadays, there’s even more confusion, fighting and suffering. Over the millennia, there’s been a much greater increase in suffering than in peace. You just have to look around to see that this is true. This again shows clearly that external, material development is not an ultimate solution to problems. It shows that something’s missing, that material development alone is not enough.

I’m not saying that science and material development are bad; I’m simply describing what’s happening around us.

Why can medicine, drugs and every single thing we do not put an end to temporal problems? Because they do not affect the cause of these problems.

This proves that the actual cause of suffering is not in the external conditions. This is important. If you understand this, you understand the essence of Dharma. It also proves that everything we have ever done has not touched the cause of suffering. Why do these external methods fail to cease all suffering and its cause? Because the cause of suffering is not in the external conditions but in our minds. The cause of suffering is not in external

factors but in the mind of each of us. Whether we are humans walking on the earth, worms in the ground or insects in the air, the cause of suffering is within our minds. Therefore, we cannot escape from physical or mental suffering by going underground or flying to the moon.

Trying to solve a problem by traveling to another place instead of attacking its cause is like going for a run to get rid of a pain in your stomach. Instead of alleviating the pain, you simply make yourself tired and hungry. We think this example is stupid and childish, but actually it describes just the way we are. We’re doing the same thing; we just don’t recognize it. Running from

And thank you to all members who participated in the reciting of the Sanghata Sutra and the Four Mandala offering pujas to Tara that were dedicated to LDC successfully negotiating a long term loan to complete the purchase of our new premises at Section 17. We had written to Rinpoche for advise on what practices we could do to overcome the obstacles that were making it hard for us to successfully complete the purchase. In all LDC together with the new study group in Penang recited a total of 22 of this magical sutra and did 6 of the Tara pujas … and guess what ? Two days after that we were told that our application for the loan had been approved so by the time you read this we would be finalizing the completion of the purchase. This is yet another manifestation of Rinpoche’s amazing kindness to us …

Members who would like to get involved in the design, OR wish to sponsor the minor renovations needed OR to purchase holy objects for the new altars OR who wish to help in anyway at all with ideas, assistance or funds OR with the “doing

suffering by train or plane instead of trying to recognize the cause of the problem and discover the right way of solving it can never be effective.

What kind of method should we all practice; what kind of method can destroy all suffering and its cause? An internal method - in other words, Dharma. Dharma is the inner method that can cease all suffering and its cause. By “cease” I mean put a complete end to all physical and mental suffering such that it can never occur. This inner method, Dharma, is beyond compare with any temporal method, because through the practice of Dharma, this one action, billions of different sufferings and their cause can all be destroyed.


Update on new premises




There are so many things that your mind

cannot see or that it apprehends in a way that is opposite to

reality. Besides the fact that you cannot judge anyone’s level of

realization, you cannot even see the back of your own head. You

do not have the power of mind to see even your own face without

taking refuge in a mirror. And you cannot tell what is going to happen to you in the future, not

even a moment from now. ~Lama Zopa Rinpoche~

We welcome the following new members who joined us in September 2005.

1) Ad Tan Kok Hoi (Life Member)2) Tracy Ho Chooi Yee (Life Member)3) Wong Ming You (Life Member)4) Karen Soo (Life Member)5) Kum Yee Lung (Member)

We welcome the following We welcome the following

up” of the new premises please do contact Stanley, Chung Han, Ven Osel la or Caroline Lim. We want to stress that this is OUR CENTER. It is for all of us to use as a base for our Dharma activities so it would be wonderful for as many members as possible – old as well as new - to get involved with the “doing up” of the Center.

September review

Ven Lhundup Sherab’s Class

In September, the much anticipated arrival of Ven. Lhundup Sherab fi nally materialized for us at LDC!

For starters, Ven Lhundup gave a very insightful discourse on the correct way to use the vajra and bell, why we use it in our puja and prayer rituals as well as their symbolic meanings to enhance our practices.

