Coffee or tea

After coming back from my books, days have been largely coffee. Yearning for tea now.

Coffee is colorful, rich, full of aroma and character. Gives me the kick even though I have never wants it. Attracts so much lovers that pins the tea down. So much so that it takes courage to put down that cuppa and hold up the tea to see that you are still mindful why I pick up the coffee at the most initial intentions.

Tea is light, bitter, calming and savored usually in solitude. No excitement, no expectation, but the settling of the mind. The mind that jumps around like monkey, ever so hard to tame even in the quietest moment of meditation. Yet, it dangers by dragging you out of the crowd, out of what is considered mainstream.

Both are good, packed with anti-oxidants, ready to detox all the defilement accumulated since ages and lives. The choice really depends on what calms my mind than what works for others, even if others are the majority.

Stress stress stress

Some pointers dig out online about stress. Would be a good checklist to see if you are under some form of chronic stress.

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/are-you-too-busy-5-signs-of-chronic-stress/

1. I was always looking for something.
2. I'd get inappropriate infuriated by the smallest things.
3. I work up every single day feeling tired.
4. I frequently experienced headaches.
5. I constantly felt a vague feeling of unhappiness.

Personal take:

There is no such things in Buddhist text on any form of 'wholesome stress'. Although I do agree that taking on challenges expand ones ability, especially important in carrying out dharma service.

When the mind is in the state of stress, it shuts down the brain's function on logic and reasoning, and ready the body for fight and flight response. Naturally and surely, the mind starts to react to situations instead of mindfully understanding the situation it is in. Retrospection almost never happens. Although one may argues that retrospection can be done after the stressful issue has been settled, but the body might gets too tired and simply forget doing it.

Sense of satisfaction may hinder practice also. How? When one gets too much pleasures from settling episodes of challenging events, the mind grows in expectations and craving. Good desires in altruistic work benefits others yet without mindfulness, the ego takes over and intentions get skewed from 'trying to help' into 'sense of conquest'.

Extract from the Metta Sutta:

This is to be done by one skilled in aims who wants to break through to the state of peace: Be capable, upright, & straightforward, easy to instruct, gentle, & not conceited, content & easy to support, with few duties, living lightly, with peaceful faculties, masterful, modest, & no greed for supporters. - Buddha

There is wisdom to that.

Another point to add that chronic stress leads to habitual anger. Without one's knowing, the mind and the face gets tense up and you might just scare any people of goodwill away :)

May all with good intentions, 'ought' to be, well and happy always.

维摩诘所说经 菩萨品第四 -光严童子

One of the many interesting chapters of Vimalakirti Sutra. Basically it aims to break attachment to a physical place of worship and fundamentally breaks down the form concept which arises from ego. A place of worship is a very essential element in our practice but mindfulness has to be place on not developing attachments and over-proliferating emotions which impede practice. Being focus on the practice instead of another external physical forms allow confidence and unwavering faith to arise naturally without the need of other cause.

佛告光严童子：“汝行诣维摩诘问疾！”

　　光严白佛言：“世尊，我不堪任诣彼问疾。所以者何？忆念我昔，出毗耶离大城，时维摩诘方入城，我即为作礼而问言：‘居士，从何所来？’答我言：‘吾从道场来。’我问：‘道场者，何所是？’

