Bro Teoh’s 20 June 2019 Thursday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio, video and short notes links for our 20 June 2019 Thursday class for sharing by all.

Short notes link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-Thu-190620.pdf

With metta always,
Teoh

Bro Teoh’s 9 June 2019 Sunday class

Dear kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio, video and short notes links for our 9 June 2019 Sunday class for sharing by all.

Short notes linkhttps://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/15th-Cultivating-the-Bodhisattva-Way-9-June-2019.pdf

With metta always,
Teoh

Bro Teoh’s 6 June Thursday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio, video and short notes links for our 6 June  2019 Thursday class for sharing by all.
With metta always,
Teoh

Bro Teoh’s 4 June 2019 Tuesday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio, video and short notes links for our 4 June 2019 Tuesday class for sharing by all.

Short notes linkhttps://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-Tue-190604.pdf

With metta always,
Teoh

Bro Teoh’s 30 May 2019 Thursday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below dharma video on ‘Understanding the Essential Dhamma especially on the 3 Evil roots (Greed, Hatred and Delusion) for sharing by all. Please do view it attentively.
 
Dear Bro Chin How – Maha Sadhu! for the below video recording which you had so nicely video.
Whiteboard link to be viewed with the video.
Subject: Re: Bro Teoh’s Thursday class video dated 30 May 2019

Chin How: https://youtu.be/2wazDo-98pU  🙏

Audio link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-Thu-190530.mp3
[01/06, 11:40] teohkiankoon: 🙏🙏🙏👍 Thank u so much Chin How. Last Thursday class (30 May 2019) video above was very well done.

Bye! and with metta always,
Teoh

Bro Teoh’s 28 May 2019 Tuesday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio and short notes links for our May 28 2019 Tuesday class for sharing by all.

Short notes link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-Tue-190528.pdf

 
With metta always,
Teoh
From: Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>

Dear Sister Yoon Chun and all,
Enclose below are the above edited outline short notes for sharing by all.

Brother Teoh’s May 28 2019 Tuesday Class Short Notes

UNDERSTANDING DEATH & DYING

  1. Question by Sis Quinni: How to deal with Death? And is there any significant in keeping the ashes of the deceased?
  1. Response by Bro Teoh:  This borders on Filial Piety. We should be filial by spend more time with our parents when they are alive. Express yourappreciation and gratitude towards them for they have given you this life,raise you, caresacrifice and provide for you and make them happy and feel loved especially in the later part of their lives. Spend time with them and care for them when they are old and sick. When they depart, we do not need to hold an elaborate funeral. Make sure that it is conducted harmoniously and peacefully with understanding. No hot disputes with siblings as to what form of ceremony to hold. Decide base on consensusof the majority if there are differing opinions to resolve them amicably.Avoid unnecessary misunderstanding and conflict. If we feel like offering foods that they enjoy, go ahead, although it doesn’t serve a dhamma purpose. Also, there is no need to grieve and wail, as no amount of sorrow and lamentation will bring back the dead. Just offer our gratitudeand express our kindness towards our parents and accept their death as a first noble truth reality. We can instead do things following the dhamma way like making donations and offerings in their names then share and transfer merits to them, etc. which are more meaningful and tangible. Avoid unnecessary rites and rituals.
  2. At death, the Consciousness separates from the physical Form. The physical body, consisting of the 4 elements, will disintegrate and go the way of nature, whilst the remnant of consciousness will leaves the body. These remnant of their consciousness are likely to stay at the wake and funeral for some time. They are without a visible physical form but still have their senses like hearing and seeing. They can speak but can’t be heard by ordinary people. So, avoid bad-mouthing the dead. Will anger them. They understand all languages. However, they can’t really harm us because they don’t have a physical body. So, no need to be afraid of them. They exist as consciousness (energy) so do not fear them otherwise they have power to intensify your fear.
  3. In accordance with the Tirokudda Sutta, the Buddha advised King Bimbisara to offer a meal to his Sangha so that he can transfer merits to his departed relatives. These relatives have been awaiting for these merits to reduce their suffering.  The Buddhist practice is to make offering of robe, food and other requisites to sangha members at the wake and transfer merits to the departed ones. One can also invoke the power of merits to help the departed ones to have better birth and better life.
  4. The dead can be buried or cremated, according to their wish. Their ashes bear not much significance and can be disposed of in a columbarium, temple and forest or thrown into the sea. This is the choice of the family. There is no need to burn huge paper houses, hell money, cars, servants, etc. It only enriches the sellers of such articles and have no benefit to the dead. One should also avoid mediums who go into trance and perform rituals. They are unenlightened and deluded beings like many of us. Upon death, form and mind separates and cease to be so no more so and so.
  5. Sis PG shared her experience at her mum’s death.  She had to clean her mum’s body to wear clean clothes but couldn’t bend her stiffened arms. By imploring her mum to soften her body, she managed to finish her duty. So the departed can hear and respond.

