Hi guys, i am currently living overseas and plan to come back to KL to retire in 2 years time. I have been following the Thevarada tradition for many years. I will be living at my mum's place in Bangsar Baru - could someone recommend some centres around the Bangsar area (preferably Theravada tradition)? Thanks again.

Thank you very much Chrono-Trigger for the information. I will check the Bandar Utama website for more information. I probably don't need the retreats because i have been meditating for 17 years now and have attended a lot of vipassana meditation classes in my earlier days.

What happened to Teamjoker? His account seems to be suspended or deleted?

I enjoyed his Di Zi Gui thread.

His posts and threads seem to be all gone.

I still owe him a lunch as i wanted to thank him for his postings on Di Zi Gui.

Maybe he created dupe accounts - anyway if he is still in lurking in this forum, please PM me as i want to buy him lunch as i have promised.

I am 60 y.o. and won't create dupe accounts as i have better use of my time. Anyway some younger people might think it is fun but i am not here to judge.

Teamjoker - drop me a PM if you are still here.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Even though i am a very calm person before i encountered Buddhism, i was exploding inside though externally, i was appearing calm especially in the office. As i was quite senior (after working about 10 years), i had a lot of juniors reporting to me and this made me somehow a bit cocky and also the fact that i was financially better off than most of my colleagues as i had no mortgage to pay off when i started working (even though the unit was not under my name initially, the intention was that i will eventually inherit the property). I am very mindful nowadays (due to my past meditation) and i am able to catch the slightest irritation before it starts off a chain reaction. In the Western world, they call it mind training where you control your mind and not let your emotions control you.

I am now nearly 60 and i am quite happy and amazed how Buddhist teachings can totally change the way a person behaves as i can see a big change in the way i react to things.

Actually i have been following this thread but i have not posted anything about myself but now i think it is time i reveal more about my past 22 years following the Buddhist teachings. I don't usually want to talk much about my Buddhist faith because a lot of my friends are Christians and they think i am stupid being a Buddhist. My friends try to convert me to Christianity but i am a person who likes to question things and always ask why (which is why Buddhist teachings are best for me). I am not someone who will just follow blindly.

When i was younger, i was always wanted to get rich and did a lot of 'syndicate manipulation' of stock prices because i have a lot of friends in the stockbroking industry (in Aust). Now i am old and a lot wiser,i don't wish to be involved in any illegal activities. I have started to allocate a little of my portfolio to Msian shares (most of my funds are overseas). Let you have a peek of my small Msian portfolio.

Hello my young friend, i still haven't forgotten i owe you a lunch. Maybe when Covid cases drop more, i will meet up with you. My relatives (and friends) warn me against making friends with other people when in Msia but i think you should be okay. I will make contact with you at a later stage but i never forget promises that i make.

I don't like posting too much nowadays as i slowly begin to understand the mentality of forummers here - aiyoh people make up stories here and there. I am an old uncle who don't like writing nonsense so i want to stay a little quieter nowadays.

I am writing more in this Buddhist thread because it has benefit me greatly so that is why i am sharing with other people. Hopefully we can benefit together with sharing about our past experience.

This post has been edited by Garysydney: Mar 1 2022, 12:08 PM

I have actually read the Majjihma and Samyutta Nikaya a couple of times (over a period of 5 years). I was so keen to learn about Buddhism in the early 2000s - i found this is what i needed in my life. Life in Sydney is very quiet and boring as my wife and i have no kids. I didn't turn my tv on (others than watching the evening news) for more than 7 years because i was either meditating (usually taking short breaks after about 2-3 hours and then continue-ing) or reading Buddhist texts. My wife thought i was going crazy. I changed a lot over the past 20 years due to Buddhism.

I only started following Ajahn Chah in the last 10 years. I go through Ajahn Chah's quotes daily (https://www.azquotes.com/author/17674-Ajahn_Chah) - good reminder for me everyday (takes me 15 mins to flip through 2 pages as i go through this slowly).

