Mae Chee's workshop organised by Ti-Ratana Penchala Community Centre was a success. The press and media were taken by her peaceful aura.The press & media waited impatiently and constantly reminding us of their next appointment. As soon as they meet with Mae Chee they felt her peaceful aura and stayed till the end of the workshop!!! We had the privilege of hugging Mae Chee and that moment all I felt was tremendous joy.
She sent her message of peace and pure mind during her first visit to Malaysia recently.And if you missed it, here's a short peek during the recent workshop.It's an interview conducted The Star Online.TV
Words of Wisdom from Mae Chee Sansanee - Peace
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Dana (Giving)
By Bhikkhu Visuddhacara
DANA is a Pali word that can be translated as giving, generosity, charity,
and liberality.
It occupies an important part in the Buddha's teaching, which is often
formulated under three headings - dana, sila, bhavana (giving, morality,
meditation or mental cultivation). That dana is one heading underscores its
importance. Buddhists should take heed and cultivate a good spirit of dana.
It is a first step towards eliminating the defilement of greed, hatred and
delusion (lobka, dosa, moha), for every act of giving is an act of
non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion. When you give you have loving-kindness
(metta) and compassion (karuna) in your heart. So at that time greed, hatred
or ill-will, and delusion would be absent.
"Giving" is a word that has very wide connotations. It does not mean that
you give only to monks. It does not mean that you give only expensive
things. And it does not mean that you give only material things that cost
money.
For you can give many immaterial things which may count even more than
material things. What I mean is that when we are kind to each other, we are
giving kindness, gentleness, comfort, peace, happiness, etc. So we can give
by being kind. For example, we can lend a sympathetic ear to a troubled
person, listen to him (or her) with compassion and give him comfort and
encouragement.
To the troubled person, your giving time to listen to him is more important
than if he were to receive a material gift. So when we are living in a
community, we should cultivate care and concern for each other, reaching out
to help whenever we can. Then we give more kindness by speaking gently,
soothingly, not harshly or angrily. This can bring much cheer to people, as
the following poem shows:
Loving words will cost but little
Journeying up the hill of life
But they make the weak and weary
Stronger, braver for the strife
So, as up life's hill we journey
Let us scatter all the way
Kindly words, to be as sunshine
In the dark and cloudy day. When we bring happiness into the lives of others, we are giving in a very
meaningful way. In this context, giving would mean more than just giving
material things. The attitude involved is also important.
For example, during the time of the Buddha, there was one, Prince Payasi,
who established a charity for ascetics and Brahmins, wayfarers, beggars and
the needy. And he gave such food as broken rice and sour gruel and also
rough clothing. A young Brahmin called Uttara was put in charge of the distribution.
One day Uttara made some uncomplimentary remarks about Prince Payasi. The
Prince called him up and asked: "But why did you say such a thing? Friend
Uttara, don't we who wish to gain merit expect a reward for our charity?"
Uttara replied: "But Lord, the food you give-broken rice with sour gruel-you
would not care to touch it with your foot, much less eat it! And the rough
clothes - you would not care to set foot on them, much less wear them!"
Prince Payasi then asked Uttara to arrange to supply better food and
clothing, and the latter did so. When Prince Payasi died he was reborn in an
empty mansion in a low heavenly realm. Uttara was reborn in a higher
heavenly realm in the company of the 33 gods.
This was because Prince Payasi had established his charity grudgingly, not
with his own hands, and without proper concern, like something casually
tossed aside. But Uttara had given the charity ungrudgingly, with his own
hands and with proper concern, not like something tossed aside.
This account from Payasi Sutta of Digha Nikaya shows the importance of
having true care and concern. So when doing dana, we should take care to
cultivate a heart of true loving-kindness and compassion. Buddhists are
taught to offer food, robes, medicine and monastery buildings to monks.
Monks are considered a field of merit and worthy of support.
It is understandable that Buddhists should give full support to the Sangha,
for the monks are the ones who are in a position to study, practice and
safeguard the Dhamma for the present and future generations. Without the
Dhamma, Buddhism would be lost. The monks too keep 227 precepts, which
restrain them from indulgence in sensual pleasures.