答曰：

直心是道场，无虚假故；

发行是道场，能办事故；

深心是道场，增益功德故；

菩提心是道场，无错谬故；

布施是道场，不望报故；

持戒是道场，得愿具故；

忍辱是道场，于诸众生心无碍故；

精进是道场，不懈退故；

禅定是道场，心调柔故；

智慧是道场，现见诸法故；

慈是道场，等众生故；

悲是道场，忍疲苦故；

喜是道场，悦乐法故；

舍是道场，憎爱断故；

神通是道场，成就六通故；

解脱是道场，能背舍故；

方便是道场，教化众生故；

四摄是道场，摄众生故；

多闻是道场，如闻行故；

伏心是道场，正观诸法故；

三十七品是道场，舍有为法故；

谛是道场，不诳世间故；

缘起是道场，无明乃至老死皆无尽故；

诸烦恼是道场，知如实故；

众生是道场，知无我故；

一切法是道场，知诸法空故；

降魔是道场，不倾动故；

三界是道场，无所趣故；

师子吼是道场，无所畏故；

力、无畏、不共法是道场，无诸过故；

三明是道场，无余碍故；

一念知一切法是道场，成就一切智故。

如是，善男子，菩萨若应诸波罗蜜教化众生，诸有所作，举足下足，当知皆从道场来，住于佛法矣！’说是法时，五百天人皆发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心。故我不任诣彼问疾。”

A point also worthy to note is that Sutra embodies the wisdom passed down from Buddhas or the great elders and teachers of buddhism. It is thus meritorious to praise and be in awe of the depth of wisdom it encompasses. But such awe should be the fuel of inspiration to move on rather than standing still. Vimalakirti is a Bodhisattva in human form with aims to compassionately delivers the mass from their suffering. His method are rather radical and intellectually unconventional in breaking attachment of forms by 'already' practitioners of the path. He is a great being yet we should also see ourselves of equal potential with primodial wisdom of achieving how he sees the truth. Rather then feeling how wise he is, we should strive to internalize his teaching, thus conditioning our mind to his great unhindered perceptions.

Strokes with meaning.

Lessons are learnt some times in rather funny way. While advertising for FGS Tertiary Dharma Camp, saw this verse spoken by Ven.Master Hsin Yun.


"不过一张纸，在上面写字，用心意来帮忙。
一笔下来，几个字，我一笔完成。
如果这一笔不能完成，下一笔就不知道从哪里开始了。" - 星云大师

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQxlBX-h5Rc

Isn't this about our life, our practice? When we do not walk our life or do our practice we right view carefully yet with courage, we might end up caught in the cycles of troubles, regrets and suffering.

And if we do not treat our life like a last stroke of brush, life can never be done in a fine stroke to the end.

One mile above 转山 THIS Buddhist Film Festival

This film is a great selection for the ending film of this year's THIS Buddhist Film Festival. Not a teary film actually but I find it very inspiring. It is not a full stop but more like a comma for the Buddhist Film Festival, and a comma for our own journey :)

It's based on a true story of a Taiwanese man, Zhang Shu Hao who wish to fulfill the unaccomplished dream of his late brother who wish to cycle from Lijiang to Lhasa. The development of the story was rather good as you could see that initially Shu Hao behaves like any average city young man who has just accepted a daunting mission yet very doubtful of his decision. Through his journey, he had very nice experience with the friendly locals as well as facing life and death situations. All this helps in making him more sturdy for the next treacherous journey ahead. At the very end of the show, when Shu Hao reaches the highest peak of the mountainous route, he decides to abandon most of his belongings and cycle ahead to Lhasa.

Watching this film, I recalled my own personal mountain hiking experiences. True enough, every bit of the journey is filled with physical weariness, emotional struggles and being with yourself. In life, when we found a goal to strive, there comes also the fair share of problems that make you suspect your initial objective and wavers your determination. Those that succeed are those that pushed on.

In the story, Shu Hao started the trip that was the wish of his late brother. But as the story progresses, he took ownership to the trip and that is where he pushes on by himself. We all could have our very own expectation and some are expectations from our parents as well as society. Yet, it is only by having ownership of our own life journey, can we do our very best for it, accepting the hardships that came or will come to face.

We can never be in the best situation in all moments of our life, doing what we like or wish to fulfill. We could only do our best with the resources we have. It takes great courage to pursue our dreams, yet it takes great spirit and determination to do things that we don't like and need to be done.

When we are at our downs in life, a good approach is to reflect on how much we have come to be where we are now. And draw strength from all the people that has supported you, your family and your friends. They have a part in you. And when you move on, you are moving on not alone but all of them. And when you succeed, you know they are there to witness your success with you.

