From the book "How to be happy"

Posted by drdoof on 04-07-2013, 8:47 PM :

"You are not alone because all the time there are numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas surrounding you, everywhere loving you, guiding you, that is what they do."

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

from the book "How to be happy"

From the book "Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh"

Posted by drdoof on 04-07-2013, 8:42 PM :

You are me, and I am you.
Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.

I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh

from the book "Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh"

From the book "The Door to Satisfaction"

Posted by drdoof on 04-07-2013, 8:38 PM :

"Our mind and our delusions are formless and colorless. However, our ignorance believing in true existence is harder than a rocky mountain. Our delusions are harder than steel."

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

from the book "The Door to Satisfaction"

Cultivating a Wholesome Mind: The Four Right Efforts

Posted by blue crystal on 28-06-2013, 10:24 AM :

Cultivating a Wholesome Mind: The Four Right Efforts
Wednesday, 19 December 2012 Compiled into English by the Jing Si Abode English Editorial Team.

 

As an ordinary person, we give rise to all sorts of thoughts in our mind. They enter and exit our mind constantly. When we give rise to a kind thought, we may act on it and do a good deed to help others. When we give rise to an unwholesome thought, such as an angry one, we may say something mean to others. Our actions are greatly influenced by our thoughts.

Cultivating ourselves is about learning to actively do all the good we can and to refrain from doing anything bad. To do this, we will need to watch out for our thoughts. This is something we can do as we go about our daily life. For example, if at this moment, our mind is free of unwholesome thoughts, that's wonderful and we should take care to keep it that way, not letting any unwholesome ones take hold. If we find that we already have unwholesome thoughts, we should quickly transform our mindset. If our mind is in a wholesome state, full of kindness and goodness, we should help this kindness and goodness to grow by seizing the present to do what good we can. Once we've started a good thing, we should keep doing it. We need to practice diligently to nurture a mind of good thoughts and continue in our good thoughts, never losing them.

This practice is called the Four Right Efforts: to put a stop to unwholesome thoughts, to guard against new unwholesome thoughts, to bring forth wholesome thoughts, and to nurture our wholesome thoughts so they can grow and deepen. The Four Right Efforts are methods for cultivating a wholesome mind of good thoughts. Practicing them will help us stay on the right path.

Putting a Stop to Unwholesome Thoughts

The first of the Four Right Efforts tells us that when we detect unwholesome thoughts in our mind, we need to quickly transform our state of mind to put a stop to them. For example, when someone does something that displeases us and we get angry, that's an unwholesome thought. Or, when we get tempted by something and craving arises, that's also an unwholesome thought. If we can quickly change our mindset so that the unwholesome thoughts don't take hold, we can prevent ourselves from doing wrong things and creating negative karma.

What happens if we've already acted on our unwholesome thoughts, such as lashing out at someone in anger? We have to quickly catch ourselves, repent, and promise ourselves not to do it again. If we can catch ourselves doing something that is wrong, it's not too late to stop it and prevent ourselves from doing further harm.

It is better, however, to practice catching our unwholesome thoughts before we act on them, for they can lead us to do things that we end up seriously regretting. There is a story from China that shows this. In times past, there was a very poor couple. To make ends meet, the husband had to leave his hometown to find work, returning home only once a year for Chinese New Year.

One time, on his way home for the celebrations, he thought to bring back a gift to his wife. Though his earnings were meager, he thought that with it being New Year, it would be nice to have a gift to give instead of only bringing back his earnings. Passing through the marketplace, he decided to see what might make an appropriate gift. He saw a calligrapher writing couplets. The couplets were all auspicious words and good messages. Seeing him standing there, the calligrapher asked him if he wanted a couplet written for him.

"Yes, that would be a nice gift for my wife, but I don't know if she would understand these couplets you've written here," he said.

"A gift for your wife. How often do you return home during the year?" the calligrapher asked.

"I can only go home once a year," he replied.

"In that case, I can write a couplet for you."

"Before you do that, how much would it cost?" the man quickly asked.

"Since it's to be a gift for your wife, it will have to be of better quality. Five hundred taels it'll cost you." Doing a quick calculation, the man saw that it was one-third of the earnings he was bringing home. If he bought the couplet, would he bring home too little money?

Seeing his hesitation, the calligrapher said, "It may cost you 500 taels, but who knows, it may benefit your family for the rest of your lives."