Ven Lhundrup also showed us how to do the various hand mudras that

depict the different offering practices in our pujas, from the water offerings to the incense, fl owers, fragrance, food and music. The fi rst class was well attended with over 20 attendees and Ven Lhundup must have been amused with our amateur attempts at the hand mudras although Ven was very supportive and patient. Many of those who came were new members so hand mudras are indeed something very new to them; it was diffi cult to catch on

immediately but everyone enjoyed the session tremendously. Learning to ring the bells caused many sounds to be out of sync, creating quite a din in the gompa!

In the coming weeks, Ven Lhundup has very kindly suggested that we put aside

every Friday night for the month of October (except on the 14th October when the 1000 Offering event is on) to practice the hand mudras in the various pujas. Ven. Lhundup will guide us further regarding the proper way to chant and also explain when/how to use the various sacred implements during our monthly pujas. This is going to signifi cantly improve the quality of our puja sessions as we tend to go out of tune in the past when performing pujas !

We encourage those of you who haven’t yet done so to come and join us as this is truly such a rare opportunity to learn something most precious. Yes these are rituals but as Rinpoche says, when rituals have profound meanings they are defi nitely worth learning. Don’t worry if you haven’t attended the fi rst

class...there are many helpful and kind members who are only too willing to help you t!

Venerable has also kindly agreed to accept invitations to undertake consecrations and blessings in private homes. If you would like to invite Venerable for house blessing, wealth vase consecrations, Tara Puja, Medicine Buddha Puja or any other prayers, please contact Ven.Osel at 019-3022 369. Or if you have any questions regarding your personal practices relating to hand mudras, mandala offerings or any other aspects of prayer rituals, please feel free to make appointment with Venerable. It is our great good fortune to have Venerable’s presence with us these two months. We envisage that Venerable’s advice will be eagerly sought by many members so we do advice you to call early to make your appointments with Venerable. Meanwhile, for those who may not know, it is a customary practice to offer a red packet money offering to Sanghas when we request them for advice, blessings or prayer sessions. We would also greatly appreciate it when you make such offering to Venerable to also kindly make an offering to the Center as LDC is picking up all the expenses associated with hosting Venerable’s stay with us in Malaysia. This includes traveling expenses, accommodation, visa and teaching materials etc. We thank you very much for your continued support.

Words of Wisdomfor October




MOONCAKE FESTIVAL at JANGSEM LINGThe Mooncake Celebration at JSL, Triang, Pahang was a quiet affair. We had hoped to make a Dharma connection with the locals that beautiful evening but it seems the karma to do so did not ripen for that evening. The full moon must have had some effect on wedded bliss as on the same night of our event, there were 12 wedding dinners happening simultaneously! In a small town like Triang, wedding dinners are a grand affair and probably involved the whole community, thus accounting for the small turn out at our little get-together. Nevertheless, that did not deter us from merry making....As is the tradition, we had delicious mooncakes under the sparkling stars and clear night skyline of JSL. It was a beautiful experience as we also had a chance to do some private meditations and absorb the special energy of the place. On another related note on JSL’s development, we are pleased to announce the arrival of Ven.

Palzang from Singapore who has very kindly agreed to teach at JSL, with effect mid October 2005. Venerable is an experienced dharma teacher and has been conducting regular Buddhist classes in mandarin at our sister center, Amitabha Buddhist Center, Singapore. Ven.’s classes are always well attended and very popular and now we rejoice for the people of Triang who have had a thirst for Dharma for a long time! How did this come about? It has been Ven’s personal wish to go into retreat sometime at the end of the year and when we presented him with this opportunity, it was almost like a fulfi llment of his wish. Ven Palzang’s plans to offer some Dharma activities for the locals at Triang while attending to his personal retreats. Ven has very kindly accepted our offer, with full blessings from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche to teach at JSL.

Rejoice! We will keep you posted on the activities planned in JSL....Everyone is welcomed to attend

these sessions! Keep a lookout in Shabda for what’s happening next!

