Analysis of Sutta from Pali students (2023/2024)

 Sutta Presentation of Pali Level Basic and Intermediate FEBRUARY 2024

Can be found this directory at the Google Drive

Completion of Pali-Basic Level (2023.2024)

 Today, we finished the basic level that has been going on for one year since March 2023.

Today, five students have presented their analysis in Sutta. They were Sumitta, Chew Woon, Siew Moi, Ho and Guat Ngo. 

At the previous week, Wendy, B. Adityasena and Joyce did their presentation.

Completion of the Pali class-Intermediate Level (2023/2024)

 The Pali course for intermediate level started from last year Mac to this year Feb, it was about 1 year intensive training in Pali grammar. Glad that they survived this test.

The Pali course for intermediate level started from last year Mac to this year Feb, it was about 1 year of intensive training in Pali grammar. I am glad that they survived this test. Congratulations to Hui Lin, Wong Poh Chue and Hooi Gan Lau for the successful presentations on the analysis of sutta yesterday, on 23 March 2024, and also to Jenny, Jane, Bro Kow and Vira Ooi who had successfully finished their presentation last week (16 March 2024).  They are officially Pali scholars now and will obtain a diploma/certificate in Intermediate Pali level. 

With these presentations, the Pali Intermediate level is successfully completed.

2024 Chinese New Year - Greeting

送给心花儿

这几天我给佛像献花。一天后，它们如我所料地枯萎了，我每天都兴高采烈地盼着它消失的样子。这是因为我经常听到无常和苦的说法。所以我特别期待。

这些鲜花放在我已故禅师苏南达尊者的照片前。所以，这也让我想起了他的无常。

我还放入了三朵假花，与活的真花形成鲜明对比。

当我坐在我私人的佛房里静坐时，我每天都会思惟花的无常和苦。我试图看看它会给我带来什么样的新启示。

昨天，新花抵达供养所有佛像。于是，我也拿了一些，放在同一个花盆前。所以新花就坐在老花旁边。

我的眼睛立刻就被这些新的花朵所吸引，我的心因它们成为新的沉思对象而感到高兴。经过几秒钟的思考，我的新启示是：

由于佛法知识太多，我没能把老花当作花来欣赏，只是等待它凋零，状态被抛弃。这是拥有额外的知识，使堵塞能够欣赏生活的状态，而不是消失的状态。

那么，现在我该怎么办？尽管有时会出现懒惰和无聊的心，但我只是继续禅修和念诵，并与一切众生和往生者分享功德。

以花儿来供佛，

让花儿无论新旧，

让花就只是花吧，

成为虔诚心的新或旧对象！

愿大家也将花供佛，享受花的清新。

新年快乐！万事如意！

Flowers for My Mind

During these few days, I offered flowers to the Buddha statues. One day later, they became wilted as I have expected, so gleefully every day I am looking forward to the state of fading away. This is because I often hear about anicca-impermanence and dukkha-suffering. So I am especially looking forward to it.

The flowers were placed in front of the photo of my late teacher, Sayadaw Dr. Sunanda. So, it also reminds me of his impermanence.

I also put in the three fake flowers to have a sharp contrast with the live, real flowers.

While sitting there and meditating in my personal Buddha’s room, every day I contemplate the impermanence and suffering of the flower. I tried to see what kind of new revelation it would bring to my mind.

Yesterday, new flowers arrived to be offered to all Buddha statues. So, I also took some and put them in front of the same flower pot. So new flowers sit next to the old flowers.

Immediately, my eyes are drawn to the new flowers, and my mind is delighted with them as the new object of contemplation. After thinking for a few seconds,  my new revelation is:

Due to too much Dhamma knowledge, I failed to appreciate the old flower as the flower, only waiting for its fading away and the state to be thrown away. This is having extra knowledge that causes the blockage to appreciate the state of living, not the state of fading away.

So, now what shall I do? Despite sometimes there appear lazy mind and boring mind, I just continue with my meditation and chanting and do the sharing of merits with all beings and departed ones.

Let the flowers be just the flowers.

Let the flowers be the offering for the Buddha.

Let the flowers, new or old,

Be the new or old object for the faithful mind!