(About draft short notes prepared by Sister Yoon Chun)

Bro Teoh’s 26 May 2019 Sunday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio and short notes links for our 26 May 2019 Sunday class for sharing by all.

With metta always,

Teoh

From: Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>
Sent: 03 June 2019 04:16

Dearest Soo Yee and all,
Enclose herewith is the above edited outline short notes for sharing by all.

Brother Teoh’s 26 May 2019 Sunday Class outline Short Notes

Book Reference: Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way (14th Lesson), Page 96-102

1.       Without wisdom, you will not have true renunciation and compassion.
When there is wisdomrenunciation and compassion manifests automatically.

    1. Without love, compassion and wisdom, the egoic mind/self-centredness will escalate and suffering will keep increasing and spreading.

       

2.       This Buddha sasana of Sakyamuni, is the best window to break free and to establish one’s nature firmly on the path of dhamma.  Through this window, we can also develop the understanding and faith to walk this Bodhisattva way firmlywith ease.

    1. We should constantly ask: “Which stage of bodhi mind development are we at?”
    2. We should aspire with utmost sincerity, faith and understanding to plant the seed of Bodhi deep into our nature to walk the Bodhisattva way by taking the 4 basic vows and all the other special aspirations and additional vows as given by Bro Teoh via his special printed format/notes to us. 


      These vows and aspirations are very important because: 

      “These are the Dharma understanding I need to have.”
      “These are the Right Views I need to understand.” 

      “I’m going all out to plant this seed of Bodhi to take this Bodhisattva vows sincerely, so as not to miss this window of opportunity, so that every life when this nature comes (whether choose to come or has to come), it will have these right  dharma understanding and vows to go this way.”

    3. Renew your vows every dayuntil it is instilled in your heart (may take about 3 months): 
  • Read through your Bodhisattva vows’ notes with a sincere mind to reaffirm your vows and aspirations. 
  • To renew your Four Great basic Vows and all your other aspirations and affirmations with understanding to stabilize and remember them firmly until you can recite them without having to refer to the notes anymore. 

3.       The seed of Bodhi will grow – nourished through wisdom and compassion to arisethe bright Bodhi mind.
Your aspirations and vows will bring forth the way.

 

4.       Strive on to be Spiritually Alive (free mind that understands – i.e. can settles downand becomes still on its own),
Spiritually Luminous (clarity of mind – no clinging to self or non-self) and
Spiritually Potent (overflowing with wisdom)

5.       Silent Illumination is the experience of Boundless Spaciousness (awareness without a centre)
(meditative mind that is fully aware and very sensitive to the slightest internal stirring/movements  as well as external stimuli or sense data impringing.)

    1. We cannot experience the mind as infinitely vast, if our mind is swamped with discursive thinking (preoccupied with narrow-minded views and heedless thinking – no longer aware)

    2. We cannot experience the environment as infinitely vast, if our mind constantly discriminate among sense objects (swayed by discriminative thoughts, implies lacking in equanimity)
    3. If your meditation does not give rise to wisdom, then you are missing the point entirely because only wisdom can shapes a person’s understanding and character to make them more noble in every aspect of their life. They will be humble, kind, sincere, honest, patient, forgivingexude wholesomeness, etc. They will also have contentment, respect and gratitude and are veryresponsible (having right duties).

