Path to enlightenment

Just to share my own path, which does seem to me as if it could be generic. [Not that I am anywhere near enlightenment]

My path to enlightenment...

Where and how should I start? Hm. I suppose I started from a non foundational practice, thru the chanting of Om mani padme hung and later 阿弥陀佛.

I learnt about the western pureland before I learnt about the fundamentals in Buddhism teachings. So for a long time, I was just chanting mindlessly. Not real mindlessly, but chanting with a lack of understanding and realizations. But 行 or worst in my case 形 cannot help or last for long. I thought it was "sufficient" but I was obviously wrong, and that depressed me for a while.

Luckily for me, I had e fortune to attend classes, meet spiritual teachers and have experiences that aided in my realizations. Classes here and there slowly but surely added onto my knowledge and let me see deeper into the true nature of reality.

The four noble truths are deeply ingrained in me after a tough lesson of lost. Emptiness is hovering for realizations around me. Bodhicitta is understood but yet to be fully cultivated.

The path is unwinding in front of me as I slowly take baby steps toward. I aspire to live each day in accord with my long term motivation of achieving full enlightenment for the benefits of all sentient beings. Amituofo

Does not all religion teach you to be good?

There are many levels to look at should one want to reflect on religions.

But on a very very basic level, I respect all religions, simply because I believe that fundamentally, all religions teach us to be good.

No doubt there are differences in philosophies and all, but as a human being, I understand that religions are basically kind, and that it provides lost beings with an anchor. From a Buddhism angle, it might not be the right anchor, but at the very least, it is better than nothing, and that it doesnt exactly harm us.

If they are so lost that a worldly religion can bring them comfort, I would say go ahead. From a shortsighted perspective, at least in this life time, they have some direction and guidance.

The sun never rises

Is that right?

Science will tell you that is true. For the earth is rotating on its axis, around the sun, and hence gives the impression that the sun is rising and setting. Yet it is not. But our naked eye sees it as if it is.
So is it rising, or is it not?

The sun is a good example. An example that we should not just believe what we can see, because it is not the ultimate reality. Before scientist discovered that we are rotating around the sun, it was believed that everything "rotates" around us. But that is not the case.

Similarly, there are many other truths that are yet to be discovered, so why do we persist in thinking that what we know of now is the ultimate truth?

Remember, the sun never rises, and the moon is always present.

Without curtains, light shines in

Life in a house without curtains, is truly different....

The light shines in unobstructed, and lights up everything in its path. Everything within the house reflects the light, and is ultra bright, as if it has its own light.

Objects in the house, which has been there for years, seems to look different. And one gains a fresh insight into the objects, and into being.

One awakes to the sun light shinning in, and begins one's day with the fresh perspective of gratitude of the light and air around.

Looking out at the vast expanse, colours are reflected and tranquility attained.

Life without curtains is a joyful experience.

Without curtains

Took off the curtains to be washed. Let me share a dirty laundry secret with you. My curtains have not been washed since they were first put up, when I moved in in 2006. lol....

Anyway, now the house looks and feels a little different. The lack of curtains seem to amplify the echoes....or our noise/sound.

I was looking out of my curtainless windows, appreciating the view outside and noticing the emptiness of the house. And I thank all and everyone for what I am and have today.

Somehow the curtains seem to make a difference. One where one has the opportunity to hide in the house, behind the curtains. As if the curtains can shield one from one's mistakes and wrongdoings....
That was how i felt all of a sudden, when the curtains were removed, that my life is open for all to view. But I am not fearful of that now. Not because I never made mistakes, but because I faced up to them, and I do not let my thoughts run wild out of fear or regret.

Now how would your life be like without curtains???

Fear comes from the image in ur head

Does it make sense to say that there is no such thing as real fear?

If we were to think logically about it, and analyse fear, to some extent, you will find out that there is no real fear.

Let's say you fear failing your exam. But why do you fear the failure. What will really happen to you should you fail? Will you die? No! So what is there to fear? You might say that you fear disappointing yourself and your parents. But while they might be upset with you, nothing will really happen to you, so what's with the fear. (Yes, you might get canned, but that is really not life threatening)

Very often, if we apply our rational and logical mind to our thoughts and emotions, we will reach the conclusion that fear is in our mind. We make certain assumptions, or have certain stereotypes, or prejudices, that brings about fear. If death is certain, and most phenomenon/happening around us does not lead to death, what is the need or use for fear?

