Monday, January 21, 2008
I am grateful!
Like what the song said.... It's not perfect living but at least it's interesting...
I don't find singapore really interesting, but my life is interesting at least! LOL...
I like this place... because, at least it is peaceful and secure to live in. It's safe enough to go home late... But I always bear in mind "Low crime doesn't mean no crime"...
May the rulers of this land be righteous and virtuous!
May this land be prosperous and safe...
May this place always be a suitable locality to make meritorious actions...
May it's citizens be virtuous and well.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Bodhisatta or not?
Having thought for awhile... upon suggested by a Thera....
I'll put my thoughts in a nice way as possible...
Recently I had been attending some Mahayana lessons in which arouses some questions which I wouldn't want to ask the speaker as:
I'll put my thoughts in a nice way as possible...
Recently I had been attending some Mahayana lessons in which arouses some questions which I wouldn't want to ask the speaker as:
Firstly, People may think I'm trying to slander or provoke anything
Second, Arise aversion of people in Mahayana tradition
If I didn't remember wrongly, it's either:
1. All Bodhisattas took the noble vow of liberating all sentient beings before gaining enlightenment themselves.
2. All Bodhisattas took the noble vow of getting all sentient beings into Buddhahood before gaining Buddhahood themselves.
There is a significant difference here.
For 1. All bodhisatta vow to liberate all beings before gaining enlightenment themselves would mean sending all beings into nibbana regardless arahantship, paccekabuddhahood or Samma-Sambuddhahood.
For 2. That will mean only when All beings are Buddhas, den they will gain Buddhahood themselves.
But for regardless any of the 2, the same question arisen in me...
How come there are Buddhas in Mahayanist tradition such as Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabuddha, Medicine Buddha... Vairocana Buddha etc.... Countless... YET all of them vow to gain enlightenment last??
How come there are Buddhas in Mahayanist tradition such as Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabuddha, Medicine Buddha... Vairocana Buddha etc.... Countless... YET all of them vow to gain enlightenment last??
The thing is... I'm still here! How come they gain Buddhahood?Are they Hinayanas?
If a Bodhisatta can bring all beings to be buddhas, then isn't bodhisatta is more effective in teaching than the Buddha himself? But if a bodhisatta can teach better, why did our buddha sakyamuni gain enlightenment in the first place?
Yet all mahayanist strives to be a Buddha because only by that than they can liberate all other beings... But ironically, they need to take the Vow to gain enlightenment last.
Maybe like what Ajhan Brahm said, it is just that kind of spirit, that they will gain enlightenment last, if not, all Bodhisattas will be queueing up after each other saying 'You first!' ....LOL!!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Ownership and Administration of Monasteries
By Ajahn Brahmavamso
Vinaya is the name for the body of monastic rules and traditions that are binding on every Buddhist monk and nun. The Vinaya was established by the Buddha himself and is now preserved in written form, both in the ancient Indian languages and in English translation.
With so many new people having come into the Society in the last few years, many of our members and friends know very little about the rules of discipline of the monastic community. It is important for the lay community to have an understanding of these rules to ensure that we do not behave in any way which is offensive to the Sangha nor which could create difficulty for them. We have therefore decided to reprint a series of articles in this and forthcoming newsletters, which were written by Ajahn Brahm a number of years ago.
Ownership and Administration of Monasteries
In the time of the Buddha, when a lay Buddhist offered lands of buildings, or money for such things, to establish a monastery, they would dedicate it to The Sangha of the Four Quarters Present and Yet to Come. The Sangha of the four quarters present and yet to come means ALL properly ordained monks and nuns. This would include all legitimate Buddhist monks and nuns, of all nationalities and sects. Today it would probably include most Chinese Mahayana monks and nuns (bhiksus and bhiksunis) but it would exclude some Tibetan lamas and most Zen roshis, the married ones at least! Thus the owners of the monastery are the worldwide and "timewide" community of monks and nuns.
