Celebrating Our Lamrim Learning Journey
On 14 Dec 2017, we celebrated the 5th anniversary of our class, 12G017E.
In the past five years, with great perseverance and joy, the students attended the weekly lesson comprising the 35-- Buddha Repentance prayer, Mandala Offering, Lamrim lesson, sharing and insightful praises. We usually end the lesson with a “makan” session with sweet and savory delights and happy personal exchanges.
We usually end the lesson with a “makan” session with sweet and savory delights and happy personal exchanges.
Our thoughtful facilitator, Kwee Lain would like to give our much appreciated “Chefs” a break this year and she suggested to have the pre - Christmas special meal at Yes Natural Restaurant instead.
Besides our few registered students, a handful of enthusiastic and diligent students from other classes joined us in the celebration. Two virtuous friends brought their kids to add cheer to the party. Both adults and kids were happy and satisfied with the sumptuous food and fellowship. Our friendly Sister Carolans also warmly invited her best friend and schoolmates to join us to make up the total of thirty attendees. She hopes her friends would plant virtuous seeds throughout this joyous celebration, and wish that they would have favorable conditions to learn the perfect teachings in the near future.
After lunch, we continued our celebration at the main Shrine Hall at Citiraya Centre. We sincerely paid respect to the Buddhas and our Teachers and took refuge in the Triple Gems.
Laid before all the Buddhas and Shifu, the offering table was a beautiful Jelly cake made with much love and patience by Joraine, a long-time good friend of Sister Carolans. Ang Ku Kueh and fruits were prepared by Carolan’s’ sister and her friends. We voiced our appreciation to Sister Carolans and her friends for their kind contribution.
We had the pre-lesson recitation and watched a video on Teacher Zhen-Ru’s short discourse entitled “From Happiness to Supreme Happiness”. This is to remind us to treasure our human life of leisure and opportunity and to make efforts to accumulate merits mindfully in the learning journey.
We had the Mandala Offering in which flowers, water and light were offered and the prayers were recited in the kind presence of our guests. After the Vast Offering, we had the most interesting and heartwarming sharings by everyone.
Sometime last year, Sister Carolans’s godmother was invited to join our class after a misunderstanding with her daughter. After attending the class for a few months, she has become a more considerate and loving person. Her daughter, Joraine, is touched to see the changes in her mother. In the sharing session, both mother and daughter expressed their happiness and gratitude to Sister Carolans and the classmates. Indeed, OMAK has truly benefitted both parties when it is sincerely applied in resolving problems in unhappy relationships.
Joraine and Sister Carolans have been good friends since their secondary school days. They shared how they helped each other through the years. It is a heartfelt life story filled with much kindness and sincerity. There are many learning points to take away from their sharing.
The majority of the classmates shared their learning experiences. We are very grateful that Shifu has brought us together. It is a precious opportunity for us to learn Lamrim Chemo where higher status and ultimate happiness are ensured if we truly practice the perfect teachings.
We offered an Insightful Praise “幸福时刻- Blissful Moments” to remember the happy and blissful time we have had in the Lamrim family. All this could not possibly have happened without our teachers’ compassion and their vows to benefit all sentient beings in limitless lives.
In the finale, we sang birthday songs to celebrate our 5th Anniversary, and also for the celebration of the birthdays of Sister Agnes and our little Shirley, daughter of Sister Jia Qi.
Not forgetting to thank our little princess Skye who made lovely greeting cards with beautiful butterfly designs for each of us. She must have spent many hours doing that. Our little baby Pan Jing, who attended weekly lessons with us was also present. He was happy and well behaved as usual.
It was an enjoyable and memorable celebration for all of us. Let’s spur each other on to another successful learning year under the guidance of our Teachers!
Written by Shirley Mak