    4. Awareness based Meditation has nothing to do with concentration and absorption. Silent without illumination is Samatha meditation. Illumination is awareness.
    5. Signs of progress – a good check is: “Have I become more peaceful, calm and happy or have I become more egoic? Do I still have theevil roots of like and dislikeanger, frustration, unhappiness anddiscrimination?”

6.       The topic on confronting old agesickness and death as shared by Sister Mun Yuen in her whatsApp was discussed.  Sis Chwee commented that such similar messages have been widely circulated in the social media and that there is nothing new in this.   

7.        Bro Teoh then asks “Without the Dhammawould you be able to overcome suchlife’s challenges?” 

8.       Sis Chwee replied: ‘for someone who has a strong attachment to the “self” (atta), he or she would not be able to accept aging as a reality and may likely suffer unless they have no choice but to finally accept such reality; however such acceptance by them is very different from those who have the dhamma. When we understand (that there is no real identity of a “self”), then there is no more need to justify such acceptance and we can even act with true compassion and understanding to help others (when conditions allow).  

9.       Bro Teoh shared some experiences from people confronting death, including a Kalyanamittas who had to confront disease and death when she was at the prime of her career. (For details please listen to the recorded sharing.)

10.   Sis Chwee urge everyone (the old as well as the young) to cultivate the understanding of the 4 noble truths early, as death may come knocking anytime, unexpectedly.

11.   Without the Dhamma, you cannot understand life, and you won’t know how to live life. Worst of all, you may not know how to die, as you do not understandwhat death is, and you will fear it. Also who die and what die?

12.   When there is condition for you to encounter the Buddha Dhamma, you should go deep into it and develop all the understanding. Otherwise it is a waste, not being able to make use of it to help yourself, help your loved ones, and others with affinity, so that you may be a blessing to all and you can do your duties towards nature, fellow living beings, the world and the universal consciousness.

13.   Sis Padmasuri shares that at first she thought she had understood the 4 noble truths, until she was recently tested by a very personal life’s challenge again. She finally reacted towards the additional responsibilities piled upon her when condition was rather harsh.

14.   Sis Chwee applauds Sis Padmasuri for facing her challenge with courage andhonesty. She adds that every age has its own challenges, and as we overcome each challenge, we learn and grow to be better versions of ourselves.

(Above outline short notes draft was prepared by Sis Soo Yee)

Bro Teoh 23 May 2019 Thursday class

Dear kalyanamittas,
Enclosed below are the audio and short notes links to our Thursday class dated 23 May 2019 for sharing by all.

Video link 2: https://youtu.be/lRATrIbuROs

Short notes link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-Thu-190523.pdf

With metta always,
Teoh

From: Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>
Dear Sister Phey Yuen and all,
Below is the above edited outline short notes for sharing by all.

Brother Teoh’s Thursday class dated 23rd May 2019 outline Short Notes

A.      1st session – Meditation 

1.       When you understand the Buddha’s teaching, you will have strong faith in him. This spiritual faculty of Saddha will arise the viriya (spiritual zeal) to drive you to cultivate sati. When the resulting Sati is stabilized it cumulates into Samadhi(a collected and unwavering free mind). This, will enable you to see things as they are leading to wisdom. These 5 spiritual faculties can help you overcomethe 5 mental hindrances (of sensual desire, ill will, restlessness, sloth/torpor and doubt) to enable you to meditate. Without the mental hindrances the mind will settle down into the meditative state of inner peace and inner awareness easily.

2.       With the 5 spiritual faculties established, you can easily relax and maintain silent inner awareness to develop the meditation. Sati will be established leading to Samadhi right away. There is awareness of your heartbeat, mental activities as well as the contact of body and mind. You can see dependent origination clearly. Due to ignorance, sankhara (mental thinking) arises therebycreating contact with the brain to trigger off the mental consciousness with itscontent arise from memories, to condition your like/dislikes and emotional negativity.

3.       For those without the 5 spiritual faculties to establish mindfulness, you need todecondition the heedless thinking by using the mind-sweeping methodcombine with metta. Then stabilize the sati with anapanasati.

