Pertaining to the annual Nalandian Gimhana Retreat. Any report, news or notice concerning this programme should be tagged.
On Tuesday 10 June, Sis. Nandinī Tan delivered an insightful talk during the Gimhāna Full-moon Uposatha service on the “Iddhipada – The Four Bases of Power” which make the mind powerful. The Four Bases of Power are Chanda, Viriya, Citta and Vīmaṃsā.
Read moreThe full moon of the Jettha month is fast approaching, and soon we will be entering the third week of the Gimhāna Retreat, which began on 27 May. We warmly invite you to join the Uposātha Full Moon Service on Tuesday 10 June, featuring a Dhamma Talk by Sis. Nandinī Tan, who will guide us in contemplating the interesting topic: “What Makes the Mind Powerful.”
Read moreOn Tuesday 27 May, Nalanda held an Uposātha evening service in conjunction with the new-moon day of the month Jeṭṭha, marking the beginning of the 2025 Gimhāna Retreat for all Nalanda members and devotees. The evening service featured chanting, meditation and a Dhamma talk by Sis. Nandini Tan. Tracing the origin of Nalanda’s Gimhāna Retreat to 2012, Sis. Nandini reminded us of the purpose of Gimhāna Retreat – a 7-week intensive self-practice programme based on Five Daily Practices.
Read moreThe fifth daily practice during the Gimhāna Retreat is do ground ourselves in evening chanting and reflection of our day. Take time at the end of the day to recollect and reflect on our actions, speech and thoughts throughout the day. The more that we reflect, the clearer we can see our progress and journey.
Read moreHoning wholesome habits would not be complete without efforts to perform acts generosity and kindness towards others as part of our daily practice. Giving (Dāna) can be performed in everyday life, even when we don’t leave out home; donating online, purchasing requisites to be delivered to another, or even a kind word to someone suffering.
Read moreOne of the wholesome habits we can develop is to dedicate time to read Dhamma books and listen to Dhamma talks. Just as how we brush our teeth daily to ensure healthy teeth and gums, and to prevent tooth decay, we nourish our minds with Dhamma daily so that we purify our minds from the stains of defilements.
Read moreIn the Gimhāna Retreat, the second daily practice that we can do is meditation to cultivate calmness and clarity of the mind. Our quality of life and happiness is directly linked to the degree of our mental development. Our minds create many problems in our lives when untrained. With tremendous mental proliferation, there is little peace and tranquillity in life.
Read moreDuring the seven-week Gimhāna Retreat, we can undertake the Five Daily Practices to develop new wholesome habits. The first daily practice is morning chanting and making noble aspirations.
Read moreToday is the new-moon Uposatha day of the month Jeṭṭha, which also marks the start of the summer season, Gimhāna. For seven weeks after the Buddha’s Enlightenment, He contemplated on the Dhamma with His perfectly clear faculty of comprehension. At Nalanda, it marks the start of our annual Gimhāna Retreat where we come together to deepen our understanding and practice in the Dhamma.
Read moreFor seven weeks after the Buddha’s Enlightenment on Wesak full-moon in May, He contemplated on the Dhamma with His perfectly clear faculty of comprehension. Then, He travelled for seven days from Uruvela to Sarnath, where He preached the ‘Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta’ on Asalha Day, the full-moon in July.
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