"Let me see what couplet you have in mind," the man said. The calligrapher then began to write:

Think before taking steps forward
Think before taking steps back
When anger arises, beware
Putting off anger is most auspicious

"When you find yourself getting angry, you can quickly recite these verses to yourself," the calligrapher explained. The man, being simple and honest, found this quite meaningful and decided to buy the couplet. With that, he happily set off for home.

By the time he arrived home, it was quite late. The front door was already locked, and all the lights were out. Not wanting to disturb his wife, he quietly went around to the back of the house and let himself in. Setting down his bags, he lit a small oil lamp. It was not very bright, but with its light, he could see that his wife had already gone to bed and had let the mosquito net down around the bed.

Just as he was about to approach the bed to greet her, his eyes fell upon two pairs of shoes by the bed. One pair was his wife's and the other was a pair of men's shoes. He couldn't believe that while he was working so hard away from home to earn money so that they could make ends meet, his wife was betraying him with another man. Enraged by her faithlessness, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen to confront the lovers.

Just as he was about to lift the mosquito net, the couplet he had bought suddenly came to his mind. "Think before taking steps forward, think before taking steps back. When anger arises, beware; putting off anger is most auspicious." With that, he paused and took a few steps back.

His movements woke his wife. Curious about why the oil lamp was burning, she lifted the mosquito net to have a look and spotted her husband. "Husband, you're home!" she called out. "What's wrong?" she asked, when she saw him just standing there, not moving.

The man was looking at the empty space next to his wife. Seeing it, he quickly hid the knife behind his back. Awkwardly, he replied, "Nothing, I was just afraid of waking you up. Why are there two pairs of shoes by the bed?"

With a huff, the wife said, "Well, you said you would be coming home, so I cooked a nice dinner for you. I was looking forward to our New Year reunion, but you didn't show up. So, I decided to set out your shoes by the bed, just so I can pretend that you had come back and I didn't pass the New Year all by myself."

Hearing that, the husband was filled with remorse and became very grateful for the couplet. Though it cost him one-third of his earnings, its simple message helped make him pause before going through with an action that would have ruined his life and destroyed his family.

From the story, we can see how important it is to put a stop to unwholesome thoughts so we do not act on them. By doing this, we can prevent ourselves from making mistakes that bring devastating consequences.

Guarding Against Unwholesome Thoughts

After we've put a stop to unwholesome thoughts, we have to take care to maintain this and guard against new unwholesome thoughts. As we go about our daily life, our mind can be thrown off balance by the people around us and the things we have to handle, causing anger, craving, and delusion to arise in our minds. If we keep our minds calm, centered, and peaceful, we won't so easily react. Also, if we are aware of the potential to get angry over people and matters and to become attached to external conditions that we like, we can watch out for it and guard against unwholesome thoughts. This is called looking after our heart and mind.

Why is it so important to prevent unwholesome thoughts? A tiny unwholesome thought may seem inconsequential. But if we let it arise and act on it, it can develop into a bad habit. Each time we do it, we create negative karma. Over time, we will build up a lot of negative karma, just as drops of water falling into a basin, over time, can cause the basin to overflow.

Guarding against unwholesome thoughts, we can help give ourselves a better life. With our minds free of wrong thoughts, we won't end up doing things that lead to deep regret or even ruin our lives. It is like taking a road trip—if we watch the signs, follow traffic rules, and don't take the wrong exit, we can safely and quickly reach our destination.

Inviting In Wholesome Thoughts

In our daily life, it is not enough just to keep our minds free of unwholesome thoughts. We need to take this further and develop wholesome, good thoughts. When we hear inspiring stories about people caring for those in need or witness this ourselves, we can learn to do the same, starting by bringing forth kind, altruistic thoughts. To serve as a bodhisattva, we need to be active in developing wholesome thoughts, encouraging ourselves and others to do good.

Deepening Our Wholesome Thoughts

As we go about our day to day life, a wholesome thought may come to us, but we often just let it flicker by without paying it much mind. Or, we may dismiss the wholesome thought, feeling that the good deed we were thinking of doing is not worthwhile. "What good can it do?" we say to ourselves. Actually, no good deed is too small to matter. Furthermore, developing goodness is an important part of our spiritual cultivation. The way to start practicing goodness is by doing it bit by bit—doing whatever we can think of, no matter how little it is.