May you all also offer the flowers to the Buddha, 

and enjoy the freshness of the flower.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Donating our 485 books to various teachers and students

Yesterday, at the Silver Jubilee of ITBMU, we, members of the Aggacara Dhamma project, were delighted to donate our books to respected monks from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Vietnam, as well as professors, teachers, and speakers from China, India, America, and other countries, along with students from various universities, including ITBMU students. All these books were written and edited by our group members

Pali EXAM for basic level and intermediate level in Dec 2023

There were two Online exams via Zoom on Dec 1 and Dec 2.  11 students sat  for basic and intermediate level for this semester one. We started with 55 students on the first day in May 2023.  We will start the class in Jan time.

Intermediate level (Diploma): Best result for all (attendance + homework + exam) is Sis Wong Poh Chue

Intermediate level (Certificate): Best result for all (attendance + homework + exam) is Sis Jenny Chong

Basic Level:Best result for all (attendance + homework + exam) is Sis Sumittā Cheong.

We rejoice in their  effort and diligence in this learning of Pali. Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!

 

 Basic Abhidhamma
(E-learning Course)
with Emphasis on Practical Meditation
Mac 2024 to Mac 2025

Aggācāra International College 

Click here to register: https://forms.gle/DTEqYcUrikXhHdfW9

Introduction

This is the basic Abhidhamma course for the adult students who would like to learn Abhidhamma systematically. It includes the ultimate reality of the mind and body, kamma, cognitive process, meditation objects, Dependent Origination and Paṭṭhāna.  The focus will be on the theory of Abhidhamma and how to apply this knowledge in practical meditation. By the end of this course, they would be able to verify for themselves the Buddha’s teachings regarding mind and matter, causation and the working of kamma.

The teacher for this course is Ven Sayagyi Cālā Therī from Malaysia. She is the founder of Aggācāra International College (2023) and one of the chief nuns of Aggācāra International Theravāda Education and Meditation Center (2014). In the year 2006, she was ordained in Buddhist Hermitage Lunas, a Mahasi meditation branch. Currently, she is studying for Ph.D. (major in Pāḷi) in International Theravāda Buddhist Missionary University (ITBMU), Yangon. She has studied Abhidhamma from few teachers, and also taught Pāḷi, Vipassana and Abhidhamma in Malaysia in English and Chinese.

Admission Requirements for Students
1. Be able to read and write English
2. Knowledge of Pāḷi is preferred, but not compulsory

Level/Method of Study

1.     Free and Easy level

a.     60% attendance

b.    Writing and submission of assignments are not compulsory, but preferable.

Certificate level

a. 70% attendance

b. Writing and submission of assignments are compulsory.

             Mark: Attendance: 30%, Assignment: 60%

Upon completion of the course and with proper submission of assignments, the students who have signed up for diploma will be awarded with “Diploma in Basic Abhidhamma”. 

2.     Diploma level
a. 70% attendance
b. Writing and submission of assignments at the end of semester
c. Exam (after second semester and fourth semester)

           Mark: Attendance: 30%, Assignment: 40%, Exam: 30%

Upon completion of the course and with proper submission of assignments, the students who have signed up for diploma will be awarded with “Diploma in Basic Abhidhamma”. 

Course duration:

Semester 1: Mac to April 2023
                   (*One month holiday*)
Semester 2: Mid-June to Aug 2023
Semester 3: Mid-Sep to Nov 2023
                   (*One month holiday*)
Semester 4: Jan to Mac 2024 (break for Chinese New Year)

There is 2 hours for each class per week. Discussion and Q & A will be done at the end of the class. If necessary, the class will be held twice a week. Tentatively, it will be on Wednesday (or Friday) night, at 8pm.­­

Medium of communication: online via Zoom, Whatsapp, Google Classroom.
       Lecture notes and references will be given ahead before the class. The reference books such as Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma and Handbook of Abhidhamma Studies can be downloaded from Google Classroom.

Course fee: None

       This course is provided free to all. If the students wish to donate for the teacher’s teaching, at the end of the course, please give your donation to the charity and education projects of Aggācāra centre.

 

Registration

After checking your own schedule and evaluating your own interest, if you are really keen to join this course, please register via this Google Form:

https://forms.gle/DTEqYcUrikXhHdfW9

(You need to log/sign in first.)

 

If you encounter problems in registration and cannot send your details, please email or send a message to us via Whatsapp.

 

May you all be well and happy!

With mettā from all of us,
Sayagyi Aggavatī and Sayagyi Cālā Therī,
Founders,
Aggācāra International College
Website: https://Aggacara.blogspot.com
Email: aggacara2013@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +95-9-796609140, +6016-4751273.