I am always a very sincere devotee to the Buddha and his teaching. I believed what ever it was said and all the practise i do most is to chant. Since i am kindergarden one my dad thaught me chanting, starting frm "arahant sama sambuddho, namo tassa, 3 refuge and itipi so", I add on to more as i grew older. i chanted till now.
I understood the teachings well and able to explain them from what i know and what i have heard or read from books or from teachers. Heart sutra, diamond sutra...blah blah...lots of sutra. The moment i read it i can understand, emptiness, impermernance, non self, non attachment... but somethings happened and really changed me totally.
I began to realise, what i read and learn are just knowledges which is of little use to me. when i fall into great "attachment", i couldn't let go, i am in great suffering and pain. I refuse to accept the truth, refuse to recollect the teachings...to the state even abondoning the Dhamma becos i dun want to acknowledge it. All i want to get is that "Attachment", it revolves around me, everything i do, i think is for that "Attachment". It was a great struggle and slowly i began to wake up.
Exposure to the forest practise made me understood, knowledges is different from Trancendent Wisdom. At the same time in SPBS,The club is not really in good state but the Answer was too found from the forest. I was desperate about the situation, thinking what should i do, what can i do? I cried to the Buddha when i was alone in the clubhouse (which normally i was alone too, doing Puja alone), praying that the buddha can show me the way, show me what should be done.
That forest training was my first retreat and my first short term ordination as a samanera( Novice Monk ) which lasted for 18 days. It just came without planning. It was during the holidays where tobbie says he wanted to look for job. I said why not stay at home and meditate leh? Then he replied, he intented to have a short term ordination. At the moment i was intrested as well and i know palelai or Bro. Sebestian can provide a place. Santi forest monastery in malaysia was made known to me and this he how we went to the retreat as 8 preceptor for 8 days and samanera for 10 days.
At the forest, I was told to practise the dhamma, and do what was right for the problem in my Club. Take care of the causes and care not the effect as we can't control everything, we control the causes, our action/cause (Kamma) and action leads to effect/result. Short and sweet.
I did accordingly for my Freshman orientation Camp and CCA both, boldly show the practises of buddhism like chanting, meditatoin, welfare, rather than fun and games only. In the meanwhile, i carry on the practise as far as i am possible. The result was encouraging.
Once, i read a book on the four foundation of mindfulness which i tool frm the free distribution corner from the forest. This 3 phrases catches my attention,
"Friend ananda, what is the cause and reason for the decline and non-decline of the true dhamma? It is , friend, when these four foundation of mindfulness are not developed and cultivated that the true dhamma declines and it is when these four foundation of mindfulness are developed and cultivated that the true dhamma does not declines"
"This is the only way, monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for reaching the noble path, for the realisation of Nibanna, namely, 4 foundation of mindfulness"
"Monks, Those who have neglected these 4 foundation of mindfulness, have neglected the noble path leading to the complete destruction of suffering. Those who have undertaken these 4 foundations of mindfulness have undertaken the noble path leading to the complete destruction of suffering."
It brings light to me. This was what the Buddha himself said. which pushes and strenghten my believe, "yes this is the way"，Plus my believe that the most convincing thing is true experiences, therefore should always practise ourself first before we teach. Rather than telling people what i have read which i always did in the past, i share what have i experienced and discovered. I taught my freshmen these as well and now they are diligently practising accordingly to the instruction of the tathagata. \^o^/
As i moved on, more sutras are yet to be discovered. From the maha parinibanna sutta, i have learned about the last instructions to us before he pass into parinibanna, which gave me a clear road and path on how to practise, what is practise. 2nd time it strengthen my believe "yes this is the way",
"Such is virtue; such is concentration; and such is wisdom.
Great becomes the fruit, great is the gain of concentration when it is fully developed by virtuous conduct;
Great becomes the fruit, great is the gain of wisdom when it is fully developed by concentration;
Utterly freed from the taints of lust, becoming, and ignorance is the mind that is fully developed in wisdom."
"which, bhikkhus, are the teachings which I have direct knowledge and which I have made known to you,Which you should thoroughly learn, cultivate, develop, and frequently practice, so that the pure teachings may be established and last long, for the welfare and happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and men.
Namely:
Four foundations of mindfulness,
Four right efforts,
Four constituents of psychic power,
Five faculties,
Five powers,
Seven factors of enlightenment,
Noble Eightfold Path."
"My years are now full ripe, the life span left is short.
Departing, I go hence from you, relying on myself alone.
Be earnest, then, O bhikkhus, be mindful and of virtue pure!
With firm resolve, guard your own mind!
Who so untiringly pursues the Dhamma and the Discipline
Shall go beyond the round of births and make an end of suffering.