Watch the trailer here > http://thisfilmfest.com/one-mile-above/

Crazy Wisdom - THIS Buddhist Film Festival

Very perspective and mind provoking especially to those that deem themselves righteous. haha! Its a biography about the late Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. According to the synposis , he is called the greatest spiritual leader as well as the bad boy of buddhism. I am sure he can't be bothered over this two title.

I would not repeat the content of the film but just my own after-thoughts. He drinks, smoke, and have a wife. People see it as Rinpoche trying to humble himself to get close to his western students. Some might just heuristically labels him as monk gone astray with full of self-justification. I see him as a living Bodhisattva. To me, I feel that he is trying to remind others not to get fixed to conventions in all his intention or this is just how liberating is for a mind of a enlightened being.

There is no mention that he goes any ways to correct someone but rather pointing out that their habits (be it good or bad) are not fixed but just another phenomena of impermanence. People who are not successful in changing their bad old habits are due to seeing their old ways hard to change. So Rinpoche does not resort to long brainwashing sermons to teach the hippies.

To see his practice upon reflection of Buddhism practice, we are always easy victims of our grasping mind. Very often, once we gain a new concept that breaks our old ways, this new concept is the new attachment. We are just like walking on quicksand. Going full force to drag one leg out resulting in sinking of another leg. Buddha is his teachings, his main ideology is change, impermanence as well as non-attachment. And so, should we get ourselves fixated to certain rituals or practice. I personally don't see it as alignment to the path. Not to say the rituals or practice are wrong but seek the true meaning of the practice after shelling away the forms is more important.

"This world can not be saved by religion alone" as mentioned by Rinpoche can be translated as "This world can not be saved by Buddhism alone" if I boldly dares to quote him. When we are fixed to the notion of even  Buddhism, we risk evoking our 'self-ego' as well as those that agrees and don't agrees with you. This world doesn't need another title or status to divide the world more. We seek to be a liberating Buddhist and not a 'Attached Buddhist'.

Buddhism is about compassion and kindness. And its not a patented characteristic of Buddhism. As mentioned in the Sutra, Buddha land has no distinction and that could only be done by smashing down the walls of religion and acknowledging that everyone of us seeks peace and are fundamentally the same. Only than can Samsara gets transformed.

So why are we a Buddhist? Is it by what and how we do our practice?

http://thisfilmfest.com/crazy-wisdom/

The Outrage - THIS Buddhist Film Festival

Caught the first Movie of this year's Buddhist Film Fest. Its a great choice to choose this Thai production as the opening film of the event.

Very nice shots, fantastic directing and acting. What's even more interesting is how it could be a very broad based movie with actions, romance, detective and yet mind provoking story line.'

The story starts with a monk deciding to get disrobed with cut scenes of his memory on why he decided to stay as a monk after being a novice monk. His reason to disrobe is upon his realization of his own ignorance after standing witness to a murder.

While estranged in a cave due to bad whether, the monk and his companion starts to share 4 very different version of testament by people involved in the murder. Both the Bandit, who later got beheaded as well as the lady protagonist, claims to kill the warlord. The third version of the murder was testified by the spirit of the dead warlord summoned by the shaman. The last version was by the woodcutter that was in the cave with the monk that did not disclose his case during the hearing.

The lessons from the film basically centers around how people are so attached to their ego. They either choose to falsify the account of the murder to inflate or preserve their honor, or deluded by their own desired that cause them great misery in life. The very idea of desire and fear distort what we perceived as truth.

"We see what we wish to see, hear what we wish to hear and thinks what we wish to think."

How true it is when sometimes we are so steadfast and stubbornly attached to our ideas that we hold it as the truest of the truths. This film also shared about how we often likes to play the judge role to 'sentence' who is and what is right or wrong. Actually all deeds happen due to conditions and circumstances. Someone doing something unrighteous might do so to protect lives and their love ones.

