Auspicious Puja - 3 November 2019 (Every Sunday 9.30-10.45am)
Sundays could be the last opportunity of the week to recharge before another new week begins, so it was not surprising to see the crowd at BW Monastery on Sundays, joining in a series of different auspicious events taking place at the monastery.
Many of us eagerly make the effort to attend the Auspicious Puja because we can find peace in our hearts through the session conducted by the venerables, and recover from a hectic week of work or attending to the family’s needs. The venerables understand the difficulties that we face in our everyday lives and, while leveraging on the dharma to impart words of wisdom, guides us in resolving issues commonly encountered when we discuss the topic of the day during the session.
Topic Of The Day - 'Is It Ok To Be Jealous Of Someone Else's Success, If It Becomes A Driving Force For Us To Perform Better?'
What Do You Think?
A female participant agreed that it is acceptable to use jealousy as a driving force and felt that all women tend to have this jealousy characteristic in them. Another lady shared that she was jealous of big eaters who never put on weight, because that never happened in her case. A male participant shared that he experienced jealousy when his colleagues were able to get what they wish for. The more he thinks about this, the more his jealousy grew and the more upset he became.Everyone was tickled pink when a young participant told everyone that she became jealous when her pet dog received a new toy while she did not. She reacted by hiding her toys away from him.
From The Perspective Of The Dharma
Venerable Bensi explained that jealousy is one of the characteristics that most of us are born with; this characteristics could be seen even in young children. However, we should never use jealousy as an inspiration tool, because jealousy is a negative force which will grow without our knowledge.
So What's The Antidote To Jealousy?
Next, Venerable Bensi shared some tips from the Dharma perspective, on how to get rid of jealousy, such as accepting who you are, taking a broader and long term view of life as well as creating the causes of getting what others have but you are still lacking.
Another perspective is to rejoice in what others have achieved, especially when it comes to their virtuous deeds. In terms of the dharma, rejoicing is a very powerful and meritorious method to overcome our tendency of becoming jealous. When we feel joyous about someone else's success or accomplishments, for that moment, our practice of compassion will then be in line with characteristics of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Take-Home Message:
Jealously is a negative emotion that arises from the inability to bear someone else happiness. Jealousy can lead to destructive actions and self-pity. You can start to overcome jealousy by recognising such thoughts while they arise and then countering it. An alternative antidote is to practice rejoicing in other's happiness as well as your own good qualities.
With the conclusion of the discussion, the Auspicious Puja came to an end for the day. Having refreshed ourselves through the light-hearted discussion, the choir led us in the singing of the insightful praises, as we made our offerings of lighted candles and packed food to the Three Jewels, thanking them for their kindness in leading us to a better life!
For the upcoming Sunday, join us at BW Monastery to find out more about the topic of the day – “Generosity As A Spiritual Practice - Should I give money to beggars?” Stay Connected with us!
AUSPICIOUS PUJA
Sunday, 9 November 2019
9:30 am - 10:45 am
BW Monastery Hall Of Jewels L4
https://bwmonastery.org.sg/events/2019/11/10-auspicious-puja-eng
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