HOL in June: Rainbows & Parliament
Celebrating pride month & also a former parliamentarian's journey into vulnerability & Dhamma
Hola fellow readers, sponsors, writers, and designers!
As we approach the twilight of July, we look back at the month of June.
Rainbow & Dhamma
June is significant for us Buddhist because of Vesak! We commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and Parinibbana of our teacher, The Buddha. In the broader community, June is also Pride Month.
The celebration of inclusivity and also the shining of light on the challenges that our LGBTQ+ friends face across the world.
Curious to know how Pride and Dhamma are intertwined? Check out our compilation of articles here. One of our writers visited Rainbodhi, SG’s first LGBTQ+ dedicated Buddhist community, and shared his experience there.
New ways to access Dhamma
#1 DIRECTORY: In June, we launched our HOL Directory, which aims to be the most comprehensive place for finding community groups & events across Singapore.
If you are part of a Dhamma organisation that aims to share more activities, please submit an event and we will approve it:)
This has been a long time in the works for Kai Xin & me as we, as teenagers (many years back), talked about how ‘unsearchable’ Buddhist activities are. So I am super happy that this has been launched!
In addition, if you would like to volunteer to help us continuously populate the directory with different activities from the wider circle of SG Buddhist metaverse, please let us know.
#2 WHATSAPP: “What is Telegram?” is a question we sometimes receive when sharing how to access HOL’s weekly dose of content.
We have decided to experiment with doing up a community Whatsapp group. You may join it HERE to get content especially if you are inactive on Telegram.
If the uptake on the channel is not strong, we will evaluate again (like everything we do).
Parliament, CEO, and Interfaith
In June, we covered interesting topics by speaking to Anthea Ong (former NMP of Singapore’s parliament) on vulnerability.
My personal favourite was the podcast episode with Yi-Xian, CEO of Etonhouse International Holdings, on how he stays mindful as a leader.
We switched gears into exploring how a Buddhist navigates her interfaith relationship with a practising Christian.
We also explored the question of ‘Does kindness kill our career?” and what we can take away from 3 months of meditation retreat. Hardcore.
What’s next
In the following months, we are exploring the following topics! In addition, we are supporting the marketing of THISBFF (THIS Buddhist Film Fest) which is an awesome Buddhist Fest held in Singapore. Learn Dhamma through movies!
Mental health
Guan Yin Day
Kathina
Men’s Day
Do drop a message if you might want to write an article on any of these topics.
Wishing you an awesome start to August!