Category: House Dana

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our 18th November 2018 house dana recording for sharing by all:

(Today’s rather good sharing by Bro. Teoh at House Dana hosted by Bro. Pan and Sis. Angie dated 18th Nov 2018):

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-181118-Pan-Angie-House-Dana.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8toa3ktjplvc1t3/Hse%20Dana%20Pan%20Angie%2020181118.mp3?dl=0

Hse Dana Pan Angie 20181118.mp3 www.dropbox.com Shared with Dropbox

Outline short notes link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-181118-Pan-Angie-House-Dana-Outline.pdf

Bye! with metta always,

Teoh

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links and outline short notes link to our 23rd Sept 2018 recording for sharing by all:

Audio links: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-180923-Poh-Lian-House-Dana.mp3

or at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n5lpf2x7c2h1pud/Teoh%20180923%20Poh%20Lian%20House%20Dana.mp3?dl=0

Outline short notes link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-180923-Poh-Lian-House-Dana-Outline.pdf

Teoh 180923 Poh Lian House Dana.mp3 www.dropbox.com Shared with Dropbox

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Sunday (22July2018) Christina’s House Dana recording for sharing by all. Please do listen to the sharing which was very good.

Also enclosed are the outline short notes where the draft was prepared by Sister Mun Yuen for my editing:

Outline short notes for Sister Christina Koh’s House Dana dated 22 July 2018

1.       Brother Teoh re explained the significance of having such monthly house danafor the benefits of Kalyanamittas who are new. This house dana will provide the occasion and opportunity for Kalyanamittas to perform the following wholesomeness: kalyanamittas get to perform all the 10 meritorious deeds, help generate more understanding and build spiritual wealth via doing the puja chanting, paying respect, renewing precepts, cultivate generosity, making aspiration by invoking power of merits, sharing and transference of merits, rejoicing, listening to the Dharma, straightening of one’s views, provision of services to sasana and the Buddhist communities and meditation (sitting in silent).

2.       Above house dana activities can also pave the way for Kalyanamittas to perform dana and have good and meaningful fellowship thereby helping them to receive more motivation from each other to grow their cultivation.

3.       There are 3 levels of dana parami: i) the give of materialistic wealth or possessions; ii) The give of life and iii) the give of truth to overcome fear and suffering.

4.       Brother Teoh relates Sister Poh Lian’s experience with a snatch thief (20 years ago). He also relates a very good story on how he was able to use the dharma to help his own youngest brother to turn his life around for the better. These stories were meant to highlight the workings of the Nature’s Law of karma and how to apply dharma to good use in daily life. We need to apply the living Dharma to improve our life and be a blessing to all or it will be wasted – just remain as a knowledge if we can’t apply it in life.

5.       The gift of Truth is the highest gift as it has the power to change a person. It has the potential to completely root out delusion and karmic negativity until there is no more suffering and the transformed being will not commit anymore karmic negativities. He will also has the condition to help others thereby improving the world consciousness. To improve our life is very easy, we just need to apply the Dharma to take care of our Karma. Once this is done, we will receive a lot ofblessings and wholesomeness following the law of karma. It is not due to luck.

6.       Sister Christina shares how Dharma helped her when she was experiencing a turbulent period in her life and also her daughter’s recent success in securing an unexpected scholarship for her university course.

7.       When we do not understand the noble truths (dependent on ignorant) our mind will stir and become heedless. We will be affected by our wrong thoughts and become emotional [having either negative craving (ill will) or positive craving(sensual desire)]. These are the first two mental hindrances of mind.

8.       If we think or recall via memory a fearful thing, we will be fearful. Without wisdom, we will re-act to sense experiences. With wisdom, we will not. Straightening of our views can helps us develop wisdom.

9.       If we have the spiritual faculties, we will be able to insight into phenomena to arise the wisdom needed for us to accept things via seeing things as they are.

10.   With Samadhi in place, the mind is collected and unwavering, then we will be able to see things as they are, leading to wisdom to accept the reality of the moment.

11.   Question from a lady on why her daughter cries (during earlier part of her life) and shouts at her staff when stressed. Brother Teoh explained that we all can know the world through our 6 sense doors. When the mind makes contact with the 6 senses, we can become conscious of what we see, hear, smell and taste etc. Initially it is just the pure consciousness with nobody there to see, hear, smell or taste, etc. However, human beings with delusion will straight away associate themselves with the seeing via their conditioned perception thereby arising the self-delusion. She needs to understand why she re-acts in such a way. It is mainly karmic in nature. If it is a perception problem (due to her own wrong thoughts borne of delusion), then she just needs to develop the wisdom to accept thereality of the moment, i.e. do not insist on wanting things your way which is not nature’s way. Or, she can continue to re-act and become miserable via believing her own wrong thoughts.

Only wisdom frees the mind. A calm mind with clarity can help us make better decision in life.

Teoh

From: Bro. Tune

Christina’s House Dana sharing on Sunday (22July2018) is ready for download. Part 2 of the sharing starts at 1:44:

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Teoh-180722-Christina-House-Dana.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f8k3d5z5kt9rui4/Christina%20Hse%20Dana%2020180722.MP3?dl=0

Christina Hse Dana 20180722.MP3 www.dropbox.com Shared with Dropbox

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links and short notes to Bro Teoh’s sharing at Sister Huol Rung’s house dana dated 29.4.2018 for sharing by all.

Huoi Rong’s House Dana dated Sunday, 29 April 2018 (outline pointers)

Bro Teoh on behalf of all Kalyanamittas, thanks Sister Hui Rong and family for hosting this April 2018 house dana which is very wholesome. This monthly (pot luck) house dana  is an occasion for the host to make offering to all kalyanamittas attending  and also act as an occasion for fellowship, wholesomeness, joy, interaction, rejoicing and dharma sharing,  etc.

