Sunday, November 30, 2008

Guiding Hearts: Encompassing the values of life

It was an amazing session where the committees spent 2 fruitful days to brainstorm and also to experiment the mechanics of the coming 30th INCOVAR Dhamma Camp at Kuantan, Pahang. Wow! At Pahang. Beyond boundaries, beyond klang valley. A first time after 22 camps.

The theme of the camp which is so appropriate at our current situation where economic and political turmoil unwind and affects many people across the globe. The values which we acquire through the understanding of the Buddha Dhamma, we exercise with wisdom.

Love, Share, Kind, Content, Mindful.

The five ennobling virtues, derived from the core 5 precepts of the Buddha's teaching which is a guiding rule for us to lead our lives. These rules are not strict stringent rules, but more to a practical practice for our daily cultivation.

In this camp, we come together for the betterment of the tomorrow. A camp focussing on the values of live, making it relevant for ourselves and other. Its all about us and we.

Seeya @ 30th IDC...

From the team........

Sunday, November 23, 2008

New Moon Musical Puja - Enriching Memories of Ladakh

Dear brothers & sisters in the Dhamma,

You're all welcome to this new moon puja at BGF centre. Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, who led a group of Malaysians to visit Mahabodhi centre in Ladakh (northen India) recently will be sharing with us the enriching memories of this trip.

The opportunity to meet Ven Sanghasena & the chance to listen to his sincere, full of wisdom & compassion, frank but funny Dhamma sharing - truly inspiring.

It was during Autumn season, the himalayan mountain range was already partially covered with snow. The scenary of the turquoise Indus river flowing through the valley of the snow capped mountains - simply breathtaking!

Date : 28th November 2008, Friday
Time : 8.30pm
Topic : "Enriching Memories of Ladakh"
Speaker : Datuk Dr. Victor Wee



Feel free to bring along some fruits and flowers for Puja offering. Most importantly, bring your family and friends along to experience a spiritual happy Friday evening.

INSPIRING THE FUTURE
Buddhist Gem Fellowship
w :
http://bgf.buddhism.org e : bgf_moderator@yahoo.com
BGF Centre : 60A Jalan 19/3, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. [
map]

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Have YOU registered for Wacana 2008? Registration is open til 16-Nov!

Dear Friends in the Dhamma,

There is only 2 more days to go and with very limited seats left!

Have YOU registered? We HAVE, because we believe in what we can achieve by coming together for WACANA*!

~ WACANA means "discussion" in Pali term. By coming together to discuss and exchange views and solutions, we can achieve better results in our respective areas and organizations.

If you are still pondering if it is worth the effort of spending a day at Hotel Armada, Petaling Jaya on a beautiful Sunday, 7 December 2008, read on.

WACANA is the most impactful homegrown annual Buddhist conference. It serves as a platform for Buddhist activists to gather and discuss pertinent issues involving Buddhist movement and Dharma propagation in the country and beyond. It also serves to strengthen fellowship and build synergy between Buddhist communities.

With a contemporary theme of "Buddhist Leadership in Malaysia: Vision, Values, Vitality", WACANA 2008 will revisit the development, directions, principles and dynamics of Buddhist leadership in the country.

A line-up of well-respected, knowledgeable and experienced presenters will share views that are relevant to our daily encounters of Buddhist leadership.

"If you think education is expensive, try IGNORANCE!" ~ Derek Bok

Friday, November 07, 2008

the CReativE PublishinG WorKshop is open for ALL volunteers!

Do you have the talent in design but lack the technical skills? Or do you wish to improve your skills in using designing tools like photoshop & illustrator?

Wonder how a fancy poster, or a colourful magazine is created? Where can you put your creativity and innovative mind in good use for your Buddhist group?

Welcome to the
CReativE PublishinG WorKshop!

Date : 22 November 2008 (Saturday)
Duration : 10am - 2pm
Registration : 9.30am
Venue : BGF Centre
Facilitator : Bro. Pevin Yeo

Registration is open to all volunteers from any Buddhist societies, who need to be hands-on to do publishing work or who are willing learn.

Hurry register now through email to bgf_moderator@yahoo.com by providing these info:
Name? Society? Position? Experience in Publishing? What do you expect to learn from this workshop?


Limited to 30pax. All participants are encourage to bring along their personal laptop with the min specification:
- 1 GB ram (recommended)
- 1 GB free space for software installation
- Windows XP & above
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Bridge CS3 installed

Contact sis. Mei Joon for direction to the venue BGF centre. Feel free to bring your potential-designer/publisher friends along. Marketing or publicity committee members from other Buddhist societies are most encouraged to join!

