New to Buddhism? Looking for a place to deepen your knowledge and spiritual practice?
Join the Buddhist Fellowship Youth (BFY) and witness the benefits of the Dhamma practice in your daily life – be it studies, work or dealing with relationships!
Our youth group caters to JC/Poly students, university students and young working adults from the age of 17-25. Each Saturday, we come together for meditation, Dhamma talks, Sutta discussions and, of course, spiritual fellowship. With a humble size of 10-20 members each week, conversations are more intimate, encouraging deeper reflections and understanding about ourselves and others.
The youth activities are carefully designed by the youths leaders. This way, you would be able to resonate with what’s installed for you. Even the speakers are hand-picked by us! By far, we’ve invited lovable monks and nuns as well as lay Dhamma teachers, sharing on topics like: coping with stress and anxiety, meditation, cultivating wisdom, science and Buddhism, and many more.
How Weekly Youth Service is Run
2pm – 2.15pm: Guided Meditation
2.15pm – 2.30pm: Opening puja
2.30pm – 3.30pm: Dhamma talk/ sharing
3.30pm – 3.40pm: Question & Answer
3.45pm – 4.45pm: Sutta Discussion/Connect Circle
4.45pm – 5pm: Closing Puja
*5pm – 6.30pm: Communal Meal (Last service of the month)
Connect Circle for Newcomers
If you are entirely new to Buddhism and would just like to find out more about the basics of the teachings, you are very much welcomed as well! Our leaders will conduct a series of 3 orientation sessions, aptly named “Connect Circle”, for all newcomers to provide you with a basic understanding of Buddhism. These sessions run from 3 to 4pm (in place of the sutta discussions).
In 3 short Connect Circle sessions, we will introduce to you the core teachings of Buddhism, which are the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path, clarify common misconceptions people have regarding Buddhism; explain the basics of meditation and reading of sutta materials and generally chat with you on anything you may be interested related to Buddhism! There is no obligation for you to complete the 3 orientation sessions within a certain timeframe, or even to complete them in the very first place. Each time you return to service, we will just continue where we left off.
Develop Insights with Meditation Retreats
A quiet mind = a peaceful heart. Meditation is an integral part of the Buddhist practice, used to liberate oneself from conditioned stress. To complement the weekly Dhamma sharings and to develop insights on those teachings, we often attend short one-day meditation retreats together. These retreats are usually guided by Monks and Nuns – some local and some from abroad such as Canada and Germany. Some of the venerables whose retreat we have attended before include Bhante Buddharakkhita, Bhante Kovida, Phra Chun Kiang and Venerable Jian Xin.
Volunteering
Volunteering is one of the many ways to put the teachings into practice. Each time we give, we become richer with wholesome qualities. The Buddha often emphasized the importance of cultivating generosity for it acts as a catalyst for the development of a peaceful mind.
Occasionally, we go for volunteering sessions together as a youth group. Some organizations that we have served in the past include:
-
Dover Park Hospice
-
Lions Befrienders (Ghim Moh)
-
Sunlove Home (Institute of Mental Health)
-
Willing Hearts
If you are interested in finding out more about the Buddhist teachings, and in doing so find out more about yourself, do take the first step and join us! Our doors are always open, and you are always welcomed!