Detect and Destroy!!!

Recently I discovered that I am a very lazy person. Because everytime I tried to do my work, I will walk away and go for some food as I felt hungry. When I am full, I went to sleep. When I woke up, I feel like eating again and my work is left undone. But when some thoughts came about watching television, surfing the net, I don't feel hungry or full. Of course, its more than that, anything which I don't feel like doing, there is excuses, and that is negligence/Laziness... The 16th defilement in the mind.

In the Sigalovada Sutta, the Buddha told Sigalaka,"These are the six dangers inherent in laziness:

saying, 'It's too cold,' one does not work;

saying, 'It's too hot,' one does not work;

saying, 'It's too late,' one does not work;

saying, 'It's too early,' one does not work;

saying, 'I'm too hungry,' one does not work;

saying, 'I'm too full,' one does not work.

With an abundance of excuses for not working, new wealth does not accrue and existing wealth goes to waste...

...When sleeping late becomes a habit

And night is seen as time to rise,

For one perpetually intoxicated,

A home life cannot be maintained.

'Too cold! Too hot!Too late!': they say.

Having wasted work time this way,

The young miss out on opportunities.

For one regarding cold and hot

As not more than blades of grass,

Doing whatever should be done,

Happiness will not be a stranger."

Doing whatever should be done... well said...well said. Seems like daily conduct does not leave Buddhism. True enough, if as a normal person I couldn't complete my task and was negligent, what sort of virtue do I have in me? Without Virtue(Sila), there is no concentration, thus no wisdom arise, therefore not free from the taints.

I felt lucky, that I once again I detected a defilement in myself. It all comes from the mind which observes. It just suddenly came to me and I began to watch during the afternoon, and came to a conclusion in the night. In the first place, I could not really understand the meaning of
"pamada: negligence or heedlessness; in social behavior, this leads to lack of consideration. " in the sutta: the simile of the cloth.

"Knowing negligence to be a defilement of the mind, he abandons it." This actually meant to be knowing in its true nature of the defilement, thus the defilement is abandoned. (Attainment of fruitions:
"By the path of stream-entry (sotapatti-magga) are abandoned: (5) denigration, (6) domineering, (7) envy, (8) jealousy, (9) hypocrisy, (10) fraud.

"By the path of nonreturning (anagami-magga): (2) ill will, (3) anger, (4) malice, (16) negligence.

"By the path of Arahatship (arahatta-magga): (1) covetousness and unrighteous greed, (11) obstinacy, (12) presumption, (13) conceit, (14) arrogance, (15) vanity." )

Thus, not yet, but all I can do is to be discipline and detect them and not acting according to them.

"Be earnest, then, O bhikkhus, be mindful and of virtue pure!

With firm resolve, guard your own mind!

Whoso untiringly pursues the Dhamma and the Discipline

Shall go beyond the round of births and make an end of suffering."

Completing ones own task and responsibility, such worldly thing is not worldly at all. Those who pursues the so called "Dhamma" or "Buddhism" which are expressed to be deep and profound but yet worldly tasks unfufilled or neglected is out of the Right path.

Defilments does not arises due to external conditions, it really really arises in the mind of mine!

(You see... I ended my project and feel like sleeping at 3.00am... and now I wasted another hour writing this blog... )

I am very blur...

I am lost, in the mist of scriptures. Which are the true ones? That the teacher has really taught, which leads to the path??? The dhamma is my only refuge, but the dhamma is not scriptures? or it is the scriptures? During the Buddha's time has no written document what... Or is the Dhamma refers to such -> to be seen here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards, to be seen by the wise himself. Such is the arising of insight, so does this the Dhamma which the Buddha refers to?

When some ideas and opinion has been heard by me, such thoughts has arise before, "he/she has a wrong view about dhamma...". But for me, where the Dhamma eye has not yet arisen in me, who yet to possess the unwaivering faith to the triple gems, than is such views of mine true? Am I the one having a wrong view? I really don't know. Really lost.

Is my ideas correct? Does my way of doing it able to lead people to the path? There is still uncertainty in me. Such saying is heard, "uncertainty about the Dhamma ends only with the attainment of stream-entry", even to this, there is absence of unwaivering faith in me.

Such Dhamma which is to be seen here and now, not bounded by time, inviting one to come and see, can be attained, to be seen by the wise himself, such dhamma is not found in text or scriptures, but only in the heart of mine. The Dhamma is in the heart of mine, the citta. I couldn't see any Dhamma when I read books, I see when I read my own heart. That tiny little thing has bring trust to me, only that brings unwaivering faith to me. Thats all I really know.

