![\"226039_4274\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/226039_4274.jpg?resize=486%2C236\" "\\"226039_4274\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wyn: What do you do on Friday?<\/span> When I started to getting serious with learning Buddhism, I was introduced to a basic Buddhism course in a temple not near my place. It was a 20-lesson course and held on Sunday mornings at 9am. Before signing up for it, I hesitated due to the ‘inconvenient’ distance and the timing. I would need to take a feeder bus to take a train, that requires changing track, before taking another feeder bus to reach the temple! I ran the journey in my head several times just to gauge the time needed.<\/p>\n I couldn’t reconcile with the idea of waking up at 7.30am, but deep down, I knew the importance of attending the class if I was dead serious about changing my mundane and aimless lifestyle. And so I ‘compromised’. Instead of going through the travelling hassle, I sacrificed some allowance and took cabs for 20 weeks to the temple for the class. It is by far one of the most well spent decisions I’ve ever made. The cab money was just a little investment for the priceless Dharma learnt!<\/p>\n Distance should never be an issue (especially in Singapore) if one’s thirst for the Dharma is genuine. Our narrow-minded calculativeness is the what obstructs us from ‘plunging’ into the ‘sea’ of the Dharma. A dying man in hot desert would surely not hesitate to continue walking if he knew somewhere in the distance was a crystal clear lake that would nourish him.<\/p>\n We should see ourselves to be like this dying man – in the barren desert of Samsara lacking the nourishment of the Dharma. The only difference is we are not fully aware that we are dying, that we are running out of time in this lifetime. Thus, going for that ‘extra’ (but actually essential) mile towards that lake ‘becomes’ a ‘burden’ instead of a worthy prize. We can cook up many excuses for not being more diligent… but we need to be mindful to be truthful enough to ourselves – Are our excuses really helping or causing hindrances to our spiritual cultivation?<\/p>\n Sidenote: Although the Pureland group I’m attending is not a short course but a long term commitment I have chosen, it is certainly worth my time. In these sessions, we share more than just Pureland teachings, but on general Buddhism and life issues too. It’s not all just talk; we practise as well – we do sutra-chanting every fortnight and nianfo (chanting of Amitabha Buddha’s name) every session. Basically, we strive to cover the \u95fb\u601d\u4fee (learning, reflection and practice) aspects of the Dharma. Other than the fellowship, here are some perks about the sessions :<\/p>\n 1. No early session – starts at 7.30pm. Wyn: What do you do on Friday? Yah: I attend Pureland practice and study sessions (Pureland Practice Fellowship) every Friday….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[350,41],"class_list":["post-2430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mix","tag-practice","tag-pure-land","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nYah: I attend Pureland practice and study sessions (Pureland Practice Fellowship) every Friday. Wanna join?
\n Wyn: Oh no, it’s too far and inconvenient.<\/span>
\nYah: Us Singaporeans living on this tiny island sometimes exaggerate distance. Talking about inconvenience, do you know many Johorians (from Malaysia) have to travel to and fro on working days?
\n Wyn: Well, it’s different – that’s for a living.<\/span>
\nYah: Er… Dharma practice and study is for our well-being in this life and the next!<\/p>\n
\n2. No late ending – we try to end at 9.30pm sharp.
\n3. No peak hour charges for drivers and cab-riders.
\n4. Free parking in the temple.
\n5. Carpooling might be available – just announce your destination!
\n6. No work on the following day (for most) – thank goodness it’s Friday!
\n7. Like beings in Pureland, one can leave any time one wants! Free and easy!
\n8. Fellowship trips for museum visits and animal liberation etc, available.
\n9. Retreats organised for and by participants.
\n10. Your journey to Pureland is not a solitary affair!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"