Good Karma Music Stories

My sister took her own life 4 1/2 years ago. I heard from the Mahayana nuns that people who took their own life will definitely go to hell and have to suffer for a long time. These people will require to receive a lot of good deeds in order to pull themselves up to the top. My sister used to make donations to some charitable organisations. In order to help my sister, I continue the act for her and trying my best to make donations within my means. I hope by doing so, she will not have to suffer and can quickly move on her life to another world. Am I doing the right thing? May the Triple Gem help my sister so that she can be happy again. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu!!!

OMIYTOFO. Thank you very much Rev Heng Sure for all the touching moments i got from the conference. Well, let’s start. I love writing. I always write down what i see or been through and the feelings and thoughts associated with it and send it out to all my family and friends via email. These emails often carry an inspiring message or simply some valuable life experiences that not everyone has the opportunity to experience (e.g. conversations i had with my teacher just the moment before he passed away). Thanks to Dharma, I have a very positive personality and am very resilient. Therefore, I have a lot of friends turning to me for comfort and advice whenever they are having down time in their lives. So i think by constantly sharing my life experience, sweet or bitter ones, and how i transformed the bitterness to something more pleasant, i hope the positive energy of mine reaches my friends whenever they need some. Sometimes, i received some replies telling me that my emails arrived to them just at the right time and had helped them to face their problems more positively.I did what i intended then. The feeling of getting replies like this is very very rewarding. I dont know if any of them has developed an interest in writing (hahah…) but certainly i’m getting more and more responses and a few of them have started calling upon me for doing good deeds and attending conferences/talks together. Thats something. Most important of all, in the purpose of helping my friends, i’ve built up a thinking habit of “if you can help others today, why wait?” in myself – That’s also something i love about Dharma – doing it for the benefits of others, you’re always the one who benefited the most in the end. OMITOFO =)

I recall an incident about three years ago when one of my College mates sank into a state of depression over a relationship problem. One afternoon I had a strange feeling that this college mate was about to take her own life. Together with a few friends,we rushed over to her flat. We forced our way into her room when there was no response to our calls and knocks at her door. We found her unconscious on her bed and there were some pills around her. We knew that she had attempted to commit suicide. We immediately called for help and sent her to the hospital. With treatment, her life was saved. We followed this up with good support and counselling work to enable her to start life afresh.Reflecting back, this act of kindness filled us with great joy and happiness…

During Buddha’s time, we had learnt that Buddha before becoming a Buddha, he has donated his bodies in his many past lives! This has not only benefited others, but also himself.What my perception below may be different from others in the understanding of buddhism and the way of preparation for death,but I strongly believe that it is true and would be happen based on the below explanation!When we just come to near death, we actually surrounded by a lot of negative energy or environment such as sadness from relatives due to our departure, which is difficult to avoid and most of time deter our way to next life. From what I understand from Buddhism, all branches of Buddhism are promoting to retain a good condition or energy to remain calm, peaceful, do the chanting or recite the good deed of the people near to death/dead person to instill a good energy to lead him into next life!Actually, by donating our lives would be the best way to create great and good energy or “qi” which are very needy in our next life, please imagine the feeling of receivers of your organs, definitely there is a great and good energy radiated, such as appreciation of receiving the organ, rejoice of new life we have given to the receivers and etc. The happiness of the receivers would definitely send a good energy or “qi” through conscious or unconscious “Meta Meditation” and the donor would definitely receiving it at the very first moment, which is crucial for our next life after death! (This is the most valuable energy or deed what we need in our next life!)Besides, the practice of letting go would be easier carried out and better understanding the truth of the nature of life, nonself and impermanent!If you wish to have an immediate effect and other deeds which could help in your next better life, the donation of body or organ would be the best approach above all!

My first real contact with the Dharma actually begings during my University years. The very first dharma talk that I ever listen to was by Ajahn Brahm on ‘How do Buddhist deal with sickness and death’. It was from there onwards I regarded myself as Buddhist. I started to look for dharma talk CDs and would listen to them over and over again. The special things about these CDs is that everytime I listen to them they would bring a different meaning. Until last year when The Chief Reverend was about to pass away I receive a SMS asking all Buddhist to send Metta to the Chief Reverend. That moment when I was sending Metta seems like there is a very special energy that comes into the present moment I could actually feel that someone or something is there with me. From that point onwards it has cemented my faith as a Buddhist.

My step father have had a rough year this year health wise. I’ve decided to go help him with no renumeration what so ever. I’ve been doing it now for a couple of months. people are looking at me strangely not really understanding how I can do it. I’ve studied all sort of medicine and therapy but true service is actually my medicine. Helping others I actually help myself!!

Two days before I attended the 5th Global Buddhist Conference ( 17 – 18 November 2007 ) in the Sunway Convention Center in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, a little happening took place at our local Buddhist Association in Teluk Intan. A widow and her only child, a 7-year old boy named Chong Guan visited us. They were one of the cases in our Welfare Aid Program. When I first saw Chong Guan, something in my heart told me that he had the potential to grow in the Dhamma. He is intelligent and has an inquiring mind. I showed and explained to him the 30 copper-tooling plates displaying the life of the Buddha in our Shrine Hall. Chong Guan was most attentive and his eyes sparkled … this was his first encounter with the life history of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.He will be following our Buddhist Sunday School next year. I hope the lotus in him will bloom …