~What a Wonderful World~

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Zen Master Hakuin's Equanimity

The Zen Master Hakuin (1686-1769) travelled extensively to learn from other masters. When he was 32 years old, he returned to the Shoin-ji, the temple in his home town of Hara, in present-day Shizuoka Prefecture. Here he devoted himself to teaching a growing number of disciples. Hakuin was praised by his neighbors as a teacher living an exemplary life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. One day without warning, her parents discovered that she was pregnant.

This made her parents angry. The girl would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment, she named Hakuin as the father.

In great anger the parents went to the Zen Master and scolded him in front of all his students. All Hakuin would say was “Is that so?”

After the baby boy was born, it was entrusted to Hakuin's care. By this time he had lost his reputation. His disciples have left him. However Hakuin was not disturbed, and enjoyed taking care of the little boy. He obtained milk and other essentials the boy needed from his neighbors.

A year later, the girl-mother couldn't stand it any longer. She confessed the truth to her parents— that the real father of the boy was not Hakuin but a young man working in the local fishmarket.

The father and mother of the girl went to Hakuin at once. They asked his forgiveness and apologized profusely to get the boy back.

Although Hakuin loved the child as his own, he was willing. In giving up the boy, all he said was: “Is that so?”

— Edited from Paul Reps, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957), p. 22

Where would we be if we falsely being accused for things we did not do?

Wouldn't we fight until the last blood for our justice?

But Master Hakuin is different...

He understand that the baby is innocent.

He knows that things happened because of causes and conditions..

He also knows that things end because of causes and conditions...

He practices the Paramitas of Patience so well...that he does not affected by the external tests and criticisms even though he was being framed by other people..

His story really touches me..

I have to admit that I nearly cried from my heart when Reverend Tong Ming was telling this story during the Annual Camp 2010 which has just passed.

This story would be my inspiration whenever I meet any problems like this.

I am still learning and there still a long Way to go...

But I chose to walk step by step...

Deep in my heart,

I am very grateful to have the opportunities to learn the Dhamma.

It helps me to realize the meaning of a true life.

May all beings and non beings,

May all that I known and haven't known,

May all that I can see and can't see,

May all that I can hear and can't hear,

May all in this infinite universe,

MAY YOU ALL BE CHERISH IN THE JOY OF DHAMMA...

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Believe, Moving, Enjoying~

if you believe.....
you will move on....
keep moving on, my friends....
you will never know where will you be 2moro..


sadness is just the training....
panic is just the training...
heart pain is just the training...
down is just the training...

seeing things in through keyhole view, we see ourself as the biggest thing in the world...

open the door and see the world, we are not like we think it is...

just enjoy the training..and keep enjoying the fullest of this life...life is short...dun waste it...

When a Buddhist meets a Christian....

On last Friday nite,
I was attending a farewell party of my friend who is going to US for studies.

In the party, there are about 9 people of us..
During the party,
there was a time,
one of my friend asked me about Buddhism...as his college friend asked him to join one of the Buddhist societies.. So, I share out my experiences and what I have learned about Buddhism..
It was happened to be another friend of mine who is a strong Christian follower at side following our conversation..

So, after a while the conversation changed direction,
it suddenly becomes a conversation between a Buddhist and a Christian,
the good friend of mine ask me questions and speaks out his opinion,
There is when we come across over a topic where the believe in the existence of God..
He shared out that he really believe in just one mighty God and he believes that this God is not just appear in Western World. The God would also appear in many forms and can be accepted in many cultures..
He then jumped to the conclusion for Buddhist that Buddhist does not believe in the existence of God..
Instead, I gave him the answers that Buddhist actually believe in the existence of God...
He looked in disbelieved and asked me whether I was with the right Buddhist teaching...

dear all...
as a Buddhist,
we are ought to respect other people...
as a Buddhist,
we are ought to avoid for condemn other people's believe...
as a Buddhist,
we are ought to be humble and act wisdomly...
as a Buddhist,
we are ought to remember to look back into our own problems which keep us in samsara world and try to overcome the problems..

