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...

===========================

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

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"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.

Pencil & Eraser

Pencil: I'm sorry
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt bcos of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)


I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.


"All my life, I've been the pencil.. And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents getting smaller and smaller each day. For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have..."

This is to all the parents out there...

this cool post taken from a post in facebook..

Religion

Religion

WHAT IS A RELIGION??

1. The word religion comes from the Latin religio meaning 'piety'.
2. The Oxford Dictionary defines religion as " the belief in the existence of god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them.
3. In Chinese， 宗: house 宀of worship示 ;教:孝+攵. 孝 : a man with long hair learning on a child or a child supporting an old man.

WHAT IS THE BEST RELIGION??

Senior Monk :"The best religion is the one that gets you closest to God. It is the one that makes you a BETTER person."

HOW TO BE CONSIDERED AS A BETTER PERSON??

Whatever makes you

• more compassionate
• more sensible
• more detached
• more loving
• more humanitarian
• more responsible
• more ethical

"Being happy is not a matter of destiny~ It is a matter of options~~"

Finally he said:

“Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words.

Take care of your Words because they will become Actions.

Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits.

Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character.

Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny,

and your Destiny will be your Life

… and …

“There is no religion higher than the Truth.”

5 regrets of dying

5 regrets of Dying

By Bronnie Ware Platinum Quality Author

For many years I worked in palliative care.
My patients were those who had gone home to die.
Some incredibly special times were shared.
I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality.
I learned never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth.
Some changes were phenomenal.
Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance.
Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again.
Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all.
When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.
Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way.
From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late.
Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed.
They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship.
Women also spoke of this regret.
But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners.
All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do.
And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others.
As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.
Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others.
However, people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, but in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level.
Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life.
Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down.
Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years.
There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved.
Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip.
But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away.
People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible.
But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them.
They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love.
Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task.
It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end.
That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one.
Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice.
They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits.
The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives.
Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to themselves, that they were content.
When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind.
How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice.
It is YOUR life.
Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly.

Choose happiness.

Look at the bigger picture

Pls click on the picture and zoom in...

meaningful quotes

FrissBeeeE!!!

*the one and only group photo*

Comparing with last Frisbee event, the number of participants were halved to 10 people. WHERE IS OTHER PEOPLE!?!?! *screams*

Actually, on that day itself was a very good day for sports with a bit SunLighT, WinD and RaiN as well.

At first we wanted to cancel this event due to the number of participants, fortunately it turn out to be something better than we expect ~ =D

Anywayz, it's FUN this time because everyone started to know how to play FRISBEE, instead of simply throwing the frisbee which made everyone running all around the field like MAD ..haha

*thanks to Laurane the expert for teaching us how to actually play the game X) *

To me, the most interesting part about frisbee was thinking of how to throw the frisbee and where should I catch it. It's hard to throw when the weather is windy and it actually comes back like a "boomerang" *watch out !!=)*

Looking forward for the next frisbee event and hoped that everybody can be ACTIVE in participating events .CHEERS =D

"life is not measured in minutes but in moments"

吉祥经2 The Mangala sutra

On the 17th of September 2010, Master discussed the Mangala Sutra during Friday Dharma Class. If you have any enquiry, please do not hesitate to ask us or post the questions in the comment section.

吉祥经2

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Just Be Thankful Always

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said, but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?


Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Great video!

Chai Buey

(image from internet, I did not snap a pic on my own version of chai buey)

I remember making this during the Rushi Orientation Picnic in early 2010.

CHai Buey, (4-5 litre about 10 ppl's serves)

Australia Cabbage ,half cut into big pieces
Carrot - 2 sticks, cut into
pieces
Dried Chillies - about 30g
Asam Skin - about 30g
Rock sugar -
1 piece
Salt, and soy sauce
1 teaspoon of oil

Methods:

1. Fill the pot half full with water.
2. Add asam skin, dried chilli, carrot into the pot when the water boils. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes.
3. Add cabbage, rock sugar and teaspoon of oil into the pot. Turn to smaller flame, with the lid on, boil it for at least 1 hour.
4. Adjust the taste acocording to own preference with salt, and bit of soy sauce.
5. Let the ingredient boils vigorously for another 5 minutes with the lid on. Leave the pot of asam vege overnight in or out of the fridge.
6. Reheat it the next morning and serve it hot/warm.

The amount of asam skin and dried chillies can vary depending on individual.

In my own opinion, this dish serves best with rice.

New column for Vegetarian Recipe

Hi people,

There are heaps of benefits to be a vegetarian...

1. It is easy to cook vege ( in most cases eating raw vege cost no harm,
suitable for ppl who can't cook well)
2. No constipation problem ( I have never heard of vegetarian who has problem going to the loo)
3. Nice skin ( look at Mandy and Me, muahahaha!)
4. Healthy ( given that you are not fussy bout vege)
5. Environmental friendly ( Less damage to the earth)

The list can go on and on,
for more info you can check out, 49 good reasons for being vegetarian

To encourage people to eat more vege and take less meat, I decide to start on a vegetarian session/tag for this blog. I believe that many people in Rushi Youth Group can cook really well..

Don't be shy and just share your vegetarian recipe..Any recipe is welcome, as long as it is meatless =)

Have fun cooking!

A glass of milk

A glass of milk

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Jokes

Laughter is the Best Medicine!!!

An old man walking along the beach found a bottle. When he rubbed it, like magic a genie appeared.

“I will grant you three wishes,” announced the genie. “But the catch is for every wish you make, your ex-wife gets the wish as well — only double.”

The salesman thought about this for a while. “For my first wish, I would like my own tropical island” he announced. Instantly the genie gave him a map, pointed out an island and assured the man that the island was his. “But your ex-wife has just received two islands,” the genie said.

“I’ve always wanted a Ferrari,” the salesman said. Instantly a Ferrari appeared. “But your ex has just received two Ferraris,” the genie said. “And what is your last wish?”

“Well,” said the old man, “I’ve always wanted to donate a kidney for transplant.”

Do you get the joke, too bad if not but anyway i don’t think it is funny.