In the beginning, we may only do the good deeds that we are interested in. But if we can learn to give whatever kind of help is needed and do whatever the present conditions require, gradually we will be able to practice goodness deeply and become capable of so much good.

Besides nurturing wholesome thoughts, we also need to expand them, from caring for our family, friends, and neighbors, to concern for even more people. Our heart needs to become bigger and bigger, to embrace people who are strangers to us or who live far away.

In the United States, there is a Tzu Chi volunteer living in Chicago who is a medical doctor and a member of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA). His wife suffers from Parkinson's Disease, so in order to attend to her needs, he always stays by her side, never traveling. When TIMA is holding a free clinic service in the local community, he brings his wife with him so he can both participate and look after her. His wife also does what she can to help out at the free clinic event.

One time, Tzu Chi was invited to participate in a free clinic event in New Orleans to serve people impacted by Hurricane Katrina. If he were to go, he would be serving hundreds if not thousands of patients. Seeing how meaningful such a contribution would be, his wife encouraged him to go. He was hesitant, however, because the trip required him to leave his wife for six or seven days. He felt he ought to stay and look after her. "I'm happy to serve in free clinics, but this one is too far away. I'll just take part in the ones in our community, which are more feasible," he told his wife.

His wife, however, insisted that he go. If he stayed at home to take care of her, he would only be helping one person, but if he went to the free clinic, he would be able to help many, many people. She told him it was a perfect opportunity for him to learn to expand his heart; she did not want him to limit his love to only her or the patients in their local community. She wanted him to expand the "small love" he had for his family into "Great Love" for all people in need, wherever they may be. In the end, they arranged for his wife's sister to come stay with her for a few days, so he could go serve in New Orleans without leaving his wife unattended.

Learning to have Great Love is what we practice in learning the bodhisattva way. It is not enough just to be a good person who doesn't do any bad deeds and does the occasional good deed. The bodhisattva way is about caring for all people in the world—not just people around us or those we know. Having this aspiration to care for all living beings helps us to deepen our wholesome thoughts and our love.

The Four Right Efforts in Daily Life

In our day to day life, we need to self-reflect and always be aware of the state of our mind. Together, the Four Right Efforts are the practice that can help us to both do this and to cultivate a wholesome mind. By practicing it, we can focus our thoughts in the right direction and keep them from going astray. With this, we will be able to progress steadily on the path of spiritual cultivation.

This is why the Four Right Efforts serve as a foundation in our spiritual practice. Let us all be mindful and practice them diligently in our daily life.

Zen (Ch'an) Story - Like a Pile of Bullsh**

Posted by AUTUMN&WINTER on 26-06-2013, 12:38 PM :

ZEN (CH'AN) STORY - LIKE A PILE OF BULLSH**
By Ven Master Hsing Yun, from Merit Times.

 "Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty went to meditate with Ch'an Master Foyin at Golden Mountain Temple. After Su Dongpo had experienced a total relaxation of body and mind, he asked Ch'an Master Foyin, "Master, what do you think of my sitting posture?"

"Very magnificent. Like a Buddha!"

Su Dongpo was very delighted to hear that. Master Foyin then asked him, "Scholar, what do you think of my sitting posture then?"

Su Dongpo, never giving up any chance to tease and jeer at Master Foyin, immediately replied, "Like a pile of bullsh**." Master Foyin was very delighted to hear the answer and did not utter another word.

Su Dongpo thought he had beaten Master Foyin because the Master was wordless while being compared to a pile of bullsh**. He was so proud of himself that he told everyone he met, "Today I won."

This news soon reached Su's sister Su Xiaomei. She asked him, "Brother, how was it that you beat Master today?" Su repeated the whole story vividly to his sister. Su Xiaomei, talented and smart as she was, told Su Dongpo straight to his face, "Brother, you actually lost. It is because Master's mind is actually that of a Buddha that he could see you as a Buddha. As your mind is like a pile of bullsh**, you, of course, saw him as a pile of bullsh**." Su Dongpo, realizing his Chan practice was far inferior to Master Foyin's, was speechless.

Moral: Ch'an does not depend on knowledge but upon the capacity to awake. Ch'an is not about eloquent debate but intuitive wisdom. Don't think all Ch'an masters handle encounters with sharp words. Sometimes, when they are silent and don't communicate via words and language, they can still utter the same deafening Dharma sounds."