My own take is that when one starts to judge, they stop learning from the issue. It is only by learning from past mistakes or from others, can we better ourselves and make sure we are better next time. Even the most despised persona of a society can teach us views that enlightens us.

The first film this year that set me thinking through the plot till now.

I think there are still one more screening at 7pm Friday (28 Sept 2012). Catch it!

http://booking.sistic.com.sg/SisticWebApp/SeatAvailability.do?contentCode=outrage0192

Hocus pocus!!

Bible mentioned that Jesus did many miracles. Healed those that are blind, see. Those that are dumb, speak. Walks on water, and eventually rose from the dead. Moses split the sea, leading people out of Egypt, to freedom.

All religion has their own set of miracles, heroes and divine intervention. So what miracles does Buddhism got to offer? Nothing, and I am so happy with being that. Instead, Buddha teaches us to not attached with such. He even forbid his disciples to show feats of miracles.

Me too :) I am happy just being a Buddhist doing the homework that Buddha has laid out for us. For he is the one that walks the path and led many out of the sea of Samsara.

Maha-sihanada Sutta (MN 12)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.012.ntbb.html

The sutta mentioned why Buddha having all the powers never like to display them :)

Sabbe Satta Sukhita Hontu

(May all beings be happy)

Sunlight

Verse by 心培和尚。

As motivated by sis Shuyin, and thanks to her, I get to read this verse which I have missed out.

Only with light, life can happen and so does hope.

Only with light, warmth can be felt and so does love.

Only with light, eyes can see and so does our path towards the truth.

That's how I see light. And that just go to say how much we need light.

We can of course be the light to others around.

Flipping through the papers, you will be amazed how almost all the headlines are on tragedies and bad news.

Turning on the TV programme, you will be amazed by how much are sad dramas.

Tuning to the radio, you will be amazed by how much are songs for the broken heart.

Let us be the sunlight in people's life :)

Don't have to perform miracles, riches or power and authority.

Just wear a smile and don't let negativity be the language to greet each other .

I personally like the sunlight very much. I will always make sure my lunch is not packed back to office and I just like to laze on the beach chair at the pool side. My parents told me my chinese birthdate coincide to the birthdate of Sun 太阳公公. And maybe that explains why I love sun so much :D

Movie: Chronicles

Went to watch Chronicles with my argue-mate !!

http://movies.insing.com/movie/chronicle/id-c54f0000

Its a film which I call a very bland taste when you eat it but left a deep after-taste. Very draggy and the camera-view perspective of the scene can make me feel irritated. But the after taste is nice enough to make me blog. haha!

Its about a teenager that has problem in socializing with other people probably due to serious home violence and frequent assault by school bullies. Later on, gained superhuman power and the movie shows how this new found power made him and destroyed him.

This film shows how actually even when we have much more power (wealth) than we previously had, it doesn't change our life for the better. Maybe initially things might seem nice enough but its just a brief moment if the mind is not the one that has improved.

Andrew (male lead) with his new power, the destruction he inflicted on others and himself is multiplied and his outward display of his new power does not change his world for the better but made him more angry and merciless. He starts to blame others more and he gets trapped in his negativity stronger by the day.

In one of the scene where he mentioned about going to Tibet to find peace shows that he is well aware of his mental stress but quite sad that this wish of his could only be fulfilled by his cousin (Matt- not sure I got the name right).

Matt also developed this superhuman power but he was mindful of the destruction that would cause to others and thus initiated to create rules to regulate the use of their powers. His mindfulness of his action prevented him from becoming as evil as Andrew. This make taking of our Buddhist precepts so important, and in fact should be taken as early as one could start developing perceptions of the world (teenage years). Precepts feels like tieing up out hands and leg, losing our freedoms. But precepts actually sets us free even more when we developed the right habits to things.

Most often than not, especially for the younger generations, we often wish to be identified, stand out of the crowd, being seen as being more capable and all. It's never wrong to keep improving our capabilities but more importantly to be comfortable with who we are.