*urrhm, fees u ask? urrhm... not sure how to charge, perhaps by donation of RM10 or any amount up to you. No obligation, just wish more people esp Dhamma workers get to learn the designing skill! We're all thankful for bro. Pevin Yeo to be the trainer for this special hands-on workshop.
~*~
As of 15th Nov, we already have 26 pax who'd registered. Registration will be closed soon. Please be informed that you are responsible for your own software installation.

WACANA 2008

Buddhist Leadership in Malaysia
Vision, Values, Vitality

A Buddhist leader is not our everyday leader. With the Buddha as our ultimate benchmark, much is expected from the leaders of our community. The Buddhist leader is the torch-bearer of the Dhamma and Sasana, thus he or she should be able, upright and selfless.

WACANA 2008 shall discuss the main elements of Buddhist leadership, that is, its vision, values and vitality. We shall define and reaffirm the critical role of the Buddhist leader in charting the growth and development of Buddha-Sasana, address the ideals and realities or our leadership, and contemplate the means to cultivate future visionary leaders.

WACANA 2008 is jointly organized by Nalanda Institute, Buddhist Gem Fellowship, and the Buddhist Maha Vihara. It is specially catered for Buddhist community leaders, activists, Dhamma propagators and any Sangha members and lay Buddhists who are keen in the subject of leadership development in the country.

In conjunction with the event, The 2008 Nalanda Awards will be conferred by the Nalanda Institute to pay tribute to lay Buddhists who displayed exceptional and exemplary leadership qualities in their respective areas of expertise. These individuals have worked tirelessly and contributed enormously in promoting and preserving the vision, values and vitality of Buddhism.

Be part of this gathering of Buddhist community leaders and activists at WACANA 2008 to discuss these pertinent leadership issues affecting the future of our community! To participate, please complete the online registration form before 16 November 2008.

Click here for more info & registration form : http://www.nalanda.org.my/wacana/

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

"Guiding Hearts : Encompassing the Values of Life"

INCOVAR is proud to present... the exciting 30th INCOVAR Dhamma Camp, to be held in Pahang Buddhist Association, Kuantan from the 11th - 14th December 2008.

In this 30th installment, the camp themed "Guiding Hearts : Encompassing the Values of Life" will explore the guiding rules of the five precepts (Panca Sila), by concentrating on providing a positive focus for the participants to reflect upon. Utilizing elements from the five ennobling virtues (Panca Charita) which complements the values of the five precepts, participants can derive the core values which will challenge and guide them in their personal growth and practices in daily life.

Camp Features : Experiential learning workshops, Dhamma dynamics, prominent speakers and a network of local & international undergrads.

For further info & online registration, please visit
www.incovar.org and hurry register before closing date 23rd November 2008.

The camp fee of RM75 *so affordable?* is inclusive of meals, accomodation, camp t-shirt and camp materials. Transportation to Kuantan can be arranged with the organising committees.

For enquiries & transport arrangement, kindly contact :
.: Bro. Michael Lim @ 6 012-567 8023 (Penang/Northen region)
.: Bro. Chin Suey @ 6 012-357 2066 (all other parts of Malaysia)
.: Sis.
Xiao Thoong @ 6 012-243 4105 (international)

.: Breaking Convention : Beyond Incovation :.
...we inspire...
www.incovar. blogspot. com www.incovar. org

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Full Moon Musical Puja with Datuk Dr Victor Wee on "Alchemy of Success"

Dear friends of BGF,

Alchemy, generally, derives from the old French alkemie; and the Arabic al-kimia: "the art of transformation." As we know Alchemy is an alchemical processes going on in the laboratory of nature, and performed by the Great Alchemist -- the power of the divine Mind acting in nature. Would you like to learn the secrets of the ancient Alchemists...from the Buddhist perspective?

Then, come participate in this coming Full Moon Musical Puja at BGF centre!

Date : 13th October 2008, Monday
Time : 8.30pm
Topic : "Alchemy of Success"
Speaker : Datuk Dr. Victor Wee
You can bring along fruits and flowers for Puja offering. Most importantly, bring your family and friends along!

INSPIRING THE FUTURE
Buddhist Gem Fellowship
w : http://bgf.buddhism.org/ e : bgf_moderator@yahoo.com
BGF Centre : 60A Jalan 19/3, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Last Chance to Register for EMT-2 :: starting 11Oct'08

The Effective Management Training (EMT)-2 course has been reschedule to start on 11 October 2008. Please help to spread the word around, and we hope that more participants will be able to benefit from it. Please submit registration form to Sis. Jacqueline / BGF latest by 30 September 2008.

For this EMT-2, the seven modules encompass : -

"AM I FIT FOR MY JOB?" - Bro. H.K. Loi (11 Oct'08)
Why is it that some people are motivated and perform well at work whilst other drag themselves to work everyday and in fact, dread to go to work?