The administrators of the monastery were those monks or nuns who lived there. They would meet regularly to make any decisions concerning their monastery and all such decisions had to be unanimous. But there are many rules of Vinaya which restrict what the resident monastics may do, in order to safeguard the monastery from corrupt monks. For example, they can't decide to give Sangha property away (unless it is trifling), nor to divide up the goods among themselves, (then disrobing, selling up, and moving to Majorca!). The community at a monastery is bound to preserve and maintain in good order all Sangha property, holding it in trust for the monastics now and in the future.
In large monasteries, and some had thousands of monks and nuns, the community would delegate some of its responsibilities to competent monks and nuns. Thus there would be a monk in charge of allocating lodgings, and one in charge of building and maintenance. Ven. Maha Moggalana, one of the Buddha's two chief monk disciples, was perhaps the most effective of the building monks. Once the Buddha commissioned him, with the assistance of 500 monks, to build the grandiose dwelling called the "Migaramatu Pasada" at Savatthi, with funds donated by the foremost female lay disciple Visakha. This monastic dwelling had two stories, each with 500 rooms pinnacled with gold! Because of Ven. Maha Moggalana's psychic powers (they didn't have cranes and bulldozers then) it took only 9 months to complete. It makes our efforts at Bodhinyana look puny.
In conclusion, in the time of the Buddha, the resident monastic community ran their monastery in every respect, maintaining it in good order for the benefit of all monks and nuns, now and in the future. And monastics did get involved in the building, although only now and again. The famous monasteries in ancient India, such as the Jeta Grove outside of Savatthi where the Buddha spent 19 rains retreats, were owned by the Sangha and run by the monks -- there was no Buddhist Society of Savatthi! Then there was no need.
Ajahn Brahmavamso(BSWA Newsletter, October-December 1995)
***************************************************************************
~There are some who are Law abiders, and some who are not. Do learn and find the true Buddhism from the "Law abiders" and not smudging the whole religion with some insignificant Scandals...
= )
Vinaya is the name for the body of monastic rules and traditions that are binding on every Buddhist monk and nun. The Vinaya was established by the Buddha himself and is now preserved in written form, both in the ancient Indian languages and in English translation.
With so many new people having come into the Society in the last few years, many of our members and friends know very little about the rules of discipline of the monastic community. It is important for the lay community to have an understanding of these rules to ensure that we do not behave in any way which is offensive to the Sangha nor which could create difficulty for them. We have therefore decided to reprint a series of articles in this and forthcoming newsletters, which were written by Ajahn Brahm a number of years ago.
Ownership and Administration of Monasteries
In the time of the Buddha, when a lay Buddhist offered lands of buildings, or money for such things, to establish a monastery, they would dedicate it to The Sangha of the Four Quarters Present and Yet to Come. The Sangha of the four quarters present and yet to come means ALL properly ordained monks and nuns. This would include all legitimate Buddhist monks and nuns, of all nationalities and sects. Today it would probably include most Chinese Mahayana monks and nuns (bhiksus and bhiksunis) but it would exclude some Tibetan lamas and most Zen roshis, the married ones at least! Thus the owners of the monastery are the worldwide and "timewide" community of monks and nuns.
The administrators of the monastery were those monks or nuns who lived there. They would meet regularly to make any decisions concerning their monastery and all such decisions had to be unanimous. But there are many rules of Vinaya which restrict what the resident monastics may do, in order to safeguard the monastery from corrupt monks. For example, they can't decide to give Sangha property away (unless it is trifling), nor to divide up the goods among themselves, (then disrobing, selling up, and moving to Majorca!). The community at a monastery is bound to preserve and maintain in good order all Sangha property, holding it in trust for the monastics now and in the future.
