Actually Buddhism has reduced my suffering a lot in life.

I used to be very arrogant and full of shit when young because my parents spoilt me (went International School in Singapore UWCSEA and later migrated to Sydney after doing my degree in Sydney Uni). Parents gave me whatever i wanted when young and also left me with quite a lot of inheritance (don't want to say too much now).

Read a book from Dalai Lama on 25 May 2000 and that book changed my life completely. Started off with a lot of interest in Tibetan Buddhism (Tibetan Buddhism is huge in Sydney) until Jan 2004 when i found Thai Buddhism much more to my personality. Went to a lot of meditation classes from 2004 to 2015 (used to meditate 8-9 hours a day seven days a week after learning meditation).

To cut a long story short, Buddhism has changed me for the better and taught me to be a more honest person. I used to love to wheel and deal when younger (especially in the sharemarket).

You have quite a blessed life. And you definitely have affinity w Buddhism. Both of these r brought from past lives.

Being AWARE of one's own problems is a fortunate thing. It has to b completed w action to finally 'cure' the problems n achieve perfection.

I am into Chaan, Pureland n Tibetan Buddhism. I also learn Theravada upon instruction from my Rinpoche to spend time on it. After all, it all came from the Great Teacher, the Lord Gautama Buddha.

Wish you achieve enlightenment

well done, may you strive with diligence !

This post has been edited by Chrono-Trigger: Jan 22 2022, 03:11 PM

My wish is to have a 3 days 2 nights kind of 'get away' from the hectic City life...to be among Buddhists where there is meditation....chantings...and eating 100% Vegetarian meals. Anyone knows where I can join this in Klang Valley?

These type of retreats are very popular in Sydney (sorry my experience is only in Sydney as i have lived 40 years there). I attend a regular monthly get together in the Buddhist Library where we talk about living our life as a Buddhist and we solve problems the 'Buddhist' way and they talk about their experience during the retreat.

I have never attended retreats as i practice on my own mostly - there are so many in Sydney (Blue Mountain) and they are very popular with a lot of Sydneysiders because they find this a good way to de-stress from work life. I used to meditate a lot and now generally find myself to be a very calm person (due to my higher level of mindfulness) - i used to get upset and irritated quite easily before i learnt Buddhism.

Buddhism has changed me and my life completely and i wish to wish this good karma (to have been able to cross the path) will remain with you.

thx buddy for your advice. I remember when I was a fanatical Christian, I will join the 3 days 2 nights church camps in Port Dickson, Sitiawan, Genting and Pangkor. Those were the times where I got to recharge my weary mind and body. Felt so much better after each camp...happier and less irritated.

Now that I no longer to go church or believe all the fairytale stories in the Bible, I found myself drawn to Buddhism and its logical teaching.

Religions around the world has its purpose - as long as it makes a person happier and wiser then it is a good religion.

Not all people are suited to one religion and depending on one's mentality and personality, one religion may be more suited to that person than another.

As for myself, i am a person who likes to question things rather than rely on supernatural forces to guide me. I like to question things and always ask 'why?'. I always remember 25 May 2000 as the day when i read one of Dalai Lama's books (Ancient Wisdom, Modern World) and that book changed my life altogether. After that, i bought every book that i could find in any bookshop that was written by Dalai Lama. I was so crazy about Buddhism!! In early 2004, someone introduced me to Theravada and slowly i moved across. I was so crazy about meditation i was meditating 10 hours a day everyday (i had a very cushy job at Sydney Uni with my own room so i was meditating even at work). My level of mindfulness is quite strong due to a long period (about 15 years) of constant meditation (mainly vipasanna meditation).

I think i have written enough about my path and hopefully you will benefit (like i have) on your path to nibbana.

Thx for yoru sharing. Woh...10 hours a day meditating??

Yes - Buddhism was my life then. I also attended a lot of Dharma talks and attended a lot of talks from quite a few Ajahns (from Thailand). My book collection on Buddhism was so extensive and i had to donate them all to the Buddhist Library (Church Street, Camperdown Sydney) when i came back to KL.

I was so keen on meditating and my level of mindfulness now is quite strong - in my daily life my level of awareness is quite strong and it also contributes to my good memory.

