Week of May 25, 2015

Sunday, May 31, 2015

 

Time	Activity
9:30am-1:00pm	Sunday Market
11:30am-12:45am	Buddha Learning Group
1:00pm-2:00pm	Religious Service

 

 Buddha Learning Group (BLG)

The Buddha Learning Group meets in the Main Temple every Sunday between 11:30am and 12:45pm for a Q&A session on Buddhism, Thai culture and history of Wat Tampa.

Are there topics or questions you would like to find the answers to? We are soliciting your input for topics or questions you have. Please use the Contact Us or Feedback links to submit your topics or questions. Your input is greatly appreciated and will be covered during the next Buddha Learning group. 

Visit http://buddhanet.net  for easy to read and understandable information on Buddhism.   

In particular, http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide.htm provides links to a number of excellent resources for someone new to learning about Buddhism.   

 Visakha Puja Day - May 31, 2015

The three significant separate events are:

• The Buddha was born  on this day. Buddha was born into a royal family in what is now Nepal.
• The Buddha achieved "The Enlightenment" (NIRVANA) on the same day
• He passed away at age 80 in India.

In his early years he lived a life of luxury and was shielded from the life of misery that most of the kingdom’s people lived in. At the age of 29 he left this life of luxury and studied the practices of Brahmin ascetics who denied themselves all but the most vital essentials of life. Eventually he rejected this practice and practice the "middle way" – a simple rational life of moderation. At the age of 39 he attained enlightenment. His discovery is referred to as the four noble truths:

• The Noble Truth of Suffering
• The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
• The Noble Truth of Extinction of Suffering
• The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Extinction of Suffering

Activities for the day:

10:30am     Chanting the eight precepts

11:00am     Public Alms giving ceremony

1:00 pm      Viskha Puja Day sermon & meditation

2:00 pm      Candle light procession around the Temple

 

Next Events:

Asalha Puja Day

The Buddhist Lent starts on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month. The tradition of Buddhist Lent or the annual three-month Rains Retreat, known in Thai as "PHUN SAA", dates back to the time of early Buddhism in ancient India. All holy men, mendicants and sages spent three months of the annual rainy season in permanent dwellings. They avoided unnecessary travel during this period when crops were still new for fear they might accidentally step on young plants. In deference to popular opinion, Lord Buddha decreed that his followers should also abide by this ancient tradition, and they began to gather in-groups of simple dwellings.

The typical activites for Asalha Puja Day include:

• Monks will recite the Eight Precepts.
• Congregation will give alms to the monks.
• A monk will give a Sermon and lead a Meditation.
• Monks will chant in Sanskrit and lead the lit candle procession three times around the Temple.