100% in the present

Sharing this beautiful photo posted by a friend in FB and her message: "Today I walked the same trail but with a different mindset. To be 100% in the present ... no mobile, no music, just being.... It was a new discovery, an absolute feast to the senses! Note to self: Be 100% in the present and resist the iPhone and all its distractions when with the family and friends..."

Which channel are you turning on?

Recently, one friend asked me, "How can I force myself to smile when I am filled with sorrow? It isn't natural." I told her she must be able to smile to her sorrow, because we are more than our sorrow. 

A human being is like a television set with millions of channels. If we turn the Buddha on, we are the Buddha. If we turn sorrow on then we are sorrow. If we turn a smile on, we really are the smile. We can not let just one channel dominate us. We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to seize the situation in our hand, to recover our own sovereignty.

- Thich Nhat Hanh 

Is it worth it?

Our dreams do not necessarily have to be fulfilled in order for us to be happy. Nurturing hopes is meaningful in and of itself. It is worth working toward them, regardless of the outcome. When we make this shift away from results, we will find greater courage to act on our aspirations for the world. We will find our nobility of heart. - Karmapa

见死不救

I thought this illustration speaks a thousand words. This is how our society is nowadays, mostly devoid of sympathy, humanity and compassion. Sadly the human race is the smartest, yet the most cunning. We don't help others in need even if we are able to and yet pretend to be busy putting on an act of trying to help. 聰明反被聰明誤。

Life is Guru

When attachment is our nemesis

Reading the above quote, I thought about one particular verse in the "Eight Verses of Mind Transformation"

When someone I have benefited

And in whom I have placed great trust

Hurts me very badly,

I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher.

Venerable Thubten Chodron said, 

"This speaks about somebody we have benefited, who has been our best friend, whom we’ve trusted and told our secrets to. Then this person turns around and does exactly what we don’t want them to do. We feel vulnerable and hurt. When we are hurt, it’s often because we’ve held unrealistic expectations of others (they are not going to change). Think of a situation in which you felt hurt. Did you have accurate expectations? How did they cause you to feel betrayed, disappointed or disillusioned?

When we are hurt, it’s because our buttons have been pushed. Our buttons are our responsibility — as long as we have them, they will get pushed. That person becomes a great teacher by pointing our clearly what we need to work on, thus giving us the chance to resolve areas of internal conflict. When people we’ve trusted: break or ruin things, don’t keep commitments, criticize us, break off the relationship, talk behind our back, stop loving us, or give us bad recommendations. We need to see them as our supreme teacher.

What are they teaching us? Compassion. Abandoning expectations. Being flexible. Letting go of clinging to a solid image of somebody else. Patience that gives other people space to make mistakes. They are people just like we are."

Why Buddhists worship statues

It is often said by believers of another faith that Buddhists worship statues, in the sense that they believe that Buddha statues actually are the Buddha or that they have some inherent power. It concerns iconography and they are concerned why Buddhists pray to idols. But such ideas are incorrect. Buddhists do not 'worship' Buddha statues any more than Christians worship the cross or Muslims the Kabba, which they face when they pray. Like the cross, the Buddha statue is seen as a symbol that helps create devotion, uplifting the mind and focusing attention.

Venerable Pema Chodron's explanation on whether Buddhists are worshipping statues.


"Not at all! A piece of clay or bronze or jade is not the object of our respect and worship. When we bow before Buddha images, we are recalling the qualities of the enlightened beings. It is their impartial love and compassion, generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration and wisdom that we are showing respect to.   

Ven Pema Chodron

The statue or painting serves to remind us of the qualities of the Buddha, and it is the qualities, not the clay, that we are bowing to. We need not have a statue in front of us in order to bow to or respect the Buddhas and their qualities. For example, if we go to a place far away from our family, we think about them and feel much love. But we also like to have a photo of them with us to remember them better. When we look at the photo and feel love for our family, we are not loving the paper and ink of the photo! The photo merely strengthens our memory. 

It is similar with a statue or painting of the Buddha. By showing respect to the Buddhas and their qualities, we are inspired to develop these extraordinary qualities on our own mind streams. We become like the people we respect. When we take the love-kindness and wisdom of the Buddhas as our example, we strive to become like them".

From the root text of Manjugosha, Bodhisattva Manjushri seek the Buddha's advise, “At the moment, the object for sentient beings to make offerings and collect merit is you. After you pass away, what can they do? Please give advice.”

The Buddha giving teachings to Manjushri, Samantabhara, Sariputra

Then the Buddha said, "There is not the slightest difference if my four surrounding beings (getsul, getsulma, gelong, gelongma) make offerings to me now or make offerings to my statues (in the future). It is equal in merit and ripening aspect (result)".


To Buddhists, the teachings of the Buddha are the only medicine healing sentient beings’ suffering and its causes: delusions and karma; and it depends on the existence of holy objects such as statues, stupas and scriptures of Buddha. This is due to the blessings of the Buddha. 