I wouldn't wish to search the Dhamma outwards, I want to search inwards. That tiny dot is too small, I wish to go deeper into the heart. Not going deeper exploring into methods of propagation, methods of practise and cultivation. But am I allowed to do that? Where I still have to think of games, camps, activities which so call "bring the dhamma to people" for the Club. Considering to stop all those stuffs now. Or should I start now?

Big Congrates to her~!!

Oh gosh~! This was the first time I've met such cases in my life. I am very happy for both of them. When I knew the news, first is shock...second is happiness~!!!

Eh~! I felt so happy for both of you lor, both have found the right one. He is a reliable person^_^, both is people with virtues! So, allow the good points to affect "him"... don't teach the bad things hor...haha If can learn wushu and buddhism is even better arh..HAHAHA...

If you are reading this message, tell him also hor, I keep the best wishes here for you all. Remember to take care of your body!!! and arh... dunno why I so happy...also none of my business...LOL... each time I think about it...

Blog SPBS New Logo 

What other ways is there than to practice?

Reading Fenny's blog on her retreat, http://santussako.blogspot.com/2006/01/life-in-heaven.html, this question come to me, what other ways is there than to practice? If this is the only way, then why so many people has not started to practise? Without even moving, without putting any effort, they say, "Liberation is not possible, now its the ending era of the Dhamma." Rather believing in shortcuts, after death, charms, magic, some chasing over talks, chanting sessions, yet they do not practise accordingly to what the venerable taught, not knowing the meaning behind the chantings.

The teachings are still around yet refuse to refer, rather they rely on their own thoughts and opinions. Spreading their opinions than the dhamma. What about charms? blessings?
What's the views of the teacher? During his time, there is such occurrance,

" Now at that time the brahman Sundarika Bharadvaja was seated not far from the Blessed One, and he spoke to the Blessed One thus: "But does Master Gotama go to the Bahuka River to bathe?"

"What good, brahman, is the Bahuka River? What can the Bahuka River do?"

"Truly, Master Gotama, many people believe that the Bahuka River gives purification, many people believe that the Bahuka River gives merit. For in the Bahuka River many people wash away the evil deeds they have done."

Then the Blessed One addressed the brahman Sundarika Bharadvaja in these stanzas:
Bahuka and Adhikakka,
Gaya and Sundarika,
Payaga and Sarassati,
And the stream Bahumati —
A fool may there forever bathe, Yet will not purify his black deeds.

What can Sundarika bring to pass?
What can the Payaga and the Bahuka?
They cannot purify an evil-doer,
A man performing brutal and cruel acts.

One pure in heart has evermore
The Feast of Cleansing and the uposatha;
One pure in heart who does good deeds
Has his observances perfect for all times.

It is here, O brahman, that you should bathe
To make yourself a safe refuge for all beings.
And if you speak no untruth,
Nor work any harm for breathing things,

Nor take what is not offered,
With faith and with no avarice,
To Gaya gone, what would it do for you?
Let any well your Gaya be!"

In the end, he had only one solution, which is to practise, then deeds will be purified, life will be better. "To make yourself a safe refuge for all beings", avoid killing, hurting and bring harm to others. "speak no untruth", do not lie. "take what is not offered", respect other people's property, do not steal. Such are all actions, actions to be cultivated. Speech to be cultivated, and mind to be cultivated. Such is practise dhamma in accordance to the dhamma, practising it masterfully, living in accordance to the dhamma,"Dhammanu dhamma pattipanna, samici pattipanna, dhammacariya", the buddha himself said before he leave the world.

"As he was alone in seclusion, this line of thinking arose in Ven. Anuruddha's awareness:
'This Dhamma is for one who is modest, not for one who is self-aggrandizing.
This Dhamma is for one who is content, not for one who is discontent.
This Dhamma is for one who is reclusive, not for one who is entangled.
This Dhamma is for one whose persistence is aroused, not for one who is lazy.
This Dhamma is for one whose mindfulness is established, not for one whose mindfulness is confused.
This Dhamma is for one whose mind is centered, not for one whose mind is uncentered.
This Dhamma is for one endowed with discernment, not for whose discernment is weak.'"

The practise leads one to modesty, contentment...and so forth, thus see and understand the dhamma gradually, bit by bit till he finally sees the whole picture. So, what is the 2nd way to see the dhamma other than practising it?