All of us here have come to practice goodness and make merit.
We have gathered to recollect the virtues of the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha.
We have chanted and cultivated mindfulness of the Triple Gem.
And from our hearts filled with merit and goodness,
We radiate metta,
Loving-kindness to all beings.
May those who have virtue receive this merit and goodness.
Some groups travelled to India to perform meritorious deeds by meditating for up to 9 hours in one day and some even continuing to practice this for a month.
They offer their merit from this as an offering of homage to the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha.
And their merit grows like this.
Having made merit and then dedicating and sharing this merit,
Our own merit grows within our hearts.
The merit doesn't diminish,
As like with material possessions,
Which vanish once given away.
And even the material gifts we offer do not truly disappear,
As that goodness remains in our hearts.
When our hearts remain steadfast in cultivating the meditation of metta,
Loving-kindness,
Then we have metta to each other.
We have love towards ourselves and to those we respect and those close to us.
Parents,
Spouses,
Children.
And practicing loving-kindness becomes easier as our inner strength grows.
Then our metta meditation extends further out to others.
And similarly,
Compassion moves us to think for and help those in suffering.
Just as people worldwide responded with a heart of compassion during the earthquakes in Burma and Thailand.
And there were many countries around the world who wanted to help and sent experienced rescue teams to aid the distressed and suffering.
Before this incident,
They may have had various disagreements and opposing views.
Views,
But they had a compassionate heart of metta that wishes freedom from suffering for all,
Because no one desires such suffering.
And when we have success,
Goodness and beauty in our lives,
We have inner happiness.
When their child graduates,
It brings parents happiness.
A parent's good deeds delight their children,
And this is the same for our loved ones.
We share a heartfelt gladness for them.
This is called having Dhamma.
Dhamma is the cause for us to remember one another through body,
Speech and mind,
With pure sincere intentions,
Whether openly or privately.
At its core,
It's rooted in metta,
Loving-kindness,
We think of each other,
Share knowledge,
Share goodness,
And contribute what we have to benefit Buddhism,
Or assist those suffering through hardships and disasters.
This embodies compassion,
Generosity and unity.
Even when opinions differ,
Which is natural,
We avoid arguments.
Wherever we are,
We remain mindful of one another.
We call to check.
Are you safe?
How are you?
The disciples near and far inquire.
Ajahn,
How is the chedi?
Are there any issues with it?
Is it stable?
And I reassure them,
It's secure.
The structure was built to withstand earthquakes and built on a solid ground in an area less prone to earthquake activity.
This mutual care,
Asking about joys and sorrows,
Supporting one another,
It reflects the goodness and virtue within our hearts.
It is loving kindness and Dhamma that makes us constantly think and feel for each other.
When we reflect on how we came to know about Buddhism,
We must recognize that it's due to the virtues of the Buddha,
Not that we came to know it for ourselves.
We possess in this life arises from what our parents have given us.
So we should be people of gratitude and reciprocation.
The rarest individuals in this world are those who give selflessly without expecting anything in return.
That is our parents.
When we know of their kindness,
We repay it through building goodness and by striving to study diligently and becoming self-reliant,
Which then eases our parents' worries.
We free ourselves from suffering,
Sustain our well-being and abide.
In Sila,
Moral discipline and virtue.
When we cultivate such understanding,
We are truly practicing homage to our blessed teacher,
The supremely enlightened Buddha,
Whose immeasurable virtues transcend all limits.
We follow the Dhamma that he taught,
And the Buddha sought nothing but our minds to be better,
Having minds that have more loving-kindness,
Compassion,
Sympathetic joy and equanimity.
Our minds that get peaceful and minds that have developed samadhi concentration and to have the wisdom to realize the truth the buddha taught We can be able to free ourselves from suffering because for countless lifetimes the Buddha had aspired to free all beings from suffering.
The Buddha had endured immeasurable suffering from cycling through renewed births and deaths across countless lifetimes.
And who else could do this?
There wasn't anyone.
He could walk through flames across this world a million times over,
Walking,
Falling and dying,
And then born again with the determination to continue walking.
Bodhisattva,
Perfected through accumulated virtues.
Our Buddha is one who could successfully perfect all his Bāramī's spiritual perfections.
Therefore,
When we cultivate goodness within ourselves,
We remember the virtues of the Buddha,
And then our minds will be bright and joyous.
Whatever troubles and dangers arise,
The Buddha said for us to recollect him,
The Tathāgata.
To hold fast to the internal repetition of Buto,
Of Dabmo,
Of Sango,
So that it can get our minds to be calm and steady.
Once our minds are calm,
Then we will have the wisdom to be able to navigate any situation through our mindful discernment.
In this way,
We will be safe and unharmed.
Like the story of Mahajanaka,
When his ship was sinking,
He upheld the eight precepts.
And even in the face of death,
If he had to die,
It would be with Sila.
He put forth relentless effort,
Swimming tirelessly across the boundless ocean,
And ultimately,
It led to his survival and safety.
He didn't remain idle and passive.
And this was our Buddha,
Who had perfected his supreme perfections in order to become a perfectly self-awakened Buddha.
And he did not think of when his Barami would be full,
But instead built Barami without stopping.
And in this life that he was Mahajanaka,
He swam without stopping,
Persevering until even the deity was moved by his resolve and intervened to ensure his safety.
So,
We too must cultivate virtues through our persistent effort.