Extracts from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'

Posted by blue crystal on 25-06-2013, 9:35 AM :

The fundamental philosophical principle of Buddhism is that all our suffering comes about as a result of an undisciplined mind, and this untamed mind itself comes about because of ignorance and negative emotions. For the Buddhist practitioner then, regardless of whether he or she follows the approach of the Fundamental Vehicle, Mahayana or Vajrayana, negative emotions are always the true enemy, a factor that has to be overcome and eliminated. And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated. This is why in Buddhist writings and teachings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different processes and functions. Since these negative emotions are states of mind, the method or technique for overcoming them must be developed from within. There is no alternative. They cannot be  removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation."

 

from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'

Opening the Door of Your Heart (on metta) - An excerpt from the book by Ajahn Brahm, The Door of Your Heart

Posted by blue crystal on 20-06-2013, 11:59 AM :

Opening the Door of Your Heart (on metta)


Several centuries ago, several monks were in a cave in a jungle somewhere, meditating on unconditional love. There was the head monk, his brother and his best friend. The fourth was the head monk’s enemy: they just could not get along. The fifth monk in the group was a very old monk, so advanced in years that he was expected to die at any time. The sixth monk was sick – so ill in fact that he too could die at any time. And the last monk, the seventh, was the useless monk. He always snored when he was supposed to be meditating, he couldn’t remember his chanting, and if he did he would chant off-key. He couldn’t even keep his robes on properly. But the others tolerated him and thanked him for teaching him patience.

One day a gang of bandits discovered the cave. It was so remote, so well hidden, that they wanted to take it over as their own base, so they decided to kill all the monks. The head monk, fortunately, was a very persuasive speaker. He managed to persuade the ganga of bandits to let all the monks go, except one, who would be killed as a warning to the other monks not to let anyone know the location of the cave. That was the best the head monk could do.

The head monk was left alone for a few minutes to make the awful decision of who should be sacrificed so that the others could go free.

Who do you think the monk will choose? Will he sacrifice himself for others? Well, read on please.

His love for his brother was exactly the same, no more and no less, than his love for his best friend – which was exactly the same as his love for his enemy, for the old monk, the sick monk, and even for the dear old useless monk. He had perfected the meaning of those words: the door of my heart will always open to you, whatever you do, whoever you are.

The door of the head monk’s heart was wide open to all, with unconditional, non-discriminating, free-flowing love. And most poignantly, his love for others was equal to his love for himself. The door of his heart was open to himself as well. That’s why he couldn’t choose between himself and others.

How many of you thought that he would sacrifice himself? Why is it, in our culture, that we are always sacrificing ourselves for others and this is held to be good? Why is it that we are more demanding, critical and punishing of ourselves than of anyone else? It is for one and the same reason: we have not yet learned how to love ourselves. If you find it difficult to say to another ‘the door of my heart is open to you, whatever you do’, then that difficulty is trifling compared with the difficulty you will face in saying to yourself, ‘Me. The one I’ve been so close to for as long as I can remember. Myself. The door of my heart is open to me as well. All of me no matter what I have done. Come in.’

Forgiveness is a part of loving (ourselves).it is stepping free from the prison of guilt; it is being at peace with oneself. And if you do find the courage to say those words to yourself, honestly, in the privacy of your inner world, then you will rise up, not down, to meet sublime love. One day, we all have to say to ourselves those words, or ones similar, with honesty, not playing games. When we do, it is as if a part of ourselves that had been rejected, living outside in the cold for so long, has now come home. We feel unified, whole, and free to be happy. Only when we love ourselves in such a way can we know what it means to really love another, no more and no less.

And please remember you do not have to be perfect, without fault, to give yourself such love. If you wait for perfection, it never arises. We must open the door of our heart to ourselves, whatever we have done. Once inside, then we are perfect.


An excerpt from the book by Ajahn Brahm, The Door of Your Heart

Suratapariprccha Sutra: Hold true to your faith

Posted by blue crystal on 13-06-2013, 2:31 PM :

Hold true to your faith:

Master Cheng Yen teaches that everything in the world expounds the Dharma to us. If we are mindful, we will recognize the Dharma everywhere and gain wisdom that will enable us to see the truth of all things.