Undeveloped (ordinary) beings do not know this and that is why there are no Buddha statues in their world. Why are there no statues?  In the outlying barbarian countries and where the teachings of the Buddha have degenerated (stopped). Therefore non-Buddhists and animals do not see Buddha statues. 

The statue is a manifestation of Buddha. It is said that even if you meet the actual Buddha, by doing prostrations or making offerings, the merit and result are not greater than circumambulating, prostrating, making offerings or offering service to a holy representation of Buddha. The best way is also to support the building of holy objects, such as temples, monasteries, stupas, statues, and printing of Dharma text etc...

 His Holiness the Dalai Lama prostrates before a statue of Buddha at his residence in Dharamsala, India. 

It is only one time that one is able to meet the Three Rare Sublime Ones; 
It is extremely difficult to see them for hundreds and thousands of eons. 
Besides seeing, it is difficult to even hear the holy name for hundred and thousands of eons. 
When every talent and effort of the capable (human)being, 
Actually attempt to make offerings all the time to your wish-fulfilling jewel 
The guru, rare sublime one, is the tip of the banner of devotion and respect. 
Attempt the method to completely fulfill all the temporal and ultimate wishes of sentient beings 
From whom unceasing enjoyments, peace and happiness come(one receives).

威嚴不在聲音，而是在能力

For the first time, I am going to post something in Chinese in this blog. Just because I like Zhang Xiao Yan, the very well respected veteran compere in Taiwan.  And the advice she gives is very logical, just purely common sense, but we often do not practice it.  

分享【今週刊訪問張小燕的內容】

你不是要讓主管喜歡你，而是要讓他需要你 。除了才華，張小燕很要求員工要有自我反省的能力：「我很不喜歡員工來和我說：『主管或是製作人不喜歡我……。』」

張小燕認為，要成為一個及格的員工、成功的藝人，不應該想別人喜不喜歡這件事，而是要做到讓別人需要的地步。

「我常和公司的小朋友說：『你不是要讓主管喜歡你，而是要讓他需要你。』」在張小燕的觀念裡，做好自己絕對比讓人喜歡更重要。


小燕兵法５招
１．帶人時，自己要懂，要讓人服氣。
２．給員工空間，讓他自由發揮，不要一直盯在屁股後面。
３．不能要求別人對你很好，應該做到讓別人覺得你很好。
４．捨了才能得，要先對別人笑，別人才會對你笑。
５．威嚴不在聲音，而是在能力。

Street walking, Staying awake

"An on-the-spot equanimity practice is to walk down the street with the intention of staying as awake as possible to whomever we meet. This is training in being emotionally honest with ourselves and becoming more available to others. 

As we pass people we simply notice whether we open up or shut down. We notice if we feel attraction, aversion, or indifference, without adding anything extra like self-judgment. We might feel compassion toward someone who looks depressed, or cheered up by someone who's smiling to himself. We might feel fear and aversion for another person without even knowing why. 

Noticing where we open up and where we shut down - without praise or blame - is the basis of our practice. Practicing this way for even one block of a city street can be an eye-opener."

- Pema Chodron, excerpt from "Comfortable With Uncertainty".

Happy

Proselytizing rears its ugly head again - local university group insults Thai Buddhists and Turkey

I saw the below screenshot in my Facebook timeline from various people last night. Apparently, this poster was found outside a lecture theater in a local university campus, posted by a group called 'Campus Crusade for Christ' but was quickly taken down a few hours later due to the attention it was getting. However it was too late and someone had already screenshot and posted it online.

Written on the poster: 

"Thailand, the land of the free. The constitutional monarchy with a very well-loved and respected King. The country of smiles.  But did you know? Thailand is a place of little true joy. Buddhism is so much a part of the Thai national identity and permeates into every level of society and culture that only one hundred accept Christ each year in the country of over 68 million people. Do you share the burden of being that one small change agent, bringing the gospel to the Thais one at a time? 

With its many temples and monks, it is hard to ignore the fact that Buddhism is Thailand's national religion. With only 16% Christians, most Thai students see Christianity only as a foreign religion. The land of smiles need to hear the gospel message. Come and share with Khonksen university students that Jesus is the Way, the True and the Life."


With the beauty of social media, it has gone viral and more were found (see below screenshot taken from one of their 'projects'). This Christian group organizes proselytizing campaigns to various universities in so called Buddhist and Muslim countries to spread the gospel. I am very sure by today, the online reaction to this is going to run berserk.

"In a country (Turkey) where much of the population is M, much prayer and work is needed in this place. As our first team to be sent to this place, you will be reaching an unreached people group. This is a pioneer work where you will get to help start movement on their campuses! Come & be a part of this team and trust God for greater things!"

Who are they calling 'M'?  So am I called a 'B'?  As a Buddhist, of course I find this offensive, rude and speaks of the arrogance of the said group who is trying to convert people. I am very sure the other affected religions feel the same way too. I think that is such a narrow minded view of the proselytizer. This is not the first time I am voicing my concerns. Christians have to be mindful of the beliefs and feelings of other religions and accept that others have THE RIGHT to be 'different' from them. For example, by not accepting Christ, it does not mean the believers of other religions are going to hell (to sidetrack, well, Buddhists know there are many other realms one could be heading to, besides hell....). 