Lay Buddhists thus consider monks to be in a better position to cultivate
mental purity. So monks generally receive good support from lay Buddhists
and this is as it should be. But in the true spirit of dana, Buddhists
should not confine their giving to monks only They should relate well with
their fellow Buddhists, showing care and concern and sharing what they can.
Whenever somebody is in trouble and needs help, they should respond if they
are able to. Furthermore, they should extend the same loving-kindness to
society at large, to people of all races and creeds. They can donate
liberally according to their ability to hospitals, old folks' homes,
handicapped institutions and all worthy causes. They can also get together
and set up such institutions, Such a broad attitude will make life
meaningful and rewarding.
DANA is a Pali word that can be translated as giving, generosity, charity,
and liberality.
It occupies an important part in the Buddha's teaching, which is often
formulated under three headings - dana, sila, bhavana (giving, morality,
meditation or mental cultivation). That dana is one heading underscores its
importance. Buddhists should take heed and cultivate a good spirit of dana.
It is a first step towards eliminating the defilement of greed, hatred and
delusion (lobka, dosa, moha), for every act of giving is an act of
non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion. When you give you have loving-kindness
(metta) and compassion (karuna) in your heart. So at that time greed, hatred
or ill-will, and delusion would be absent.
"Giving" is a word that has very wide connotations. It does not mean that
you give only to monks. It does not mean that you give only expensive
things. And it does not mean that you give only material things that cost
money.
For you can give many immaterial things which may count even more than
material things. What I mean is that when we are kind to each other, we are
giving kindness, gentleness, comfort, peace, happiness, etc. So we can give
by being kind. For example, we can lend a sympathetic ear to a troubled
person, listen to him (or her) with compassion and give him comfort and
encouragement.
To the troubled person, your giving time to listen to him is more important
than if he were to receive a material gift. So when we are living in a
community, we should cultivate care and concern for each other, reaching out
to help whenever we can. Then we give more kindness by speaking gently,
soothingly, not harshly or angrily. This can bring much cheer to people, as
the following poem shows:
Journeying up the hill of life
But they make the weak and weary
Stronger, braver for the strife
So, as up life's hill we journey
Let us scatter all the way
Kindly words, to be as sunshine
In the dark and cloudy day.
meaningful way. In this context, giving would mean more than just giving
material things. The attitude involved is also important.
For example, during the time of the Buddha, there was one, Prince Payasi,
who established a charity for ascetics and Brahmins, wayfarers, beggars and
the needy. And he gave such food as broken rice and sour gruel and also
rough clothing. A young Brahmin called Uttara was put in charge of the distribution.
One day Uttara made some uncomplimentary remarks about Prince Payasi. The
Prince called him up and asked: "But why did you say such a thing? Friend
Uttara, don't we who wish to gain merit expect a reward for our charity?"
Uttara replied: "But Lord, the food you give-broken rice with sour gruel-you
would not care to touch it with your foot, much less eat it! And the rough
clothes - you would not care to set foot on them, much less wear them!"
Prince Payasi then asked Uttara to arrange to supply better food and
clothing, and the latter did so. When Prince Payasi died he was reborn in an
empty mansion in a low heavenly realm. Uttara was reborn in a higher
heavenly realm in the company of the 33 gods.
This was because Prince Payasi had established his charity grudgingly, not
with his own hands, and without proper concern, like something casually
tossed aside. But Uttara had given the charity ungrudgingly, with his own
hands and with proper concern, not like something tossed aside.
This account from Payasi Sutta of Digha Nikaya shows the importance of
having true care and concern. So when doing dana, we should take care to
cultivate a heart of true loving-kindness and compassion. Buddhists are
taught to offer food, robes, medicine and monastery buildings to monks.
Monks are considered a field of merit and worthy of support.
It is understandable that Buddhists should give full support to the Sangha,
for the monks are the ones who are in a position to study, practice and
safeguard the Dhamma for the present and future generations. Without the
Dhamma, Buddhism would be lost. The monks too keep 227 precepts, which
restrain them from indulgence in sensual pleasures.
Lay Buddhists thus consider monks to be in a better position to cultivate
mental purity. So monks generally receive good support from lay Buddhists
and this is as it should be. But in the true spirit of dana, Buddhists
should not confine their giving to monks only They should relate well with
their fellow Buddhists, showing care and concern and sharing what they can.
