For the fourth consecutive year, Nalanda will hold its 7-week Annual Gimhāna Retreat from 17 May to 1 July. Gimhāna Retreat focuses on one’s spiritual growth and personal transformation effected through the Dhamma. During this period, everyone is encouraged to commit to 7 weeks of intensive Dhamma learning and spiritual cultivation. Dhamma teachings and meditation sessions are arranged at Nalanda Centre every Wednesday, Sunday and Uposatha (New-moon and Full-moon) Day.
Read moreOver the weekend from 28 – 30 November, Nalanda Youth officers went to Bagan Lalang for their first retreat titled ‘Fuel-Up Camp’. During the three-day retreat, they ‘fueled-up’ on energy and spirit to gear up for next year.
Read moreReport by Lim Yee Wan | Photographs by See Hui Shien
Over the weekend of 14 – 16 November, 18 facilitators from Nalanda Dharma School Sri Serdang and KL Branch were at Port Dickson for a fruitful three-day annual retreat. The aim of the retreat was to review the School’s performance throughout the year and the 2015 School structure and programmes were discussed.
Read moreReport by Gan Bee Ching | Photographs by Gan Jia Cheng
On Wednesday 16 July, Nalanda Centre was packed with devotees eager to listen to the last Gimhāna teachings for 2014. It was indeed a worthwhile effort as Bro. Tan delivered an illuminating finale on the gradual development of a ‘good mind’. Recalling his earlier talks about a ‘good heart’ versus a ‘good mind’, he asked rhetorically –‘What is this “mind”?’
Read moreReport by Yee Sook Fen | Photographs by Gan Jia Cheng
On Wednesday 9 July, Nalanda Centre was again filled with devotees eager to learn and practice Dhamma. In his Dhamma talk, Bro. Tan shared some practical and beneficial tips on how to deal with disappointments. In our daily life, it is not uncommon to encounter disappointments of varying degrees, which constantly disturb our mental serenity. To deal with it, Bro. Tan shared that we need to put ‘problems’ in the proper perspective, and thus gradually developing ‘Right View’.
Read moreThis year’s 7-week long Gimhāna Period Retreat, which began on 28 May, came to a wonderful and inspiring close last night. Over the weeks, more than 200 devotees packed Nalanda Centre especially on Wednesdays and weekends for meditation, chanting, and community service.
Read moreTonight marks the last session of the 8-week meditation course under the guidance of Bro Tan. It also marks the end of this year’s inspiring ‘Gimhāna Retreat’. We would like to invite everyone to Nalanda Centre at 8.00pm tonight to join us in meditation and for the Dhamma teaching by Bro Tan. All are welcome!
Read moreReport by Gan Bee Ching | Photographs by Gan Jia Cheng
On Wednesday 2 July, devotees rejoiced in a meditation session and Dhamma teaching by Bro Tan. As the day commemorates the anniversary of his late teacher’s renunciation, Bro. Tan dedicated that evening’s teachings on ‘dutiful conduct’ to him.
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.
Read moreAccording to Theravada Buddhist tradition, monks are required to observe ‘Vassana’ or ‘Rains Retreat’ for a duration of 3 months beginning the day after the full-moon of Asalha month, which is today. The 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 monks learned and practised Dhamma intensively under the direct guidance of the Buddha; at the end of that period, all of them had attained the highest spiritual goal of Arahantship.
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