In Dharma teachings, we are taught to respect all beings and other religions, including humans and non-humans. The Buddha says, "Hurt not others in ways which you yourself would find hurtful."  Islam says, "Do unto all men as you would they should do unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself". Likewise, Christianity says, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them". Aren't all religions fundamentally teaching the same thing, so why is only one group behaving the opposite way?

What do we do when people criticise our religion?  For me, as a Buddhist, I do not need others' approval to practise the Dharma. Even if I do not agree with them, that is fine. Theirs is their own opinion and if they do not wish to change their views or misconceptions, that is purely their business. Nor do I want to convert to another religion. And that is my own business. It is fine to promote or propagate your religion but do not do it at the expense of putting down the other religions.

I quote Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's speech not so long ago.  He warned that “aggressive preaching” by religious groups and attempts to convert others threaten the country’s stability.

He cited the case of a Christian couple who were jailed for distributing religious pamphlets that were deemed offensive by those of different faiths, and he condemned those who try to convert ailing hospital patients “who don’t want to be converted.”

PM Lee said, "You push your religion on others, you cause nuisance and offense. Christians can’t expect this to be a Christian society. Muslims can’t expect this to be a Muslim society, and ditto with the Buddhists, the Hindus, and the other groups. Singapore’s prosperity depends on people respecting the beliefs of others. There is a wave of revival, mega-churches, and tele-evangelism. We all have to adopt ‘live and let live’ as our principle.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. All agree that it is very important and worthwhile to make a strong effort to serve human society. To do this, it is important that we understand each other. In the past, due to narrow-mindedness and other factors, there has sometimes been discord between religious groups. This should not happen again. If we look deeply into the value of a religion in the context of the worldwide situation, we can easily transcend these unfortunate happenings. For there are many areas of common ground on which we can have harmony. Let us just be side by side- helping, respecting, and understanding each other - in common effort to serve humankind. The aim of human society must be the compassionate betterment of human beings."


Hallelujah and amen! Indeed, live and let live. If you feel you are being pressured and harassed by aggressive preaching, you can go to http://conversion.buddhists.sg/ 

You may wish to read my previous post on what differentiates Buddhism from Christianity.

P.S. By the way, the one in the university who wrote the above offensive poster should go back to learning proper English. 

Because kindness keeps the world afloat

What a week. 

Over the past week, SMRT screwed up real badly, not once, not twice, but three times. Then the SMRT shuttle bus, too, had to break down. And SMRT had Singaproeans enraged when it sent out an insensitive message to its taxi drivers about "income opportunity" when its trains broke down. The latest I heard, a woman is now in coma after falling onboard an SMRT bus. Also, I now know a Beng PRIEST Aaron Tan in Singapore. Kim Jong Il is dead and the North Koreans are weeping hysterically. 

In our world of unrest and upheaval, take a few minutes to watch this video clip. Let us be thankful for the bad things in life, for they open our eyes to the good things we weren't paying attention to before.  Be kind.

r

Renew, anew

Don't get lost in your pain,

Know that one day,

Your pain will become your cure.

Never give up...

Instant God

A tiny lesson in life

Against all odds

A song of yester-years... about departure, waiting, good byes, pain of losing someone,  regrets, and..... impermanence. 
  

"You want to know what happiness is? Look for pain and when you find the pain and begin to see it lessening, you'll find happiness. If you keep looking for happiness, you are not going to find it." - Gelek Rinpoche

How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all
How can you just walk away from me, when all I can do is watch you leave
Cos we've shared the laughter and the pain and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face
Ooh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds

And that's what I've got to face  
I wish I could just make you turn around, turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you, so many reasons why
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face
Now take a look at me now, cos there's just an empty space
But to wait for you, is all I can do and that's what I've got to face
Take a good look at me now, cos I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've gotta take
Take a look at me now.

To those I'm thinking of today....

Especially to all my gurus, may they have a very long and stable life.

Also to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy, may they have a good rebirth.

To all those connected to me at heart, may they always be happy in all their lifetimes.

The woods

A quote by my fellow musketeer....

‎"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau

Ormie the Pig and the moral of the story is....

I love this short cute clip, Ormie The Pig. It has garnered 8 Festival Awards including Best Short Film (Savannah FF 2010, Palm Springs Int'l Shorts Fest 2010, Sprockets 2010, Seattle Int'l FF 2010) and the Audience Award (New York Int'l Children's FF 2011).

This is for all my piggy friends... hahahahahahaha!  It certainly cheered me up.

And the moral of the story is, 

“The true antidote to greed is contentment. If you have a strong sense of contentment, it doesn't matter whether you obtain the object of your desire or not. Either way, you are still content.”  His Holiness the Dalai Lama.