We create an image of fear in our mind, and blow it out of proportion. Our mind leads us, and we need to control our mind, our thoughts. There is no such thing as fear, but the mind that creates it...

Crying wolf

Of course there are situations where the person cries wolf, but not deliberately.
But it will still create the impression that it is not serious, and when the axe really falls, everyone kenas.

Is there a point to this?
Just a reminder to myself not to judge, and to take each situation seriously.
Somehow, I am always encountering "cried wolf" scenarios.

Why are you going there?

This didnt happen to me, but i would like to share it. [But i think i have a similiar entry from before]



I do some befriending work at the Patient Care Centre of TTSH's CDC. And a fellow befriender shared his experience with his friends.



He told his friends that he volunteers at the Communicable Disease Centre, and the reaction that he got in return, was "WHY are YOU going there?"



Just because some diseases MIGHT be contagious or communicable under certain conditions (which is within our control), doesnt mean that we should avoid the patient, or not show care and concern.



I can only assume/guess what was going through that friend's head. "Those people do not deserve our care. I do not want to be associated with them. What if I get the disease too..."

But the purpose of this entry is more to ask myself. Why do I go there, and why am I fearful of sharing about my befriending work.

Being compassionate

"Being compassionate not only changes the person we are compassionate to; it changes our concept of self and other perspectives."

Part of being compassionate involves realising and seeing that all beings are suffering and seek happiness.
When we truly realise that we are all the same, suffering in this cyclic existence, there would not be a need to compare and compete. And we would be inspired to aid other beings to reduce their sufferings. Why make others suffer more....

True compassion takes action to reduce suffering of all beings, be it in the little things that we do on a daily basis.

Dont be a lone candle

A fellow volunteer once told me, "Dont be a lone candle".

And it is a very good analogy.

"Much like holding a lone candle, it only lights up so much space. When we light up each other’s candle, the whole place is now much brighter.
Nobody lose anything, everybody gain something."

Encouragement and support from follow Buddhists are very important. Pls continue to support and encourage those around you, and light up their way. We need not be lone candles. There are many others on the same path towards enlightenment, and we can all share our light and experiences.

I havnt died yet, so I dont know

Attended a talk on dying (sometime in Aug)

And the doctor speaker, when questioned on some aspects of death replied "I havent died yet, so I dont know".
It was obviously a very good answer. No one (as a general rule) alive can answer any questions about death. Hence the fear. But as said, fear isnt real. And death is the only outcome of this life (rebirth in pureland is a different story), so what is the big deal?

Why learn emptiness

Simply put, to see the true nature of all phenomenon, so as to rid our minds of the three poisons and mental defilements.

On a more basic level, to reduce and remove attachment (because all is empty), so as to achieve happiness, peace and less suffering (of the mind which we induce)

Three stages of emptiness learning

According to Venerable, there is 3 stages to the learning and realisation of emptiness.

1) Physical things are empty
2) Name/Label is empty
3) Physicality is empty

In the previous Whatever-ness entries, I have already covered 1 and 2.
Ie, the bowl of laksa (physical thing) is empty (1), because there is no real laksa. Laksa is only laksa when you have all the correct ingredients, cooked in a certain way, etc.
Similiarly, the creator of this dish named it laksa. It could jolly well have been named penang belacan white noodles. In fact, it is named assam noodle in Penang(?). The name conjour up a certain impression of the dish, but it is nothing, means nothing to people who doesnt know laksa. Hence the name is also empty (2).

Moving on, physicality (physical form) is empty. Each component in itself is empty. Because it is dependent on a lot of factors, and "made up" of four elements/traits. Each trait varies in degree/composition, making up the component. The component (physical aspect) in itself is empty because it is dependent on the traits.

As such, everything, all phenomenon is empty. And it cannot be separated from our mind. Our mind, the one which labels, which sees only the superficial (which we were taught), which sees the form but does not recognise it to be empty.

Whatever-ness 2

To move on to the real whateverness message.
Hm, how should i start....There are already similiar and related entries before, such as the one on the talk of our True Nature, or emptiness, or dependent origination.

Let's take laksa as an example. (This is the example that Venerable was using).
Do you find laksa tasty?
Depending on individuals, the answer could be yes, no, maybe, or depending. But it is the same (assume) bowl of laksa, so why the differing opinions?

