Aimed at imparting a joyful learning spirit in teenagers as well as strengthening their desire to seek knowledge, a 4-day 3-night camp themed “Joy of Learning” was held during the school holidays in Nalanda Centre. A myriad of activities such as challenging station games, mind-blowing ‘detective hunt’, captivating dharma talks and group discussions had successfully fired up their enthusiasm to learn more!
Being “farmer-for-a-day” was a humbling yet invigorating experience for some 46 children aged 9 to 12 during an outing organized by Nalanda Dharma School, which was part of a 3-day children’s learning camp.
After lunch, the participants went to Pustaka Nalanda for the sharing and discussion on “The Three Jewels (Part 1)”.
1 May is designated ‘Nalanda Day’; it marks the 9th anniversary of Nalanda’s founding. On this day, Nalandians congregated for morning devotion at the Shrine Hall, before gathering in the Srivijaya Hall, where important Society events are usually held.
Among the many significant ‘news’ for the day were the launchings of Nalanda’s revised website, our new uniform, our first vehicle – a reconditioned, used-van generously donated by Mr. Chan Fong, and “Nalanda-Macro” – an important document outlining Nalanda’s Transformation Programme and our organizational goals for the next one year.
In conjunction with the upcoming Wesak Day, Mr. Vijaya Samarawickrama, the Director of Nalanda Institute, conducted a 3-hour course on the “True Significance of WESAK”, which aimed to better inform Buddhists on the right spirit and understanding of celebrating Wesak.
A dialogue session with Venerable Man Ya marked the first Service Sunday for 2012. Four representatives from different age groups, namely retirees, working adults, parents and children, discussed the topic “Promoting Social Harmony in Our Daily Lives“.
More than 300 participants turned up at Bukit Jalil Recreation Park on a crisp Sunday morning on 4 March to take part in Nalanda Walkathon – “Walk for Education 2012!” This time around, there were more group participation from schools, private companies and local council staff members. One out-station participant, an undergraduate from Perak, even arrived the night before and slept under a canopy in the Park!