"
I tried all ways and methods to show them to everyone in the buddhist community, I use them for chanting session during SPBS day and PBS camp. Reason was to spread this messeage across...but doesn't seems to be effective. It shows that many recite sutra for the sake of reciting. I taught my fellow members, Chanting is recollecting the teachings with mindfulness. It is to help to recollect the truth and help us in daily life and practise in case we forget. After Bro. sebestian's talk at the PBS camp, it strengthen my understanding of my own words and theory,"Chanting is recollecting the teachings with mindfulness." He taught us to recollect the 5 subject of frequent recollection. recollecting that I am subject to aging, illness and death. I will seperate from Whatever dear and appealing(impermernance), i am my owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions and realated through my actions. whatever i do, for good of for evil, i will fall heir. By reflecting it, we accept the facts and when illness come... it is "when" illness come, we are not afraid, cos we knew tat we are subject to illness. That should be the effect, shld be the reason for chanting. To recollect or reflect upon the teachings.
At Bro. sebestians talk, i laughed when he start talking about the 4 foundation of mindfulness. His lecture fully support what i have discovered is correct and for the 3rd time, it strengthens my believe "yes this is the way". but yet i learned something from him that I might be wrong still. Don't think that i am invincible, one day i am going to get it is something when against. True enough, my ego grew and just on time, bro. sebestians words reminds me to humble.
I saw that this teachings of the dhamma helps in the management of a buddhist organisation and thats the way it should be done actually, to practise the dhamma. But i knw, it is hard for people to accept. The more you try to say, the more people are confuse and began to be unhappy about it. Now i a taking a more silent apporach. Once i know the time has not come for one to accept this, i will keep quiet as long as everything is running fine. I couldn't believe that somebody which i always thought that he knows me had said something devastating. Everyone will be reading, people whom i know or dunno, therefore i shall not mention names. If i had not got him wrngly, this was what he said, "people first thought that the world is flat, but later found out to be round, scientists thought that atom is the smallest but yet turn out that there are even smaller stuffs then atom( i forgotten wat is it ), therefore dhamma might be true in the past 2500yrs but it might not be true in the future." Ironically, Normally i would have debated and fighted, but this time i choose to smile and kept quiet. I see a big change in me. A small change day by day.
The dhamma is akaliko, timeless, no matter how long, truth will still be a truth. Difference here with the findings of scientists and so on is that, the dhamma was seen throught decernment and wisdom. Its not a perception, it is out of perception, the truth behind everything, form and formless.
All things are impermernent in this universe, nothing doesn't change. We are aging second by second. Time is the measurement of changes, even heaven and hell is impermenent. Unless time is stop, or else no way. The time stops is only when the mind enters total ceasation = parinibanna.
Hatred does not ease hatred, only by love does hatred ease. This is the eternal truth. How? How can it be? Is he trying to say, in the past, if somebody hates somebody, hate the other more, then hate will not be found between them is it? You think about it.
Qualities of dhamma/truth is timeless, to be seen here and now, inviting one to come and see, leading inward and can be seen for himself.
No point guessing about the future, at least for sure, the knowledge of dhamma NOW, can lead to ceasation of suffering and towards nibanna. Thats Enough.
I was reading some article in the MSN groups "Contemplatives" and it deeply inspires me. For the 4th time,once again my believe is strengthen,"yes this is the way".
from: http://sg.msnusers.com/Contemplatives/history.msnw
The Customs of the Noble Ones, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
It talks about Ajhan mun, here are some quotes of my favourite:
"He also had his detractors, who accused him of not following traditional Thai Buddhist customs. He usually responded by saying that he wasn't interested in bending to the customs of any particular society -- as they were, by definition, the customs of people with greed, anger, and delusion in their minds. He was more interested in finding and following the Dhamma's home culture, or what he called the
customs of the noble ones: the practices that had enabled the Buddha and his disciples to achieve awakening in the first place."
I too, wanted to follow the customs of the noble ones.
"In the long course of his wilderness training, Ajaan Mun learned that -- contrary to Reform and Customary beliefs --
the path to nirvana was not closed.
The true Dhamma was to be found not in old customs or texts but in the well-trained heart and mind. The texts were pointers for training, nothing more or less. The rules of the Vinaya, instead of simply being external customs, played an important role in physical and mental survival.
As for the Dhamma texts, practice was not just a matter of confirming what they said. Reading and thinking about the texts could not give an adequate understanding of what they meant -- and did not count as showing them true respect. True respect for the texts meant taking them as a challenge: putting their teachings seriously to the test to see if, in fact, they are true. In the course of testing the teachings, the mind would come to many unexpected realizations that were not contained in the texts. These in turn had to be put to the test as well, so that one learned gradually by trial and error to the point of an actual noble attainment. Only then, Ajaan Mun would say, did one understand the Dhamma."
