VEN CHODRON - INSPIRING TEACHING TOUR 2006 -
BIG THANK YOU
BY CHOON FAH, Coordinator
FOSAS
Dear Friends of Sravasti Abbey, Brothers and Sisters in the Dharma;
Friends Of Sravasti Abbey Singapore (FOSAS), are happy to announce the success and the smooth running of Ven. Chodron 2006 Inspiring Teaching Tour in Singapore.
Her Year 2006 Singapore Teaching tour is as follows:
- 17th April 2006 to 20th April, a continued 4 days talk on the Shantideva, Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life Chapter 1 @ Taipei Buddhist Centre.
- Talk: Living A Meaningful Life, Faith and Inquiry in Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple on 21st - 22nd April respectively.
- Workshop - Vajrasattva Practice: The Path of Purification @ PKS, 10 am to 4.30pm
- Talk - To bear the unbearable: The Bodhisattva Practice of Patience @ Buddhist Library
Her teaching tour kicked off with a very meaningful Chinese Mahayana's Invitation ceremony by Pureland Dedicated team on 17th April talk in TaiPei. The team consists 7 of them wearing the Traditional Buddhist Attire "HaiQing" which is black in colour. 3 people Standing left & Right in each role and one holding the incense urn with burning incense standing in centre. They represents the Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Male & female followers to invite Ven. Chodron in for the talk and chanting in Chinese "Lu Xiang Zhang". The hall is completely fill with the sweet aromatic of the sandal woods which in the other hand remind us the Essence of Dharma is sweeter than then Incense.
Personally, I felt very touched when I see Venerable "Walk-in Slowly and Mindfully" in such formal ceremony conducted as its sparks me with the thoughts that the Buddhism actually started and flourish in the East (Asia) and in time it had spread to the West (US, Europe etc) and now we invite Ven. Chodron (Western) to give teaching in the East, interesting isn't it? Moreover to conduct Chinese Mahayana Ceremony, Chanting in Chinese to invite an English Speaking Vajrayana Teacher to give the holiest precious teaching, it is really inspiring. It symbolized the harmonious of the Buddha teaching though taught in Different Languages, Different Traditions and Different Cultures.
Every year she will never fail to give teaching to the inmates in Singapore as far as the school permits, so this year she rounded up her teaching tours with a session in Kaki Bukit Prison School on 26th April before she packed for her trip to USA.
On behalf of FOSAS we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude towards Ven. Chodron for flying over to Singapore despite her hectic schedule right after her three months retreat and thanks our great teacher for giving us such a beneficial and inspiring teaching. Thanks our brothers and sisters in the West (Sravasti Abbey) for "their detachment" by allowing her to teach in Singapore...It must be hard for them to struggle with their attachment towards such a good teacher. Or who knows maybe they are celebrating and enjoying themselves for her absence ha ha...
This inspiring and beneficial teaching tour is possible duly owned to the Compassion of Ven. Chodron, Blessing of Ven. Guang Sheng, the abbot of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple (PKS), Bro Joe, Bro Andy and their teams. PKS generously sponsored Venerable Air Ticket to Singapore, special thanks to its dedicated team for inviting her and organize two Public Talks on 21st & 22nd April 2006, Buddhist Workshop on 23rd and 24th in PKS premises. As usual the talks and workshop were so well organized and received, both public talk attracted more than 1000 audiences turn out each night and about 450 participants registered and participated the two full day workshop.
We would like to thank Tai Pei Buddhist Centre for allowing us to use this premises for continued four days 17th to 20th April. Special thanks to Tai Pei Team for staying back late all those nights to aid us in all ways. We would also like to thank Pureland Marketing especially Sherin and Hwee Seng, for coordinating with Tai Pei Buddhist centre to Co-Organizing these 4 days teaching Programs. More than 300 people turns out each night for this special teaching despite of the specialized topic.
