I have something to share. I am in Sales and I have been having obstructions in my work. My mum brought me to this temple in Geylang for what they call 'Altar Candle Service' at the Temple. My name was written on a red paper with my birthdate and my prayer request was for a smooth career and good sales. The monk who did chanting for me updated me once in a while. There was a day when the candle was not burning well and the monk I adopted advised me to release 9 birds. After that I did much better in my job and it definitely helped me a great deal. 2 years ago my grandma was down with cancer and my mum did the same thing for grandma at the temple. Miraculously though grandma passed away but she died peacefully with no pain. She was at her fourth stage of cancer but grandma did not suffer any pain. Thank to the monks at the temple who chanted and prayed for grandma. Recently my sis had some issues with her husband, almost contemplated divorce and the Shifu at the temple advised my sis to change the direction of her bed and with the power of the candle burning at the altar both husband and wife are pretty fine now.
If any of you are having problems, love, health, financial problems, issues at work why not try this altar service at the temple I mentioned. It is really worth a try. Check their website:
http:www.foxin.org.sg/foxin_007.htm
Cheers
Is this Dharma...?
Sorry the link is
http://www.foxin.org.sg/foxin_007.htm
It is said in their website .......'While the candle is burning, the monk adopted by you will on a daily basis, for 49 days, chants on your behalf to help purify the karma of body, speech and mind. This practice paves the way to invigorate your life through the inter-connection with spiritual values in chanting. Pujas are beautiful and powerful. Body, speech, and mind are all involved. Prayers and pujas involve reciting sutras, chanting mantras, performing mudras, visualizing Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and offering water, flowers, incense, lights, food, music, etc. All these methods generate merit. Merit is necessary for good health, long life, happiness, worldly success, spiritual realization and good rebirth.'
dear sueyaoann , all this practice of alleviating suffering and misfortune is only for a short while . I do hope you can come here in this forum to learn about Buddhism which can solve your problem once and for all .
my impression is that the temple has a lot of activities to accumulate good karma and merits which may of course be of limited benefits to one's life, but nothing indicative that they are teaching and promoting the dharma, the buddha's teachings. that which can truly lead to awareness, wisdom, real happiness, and liberation of sufferings.
it looks kind of commercial to me but i might be wrong.
The abbot of this temple, Sek Meow Di, sounds familiar to me. I think I read about him in the newspaper but I can't remember what it was about.
In my opinion, It is ok to go for altar candle service for immediate issue. However, as what bohirichi said it is a temporary solution. It is better to solve the roots of the problems by practicing according to Buddha's teachings than to solve the problem.
I've seen some people, who do not know about Buddha's teachings, seek the help of medium whenever they have problem The medium really helps them to solve their immediate problem but they seem to have different sets of problems every now and then. Almost every month, they have to seek the medium's help. This is not a long term solution. Think about it.
Originally posted by Sueyaoann:Sorry the link is
http://www.foxin.org.sg/foxin_007.htm
It is said in their website .......'While the candle is burning, the monk adopted by you will on a daily basis, for 49 days, chants on your behalf to help purify the karma of body, speech and mind. This practice paves the way to invigorate your life through the inter-connection with spiritual values in chanting. Pujas are beautiful and powerful. Body, speech, and mind are all involved. Prayers and pujas involve reciting sutras, chanting mantras, performing mudras, visualizing Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and offering water, flowers, incense, lights, food, music, etc. All these methods generate merit. Merit is necessary for good health, long life, happiness, worldly success, spiritual realization and good rebirth.'
Hi sue
It is good to perform lighting candle act before the triple gems. However, nothing is more meritous than learning and practising the Dharma.
Buddha last word to us was, "Depend on the Dharma, not the people."
Recently I had an experience with an accquaintance who was a palm reader. He was quite famous for this. Hence I asked him to perform a reading on me. It was quite accurate in certain past incident. He even predicted my affinity with Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Overall was great. However, it loss accuracy when it come to the residence home portion. He predict, " I stay in a small unit." I smile and replied, " Nope, my unit is 2 time bigger." He was shocked. Because normally he is pretty precise on it.