"Thus
the ultimate authority in judging a teaching is not whether the teaching can be found in a text. It lies in each person's relentless honesty in putting the Dhamma to the test and carefully monitoring the results. When Ajaan Mun had reached the point where he could guarantee that the path to the noble attainments was still open, he returned to the northeast to inform Ajaan Sao and then to continue wandering."
"The story of the Kammatthana tradition gives lie to the facile notion that Buddhism has survived simply by adapting to its host culture.
The survival of Buddhism and the survival of the Dhamma are two different things. People like Ajaan Mun -- willing to make whatever sacrifices are needed to discover and practice the Dhamma on its own terms -- are the ones who have kept the Dhamma alive. "
"Of course, people have always been free to engage in Buddhist traditions in whatever way they like,
but those who have benefited most from that engagement are those who, instead of reshaping Buddhism to fit their preferences, reshape themselves to fit in with the customs and traditions of the noble ones."
"To test them, each individual is thrown back on his or her own powers of relentless honesty, integrity, and discernment. There are no easy guarantees. And perhaps this fact in itself is a measure of the Dhamma's true worth. Only people of real integrity can truly comprehend it."
How wonderful it is. Buddhism is never or shouldn't be a religion of faith and believe, it is something attainable, can be seen, and it is real. There are aranhants and sotapannas around even now. They don't lived in history texts. Anyone can be one if practised properly. Nobody is special, everyone can be buddha.
Therefore i always like to repeat this, "Svakkhato bhagavata dhammo, sanditthiko, akaliko, ehipassiko, opanayiko, paccattam veditabbo vinnuhiti!(Such is the dhamma expounded by the blessed one, it is to be seen here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards and to be attained by the wise himself)" This is the qualities of the dhamma. Remember! In Buddhism there are no dogmas or beliefs that one has to accept on blind faith without question!
Attainment, freedom from suffering, reaching happiness and blissful state need not wait till death, in this life can be attainable. Things promised after death is not a reliable promise. True dhamma speaks about here and now, Not there and then.
I kept repeating "yes this is the way". What way is it exactly? Its is to follow the *buddha's teaching accordingly
without changing it in anyway, putting the it to test and carefully monitoring the results. Always start from oneself first in terms of practise. To propagate the pure and true teaching, practise is the only way. The result of the practise is the one getting people really convinced and it is the result from the practising, not the action which bring changes and effect (to the person and to the societies management skills).
Note* Buddha's teaching: Only refer to the dhamma which has this qualities -> "can be seen here and now, timeless, inviting one to come and see, leading inwards and to be attained by the wise himself"I hope one day, these can be made known to all buddhist. Looking at the state of Buddhist organisations in the world now, It urge me to made this vow,
"I aspire to beceome an arahant one day which shall dispel the wrong views of buddhist, showing them the way to Nibanna."
The Buddha himself praised and encourage us to strive towards sotapanna, sakadagamin, anagami and arahants. These four are the Sangha of the Buddha, worthy of offerings, worthy of gifts, worthy of hospality, worthy of respect."Yadidam: cattari purisa yugani, attha purisa puggala:Esa bhagavata savaka sangho (Such as: the four pairs of men, the eight types of persons; such is the Disciple of the Buddha.)" Therefore, it should not be a small or something not prasied. In fact highly reccomended.
As long everyone continue to practise rightly and strive with diligence, the fall of dhamma will never come. The Pure teachings will last more than 5000 years. Therefore, i never believe in 末法 (ending era of the dhamma). The buddha knew, the teachings will be corrupted, therefore he taught us to put all the teaching to test, and also warned us this,
"Whatever Dhamma-Vinaya I have pointed out and formulated for you, that will be your Teacher when I am gone......"
"If, when thus laid beside Sutta & compared with Vinaya, they lie not along with Sutta & agree not with Vinaya, to this conclusion must ye come: Sure this is not the word of that Exalted One, Arahant, the Fully Enlightened One, & it was wrongly taken by that monk. So reject it, monks......"
" Monks, be a lamp unto yourselves, be a refuge unto yourselves, with no other refuge. Take the Dhamma as your lamp, take the Dhamma as your refuge, with no other refuge."
In other words, we should depend solely on ourselves and on the Buddha’s words. In the Suttas, the Buddha referred to a monk as a kalyanamitta (good friend). A monk is a good friend who introduces you to the Buddha’s teachings and encourages you in the spiritual path.
"… in the course of the future there will be monks who won't listen when discourses that are words of the Tathagata -- deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness -- are being recited. They won't lend ear, won't set their hearts on knowing them, won't regard these teachings as worth grasping or mastering. But they will listen when discourses that are literary works -- the works of poets, elegant in sound, elegant in rhetoric, the work of outsiders, words of disciples -- are recited. They will lend ear and set their hearts on knowing them. They will regard these teachings as worth grasping & mastering. "In this way the disappearance of the discourses that are words of the Tathagata -- deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness -- will come about.
