Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, September 2018. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.

Lama Yeshe advised in The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind, “The ordinary understanding of charity is giving things to others, but as you can see, the Buddhist point of view is that material giving is not necessarily charity. True charity has to do with the mind; giving mentally. The practice of giving is training the mind to overcome miserliness. Miserly attachment is in the mind, therefore, the antidote must also be mental.”

We invited several FPMT centers—Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore; Losang Dragpa Centre in Selangor, Malaysia; Kadampa Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, US; Land of Joy in Northumberland, UK; and Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, California, US—to share how they provide their communities with opportunities to train the mind in the practice of charity, or generosity. This is an excerpt from that online story, “Training the Mind in Generosity.”

Vesak Celebration, Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, May 2017. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.

Amitabha Buddhist Centre

Singapore
Cecilia Tsong, long-time student, active ABC member and volunteer

Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC)’s success in fundraising and Dharma propagation has its roots in the guidance and advice we receive from Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. We are also fortunate to have a long-serving, well-liked center director, Tan Hup Cheng, who seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to sourcing for financial support.

It helps too, that ABC is in a cultural environment where many have faith in the Triple Gem and believe in the benefit of making offerings to temples and Dharma centers, commissioning holy objects, as well as supporting Dharma publications and various Buddhist initiatives.

Vesak at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, May 2017. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.

As part of their cultural values, Chinese people have a strong belief in the law of cause and effect, even though they may not necessarily be practicing Buddhists. Often, they will support temples, Dharma activities, and ordained Sangha with funds so that they may enjoy prosperity and happiness in this life.

Through a better understanding of the Dharma by attending teachings at ABC, students learn that generosity can be practiced in other ways: offering service to the center, participating in animal liberation activities to protect the lives of animals, and sharing their understanding of the Dharma with newer students.

ABC’s main fundraising drive takes place every year on Vesak Day, a public holiday in Singapore. This is a time when the general public is inclined to make offerings as a way of remembering the kindness of Shakyamuni Buddha and requesting his blessings for a life well-lived.

Mindful that Dharma is priceless, local Buddhist centers and temples offer Dharma teachings free of charge. However, ABC does levy a nominal charge for Nyung näs and one-day retreats to cover the costs of meals, refreshments, and altar offerings. ABC also organizes pilgrimages and retreats overseas, and every effort is made to keep prices low. For these activities, there is differential pricing for ABC and non-ABC members.

FPMT resident geshe Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi during an Ullambana puja at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, August 2014. Photo by Noelle Teoh.

Apart from Vesak Day programs, ABC has developed special Dharma events over the years to bring more people to the center. The Medicine Buddha Dharma celebration, Most Secret Hayagriva puja, and Ullambana puja are popular and have been attracting a growing group of participants each year. Corporate sponsorships are available for these pujas, an option that appeals greatly to local business people.

For those who love all things beautiful, we have a well-curated collection of Dharma objects—statues, malas, offering bowls, prayer wheels, prayer flags, incense, thangkas, and so forth—that are available at our Tashi Delek retail store. This generates additional income that is pumped back into serving the center’s needs.

In its fundraising activities—including its Dharma shop—ABC is fastidious in making sure that these funds are used in accordance with the donors’ wishes. Also, when holy objects are sponsored from the Dharma shop, such income is directed to supporting the maintenance and building fund of the center, and not to the support of the Sangha as such.

Tashi Delek retail store at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, September 2018. Photo by Tan Seow Kheng.

Lastly, as an on-going fundraising drive, ABC runs a program of electronic debit sponsorships, where people can choose to have regular deductions made from their bank accounts.

There are also donation boxes in the center for our building and maintenance fund, Sangha fund, publications, animal liberation, puja fund, and general funds. Visitors are free to drop their offerings—and say a silent prayer in the sacred ambiance of the merit-field—while recalling the words of Lama Zopa Rinpoche in The Four Noble Truths: A Guide for Everyday Life, “Be as generous as we can to benefit the poor and sick. Make offerings to holy objects and other living beings, and dedicate this generosity for the happiness and enlightenment of all beings. Doing so offers great release to our minds.”

Read the full online story, “Training the Mind in Generosity,” online:
https://fpmt.org/mandala/in-depth-stories/training-the-mind-in-generosity/

For more information about Amitabha Buddhist Centre, visit their website:
http://www.fpmtabc.org/

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