Anyway, through the incident I learn one truth. Dharma can be experienced and tested. The principle is timeless and it bestow result. I am rather grateful for the fact that I am able to know the Dharma in this life. I hope and pray the Buddhist pals in this forums will continue to excel in your practise to change the destiny too.
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@ Sue
Hope is good but the realisation of the truth is even better in Buddhism. As life is impermanent and therefore, once we have realised the cause of suffering, we are in the position to put an end to suffering. This is clearly stated in the Four Noble Truths. I can see you are developing your interests in Buddhism.
However, the greatest obstacle that prevents one from actualising the Three Jewels is probably ourselves. Our endless desires, attachments, cravings, arrogance, ignorance, selfishness, greed and all negative thoughts which are made by our deluded minds are our greatest obstacles to seeing the benefits of the Three Jewels.
Sue, Buddhists believe that our destiny is in our own hands and we have to realise that no external sources, no faith or rituals can save us. When we realise that the whole responsibility for our present life as well as our future life depends completely on ourselves alone, we will take ownership of our destiny and become our own saviour.
For a start, I think it is okay to rely on conventional truths – concepts and practices that addressed only particular situations. Rituals only provide temporary solutions as mentioned by bohiruci. The Buddha had tried to reveal the ultimate truth to us in so many ways but we constantly try to recognise the truth as “conventional” causing the mind to constantly filter, define and judge everything, thus failed to see reality as it is.
Be wary of cults who claim they are able to help you solve your current problems in life. Some may even claim they have clairvoyance. Seeking advice from mediums and spirits are forbidden practices in Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, the shugden practice is forbidden for the same reason. The oracle itself is trapped in samsara so therefore, we cannot rely on its advice. It will be our downfall if we continue to do so, causing more problems to arise thereafter.
We have to develop confidence and faith that the Buddha is truly competent to lead us to the path of enlightenment. When one has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, one will see with right knowledge the Four Noble Truths. Thus, by seeking such refuge, one is released from all sufferings.
On this same note, perhaps it would also be good to understand Karma, which is called the Law of Cause and Effect. In short, every cause has an effect. Buddhists believe that we are the result of what we were, and we will be the result of what we are. Karma is not completely determined or completely fixed however. Our fate depends entirely on deeds committed by body, speech and thought. Simply put, to understand the Law of Karma is to realise that we ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and our own misery.
Originally posted by Sueyaoann:I have something to share. I am in Sales and I have been having obstructions in my work. My mum brought me to this temple in Geylang for what they call 'Altar Candle Service' at the Temple. My name was written on a red paper with my birthdate and my prayer request was for a smooth career and good sales. The monk who did chanting for me updated me once in a while. There was a day when the candle was not burning well and the monk I adopted advised me to release 9 birds. After that I did much better in my job and it definitely helped me a great deal. 2 years ago my grandma was down with cancer and my mum did the same thing for grandma at the temple. Miraculously though grandma passed away but she died peacefully with no pain. She was at her fourth stage of cancer but grandma did not suffer any pain. Thank to the monks at the temple who chanted and prayed for grandma. Recently my sis had some issues with her husband, almost contemplated divorce and the Shifu at the temple advised my sis to change the direction of her bed and with the power of the candle burning at the altar both husband and wife are pretty fine now.
If any of you are having problems, love, health, financial problems, issues at work why not try this altar service at the temple I mentioned. It is really worth a try. Check their website:
http:www.foxin.org.sg/foxin_007.htm
Cheers
Thank you for your sharing and kindness. Glad it have worked for you and lessen your dfficulties inlife, Hope it have brought you closer to Buddhism also.
I would also like to share with you the Four Noble Truths, the teachings of Lord Buddha and may you take some time to contemplate on it.
The Four Noble Truths
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.
To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.
There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in theEightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html