Day Of Mindfulness

Yesterday, I felt very lucky. Through hard thinking and sudden action, i came to follow the Day of mindfulness. When first arrive, i realized that this is what really want. Not join an organization, follow any dharma class, sharing, teaching or join social services. What i really want is peace, calm, and real happiness. I have found it, or re-found it yesterday. I began to remembering how wonderful the previous experience of my retreat and feel full of energy came through my body. My little sangha body seems recovered slowly.

The Dhamma Talk give a lot of inspiration of me. Bhante Wimala is one of the most senior bhikkhu in Indonesia. He told why western are more interesting to practicing mindfulness than Asia, while this method was originally came from Asia.

One simple Answer : “People here not suffer enough”

Most western people suffer from a lot of disease. not physical, but mental. They already have money, house, everything but feeling stressed, broken home, parent arguing everyday, children not following their parent, drugs. The life seems to be so complicated so they need to find “run away” place. Luckily, some of them goes into positive place like this retreat.

So, the practice was very simple. Doing daily activity, but with full consciousness, eating together, total relaxation, deep listening, and speaking with compassion and love.

While eating, we spend 20 minutes or more, analyzing every single thought from our food.

Total relaxation give better insight for our body to give their full rest

Deep listening help us to learn how to listen. A lot of people expert to talk, but very bad listener. We practice this, and hope share it with others.

 

 

 

Day of Mindfulness

The idea is one day live in a fully mindful moment, just a day.

It has been very long time since my last D.O.M.
Last night, suddenly a single desire coming into mind. unfortunately, this desire came late at 11.00 pm.,As the result i feel very sleepy this morning.

Hope i can successfully following this activity,

Next Post will talk about What is D.O.M really is

Giving More Earn More

MoM, how long it will be to buy new house, if salary only 5% from the total price. House property price increase very fast, faster than buying a set of rice chicken in Mc Donald. I mean, I can reach up to 20%.

“More Giving, doing More Dana and you will achieve best result.

I shocked, like small electricity pass through my brain. Yeah, its very long time since I have realize this concept. Its true I still do some dana, but in rarely and never do with a good motivation. Just do it.

It probably still give good result, but won’t be the best.

I realized that several years ago, I easily earn new income, I feel very rich, not in terms of amount, but the proportion with my expenses very small. Now, with a very large number, I feel very poor.

Let me tell you that giving dana can be done in 4 main ways

1. Giving your time, your money, your energy and your mind to do something good
2. Giving away a part of your body
3. Giving away your life
4. Giving a truth to other

First, is common thing we do. I feel do very small amount of dana now

Hope I can realized it better

Dream, long changing process

This morning, I have woke up earlier. Planning to continue new studi in IELTS, but does not seems to more effective.

Yesterday, I took my second private course in IELTS. the problem is always the same. I can’t organize the content that I wrote very well. It’s confusing, not comprehensive, and not related between each other. Maybe its like when you read this post.

However, I hope i do not loose my hope to take the test, after that applying for new scholarship.

Writing Task #2 : Another Example

Here is another example that I made for writing task 2 answer

 

Question :

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about t he fòlIowim topic:

Some people prefer to live in, a house, while otherrs feel that there are more advantages to living in an apartment. Are there more advantages then disvantages of’ living in a house compared to living in the apartment

 

Write at least 250 words.

Answer

Many of my friends has saving for a years in purpose to buy a single house. Unfortunately, the price of the house in the big city is being crazily increased, overtook his saving every month. He then ends up with buying single apartment which as cheaper price. In general public, especially who live in the big city think that apartment will be better alternative choice than house. Whereas some might believe that this apartment is better choice, I personally think that living in the house presents greater number of advantages.

 

Those in favour of the view that living in the house will be better, have numerous reasons to justify their idea. Living in the house is more flexible than apartment. An household can freely modify their house without asking any permission. They can freely manage any pet, change any decoration and interior freely. Furthermore, living in own house can be more economical. They can set up any electricity in the house as they like, removing any unused thing or switched off any unused gadget. As the result, monthly maintenance cost can be reduced.

 

On the other hand, those opposed to the above idea have their respective reason as well. Many people cannot afforded to buying a house again, so they choose apartment which has cheaper price. In addition, when purchasing a single apartment, they already good all complete furniture and other housewife tools. It makes living in the apartment become more efficient. Nevertheless, despite of cheaper price, a lot of apartment have higher monthly fee such as for electricity, security, or trash service. They always need to pay same amount of money even they have different usage of electricity everty month. Moreover, if the apartment is located in the higher floor (mostly more than 10th floor), the cost of water is very expensive because it needed higher power to pumping the water from the ground.

 

To sum up, I think living house will become better choice for people. Instead of its flexibility, its low annual maintenance fee can be taken as a consideration. Cheaper price of apartment cannot be taken as a consideration as well as the monthly expenses also very expensive overtook the house itself.

#1 Course IELTS

Yesterday, I did my first Private IELTS course in Depok. The course was being held in the sweet box café. It is one great journey when I go to there.

Here is the summary what I did

First some of my writing were being assesed, for writing task 1 was scored for 5.5.

Things went bad went it came to writing task 2. I only scored 4 to 5. The major problem is I did not answer the question, on the other hand the content problem. If I do not try to do something, this problem gonna to be worse.

One comment was I must use more conjuntion like Moreover, Furthermore, after That.

