VRI
MEDIA
FREE ONLINE TRAINING ON PRECEPTS AND TRADE-50
ON MORALITY
THE WAY OF CULTIVATION
“In times of
happiness, do not tret others lightly; seeing
Others suffer, one
should not be happy”. (Sutra on Upasaka
Precepts).
COMPREHENSIVE PALI COURSE
LESSON 7
Exercise 1
Translate into English
1.
Kasmā devā pi Buddhassa pādesu vandiṁsu?
How is that even gods worshipped the feet of the Buddha?
2.
Karuṇāya nanu Buddho devānaṁ Sattha abhavi?
Was not the Buddha the Teacher of the gods through
compassion?
3.
Āma, Buddho devamanussānaṁ Sattha ahosi.
Yes. The Awakened One was the Teacher of gods and men.
4.
Tumhe garavena bhattaṁ apacittha, amhe ca dānam
Adadittha.
You cooked nice with devotion and offered us the
Alms.
5.
Kathaṁ tumhe
cittaṁ abhāvittha
iti upāsako
bhikkuṁ apucchi.
How did
you cultivate your mind, so the devotee
Asked
the monk.
6.
Bhikku āha: Yo bhāvanaṁ āsevati so cittaṁ
Bhāveti.
The monk said: He who practices
meditation
Develops mind.
7.
Upāsako bhikkussa santike gacchi, evañca vadi.
The devotee went to the monk and
said thus:
8.
Bhante, ahaṁ ca mayaṁ bhariyā ca sīlesu
Sikkhimha.
Venerable Sir, I and my wife
have trained our selves
in the precepts.
9.
Mayaṁ bhāvanāya cittaṁ bhāvimha
sukhañca
Labhimha.
We cultimated the mind through meditation and
Gained happiness.
10.
Subhaddo
evaṁ bhāsi,
Mā socatha, mā rodatha.
Mahā Samaṇo natthi. Idāni mayaṁ muñcimha
Sikkhaya iti.
Subhadda said thus: ‘Don’t lament, don’t
cry. The
Great monk is not there, we are now freed from the
Rules.
11. Bhadanta Mahākassapo
Saṅgāyanaṁ akāsi,
Dhammañca ārakkhi,
Subhaddo palāyi.
The venerable Mahā Kassapa organized the Great
Council and protected the Teachings; Subhadda ran
Away.
FREE ONLINE TRAINING ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN -11
Stupa above is from: Shambhala
Mountain Center
http://www.motionbox.com/videos/1f9dd8b1141ce992Buddha stories for children VCD1-2
Buddha stories for children VCD1-2
This cartoon movie is for children to enjoy a Buddha story which is also intended to teach ethics.
It was produced for free distribution. VCD from Amitabha Buddhist Society - Singapore.
Demons in the Desert
[The Correct Way of Thinking]
Once
upon a time there were two merchants, who were friends. Both of them were getting
ready for business trips to sell their merchandise, so they had to decide whether
to travel together. They agreed that, since each had about 500 carts, and they
were going to the same place along the same road, it would be too crowded to go
at the same time.
One
decided that it would be much better to go first. He thought, “The road will
not be rutted by the carts, the bullocks will be able to choose the best of all
the grass, we will find the best fruits and vegetables to eat, my people will
appreciate my leadership and, in the end, I will be able to bargain for the best
prices.”
The
other merchant considered carefully and realized there were advantages to going
second. He thought, “My friend’s carts will level the ground so we won’t
have to do any road work, his bullocks will eat the old rough grass and new tender
shoots will spring up for mine to eat. In the same way, they will pick the old
fruits and vegetables and fresh ones will grow for us to enjoy. I won’t have to
waste my time bargaining when I can take the price already set and make my profit.”
So he agreed to let his friend go first. This friend was sure he’d fooled him
and gotten the best of him - so he set out first on the journey.
The
merchant who went first had a troublesome time of it. They came to a wilderness
called the ‘Waterless Desert’, which the local people said was haunted by demons.
When the caravan reached the middle of it, they met a large group coming from
the opposite direction. They had carts that were mud smeared and dripping with
water. They had lotuses and water lilies in their hands and in the carts. The
head man, who had a know-it-all attitude, said to the merchant, “Why are
you carrying these heavy loads of water? In a short time you will reach that oasis
on the horizon with plenty of water to drink and dates to eat. Your bullocks are
tired from pulling those heavy carts filled with extra water - so throw away the
water and be kind to your overworked animals!”
