A Burst of Anger

Don't get angry at us!" A colleague commented after I asked for the location of another colleague.

"Was I angry?" I asked myself. Perhaps, it was the negativity that I was exposed to just a minute earlier. Negativity is contagious.

Got off the phone with an elderly stranger who called to 'feedback' about how we are ignorant of the plights of others like her. She hurled bolt after bolt of insults at me.

I have to admit. I felt my blood pressure rising after each abusive word spoken. But strangely as if I was in a zone where time slows down, I was feeling the rising blood pressure slowly and with each breath, I tried to slow it down.

I was caught unprepared. And perhaps I was emotionally hurt as well, not by the words but the pain that I was feeling throughout the phone conversation. The elderly was clearly in pain. Not physical but emotional and mental pain, she was suffering within.

Perhaps unknowingly, I adopted her speaking tone and corresponding imagined facial expression for a brief moment to my colleague and that translates to negativity unknowingly.

I understand she was ranting about how miserable her life is but unfortunately life doesn't improve when you blame others for the misery. When we are negative, we sees only the negative and our life gets even more negative. And the more entrenched the mind is within the negativity without realizing it, it is difficult for others to try and bring some positivity to negate the negativity.

As I sat down in the MRT train, I am still feeling the pain within, gradually withering away with each wish for her to be well and happy.

Sharing negativity doesn't lessen the negativity; sometimes, it only serves to strengthen it.

But fortunately at the other side of the coin, sharing positivity doesn't lessen the positivity that we have but only strengthens and spreads the positivity.

I am grateful for this experience. I understand a little more about myself, the experiential 'science' behind emotional contagion.

My apologies to my colleagues for the brief moment of negativity. And I hope the elderly stranger to be well and happy.

May everyone be well and happy. May all abide in peace.

With Loving-Kindness
Simple Bear 05.11.2015.

My First Kathina

My First Kathina

As I lay my body on the monastery floor for a quick nap before sunrise, a feeling of gratitude and peace swept over me.

No other words can describe my first overseas Kathina experience.

Spent my weekend in Santi Forest Monastery in Ulu Tiram, Malaysia to participate in the Kathina ceremony.

My gratitude to the 8th committee of Simbuddhist Bhavana for organizing the trip. You girls did a great job! Please send my gratitude to everyone who is involved in helping to make this trip enjoyable.

My sincere apologies to my old and new friends on this trip as I spent a lot of time away from you all in solitary reflection. Thanks for the patience and understanding everyone.

My sincere gratitude to everyone who had contributed to my reflections on this trip including the two cute big dogs in the monastery. I resolved the troubling issues that I had within for the past few weeks.

I had achieved for a brief moment, santi (peace) and I will use the experience to move forward in my spiritual journey.

Thank you everyone.

May all be well and happy.

With Loving-Kindness
Simple Bear 04.11.2015.

无所谓

无所谓

心中起了烦恼，没法安静下来。脑海里充满了假设性的各种可能。如果情形一发生了怎么办? 如果情形二发生了怎么办? 如果。。。怎么办? 从如果中萌起了忧郁，应该怎么办。

当脑海被思绪所淹没时，突然之间，一个念头让一切都停止了。犹如海面静了，狂风停了。

我静静地，坐着。

如果下一刻，我死了，这些烦恼，忧郁的理由还重要吗?

不，一点都不重要。

死亡的可能，时时刻刻都在眼前但我们却假装看不见。

死亡并不可怕; 它给了生命它的价值，给了生命它的名字，给了生命它的生命。

犹如黑暗与光明。

今天一整天下来，断断续续，心中的烦恼，所烦恼之事重要吗?

心中已有答案。

无所谓。

幸福不等人

幸福不等人

"想幸福却不想着幸福当然不幸福。"
简单熊 20.10.2015.