After that, the presentation was given to me. Its about writing task 2. Overall, there were only 5 types of question in writing task 2

1. Agree / disagree, here we must give our choice
2. Adavantages and disdavantages. This divided into 2 sub topics
   1. If the question like ” Are there more advantages than disadvantages” . It mean that we must choose between the advantages and disadvantages
   2. If the question like ” What are the advantages and disadvantages” we explain both and let the reader choose one
3. 1. Problem and Solution
   2. Both views and Opinion
   3. Free Question

 

Then I practiced to do brainstorming activity. For example, the topic is about

“smoking in public places should be banned. Do you agree or disagree”

 

Then I made some map like this. I must make two option each, and this was the hardest part. I must make sure that the two option is not related each other

Agree	Disgree	Denial
Respect other right to get fresh air	They have own right to smoke.
Keep other people health (this is WRONG because related to the first one)	Use their own money : This is WRONG because related to the first one
Children can get imitate to do same thing	Govvernetment indirectly loose money	Not really, because can be allocated to other sector

 

Here is the idea

I must choose whether I want to explain agree or disagree. Let say I choose Agree.

So in the second paragraph, I told about two option af the agreement. First option become main sentence, and additional three sentences for supporting the main sentences. Same thing applied to the second sentence

 

In the third paragraph, I choose one option of disagreement, set it up as a main sentence and again additional 3 sentences for supporting sentences.

Still in the same paragraph, I must choose one sentence for denial for disagreement option I choose. Additional three sentences also applied

Last is the conclusion.

Next I learn to write good Introduction. It can be global outline or story related to the problem.

For example, Question ” Do you agree or diasgree if its hard to find a reason to attend physical class because online class already available”

First, I made some outline

Agree	Denial	Disagree
Efficient and cost saving	Infrastructure cost also expensive	Bad internet Connection
		Lecture cannot face student to asses directly

 

Here is the introduction

Nowadays, tuition fee to enter university is very expensive. Some people believe that switching tradtional class meeting into online class via internet can solve this problem. It is because the maintenance cost of the class will be reduced. However, unlike many others, I totally disagree with this opinion

 

Those who disagree have their own reason. One of the reason is bad internet connection, Not all places have good internet connection. Even they have,it is very costly especially to conducting online class. If only university has high speed of internet connection whereas their student don’t the class will be useless. Furthermore, another reason is lecture cannot face student to asses their student directly. Lecture need to see their student expression while teaching to asses their understanding. After that, lecturer can decide either to stop or change the way he explains the lesson. This kind of thing cannot be controlled if the class being held online

On the other hand, those who agree say that it will be very efficient and cost saving if the class being held through internet. It will reduced maintenance class for maintaining the classroom such as cleaning service, air conditioner, and electricity. Furthermore, the lecture and student who live far away from university do not need to spend additional money for transportation. They just sit down in their own room and the class can continued as usual. However, despite of reduced maintenance cost and transportation, Building infrastructure to conduct perfect online class is very expensive. A lot thing need to be considered such as high speed broadband internet connection, high speed cable or wireless tool, and dedicated technician to support if any technical problem occur. As the result, most of the university with online class facility have expensive tuition fee also. In addition, each student must prepared the internet connection by themselves, which means additional expenses for the course.

To conclude, I think that physical class should not be banned completely because some problem still remain such as bad internet connection. Moreover, finding right method to asses student indirecly seem impossible to be done by lecturer. Reducing maintenance cost is not appropriate reason as well as the infrastructure cost is also very expensive

BE Grateful is most Important

First time when i read about CNN and BBC world news story, a lot of sad story comes to my mind. Started out with the terrorism in  French, ISIS terror in Syria, until massive migration of People in Syria.

I don’t know why such terrible thing are really occur in the real world. This group beheaded, kill, torture any people who doesn’t have same vision with them.

It led to the wide terrorism in French, Australia,  and massive killing in Palestina School.

All of these stories doesn’t come to our local media. We don’t know anything and thing everything just goes well around the world. In fact, they don’t. In the new year 2014, while millions people celebrating and wishing happy new year everywhere, a ‘ghost ship’ bring a thousand of syrian who escapes from their own country to the port of Lebanon, nearest neighbour of syria

Their condition is terrible. Homeless, nowhere to go after passing through the sea in uncertainty. Moreover, after arriving at he pile, a mother giving birth on the ship ! The thing can be worse when Lebanon already reaching a breaking point and cannot accept any additional citizen.

The question is, where they need to go now. A lot of organization and voluntary activity are working together to help those people.

The world in the very chaos situation now,  So, be thankful for your condition now, who is sleep well, living well, and eating well.

Thank you for letting me fly
High, high above the sky

Thank you for letting me smile
Smile, smile through out day and night

Thank you for letting me cry
The tears from deep down inside

Thank you for being my light
A guardian angel by my side

Thank you for opening my eyes
And making the world so bright

Depok, Freedom and Feel

This journey isn’t always same. But its beautiful to see the city wihout any noice.

What i feel only freedom within
try as hard as possible

Sunset in the station also great

One Step,One journey

From one step, crossing the rain, i reach this temple, wihara Dharma Bhakti. It’s quite far, located at almost 2 bus stop from pluit. The main thing waiting time for bus can reach up to 30 minutes !

This wihara has a quite large Bhaktisala , with a huge Buddha statue. Both avalokitesvara and gwan yu statue are placed left and right next to The Buddha.

although it has quite large building, only few visitor come. from 8 to 10 am designed for youth with only about 30 people. The general ceremony only attended by less than 50 people.

Despite of small number of visitor, i feel proud that the buddhist temple still exist, even at the smallest point, a volunteer always come and exist to help in there.

So, its not about how big your temple, how much volunteer you have, how much donation you get. It is all about the existence of the temple itself because it should give something the their environment at the smallest point.

After sunday ritual, one of the volunteer announce that the social charity will being held upcoming chinese new year. Compared to bigger temple, this activity was nothing, but for the people who receive donation, it will be great help for them