V: … Thank you very much for your Dharma sharing… As I was mostly busy at the reception area, I did not get to hear everything. As usual, the little I heard was refreshing. S: One of my self-imposed criteria for Dharma-sharing is that it must always be presented in a refreshing...

A message shared with a friend: Usually, it’s my habit to play safe, to recommend Dharma classes and talks personally only when I have heard the speakers teach before. Unfortunately, I had come across some popular speakers who misrepresent the Dharma quite seriously. I had to spend more...

Question: Hi Teacher Shen, Amituofo. Did you watch ‘Journey to the West’ last week? I know you said that we should not learn Dharma from TV drama serials but there was a part which was rather interesting. When 唐三藏 (Master Xuanzang) left 女儿国 (Country of Women), he told...

A Tit for a Tat (359) Tit: If the Dharma is so good, why are you not practising it? Tat: Because I’m no good. Tit: If the Dharma is so good, why don’t you try practising it? Next aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2012/06/its-free Previous aT4aT:...

末法末法，人末法不末。 正法正法，人正法自正。 ~ 石子 Dharma Ending Age, Dharma Ending Age… It is in the humans that the Dharma ends, the Dharma itself has no end. Right Dharma Age, Right Dharma Age… It is when the humans are upRight, that the Dharma Ending...

Here is the original Hippocratic Oath taken by ancient Greek doctors, from which modern versions of doctors’ moral conduct is derived: I swear by Apollo, the healer, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my...

Some friends comment that some relics (sairira) of great Buddhist masters look quite ordinary, in the sense that they can’t even tell for sure if they can be considered holy relics. The truth is, it is indeed not easy to verify if some remains are truly of unique significance. However,...

Gift of vegetarian mid-autumn mooncakes on teacher’s day from M & Y with post-it that says ‘法轮常转’ (May the wheel of the Dharma keep turning) and thanks :-] My thanks in return, for appreciating the Dharma-sharing! Let’s all keep turning the wheel in ways we...

He spent $200,000 to change his kidneys via the black market. He spent 1 second to fall and die. What bitter irony! Wealth is no true refuge. Health is no true refuge. What is your true refuge? Amituofo… Amituofo… Amituofo… Amituofo is the name of the Dharmakaya of all...

There is much discussion accounting for the drop of 9.2% of Buddhists here, according the latest census. Wanted to write a lengthy piece on it but decided to just write this - ‘Let’s step up work in Buddhist education and urge one another to do the same.’ All other...

He collects many Dharma books that are sponsored by others for sharing the Dharma. But he doesn’t really read them; he just browses and shelves them. But he might be collecting lots of bad karma too, by hoarding precious Dharma books that are meant to spread the Dharma. This is how the...

Open-hearted communication is the lifeblood of any relationship. Without the Buddha’s communication of the Dharma to the Sangha, of the Sangha to us, we would have no spiritual relationship with the Triple Gem, and no spiritual friends...

The more you learn the Dharma, the harder is it to share the Dharma, as you realise the depth of the Dharma. Yet… The more you learn the Dharma, the easier is it to share the Dharma, as you realise the essence of the...

I worry for Dharma friends who learn from many teachers, because they might become confused if there are (‘seemingly’) contradicting teachings (that they can’t reconcile). I worry for Dharma friends who learn from only one teacher, because they might become disappointed if...

To know if your moves happened to be right due to unmindful beginner’s ‘luck’, keep practising them, to repeat the right moves mindfully. To know if you have perfected a Dharma practice, keep practising the Dharma perfectly. -...

The Buddha is also called ‘The Blessed One’. But who blesses the Blessed One, who blesses us with the Dharma? The Blessed One blesses himself perfectly with perfect realisation and practice of the Dharma. The Blessed One is thus infinitely blessed with boundless merits and...

As generally defined, seven kinds of refuge. Which one are you? Generally, any form of refuge missing Dharma is spiritually unsafe. In the absence of Buddha and Sangha, is refuge in Dharma enough? Refuge In The Single Gem 1. Refuge in Buddha: Faith in Buddha without learning Dharma from...

A friend’s experience… While shortlisting films for a Buddhist short film festival, I spoke firmly against the choice of one, listing more than 20 reasons why it should not be selected. To my shock, despite this, someone exclaims that ‘It’s just a movie’....

The singing duo ‘Everything But the Girl’ (EBTG) adopted their name from the slogan of furniture which had a window sign that read, ‘for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl’. A reminder that the material is still incomplete. In fact, the...

Sometimes, there are requests for notes for my Dharma classes, by those who have not attended them. Usually, I decline, while encouraging them to sign up for the classes. (Another thing I discourage is the assumption that printed Powerpoint slides are equivalent to a whole course –...