We cannot remain idle.
We must practice and develop ourselves diligently.
There was once when I led a group of monks on Tudung in Ubon Ratchathani province during an intensely hot summer.
The heat was unbearable.
Even the slightest movement drenched us in sweat.
There was no water for bathing.
What could we do?
We persevered.
We meditated.
And we searched for water,
But the only water we found reeked of fish.
During meditation,
I saw a large black Naga who said,
I will give you water.
Seeing this nimitta vision,
I was still uncertain.
Maybe there was a 50-50 chance it was real,
But we tried following it.
We called the well drillers to dig deeper near the existing dry well.
Skeptical,
The drillers tried that old spot again.
At 5 meters deeper,
They struck a crystal clear underground spring,
Pure and almost sediment free.
Do you see?
Our effort and perseverance comes first.
And then the deities and nagas can assist.
So we don't need to doubt about whether it is true or not that Mahajanaka,
Who had great barami,
Swam tirelessly in the ocean until the deities intervened and brought him to safety.
So holding deep reverence for the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha like us,
We have merit and goodness.
And this is the blessings that we call the auspiciousness of life.
It is expressed in the Pali verse,
Actively cultivate today.
Those far away,
Such as the monks from the Mahabodhi Centre in India,
And their disciples,
Sent blessings and written greetings.
Others,
Unable to attend today,
Like distant groups,
Mailed letters of good wishes.
Some even offered flowers in advance for tomorrow's upcoming birthday anniversary.
We held the celebration early to adjust schedules as today is a rest day for us.
Tomorrow work resumes which may inconvenience lay people to come.
There were groups such as Monica,
Alexandra and the Rigi group from Switzerland who sent auspicious blessings.
And there were those who offered cakes like Mr.
Sien Ma from Malaysia.
There were others who sent no material gifts but who conveyed their heartfelt thoughts and remembrance on the occasion of my birthday,
Praying for my strength,
Good health and long life to remain a pillar of support for our entire community.
Together,
We must also strive to maintain our health through moderate consumption.
If our weight increases,
Both the monks and laypeople aim to reduce it,
Ensuring a long life.
For if illness strikes,
Meditation becomes difficult and troublesome,
And our life's path grows uncertain.
We can't predict how it will unfold and how long we will live.
Yet today we still gather,
Meeting face-to-face.
Face.
Some who are once known to us are absent,
Having passed on to new rebirths.
But those with accumulated merit and goodness have been reborn as deities.
When we embody virtues of respect and reverence,
We honor the Buddha's teachings.
We follow the Dhamma that he taught and we dedicate ourselves to meditation.
With joyful hearts,
We say Sadhu in the celebration of my birthday,
Rejoicing together.
The body's birth is natural for it,
But the mind's awakening to the Buddha nature of awakening is what truly matters.
Just like we're born in the human form with human minds.
In past lives,
We may have only had a human mind at times,
Not all the time,
Which is normal.
Yet by learning the Supreme Buddha's Dhamma,
We now live fully as humans.
We uphold the five precepts,
And it is our foundation for us to realize and to attain to the Dhamma.
Through meditation,
Wisdom arises,
Dissolving bodily and mental suffering.
In such moments,
We understand true insight into the Dhamma has arisen.
In the Buddha's time,
This was called opening the eye of Dhamma.
To possess the eye of Dhamma,
It means our mind has truly seen the Dhamma.
When observing all phenomena,
Even a falling leaf,
We perceive the Dhamma.
We understand.
And all physical and mental suffering ceases.
And we look that when a difficult and unwanted situation arises,
Is our faith unshaken?
Our faith in the virtues of the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha remain steady and unshaken.
In this life we will cultivate goodness through generosity,
Sealer and meditation.
We are determined to practice the Dhamma.
We have the joy of giving which we feel like we want to give ceaselessly.
This is the first virtue of one who sees the Dhamma.
Our hearts delight in hearing the teachings and rejoice in practicing them.
We have metta and compassion radiate endlessly.
Though our minds still have attachment,
Having a sense of self,
But we have seen already that this is not truly me.
We are not yet able to abandon it all completely,
But we have abandoned a part of greed and anger,
And this gives us faith to practice.
We are determined to dedicate our lives to practice,
Striving to purify the mind into the pure emptiness that is Nibbana.
Such a mind profoundly understands the Dhamma.
In the time of the Buddha,
This was called one who sees and knows the Dhamma.
In the time of the Buddha,
There was King Bimbisara's retinue who exemplified this.
Three quarters of his retinue refined their hearts with virtue,
And one quarter directly realized the Dhamma.
And the rest fully embraced the Triple Gem,
Preparing to awaken themselves in their next opportunity.
All of us,
When we have these virtues,
We call this one who has entered the Dhamma from their hearts.
May all of you,
Whether present today,
Unable to attend,
Or joining from abroad like Singapore,
Malaysia,
America or other distant lands,
May you continue to strive diligently in meditation and cultivating your virtues.
Through the virtues of the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha,
May everyone achieve success,
Happiness,
Good health and abundant gains.
May all wholesome aspirations within Silo Dhamma be fulfilled and may deeper insights into the Dhamma arise.
May you have the mindfulness and wisdom to skillfully navigate all challenges and problems that arise.
In this ever-changing world,
May you maintain your mindfulness and wisdom and have safety and well-being.
May your beings guard you from all harm.
May you all gain these blessings.