I am the youngest in my family and my parents spoilt me badly - i was given everything in life. My parents even bought me a unit to live in when i was studying in Uni (Sydney) in a good suburb so i never really had to struggle much in life. That unit is worth worth twice my Bangsar Baru house (Sydney properties are very expensive) which i also inherited. Imagine my ego before i learnt Buddhism (super big) because life has been so smooth for me. I had a very good career at Sydney Uni (job for life) with a very good package (i finished off on a lecturer's pay) after working 31 (continuous) years and had a very good payout (a golden handshake) when i left. My payout is very close to a million ringgit because i had a lot of unused long service leave (more than one year) and annual leave. I felt something was missing in my life even though life has been very rosy for me. I found that something after i read that Dalai Lama book in May 2000. Nowadays i am a lot more humble in life and wiser so for me Buddhism has been my saviour - i think without Buddhism my life would have been very miserable.

good to see Buddhism helped you tremendously. I am on the right path now then

Ti Ratana Buddhist Society actually in progress to build a retreat in Bentong. Project stalled due to covid19. Now just slow and steady as hard to get construction workers

What is Buddhism view on the "topic of good and evil"?

Also could any Buddhist explain Nirvana and Reincarnation?

Google has answers but let's make use of forum interaction

actually there is no good or evil in buddhism, so basically it is just 'u reap what u sow' ...
just like, plant apple seed get apple tree n produce apple, apple taste good or bad, it is depend on how your mind to perceived ...
and everybody have their own 'like' n 'dislike', so u really cannot say good or bad do exist cos everything is interdependent with certain condition ...

the ultimate goal for a buddhist is to get out of samsara(attained nirvana) and no more reincarnation ...
reincarnation is just part of the process which is the manifestation of your own 'mind n habit' ...
as long as your mind is still thinking of 'something to let go', u will never attained 'nothing to be obtained' mind n u will keep on reincarnating...

Follow the 5 precepts and we cant go wrong. however, I am a social drinker and I dont see anything wrong with that

This post has been edited by empire: Feb 27 2022, 09:01 PM

I am a follower of Ajahn Chah's teaching. At one stage, i was so keen on reading the nikayas. I bought quite a few volumes and spent quite a few years reading them over and over again. The teachings are so profound and i have benefitted so much from it. I have been very lucky throughout my whole life - sometimes i attribute my success to Buddhism. Without it, i would have been lost.

People around me told me that i changed a lot after i started reading Buddhist books in 2000. I used to get irritated (even though externally i was calm but internally there was a volcano brewing). Nowadays i am quite mindful in daily life and any events that irritate me tend not to exist for long ( i am very good at letting go).

Money solves a lot of problems which may be the reason why i don't have much problems other than those problems that money cannot solve. With those problems that money cannot solve, i can see the impermanence in everything. I have undergone death meditation for quite a long period of time and now view my death as quite a natural path of existance. I love going to cemetaries because i know i will end up there one day so i don't have much attachment to life.

Whats 'death meditation' ?

Death meditation is commonly used by monks in Thailand. It is to get you ready for death so when seath happens, you are ready for it. A lot of monks in Thailand and Burma meditate in cemetaries so wherever they look, they are confronted with death. After a while practising death meditation, you will look at death as very 'normal' and you will not fear death. I always dream about myself on my deathbed (the last few minutes of my life) - this is very common for people who thinks about death all the time (due to the death meditation training). It doesn't mean you are going to kill yourself or have the intention to kill yourself (as in suicide) BUT it just means you are ready for death anytime. It just makes a person see reality and understand the meaning of what life is all about. In other words, this is emptiness (or some call it void) which Buddhist realise upon gaining enlightenment.

May Buddhism bring you happiness in life.

Oh...I saw this in youtube before. An old Thai Monk said goodbye to all his fellow younger monks, and lay on the floor for a few mins and died. Amazing!

Death meditation actually helps a person realise that death is imminent in life - death is a part of our lives. We just conveniently forget that we will die one day (probably too busy making money) and we carry on with life and we forget we will die one day. Actually death is a good reminder of impermanence which is the basic theme in Buddhism - things are impermanent and things keep changing until the one day when we meet our maker. No matter how rich a person is, he still has to die.

I was thinking of becoming a monk around 2010 but i had too much good things around me, i couldn't give up my desires for a good life. A lot of people wonder why Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan's son become a Thai monk and thinks he is stupid. Well he is not stupid - in fact he is a very intelligent person because can see that no matter how much enjoyment he has in life, he will eventually have to die and he is preparing for his eventual death.

In Msia, i can see a lot of poorer people and it is quite difficult to make a living. In Aust, there is a lot of govt welfare assistance and people there have a safety net to fall back on. People in Msia don't have too much free time to investigate Buddhist teachings because their work lives are too busy but let me assure you that if you investigate Buddhist teachings further, you will realise the teachings are very profound and it will reduce our suffering in life - i have benefitted greatly from Buddhist teachings even though when i was younger, i never understood why people needed religion.

Quite similar experience I have in life. Until now don't have the patience to do meditation. I had let go many things but sometimes anger comes swiftly subconsciously. I still got a lot to learn.

I also wanted to do this but family commitment makes it difficult. If I got the freedom, I would go Thailand.