The Reasons for the Precepts

用了一个礼拜的时间看完了连续剧《百年虚云》。此剧诉说着虚云大师的一生。

剧中有这一段台词让我感动。

有人问虚云和尚, "何为戒?"
虚云回: "己所不欲 勿施于人。"

守戒, 是对自己与众生的慈悲。

Big size = Bear

Big size = Bear

During lunchtime today...

Colleague I: "Hey I think the guru who spoke about the secrets of happiness yesterday looks like you!"
*Other colleagues nod their heads in agreement
Simple Bear: o_O ?
Colleague I: "Come to think of it. You were on leave yesterday. Tell us the truth, did you moonlight as the speaker?" *laughs
Simple Bear: squint emoticon!
Colleague II: "Like Mystique!
Simple Bear: "I think if I am like Mystique, I would have done a better job of transforming myself so that no one would recognise me." squint emoticon!!!

The Blessings to Accomplish

"没有福报, 不能成事。"
海濤法師

The phrase struck me like a lightning bolt when I was listening to a Dharma talk by Venerable Hai Tao (from Taiwan) on Youtube last night. Sometimes, when we talked about good karmic results, we often talked about the possible good deeds and cultivation that we had done in our past lives which resulted in the positive results in this life, which had enabled us to continue doing the good deeds, that we are doing, which includes propagating the Dharma, doing volunteering work etc.

Imagine will we have the opportunity to learn the Dharma if we are born in a society without any teachings of the Dharma? Imagine will we have the opportunity to practice compassion by doing volunteering work if we had to worry constantly about our livelihood?

Since 2008, since my first encounter with Buddhism, as a religion till now, I knew it was difficult to propagate the Dharma through organizing Buddhist activities, and to get more people interested to start learning. I salute those of you, my friends who are working hard for the propagation of the Dharma.

For those of you who knew me long enough, you know I do get frustrated sometimes, and I had gotten my fair share of burnouts, and each time, I come back with renewed hope, my next burnout gets even worse. A friend once asked me, why it is so difficult to learn and propagate the Dharma, I replied (in my limited capacity) that the reason being it goes against the normative habitual tendencies of humans (of course, I may be wrong).

I admit, there are times in which I thought of just going at it alone, I knew I am more comfortable with that. I am neither a leader, nor an organizer of communities, I am just an unenlightened bear who preferred peace and quiet. If being spiritual and wanting peace is queer, then I am perfectly fine with being an eccentric element of the world. Every time, I feel like just going at it alone, I will always meet people and situations which gave me renewed reasons and aspirations to keep going.

I told people that I worked with on these projects (thank you everyone for the support), that we can only do our best, and whether there is any success or not, it is up to conditions. And perhaps, in a metaphysical sense, without good karmic results from past eons, the other conditions may not be right and even if we did our best (as part of the conditions) it is perfectly fine to let it go. I still stand by that but I forgotten to work on myself.

"The best way to propagate the Dharma is by being Dharma itself."
Simple Bear 10.04.2015.

We are living examples of the benefits of learning the Dharma. And the good karmic rewards (if I may term it this way, as a reward) of our practice, such as greater concentration, patience, compassion and wisdom (karmic rewards), we can use in running the projects for greater success, to propagate the Dharma to more people. If we do not practice ourselves, and still get mired in the whirlpool of greed, anger and delusions, how is anger and greed going to help in the success of the projects?

Even if at the end of the day, the project didn't reached its fullest potential despite of doing the best that we can possible do within the context (if our collective karmic rewards are not enough for the success of the projects), we still reap the karmic rewards of our own practice, in accepting the results through empathetical understanding, of others, of the impermanent nature of reality.

That is my own interpretation of Venerable Hai Tao's "没有福报, 不能成事" I am not expecting anyone to be perfect, I am too, an unenlightened bear, still running around in the foggy world of Samsara. But then again, what do I know, I am too like most of us still trapped in the fog of ignorance.

Grateful to everyone who has been kind enough in tolerating and accepting my unenlightened ways in body, speech and mind.

Grateful to everyone who has been helping me on the spiritual path of cultivation through their body, speech and mind.

May we all have the conditions to progress on our path towards enlightenment.

May we all have the conditions to continue practicing and propagating the Dharma through collective or individual efforts,

May we all be well and happy.

