Thekchen Choling

  You’re at a playground with your child when they point at another child and ask, “Mommy, why does he talk funny?” or “Why are her skin and hair so white?” How would you react in that situation? As a parent or caregiver, you might feel a little embarrassed or unsure how to respond. This is natural because children are curious by nature and their questions are often innocent observations, not judgments.  However, if we don’t address these questions correctly, with understanding and openness, our children may start forming assumptions and biases, picking up hints from their surroundings. Teaching children to embrace differences without labelling or judging others is now more important than ever in today’s diverse society.  In Buddhism, non-judgement isn’t just about accepting others––it’s about cultivating a compassionate mind that is aware. By being more mindful and accepting, we can help our children develop kindness, understanding and a healthier perspective on the worl...

  In the heart of Singapore, nestled in the city’s bustling landscape, Thekchen Choling Singapore stands as a beacon of spiritual practice, compassion and wisdom. Interestingly, the land on which Thekchen Choling now resides holds a rich and unique history, going back to Singapore’s early founding years. It was once home to the Jigong Temple, a place dedicated to the revered Chinese Bodhisattva, Jigong. This historical connection between Thekchen Choling and Jigong Bodhisattva offers a fascinating insight into the temple’s history in Singapore.   Why is Jigong enshrined in a Vajrayana Temple?  At first glance, one might wonder why a Buddhist temple following the Vajrayana tradition would house the sacred image of Jigong, a Bodhisattva known for his eccentric ways and playful wisdom, a figure well-known in Chinese culture. The answer lies in the temple’s rich history and its dedication to preserving this spiritual artefact.  Thekchen Choling Singapore is situated...

    "Many Buddhists are attracted to New Age spirituality because they would like to surrender everything to the universe and let the universe decide. But in Buddhism, we are training to make conscious decisions for our own lives."   Dignity is something that is beyond the body. Dignity comes from divinity. To be dignified, we have to be able to release the idea of selfishness. In cultivating dharma, we must be willing to loosen the grip on our identity. According to Lama Zopa, after practicing the dharma, when we start to feel insecure, that is a sign that the dharma is finally working for us. When we begin to feel unsure of ourselves and afraid, dharma starts to set in, making us realize that everything is impermanent. New Age spirituality focuses on indulging oneself with oneself and "going with the flow." However, one's focus must always stay on self-awareness. Our spiritual practice aims to show us who we really are and evolve from that state. When things d...

    "With modern technology, particularly with social media, we sometimes give ourselves so much unnecessary stress by keeping ourselves overly busy with everything."   Our purpose as spiritual beings on the path to enlightenment is to understand if we have decided to become a Buddha for the benefit of all sentient beings. Many have taken refuge and have received Bodhisattva and Tantric vows, but their lives have not changed very much. Their lives are still very worldly. As a practitioner, we must always relook at our original motive. Also, look at the things around us that we have taken for granted and see them the way they are without adding any labels or emotion. When ordinary beings come together, what starts as communication turns into judgment and ends up about who is right. As dharma practitioners, we should practice and train to become like the boundless heart of the Buddha. Rather than ask "who is right," we should be asking ourselves, "what is right,...

  "Hell does not necessarily mean taking rebirth in Hell. It means that our life can be Hell right now, with depression, worry, and overthinking,"   Here is the bottom line: Pure view can save us from ending up in Hell, regardless of whether we accept that there is a next life or not. Pure view is the antidote to the cause of being reborn in the lowest of the low hells known in Buddhism as the "Avicci" hells. Wrong view is the root of disharmony within a sangha. This disharmony is one of the five uninterrupted negative karmas that yields immediate suffering from the moment it arises. In this samsaric world, all beings entitle themselves to all the thoughts and manners of righteousness. Many think that righteousness is the way to go, but self-righteousness is not born out of compassion. It cannot be born out of genuine care and compassion because we judge due to it. We need to gain wisdom to differentiate a comment from the result of a comment. Many like to make comm...

  "Healing your inner world means that you are supposed to grow. The point of healing is to learn something, to improve, and then to grow from it. Evolving is the only way to go forward."   We always seem to have the time to complain about inconveniences, yet many do not have time to appreciate and have gratitude for life itself. How do we heal this inner world in which we all are suffering? This question itself poses a great deal of reflection, but it is still an utterly self-centered question. Why don't we instead think about how we can blend peacefully with nature? We have disassociated ourselves from nature, but in fact, we are nature. Every single part of us is organic and natural. We all fall sick, we all die, and we all decompose. Yet, we live as though there is no tomorrow in terms of our irresponsible consumerism. If we look at how we can make the world a better place by changing our lifestyles and habits, most of us are going in the wrong direction by encouragin...

  "Real dharma practice will always hurt the illusive "us," the ego. The result of receiving such hurt is the generation of humility and compassion."   We live in an illusory world, but this is not an illusion at all for many of us. It is the real world. We have bills to pay; we have to eat; we have to sleep in a bed under a roof. There is no such thing as saying that it's an illusion because everything we experience has a real effect. So in such a world, what can we practice to make ourselves better? We all have problems, we have sickness, we have desires, and we have cravings. Many times it is our offensive speech habits that can trigger these circumstances. We each come from different backgrounds, and we have various karmic conditions. Therefore, the main thing is that we must have respect for one another. Talking down to people or negatively asking for attention does not benefit anyone in the long run. In fact, it hurts. There are four ways to go, as per the...