The following story appears in the Suratapariprccha Sutra: 

When the Buddha preached in Sravasti, a practitioner named Surata listened to him mindfully and devoutly took his teachings to heart. Although Surata was poor, he believed what the Buddha said: “You do not need to have wealth or power to walk the Bodhisattva Path. All you need is love and a willingness to help others.”

Surata had a heart full of love. His heart ached when he saw people suffering from hunger, poverty, illness, or cold. He tried all ways to find work, and he used all the money he earned to help the needy.

One day, Sakra Devanam Indra, ruler of Trayastrimsa Heaven, was surprised to discover that though Surata was penniless, he was able to take care of so many poor and sick people, orphans and widows. Many people had even Surata’s influence. Seeing the power Surata was accumulating, Sakra grew scared. “He is amassing so much spiritual merit. Is he thinking of usurping my place in the future?”

To impede Surata’s spiritual progress, Sakra transformed himself into a group of people and went to Surata’s shack. They shouted and cursed outside, hoping to disturb the practitioner’s peace so that he couldn’t quietly meditate. But Surata remained unperturbed. Next, the group burst into the shack and threatened to beat him or even kill him. Despite all that, Surata remained composed and serene.

A man broke from the group and said to Surata, “These people do not understand you at all. I know that you love to help and give to others.” He then offered Surata gold, silver and other treasures, and he told him that he could sell the treasures and use the money to aid those in need. Surata smiled at the man’s incredible offer… and then turned him down. “I can’t take any money I didn’t earn myself. It’s not the right thing to do.”

Seeing that the offer of wealth could not tempt Surata, Sakra tried to entice him with a beautiful woman. But that failed too. In fact, all these temptations only made Surata grow more committed to his spiritual practice.

At his wits’ end, Sakra appeared in person before Surata and asked, “Why are you so diligently cultivating your spirituality? What are you seeking?”

Surata replied, “I’m not seeking anything. I just hope that everyone in the world can be safe and well, that they can grasp the Buddha’s teachings, be relieved from suffering, and do good deeds to benefit others. There is nothing more I want than this.”

Sakra was impressed. “With your level of cultivation, you have already transcended the Six Realms of reincarnation [heaven, human, Asura, animal, hungry ghost, hell]. You are already a bodhisattva.” With those words of praise, Sakra disappeared.

When the Buddha heard about this, he told his disciples, “Surata diligently cultivated his spirituality in his past lives. That’s why, even though he is destitute in this life, he doesn’t suffer from it. In fact, his poverty only helps him along on the path of spiritual practice.”

This story from the Suratapariprccha Sutra points out that those who aspire to enhance their spirituality must hold true to their resolve to cultivate themselves so that no outside circumstances can sway or influence them. When they firmly believe in the Dharma, steadfastly uphold it, and put it into practice in daily life, they are truly embracing the Buddhist spirit.

To learn the Bodhisattva Way, we must go amongst people instead of shunning them. Everyone is like a sutra from whom we can learn. In fact, everything in the world expounds the Dharma to us. If we are mindful, we will recognize the Dharma everywhere and gain wisdom that will enable us to penetrate the truth of all things

Dharma Master Cheng Yen's Talks - The Arrows in Everyday Life

Posted by blue crystal on 11-06-2013, 1:55 PM :

The Arrows in Everyday Life 

 Thursday, 25 October 2012 16:14 Tzu Chi Foundation
(Photo by Jiang Po-hung)

 [ Master's Teachings]
In his lifetime, the Buddha met many different kinds of people. Some were kings and ministers of court, others were people who lived in abject poverty, yet others were prominent and influential people of society. In fact, the Buddha interacted with people from all walks of life. Depending on the people he encountered, he would offer the teaching most suited to their condition in life. But no matter who he spoke to, his purpose in giving teachings was always the same—to help people awaken from delusion so they may aspire to learn the Dharma, realize the true nature of life, and begin walking the path of enlightenment.

Once, when the Buddha and his disciples were moving on from their place of summer retreat, they encountered a group of 500 wealthy men of a neighboring country. The group, knowing that the Buddha would be traveling on that road, had gathered in hopes of inviting him to come teach in their country. Just seeing the grace, dignity, and noble air with which the Buddha and his disciples carried themselves filled these people with a sense of reverence and a wish to learn the Dharma. They asked the Buddha if he would come into their country to teach them the Dharma.