If we examine our psychologically, we do realize that there is link between our personality and the jobs that are attractive to us. This means that we must first know ourselves before we embark on the journey of life. If only we can know our strengths and areas of improvement, we would fare much, much better in life, both personally and professionally.

OBJECTIVE >
* To enable participants to function more effectively through a self-understanding of their preferences and motivation at work.
And its impact on those within our circle of influence and contact.

METHOD >
The short session will use an internationally recognized psychometric instrument, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator® or MBTI®
This method enable us to help us develop our potential, particularly in engendering greater understanding of ourselves and our colleagues (at work) and our family and friends and evaluating the fit between ourselves and our work.

EFFECTING MINDSET CHANGE - Bro. H.K. Loi (TBA)
OBJECTIVES >
1. To enable participants to understand creative thinking and its uses for personal advancement and organizational effectiveness, and
2. To expose participants to the potential of mindpower in living a fulfilling life.

COURSE OUTLINE >
- Understandng Our Mind
- Creativity and Innovation (Innotivity)
- Blocks and Catalysts to Creativity

:: About the Facilitator ::
Bro. Loi is one of the founder members of the BGF and Buddhist Missionary Society. Presently, he is involved in training activities of the BGF and the Buddhist community, mainly in the training of the Buddhist Counseling Service and Effective Communication courses. He graduated with a B.A. (Hons) and Diploma in Education from Universiti Malaya, and later completed his Diploma in Public Management. He also did a 2-year Post Graduate Research Study at Kagawa University in Japan. He has worked in both the public and corporate sectors, and is presently a learning facilitator/training consultant of his own company, INOCREST Sdn. Bhd., specialising in the area of creative and lateral thinking, teamwork and the use of psychological instruments for management development, particularly the Myers Briggs Type Indicator®.

HIGH PERFORMING MINDSET - Bro. Mitra Chong (8 Nov'08)
Be introduced to the seven elements of High Performing Mindset which will propel you to success in career and in life.
1. Desire
2. Commitment
3. Responsibility
4. Hard Work
5. Positive Believing
6. The Power of Persistence
7. Pride of Performance

:: About the Facilitator ::
Mitra Chong holds a Masters degree in Training and HRM from United Kingdom. He has been conducting seminars for more than a decade in the areas of leadership, motivation, team building, customer service and personal effectiveness. He is currently an Assistant General Manager in large insurance company, specializing in Human Capital and Organizational Development.

TIME MANAGEMENT - Dr. Ong Tien Kwan (25 Oct'08)
Time management is one of the key ingredients to a successful life. Procrastination and the inability to prioritise our activities in life are two main reasons why people fail in achieving the goals they set out for themselves. Time management skills incorporate the ability to clarify goals, prioritise activities and act on specific plans. The old adage that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail still holds true today.

:: About the Facilitator ::
Dr. Ong Tien Kwan M.B.B.S. has been a doctor in general practice for more than 15 years and currently runs his successful practice in a suburban community just outside of Kuala Lumpur. His experience in healing the physical body together with his personal interest in healing the mind and emotion has led him to learn various emotional and mental healing modalities from professionals in other areas of healing. He has done extensive research to understand how our mind affects our emotion, behavior and health, and has attended various courses and workshops to further enhance his ability to heal others holistically. His passion is in helping others to transform their lives for the better through self-knowledge, love, forgiveness and heightened awareness. He believes that by healing our inner world of thoughts and emotion, we will surely manifest success, abundance, health and happiness in our life.

TRANSFORMING YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS - Bro. Chan Tye Kooi (22 Nov'08)
Do you know one of the most challenging fact about surviving in a business is that we are constantly struggling to keep our customers everyday? How do you value your customer nowadays, internally and externally? Are you aware that your perceptions on service towards people within the organization will have a direct effect to the productivity and profitability? What is the outcome of building good relationship with people whom you work with? You can get those answers from this half-day workshop which is uniquely designed to help review your paradigm on people and service that will dramatically change your inner world of viewing people as customers.

Who Should Attend >
Telemarketers, Frontline personnel , receptionist, sales coordinator, customer service support staff and those who are interested to relearn what makes service tick especially in the way how to value people and customer in this competitive environment.

:: About the Facilitator ::
Bro. Chan Tye Kooi has been a dynamic trainer, seminar speaker, principal NLP ( Neuro-Linguistic Programming ® ) consultant and businessman in Kuala Lumpur for the last 17 years.. Originally a professional architect trained in Sydney, Australia, he has made a decisive change from township development to organizational training and development by establishing Fourth Quadrant Communications ( 4QC ), a training specialist company with a core mission to help multinational corporations and organizations achieve breakthrough results in both work productivity and business profitability with a 3-tier philosophy of CHANGE, COMMUNICATION and SERVICE LEADERSHIP to oneself and others.

