Love: The Heart of Happiness
14 February was Valentine’s Day, an internationally well-known day that celebrates love. Regardless of religion, Valentine’s Day is what and how each person makes of it. As a breakthrough from the past where Valentine’s Day was only celebrated between romantic couples, it has since been observed as a significant event and as an opportunity to express love, much more than romantic love; and to appreciate the people in our lives and even ourselves.
As Buddhists, we should always learn to cultivate a loving mind. We should see every single sentient being as ourselves, and thus treat them and love them in the way we would like to be treated and loved. We call this infinitely benevolent, selfless love.
In Buddhism, love is based on recognising our fundamental interconnectedness and knowing that all beings are like us in wanting and needing happiness and not wanting to suffer; love is impersonal because we do not have to specially do anything to receive it. Love is not based on our looks, wealth or status.
To feel truly loved, we should cultivate wholesome attitudes towards all sentient beings through the Four Immeasurables. These are the four kinds of love taught and encouraged in Buddhist teachings:
- Loving-kindness: the capability to offer boundless feelings of happiness to all sentient beings and to love and accept oneself, one’s body and mind, and society.
- Compassion: cultivating compassion can help remove and transform the suffering and its causes to all sentient beings.
- Appreciative joy: this is not just about happiness — it is about valuing and appreciating others’ virtues, good qualities, and successes that have brought them happiness. It can be assumed as an antidote to envy and jealousy.
- Equanimity: the ability to stay emotionally and mentally calm, even in the face of tremendous pressure or turmoil, and to cultivate a cling-free relationship. Listen and communicate with an open heart and mind — tell the truth and not make any accusations and judgments.
When we cultivate and practise the Four Immeasurables with our loved ones, they will no longer be the only object of our love. Happiness is limitless, radiate our love and you will realise that our selfless love will grow and embrace all other sentient beings, regardless of whether they make us happy or sad. Appreciate the countless compassion and loving-kindness we have been receiving and the joys surrounding us; we will then realise how much goodwill we have been showered with and how special they have been to us in our lives.
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三皈五戒授戒典礼 Threefold Refuge and Five Precepts Ceremony
皈依三宝是学佛的入门，受持戒律是信仰的实践！
佛教徒皈依三宝：皈依佛、皈依法、皈依僧。佛、法、僧总称“三宝”。
佛：是经过修持，证悟了宇宙的真理，达到了完美的涅槃（觉悟）的境界。
法：佛陀的教诲，按照佛陀的教导。通过用心、耐心的修习；我们也能成佛的。
僧：僧团内的法师或尼师，他们各自修持并代表佛陀延续教导众生，以达到完美的涅槃（觉悟）。
A) 三皈五戒授戒典礼 （以中文进行）
Threefold Refuge and Five Precepts Ceremony (Conducted in Mandarin)
授戒师：广声大和尚
地点 Venue：宏船老和尚纪念堂 | 4 楼 | 无相殿
Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall | Level 4 | Hall of No Form
日期 Date：2023年3月12日 (星期日）农历二月廿一
12 March 2023 (Sunday)
报到时间 Reporting Time：12pm
彩排时间 Rehearsal Time：12.30pm
授戒典礼时间 Starting Time：1pm
备注：三皈五戒报名者务必出席三皈五戒预备班。本寺也鼓励报名者参加佛教礼仪班。
Remarks: Attendance of preparatory class is compulsory for Threefold Refuge & Five Precepts. Participants are encouraged to attend the Buddhist Etiquette Class.
报名方式 To Register :
• 网上报名 Online registration：https://tiny.cc/3R5P-01
B）三皈五戒预备班 （以中文授课）
Threefold Refuge and Five Precepts Preparatory Class (Conducted in Mandarin)
地点 Venue：宏船老和尚纪念堂 | 1楼 | 聚缘坊
Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall | Level 1 | Ju Yuan Fang
日期 Date：2023年3月11日 (星期六）农历二月二十
11 March 2023 (Saturday)
时间 Time：1pm – 3pm
*法师授教
询问：6849 5326 | sed@kmspks.org
More Details 更多详情
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Relaxation and Mindfulness Meditation 舒心 . 正念 . 静坐班
19.2.23 onwards
Join Venerable Kwang Sheng as he shares how meditation and Buddhist teachings can help us to re-energise ourselves and to re-focus our mind, bringing about a sense of peace and well-being.
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Blood Donation Drive 捐血活动 2023
19.2.23 (Sun), 9am - 3pm
Give the gift of life and donate blood.
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儿童书法班：写一手好字 伴一生受益
25.2.23 - 6.5.23 (Sat), 2.30pm - 4pm
自小接受良好的书法教育，不仅能让孩子写一手好字，在提高审美能力和文化艺术涵养之余，也培养孩子严谨而踏实的学习态度，刻苦自觉。
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《成佛之道》——第一章至第四章
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《成佛之道》此课程，为如何修学和证悟提供了具体的指导说明。
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佛教礼仪 Buddhist Etiquette Class 2023
11.3.23 (Sat), 9am - 11am
佛教的四威仪包含行如风、坐如钟、立如松、卧如弓。让我们从行、住、坐、卧中训练身、口、意业的清净，从外在的威仪中体现内在的修持。
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Register for the 2023 Buddhism Lecture Series (conducted in English) today and learn how to apply Buddha’s teachings in your daily life.
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KMS Dharma School Student Admission Exercise 2023
Registration starts from 3.10.22
Instilling positive values during a child’s formative years nurture and help in their social and emotional development.
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Q: How do we overcome our anger and cultivate love and compassion?
Just as a militia trains and works together and does not give up until the enemy is conquered, to combat the enemy of our own anger we must develop strong love that wants others to be happy and strong compassion that wants them to be free of suffering. We need to nurture these attitudes conscientiously and deliberately by practising the meditations for cultivating bodhicitta, such as the seven-point instruction of cause and effect, or equalising and exchanging self for others. As our mind gets more familiar with love and compassion, anger cannot arise as easily because our whole attitude towards others has shifted. A mind grounded in loving-kindness and compassion also makes it much easier to subdue any anger that does happen to arise.
—Exercepted from 365 Gems of Wisdom (First Volume)
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“Our mindstream doesn’t die with physical death. Like energies, we merely transform from one form to another. Most people only care about the happiness, pain and suffering of this life. Actually, what we should be more concerned about is the karma we are creating in every moment of this life: “Are my thoughts, speech and actions virtuous and compassionate, or are they not? Do they leave a positive or negative impact on this world.”
─ Venerable Sik Kwang Sheng
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