Save our Buddhists Campaign, A Free Publication Campaign

sanath SG

Hi all,
received from a fellow Buddhist.
Gassho

Save Our Buddhists CAMPAIGN
A Free Publication Campaign in Poor Buddhist Countries

The Buddhist Maha Vihara has launched the Save our Buddhists Campaign to educate our fellow Buddhists in poor countries about their noble religion - Buddhism. Our fellow Buddhists in countries such as Cambodia, Sri Lanka and India are facing an evangelist onslaught, which without our help, would be converted to other religions simply because they do not know practical Buddhism in their daily lives and Buddhist apologetics.

Sadly, Buddhist in these countries are suffering from a lack of resources, mainly free Dhamma publications. We have identified trustworthy groups to work with to periodically publish and post these free Dhamma publications to the various adopted Buddhist temples and centers to be distributed to devotees who visit the temples. By printing in these countries, we yield significant cost savings in terms of economies of scale, lower printing cost and lower domestic postage.

We strongly appeal to you come forward to donate to this noble cause. We also plan to expand this program to several other Buddhist countries gradually, funds permitting. We have to date published and distributed about 120,000 free publications in India and Sri Lanka in the last 3 years under this program. We plan to double our commitment to print about 240,000 free Dhamma booklets overseas for this year with your support.

If you are interested to participate in this meritorious deed, please contact Sis. Phang at the Vihara office, 603-22741141 (telephone), 603-22732570 (fax). All donations will be receipted under the Buddhist Maha Vihara.

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Donor: _________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

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Contact: _________________________ (e-mail) ___________________ (phone)

Donation Amount: ________________________

BMV Receipt No: _______________________

Collected by: _______________________

Buddhist Maha Vihara, 123, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

With metta,
Zhan Zunjing (Chiam Soon King)
H/P : 012-4773086

An Eternal Now SG

Thanks for sharing this here.. this is a noble cause Smile

concerned_man SG

Hi sanath,

I am just wondering, whether can we also pass over some english Dharma materials books/cds and casettes etc.

I have quite a handful which we no longer reference them and they are quite worthy read which I think we should let it flow in the community. I believe some Buddhist families also have materials that they no longer read. If we can consolidate them, will it be helpful?

Take note about the donation.

Thanks.

An Eternal Now SG

Hi, I suggest you call Maha Vihara directly to ask for more info on what you can do.

Beyond Religion SG

Yes. With or without the evangelical onslaught, re-educating our fellow Buddhists is always a noble cause. Some links to the Buddhist Maha Vihara:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_Maha_Vihara,_Brickfields
http://stsite.com/vihara/
http://www.buddhistmahavihara.com/

The domain to their official website (www.buddhistmahavihara.com)appear to have already expired.... Lets hope that some of the proceeds will be used to maintain a web front to bring dharma awareness to the public.

earthling82 SG

To really save these countries there should be enforcement. Many monks should be disrobed and the national constitution, along with the police should protect Buddhism. There should also be a crackdown on the amount of money/gold stored in these temples, to be taxed away where need be.

An Eternal Now SG

I have read 'broken buddha' as well.. and agreed lots of corrupt areas needs to be resolved. But I think little can be done and the other nation's governments themselves may support and sort of close an eye to their doings. Another thing is in these Theravada nations, I hope the emergence of strong insight meditation traditions, or sanghas that emphasize on such practises with highly experienced meditators to guide them.

Herzog_Zwei SG

Time wasting cause, can go do something more practical/pragmatic to help people at large.

An Eternal Now SG

Other religions and charities help people by dealing with the morality aspect, and giving aid to others on the physical level. But in Buddhism we teach something more. We teach about liberation through seeing the ultimate nature of reality, mind training.. etc.

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The Equal Importance of Morality, Concentration, and Insight

Morality, Concentration and Insight are the essential three trainings of Buddhist practice Smile And there's something interesting I thought was worth sharing.

...I thought it would be fun to envision the Three Trainings as characters and have them critique each other and then talk with each other about ways that they could reinforce each other. I will do this in the form of a short play in one act. While I will exaggerate and dichotomize their issues with each other for comic effect, I do think that each of the points made has some validity. Hopefully, you will see through the humor to the important points being illustrated.

Curtain opens. Morality, Concentration and Insight are sitting in a bar having a discussion. A large stack of empty shot glasses sits in front of each character.

Morality: You navel gazing, self-absorbed, good-for-nothing freaks! I go out and work hard all day long to make this world fit to live in while you two sit on those sweat covered cushions and cultivate butt-rot! I go out and make good money, keep food in our mouths, a roof over our heads, deal with our stuff, and you go out and spend our money up at that freak-house you call a meditation center when there is important work to be done! I want to work on my tan!

Insight: Who are you calling self-absorbed? I cant be self absorbed by definition! If it wasnt for me, you would be so stuck in dualistic illusion that you wouldnt know your ass from your elbow, you conceptually fixated, emotionally mired, bound-up-in-manifestation-looking, twelve sandwich eating

Concentration: Yeah! And by the way, Mr. Oh-so-worldly, you should learn to lighten up sometimes! Work your fingers to the bone, whaddaya get? Bony fingers. Thats what. And that goes for you too, Mr. Enlightenment! If you didnt have my skills, youd be shit out of luck, unable to focus, and dead boring to boot! Who brings up the deep joy and wondrous mind states around here? I do, thats who, so you two should just shut up!