A much sought-after speaker and emcee in major corporate conventions and events, TK has reached out to audience in at least a few thousands since 2001. His most prominent skills in helping his seminar trainees to achieve personal effectiveness in change, sales, service, communications and building business network are his INFLUENCING, NEGOTIATION and RELATIONSHIP POWER based upon the technology of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy® and Ericksonian Hypnosis. This has been a culmination of results in leading his architectural firm as a business director and his extensive experience working with international companies such as Taisei Corporation ( Japan ) and Samsung Electron ( Korea ) in the area of architectural project management . He has dedicated himself in the last 7 years to discover the hidden secrets of the world's most successful communicators and business leaders to elevate himself ahead of others utilizing the latest strategies and technology in personal success, leadership, marketing ( branding ), sales and service. For him, customers' success is his FIRST priority.

Bro. TK is currently a Certified Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy®, Hypnotherapy and a Certified NLP Master Coach. He is a registered member of the American Board of NLP (ABNLP) and Time Line Therapy® Association ( TLTA ), an associate trainer with the FMM Institute, a Certified Professional Trainer ( MIM-CPT® ) with the Malaysia Institute of Management ( MIM ) and an active practitioner member of the Malaysian Psychotherapy Association (MPA).

MINDULNESS IN DAILY LIFE - Dr. Chan Kah Yein (13 Dec'08)
Being mindful in daily life is being aware of the wonders around you, and being alive and awakened. Let go of the past, worry not about the future, but live in the present, mindfully and meaningfully. And the future will take care of itself.

:: About the Facilitator ::
Dr Chan Kah Yein holds a Ph.D (Mathematics Education) from Deakin University and is currently teaching tertiary-level Mathematics in a private college. She is a regular Dhamma speaker in various Buddhist centres in the Klang. In 2007, she won the Best Student Award in the United Malaysian Dhammafarers' 1st Dhamma Speakers Course. She was also a guest moderator at the recent 5th Global Conference in Buddhism 2007 last November. Dr Chan Kah Yein is an avid animal lover – practicing compassion to all sentient beings, as taught by the Buddha. She has written several articles on kindness to animals from a Buddhist perspective. Her latest book, Pawprints on my Heart reveals her heart warming experience in handling animals.

BUSINESS WRITING SKILLS - Sis. Sharon Ng (10 Jan'09)

:: About the Facilitator ::
Sharon Ng conducts corporate training programs; in the areas of personal change, presentations, customer service and business writing. Since the early 1980's she has been involved in inner work to transform herself. In her free time, Sharon organizes community events for ClovenClive and is involved in organizing healing sessions for other groups.


~~~*~~~

Hurry and submit the registration form attached via fax (603 - 6203 7580) or email to Sis. Jacqueline (BGF Training Exco) before / by 30 September 2008. For enquiries, please call her at 016-696 9799. You may also hand in your registration form and payment to BGF office.

Limited to a maximum of 30 pax to ensure effective facilitation. Successful applicants will be informed latest by 4 October 2008.

Investment for course fee >
Individual
a) BGF Member - RM 200
b) Non-BGF Member - RM 250
c) Student Rate - RM 100

Group Registration of 3 pax
a) BGF Member - RM 180 x 3
b) Non Member - RM 230 x 3
Fee is inclusive of course materials and refreshments.


INSPIRING THE FUTURE
Buddhist Gem Fellowship
w :
http://bgf.buddhism.org e : bgf_moderator@ yahoo.com
BGF Centre : 60A Jalan 19/3, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Friday, September 12, 2008

Get set... Ready? ...30th IDC!


Thursday, September 11, 2008

MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL CELEBRATION

Come and celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival at BGF this Sunday, 14th September 2008!

Bring along your family members and friends, and your favourite dish too.

You can even bring their own lanterns for the Lantern Walk around the neighbourhood.

Students staying nearby BGF, don't miss out on the food & fun!


~ Program ~
7.00 pm : Potluck Dinner ...for the fellowship & plenty of food...
8.10 pm : Offerings & Puja ...for relaxing devotional practice...
8.30 pm : Sing-along ....by SJBAYS youth group!
9.00 pm : Lantern Walk ...everybody esp the kids will enjoy...
9.45pm : Games ...suitable for all in the family...
10.05pm : Musical Presentation ...you don't wanna miss by M.O.D!
10.15pm : Closing Invocation


For more further enquiries about the Mid Autumn Festival Celebration, feel free to call sis. Julie Soh @ 012-2120144.