These wealthy people were very influential in their country. If they could learn and practice the Dharma, they could truly motivate many people to learn it. This would greatly benefit the country and all of its people. It was the Buddha's earnest hope that everyone could benefit from the Dharma, so he happily agreed to speak the Dharma to them.

The Buddha told them that in everyday life, though we are often not aware of it, there are poisoned arrows constantly coming at us—they are arrows of love (very strong liking), delusion, craving, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, opinion, arising and disappearing. At any moment, we could get hit by one of these poisoned arrows and become seriously injured.

For example, as our eyes make contact with the sensory world with all its forms and sights, in the space of an instant, the arrow of love or very strong liking hits us. With this liking, we pursue the thing that we like. In our everyday life, thoughts of this nature are constantly arising, and we start to chase after all sorts of things, be it profit, fame, power, material possessions, or satisfaction of lust and sensual desire. Our minds know no peace.

Just as strong liking is a poisoned arrow, the Buddha says, so is delusion. Craving, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, opinion, arising and disappearing are all arrows that can speedily cause us harm. At the moment we give rise to any such thought, we are hit by a poisoned arrow. We lose our wellbeing and peace of mind. We become physically and spiritually off-balance—discontent, distressed, wretched, miserable. This creates a lot of suffering in us.

Hearing this teaching, many people in the group began to see the truth of what the Buddha said. They started to feel a sense of regret and remorse at having been so lost in the pleasures of their comfortable life that they were unaware of how they were injuring themselves physically and spiritually.

With this seed of awareness, they thought of the Buddha who had once been a prince who also enjoyed life's luxuries. Why had the Buddha been willing to give up such a comfortable life to undergo innumerable hardships and difficulties for his spiritual practice? Why was he able to remain so firm in his commitment to spiritual practice?

The Buddha could see the question in their eyes. He said to them, "Yes, I once had a very good life like you. But in the midst of it, I came to realize that as I indulge in pleasure, I am actually wearing myself out physically and spiritually. Such a life does a lot of harm. I could go through my entire life like this, and in doing so, my life would become a waste and I would accumulate a lot of negative karma through my behavior. Realizing this, I wanted to immediately put a stop to it. I wanted to dodge the arrows, and for the ones I'd already been hit by, to quickly pull them out."

"To do that, I chose to renounce the lay life and become a spiritual cultivator. I wanted to dedicate my energies to learning the truths of life and ultimately become fully enlightened. But, only by taking up a life of spiritual practice can I truly concentrate on this and have hope of achieving it. Just as I did this, so too can you."

The Buddha was keenly aware that in everyday life, we easily lose ourselves—with the arising of an unwholesome thought of desire, craving, etc., we are as if shot by a poisoned arrow. It creates a lot of suffering for us. Therefore, though these prominent people seemed to lead a wonderful life—they had wealth, status, and all the comfort and luxury they could enjoy—yet their lives actually contained a lot of afflictions, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and suffering. The Buddha wanted them to realize the true nature of life, turn away from harmful, unwholesome states of mind, and seek the Dharma so they could lead a more meaningful, awakened life.

This was the teaching the Buddha gave to these five hundred influential people, so they could wake up and make the vow to free themselves of suffering.


From Dharma Master Cheng Yen's Talks

Everlasting Happiness as Buddha Attains

Posted by drdoof on 05-06-2013, 8:56 AM :

The phrase, 'like a moth to a flame', is used to describe those who are irrestistibly and dangerously attracted to something or someone, which often results in dire and baffling consequences.

Without the Pure Dharma Eye, we often behave like this. A true account regarding a Buddhist master exemplifies this. There was once an old monk who practiced well and could chant in deep concentration. One day, he told everybody, "Tomorrow at 12 noon, Amitabha Buddha will come and lead me to the Western Pure Land. Would all of you please come and see me off then?" His disciples were ecstatic hearing about their master's impending rebirth in the Western Pure Land thereby ending his cycle of existence.

The master told eyerone, "If the bells at the front of the monastery were to ring loudly, it would signify that I have taken rebirth in the Western Pure Land and thus bidding farewell to everyone. If not, they will not ring." To even have proof of his rebirth, isn't it wonderful?