Nobody creates our world but we create our world. With these in mind, we should always allow ourselves to be in the company of righteous and our mental states to remain healthy.

Being Alive and Loving It!

Its the 30th anniversary "Sharing the Dhamma Series" of Buddhist Library. The talk was delivered by Ven Tenzin Priyadarsi. Venerable was one of the founding director of Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and see this link for more about this teacher. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenzin_Priyadarshi

Love his talk very much in how he speaks like a University professor than a monk. Very technical yet detailed and easy to absorb in his discourse. Shall share with you the wonderful tips he shared on how to lead a happy life. Of course, take my writings with a pinch of salt, since it has been stained with my own perceptions.

This is one of the nice analogy or experiment Rinpoche shared with us. Consider for the next 48 hours, thinking of nothing but negative feelings, not even a slight thought of positiveness. Most likely you end up with a fatigue mind. And then try for the next 48hrs, think of nothing but positive ideas, you end up rejuvenated, heightened perspective to things and a clear stable mind.

Another analogy that talks about our desires are like running on a thread mill trying to bite the chicken leg dangling in front. Life seems to be chasing after goals that are created by us or the surrounding. And also explained that living a religious life is not about having no or low goal, and suppressed expectation. Problem is not about the expectation but about how we come to terms with the outcome. It's the attachment to the outcome that traps us. Making a Buddhist vow and working towards saving all sentient beings are lofty goals and work.

We also tend to "compartmentalise" our roles in life. When we are a worker, husband or father, we use different way to interact with the world. That is a main problem when we separate our normal life and times where we are in a temple. Further more, we compartmentalise our Buddhist practice by choosing to major in certain practices. Example would be someone would prefer to spend more effort on Samadhi than Sila. Rinpoche mentioned that it can not work and both our normal and spiritual life will not grow. Buddhism is marvelous as it allows "integration". These 3 pillars of practice should be balanced in effort. The insights we got from meditation should enhance our Sila and Panna growth. And with that, we should use these insights in our normal life. With such, we grow as a person holistically.

Rinpoche also shared that we need to live an intentional life. Main problem to our practice or life is when we take life as it comes. We just drifted around by situation. When we have something we enjoy doing, we can't wait to wake up. We need to live a purposeful life, and not live a life of regret. Wake up everyday with a goal in life. Rinpoche shared that everyday we went to sleep with a leap of faith. We never know we could wake up again in the morning. Waking is not a natural process actually.

Life is like a flash of lightening. This was mentioned by a very old monk before he passed on. The episodes of life will pass the mind just like film stripes. The worst is to live life of regrets. Happiness should also be something natural and one should not let their happiness be dependent on external objects. Example will be like trying to expect happiness only when you manage to have how much money or assets.

Something interesting when we do our prostration when Rinpoche left. He mentioned that in Tibetan tradition, people do not prostrate the teacher in hope that the teacher will come back to teach again! And I sincerely to meet with Rinpoche again to receive his teaching.

How hard it is.

Hard really to be born with a human body; free from handicaps; live in a country free from religious bias; from war; an ethnic circle that allows me to explore our faith freely; a family that allows me to choose my religion and of course to know buddhism.

And that's why I would seize every opportunity to know the Dharma, and to practice the Dharma. Cause I never know the opportunity might never comes again.

So what's so good to be in Buddhism? It doesn't conflict my everyday chores. It is definitely practical and logical. And its the only religion that teaches you to let go of dogmas and question our old beliefs :)

Recently got a fair share of interactions with people that is superstitious as well as people that is totally too caught up with their ideas that no further wisdom could grow from. What's so similar about this two group of people is their stubborn attachment to beliefs. And what usually surrounds their life are recurring episodes of problem.

Hard the winning of a human birth.
Hard the life of mortals.
Hard the chance to hear the true Dhamma.
Hard the arising of Awakened Ones.
- Dhp 182