Venerable Palzang received his gelong (bhikshu) ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2004. Before becoming a monk, he spent over 20 years engaged in a group of companies in electronics, IT, industrial automation and health products, with overseas offi ces/factories. Ven Palzang graduated from the University of London majoring in

electronics engineering, and has experience in corporate training and business coaching. He has been learning and practising Buddhism since 1991, and now helps people fi nd some peace and happiness in their busy lives through his Dharma and meditation classes.




THOUSAND OFFERINGS EVENTAT CHINESE ASSEMBLY HALL OCT 14th to 16th

It’s here again. Yes, it’s LDC’s very own and much anticipated 1000 Offerings Event, an annual happening in the Buddha-Dharma calendar of Kuala Lumpur. The 1000 Offerings has become a very popular fixture on the Buddhist scene of our national capital which in previous years have successfully benefited countless sentient beings through the variety of Dharma activities that make up the weeklong event.

This year’s 1000 Offerings Event will be held from the 14th - 16th of October 2005 at the Chinese Assembly Hall, in Kuala Lumpur. The event will be presided over by Dagri Rinpoche (pronounced as ‘Pari’), who is a recognized reincarnation of one of the 16 Arhats.

Rinpoche will be accompanied by 3 venerable monks from Sera Je monastery in India and Kopan monastery in Katmandu. A variety of Dharma activities have been planned and these include special pujas and general blessings. All activities are opened to the public.

For details, please refer to accompanying flyers on the 1000 Offering event. Please bring your family and friends to make use of this opportunity to create merit which have the power to purify negative karma and overcome obstacles, illnesses and hindrances while helping to make this another successful event.

LDC would like to request for volunteers to come forth...we literally need a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. Please do come and join in making this happening a roaring success! Please contact William at LDC’s office- 20938189 to offer your help! Event ticket sponsorship booklets are available for collection now at LDC.

HIGHLIGHTS in OCTOBER

LEARNING TO MAKE TORMASDate: 8th & 22th October 2005Time: 6:00pm to 7:00pmVenue: LDC

In the second session of Ven Lhundup Sherab’s tantric practices, we will learn to make tormas! What are tormas? You might have noticed a cone shaped, sometimes colourful flour sculpture mounted on a board that is sometimes offered by the lamas during initiation or puja ceremonies. Tormas are made from roasted barley flour and is a symbolic offering of food to the deities and beings to ensure success with our Dharma practices. We encourage you to come and learn from Ven Lhundup as he explains the different types of tormas that are used at the different pujas. It would be like our own ‘cooking’ class as Ven Lhundup will show us how to make tormas using instant oatmeal. Please bring your own small pack of instant oatmeal when you come for the classes !

DORJE KHADRO FIRE PUJA PRACTICEDate: 9th & 23th October 2005Time: 6:00pm to 7:00pmVenue: LDC

According to Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, “ This is one of the more profound practices for purification, regarded as a golden Dharma practice, a precious one. It is said to be Lama Tsongkhapa’s heart practice and followers of the lineage of Tsongkhapa often practice it, knowing it to be extremely beneficial”.

Dorje Khadro, literally means “The Eater” and in this case, “The Eater” does not refer to the mundane food we love. It refers instead to the “eating up of your negative karma!’. You learn to purify your negative karmas by offering a representation of your own negative karma to the holy mouth of the deity, Dorje Khadro. In the fire puja practice, black sesame seeds are used to represent our black karma. On a flat tray or plate, we shape arrange sesame seeds into the shape of a scorpion and visualize all our negative karma absorbing into the ‘scorpion’. We then purify our black negative karma by reciting the deity’s mantra while simultaneously offering the seeds into the mouth of Dorje Khadro. If you wish to attend this wonderful practice at LDC please do register at the LDC office by phone, email or fax. This is because there are preliminary preparations and materials to be purchased for this event. So do please call the LDC office to register for this class. Attendance will be on a first come first serve basis.