Therefore, monks, train yourselves thus: To these very Suttas will we listen, give a ready ear, understand, recite and master them."
"Monks, the clear seeing of 3 qualifications is essential for one who teaches Dhamma to others. What three? He who teaches Dhamma must be able to penetrate the letter and spirit thereof. He who hears Dhamma must do likewise. Both teacher and listener must be able to do both of these. These are the three …"
"Monks, he who possesses not four qualities is said to be fallen away from this Dhamma-discipline. What four? He who possesses not the Ariyan virtue (sila/precepts) … the Ariyan concentration (samadhi/4 Jhannas with other Noble 8 fold path) … the Ariyan wisdom(Contempletion/Vipassana) … the Ariyan release is said to be fallen away from this Dhamma-discipline. These are the four …"
"Though a man be old, monks, eighty or ninety or a hundred years of age, yet if he be one who speaks out of due season, who speaks things untrue and unprofitable, things contrary to Dhamma and contrary to Discipline: if he be one who utters words unworthy to be treasured in the heart, words unseasonable and void of reason, words undiscriminating and not concerned with welfare,-then that one is reckoned just a foolish elder.
Though a man be young, monks,- a youth, a mere lad, black haired and blessed with his lucky prime, one in the first flush in life,- if he be one who speaks in due season, who speaks things true and profitable, things according to Dhamma and Discipline: if he be one who utters words worthy to be treasured in the heart, words seasonable, reasonable, discriminating and concerned with welfare,- then that one is reckoned a wise elder.
Now, monks, there are these four things which make the elder. What four?
Herein a monk is virtuous, perfect in obligations, restraint of the obligations, perfect in the practice of right behaviour, seeing danger in the slightest faults. He undertakes and trains himself in the training of the precepts, he has learned, is full up with learning, is a accumulate of learning.
Those doctrines which, lovely at the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely at the end (of life) both in the meaning and the letter of them, which preach the utterly fulfilled, the perfectly purified way of the Noble-life, - such doctrines are much heard by him, borne in mind, repeated aloud, pondered over and well penetrated by his vision.
The four stages of Jhanna which are of the clear consciousness, which are concerned with the happy life in this very world,- these he wins easily, without effort. By the destruction of the asavas, in this very life thoroughly understanding the heart’s release, the release by wisdom, he realizes it, attains it and dwells therein.
These monks, are the four things which make the elder."
"Then the Blessed One [on his death-bed] said to Ven. Ananda, "Ananda, the twin sal-trees are in full bloom, even though it's not the flowering season. They shower, strew, & sprinkle on the Tathagata's body in homage to him. Heavenly coral-tree blossoms are falling from the sky... Heavenly sandalwood powder is falling from the sky... Heavenly music is playing in the sky... Heavenly songs are sung in the sky, in homage to the Tathagata. But it is not to this extent that a Tathagata is worshipped, honored, respected, venerated, or paid homage to. Rather, the monk, nun, male lay follower, or female lay follower who keeps practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma, who keeps practicing masterfully, who lives in accordance with the Dhamma: that is the person who worships, honors, respects, venerates, & pays homage to the Tathagata with the highest homage. So you should train yourselves: 'We will keep practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma, we will keep practicing masterfully, we will live in accordance with the Dhamma.' That's how you should train yourselves."
At the end, i would like to conclude with this quote from Ajaan Lee, one of Ajaan Mun's students,"If a person isn't true to the Buddha's teachings, the Buddha's teachings won't be true to that person -- and that person won't be able to know what the Buddha's true teachings are."
Thanks for reading. Parodn me, its Long...can't imagine so many things happen in this year of 2005, But saddly, what was written above might not be really understood, because this isn't the first time i am saying all this. Hope it Benefits you. Dhamma benefits in All ways... \^o^/
May All beings be free from sufferings, May all beings end suffering, May the true dhamma be spreaded. May you practise well and possess the wisdom and ability to spread the true dhamma Far and Wide, Well and Fine.
The last dedication was said by one of the freshies named william.
Thanks to helen and william. I was told that i had inspired them to practise, but too, i was inspired and motivated by their practise as well as everytime i see them meditating, it actually motivates me to practise. and the number of meditation i have been doing increases. An also, I am keeping to mindfulness more and more tight, to the extend where me and william, william and derrick will remind each other, "Buddho! Buddho!","Is your mindfulness with you?"
Haha~ I am Glad. Deep from my heart
Ironically, i did made such vows before, but what made me spoke is because, i don't want them to fall into that trap i had fallen to before. It seems to me now, to make their lives easier, I got to close my eyes and reflect, kammasaka, kamma dayada kamma yoni , kamma bandhu kamma patisarano, yam kamma karisanti kalyana va papakam va parisanti ( they are born of their action, heir to their action, related to their action and live dependently on their actions, whatever they do, for good or for evil, to that will they fall heir. )
