HOL in Dec & Jan: Setting oneself on the right course
2023 & 2024. Placing a lot of focus on these two sign post may make us forget on the spaces between. HOL team went on Pilgrimage, did our second net-walking event, and relooked at our content!
Greetings supporters & readers!
We hope that you have had a great January (and kept your resolutions). We took about 2 weeks off at the start of 2024 to go on a pilgrimage and hence did not send a December update as we would have loved to!
Nevertheless, if you want to know our top 2023 articles, check out the summary here!
Setting oneself on the right course
“Turning away from false values, from greed and possessiveness, from harming self and others, we turn towards the Dhamma”- Ajahn Jayasaro on describing what it means to set ourselves on the right course.
I find the start of the new year a good way for me to set myself on the right course and help myself grow in the path. I was lucky to have joined the HOL team, Kai Xin & Cheryl, to go to India with Ajahn Achalo.
To visit the holy sites where Buddha attained enlightenment and taught his first teaching was truly an opportunity to set oneself on the right course.
In the chaotic streets of India & different groups chanting left and right, I found opportunities to place my mind at the centre of it. I hope that you too will experience a similar peace this year, the peace of being at the centre.
I reflected on how lucky my group of Dhamma friends were to go on pilgrimage at a relatively young age. It is unsure how long we’d live and also whether our bodies could carry us up the peaks at the age of 60s/70s.
Kai Xin & I are doing a Vlog series of the pilgrimage! So stay tuned:) She did a little reels on it here!
Community grows
As we continue to scale HOL, we sometimes wonder whether our work ‘counts’ for something. Our collaboration with other Buddhist orgs to organise Walkie Talkie, a net-walking community event, showed that it does.
We met many individuals who are now actively practising the path because of Handful of Leaves. Your support counts!
From supporting us financially to sharing our posts to contributing your stories, you showed many ways on how dana can manifest itself:) The reach continues to blossom and grow:)
I am happy to share that we started 2023 having 1.7k unique monthly readers and ended 2023 with 5.5k unique monthly readers! We hope to continue the good work!
Our content in Dec & Jan
In December, we saw labour markets take a hit with many unexpected layoffs. We had a great conversation with Google’s APAC Director of Recruiting on the situation.
We also launched our digital Buddhist calendar to help dear friends never miss another Buddhist holy day!
I particularly enjoyed Ying Cong’s reflection on the Guan Yin Musical and how to handle performance reviews.
Our friend Phimol shared on Dhamma and familial conflicts which may be helpful this CNY :P Buddhist scholar, Sylvia Bay, contemplated deeper on the meaning of life.
Lastly, I enjoyed Ezra’s reflection on his month-long journey in monkhood captured in photos and wise verses.
2024 outlook
Building on the good efforts of 2023, we are looking to do some community events and also launch digital Buddhist courses to support the Buddhist laylife. In addition, we aim to grow our Buddhist Directory.
Write for us! We are looking for stories on:
Dhamma Day/ Asalha Puja
Ghost Month
World Suicide Prevention Day.
You may reach out to us here if you have stories to share! If you wish to volunteer in other ways, do reach out too!