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Buddhist Center Giving Away Money?

Our Buddhist center, Kota Kemuning Buddhist Center (KKBC), is organizing an art competition for children. For the first time, not done anywhere else in this country (I think), we are giving our cash prizes. Some people jumped up and said, "Giving away money?! Why?"

It is quite difficult to conceive that fact that while most Buddhist centers has one objective to raise more money - for whatever reasons, from printing free booklets (don't care if there are already a million copies and no one reads them) to selling bricks or putting names on walls. This situation causes the same community (at times, the same people) making contributions again and again. I am not saying that this bad but why continue to tax the people in the name of merit? While the same people continue to give, it also built a comfort zone for some Buddhist leaders not to expand the scope of out-reaching to people outside their community. Sometimes, I wonder how long we can live in this "economics of charity". It is for those reason that we decided to do things differently.

How different? Firstly, we need to reach out to a wider audience - cast our net further. To do

that we need to think dhammaduta or missionary, not mere temple-bound activities. We need to break away from the walls of the temples and Buddhist centers.

Remember, the Buddha's advise that made Buddhism probably the world's first organized missionary religion:

Go forth, O Monks, on your journey, for the profit of the many, for the bliss of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the welfare, the profit, the bliss of the gods and mankind.

Go not any two together. Proclaim, O Monks, the Law (dharma), good in its

beginning, in its middle, and in its ending. …Make known the perfect, pure, and righteous life.

There are beings with but a little dust of passion on their eyes, who perish through not hearing the Law.

There will be some who will understand.

Mahavagga 11.1

[some will say, the message was meant for monks, *sigh*. I will deal with this another day]

Secondly, to reduce dependence on donations. Donations are good but people who donate knows what they are donating them for without taxing the donors. Thirdly, we need to develop a sustainable environment and structure (yet, not profitable in a materialist way).

The third is perhaps the most important aspect because this may spur models where lay Buddhist could find a way to practice and teach the Dharma. I think this is the most important reason is we are building the base for an the implementation of a Buddhist economics model. I have blogged about this here on why need innovation in the way Buddhist centers look at money and wealth.

I believe Buddhism needs to innovate its approaches, focus on Dhammaduta, and a greater

involvement from the laity. We need to move past part-time speakers. We have too many "speakers" touting powerpoint slides, not enough teachers. Above all, once economics is stable and sustainable, true engagement in the Dharma and living a truly Dharma lives will be possible.

I hope this art competition will be a start, albeit a very small start.

For those who want to argue, I say - please sign-up, do your best and win. When you give give the money back to give it to any charity you feel deserves it.

What are you waiting for, click more on the art competition click here and here.

A Buddhist Wedding

Attended the wedding of Bro Purna (aka Bro Puka) and Sis Jia Ming on Saturday (19-9-09). I enjoyed the luncheon. Firstly, it was vegetarian - good to know we appreciate the fact the no live should be sacrificed for our special occassion. Secondly, the athmosphere was jovial and positive. On this occassion, our girls (comprising my daughters and another KKBC member) performed Buddhist songs and later some pop song to liven up the mood.

The girls not only represented KKBC well but help bring about a dimension of Buddhism and spirituality to the event - at least this was what I personally felt. Buddhist weddings rocks!

Congrats to Purna and Jia Ming- may you live long and happily in the Dharma together.

Can't help it but this was one song which the girls sang, enjoy!

Thoughts on Buddhism and Education

WL & I have been wondering about what Buddhist principles that can be applied to help parents and children in their education and learning process -especially with regards to children. Almost all local Buddhist organizations left this important aspect of Buddhist missionary work outside their scope of activities. Key activities are usuallyrevolved around talks, (Dharma) classes and of course the usual ceremonial and religious stuff the likes of Puja, chanting and or meditation - mostly catered and targeted towards the adults. For the kids, it would the after thought of Sunday schools and the ocassionally "tadikas" or kindergartens (pre-schools, to some).

I think it is time (hopefully not too late) to seriously rethink education and learning from the Buddhist perspective. We need to do something for our children and the future generation and we cannot fully depend on the government-driven policy of education to lead us there. We all know there are flaws in the system, yet I am suprised that no real effort has really been made to look at this aspect, we just assume a it is something we just pass on to the system. Out Sunday schools adopts the systems of conventional schools.

I think we need to seriously relook at how Buddhism can be a catalyst for alternative education. Buddhism talks a lot about the mind. In many ways Buddhism articulates about how we as individuals learn. The Buddha is a master teacher. He knew the the mind of his audience and disciples, applied the right approach and caused them to attain states of enlightnment. He did not run standard classes for monks/nuns and expected everyone to learn in the same way. He recognized that different people learn differently.

In the course of His missionary, the achievement of Wisdom (Panna/Prajna) is paramount. Detailed approaches to training (sikkha), expounding the knowledge needs to be engaged in different "roots" in the teachings of the "roots of wisdom" (mula prajna). These are some very interesting teachings that exposes how people learn and how to teach.

We believe there are a lot of teaching from the wisdom of the Buddha that can be used to innovate the schooling system. We can use Buddhist teaching to help our children to be better people. After all, this is what Buddhism is all about. If properly studied and executed, the
Buddhist may be a powerful force in transforming learning and education.

Our current Buddhists leaders needs to think out of the school-box (of government policied institutions) and rethink the entire paradigm. We need to start to think about this seriously. We need to RETHINK again - and again, with the Buddha Dharma fully engaged.

in the coming blogs, I will be sharing my thoughts on this and how we can initiate this paradigm shift. I am unsure if I have all the answers but I know that every child is different and special. The schooling system is not up to mark, our world and society if changing and we need ancient wisdom to take us and our children to the future.

We MUST do it, there is little choice!

(mobile blogged in Ipoh, edited later)