Continue back the story,
actually,
Buddhist does believe in the existence of God..
but that is not the part where Buddhists are heading..
to make the ground clear,
the Buddha is not a God which many claimed..
He is a Teacher who discovered the path to cease suffering..
He is not the person who create the path,
He discovered it literally like Sir Newton discovered earth gravity...
but, He discovered it from all His hardworks, determinations and compassion..
so,
from the teaching of Buddha,
in this world of samsara(suffering),
there are 6 planes of existances,
1) Heavenly Beings
2) Asuras
3) Human
4) Animal
5) Hungry Ghost
6) Hell Beings
The God existence is in the Heavenly Beings planes..
So, this proved that we do accept the existance of God.
but,
in Buddhism,
all these planes of samsara existence are not advisable to take refuge on..
all of them has their own problems and worries,
In Buddhism,
we are taking refuge on not only the Buddha,
we are taking refuge on the TRIPLE GEMS,
TRIPLE GEMS = BUDDHA, DHARMA and SANGHA
because TRIPLE GEMS lead and guide us to cease our suffering and worries
TRIPE GEMS are making us realize what are our own worries and help to solve our problems..
The important objective in Buddhism is, we as beings who still got strangled in the world of samsara, have to find why are we got strangled and how to escape and act to release ourselves from the stranglehold.
We shall not go finding the peace of life externally, and we shall search it internally within us...
Dont be like searching far away outside our house for thieves, when the thieves are actually inside our house...

Dear Christian followers,
if you happened to read my writing over here,
Actually
The directions of the Christianity and Buddhism are not the same..
we cant compare which one is better and be boasting around...

In Christianity,
It may all about the Mighty God and human...

In Buddhism,
the general ideas are,
we avoid all evil,
we practice good deeds,
and we purify our mind...

after all,
it would be better when
we choose to respect others,
and we choose to praise and learn for the goodness
and we choose to avoid from the evil....


during the conversation,
i was watching myself,
there were times i saw my ego arose,
Egoness which makes me superior, knows better and wanna intercept and debate to make others accept my opinions...
but I able to see these feeling and managed to overcome it,
I chose to listen to others opinions and speaks whenever it is suitable to speak...

It is not effective to force others to agree with us when the person have his strong opinion about the matter,
it is juz like the simile of a cup
when a cup is turned upside down,
the water can not fill the cup.

It is also not effective to force others to agree with us when the person have his strong belief on his misunderstanding...
It is just like the cup contained poison,
when water is poured in the cup,
the water cant be consumed as the water already poisoned...

Inside me,
Surfaced the story images of the times when Buddha meets the strong followers of other religion,
For me, this is one of the example of situation,
suddenly the strong feeling of praising the Buddha arose and I somehow gt very impressed with his wisdom in facing such problems,

Suddenly got shamed by my lackness of learning dhamma recently,

Oh Buddha,

I still have alot alot more to learn....

~Rock~

The teaching the people least understand and which conflict most with their opinions is the teaching of letting go or working with empty mind...

when we conceive this in worldly terms, we get confused and think that we can do watever we want..

it juz like;

we are carrying a heavy rock


after a while we begin feel the weight,
but we dont know how to let go
so, we endure this heavy burden all the time.

If someone tells us to throw it away,
we say, " if i throw away, i won't have anything left!"
If told of all the benefits gained by throwing it away,
we would not believe it,
but would keep on thinking,
"if i throw my rock away, i will have nothing"

So, we keep on carrying this heavy rock until it becomes so unbearably heavy,
and we become so weak
and exhausted,
that we just have to drop it
.
.
.


Having dropped it,
we suddenly experience the benefits of letting go...
we feel better and lighter
we know ourselves how much the burden carrying a rock can be...

before we let go of the rock,
we couldn't possibly know the benefits of letting go...
Later on
we may start carrying burdens again,
but now we know what the results will be,
so we can let go more easily...

This understanding- it is useless carrying burdens around and letting go brings ease and lightness - is an example of knowing ourselves...

OUR PRIDE
OUR SENSE OF SELF THAT WE DEPEND ON..
is the same as the HEAVY ROCK...

like the rock~
if we think about letting go of self,
we are afraid that without it there will nothing left..

but,
when it is time we can finally let it go,
we realize for ourselves the ease and comfort of not clinging....

