Faith that removes all doubt is what Amida Buddha offers.
This is why I believe earnestly in Amida's Primal Vow —
In the Infinite Life Sutra, Amida's Primal Vow is the 18th Vow of his 48 Vows:
If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings
in the lands of the ten quarters who sincerely
and joyfully entrust themselves to me,
desire to be born in my land, and
call my Name, even ten times, should not
be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
Excluded, however, are those who commit
the five gravest offences and abuse the right Dharma.
When I recite the Buddha's Name, I do so to confirm this faith through working of this Vow and the original intent behind the 48 Vow Amida made in his incarnations as Dharmakara.
Reference:
Dharmakara: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmakara
Infinite Life Sutra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Life_Sutra
Primal Vow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Vow
20130429
20130428
Dog Year
Last summer, during my Most Excellent Work Experience (July-August 2012), I received from one of my workmate a plastic toy dog.
Being of the Dog Year in Asian Astrology, which I do not believe in but treat like the pseudoscience it is: a metaphysical tool which is hardly useful outside of trying to fit myself to the stereotypical dogged attitude of perseverance, loyalty, and eagerness to please.
Apart from the stereotypes about dogs, I have discovered that people born in the same year sometimes appear similar in traits, but that could mainly be due to wishful thinking.
This toy dog represents and symbolizes my dogged attitude towards working in my chosen career as security guard. While the pay means part-time work, I have been loyal to the same company for the past 12 years for the same reason why I am a Buddhist, which is summed up in a clichéd phrase: "You can't teach a dog new tricks", to which I add with gusto, "But you can learn like a human how to adapt according to the environment.
On closer look at this toy dog, I'm convinced it's a Retriever.
Thinking Things Through
Thinking is not the same as doing something because of a thought, be it good or bad.
To be oppressive to other people is harmful. This is the essence of what is considered evil, though it is moderate and is only rarely taken to extreme.
In contrast, to be patient and loving to everyone is harmless and most beneficial to the people who need such caring and love. This arises from the basic goodness which is in all sentient beings yet is only offered to close friends, family and loved ones.
For it take practice to be caring to everyone. It involves being willing to trust oneself and especially in other people, and to nurture the same qualities of patience and love in other people, too.
Thinking of being patient and loving to others, especially someone you never met, requires careful consideration of taking action in a trusting manner, confident that other people will treat you as a loving and patient manner, too.
However, I am not preaching trusting an unknown stranger just like that, since social etiquette usually dictates treating a guest with kindness when a host. As a guest, it's usually prudent to treat your host with courtesy and respect so that whenever you come to visit, you always have a place to stay.
As well, it makes good sense to think before I act, as rash action tends to lead to breaches of etiquette.
Yet thinking is not the same as doing an act. Always it helps to think through an action (helping others, for example), within the context of being helpful and of service to others. For by helping others, work gets done in a manner that is mutually beneficial to all.
However, this article isn't filled with commands and rules, even though it may seem like it. Rather, I am writing it to demostrate that thought precedes action, and have done so to encourage beneficial and positive outcomes based on patience and love.
To be oppressive to other people is harmful. This is the essence of what is considered evil, though it is moderate and is only rarely taken to extreme.
In contrast, to be patient and loving to everyone is harmless and most beneficial to the people who need such caring and love. This arises from the basic goodness which is in all sentient beings yet is only offered to close friends, family and loved ones.
For it take practice to be caring to everyone. It involves being willing to trust oneself and especially in other people, and to nurture the same qualities of patience and love in other people, too.
Thinking of being patient and loving to others, especially someone you never met, requires careful consideration of taking action in a trusting manner, confident that other people will treat you as a loving and patient manner, too.
However, I am not preaching trusting an unknown stranger just like that, since social etiquette usually dictates treating a guest with kindness when a host. As a guest, it's usually prudent to treat your host with courtesy and respect so that whenever you come to visit, you always have a place to stay.
As well, it makes good sense to think before I act, as rash action tends to lead to breaches of etiquette.
Yet thinking is not the same as doing an act. Always it helps to think through an action (helping others, for example), within the context of being helpful and of service to others. For by helping others, work gets done in a manner that is mutually beneficial to all.
However, this article isn't filled with commands and rules, even though it may seem like it. Rather, I am writing it to demostrate that thought precedes action, and have done so to encourage beneficial and positive outcomes based on patience and love.
Diary 20130428 1645H: The OAPFILES Series 1 Episode 1
This is related to Doctor Who through the following lame joke that may only appeal to fellow Whovians, whenever you get it:
"Help! Silence has fallen and it can't get up!"
Obviously then it must be plenty old in its age, as most members of the Silence tend to be taller than I am, and bristling with energy.
Elderly members of these creatures, assisted by human members of the Silence, tend to lose their energy when underwater. Yet they appear not to drown.
It's unknown if they are related to the cracks in walls of the bedroom of Amelia Pond, who was captured as an adult by the shawdowy organization.
No, wait! That was the theme of Series 5 of Doctor Who.
As well, three years ago, Series 5 was on my shopping list when HMV closed its downtown Vancouver location. However, HMV is still popular in tony South Surrey, BC.