Insight: Oh, yeah? Well, Mr. La-la Land, if it werent for me, wed be so caught up in your transient highs that we might just get arrested. Somebody call the law! You two are so easily sucked into blowing things out of proportion that without me you two would have all the perspective of a dung heap!

Morality: Dung heap? Youd be lucky to have a dung heap if it wasnt for me, you emptiness-fixated, Im-oh-so-non-conceptual vibration-junkie. What good is having perspective if you dont go out and use it?

Concentration: Yeah! And speaking of perspective, I give you guys more perspective than you have any idea of. Not only do I provide a bridge between our resident Save-the-world Poster Child and the Void-fixated Flicker-boy, I help you two get your twitchy little minds right! I help the Boy Scout here gain more and deeper insights into his screwed up emotional world and stuff than he ever could have on his own, and if it wasnt for me, Mr. Ultimate would just be spinning his wheels in the parking lot! And further more, I am fun, fun, fun!

Insight: Yeah, maybe, but you dont know when to stop, you otherworldly space-case! If Relative Man and I hadnt pulled you out of the clouds, youd still be lost in some formless realm thinking you had half a clue. Im the one with the clue! There aint nothin in the world like what I know, and without it, you twos whole pathetic little sense of identity would be bound up in a world beyond your control. I am your salvation, and you know it!

Morality: Beyond my control my ass! I make things happen in this world, great things! Im the one that really gets us somewhere! I make a difference! Who cares if there is no self when people are starving in Africa?

Insight: Who cares is exactly my point! There is no separate, permanent self that cares!

Morality: I know you are, but what am I?

Insight: Exactly!

Morality: Jerk!

Concentration: See? You guys gotta' chill out, get some balance and peace in your life. Take a few moments and just breathe! Leave your worries and cares behind, and fly the friendly skies! Its free, legal, and oh-so-recommended. You can quit whenever you like! All your friends are doing it! Come on, just relax!

Morality: All right, Fly Guy, when are we going to deal with our emotional issues, huh? When are we going to save the world? We cant just go on vacation forever.

Insight: Your problem is that you cant see the sensations that make up these issues as they really are, so you make such a big friggin deal out of them. I mean, I see your point, but you are so reactive and blind that you are hardly the one for the job. You solidify these things into huge monsters, forget you have done this, and then freak out when they come running after you. You need a clue, you confused little shrew!

Morality: Oh, yeah! Dont think that just because you can see the true nature of the issues that make up your reality that you wont still have stuff to deal with! Now, thats delusion!

Insight: Its even more deluded to think that you can really have a completely healthy perspective on anything without me, you Monster Maker!

Concentration: Dude, do you see those angels floating through the wall?

Morality: Where in the Hell did I find you freaks?

Insight: Short memory, eh? You found us when you realized you couldnt do it on your own. You needed us to really be able to do the job you wanted to do, to really make a difference and be as happy and effective as you could be.

Morality: Yeah? And when can I get rid of you?

Concentration and Insight: When you have mastered us completely. Jinx, one two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!

Morality: Bartender

THE END.

If you find that you have gotten to the point when you cannot laugh at your own path, stop immediately and figure out why. I hope you have found this little, irreverent dialogue entertaining. While obviously a bit ridiculous, these sorts of tensions can arise until we really have a solid grasp of each training. When we have this, they will work together as they were meant to.

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, Adobe/.pdf version, by Arhat, Dharma Dan

Herzog_Zwei SG

i.e You trying to teach them to go and die? Reality? There is no reality other then the one you can percieve now and that is ultimate nature of reality. There is no liberation as a body must be born, grow old, fall ill and die. As Gautama Buddha has said, " All things must change.", then even Buddhist dharma must also change to fit reality. So kindly please, don't try to confuse people with claims to meta-physics and laws beyond quantum mechanics.

An Eternal Now SG

Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:

i.e You trying to teach them to go and die? Reality? There is no reality other then the one you can percieve now and that is ultimate nature of reality.

Nobody teaches anyone to go and die.. that has nothing to do with Buddhism.

Reality is not seperate from right here, right now, unfortunately people are stuck in their erroneous conceptual views (of inherent existence of things, non existence, both and neither, or eternalism, nihilism, etc etc), does not know emptiness of the four/eight extremes, does not know the reality of their relative world, and obstructed by a layer of mental afflictions. Practising removes the layers of illusions and purifies the mind, clears the layer of dust to reveal the clear bright mirror (reality) beneath it.

There is no liberation as a body must be born, grow old, fall ill and die.

Of course, Buddha did not taught about attaining immortality. He merely taught liberating from the fundamental suffering due to ignorance and dualistic mental afflictions. Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

As Gautama Buddha has said, " All things must change.", then even Buddhist dharma must also change to fit reality.

Dharma means truth. Truth never changes. Compounded phenomena changes.

So kindly please, don't try to confuse people with claims to meta-physics and laws beyond quantum mechanics.

I am not even talking about meta physics and laws.

Isis SG

One born, grow old, fall ill and died is dharma.

In fact everything in life is Dharma. Dharma IS reality.

Just my one cent of opinion. Mr. Green

Isis SG

Is there any local dharma propagation centre and temple that currently promoting such cause?