友人(心事重重):"什么事情让你觉得幸福?"
简单熊:"有好多。家人朋友幸福，我就幸福。看到街上的恋人幸福，我就幸福。看到别人行善，我就幸福。自己有心有缘有机会行善，我就幸福。能善待自己，我就幸福。"

其实活着就是幸福。

谁都想幸福但往往我们常常会为难自己，给幸福添了很多附加条件。有了恋人才幸福，有了金钱才幸福，有了权势地位才幸福。但幸福很简单却没耐性，它不等人。错过了当下的幸福，就要等待下一个当下的幸福; 幸福，它真的不等人。

常常会有人问我如何才能幸福，我常常都说只要你想幸福，就会幸福。可惜的是我们往往想要幸福，心中却执着着不幸福，想着不幸福; 这样想着念着不幸福，我们都错过了一刻刻的幸福。

当然我不是说我们不应该有梦想，应该假装挫折，难过不存在而是以一颗平常心去对待。难过也罢，挫折也罢; 在人生的这些经历当中也会有幸福的点。失恋了，固然难过但也是因为两个人在一起曾经相恋快乐，幸福过。

有时我们不幸福，却没发觉我们不幸福。有时我们爱上了不幸福，把幸福给抛弃了。有时不幸福会伪装成幸福来欺骗我们，而我们还傻傻的把不幸福当成幸福。

我不是说我们应该每时每刻应该感到幸福，如果能当然最好不过; 但连现在的自己都做不到的事情，哪敢要求别人做得到。我只是希望我们在每天的人生当中，多一份对自己的了解与察觉，多一份想要给自己给别人幸福的念头，多一刻想着幸福的时刻。

在夜里，你想着是黑暗的沮丧，还是天上星星的希望。

愿大家幸福快乐

简单熊 20.10.2015.

回季

回季

又见秋末叶满地
忆念春夏泪不禁
远看雪花飘满天
悟其四季心随意

简单熊 19.10.2015.

Back to School

Back to School

A friend was sharing how difficult it is to practice his religious beliefs in everyday life and ask me for my perspective on it. He said he felt that the knowkedge are easier to apply on the religious grounds and not in the outside world. I told him that it is similar to part time work/study, going to school and applying the knowledge at work.

Think of all religious institutions as schools that we go to to learn knowledge and internalize them as forms of beliefs, habits etc. And life outside the religious institutions as 'work life' where we apply those knowledge to 'work problems', issues e.g. interpersonal, personal etc that we faced in everyday life. In short, practical application of the religious knowledge and beliefs that we have learned i.e. practice of the religious beliefs.

So if everyday life is work life then who is the boss, who are the customers? It is a one-man company, you are your own boss and your external stakeholders are the whole of humanity, the world which we live in, including the animals and plants. You decide what kind of boss you want to be, be it lax, strict etc. And the internal stakeholders are yourself, your family, your friends and also the whole of humanity.

If that is the case, then what about salary and bonuses? The salary is the mental and emotional peace that we feel everyday and bonuses are the positive things which happened in our lives e.g. a hug from a good friend.

What about office politics? It is your own mind. Your colleagues are the many conflicting thoughts in your mind between positive and negative e.g. wish for peace, happiness and greed, egoism. As the boss, you need to solve the politics to ensure the smooth operations of the 'organization' which is basically you.

In the working environment, we learn the practical application of the religious knowledge. So what if we are not equipped with the necessary knowledge, we go back to schools to 'upgrade' ourselves e.g. getting another professional certification, Masters degree, PhD etc.

If we have already attained the highest qualification there is, what is next? Continued research if academics becomes your work. There is no end to learning. We all as humanity, shared the same end, which is death.

So when do we retire? To say the truth, most of us are workaholics and we usually work till the last day.

Please excuse me for now. I need to get back to work.

Graduation

Grateful

I can't think of another better word to describe how I am feeling right now. From the initial elation that I felt 5 years ago on starting my childhood dream of studying Psychology till now, the overwhelming gratitude that I felt on my graduation day.

Thanks to my family, colleagues and friends for the support over the 5 years. And also the many ex-classmates and now, friends for making my university life fun and interesting especially seniors, peers and juniors of Psyconnect. I hope I didn't let you all down as the President over the last few years. Thank you for the trust and support. And of course, my army of studying comrades who suffered with me over the last five years during examination periods, from morning till night.

Last but not least, my lecturers who had given me their knowledge and support in my capacity as a student and also as President of Psyconnect.

It has been a long 5 years and tomorrow is the start of a new chapter, a whole new beginning.

Thank you everyone who had made this possible.

May all be well and happy

With Loving-Kindness
Simple Bear