With the conclusion of my first year of Dharma classes at 慧严佛学会 with a test tomorrow, I feel poised to take on the Intermediate classes next month. Having the Right Understanding of the Dharma (though still at the beginner level right now), I am increasingly able to discern between the practices of "Buddhism" out there. Yes, it's in inverted commas, because so many "Buddhist" practices and even temples aren't exactly Buddhist, and shouldn't be propagated.
During this month's Vesak Day celebrations, Venerable Hou Zong's message resonated in me. He mentioned about “信、解、行", which is seriously lacking in the Buddhist community here. Yes, there are plenty who have the belief in Buddhism (信), but just how many actually bothers to understand the Dharma (解) and put the values in action (行)? Without the Right Understanding, 90% of them ended up being merely superstitious.
The weekly Dharma class has made me a more confident Buddhist, and I'm definitely glad that I've started not too late in life.
人生是黑白的.
3:02 PM <3
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