Dharma Sharing on 23rd Feburary 2013

Jimmy's insights on the sharing on 23rd February 2013 :)

"When you know how to die, you will then know how to live." - Mitch Albom, "Tuesdays with Morrie".

This quote came to mind in the midst of a sharing done by Weiguang, our very own singer-composer within SBM. The sharing was started off with sharing with us the Six Realms in Buddhist context. Since young, I had heard of the Six Realms but havent had much knowledge about it till now. Further on, he went on to share how much does our modern science is so related to Buddhism in terms of the world we live in. It became very amusing to know that quantum physics has a lot in common to Buddhism. It is really hard to imagine that all the theories that Scientists nowadays have uncovered are already discovered almost 2500 years ago!

To further enhance on the sharing, we were lucky to have Venerable Bodhi to be with us to answer our questions and doubts when it comes to certain practices that Buddhists do in daily life. The deepest impression that I had taken away from the sharing, was Ven. Bodhi explaining on the treatment that Hellish Beings get when they get reborn there after their Earthly deaths. The drawings that we have seen at Haw Par Villa that depicts hell was actually very much related to the time when the impression of the ancient time artists had. In fact, what is happening in the hell is actually moving with time. For instant, in the ancient time, beheading is actually a capital punishment during ancient China. Therefore, artists during that time will refer beheading as 1 of the punishments that hellish beings get when they are reborn in hell accordingly to their Karma. In current time, if being deprived of technology can be tormenting to one, then there could be such a punishment in hell when the hellish being could be trapped in the space where no technology devices could be given in order to make him/her suffer.

Overall, it has been a great sharing where everyone was kept at the edge of their cushion with their ears held wide open for the great stories and information shared by Weiguang and Ven. Bodhi. I can only wish that more people can come and hear them themselves.