yeah, sometimes this deity meant no harm but they also giving direction to positive life away from bad omen. last time there's a documentary in TV that show dato kong in a medium. a couple was seen requesting for baby , the dato kong directly said to both of them that u can come every time to see me but what is the point ? your hubby didn't really thought of it, the wife stare at the husband . so u see, human tend to hide or unaware of their own action , their body and mind tell different thing. a medium able to guide the right path if we are unclear or confusing.

For me, different people have different approach to Buddhism. Some find it easier to relate to it through charity, helping out other people. Some prefer seclusion and meditative life, some prefer engagement, etc.

The only Theravada center i know in subang is the one near the Summit. They have a PJ branch near Kelana Jaya.

Subang jaya

The meditation talks normally conducted at the PJ branch. They invite monks for lectures from time to time. I know the traffic to Bricksfield from Subang is very bad on weekends through the federal highway.

Seriously??? Is that the origin of burning hell papers too?

Just curious, why chinese have this idea that everyone will go to the underworld after they die and they burn "hell currency" for them?

Greetings and Happy New Year everyone !

First of all , just like to introduce myself. I am a Sarawakian born Malaysian Malay Muslim.
I am of mixed parentage , my father is a Perak Malay of Indonesian origins (Javanese + Banjar) and my mother is of Filipino-Spanish (formerly Catholic from Manila). I consider myself a liberal and my faith is Islam (by choice only later in my 20's,although legally I have no choice/pun intended).I am 29 now by the way. Having relatives from various religions ; muslim(mostly) , buddhist , christians (catholic mostly) I grew up to respect all religion that instill moral values. I've even gone through a phase where I had kept my heart close to socialism and sympathized for communist struggles. In my opinion religion is something people shouldn't argue about. It's something between an individual and God. I respect Mahayana/Theravada Buddhism because I consider it my cultural heritage. Malays were once buddhist/hindhus before the whole nation converted post-Parameswara's era.

I'm actually here to seek some help and not debate about religion. about 4 years ago I visited the Borobudur temple in Central Java.
I bought four beautiful statuettes ; meditating buddha ; head of buddha ; borobudur temple ; elephant buddha. They were carved from volcanic stone.

Two years ago it dawned upon me that having these statuettes around may upset some family members. I can consider myself almost a non-practising muslim
although I do go to the mosque for Friday prayers every now and then. Because of my liberal ways many started to question my faith. Due to my accepting nature and non-aggressive ways some may think that I am an apostate / godless communist. Relatives from both muslim and catholic side do not really like me having
these statuettes around.

Today I feel that to avoid family ties from being severed , I need to find a place where these statuettes will be appreciated/respected and safe. I could not bring my heart to crush these beautiful art pieces because I have so much respect for buddhism. As someone also mentioned in the forum , I too believe that buddha could have been a prophet of God for Asia , as it was mentioned in the quran that there were thousands of 'nabi' in the world but only a handful of Messengers.
Who are we to say that Buddha's englightenment was not the will of God ?

Can anyone advise me on how I can go about finding a place for these statuettes ?
I've thought of approaching Mahayana temples but I fear it may be too sensitive.

Statues are just woods. They only serve to remind buddhists such person as "buddha" existed in the past. They are not alive but I understand maybe you feel it would be very disrespectful to dispose the ornaments like that.

Anyway, you can donate it to your buddhist friends? I am sure you will have some chinese buddhist friends around who don't mind keeping the ornaments at home. Another way is to give it to the antique shops at Gambir street, I'm sure the businessman there will be more than willing to buy it from you. (or even give to them for free).


This post has been edited by soul2soul: Jan 20 2012, 10:14 AM

Thanks for the advice , too bad I'm not in kuching else it'll be easier. Perhaps there are places in KL as well.
I agree these ornaments are mere symbols and for me to dispose of them in their current shape is disrespectful in my opinion.
If I can't find people who can appreciate these statuettes then maybe I will destroy them before disposing them.

These statuettes also emmit strong electro magnetic fields too as my place is already filled with electronics which would also be a good thing i guess.

A statue is just a symbol of respect , if u go to hong kong and notice this huge statue of Bruce Lee, u will feel that he had done so much for the community and he didn't ask for it. I feel nice and respect for him when posing for the photograph. really don't understand y other religion don't even try to understand that human came from different continent and color, u can't deny the fact that the creator has his reason for that.

Yeah it's basically another scam by chinese people altogether. or the inventors of paper to be exact. that's why i am quite against burning papers as it has no real purpose and it pollutes the environment/

by for the sake of tradition i will probably continue burning but will only burn in very very limited amounts (of course that would be at least 20-30 more years later when i have the authority to do what i want )

The statues have no meaning at all in Buddhism. THe Buddha did not ask for any of these. It's just that his followers want to remember him thus they carve his face on wood and erect statues etc. I know that muslims & christians are very particular of these stuff so if you are worried maybe you can give them away. LYN garage sales is a good place to start if you want to give them away/sell.

and no.. Buddha's enlightenment has nothing to do with god.. he had to work hard for millions of years before he became the buddha...

This post has been edited by zstan: Jan 20 2012, 11:29 AM

is not about work hard for millions of years...it is about enlightment at the point of time...
some ppl achieve, as u mention millions of years
while some ppl juz need 1 span of life times....and it is vary.

since everyone is buddha juz they not knowing it and need guidance from god....and buddhism is not religion btw.

4 Immeasurable Aeons to be exact.

4 x 10*140 + 100,000 Aeons

Hey hackwire,

This is a good link to read about the history and evolution of the Tipitaka. How, when , why the Buddhist scriptures were written. How they came to be. The answer to your question is there.

I sent it to your inbox.. check it out ye. Take some time to read it.

Enjoice



This post has been edited by soul2soul: Jan 20 2012, 11:42 AM

Buddhism IS a religion but does not belief in a supreme god...

and you have to understand that being enlightened and being a Buddha is two totally different things....

I've never really believed in a supreme entity as our creator but rather as we are all part of something bigger and everything is interconnected somehow.

But as long as moral values are in place in human society i feel that everyone should have a freedom to practice religion so long as it doesn't provoke violence.

I find religion is a part of what defines cultures of the world and makes the world beautiful but everyones so busy fighting over whose belief is right.

This is why buddhism is not concerned whether there is a creator or not because as you can see, praying to god or allah everyday for that matter does not alleviate your sufferings permenantly.

we are more concerned about how to get reach enlightenment and get out of the rebirth cycle.

zstan, u're very knowledgeable. can i join your class/center/school of thought/guru/dharma activities? where?

on a nother note, someone mentioned about how kechara is. here's my 2 cents, it is very engaging, they r an active organization constantly spreading dharma with such skilful means via its impressive 13 departments. u can find their main office in dataran prima, somewhere thereabouts. ayam impressed with their dedication to their teacher HE Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and to Buddhism.

Nah my knowledge in buddhism still rather limited. I am more interested in the practical aspects of Buddhism rather than all those suttas. I also hardly practice meditation. The only thing that i practice diligently is being mindful...until it becomes really annoying especially when i try to sleep... as my brain calms down i can hear every single noise in the room..from the clock ticking..things creaking here and there and even my heart beat

I am currently not attached to any particular organisation or teacher (following Buddha's advise of not being attached )I used to go to Maha Vihara at brickfields for sunday school since primary... learning theravada stuff.. then moving to chempaka buddhist lodge where i am exposed to to mahayana teachings... then during my pre u days there are many speakers from different backgrounds who come and give talks.. for the past few years i've also help to conduct activities for a group under YBAM and SJBA as well so technically i go everywhere as long as there is an opportunity and when i have time and no i don't have any particular guru that i am close with =/

p.s: kechara is at Sunwaymas, to be more specific.. dataran prima is slightly further away...

Are you a vegetarian Buddhist? Heard of Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaism?

No i am not a vegetarian. Yeah i know of Tibetan buddhism but i didn't really study into it.

Where did you learn you dhamma last time when you were young? At penang?

I only discovered it like 4 years ago.