Wednesday, May 30, 2012 At a recent dialogue with youths, Venerable Thubten Chodron shared some sound advice about how young Buddhist leaders can benefit themselves and others. BY OW YEONG WAI KIT   SINGAPORE – How can Buddhist youth leaders today better handle the challenges involved in leading their organizations so as to serve the community and spread the Buddha’s teachings more effectively? Venerable Thubten Chodron, founder and...

By Poh Yong Hui Yesterday, I had the immense good karma to chat with Venerable Thubten Chodron and my fellow Dharma friends, Perry, Ching Wi, and Niki about our practice and innermost thoughts toward Dharma work. I went without any expectations; and I didn’t even have a single question in my head for the Venerable. Perry started by sharing a framework for Dharma education, that he and Wen Jie, another Buddhist youth leader, came up with. In...

A giver of food is a giver of strength, A giver of clothes, a giver of beauty, A giver of a vehicle, a giver of ease, A giver of a lamp, a giver of vision, And he who gives a residence Is a giver of everything. But the one who teaches the Dhamma, Is a giver of the Deathless The Buddha Kindada Sutta Samyutta Nikaya...

by Barbara Yen Malaysia, 17 September, 2011   Introduction September 17 is designated as International Bhikkhuni Day. On this day, let us remember and honour the courage of the five hundred women, led by Maha Pajapati Gotami who were so determined to renounce that they shaved their heads, donned the robes and walked about 350 miles barefoot, from Kapilavastu to Vesali to seek permission from the Buddha for ordination. The Buddha believed that...

A Nice Day! After a hectic 5-day work week, I reminded myself to stay away from office work during weekends. I ended up restlessly looking for activities to spend my time, and kept on wanting to get out from my dull room. I felt uncomfortable doing nothing for the past two days. But today, after attending a small group cultivation session led by Venerable Faxun, I felt good. I spent my day meaningfully learning yoga, practising hard to mind my...

Camp LIONS, a Buddhist youth leadership camp supported by Dharma In Action, was successfully concluded on 19 June 2011, and here are some reflections and feedback from our Buddhist youth leaders: It allowed me to understand myself and reminded me to uphold the Buddhist values. It was a chance for me to test my own endurance level and temper, and the workshops helped. It has helped me to  be a much better leader and how to work with our...