Whenever somebody is in trouble and needs help, they should respond if they
are able to. Furthermore, they should extend the same loving-kindness to
society at large, to people of all races and creeds. They can donate
liberally according to their ability to hospitals, old folks' homes,
handicapped institutions and all worthy causes. They can also get together
and set up such institutions, Such a broad attitude will make life
meaningful and rewarding.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Mae Chee Sansanee write up on The Star (today 15 Sep 2010)
RUNWAY model-turned-Buddhist nun, Mae Chee Sansanee will be setting foot in Malaysia for the very first time to conduct a spiritual workshop on Saturday at the Crystal Crown Hotel in Petaling Jaya.
Her humanitarian efforts as a peace messenger and to break the cycle of violence have been recognised by people across the globe and her followers include celebrities like Richard Gere and Lindsay Wagner.
At 25, Mae Chee was at the peak of her modelling career but still felt something was missing in her life.
Mae Chee: The model-turned-Buddhist nun will conduct a spiritual workshop on Sept 18 at the Crystal Crown Hotel in Petaling Jaya. “She made the life-changing decision to give up her glamourous lifestyle for the humble life of a nun and to spread the message of peace to all those around her,” she added.
Mae Chee went on to become co-chair for the Global Peace Initiative of Women and founder of learning community for pregnant women, Sathira Dhammasatan.
A firm believer that peaceful thoughts can be instilled as early as the foetal stage, Mae Chee aims to reach out to pregnant women and their families about the importance of a peaceful mind and transmitting good thoughts to the unborn baby through the workshop.
“She has agreed to come and share her knowledge with us and I strongly recommend that people come forward and take the opportunity to learn from this remarkable person,” said centre founder and advisor Venerable Dhammaratana, adding that the number of seats were limited and would be given on a first come, first served basis.
“We welcome all expectant mothers, their partners and family members to attend the workshop,” said Honey Khoo, general manager of the Ti-Ratana Community Centre adding that participants were advised to wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring along their own cushion seat or yoga mat for some light exercise activities.
The workshop was the brainchild of 25-year-old Dhammasi Teo who requested that Mae Chee be brought to Malaysia after attending an inspiring spiritual retreat by the nun in Bangkok.
For further information on the workshop, contact Honey Khoo or Irene at 03-7784 9002 or log on to www.ti-ratana-penchala.com.my to register.
Sanghika Dana on 17 Sep 2010 @ Ti-Ratana Penchala
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
There will be a sangha dana on 17 sep 2010 (Fri) @ Ti-Ratana Penchala together with Mae Chee Sansanee. Our Chief Ven Dhammaratana including 6 Sangha members will be attending the dana.
Time : 10.30am
Dhamma Talk
Date : 17 Sep 2010 (Fri)
Time : 8.00pm
Venue : Ti-Ratana Penchala Community Centre
Everyone is welcome.
Map to our centre - http://www.ti-ratana-penchala.com.my/index.php?p=con
With Metta
Ti-Ratana Penchala Community Centre
There will be a sangha dana on 17 sep 2010 (Fri) @ Ti-Ratana Penchala together with Mae Chee Sansanee. Our Chief Ven Dhammaratana including 6 Sangha members will be attending the dana.
Time : 10.30am
Dhamma Talk
Date : 17 Sep 2010 (Fri)
Time : 8.00pm
Venue : Ti-Ratana Penchala Community Centre
Everyone is welcome.
Map to our centre - http://www.ti-ratana-penchala.com.my/index.php?p=con
With Metta
Ti-Ratana Penchala Community Centre
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Mae Chee Sansanee Sthirasuta - Vision of World Leaders
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
As you are aware that Mae Chee Sansanee from Thailand will be in KL in 2 weeks time and we are organising a Dhamma Talk on 17 Sep & Serene Mind Workshop on 18 Sep , you will be probably be wondering who she is, here's something to share with everyone.Click the video.
As you are aware that Mae Chee Sansanee from Thailand will be in KL in 2 weeks time and we are organising a Dhamma Talk on 17 Sep & Serene Mind Workshop on 18 Sep , you will be probably be wondering who she is, here's something to share with everyone.Click the video.
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