Eve of Wesak Day

I am actually very tired but this evening is a fresh experience for me ! Further more I have to get up very early tomorrow morning, so I will pen this down quickly what I have experienced tonight !

By chance or for whatever reason plus encouragement from a good friend to meditate more, I made up my mind to be more consistent with my meditation practise, and usually I will attend on Friday nights, but due to my daughter's ballet class clashed for the past two months, I have since been attending on Tuesday at Maha Vihara conducted by Brother James who is a very experienced meditator.

I was informed tonight there will be a chanting session and a dhamma talk at this meditation place in PJ, so I decided to attend. It is the very first time in my life that I have attended a puja / prayer on the eve of Wesak day. And the funny thing is this place is totally new to me and the people are unfamiliar to me except for 1 - 2 persons whom I have met during meditation class. I used to be reluctant going to new places especially all alone, but I noticed lately, I can manage and I am handle many things all alone. When I did the pilgrimage prayer, it was totally my own initiative, the same for tonight.

I feel great chanting tonight, all in Sanskrit, I would say I did pretty well...missed a few words maybe, too fast and a bit unfamiliar...hehe, excusable la ! And since this is a meditation centre, I am so glad to find the variety of publication they have on meditation - vippasana and metta and many other Buddhism related books.

There is a lot to read and I am happy that I can share these books with a friend.

Some phrases to remind us during Vippasana Meditation :

See it, know it and watch it go ! Don't hang on to anything, don't cling to anything. If it's important it will come back; if is not, it doesn't matter.
All thinking must be observed and noted objectively until it changes or disappears and then observe whatever arises in your body and mind. Continuity of mindfulness

This is something I have gotten from the book :

Vippasana - A recipe for wisdom

See it, means to pay attention to anything that naturally and predominantly occurs in your body and mind in the present moment.

Know it, means to try to understand whatever you pay attention to. If you don't understand it this time, you will later on. Keep trying, please be patient.

Watch it go, means to not only let it go but to continue to observe and know how your physical processes and mental states change, naturally. All conditioned things are impermanent. Whatever comes to be, ceases to be, this is a natural law.

Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu