Dining Hall
This is the Hall of Great Giving and Generosity wherein our members and devotees can come and make offerings of food and other requisites to the members of the Maha Sangha (communities of Buddhist monks and nuns).
The hall is designed to be very airy and furnished appropriately with a raised platform for the Maha Sangha to consume their daily meals. Our usual weekend Dana and blessing services will also be held in this hall. It is conducted every Sunday at 10.30am to noon.
Members and devotees will also be having their meals in this hall after the dana service.
The Buddha protected by the Naga King
The hall is presided over by the image of the Buddha being covered by the Naga King (a mythical creature who protects Buddhism) Mucalinda. According to the accounts of the Buddha’s life, there was a storm not long after his Enlightenment, and the Buddha was seated in meditation in the open. The Naga King saw that the Buddha will be drenched by the storm and decided to provide a cover for the Buddha. He coiled himself around the Buddha and opened his hood to form a roof over the Buddha, thereby preventing the rain storm from wetting the Buddha.
This image also reminds us of the fact that when one does good, the results will return to protect us as if it was a protective cover for us, preventing us from falling into states of deprivation and suffering.