B.      2nd session – Discussion topic: Understanding Life, Its purpose and meaning

4.       If you don’t understand life you cannot live life and you cannot discuss its purpose and meaning. So understanding life is very important.

5.       All of us need to confront the challenges of life especially the 1st Noble truth’s8 realities of confronting old age, sickness, death and separation from loved ones etc. with wisdom. We also need to have self-knowledge to know who are you and what are you? If you don’t even know who are you and what are youthen who is living your life? It you are deluded and heedless without awareness then the thoughts are living your life most of the time. It is important for us to understand life to live life well.

6.       As Buddhists we are indeed very blessed to have Shakyamuni Buddha’steachings to explain to us the deep meaning of life. The essence of his teaching is the 4 noble truths and this 4 noble truths, summary to us all of life (both the mundane and supra mundane). It also reveal to us the secret of life.

7.       The 1st noble truth explains to us the prevalence of dukkha or suffering and it highlight to us the 8 realities of life and existence. All of your suffering, sorrow and misery come from confronting these 8 realities without the requisitewisdom. The 8 realities are: 1) Birth; 2) Old age; 3) Sickness; 4) Death; 5) Separation from loved ones or our prized possession, 6) When you’re with people whom you don’t like; 7) When things don’t go your way, when your expectation in life are not met and when you cannot get what you want; and lastly 8) the 5 grasping aggregates (conditioned by one’s self-delusion) are dukkha. When you meditate with the silent mind, you will understand that this 5 aggregates of form and mind is dependent originating and impermanenthence it is not you. This body and mind is just a karmically conditioned ‘vehicleand tool’ for us to come to this existential world to live and experience life. With this understanding you can live life with good understanding.

8.       When you grasp and attach to your physical body you suffer because you will worry about it getting old, sick and one day die. If you cling to feeling, whether pleasant or unpleasant feelings, you will also suffer because feeling is dependent originating hence it is impermanent and not a permanent unchanging entity which you can cling onto and grasp onto as the ‘I’ and the ‘Me’. The same goes with all your perception, sankhara (activities of mind) and consciousness.  Reason why the Buddha said, ‘the 5 grasping aggregates are suffering’.

9.       The 2nd noble truth explains the cause of arising of suffering.  It is self-delusion that conditions craving that cause you to grasp and clingInvestigate further: If I grasp, cling and attach to form and feeling, all that I perceive and my mind states, views and opinionsdo I suffer? Without dharma wisdom, you definitely suffer.

10.   The 3rd noble truth explains that suffering need not be if you have with good understanding of Buddha’s teaching. Enlightenment in the here and now is possible. You know how to live life and are free from the 1st noble truth’s 8 realities. You cannot be deceived by the phenomenal world and the 5 aggregates of form and mind anymore. Instead you can live life to the fullest, with joy, understanding and love as an enlightened being.

11.   The 4th noble truth explains that if you cultivate this noble eightfold path, it will lead to the end of all suffering i.e. enlightenment in the here and now.

12.   Utu Niyama (nature’s physical order), Bija Niyama (nature’s biological order), Kamma Niyama (law of Kamma/Moral causation), Citta Niyama and Dhamma Niyama are the 5 nature’s universal orders that governs all of life and existence. The first 2 are scientific laws of nature and the last 3 are spiritual laws of natureUnderstanding these laws constituent right views leading to wisdom. This will enable us to understand life.

13.   Life is our greatest teacher. Nature has great compassion. We learn from lifethrough observing nature. The nature’s law of karma says, you reap what you sow and if you plant the seed of wholesomeness, you will reap the fruit of wholesomeness. Master Hsuen Hua also said, whatever causes you plant will give rise to its fruition when there are conditions for their arising. He thus warned, ‘please do not plant the wrong seed and reap the wrong fruit’. So to have the good life we have to take care of karma via following the advice of the Buddha.

14.   From the spiritual point of view, your sole purpose in life is to develop such understanding via following the advice of the Buddha to avoid all evil, do goodand purify your mind, to live the good life with wisdom and to always plant wholesome conditions.

