Message by Bhante Mahinda on Wesak 2013

As we live in these times of great change and uncertainty we need to recognize the importance of the cultivation of mindfulness and be ready to transform ourselves through a simple, sustainable and spiritual way of life.

We need to wake up to the realities of the dramatic changes taking place around us and the various manifestations of suffering in the world.

We need to recognize the preciousness of our human life and arouse compassion in our hearts as we kindle the light of wisdom within. The qualities of wisdom and compassion are both necessary in order to cope with and adapt to the changes taking place around us, and to be able to live more meaningfully.

The cultivation of light, love and compassion are embodied in all great spiritual tradition around the world.

METTA in Pali or Maithri in Sanskrit language means “loving-kindness” or “boundless love” i.e. love without boundaries. It is the wish for all sentient beings to be well and happy. It is the basis for the cultivation of other great virtues such as compassion, altruistic joy and equanimity.

METTA is a powerful healing force which will transform us into a more compassionate, caring and resilient community, transmuting all negative energies and entities into light, love and harmony.

According to the first verse of Dhammapada “The Sayings of the

Buddha”:

MANO PUBBANGAMĀ DHAMMĀ (Dh1)

Mind is the forerunner of all phenomena…

As such, we need to harness all our positive mental energies to bring about peace, harmony and stability for the nation and for the world we live in.

The intention of this “METTA Round the World” project is to unite all peace-loving people throughout the world with one heart and mind in meditation and prayer for world peace, harmony and stability.

Let us all fill our hearts with pure love and compassion and cherish the wish that all suffering beings be free from suffering; that those in sorrow be free from sorrow; and that those in fear and danger be free from fear and danger. May we grow and evolve from light to light and work for the welfare and happiness of the many. May all beings be well and happy.

About Venerable Mahinda

Born in 1949 into a traditional Chinese family in Malacca, Malaysia, Bhante Mahinda had his early education at the St Francis Institution and the Malacca High School before leaving for tertiary education in Biological Science at Canterbury University, New Zealand. In his final year of tertiary studies he met a lay Buddhist teacher from Sri Lanka and joined him on a two-year Goodwill Mission Tour to New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico, the USA, Canada and the UK.
Bhante Mahinda was ordained in 1976 as a Buddhist monk in the Sri Lankan Theravadin tradition under the tutelage of the late Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Thera (a well-known Sri Lankan monk resident in Malaysia for more than 50 years). After his ordination, he undertook a Buddhist studies programme at the Paramadhamma Buddhist Institute in Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1982.
He was trained in meditation by several well-known masters in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar and Thailand, and inspired by Mahayana masters from China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, as well as by Vajrayana masters from Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and India.
Bhante Mahinda has taught Mindfulness and Metta Meditation for more than 30 years in 20 countries.
His participation in inter-religious conferences and Dhamma propagation has taken him to more than 30 countries to date.
Currently, Bhante Mahinda is the Abbot of the Aloka Meditation Centre in Australia, (AMC), Founder, Spiritual Director of the Australian Buddhist Mission Inc. (ABM); Buddhist Chaplain to the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS); Trustee of the University Buddhist Education Foundation (UBEF); and Training Committee Member & Training Course Presenter of the Australian Association of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists (AABCAP).
He is also the Founder and Spiritual Director of the Aloka Foundation, Malaysia; Religious Patron of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM); Religious Advisor to the Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia; and a number of other Buddhist organisations in East and West Malaysia and Singapore.