Sincerity / Honesty is a virtue

• When you are sincere, things will go your way.
• Don’t try to know too much or over-analyze. Be honest, sincere, gentle and kind then just let things be and act with understand and wisdom.
• Blessings in disguise can then happen; E.g. Huol Rung’s house purchase experience and Bro Teoh sharing his own life experiences.

Audio Time: 20:20 onwards,  Dharma Sharing starts

Topics of the day are as per below’s  3 Questions:

Q1. Host Huoi Rong’s husband asks how to let friends (who neglect spiritual practice) see the importance of the spiritual aspect of life?

Q2. Huoi Rong shares her joy of seeing everyone in the house, as this is the first time they have so many visitors. She shares her experience of having the ability to become more observant nowadays of her changing mental states as she goes through her daily life, which is a great gift to her. When encountering negativity, her approach is to quiet down her mind and let the emotions or mental states dissipate, but she finds it very hard to share her understanding with others. She also inquires about how to advance her cultivation further from here onwards?

Q3. Huoi Rong shares her experience of encountering death, with reference to recent departures within the Kalyanamitta group. She asks how one can face pending death with understanding, calm and peace of mind.

[Interruption due to system’s technical fault – Audio Time: 38:20 onwards].

Topic #1 – Spiritual Understanding of Life

Answer to Q1:

1. 1. It is hard for human beings to be interested in spiritual things (especially listening to spiritual advice), when they are not having real or serious life problems. Also due to most human being’s common misconception of what religion really is and their taboo regarding the discussion of death as a topic.
   2. When there is no appropriate condition to share, don’t be too eager to share. Wait for appropriate causes & conditions. Causes and conditions can either be karmic or affinity wise. Learn to see the signs.

• To have the ability to share or teach the first criteria is ‘You yourself must develop the change (personality wise and character wise) via your own understanding of the Buddhadharma and the cultivation of it:

1. 1. 1. Transform your mind via understanding the following essential Dharma  like
         > the 4 NOBLE TRUTHS (essence of the Buddha’s teaching) and its 3 turnings; then cultivate
         > Right view → right thought → right speech → right action → right livelihood/living → 4 right efforts →etc. via following  Noble 8 Fold Path (N8FP).
      2. This transformation gives rise to noble behavior in all aspects of life
         > with the first right view (with regards to law of karma)  i) one will know how to take care of karma via following the advices of all Buddhas to avoid all evil, do good and purify one’s mind and

         ii) Accept the reality of whatever that had arisen (within the moment) so as to be at peace with it.
         > asking for forgiveness and sincerely seek repentance for past karmic negativities via unwholesome thoughts, speeches and deeds. Then vow never to violate these 5 precepts again via keeping these precepts closely from then on.
         > Invoke power of merits for turnaround and progress along the path of dharma.
         > achieving a unique quality of having the ability to confront all the “8 realities of life and existence” with peace, tranquility and understanding.
         > Finally having the ability to command respect and faith via one’s demeanour or good and wise conduct.

      3. That is, No longer behaving foolishly via using the form and agitated mind to harm oneself and others.
      4. Virtue is our highest protection.

• Security is a myth, true security stems from understanding yourself and with true wisdom to take care of karma to arise the appropriate causes and conditions for things to go your way via understanding.

1. In summary: When one cultivates and transforms to be virtuous, wise, kind, gentle, patient, sincere, loving, etc, people will come to you for advice naturally because they can feel and sense that you are different.
2. 8 Realities of Life and existence:  Birth, old age, sickness and death; separation from loved ones and ones prized possessions, association with the disliked, not able to get what one desires and final summary of – in short the 5 grasping aggregates of form and mind borne of self-delusion is dukkha or suffering  

   
   Either you accept via wisdom, or be afflicted via delusion via wanting things your way which is not nature’s way. I.e. if one were to attach, crave, and cling onto the 5 aggregates of form and mind via self-delusion, one will suffer and become afflicted.)

3.  The power of wisdom to free the mind: – Bro Teoh gave an example of his son’s classmate’s death experienced by his son when he was very young (about 9 years old) via telling him ‘it is just a thought’ to free.

Answer to Q2:

1. 1. Train your mind to be heedful to develop wisdom via the silent mind and the daily mindfulness.
   2. Cultivate the Noble 8-Fold path in daily life (especially the four foundation of mindfulness).

• Intend on Heedfulness to develop the understanding of the unconditioned dharma and the conditioned dharma.

• Form and mind even though it is impermanent and not so real or not you (anatta) but it is subject to the law of Karma so one must also have the right understanding to cultivate one’s right duty towards this law of karma to take care of its karma which is needed for future coming.

Answer to Q3:

1. 1. Nothing is permanent within the conditioned world – “Whatever that is of the nature to arise is of the nature to cease.” Only mighty nature rolling by following nature’s laws.
   2. However, your true nature is the unconditioned (eternal life/nature), i.e. not subjected to birth and death.

• Realizing that nothing really dies, you will be able to have the understanding to confront death with ease and with that one will be able to live life to the fullest with those understanding.

   

  (Above draft was prepared by Sister Soo Yee and Sandra)

  Dated: 30.4.2018

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

From: Sister Huol Rung

[30/04, 09:50] HuiLong: Brother Teoh at Huol Rung & Family House Dana on 29/04/2018 record :

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Teoh-180429-Huol-Rung-House-Dana.mp3

or at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u5unm49mn69joxa/2018-04-29.MP3?dl=0

[30/04, 09:55] teohkiankoon: House Dana means our monthly gathering at one of our kalyanamitta’s house to make offering to all kalyanamittas attending. It is also an occasion for wholesomeness, joy, fellowship, interaction, rejoicing n dhamma sharing etc.