In the past one week, I have been experiencing a sense of peace, a renewed aspiration to continued doing the work in practicing and propagating the Dharma, doing charitable work. And I looked forward to working with more friends, and walking the path with everyone. It is like the Starfish theory, what matters isn't whether I can save everyone, what matters is the one that I am saving and I know, in this journey, there will be one who is saved, that person is me.

I can't paint.

I can't paint.

Sure I can draw a little but I sure can't paint.

I learnt something new about myself today.

Had a team retreat today. The theme for the painting activity was motivation behind our work in the social service sector.

I was allocated the alphabetical letter 'E' in 'LOVE' and my first work was a reminder of my inability to paint, and I decided to redo my theme and design.

'E' stands for energy, compassion which energises, like the nutrients necessary for a tree, which is in the shape of an 'E', symbolises the manifestation of compassion in form, i.e. my work in the social service sector.

The empty swing represents empathy, which doesn't differentiate between anyone. The moon in the sky represents inclusiveness for all, like the moonlight which shines on all without differentiation.

The tree stretching beyond, to the moon represents my aspiration of cultivating compassion for all.

When I drew the picture, I imagined myself, being carefree, sitting on the swing, enjoying the night wind and looking at the moon in the clear night sky, but still thinking of all who do not have the luxury to enjoy the freedom that I am enjoying. The loving kindness and compassion for those who are suffering arises naturally within.

May all be well and happy.

Suffering or No Suffering in Experiences?

"There is no suffering in experiences; it is in reacting to the experiences, that we suffer."
Simple Bear 09.04.2015.

Had a fruitful Dharma session just now especially the short meditation session, grateful to Phra Goh Chun Kiang for the kind teachings and guidance.

Thank you to Chloe Ci Hui Huang and TzyyHorng Goh for organising this Dharma session.

Delighted to be attending the Dharma session with friends

修养

“修养是对自己烦恼的减轻， 智慧的成长， 对他人也就是慈悲的增加； 慈悲的增加， 慈悲的成长， 也就是自我的成长。”
聖嚴法師

A simple wish, an act, a good start

A simple wish, an act, a good start

Decided at the end of Sunday's Symposium, to attend Professor Wang's two days class on the Lotus Sutra at Poh Ming Tse Temple. Yesterday night was the first class and in the class, she mentioned the accumulation of merits to facilitate conditions for cultivation.

I was inspired to share a little recent habit of mine, which evolves from a little paper 'Dana (giving) bank'. A few months ago, I had the privilege to attendTzu Chi Singapore 慈济基金会(新加坡分会) year-end blessings ceremony, and after the ceremony, I had gotten this paper bamboo-like Dana bank for me to put in loose change for charitable purposes. I placed it in my room and started putting in a little bit of coins in the first few days, and as time goes by, I started emptying my loose change in the Dana bank every morning.

I started observing that I felt better in the morning after having this habit. I started observing myself in the act of putting in the loose change and noticed an arising of delight within when I put in my loose change.

I made some changes to the habit:

1. I started making a mental note every morning when I put in the loose change, I wish that the loose change be of benefit to those who need them in the future, and may all be well and happy.

2. Taking note of any egoistic considerations when putting in the loose change especially on the days, when my loose change can be more than a couple of dollars in value and it is near month end when my bank account is slim; I had promised myself that I will put in all my loose change, be it ten cents or ten dollars in value. For me, it is a training (of the mind) to reduce egoistic thoughts and enhance altruistic ones.

As time goes by, I don't count the coins; there is only the action of putting in the coins and the thought of well wishes for those who may benefit, including myself.

I am the first person to benefit from this habit. I started feeling the delight which arises within and reduced tendencies to react negatively to others (even if it only last a few moments). The people in social interactions with me benefited from not having a grumpy old bear to deal with (you know how sometimes, we may wake up at the left (wrong) side of the bed).

And the delight, the well wishes from the giving, in my humble opinion, at least from what is understandable by ignorant me, that is precisely the type of merit, which is the result of the habit, that we need for enhancement of the conditions of our practice, a mental and emotional condition.

Grateful to Jimmy Ling for Inviting me to the event so that I can get the Dana bank, Dharma brothers and sisters at Tzi Chi for providing me with this wonderful opportunity to cultivate this habit, Professor Wang and brotherZenon Teh for the wonderful class which inspired this sharing.

I am grateful to all who made this possible.

May all be well and happy.