Awakening Tara Singapore - ATS

02/09/2024

《盂兰盆经》又名《盂兰盆经》（繁体中文：盂兰盆经；拼音：yúlánpén-jīng；日语发音：urabon-kyō；韩语：우란분경；越南语：Kinh Vu Lan Bồn），是一部有关孝道的大乘佛经。

该经译自印度语（见《历史》），收录于《大正 685 年》和《大正 686 年》第 16 卷，即《集经》第三卷。[1] 《大正 685 年》由达摩护于公元 265-311 年翻译 [2]，题为《佛说盂兰盆经》。 《大正 686》由东晋时期一位不知名或失传的译者翻译，题为《佛说供钵报恩经》。根据唐岛的说法，《大正 686》基本上是《大正 685》的更地道的改编。[3]

它记录了释迦牟尼佛的弟子目犍连在获得顿悟后，利用新获得的力量寻找已故父母的后续事件。最后，目犍连在饿鬼世界找到了母亲，并在佛陀的帮助下，得以拯救她。[4]

东亚鬼节就是根据这部经文而来的。

The Yulanpen Sutra, also known as the Ullambana Sutra (traditional Chinese: 盂蘭盆經; ; pinyin: yúlánpén-jīng; Japanese pronunciation: urabon-kyō; Korean: 우란분경; Vietnamese: Kinh Vu Lan Bồn), is a Mahayana sutra concerning filial piety.

It was translated from an Indic language (see History) and is found in Taisho 685 and Taisho 686 in Volume 16, the third volume of the Collected Sutra Section.[1] Taisho 685 was translated by Dharmarakṣa from 265-311 CE [2] and is entitled: 'The Buddha Speaks the Yulanpen Sutra'. Taisho 686 was translated by an unknown or lost translator during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and is entitled: 'The Buddha Speaks the Sutra of Offering Bowls to Repay Kindness'. According to Karashima, Taisho 686 is basically a more idiomatic adaptation of Taisho 685.[3]

It records the events which followed after one of the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, Maudgalyayana, achieves Abhijñā and uses his newfound powers to search for his deceased parents. In the end, Maudgalyayana finds his mother in the preta (hungry ghost) world and with the assistance of the Buddha, is able to save her.[4]

The East Asian Ghost Festival is based on this sutra.

19/04/2024

15/04/2024

15/04/2024

Exactly… Practicing in the moment… Sutra Mahamudra…

兜率天宮慈心禪修《六祖壇經～2》「佛法在世間，不離世間覺，離世覓菩提，恰如求兔角」六祖壇經裡有這一段偈子，很好說明了一個人要修行、悟道、成佛，都不能離開世間。

佛教講三世：過去、現在、未來，最重視的是 現在世。佛法並非離開這個世間、離開國土、離開眾生而有。從佛陀一生：出生在人間，修行在人間，說法度眾、覺悟成道都在人間的示現，成佛悟道也不離世間。

佛教講淨土，不是人死後才能到西方極樂淨土，而是在現世生活中就可以落實人間的淨土。比方我們以佛法的慈悲、忍耐、尊重等，為做人處世的方針；我們奉行佛化家庭，家庭裡的成員，都要互相尊重、互相幫助、互相信任、互相諒解。只要一個人心中有佛法，以慈悲心待人，以智慧眼來看世間，人生的境界就會不一樣。

所以人間佛教，是要在人間、在生活裡奉行；佛經裡也常說「佛法在眾生中求」。怎麼求呢？從發心、服務中求，從恭敬聖賢中求，只要心中充滿慈悲，慈悲裡就有佛法。所以說「佛法在世間，不離世間覺」，離開世間就沒有佛法可得，更不要說悟道成佛了。

「離世覓菩提，恰如求兔角」，如果離開了世間、離開了眾生，要再另外求一個菩提、求一個解脫的超越境界，就如同要去尋找兔子的角，那是不可能的。因此，佛法重在實修實證，不要去妄求一個虛無、不切實際的東西。

一切的佛法，不是憑著自己的妄想、妄念而有，而是在生活中奉行佛法的慈悲、戒律，佛法的布施喜捨等等，在日用生活中實踐佛法、應用佛法，反而容易得道。

佛法就是「活法」──生活的方法。佛法離開了日常生活，就成了空中樓閣式的哲學論理，也許能夠滿足一部份人抽象思考的樂趣，對於身心的實際成長卻毫無助益。 換句話說，所謂解脫，必然是扣緊了我們的生活的，離開生活、企圖另外找一個「解脫」的狀態，無異緣木求魚。廣義的「解脫」不必然要像古來聖賢、祖師大德那樣地大徹大悟，它可以是：生活裡一個觀念的開通、對於某事忿忿不平的釋懷……等等。透過對佛法的思惟，將能夠漸次整合我們的身心靈，活得更自在。

15/04/2024

Guru is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert or master" of certain knowledge or field. A guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple, seeker, or student, with the guru serving as a "counselor, who helps mold values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student".

Vesak marks the birth, enlightenement and parinirvana of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, under the Mahayana doctrine, for many lifetimes of as much as 3 billion years/eons prior to his enlightenment 2,600 years ago, Lord Buddha sacrificed himself for the benefit of countless beings like saving the cubs from their hungry tigress mother by sacrificing his own flesh, saving a boat of humans from a killer and many more. Guru Shakyamuni attained the perfection of giving.

On this holy and auspicious day, we will be making the following offerings on behalf of our sponsors:
- Light Offerings at Bodhgaya (holy seat of Lord Buddha) & Lama Gaun Monastery (Seat of HE Choden Rinpoche)
- Gold Offering to Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha at the Jokhang Temple of Lhasa
- Light Offerings available at $50/pax
- Gold Offerings available at $188/pax
Download the photos to SCAN&PAY or PayNow to UEN at T16SS0052C and indicate VESAK24

The perfection of giving, dana-paramita in Sanskrit, is first of the six or ten perfections. It encompasses every kind of generosity, whether it involves a gift to those higher than ourselves, such as deities in the merit field, or the poor or needy, who are worse off than we are.

In giving to a being in an equal or worse state than ourselves, we sacrifice something that belongs to us for the benefit of another.

In giving to a being superior to ourselves, to our guru, a Buddha or bodhisattva, we perform an act of renunciation.

As an altruistic deed, giving is a basis for acquiring merit.

In Buddhist doctrine, the accumulation of merit leads to higher rebirth, and eventually to release from the sufferings of cyclic existence. In order to attain highest enlightenment, we must be able to give to a superlative degree, with perfect motivation, thus attaining the unsurpassable level of the perfection of giving.

09/04/2024

To day very happy to meet AVI Tara Singapore center board of directors and planning up coming teaching in Singapore

31/03/2024

2016 Choden Rinpoche Relic Exhibition

31/03/2024

A few ignorant men may
Have a strong wish to cross the
Four oceans and reach land,
Yet they don’t inquire about which path to follow.

In the same way, the nature of the journey
Is extremely difficult
For the practitioner without oral instructions.

Because there are no results, although he may be wise,
The practitioner will become angry.
The moment he generates anger he will
Be reborn in the Wailing Hell.

Therefore, with all your effort,
Train with faith in the oral instructions
Transmitted by your guru.

—- Explanatory Ta**ra Vajramala

28/03/2024