When Silence is the Best Answer

One of my colleagues asked me whether the souls of the two children, who died in a tragic traffic accident a few days ago, will linger in the accident area after their death.

I told him I had no answer for that question.

A few of my colleagues laughed after hearing the conversation and jokingly said I should reply saying that my level of spiritual cultivation isn’t that high enough to know the answer.

I laughed and told them I am like them, just an average human. There is no spiritual cultivation to speak of.

One of them offered his perspective on the issue saying that it is highly possible that the souls of the children will be lingering around the accident area after their deaths. At that moment, I want to challenge the idea of soul but I decided it is better that I maintain my silence.

I told them my perceptions on the issue is just a perception and I didn’t want to influence their perception because there can be no objective affirmation of whether it right or wrong. After hearing this, they insisted on hearing my opinions, which I rejected, insisting on my silence in response to the question.

The poser of the question then retorted saying that if I can’t even engage him in a conversation like this, there is nothing much else for us to talk about.

I laughed and walked away.

What is the intention behind the speech? I was amazed at my response, given that I will usually offer some perspectives when asked for my opinions on issues. I guessed at that point of time, I was uncomfortable discussing the topic and I didn’t want to evoke wrong views in others; their minds were overflowing with their perceptions, and I guess they just wanted a third party endorsement of their perceptions which I wasn’t willing to give. There is no benefit in expressing the perceptions except satisfying the egos; pushing the mind deeper into the Tartarus of differentiation. Silence allows for the introspection of the self in the current moment; there is awareness, not confusion; we are masters of our mind, not the slaves of our thoughts.

Silence of the mind is like the surface of a calm lake in a moonlit night; there are no waves of expressed thoughts, perhaps sometimes, the occasional ripples but soon it will fall away and become one with the silence again.

Sometimes, silence is the best answer to questions in life.

I am grateful to my colleagues for the experience; I learned a lot in the moment and for this, I am thankful to them.

May the two children have good rebirth, encounter the Dharma, and be on the path towards Nibbana.

May all be well and happy

Simple Bear 31.01.2013.

Having a rich heart

“When one suffers from poverty of the heart, one is deprived of happiness.”

Simple Bear 29.01.2013.

My colleague opened a returned appeal mailer for donations and found paper money (used in rituals) being attached to the mailer. Other colleagues begin to comment that this kind of prank is not unusual.

My first reaction to this incident was that the individual must be suffering; one who doesn’t have love and compassion in his or her heart is always hungry for happiness. He or she is one who suffers from poverty of the heart; consumed by negativity, one’s heart have no room for the riches of positivity. How can he or she ever enjoy the bliss and peace that life has to offer?

Where can the flower of bliss grow and bloom when the ground is covered in hot, boiling volcanic lava? Anger and fear are like volcanic lava, a threat to life itself and never at peace. It is only when the lava is cooled and transformed by love and compassion, into fertile ground for life. Only then, the flowers of bliss and happiness can grow and bloom.

I sincerely wish for the liberation of everyone, who is suffering from poverty of the heart right now, from the shackles of negativity, and embrace the rainbow of positivity in their hearts. May all be rich in their hearts.

May all be well and happy always.

With Metta

Simple Bear 29.01.2013.

No Choice?

“When we assumed we have no choice over our unhappiness, we have no choice over our happiness.”

Simple Bear 17.01.2013.

人生, 三十

吾十而弃, 顺从其命

二十而逆, 起义反命

三十而明, 报恩为命

简单熊 16.01.2013.

Dreaming

 
"Dreams are beyond just dreams if you dare to dream."
Simple Bear 15.01.2013.

Green Tea and a Shirt

Green Tea and a Shirt

“Sorry I am so sorry.” A lady in pants and shirt apologized profusely to me when she realized the green tea that she tried to throw away in the field beside hit me and my shirt was stained with the leftover green tea in the bottle.

“Never mind, it is ok.” I walked away, much to her relief (I think). I was more interested in the thoughts and emotions in response to the episode.  

Was there anger? Was there pain? Were there thoughts of ‘revenge’?

Yes, there was anger and revengeful thoughts for a split second. Yes there was pain. What was perhaps salient in the mind in the moments that followed were thoughts of Karuna (compassion); the lady was suffering from (a) anger, judging from the way she threw the bottle, it was as if she was venting off some negative emotions or thoughts and (b) fear, judging from her facial and body expressions when she realized she had hit me with the bottle. I may not be able to alleviate her suffering from anger but at least I can alleviate her suffering from fear as I walked away from her after the incident. Next were thoughts of Metta (loving-kindness); I hope she will be well and happy although I won’t be able to alleviate her suffering from anger, I hope she will find her way to be free from anger.

Then I turn the focus towards myself; where was the anger coming from? Where the anger went to? In the split second of anger that I was aware of, I was clinging on to the idea that the body is me, the shirt is mine; the act of hitting me with the bottle, spilling green tea on my shirt is an act of aggression towards this identity of me, an act of transgression on my property (shirt). The anger came from my mind not the mind and it ceases as it arises. The anger arises from this perceived assumed permanent existence which we call ‘I’. As long as 'I' exist, anger exists.