In large monasteries, and some had thousands of monks and nuns, the community would delegate some of its responsibilities to competent monks and nuns. Thus there would be a monk in charge of allocating lodgings, and one in charge of building and maintenance. Ven. Maha Moggalana, one of the Buddha's two chief monk disciples, was perhaps the most effective of the building monks. Once the Buddha commissioned him, with the assistance of 500 monks, to build the grandiose dwelling called the "Migaramatu Pasada" at Savatthi, with funds donated by the foremost female lay disciple Visakha. This monastic dwelling had two stories, each with 500 rooms pinnacled with gold! Because of Ven. Maha Moggalana's psychic powers (they didn't have cranes and bulldozers then) it took only 9 months to complete. It makes our efforts at Bodhinyana look puny.
In conclusion, in the time of the Buddha, the resident monastic community ran their monastery in every respect, maintaining it in good order for the benefit of all monks and nuns, now and in the future. And monastics did get involved in the building, although only now and again. The famous monasteries in ancient India, such as the Jeta Grove outside of Savatthi where the Buddha spent 19 rains retreats, were owned by the Sangha and run by the monks -- there was no Buddhist Society of Savatthi! Then there was no need.
Ajahn Brahmavamso(BSWA Newsletter, October-December 1995)
***************************************************************************
~There are some who are Law abiders, and some who are not. Do learn and find the true Buddhism from the "Law abiders" and not smudging the whole religion with some insignificant Scandals...
= )
Monday, January 07, 2008
Birthday Party
Interesting, my life... of having all sorts of friends around me. One of them are the secondary school friends... Song hui was celebrating her 21st Birthday. A big one? maybe...
She was a person who likes surprizes... but somehow I feel it wasn't fulfilling... Haha... All because of poor organisation. The whole event taught me something... We wouldn't get whatever we want without creating the cause for it. It was her nature which things turned out that way.. haha... she want something but she prefers to Sleep... ZZZZzzzz.... Same for her boyfriend whom I heard... No initiative... "He didn't even thought of getting flowers or even a cake!" My friends said. Then, I start requesting a lesson from Frida, " why sending flowers to girlfriends are important?"... and many many aspect on it was shared with me....
The striking thing was Jisheng... I wasn't close to him as he were with henry, I was surprized when he say, "That wasn't you in secondary school leh..." and a small sentence of concern brought some warmth to me... The most frequent question was "Why aren't you in Army yet?" and I got to say, "Still studying" "How come?" "I repeat one year.." "Why!??" ... and that was his reply when he knew I repeated...
After that day, I was thinking about it. Why? I wasn't like that in the past. But I glad, someone understands me... at least. But it's confusing. Mixture of thoughts and feelings. Finally, I'm so confused... recently and I sat down in meditation. Why do I land in such a state? Why I had degenerated?? Deproved?
It was a great disgrace... I feel... that I was in this state. Like a stain in my life... and it actually arisen my thought to "restart" my life by ending this game... But later another mind arose, that was out of impulse due to emotions...
But there is another lesson to be learnt, One who is in the training, doesn't mean he is perfect. But being imperfect, does not mean whatever he has achieved or learnt was unreliable... I always remind myself, "A seven year old kid may even understand teachings of a sage than an old man of hundred." ... So that I will be able to grasp meanings and lessons between the imperfected.
Evameva manussesu daharo cepi pannava
So hittatha maha hoti neva balo sarirava
One who has wisdom is considered an adult although he is young by age.
Having a big body but foolish, he is considered not an adult.
(Jataka, 27/24)
Maybe I see the other side of human... Including myself, that, I am just responsible enough to accept the good things, but I did not want to be responsible for the negative results? I refuse to face it... the fruits of my actions...
Then how? How will I overcome this 3rd huddle in my present life? Where does the problem lies? What is the cause?
I meditated... not on the questions... just hope that my mind will be clear, and be able to see the causes...
After that, I reflect the whole proccess of this chain of actions... And it seems that I am doing what I like, and not what I should... I seem to have full control, full freedom to do what I like... and the gain in authority and ownership makes me negligent, in fact, in my responsiblility.
Just as, we are very responsible to our scores and missions in the Games, but very irresponsible to the school work that was left undone...
