PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

May is a month for all of us to accumulate merits together. The Tibetan and Chinese Lunar calendar celebrates the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of Lord Buddha Sakyamuni on 27th & 28th May respectively. We have also arranged an out to the sea Lives Release on 27th May.

On top of this, we have revised the rate for our centre mini statues sponsorship and in conjunction with the two special days on 27th & 28th May, we have provided a special rate for registration received from 1st May to 31st May 2010.

Do find out the latest updates and programs inside this newsletter.

Date	Programs
27/05	Saga Dawa Duchen & Lives Release (Merits Multiplying Day)
28/05	Vesak Day

You may also accumulate merits in our monthly pujas (e.g. Medicine Buddha Puja, Green Tara Puja & etc.) by making lamp offering to the Buddhas, which is available at S$5 per lamp.
 

SAGA DAWA DUCHEN & VESAK DAY

This year, the month where Lord Buddha Shakyamuni’s birth, enlightenment and parinirvana for both Tibetan & Chinese Lunar calendar falls on 27th & 28th May respectively.  

According to Tibetan calendar, it is a special month for practice and performing virtuous actions. In particular on the 15th day of Tibetan 4th month (27th May 2010), where the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied by 10 million times.

On Vesak Day, Buddhists take part in the ceremonial bathing of the statue of baby Prince Siddhartha. A small standing statue of prince is placed in a basin of perfumed water strewn with flowers. The Buddhists scoop the perfumed water with a ladle and pour it over the statue. This act of bathing symbolize the purification of one unwholesome actions. Besides being a festival for rejoicing and making offerings to the Triple Gems, it is also an occasion for reflecting on our personal spiritual development.

On this day, some Buddhists release captive animals such as birds and turtles. This act of kindness recalls the Buddha teaching of Universal Compassion. Our centre will conduct Lives Release out to the sea on 27th May 2010.

Saving the lives of animals on the verge of being killed is considered an 'intensified' virtuous activity, resulting in the accumulation of merits which surpasses many others. Sponsors as well as participants of lives release event will acquire great merits that will help to clear one’s obstacles and enhance one’s life span.

The program is as follows:

* For Lives Release Registered Participants *
Meeting Time & Venue: 9.15am at Changi Ferry Terminal

In support of our centre fund and monthly maintenance fees, we have different types of mini Buddhas statues available for sponsorship. With effect from 1st May 2010, the rate for mini buddhas statues sponsorship have revised as follows:

For Members: S$150 per year has been revised to S$100 per year.
For Non Members: S$180 per year has been revised to S$150 per year.

Also all statues sponsorships received from now onwards will automatically expired on 31st December on every calendar year. This is to allow devotees to easily monitor the expiring date of their statue sponsorship.

We look forward for your generous support towards our mini statues.

* Special Rate for Small Buddha Statue Sponsorship from 1st to 31st May 2010. *

In conjunction with Saga Dawa Duchen and Vesak Day, we will like to provide special rate for registration receive from 1st May to 31st May 2010 for statue sponsorship at S$68 for Member or S$88 for Non-Member.

Terms & Conditions for Special Rate Registration:

-  Special rate is strictly from 1st to 31st May 2010 with full payment received by 31st May 2010 and no reservation is allowed.
-  Registration received after 31st May 2010 will be based on the newly revised rate of S$100 for member or S$150 for non-member.
-  Member rate is applicable only when membership subscription is paid in full and member name is indicated as one of the sponsor's
   names on the statue.
-  All sponsorship will automatically expired on 31st December 2010.
-  Maximum of 3 individual names or 2 family names (husband & wife) can be indicated on per statue.

Click to download statues sponsorship form.

Types of Annual Mini Statues Sponsorship:

1) Amitabha Buddha mini statue
Offering of Amitabha Buddha helps devotees to accumulate merits and wisdom, gets connected with Amitabha Buddha in future rebirth and create the condition to reborn in Amitabha Pureland. It also helps deceased to gain merits and help them to find their path to Amitabha Buddha Pureland.

2) Chenrezig mini statue
Offering to Chenrezig allow devotees to receive blessing, develop compassion and bodhicitta. Helps one to purify obscurations, obstacles and negative karmas. Allow devotees to get connected to Chenrezig's family as Chenrezig is the emanation of compassion for all past, present and future Buddhas.

3) Dzambala mini statue
Offering to Dzambala allow devotees to sow 'Seed Money' so that they will have constant supply of fortune to facilitate their practice of generosity. Devotees will experience fortune, happiness, prosperity and accumulate merits.

4) Green Tara mini statue
Offering to Green Tara believed to promote growth, solve practical problems and protects our everyday world. It helps to clear out obstacles and fulfill wishes within this lifetime.

5) Guru Rinpoche mini statue
Offering to Guru Rinpoche helps to clear out all sorts of obstacles on the spiritual path and blessing will be bestow to experience true nature of mind. Guru Rinpoche mentioned whoever prayed to him with single-pointed devotion, their wishes will be granted swiftly and blessing will be bestow to them especially in this degeneration times.

6) Manjunshri mini statue
Offering to Manjunshri will allow devotees to develop wisdom through His blessing, as Manjunshri is the wisdom aspect of all Buddhas. It will also help to clear out ignorance that hindrance one's realisation.

7) Medicine Buddha mini statue
Offering to Medicine Buddha helps to heal devotees from all sorts of diseases and sickness. It also purify your broken precepts due to immorality and prevent you from reborn in the three lower realms.

8) Vajrasattva mini statue
Offering to Vajrasatttva helps to purify negative karmas including broken samayas. Vajrasattva is known as the King of Purification and is the condensed nature of Hundred Deities mandala.