In the midst of the momentary experience, 'I' arose and ceased; so if 'I' is a phenomena which is subjected to arising and cessation; then do 'I' really exist as a permanent identity?; if anger, greed and the multitude of thoughts is 'I', then 'I', as with all those phenomenon, is impermanent (Annica).

If the self, the thoughts and affect is forever in a state of flux, what is there permanent to cling on to?

May all be well and happy.

With Metta,

Simple Bear 11.01.2013.

Happiness or Unhappiness

Happiness or Unhappiness

"For one to be happy, one must be willing to let go of unhappiness."
Simple Bear 27.12.2012.

心晨

心晨




步步随星 夜幕止心
仰望星空 锁心成空
绝处成凤 过往成风
无不归尘 笑看红尘


简单熊 29.12.2012.

Retrospection: 2012

Retrospection: 2012
 

If there is one word I would use to describe my 2012, it would be ‘growth’. It has been a very happening year; I started the year with a few months of hibernation which I felt were one of the best few months of my life in a long time. For once, I felt I was in fact living with myself, mindful and peaceful. Towards the mid of the year, I restarted my hectic lifestyle again, with projects, studies and camps until the end of the year. Perhaps, one of the major events that happened last year was my grandma’s death in late September which forced me to face my own Mara which I had been running away from, my own ego, anger and delusions.

Overall, it has been a good year in terms of spiritual, academic and personal growth; going into 2013, as I stepped into my 30s, I am more confident of my path towards my spiritual and personal goals and dreams, more confident of the value of the potential sacrifices that I may need to make in the future to come to accomplish my goals and dreams. In 2013, I will strive to make more progress along the path towards my goals and dreams.

Thank you everyone for making a difference in my life. I seek for your forgiveness if I had done or said anything that is inappropriate or insensitive, which may have unintentionally hurt you in the past. Please do continue to give me your guidance and let me know if I have done anything wrong. I am truly blessed and grateful to meet people who inspired me to work harder through their kind encouragement and exemplary behavior. May we all have the optimal conditions to be inspired and inspire everyone towards happiness; may all be well and happy always.

May all be blessed and have the good conditions for the fulfillment of wholesome aspirations and dreams in 2013.

With Metta,
Simple Bear

曾经的那份爱

曾经,爱

溺爱

一年过去了.

还记得和你分手的那一夜, 你我都没哭. 我们心里都清楚的知道,  我们的缘分已到了尽头.

回想起当时的我, 多么的傻, 明知道我们是不可能, 却紧握着可能的那一丝希望.

总觉得如果我的爱, 象海一般的深, 一定能冲走我们之间的一切障碍.

一心只想把幸福给你, 自己却因而溺死在那一厢情愿的爱海里.

我错了.

这样的爱情里, 我们只会痛苦, 不会幸福.

对不起, 我放弃了我当初想占领你心中的那座城池的梦. 我太自大, 太不知量力.

我输了.

但我却一点也没后悔.

只因我曾疯狂地独自在溺人的爱海中, 惊涛骇浪间, 翱翔.

谢谢你

祝福你幸福.

简单熊

P.S. I wrote this half a year ago. Grateful for the experience which made me a better bear.

I am weak

I am weak.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

 Aristotle

We, perhaps are the only ones who is capable of understanding ourselves better than anyone else and if we don’t know or understand ourselves, who does? And if we do know ourselves, then what exactly is the wisdom that Aristotle is referring to in his quote. In my own opinion, perhaps, the wisdom refers to mundane wisdom, the avoidance of potential pitfalls engendered by habitual tendencies in everyday life, the social interactions and responses to the changing stimuli that we encounter in our socio-cultural environment.

If we know ourselves, the strengths and weaknesses, the blind spots that we are previously unaware of, perhaps we are able to live a happier life through the mastery of our self-mind. The issue now is how much do we exactly know about ourselves. Maybe we spent too much of our time trying to understand the externals, the phenomenon in this amalgamated world. Although the nature of reality is such that we are ever changing and it is perhaps impossible to know everything about ourselves momentarily but since we assumes the self to be a permanent concept which exist inherently, comprising of dispositions or habitual tendencies; just how much do we know about these dispositions. If we are unaware of ourselves, how can we manage our lives?

“He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.”

Lao Tzu

If we don’t know our weaknesses, how can we ever conquer ourselves and be the master of our own lives. Perhaps, the first step to knowing oneself is to have the courage to attempt to discover, acknowledge and understand one’s weaknesses. One can improves oneself by attending to the eradication of one’s weaknesses especially negative habitual tendencies. Have the courage to face up to oneself.

“Don’t fear knowing one’s weaknesses, fear not knowing.”

Simple Bear 28.11.2012.

May we all have the mindfulness and courage to venture into our minds, to understand and conquer ourselves.

May all be well and happy.

With Metta,

Simple Bear 29.11.2012.