Actually i go through my daily life in Sydney without anyone bothering me much because people in Aust are well mannered. When i came back to KL, people here really irritated me. You get people jumping the queue here all the time (whether physically lining up or driving), motorbikes driving the wrong way and a few other minor things (like motorists not indicating when turning) - this is giving me a lot of practice to watch my anger/irritation. In Sydney most things are very orderly and people behave quite well generally. I have lived in Sydney for 40 years (out of my 60 years) so i am more Aussie than Msian. When i see unfair practices (like people jumping queues), i am usually very vocal. I now learn to be vocal without the anger - Msia is giving me a lot of chance to practice Buddhism (in day-to-day experience) which Sydney doesn't provide.

I attend a monthly Buddhist group in Sydney whereby we talk freely about things we come across in daily life and how Buddhism affects our way of thinking. We discuss quite a fair bit about the sutras as well.

With my strong faith in the Theravada Buddhism, i believe i have developed a fairly good knowledge/realisation of what non-self (void or selfless or whatever you want to call it). (Remember we are supposed to be humble and not brag about our achievements so i will not say more about reaching nibanna.). In life now, i am actually quite mindful throughout my day and all i see every day is 'my death'. I know the present moment is passing all the time and my death is imminent. I go to cemeteries very often and i laugh when i walk past each tombstone - i tell the occupant i will probably join them (and be like them) in about 20+ years if not sooner. I dream about my death very often. I can see that life is suffering and even though i am quite well off, i don't see myself acting any differently even if i have no money. I find money doesn't bring me any pleasure because my death is imminent and there is no permanence in my life here on earth.

This post has been edited by Garysydney: Apr 6 2022, 06:45 PM

It is very normal for the human mind to run here and there - even if you keep meditating for tens of years, it will still run and there but to a lesser extent. We only only try to be mindful and maintain a calm mind as best we can. If you need to cari makan and is busy all the time at work then it may be quite difficult to keep the mind peaceful.

I have been very lucky when i was working at Sydney Uni - i had my own room and my job is quite cushy as i am allowed to do whatever i like. I am also very pleasant to associate with and have a very good personality (only became a nicer person after i followed Buddha's teaching - before that i was a very arrogant person because i had a huge ego due to my privileged background). It is probably because of my following of the Buddha's teaching that made my karma quite rosy. I was given a very senior position in my department but i knocked it back because because senior positions are very stressful and most time they squeeze every once of energy out of you (also the taxes are very high in Sydney so i have have to pay more than 40% of the extra income in tax). With hindsight, this is a good decision as i wouldn't have got a golden handshake from the University if i had taken that contract position. With my relaxed job, i was able to meditate 70% of my working hours in my room with no one to kacau me .

Now my mind is quite peaceful most of the time and i am able to maintain fairly strong mindfulness throughout the day. When i first starting meditating, i couldn't even sit still for 5 mins (mind keeps hopping from one thing to another). Nowadays the mind still runs but i can pick it up immediately once it runs.

Good discussion here

I haven't been to the wat in Wisemans Ferry but i have been to the temple in Leumeah (Campdelltown) a few times.

I mixed around with quite a few Unibuds guys in the early 80s - i was mixing with the Chung Ling group and most of them were staying around Arthur St and Botany St. At that time i was going out with a Kedah girl (Padang Serai). I remembered at that time the president of Unibuds was Dr. Lim?? (cannot remember now as it has been about 40 years ago). I went over to Sydney in 1980 and lived there all these years until i came back to retire last year. I must say i have had a very good career in Sydney Uni - staff in Sydney were allowed to be seconded (in some cases a permanent secondment) to other departments. I have worked in Faculty of Economics, Graduate School of Business (MBA), Faculty of Medicine (last 12 years before i retired), Administration (HR and Finance) and ICT. As i was one of the longest serving member of staff (and done several different roles in the University), i was pretty much left to do what i wanted in the final 10 years of my career. Looking back i must say i have been very lucky to have worked there and i retired on a very good package - overall i must attribute my luck to being able to come across the Buddhist path (before i come upon the Buddhist teaching, i was suffering immensely with both a big ego and huge anger). Now i live very peacefully and i cannot wish for anything more in my life

Hello my young friend, i wanted to contact you about the lunch that i still owe you.

When are you free to have lunch? If it is okay, we can have lunch in 1-U or Mid Valley. I am sometimes sleeping in Mont Kiara and sometimes in Bangsar Baru. You will easily recognise me - an old man with 90% grey hair