Studies? or Buddhism?

Hai~ Although I had a complete submission this time, i am aware... still prone to the danger of retaining... Why huh? Why? Is there really no way to fufill both sides? I must talk to my club people again. Don't mention about the batches same as me... I should nurture the upcoming ones and put into a powerful system which carry on the idea/values and passing down of skills and knowledge. I must make a change. The problem is the system of passing down and lack of right values to the club.

I must be liberated to liberate, thus, similarly I cannot neglect studies. I was wrong to think that Dhamma as buddhist stuffs, which those I have to focus. Wrong! Each action and thought of mine is the true Dhamma. This must be make known.

"Doing whatever should be done,Happiness will not be a stranger"

Yes. Basic things, complete thing all of them dutifully, is also a practise and its a true practise.

"The mother and father are the East,
The Teachers are the South,
Wife and Children are the West,
The friends and associates are the North.

Servants and employees are the Nadir,
The ascetics and brahmans are the Zenith;
Who is fit to lead the household life,
These six quarters he should salute.

Who is wise and virtuous,
Gentle and keen-witted,
Humble and amenable,
Such a one to honor may attain.

Who is energetic and not indolent,
In misfortune unshaken,
Flawless in manner and intelligent,
Such a one to honor may attain.

Who is hospitable, and friendly,
Liberal and unselfish,
A guide, an instructor, a leader,
Such a one to honor may attain.

Generosity, sweet speech,
Helpfulness to others,Impartiality to all,
As the case demands."

I discovered, all this points are actually repeatedly mentioned in different suttas and they are all based on a similar concept. None-of them leave the practise of morality, virtue, dicipline and training of mind and go in line with the 8 foldpath.

This practise, is all about our own deeds. Avoid evil, Do good, purify the mind, This is the teachings of the Buddha. Its deep, yet its not.

1.Avoiding evil is doing good, is purifying the mind.
2.Doing good is avoiding evil, is purifying the mind.

Good, doesn't refer to the so called good deeds only. Not being selfish, being kind, being responsible is good as well. So, summary:

"Let him not perform the slightest wrong for which wise men may rebuke him.
(Let him think:) 'May all beings be happy and safe. May they have happy minds."

"the enlightened man —
discerning, learned,enduring,
dutiful, noble,intelligent,
a man of integrity: follow him —
one of this sort — as the moon,
the path of the zodiac stars." -Dhp 206-

Kept up to my words~!

Finally~! A complete submitting for my Joint crit with completed requirements. Although I till missed out something but I am punctual~! Firstly I've got to thanks those who has helped me along Lor... If not for Ian, I wouldn't get my ES report done and binded, If not for Hong zhi's accompany, machinery and generous offer of transport by his dad, I wouldn't complete my model and submit my things that early~! 8am...wow... and also thanks to those who had tried to help me and those who helped each other.

That tedious night a hong zhi house, that chat keeps me alive and reminding ourselves to carry on working throughout the night till morning.

This few days pretty luxurious kind of lifestyle. Such an honour to be sent to school and home by friends car. Haha... This year of the Dog is a good begining for me. Since the first day of chinese new year till now. Everything is just as fine as good, negative feelings is to its least.

A good year. Year of the Dog

Its a very good chinese new year. The year of the dog is good. The flowers bloomed nicely, everything went smoothly. I've completed my work, having friend around to help me. Leading a pretty luxurious kind of lifestyle. Such an honour to be sent to school and home by friends car. Haha... This year of the Dog is a good begining for me. Everything is fine and good, negative feelings is to its least.

Learning from Ensabathnur, a member of the club. No one see him before actually...haha. He was pretty down recently. He said he seems to have everything in the past, but now everything seems to be lost, friends, gal friend...etc. Can't really help him, cause I am not as his side~! All I can give is encouragements.

I will lose those as well, and now I felt a strong attachment in me, I don't want to lose my friends, I want them to be forever. "I will grow different and depart from things appealing to me..." the 4th reflection has put into effect these time round. I've not found the true happiness yet. True happiness which lies in the heart of mind which is not conditioned, I've not found it.

Its hard to understand, why all these is illusiory, in fact all feelings and emotion I am feeling now is created by the mind. Because of this strong feelings, it inspires me to enter the stream even more, so that I can love them even more truly, absence of selfishness and ego...etc. Deeply into the true happiness which I can share, which will really bring everyone I love, happiness.

I've understand why in the Karaniya Metta Sutta, the buddha mentioned "Be capable, upright, & straightforward, easy to instruct, gentle, & not conceited, content & easy to support,with few duties, living lightly,with peaceful faculties, masterful,modest, & no greed for supporters."
I discover I am able to do that, because of this "may all beings be happy at heart". By being capable, upright, & straightforward, easy to instruct, gentle...etc, I do not bring suffering to others as well as myself. Happiness, loving kindness existed in such a condition.

When did I discover this? It's a Ian's house, when I went there to do my ES and model. Not only that, through observing what I did and the consequence effect, I've saw the cycle of Sila, Panna, Samadhi:
"such is the concentration which is caused by morality, Such is the wisdom caused by concentration."

and began to see the link in the teachings getting clearer and clearer. There seems to be growth in me. Exactly, when one has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path.

Associate with people with integrity, be a person with integrity, a noble friend to others. Did I do everything for Dhamma? It can't be phrase this way, Dhamma is not something which one can obtain or get. Dhamma is to be seen and understood. The cause to practise changes as well, at first I did it because I want to be freed from all sufferings, through the path of practise, I've understood more, the reason to practise changes as well. Now I perfect myself, for the sake of others too, because I wished to bring happiness to others.

"Let him not perform the slightest wrong for which wise men may rebuke him.
(Let him think:) 'May all beings be happy and safe. May they have happy minds"
This describes it in the best way of phrasing.

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... )