Even
though the local people had warned them, the merchant did not realize that these
were not real people, but demons in disguise. They were even in danger of being
eaten by them. Being confident that they were helpful people, he followed their
advice and had all his water emptied onto the ground.
As
they continued on their way they found no oasis or any water at all.
Some realized they’d been fooled by beings that might have been demons,
and started to grumble and accuse the merchant. At the end of the
day, all the people were tired out. The bullocks were too weak from
lack of water to pull their heavy carts. All the people and animals
lay down in a haphazard manner and fell into a deep sleep. Lo and
behold, during the night the demons came in their true frightening
forms and gobbled up all the weak defenseless beings. When they were
done there were only bones lying scattered around - not one human
or animal was left alive.
After several
months, the second merchant began his journey along the same way.
When he arrived at the wilderness, he assembled all his people and
advised them - “This is called the ‘Waterless Desert’ and I have
heard that it is haunted by demons and ghosts. Therefore we should
be careful. Since there may be poison plants and foul water, don’t
drink any local water without asking me.” In this way they started
into the desert.
After
getting about halfway through, in the same way as with the first caravan, they
were met by the water soaked demons in disguise. They told them the oasis was
near and they should throw away their water. But the wise merchant saw through
them right away. He knew it didn’t make sense to have an oasis in a place called
‘Waterless Desert’. And besides, these people had bulging red eyes and an aggressive
and pushy attitude, so he suspected they might be demons. He told them to leave
them alone saying, “We are business men who don’t throw away good water before
we know where the next is coming from.”
Then
seeing that his own people had doubts, the merchant said to them, “Don’t
believe these people, who may be demons, until we actually find water. The oasis
they point to may be just an illusion or a mirage. Have you ever heard of water
in this ‘Waterless Desert’? Do you feel any rain-wind or see any storm clouds?”
They all said, “No”, and he continued, “If we believe these strangers
and throw away our water, then later we may not have any to drink or cook with
- then we will be weak and thirsty and it would be easy for demons to come and
rob us, or even eat us up! Therefore, until we really find water, do not waste
even a drop!”
The
caravan continued on its way and, that evening, reached the place where the first
caravan’s people and bullocks had been killed and eaten by the demons. They found
the carts and human and animal bones lying all around. They recognized that the
fully loaded carts and the scattered bones belonged to the former caravan. The
wise merchant told certain people to stand watch around the camp during the night.
The
next morning the people ate breakfast, and fed their bullocks well. They added
to their goods the most valuable things left from the first caravan. So they finished
their journey very successfully, and returned home safely so that they and their
families could enjoy their profits.
The moral is:
One must always be wise enough not to be fooled by tricky talk and
false appearances.
A Permanent Online International Seminar on Buddhism and Buddhist
Heritage of Jambudvipa, that is, the Great Prabuddha Bharath -5
PARAMIS: The Ten Perfections 1. Dana: Generosity May I be generous and helpful 2. Sila: Mo
*PARAMIS:* The Ten Perfections
1. *Dana*: Generosity May I be generous and helpful 2. *Sila*: Morality May I be well-disciplined and refined in manners. May I be pure and clean in all my dealings. May my thoughts, words and deeds be pure. 3. *Nekkhama*: Renunciation May I not be selfish and self-possessive, but selfless and disinterested. May I be able to sacrifice my pleasure for the sake of others. 4. *Panna*: Wisdom May I be wise and able to see things as they truly are. May I see the light of truth and lead others from darkness to light. May I be enlightened and be able to enlighten others. 5. *Viriya*: Energy May I be energetic, vigorous and persevering. May I strive diligently until I achieve my goal. May I be fearless in facing dangers and courageously surmount all obstacles. May I be able to serve others to the best of my ability. 6. *Khanti*: Patience May I ever be patient. May I be able to bear and forbear the wrongs of others. May I ever be tolerant and see the good and beautiful in all. 7. *Sacca*: Truthfulness May I ever be truthful and honest. May I not swerve from the path of truth. 8. *Adhitthana*: Determination May I be firm and resolute and have an iron will. May I be soft as a flower and firm as a rock. May I ever be high-principled. 9. *Metta*: Loving Kindness May I ever be kind, friendly and compassionate. May I be able to regard all as my brothers and sisters and be one with all. 10. *Upekkha*: Equanimity May I ever be calm, serene, unruffled and peaceful. May I gain a balanced mind. May I have perfect equanimity.
May I serve to be perfect. May I be perfect to serve.
Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu.
CBI probe ruled out into attack on Joshi’s house
Lucknow, Aug 4 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government
Tuesday ruled out recommending a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
probe into the arson last month at state Congress president Rita
Bahuguna Joshi’s house after her remarks against Chief Minister
Mayawati.
