Inspiring Talk By Ajahn Brahm

Gone is Melancholic May!
Hmm..a great way to sum up the sad mth of May with an inspiring talk I attended
May there b FAith, Hope and Love in this brand new mth..Joyous June awaiting us..:)

~"~'~"~'~"~'~"~'~"~'~"

Managing the ups and downs of life... the title of talk held at Kong Meng San Monastery on Tues evening, 30/5..
This was my 1st time attending such talk that turned out to be enriching, enjoyable n not tat religious as I often mistook them to be..Not much of the sutra was quoted or to be exact, none of it was mentioned..Instead, it seemed more like a life empowering talk rather than religious one.
I came across the ad of this free admission talk last week but put aside any thought of attending initially cos I doubt anyone I know would b keen on attending right after a busy day of work.

So how did I end up still going for this talk eventually?
Thanks to my buddy cousin who asked me along on Mon night.. I didnt know that she was referring to the same talk until she showed me the newspaper ad..Hehe..perhaps great minds think alike, I suppose..though oops..fools dont differ either..

Been an eye-opener for me esp the overwhelming turnout for the talk even on such "bad" timing of 745pm..The hall were packed, with audience at almost every inch and corner possible for one to squeeze in and sit. Many were late cos of work,judging from their formal attire. Hmm..It was a surprise to us as we didnt expect so many people. Ajahn Brahm is indeed famous and a distinguished guest speaker..Hmm.. so eminent that though he is merely an Australia Buddhist Monk( on surface it seems), he had actually been invited by John Howard to impt function with Queen Elizabeth II as he shared during the talk. A great master indeed with wisdom and enlightenment...Humorous as well as he spiced up the talk with his experiences and anecdotes.

The take-home messages
To savour life when you are in the good/"up" phase of life.Not to waste such happy times by worrying about how short-lived it will be or how to sustain it. By doing so, you miss out all the fun and happiness. Remember, Happiness brings about Success in you.. Not vice versa..

When you r down, learn from the mistake or fall n never to find something to blame. Be it your destiny, bad karma? Bad luck etc? Nah...This is just the way of life..the part and parcel of our journey on Earth as Humans... Bcos we are often too caught up with our negative feelings towards ourselves n others, we tend to overlook the beauty n lessons learnt and this leads onto the prolonging of our "down" time as we just choose to find something to blame or self-wallow in misery or self-bashing.

As when you are helpless in a difficult situation,it is like a dead-end for now.. Then Do Nothing but just to wait and see..Relax..Rejuvenate yourself to prepare for any opportunity that may arise..Only by doing so and not self-pity can you not miss out on the rare chance that may just come once and never again.

Adversity brings out the strength in you. So you ought to be thankful for all the trials and hurdles of life you have for only through such times can you grow and mature into a better being...

So above was the essence of the talk,most relevant to me.. esp in my current plight..
Managing a family crisis..Tough indeed esp after I had just tided over a personal issue in my life..Finally moved on, thks to my gal frenzs' warmth, care n support