The 9th of May 2009 (Sat) is Vesak Day, the auspicious day in which we commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. Buddha Shakyamuni showed us the path towards enlightenment through his compassion and wisdom. He showed us by example that it is possible to reach the self-same state as him. His teachings are timeless and remain relevant not just for helping us face difficulties we encounter in our daily lives and are still very effective in helping us to achieve inner calm, tranquility and bliss.

1. When that person goes swimming, the water will become blessed and this water will purify the karma of all the sentient beings who come into contact with it.
2. The wind that touches this person's body will become blessed and purify the negative karma of any sentient beings that come into contact with it.
3. The sentient beings who see or touch this person will also have their negative karma purified.

Benefits of Taking 8 Precepts

The 8 precepts encompasses 5 precepts which are the basic vows which are needed for self-liberation and an additional 3 precepts which will aid us in having a better practice. One's mind will become peaceful and calm, one will gain control over bad habits and there will be fewer distractions during one's meditation.

A disciple once asked Buddha what the benefits of observing the 8 precepts are. Buddha said that the benefits of observing the 8 precepts are so great that, as compared to the benefits of making vast offerings of precious materials to Buddhas as numerous as the atoms in the world for millions of kalpas, the benefit of purely observing the 8 precepts for one day is far greater.

By observing the eight precepts, one will receive upper rebirths and and eventually attain enlightenment. One will be protected from harm and the place where one lives will become peaceful and prosperous. One will get along better with others. One will meet with the Buddha's teachings in the future and may be born as a disciple of Maitreya Buddha.

Those interested in taking the 8 precepts on the 9th of May 2009, please register with our centre's administrator. A fee of $10 applies for the lunch provided.

Bathing of the Buddha

While bathing the image of the Buddha with auspicious water, one should make the resolution to try one's best to purify oneself of the karmas of the body, speech and mind. May negative karma in the past, present and future be eliminated. One should try to hold the pure motivation of purifying one's bad karma, accumulating merits and realizing the ultimate wisdom to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.