On Saturday 18 October, Ven. Sri Saranankara Nāyaka Thero, Abbot of Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple in Kuala Lumpur, dropped by for an impromptu visit to the Nalanda Centre annex building under renovation. The venerable had come from an earlier Nalanda Pindacāra Programme in nearby Seri Kembangan. He was warmly received upon arrival by Founder Bro. Tan and other officers.
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On Tuesday 23 September, Venerable Sujatha Thero, Abbot of Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple in Woodstock, Illinois, USA, came to Nalanda Centre on a familiarisation visit. He was accompanied by Venerables Indarathana and Srirathana. The visiting Sangha members were warmly received by Nalandian officers including host Bro. Pee Che Yong, who brought the venerables on a tour of Nalanda Centre and Youth Centre.
Read moreReport by Muditā | Photographs by Gan Jia Cheng
On Saturday 20 September, devotees gathered at the Seri Kembangan morning market for our twice-monthly ‘Pindacāra’ (monks going on alms-round) programme. The rain which came in the early morning did not dampen the spirits of many devotees who turned up with offerings to the venerable monks.
Read moreRecently, Nalanda had the good fortune of hosting Ven. Ayya Santinī from Maribaya, Indonesia, who was accompanied on her visit here by several Indonesian devotees. While residing at Nalanda Centre, she gave several teachings and conducted personal interviews with devotees. We were also honoured to receive Venerables Dhammadinnā and Sumangalā who came to meet Ayya Santinī in Sri Serdang.
Read moreToday is the full-moon day for the month of ‘Potthapāda’ (or ‘Binara’ [ බිනර ] in Sinhalese). According to Sri Lankan Theravada tradition, this day commemorates the occasion where the Buddha allowed the ordination of ‘bhikkhunīs’ (women renunciates), and thus is a very important anniversary.
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On Saturday 16 August, our monthly ‘Pindacāra’ was held at the Seri Kembangan Jalan Besar market. Volunteers were there early to engage with market-goers, informing them about the monks coming for alms. The weather took a sudden turn and rain started pouring. Nonetheless it did not dampen the spirit of many devotees who patiently waited under umbrellas for the arrival of venerable monks.
Read moreOn Saturday, 2 August, devotees and volunteers participated joyfully in the monthly ‘Pindacāra’ (monks going on alms-round) Programme at the Sri Petaling and Happy Garden morning markets. We were honoured by the presence of two senior venerables from Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple Sentul, to participate in this alms-round.
Read moreOn Saturday 19 July, market-goers in Seri Kembangan’s Jalan Besar market waited patiently for the start of Pindacāra (monk going on alms-round). Many devotees were ready with cooked food in hand to be offered to monk(s) on alms-round. It was indeed joyful to experience the atmosphere of calm and humility as people of different age groups participated wholeheartedly in this meritorious activity.
Read moreOn Friday 18 July, Nalanda Centre was honoured by the visit of two senior monastic teachers from Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山), one of the largest Buddhist organisations in Taiwan, which was founded by the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen.
Read moreThe tradition of ‘Rains Retreat’ was started by the Buddha Himself in the year 588 BCE, where the Lord and 60 bhikkhus resided in Sarnath near Varanasi. The Buddha, seeing that the period of intense spiritual practice and communal discipline had greatly benefited the monks, formally instituted the 3-month ‘Rains Retreat’ whereby monks and nuns were to refrain from traveling and engaging in much activity to focus their attention inwardly towards spiritual development and purification.
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