“The question of instituting a CBI inquiry into the incident does not
arise as the state Crime Branch is competent enough to investigate the
case impartially and to bring the guilty to book,” Additional Cabinet
Secretary V.S. Pandey told mediapersons.
“The chief minister is convinced that the state’s own machinery is
fully equipped to handle the case and ensure that those involved in the
crime do not go scot-free,” he said.
Joshi’s house here was set on fire. She was arrested from near New
Delhi during the night of July 15 for her remarks against Mayawati. She
has since been granted bail.
The Congress party in the state has demanded a CBI inquiry into the attack on Joshi’s residence here.
Pandey quoted the chief minister and listed out a number of cases
that were investigated and solved by the Crime Branch of the state’s
Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID).
“Even the attack on BSP leaders at the state guest house here on
June 2, 1995 was entrusted to CB-CID. I wonder if the nature of this
case merits an investigation by CBI,” Pandey said.
“In any case, out of the 24 cases referred by us to the central
government for CBI probe, as many as 15 were turned down on the plea
that the agency did not have sufficient manpower, or that the cases did
not merit a probe by the agency.
“They would not have easily accepted this case too, so there was
hardly any point in recommending it for a CBI inquiry,” the official
said.
“The chief minister wishes to make it clear that the guilty would
not be spared under any circumstances. After all, she did not allow
even her own party MPs and legislators to go scot-free once it was
found that they were involved in an act of crime,” Pandey said.
Mayawati seeks more money for memorials and statues
The Mayawati
government of Uttar Pradesh has sought the assembly sanction for an
additional Rs.556 crore (Rs.5.56 billion) for the projects.
Over the years, Rs.5,000 crore have been allocated towards Chief
Minister Mayawati’s dream projects since the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
came to power in May 2007.
On Monday, she raised a fresh demand for Rs.556 crore in the
Rs.7,559 crore supplementary budget tabled before the state assembly
here.
The state has been after the central government for release
of a special economic package to deal with the drought-hit districts
that cover almost the entire state.
Campaign hots up in Kollegal
MYSORE:Electioneering in Kollegal (reserved) assembly segment is all set to pick up
pace with leaders of key political parties deciding to pitch
town.
The BSP which has
fielded former supercop Subash Bharani, who defected from BJP, has begun the
preparations.
“Our canvassing style is different from other parties
as workers and local leaders are our strength,” said a BSP district office
bearer, adding they are urging party supremo Mayawati to pay a flying visit to
Kollegal.
Subhash Bharani to be BSP candidate for bypoll
Muralidhara Khajane
Bharani was frustrated with the treatment meted out to him by the BJP: sources
‘He has followed B.R. Ambedkar’s ideology for the past 30 years’
MYSORE: Political equations have changed in Kollegal Assembly
constituency with the former IPS officer Subhash Bharani, who joined
the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) here on Tuesday, being finalised as the
party candidate for the byelection on August 18.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was banking on his support
to wrest the seat represented by the Congress, is now disappointed. On
the other hand, the BSP, which was struggling to find a suitable
candidate, is upbeat.
Mr. Bharani entered politics during the run-up to the 2008 Assembly
elections and joined the BJP. He contested from T. Narsipur
constituency but lost to Congress candidate H.C. Mahadevappa by a
margin of 16,433 votes. Considering his “contribution” to the party,
the BJP appointed him State’s Special Representative in New Delhi. It
is said that Mr. Bharani was disappointed when his plea to contest from
the Chamarajanagar (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency was turned down by
the BJP, which fielded A.R. Krishnamurthy instead.
Rubbing salt into his wounds, the BJP replaced Mr. Bharani and
appointed the party’s official spokesperson, V. Dhananjaya Kumar, as
State’s Special Representative in New Delhi. To assuage his feelings
Mr. Bharani was made chairman of Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation
(KSIC) and accorded Cabinet rank. Mr. Bharani then expressed his desire
to contest from Kollegal (Reserved) Assembly constituency in the
byelection. But the party unanimously decided to field G.N.
Nanjundaswamy. Frustrated with the treatment meted out to him, Mr.
Bharani joined the BSP, according to sources in the BJP.
N. Mahesh, State general secretary of the BSP, said, “Mr. Bharani
will file his nomination papers on Wednesday.” Mr. Mahesh said that Mr.
Bharani had followed B.R. Ambedkar’s ideology for the past 30 years.
Refusing to term Mr. Bharani’s decision as “opportunistic”, Mr. Mahesh said that he had persuaded Mr. Bharani to join the BSP.