LED by THE EVER POPULAR VEN.TENZIN ZOPA

Kopan Monastery is a place set high in the hills above the Kathmandu valley with fresh air and scenery so beautiful,it is like being in pure land. In early morning when fog cover the hills around the monastery buildings and the air is quiet save for the morning song of birds, this is when being in Kopan is like being in heaven. Kopan monastery was established by Lama Thubten Yeshe, and Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1970 in response to their students strong wish for a place to study Tibetan Buddhism where spiritual guidance and courses would be available for all who thirst for Dharma. Kopan is FPMT’s mother monastery and it offers various study programs

in Buddhism including its famed month long meditation course held each November/December. Kopan monastery today is home to more than 750 monks and nuns, many of them have qualified as Dharma teachers. Every year Kopan conducts various short courses, retreat, prayers and the most popular Annual One Month Meditation Course. Over the past several years, many LDC members have successfully completed the Month long Meditation Course which always ends with a fabulous long life puja for Kyabje lama Zopa Rinpoche who himself teaches during the last week of the Course. Rinpoche also gives initiations during the tail end of the Course.

Those wanting to find out more about this wonderful month long Course, please go to www.kopan-monastery.com This December, LDC is organizing a Tour & Pilgrimage to Kopan & Kathmandu which will be led by Ven. Tenzin Zopa . Many of you will remember this very popular monk who was for many years the heart attendant of the incomparable Geshe Lama Konchog.

The Tour of Kopan part of the program will include attendance at teachings by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and participation in Long Life Puja offer to Rinpoche.

In the Pilgrimage to Kathmandu part of the program we will bring you to visit several very special holy places in Nepal:-• Parpin: where you can view a self-

manifested Tara image on a stone; and also visit Padmasambhava and Vajrayogini cave.

• Swayambunath stupa: a self-arising stupa. There are over one hundred steps in the climb up to the stupa and it is said that if you climb the staircase without stopping, you will not get reborn in the lower realms.

• Pathan: this place is famed for the making of Tibetan bronze statues.

• Namo Buddha: the place where Shakyamuni Buddha [while He was a bodhisattva] sacrificed His body to feed a hungry tigress. This story is told in the Jataka tales and also in the Golden light sutra.

We have invited Ven.Tenzin Zopa to be our leader for the tour. Venerable has lived in Kopan since a very young age and for many years he has called Kopan his home. He was the heart attendant to Geshe Lama Konchog, and was also attendant to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Venerable accompany Rinpoche and Geshe la to visit all these holy places many times so he has many wonderful stories to share with us. He will thus be a perfect guide for us on this wonderful pilgrimage.

PILGRIMAGE TOUR TO KOPAN & KATHMANDU

DETAILS OF THE TOUR & PILGRIMAGE Date: 6th - 16th December 2005Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Kathmandu (double occupancy room)Estimated Total package price: RM 3,800.00. inclusive of airfare, accommodation, food and local transport.

We will get a confirmed package price by November. To confirm your registration, we require a down payment of RM300.00. As we have limited space, we will take registration on a first come first serve basis, so please register NOW with LDC office at 03-2093 8189.




Kasih HospiceKasih Hospice Care began the long awaiting Home Care Service on 27th June 2005. Our fi rst patient, Madam A who stayed in Rawang, was referred by doctor from Palliative Care Unit (PCU) of Selayang Hospital. Our volunteer palliative care doctor- Dr.Loh Ee Chin, together with Ai Leng and Kan Cheng visited her. On 1st of August, our part time Hospice nurse, Ms. Cheah Hong Chai, joined our home care team. For the next 30 days, we have served 7 patients, made 90 over home visits.

Besides the home care service, our sincere and committed volunteers, 37 in number who are grouped into 4 teams, and each led by a senior volunteer, continued their weekly hospital visits to 3 hospitals.

Till date, KHC has conducted 12 Buddhist Hospice Volunteers Training course,9 in English and 3 in Mandarin. We were very fortunate to have Ven Thubten Munsel to teach the dharma talk on ‘ death and impermanence’ in the last 2 courses conducted in 5th June and 24 July 2005. A total of 85 participants took part and 19 of them have signed up as new volunteers. Thus, adding to our strength of volunteers to 37 hospital visit volunteers and 17 home visit volunteers.