PureLand generously supported Ven. Chodron and abbey by recording and duplicating all her talks into CDs and distributed freely both in Singapore and Sravasti Abbey in US. We also like to thank them for hosting Ven. Chodron in their place. We are touch by their attentiveness towards Ven. Chodron needs and had been taking care of Ven. Chodron very well. Venerable Chodron ever pull me aside and thanks us for arranging her to stay in this 5 Stars "Hotel", and say their hospitality service make her feel like a "Princess". Not forgetting to thanks them for allowing FOSAS group to utilize their premises to conduct meeting, refuge taking, rehearsal and finally thanks for their patience on us for "dirty & staining" their places (Dharma Hall) with our Lunch Gathering...
Special thanks to Bhante Dhamaratana (Buddhist Library), Bro Weng Fai and their dedicated team for the coordination of her talk in their premises and large crowds turn out for her teaching.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers (from Phor Kark See, TaiPei, Pureland, Buddhist Library & FOSAS) for spending time and effort by helping us in setting up the hall, so that is conducive for teachings, manning the stall, organizing and ushering, fetching Ven. Chodron to and fro etc etc.... take care of all the nitty gritty details that we probably overlooked
We would also like to thank Sis Laurine of LW supplies our regular sponsor, for her generosity by sponsoring hand made item such as Bookmarks, photo frame, glassware etc to aid fund raising for the Sravsti Abbey. Special thank to Awareness Place to consign books and CDs for the sales and all proceeds to Sravasti Abbey.
Special Thanks to Bodhicitta Group who actually perform and entertain our early audience on the first day. An energetic and inspiring performance, if your missed their performance you could pick up their CDs on most Buddhist Bookshop.
Last but not least we would like to thank you, our wonderful sponsor, supporters and audiences, for your contribution in term of financial and spent valuable time to attend the teaching, without you and your support all those that we have mentioned will not be possible. With your support, we believe we could continuously invite Ven. Chodron to come every year or maybe twice a year to conduct teaching and workshop again in PKS (by KMSPKS), continued the other Chapter by Shantideva, the guide to bodhisattva ways of life in TaiPei Buddhist Centre (by Tai Pei and Pure Land), Teaching in Other Buddhist Centre such as Buddhist Library, ABC and Prison school etc
With your support the Dharma will flourish both in the East and West, because all her teaching in Singapore will be recorded and Pure land marketing will distribute in Singapore to those who need them and we will send them to the Abbey and share this beneficial teaching to our Brothers and Sisters in the West.
The yearlyprayer request is back on demand this years and within this short period we receive more than 250 (more are coming in) well wishes request Venerable to pray for their beloved one, family, parents, their teachers, friends, relatives, children, sentience being, their late Loved etc etc. Venerable Chodron and her members are happyto read out all the names after the puja on 12th May 2006, which we have summarized for her and dedicate all good merits to all. For information there are, 70 names for Speedy Recovery, 280 for Good Health and Long Life, 320 for clearing Obstacle and Bringing Success, 30 (Late) to be born in Pureland, higher future rebirth and meet the good teaching.
Oh ya....Thank those who have put up a prayer requests (not one, we received quite a number) to Venerable to pray for our team, we feel so lucky, happy and touched to know that there are peoples care for us and appreciate what we are doing (thou we did not do a good job). For that we sincerely dedicate merits accumulated from such good thoughts to all those who help the Sravasti Abbey in one way of another, who practice the good Dharma, to be able to liberated all suffering and cause of suffering, gain all happiness and causes happiness.
Lastly,May I wish all of You and Your Family be Well and Happy.
We welcome feedbacks and suggestions to help us to serve you better in future. Please be also note that we will inform all of you once her talk is edited and duplicated into CDs and ready for collection. You could contact Pure Land Marketing (
) if you like to make any voluntarily contribution.
If you have taken photograph during the events, we would appreciate if you could email us the digital copy, best photo will be selected to be put up in our web page.
Just for Fun, anybody would like to make a wild guesson the age of our FOSAS Oldest Supporter and the age of our Youngest Supporter. Result will be announce once we managed to arrange a photo taking of both of them together.....
Thank you.
Choon Fah
Coordinator
FOSAS
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