The Congress was taken aback by the BSP-led regime’s move and, by the
time it sensed what was happening, the resolution had been passed by
voice vote in the 403-member House where the government enjoys the
support of over 220 MLAs.
legislators alleged that the Congress-led Centre was conspiring to
impose President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh by intervening directly in
state matters.
They
said the move was “unconstitutional” and slammed the Centre for turning
down a July 2007 proposal by the Mayavati government for a financial
package for development of backward regions, including Bundelkhand.
The
issue rocked Parliament, too, forcing the Centre to give an assurance
that the “federal character” of the country was not under threat.
“There is no proposal before the government which will alter the
federal character of the country,” minister of state for parliamentary
affairs Prithviraj Chavan told the Rajya Sabha.
Ex-IPS officer Bharani joins BSP
Express News Service and Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SB)BANGALORE: Former
IPS officer Subash Bharani has resigned from the chairmanship of
Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) and formally joined the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday. He will contest from Kollegal.Bharani, who tendered his resignation to the CM, also quit the primary membership of the BJP.He had unsuccessfully contested on a BJP ticket from T Narsipur in the 2008 Assembly elections.
Rural women from Uttar Pradesh win International Literacy Prize
United Nations,Aug 4 (IANS) Nirantar, a newspaper run by rural womenin Uttar Pradesh, has won the United Nations International Literacy
Prize.
Khabar Lahariya is produced and marketed by rural women from
marginalised SC/STs, Kol and Muslim communities in Chitrakoot and Banda
districts of India’s most populous state.
The King Sejong Literacy Prize was given by the United Nations
Education and Social Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to this fortnightly
paper, started by Nirantar, a centre for gender and education, which is
based in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
In 1989, the UNESCO’s King Sejong Literacy Prize was instituted by
South Korea. It is named after Sejong the Great of the 14th century who
created the Korean alphabet Hangul and is remembered for his
contribution to education -science, technology and literature. Each
winner is awarded 20,000 dollars.
Nirantar has developed a method of training women as journalists,
which involves developing their literacy skills as well as honing their
reporting abilities. This includes talking to public figures, gathering
information and sharpening their editing skills. The coverage includes
politics, crime, social issues and entertainment for their readership
of over 25,000 people that spans 400 villages in both districts.
The publication began in May 2002 in Chitrakoot and a second edition
was launched in the adjoining Banda district in October 2006, according
to the NGOs website. It is written in the local language of Bundeli for
its Bundelkhandi readership.
The second King Sejong Literacy Prize went to an NGO working in
Burkina Faso in West Africa. Other literacy programs in Asia scooped up
more awards.
The two UNESCO Confucius Prizes supported by China, established in
2005, have been given to education projects being implemented by SERVE
a British NGO working in Afghanistan, and the Municipal Literacy
Coordinating Council operating in the municipality of Agoo in the
Philippines. The winners get 20,000 dollars.
The ministry of education in Bhutan received an honourable mention
from the Jury of the Confucius prize for its emphasis on literacy as
part of the country’s “Gross National Happiness.”
The awards will be presented at UNESCO is Paris on Sep 8, which is also International Literacy Day.
addresses some of the emerging questions about how the global
economy might look for South Asia. According to Ghani,
globalization has accelerated growth in South Asia and helped
reduce poverty over the last three decades. But the current
global crisis may change globalization itself, as developed
countries adjust to global imbalances that contributed to the
crisis. “The three aspects of globalization—capital flows,
trade flows, and economic management—may not be the same in
the future,” says Ghani. Read more…
(”http://go.worldbank .org/JI8VRT8FF0? cid=ISG_E_ WBWeeklyUpdate_ NL“)
How Will Globalization Impact South Asia’s Economic Recovery?
- South Asia’s recovery will be determined by a number of factors, including capital flows, trade flows, and economic management
- Is there a room for Fiscal Stimulus?
- Will the changes in globalization accelerate or restrain recovery?
July 27, 2009
—Many economists are beginning to see signs of an end to the global
economic crisis; talk has turned now to how long the recovery will
take. But there is another concern about how this crisis may have
reshaped the global economy and how it may have changed globalization
in ways that will hinder recovery in many countries. World Bank Economic Advisor for the South Asia Region, Ejaz Ghani addresses some of the emerging questions about what the global economy might look like for this region.
According to Ghani,
globalization has accelerated growth in South Asia and contributed to
poverty reduction over the last three decades. But the current global
crisis may potentially change globalization itself, as developed
countries adjust to global imbalances that contributed to the crisis. “The three aspects of globalization - capital flows, trade flows, and economic management - may not be the same in the future,” said Ghani. “Some Finance Ministers are concerned whether changes in globalization will help or hinder the pace of economic recovery.”