We had our monthly debriefi ng session on every fourth Saturday of the month. At the session, volunteers, hospice nurse and doctor, share their experience and clarify their doubts. Below is feedback by one of our volunteer, shared at the Aug- 27 debriefi ng session, which we hope will inspire more people to join us.

‘ Mr.Y had diffi culty in breathing. He needed much effort to response to questions asked by concerning relatives. When our volunteer doctor and volunteers suggested to him and his family that he had the choice to do what he taught was best for him, that he could choose to response by non-verbal response or not to response at all. Mr.Y did just that. On subsequent visits, volunteers noted Mr.Y was less anxious and had more confi dence. He knew that at the very end of his life, he could still have the power to make decision and to be in control. Lesson learned: we can helped empower people by suggesting to them that they do have options, and they can make choices to benefi t oneself and others. This is the power of the mind.

Platform ticket ‘If waiting for the fi nal call is like waiting for the arrival of a train, then services provided by hospice volunteer is like buying a platform ticket and accompany the patient at the platform for the arrival of the train.’

~Captions from ‘ The Essence Of Hospice Care- teaching by Dr. Rosalie Shaw at the 12th training course at LDC on 24th July 2005

Kasih Hospice Care (KHC) society, a community service branch of LDC, now provides home care services to people with life threatening diseases such as cancer, who reside in Klang Valley, Sungai Buloh and Rawang. Our multidisciplinary team of volunteers, doctors and nurse offer medical, emotional and spiritual care for patients and his/ her family.For more detail or if you have anyone who require our services, please contact :

Nurse Cheah Hong Chai at 012-3730423or

Miss Loke Siew Foong at 012-3776183

If the patient already has an attending doctor, please obtain a referral letter from that doctor to enable the KHC medical staff and volunteers to better serve the patient. The services are free of a charge and open to all friends, members and non-members of LDC.

Kasih Hospice Care Society (0291-05-5)…… With compassion, we serve




Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

31 1 2

3P 4 5 6 7 8 9

LDC Dharma Program for October 2005P - Precepts BP - Special Days of Lord Buddha

Ritual practices7:00 - 8:00pm

Animal Liberation11am - 12noon

Tara Puja 7:00pm

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

10 11P 12 13 14 15 16

17P 18 19 20 21 22 23

Guru Puja 7:00pmTara Puja 7:00pm

10 11P 12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16

Hospice Debriefi ng Session

3pm - 6pm

Guru Puja 7:00pm

12

27

17 17 17P 18 19 20 21 22 23Medicine BuddhaPuja at

Jangsem Ling, Triang

7:00pm

Tara Puja 7:00pm

4 5 6 7 8 9 4 5 6 7 8 9 4 5 6 7 8 9

Tara Puja 7:00pm

Torma lesson6:00-7:00pm

Dorje Khadro Fire Puja

6:00-7:00pm

Tara Puja 7:00pm

12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16

Tara Puja 7:00pm

Thousand Offering Event




Torma lesson6:00-7:00pm

Dorje Khadro Fire Puja

6:00-7:00pm


Hospice Debriefi ng Session

3pm - 6pm

Green Tara

Om Tare,Tuttare,

Ture Swahah

Green TaraKyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

singing Lam Rim3pm

Sanghata Sutra3:30pm

Tara Puja & Sanghata Sutra

recitation7pm


recitation7pm


recitation7pm


16 Shabda ~ October 2005 ~

CENTER OPERATING HOURS : Monday-Friday :

10:00am - 6:00pm

For donations, please makeall crossed cheques payable to

Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society. Your donation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

LOSANG DRAGPA CENTER’S :Address: No.11A Jalan Birah,

Bukit Damansara, 50490, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia.

Tel: (03) 2093 8189Fax: (03) 2095 6113

Email: [email protected] Website: www.fpmt-ldc.org

LDC’S SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR :Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche

Website dedicated to Rinpoche: www.fpmt.org (look for Spiritual Director)

& www.lamazopa.com

monthly newsletter of losang dragpa center october 2005 ... · ~ october 2005 ~ shabda 1 ... design...

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