15.   You must have Dutiful conduct – do your duty in accordance with these laws of nature especially the law of karma. Be responsible in life. As spouse, as children, as siblings, as parents, as employee/employer, do your duties well. Even towards the environment. If you neglect your duties, in future you will reap what you sowRight duty is right dhamma. You must also have Right conduct,good conduct and wise conduct after following the advice of the Buddha to cultivate wholesomeness to build up your karmic nature, so that when you choose to come or have come to, you will have the good Karmic support. Develop wisdom, you won’t suffer, life becomes meaningful and beautiful.  Live the noble life of an enlightened being who is free of fear and suffering.  You are always peaceful, happy and tranquil. Heart Sutra – ‘true emptiness is wonderful existence.

16.   In the year 1971, Brother Teoh (17 years old) reflected on these questions, “Who Am I?” in this vast universe and why am I here? What is the purpose of life? He received the answer from deep within his nature – ‘that he cannot understand all these unless he meditated’. This probe was due to his past vowsand cultivation.

17.   The Meaning and purpose of life can be established after you understand life.You must also understand who are you? What the 5 aggregates of form and mind is? Is it really you? If not, then who are you? It is important to understand who you are? In order to know who is living your life. Usually it is your thought that is living your life. The thought is egoic, deluded and full of craving. Thisdeluded thought cannot live life. You need to contemplate and develop understanding of your true mind, to be aware, to see clearly who you are? Investigate into what the Buddha says. That the 5 aggregates is impermanentand if you cling onto it, you suffer. As it is impermanent, you cannot cling on to it, to say this is ‘me’ and all these are ‘mine’. As you break free from self-delusion, your attachment to form and mind loses its grip and is relinquished.You understand the body and mind is NOT you but is related to you karma wise. To use the form and mind and yet not be deceived by it is wisdom. To realize the unconditioned dharma to develop the wisdom to live life is very important.

18.   Conditioned dharma has its own reality. It recognizes relationship, right duty, wholesomeness and unwholesomeness and the 4 noble truths etc. But in true emptiness (the unconditioned), there is no old age, sickness, death, no 4 noble truths, no suffering, no attainment, etc. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. The Conditioned and Unconditioned dharma exist side by side. You need to understand both of them to live the good life.

19.   To be able to apply Buddha’s teaching is most important. Develop the dharma understanding and cultivate to transform both your karmic and spiritualnatures. To become a beautiful living being (personality and character wise) and be a blessing to all. Be determined to cultivate it, take vow, plant the Bodhi seed, nurtures it beautifully so that this Bodhi mind will continue to arise life after life to support your cultivation.

20.   Karmic nature surely brings you to the world i.e. karma decides. Regarding thespiritual nature you have to connect to your true nature first before you can inherit from it. Thus it is important to have the vows and aspirations to enable you to connect with your true nature and the Bodhi mind to propel you forward to receive the teaching so that you are always on the right track. Faith in the dharma is vital.

21.   When Brother Teoh’s nature comes to this world, he just accords and flows with understanding, to allow conditions to arise by itself. Brother Teoh shared that by attending his dharma classes, the merits and parami accrued can be very immense and powerful. It is rare indeed to have the condition to listen to thetrue dharma thus cherish and treasure it. In that sense you all are very blessedto be part of the kalyanamitta family. You all must have your past cultivationsand affinity.

22.   After straightening your views with initial wisdom, you are less reactive, more aware and mindful. There is more space between thoughts. You are calm, peaceful and your mind seldom stirs. This is sati sampajanna. Once you hit this, you are home. With this sati sampajanna cultivated only you can have sense restraint to enable you to cultivate the 4 right efforts, keep precepts and arise the 3 way of right conducts. By then you are at least a Sotapanna or a skadagami. You can then cultivate the 4 foundation of mindfulness. Then the 7 factors of enlightenment keeps on arising, you are on the right path – enlightenment in the here and the now (Nibanna) can happen. All these 10 cultivation steps as stated in the Avijja sutta is not difficult. The path and fruition keeps on arising. When connected to your true nature, you can breeze through the cultivation very fast, continuing from your past life cultivation after that.

(Above outline short notes draft is by Sister Angie Chong)