So, how will these changes in globalization impact South Asia’s recovery?
Ghani said South Asia’s recovery will be determined by a number of factors, including the three aspects of globalization: Capital flows, trade flows, and economic management.
Capital Flows
Foreign
capital inflows—remittances, international syndicated bank lending,
private capital investments, and bond issues—to South Asia had surged
in recent years, but collapsed in the aftermath of the crisis. “With the ongoing global financial restructuring, it will take time for private foreign capital flows to recover,” said Ghani. “Even
then the capital flows will be less accessible in a new risk-averse
environment, and the cost of capital will be higher. This will slow the
economic recovery.”
Ghani believes,
however, that South Asia, even with lower capital flows, will suffer
less compared to other regions because of its particular features.
First,
South Asia’s investments are largely driven by domestic savings. A high
level of domestic saving enables a country to cope better with reduced
capital inflows. Most South Asian countries have a large and
significant positive savings rate compared to other developing
countries.
Second, South Asia is unique in attracting capital
flows that are less volatile. The region relies more on remittances
inflows than for example portfolio flows and bank loans. “Remittance inflows in South Asia are more stable and persistent compared to portfolio flows,” said Ghani.
There are both benefits and risks associated with global financial
integration. Benefits include access to capital, technology transfer,
knowledge, and risk sharing. The risks are that countries will be
exposed to the problems and volatilities of developed economies. “Given the high domestic savings and less dependence on volatile capital inflows, South Asia is likely to bounce back faster,” added Ghani.
Trade
South
Asia’s foreign trade has grown considerably over the last decade, which
has contributed to rapid growth. Many countries in crisis have
accelerated their recovery with the help of expanding exports. The
recovery of East Asian countries following the crisis in the 1990s was
achieved by exporting to developed countries. “Given that the current crisis is synchronized and global in nature, there is less room for an export led recovery,” said Ghani.
Global
discussion is now focused on how reduced trade will limit the pace of
recovery in developing countries. Other roles performed by trade in
promoting growth in developing countries have been overlooked. These
include knowledge spillover and externalities generated by trade that
are vital to growth. The current global crisis has not reduced the
stock of knowledge available in developed countries, which developing
countries can use to benefit.
He said unlike East Asia, South
Asia’s economy is largely service driven. Service exports are less
volatile compared to goods exports. Globalization of services is still
at an early stage. South Asia’s service export has experienced faster
growth compared to its goods exports. It is even faster than East
Asia’s goods growth rate. A service-led export growth strategy will
likely enable South Asia to recover quicker and sustain high growth
over the medium term. But not all countries will benefit as there is
tremendous diversity within South Asia. Countries need to focus on
their competitive advantages, he said.
Fiscal Stimulus
The speed of recovery will also be determined by the scope and implementation of fiscal policies. “South Asia is vulnerable in this area,” said Ghani.
“South Asia, unlike East Asia, suffers from high ratios of public debt
to GDP. This limits the scope for a large scale fiscal stimulus.”
South
Asia is the largest net importer of commodities (food, metal, and oil)
in relation to GDP. The sharp decline in commodity prices, especially
oil could reduce large commodity-related subsidies. Such savings could
be used to finance discretionary fiscal stimulus. “South Asia spends too little on education, health, roads, power, and water compared to the rest of the world,” said Ghani. “Increased
and better expenditure with a greater focus on improved outcomes in
social and physical infrastructure, and safety nets will speed up the
recovery consistent with long-term growth.”
Will the changes in globalization accelerate or restrain recovery?
Recovery will depend on the composition of capital flows, trade, and economic management. “New trends in globalization will create new challenges but will also provide new opportunities,” said Ghani. “Increased trade from globalization of services and increasing South-South trade will provide new opportunities for South Asia.”
There
are substantial opportunities for developing countries to catch-up with
developed countries, he said. South Asia will continue to benefit from
its demographic dividend and productivity growth will remain on an
upward trajectory. As South Asia undergoes structural transformation
from agriculture to manufacturing and service sectors, the region will
be well positioned to bounce back with global economic recovery.
Sakya Foundation Dhamma Workshop in Erode – Tamil Nadu
on September 6, 2009
at
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Muniyappar Street, Rangasamuthiram, Satyamangalam
Erode District, Tamil Nadu
For More Details Contact
Mr. Karuppasamy (91 9842090035)
Mr. Arunachalam (91 9442836335)