Of course I understand that different people has different taste buds, different conditions when they were eating the laksa. If that is the case, why do pple make the general sweeping statement that laksa is tasty, or on another level, that there is tastiness in laksa.

How can there be tastiness in laksa if it is dependent? Dependent on who is eating it, on who cooked it, on the ingredients that were used in it, etc.

It is more correct to say that laksa is tasty, dependent on some conditions. If it is dependent on conditions, ie dependent arising, than laksa itself, lacks the intrinsic quality of being inherently tasty. (Following so far?) Hence, laksa does not have tastiness. Laksa is empty of tastiness, of taste.

This is the phenomenon of emptiness that the Buddha tried to teach. And it can be applied to all phenomenon, hence "whateverness".

Taste can be empty. Even the "form" of laksa is empty.
Take a bowl of laksa. It is labelled laksa due to convention or naming. What exactly is laksa? Does "laksa" come from the noodle, the clams, the gravy, or from the belacan, the fishcake?
If you take those components away, is that still laksa? Take everything away, and there is no laksa. Take one component away, there is no laksa. Take the bowl away, there is no laksa. So is there laksa?

The form of laksa is empty, because without each of its components, the sum of its parts cannot be called laksa. Laksa is also dependent on its components and on conditions, also empty.

Emptiness is a phenomenon that we should know and understand. So as not to be attached to the empty bowl of laksa.

Whatever-ness 1

Of course there is no such word. And similiarly, everything that we know has the potential not to exist (ie it doesnt exist).

When I was in school, I was fond of asking why does 1+1=2. Why is it 2? And not 3 or 5 or 10?
Truly, can any mathematician answer my question? Roman numerals were developed ages ago, and adopted into practice. Who is to know or say if the founder/developer made a mistake, and it should be 135 instead of 123?

Maths, just like language, is only correct as far as the society which has adopted it sees it as right.

We are conditioned, limited and restricted by language and our knowledge. Just because there isn't a word to describe something, doesnt mean that it doesnt exist. We are only fooled into believing that it doesnt exist, because there is no word for it.

If that is the case, why do we still hold on to our pitiful language and lack of knowledge, yet think that we know or were taught everything. Arrogance should be unheard of, because there is no way you can know everything, and should you reach enlightenment like the Buddha, and have perfect wisdom, arrogance would never be present due to perfect compassion.

I just wanted to highlight that there are plenty that we have yet to comprehend from this wonderful universe of ours, and we should not think that we know all. Nor make wrong assumptions that what science or our political leaders say is true is the ultimate truth.

So, does whateverness exist? I would say yes.

Low blood sugar or pressure

is an excuse!

Will be attending a retreat soon, and there is the option of taking 8 precepts. I am keen to try it out, but I start thinking and begin to fear. Fear all sorts of funny situations, and that I cant take it.

I am even thinking of hiding behind the fact that I am easily affected by low blood sugar. Is that an excuse, or a valid health concern? I am not so sure myself.

I suppose this is a sitution where I lack faith. Not only in myself, but also in the Triple Gems.

Guess that should be my answer. Trust and put my faith in the Triple Gems, that it would be a smooth retreat.

May the Triple Gems guide and bless your path towards enlightenment.

Baby steps towards...

It could be towards a lot of things.

Was chatting with a friend on his spiritual pursuits, and he said it wasnt easy, and that there were more important things (by which I assume to be family and work).

In my point of view, there is always a choice, and while it might mean that there will be sacrifices, only you can decide if you are ready to make those sacrifices, and to evaluate its importance in your life.

But as mentioned above, baby steps can always be taken.
Afterall, Rome was not built in a day, and if we are serious about whatever it is that we want, we should put effort into it and do our best (even if in baby steps), to achieve our goals and aspirations.

Buddhism begins with me

That was something that Venerable Hsing Yun had said.
And I totally agree with that statement.

It is often very easy to push responsibility of anything to others. To say that they should have done this or that.
Well, if we had taken up the responsibility from the start, the end goal would have materialised.

A similiar example is world peace. It is not enough to pay lip service and say that we want world peace, when deep in our hearts, we are still judging and discriminating against the others.

Buddha nature is in each of us. As such (or even if not), Buddhism should begin with each one of us.
How can we expect others to take action, or do the things we believe in, if we are not doing so ourselves?