But what can I do?... Ever since the mind starts to develop this habit of sleeping when I saw my work... I just feel like sleeping each time I start drawing... Am I interested in buildings? YES! But why does that happen???
She was a person who likes surprizes... but somehow I feel it wasn't fulfilling... Haha... All because of poor organisation. The whole event taught me something... We wouldn't get whatever we want without creating the cause for it. It was her nature which things turned out that way.. haha... she want something but she prefers to Sleep... ZZZZzzzz.... Same for her boyfriend whom I heard... No initiative... "He didn't even thought of getting flowers or even a cake!" My friends said. Then, I start requesting a lesson from Frida, " why sending flowers to girlfriends are important?"... and many many aspect on it was shared with me....
The striking thing was Jisheng... I wasn't close to him as he were with henry, I was surprized when he say, "That wasn't you in secondary school leh..." and a small sentence of concern brought some warmth to me... The most frequent question was "Why aren't you in Army yet?" and I got to say, "Still studying" "How come?" "I repeat one year.." "Why!??" ... and that was his reply when he knew I repeated...
After that day, I was thinking about it. Why? I wasn't like that in the past. But I glad, someone understands me... at least. But it's confusing. Mixture of thoughts and feelings. Finally, I'm so confused... recently and I sat down in meditation. Why do I land in such a state? Why I had degenerated?? Deproved?
It was a great disgrace... I feel... that I was in this state. Like a stain in my life... and it actually arisen my thought to "restart" my life by ending this game... But later another mind arose, that was out of impulse due to emotions...
But there is another lesson to be learnt, One who is in the training, doesn't mean he is perfect. But being imperfect, does not mean whatever he has achieved or learnt was unreliable... I always remind myself, "A seven year old kid may even understand teachings of a sage than an old man of hundred." ... So that I will be able to grasp meanings and lessons between the imperfected.
Evameva manussesu daharo cepi pannava
So hittatha maha hoti neva balo sarirava
One who has wisdom is considered an adult although he is young by age.
Having a big body but foolish, he is considered not an adult.
(Jataka, 27/24)
Maybe I see the other side of human... Including myself, that, I am just responsible enough to accept the good things, but I did not want to be responsible for the negative results? I refuse to face it... the fruits of my actions...
Then how? How will I overcome this 3rd huddle in my present life? Where does the problem lies? What is the cause?
I meditated... not on the questions... just hope that my mind will be clear, and be able to see the causes...
After that, I reflect the whole proccess of this chain of actions... And it seems that I am doing what I like, and not what I should... I seem to have full control, full freedom to do what I like... and the gain in authority and ownership makes me negligent, in fact, in my responsiblility.
Just as, we are very responsible to our scores and missions in the Games, but very irresponsible to the school work that was left undone...
But what can I do?... Ever since the mind starts to develop this habit of sleeping when I saw my work... I just feel like sleeping each time I start drawing... Am I interested in buildings? YES! But why does that happen???
Friday, January 04, 2008
Defination of Wholesome Actions: A point to note
"The emphasis is on making wholesome kamma as a means of achieving noble and desirable objectives. It is not the quality of the objective alone that decides the worth of an activity: it is the objective, taken together with the means to it and related activities, that decides final worth. Thus the "means" (kamma) have as much importance as the "ends." "
Excerpt from:
"Life's Highest Blessings: The Maha Mangala Sutta"
Translation and Commentary by Dr. R.L. Soni
Revised by Bhikkhu Khantipalo
好一个2007
望而回首，2007年就这样在一片宁静的心中结束了。在静坐中送走了2007，迎来了2008。
看看这2007年，乱糟糟的。是我搞乱了自己的人生，还是我经不起风雨的势力呢？
2008年的来临，也意味着我的成年之期将近。希望这一年是美好的开始。
看看这2007年，乱糟糟的。是我搞乱了自己的人生，还是我经不起风雨的势力呢？
2008年的来临，也意味着我的成年之期将近。希望这一年是美好的开始。
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