The next day at 11:50am, all his disciples sat together with him in front of the main entrance to the Main Shrine Hall, chanting Amitabha Buddha's name. Everyone was prepared to send their master off. The Master chanted the Buddha's name devoutly and with concentration. At 12 sharp, the master quietly took rebirth in the Western Pure Land, which was truly wonderful!

Everyone was curious and wanted to confirm if their master had indeed taken rebirth in the Western Pure Land. So they looked at their master and waited for the bells to ring.

But unexpectedly, the bells did not ring, which meant that the master did not reach the Western Pure Land. This was disastrous!

One of the elder monks was invited out at this point. The elder monk, one of the Master's peers, then meditated by the side of the master so as to perceive his location.

Emerging from his meditation, the elder invited everyone to chant the Buddha's name under the peach tree at the front of the monastery. He then plucked a peach from the tree, picked out a worm from within the fruit and said to the worm, "Why are you so foolish. Amitabha Buddha has already come to lead you away, yet you didn't follow Amitabha Buddha. You didn't see him with your mind's eye, instead, you used your eyes to look at this peach, you are really so foolish! Such stupidity!"

Then the elder squashed the worm, which after hearing the Dharma elucidated by the elder and the chanting of the Buddha's name by everyone else, took rebirth in a good existence. But the old monk remained in Samsara, prolonging his suffering. Fortunately, the elder was able to use expedient means to save him.

Through this story, we realized that even an old monk of great cultivation may still descend into the bad existences. Though chanting the Buddha's name daily, his focus was not on the Buddha.

Due to his foolishness, the old monk who became a peach worm did not have any wisdom at all. As a result, he would treat his fondness for peaches which is illusionary, as real. Therefore we have to eliminate our greed, learn the recognize and turn away from chasing the "moon in the water" so as to attain liberation from Samsara.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Everlasting Happiness as Buddha Attains, Presented by Venerable Da Shi, Translated by The Dharma Committee Miao You Pu Ti Yuan (Singapore)

 

 

Thus Have I Heard

Posted by blue crystal on 05-06-2013, 8:53 AM :

Goddess of Wealth and Goddess of Poverty 

Once a beautiful and well-dressed woman visited a house. The master of the house asked her who she was; and she replied that she was the goddess of wealth. The master of the house was delighted and so greeted her with open arms. Soon after another woman appeared who was ugly looking and poorly dressed. The master asked who she was and the woman replied that she was the goddess of poverty. The master was frightened and tried to drive her out of the house, but the woman refused to depart, saying, 'The goddess of wealth is my sister. There is an agreement between us that we are never to live apart; if you chase me out, she is to go with me.' Sure enough, as soon as the ugly woman went out, the other woman disppeared.

Birth goes with death. Fortune goes with misfortune. Bad things follow good things. Everyone should realize this. Foolish people dread misfortune and strive after good fortune, but those who seek Enlightenment must transcend both of them and be free of worldly attachment.



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From Thus Have I Heard, edited by Minh Thanh and P.D. Leigh.
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Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Living with Wisdom and Compassion

Posted by blue crystal on 03-06-2013, 11:47 AM :

Unconditional Love
October 29, 2012

Attachment and love are similar in that both of them draw us to the other person. But in fact, these two emotions are quite different. When we’re attached we’re drawn to someone because he or she meets our needs. In addition, there are lots of strings attached to our affection that we may or may not realize are there. For example, I “love” you because you make me feel good. I “love” you as long as you do things that I approve of. I “love” you because you’re mine. You’re my spouse or my child or my parent or my friend. With attachment, we go up and down like a yo-yo, depending on how the other person treats us. We obsess, “What do they think of me? Do they love me? Have I offended them? How can I become what they want me to be so that they love me even more?” It’s not very peaceful, is it? We’re definitely stirred up.



On the other hand, the love we’re generating on the Dharma path is unconditional. We simply want other to have happiness and the causes of happiness without any strings attached, without any expectations of what these people will do for us or how good they’ll make us feel.




Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Living with Wisdom and Compassion by Thubten Chodron, pages 11–12.

Various Transformations Of Guan Yin To Help Beings Cross Over

Posted by drdoof on 01-06-2013, 2:20 PM :

 

Various Other Transformations Of Guan Yin

Posted by drdoof on 01-06-2013, 2:04 PM :