Dharma Classes

"Namo"
- the meaning of "Namo" is to "take refuge into" or "pay respect to"
- before starting the class, everyone says "Namo Buddhaya", "Namo Dhammaya" and "Namo Sangyaha"
- the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha are all part of the "Triple Gem"

Universe
"We are a part of the universe, and the Universe is a part of us"
- this was said in one of the video that was played prior starting the class
- this just to say that the universe is constantly creating with a combination of resources, such as human beings.

"Thus" - 如是
- a word used in every sutras; "Thus have I heard..."
- 如 = Thus = The Teachings = Dharma = Truth

5 major religions:
- Christianity
- Hinduism
- Islam
- Buddhism
- Judaism

A game was played to learn these five major religions:
Christianity
- Hebrew was the founder of Christianity
- "Jesus" is a name for a Jewish boy who goes against his principles
- Christianity began about 2010 years ago
- Bible is Christianity's holy books

Judaism
- A religion for the Jews
- Christianity and Islam are the two religions that developed Judaism
- First 5 books of the Hebrew: Torah
- Talmud: The holiest book
- Synagogue is the Jewish house of workship

Hinduism
- Two third of the followers are in India
- Karma is the principle of effects derived from past actions
- Hinduism has many gods, of which the god, Brahma, being the creator of the universe
- Society based on the Caste system
- Vedas is the oldest sacred Hindu book

Islam
- Muhammad is an article about the Islamic prophet
- Followers live near the Mediterranean Sea
- Quran (Koran) is their holy book
- Allah is a word used in reference to the gods
- People in this religion is called "Muslim"

Buddhism
- The Triple Gem consists of: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
- Samsara is a name given for the cycle of life and death
- Karma is also found in Buddhism, with the same system found in Hinduism
- Compassion is a philosophy that one must share a feeling of other's suffering
- The main teachings of Buddhism is to:
     - To purifies one mind by oneself
     - Abstain from doing all wrongs (5 precepts/10 good deeds)
     - Take responsibility for you own actions

Chinese New Year!!

Hey all,

I know we haven't been posting anything for ages now...

But still...

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CHINESE NEW YEAR IS COMING!!!

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Hope you all have a wonderful year, especially being the YEAR OF THE DRAGON!!!

RuShi Buddhist Youth Group Secretary

aNdy

(V) - Vegetarianism

TYPES OF VEGETARIANISM
There are many types of Vegetarianism out there in the world
1. Ovo Vegetarianism - Eggs without Dairy
2. Lacto Vegetarianism - Dairy without Eggs
3. Ovo-Lacto Vegetarianism - Eggs and Dairy
4. Veganism - No animal material
5. Raw Veganism - Raw vegetables and fruits
6. Fruitarianism - Fruits only
7. Macrobiotic Diet - Seeds
8. Buddhist Vegetarianism - No animal material + "smelly" allium vegetables

Not all Buddhists in the world follow vegetarianism, such as Theravada, Vajrayana and Japanese Buddhists.
Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists are very strict and follows vegetarianism strictly.

THERAVADA
Theravada Buddhists follow the "Triply Clean Meat" rule (三净肉), which consists of following three simple senses; SEE, HEAR, KNOW.
Buddhists are allowed to eat the meat given as long as they:
1. Does not SEE the killing
2. Does not HEAR the killing
3. Does not KNOW who AND how it was killed

Usually, people would offer rice (very common), vegetables and in some occasions, fruits and flowers, but no meat.

In canons, there were no comments in discouraging to eat meat, except for the flesh of:
1. Humans
2. Elephants
3. Horse
4. Dog
5. Snake
6. Lion, Tigers, Leopards
7. Bears
8. Hyena

VAJRAYANA (Tibetan)
Buddhists in Tibet eat meat due to their climate conditions. The climate in Tibet is not suitable for vegetables to grow, thus, there is a shortage in vegetables.

According to the Lankavatara Sutra, vegetarianism is encouraged, and this is seen increasingly more in seniors.

JAPANESE
Although Buddhism was introduced by the Chinese people, Japanese Buddhists follow a more relaxed Mahayana Vinaya. Their diet consists of fish and no other meat nor animal products, a diet called Pescetarianism.

A famous dish called the "shōjin-ryōri" (精进料理), "Devotion Cuisine" in English, is a specifically made for Buddhists, however, it is quite expensive. This cuisine consists of many vegetables and tofu.