~Ajahn Chah~

The HearT sUTRA

Om Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom the Lovely, the Holy !


Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the Wisdom which has gone beyond.

He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps, and He saw that in their own-being they were empty.

Here, O Sariputra,
form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form ;
emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form,
the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness.

Here, O Sariputra,
all dharmas are marked with emptiness ;
they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete.

Therefore, O Sariputra,
in emptiness there is no form nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness ;
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind ; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind ; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to :
No mind-consciousness element ; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to : There is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path.
There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment.

Therefore, O Sariputra,
it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble,
he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.
All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.
Therefore one should know the prajnaparamita as the great spell, the spell of great knowledge, the utmost spell, the unequalled spell, allayer of all suffering, in truth -- for what could go wrong ? By the prajnaparamita has this spell been delivered. It runs like this :

gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
( Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail ! -- )

respect...

today
i found out a thing...
found out that actually respect others are very important...
especially to the elders...
elders do not juz mean those old people..
it means people who are older than us...
eventough he or she older than us 1 month or one week or even one day...
he/she still our elders..
respect the elders...
it is not about the egoness..
it is about the human morality..
i experience today what is the feeling of those elders if i does not show respect towards them...
it is quite hard to take...
if plus the egoness,
it is more hard to take the feeling...
so y make others suffering???
i thinking back to myself..
i recuiting the bad karmas if i hurt others feeling..
making others uncomfortable and suffering...
y should i do such meaningless act??
what a nice reminder for today...

thanks to Buddha for teaching me that i need to take care of my mind, speeches and actions...
besides can purify my mind and life,
i also can make harmonies living with people around me...
i believe,
when we respect others, others will respect us..
even tough there are times we enjoying and joking with each other...
but these also have a certain limits...
we shall not exceed the limits..
know when to play and what to say is important...
may be it is already our attitude,
but we ownself need to beware of it and change it..
dun make others feel bad...
it is not good...

i got to continue my work..still have a hill more nid to be done..
juz thought of these things, and gt to vomit here b4 can continue...
if not, it revolving inside my brain and spoil my mood...haha
add oil..dear Senz...

Happy New Year ~.~ received a real new year gift..

Happy 2010!!!!!
mAY yOu alL have A greaT yeAR THIS yEAR!!!
HAVING great Health N wEAlth
n grEat Studies
Dun 4get alSO tO dEVELOPE oUR wISDOM aND cOMPASSIOn!!!

haha.. Where You all went for New Year CountDown Celebration yesterDay??
I went for new year 2010 countdown at Reverend Miao Zhan place...
pEople heard i Going to see sifu during Countdown 2010
they look like disbelieve and feel funny...
can't celebrate together with sifu and fellow friends at temple de meh??
tell you ho...
this time is the second time i celebrate new year countdown party in more meaningful way
last time was in Rev. Hui lu's Dhamma Sharing in Bukit Jalil
this time really give me a very different feeling of new year celebration...
went there talk talk with Rev Miao Zhan
while having a steamboat party...
haha...
so enjoying...

you have received your New Year Present??
u did not receive anything for this New Year le..
haha
then i can boasting a while...
coz i already received it yesterday..
it was from Rev. Miao Zhan...
u all might think that it is a material kind of things...
but if u think like that,
then you are wrong...haha
actually it is sifu's words that aimed and shoot directly to my heart...

i feel shocked...
sifu actually found out my problems which i having these recent years...
i was stunned at that time..
"how on the earth do sifu know it???"
the first question arise in my mind..
haha
but time is not quite enough...
i cant discuss it with sifu in details...
really want to go find sifu and discuss with her again...
but yesterday was really enough to open my eyes...
coz i never thought of it...
really indeed a special New Year Celebration...
although reach home very very late..~at about 4.30am
but i really really appreciate this New YeAR CELEBRAtion...not regreating AT ALL!!!

you might want to know what is my problem..
but i am sorry
coz i now would like to keep it as my private matter
if i able to solve this problem
i will definately share out with you guys...

so, i wish u all a happy New 2010 again..
may you all be happy and healthy
and hope you all can find the true joy from the teaching of Buddha...