5 STRONG SMELLING PLANTS
These plants are avoided due to their smell.
1. Garlic
2. Onions
3. Scallions
4. Shallots
5. Leeks

It was said in the Mahayana Sutra that if:
1. Eaten raw: increase anger tendency
2. Eaten cooked: increase sensuous desires

There was a term, Dukkata, which means "wrong-doer".

There was a story that Buddha was preaching to his disciples when he noticed that one particular disciple was sitting at a far distance. When Buddha asked him to come and sit closer, the disciple shook his head. When the Buddha asked for a reason, the disciple covered his mouth and said, "Buddha, I did not want to sit close as my breath smells really bad as I ate some garlic."

GROWING TREND
More and more Buddhists are following vegetarianism. Why? Killing animals breaks the first precept, "Refrain from killing all sentient beings". By breaking this precept results in tainting one's karma.
If killing is the only option, then have COMPASSION and minimise animal cruelty (animal suffering).
Each vegetables contain nutrients which could fulfill daily requirements.

Ru-Shi Youth Group 2011

Greetings everyone,

Welcome to Ru-Shi Youth Group 2011 blog.

My name is Andy Lieu, and I am one of the two secretaries in the Ru-Shi Youth Group Committee. This is my first year being part of this committee, however, that does not mean that I don't do anything.

As a secretary, my partner and I are responsible for keeping everyone up-to-date with any events that the Ru-Shi Temple, located in Ottoway, and/or the Ru-Shi Committee has arranged for everyone. Not only that, we are also responsible for making sure that there is a place that we can do these FUN activities with everyone.

Although this is my first year in the committee as a secretary, I have learnt many things. I have learnt to be more independent, more confident in my choices, and being able to voice out opinions to everyone, I have learned to hear what other people want to say. I have learnt to love what I do, and I have learnt to do what I love. After much adapting, I was able to balance out the secretary job, volunteering, work and studying times. It may be busy, but I enjoy what I'm doing, and because I am having a fun, I make sure other people can feel what I feel.

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Enough about me...

Weekly, the committee will post blog about the recent class given by the temple's Masters.

We all gather on Friday weekly at 5:30PM.

"Where do we meet?" you may ask.

Well, we all meet at:

University of South Australia (UniSA)

City East

Playford Level 5 Room 33 (P5-33).

Every Friday Dharma Class (FDC), we'll gather together to socialize, play, learn, update, and even meditate! Don't fret, FDC is not on EVERY Friday, we all want our holidays. I'll let all of you know when FDC is on or not.

Everyone's equal and everyone is welcome.

YOU CAN EVEN BRING YOUR FRIENDS IF YOU LIKE!!!

The Dharma Lesson that Master gives is a lesson people can use in everyday life. It's an opportunity that you DON'T want to let it fly past. Don't worry, it's not a "typical lecture" where it's just a one-way conversation. Everyone can learn from him and even he can learn from us.

So, gather your friends, and we'll see you at UniSA in P5-33 on many Friday's.

Yours Faithfully,
Andy Lieu

Secretary of Ru-Shi Youth Group Committee

singing for the deaf.

have you ever wonder how the less capable enjoy what most of us do? for example the deaf enjoy the rhythm and base of dynamite by taio cruz without turning the base volume so loud that u can feel your heart vibrate with it? or some love songs by taylor swift?

or have you ever thought of doing something you like that would change the world? something small, but people world wide would enjoy?? thats what a year 2 teacher did. at the age of 22, she sang for the deaf. and with the help of the internet, she helped the deaf around the world to enjoy what most of us take for granted everyday.

check this link out and you will understand what i am saying =)

sign language opens music world to deaf citizens -ABC news

on a personal note: it all began when i was with someone. this special someone was deaf and have to talk through a interpreter with AUSLAN (australian sign language). i am sure, that most of us have been in a situation where we do not understand what others are saying(including where they are talking bad about you right in front of your face without u knowing it). It was a pretty awkward moment, especially they are moving their hands and arms all around them right in front of you and you don't understand a tiny bit of it. at some point. it made me felt pretty helpless, that although i am suppose to help him, but i can't understand what he's trying to say without the help of the interpreter. it made me wonder, could he enjoy the wonderful sounds of the world? now i know, there are people out there who cares =) how about you? do you care?

paradox of life

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

paradox of life

View more presentations from suminch.

"THE WINDOW"

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should behave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

THE END . . .

Moral of the story

The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviours; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.