In the OAPFiles, I'll just peruse my sometimes foggy recollections of Doctor Who's 11th regeneration where some unnamed soothsayer in Pompeii goes unnoticed by the Doctor in his 10th regeneration. Or, did she?
If the soothsayer was turning into a Pyroville, then it's possible that she could have survived Vesuvius, though not as a human.
OK, there is no relationship whatsoever between the psychic cult member rendered psychic by inhaling fumes that are morphing her body into a Pyroville, one of a rock-based humanoid people from the planet Pyrovillia who convert humans into their own kind near volcanoes.
After reading about how Gillan and Freema_Agyeman go their roles, I could understand the reason for recycling actors who played small roles on Doctor Who: secrecy.
OK that's it for the first OAPFiles. Next time, I'm going to complain about something else in a very short blog about Doctor Who.
Reference:
Karen Gillan as Soothsayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcEIZ8YpviY
Soothsayer (The Fires of Pompeii: tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Soothsayer_(The_Fires_of_Pompeii
"Help! Silence has fallen and it can't get up!"
Obviously then it must be plenty old in its age, as most members of the Silence tend to be taller than I am, and bristling with energy.
Elderly members of these creatures, assisted by human members of the Silence, tend to lose their energy when underwater. Yet they appear not to drown.
It's unknown if they are related to the cracks in walls of the bedroom of Amelia Pond, who was captured as an adult by the shawdowy organization.
No, wait! That was the theme of Series 5 of Doctor Who.
As well, three years ago, Series 5 was on my shopping list when HMV closed its downtown Vancouver location. However, HMV is still popular in tony South Surrey, BC.
In the OAPFiles, I'll just peruse my sometimes foggy recollections of Doctor Who's 11th regeneration where some unnamed soothsayer in Pompeii goes unnoticed by the Doctor in his 10th regeneration. Or, did she?
If the soothsayer was turning into a Pyroville, then it's possible that she could have survived Vesuvius, though not as a human.
OK, there is no relationship whatsoever between the psychic cult member rendered psychic by inhaling fumes that are morphing her body into a Pyroville, one of a rock-based humanoid people from the planet Pyrovillia who convert humans into their own kind near volcanoes.
After reading about how Gillan and Freema_Agyeman go their roles, I could understand the reason for recycling actors who played small roles on Doctor Who: secrecy.
OK that's it for the first OAPFiles. Next time, I'm going to complain about something else in a very short blog about Doctor Who.
Reference:
Karen Gillan as Soothsayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcEIZ8YpviY
Soothsayer (The Fires of Pompeii: tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Soothsayer_(The_Fires_of_Pompeii
The World Alight With Passion (poem)
A vision of beauty is like the sun.
Before seeing it, my world was dark.
Now it is alight with passion.
With the world alight with passion,
the dark of night no longer blinds me
to the true beauty of love.
Before seeing it, my world was dark.
Now it is alight with passion.
With the world alight with passion,
the dark of night no longer blinds me
to the true beauty of love.
The Basic Goodness of the Unborn (poem)
My heart once aflame with evil passions
is cooled by the calmness of my mind —
all that is left is refined as compassion
by the single-minded focus on No-thought.
Though red embers still glow, its heat
has melted all evil away, leaving behind
the basic goodness of the Unborn.
is cooled by the calmness of my mind —
all that is left is refined as compassion
by the single-minded focus on No-thought.
Though red embers still glow, its heat
has melted all evil away, leaving behind
the basic goodness of the Unborn.
Samadhi is Right Concentration
One cannot merely heat up oatmeal, and then add water, expecting porridge — all one gets is an unpalatable mess.
When one mixes up water and oatmeal while heating the mixture over heat, porridge is always made.
Doing things correctly yields results.
So too is it with meditation: all the observation in the world is pointless when the mind is not calm as a troubled mind misses the fine details of what he observes.
This is why meditation begins with counting the breath. It isn't how many times you count your breath that is important: it is the single-minded focus on returning to counting the breath that calms the mind.
Once the mind is calm, that single-minded focus is honed and now allows the practitioner to closely observe how his thoughts arise, where they go when thoughts fade away, and which ones were truly important to his journey on the Middle Path.
This is the essence of the samadhi of No-thought: breath meditation becalms the mind and develops single-mindedness, which prepares the mind to observe itself carefully.
Once the practitioner learns that the ebb and flow of his thoughts are as calm as the ocean waves crashing upon the shore, he has purified the mind with samadhi.
Why is it called "samadhi of No-thought?" His right concentration allows him to not be attached to his thoughts, and to let them rise and fall like waves on a beach.
For his mind is calm as the eye of a storm of thoughts he no longer holds close.
When one mixes up water and oatmeal while heating the mixture over heat, porridge is always made.
Doing things correctly yields results.
So too is it with meditation: all the observation in the world is pointless when the mind is not calm as a troubled mind misses the fine details of what he observes.
This is why meditation begins with counting the breath. It isn't how many times you count your breath that is important: it is the single-minded focus on returning to counting the breath that calms the mind.
Once the mind is calm, that single-minded focus is honed and now allows the practitioner to closely observe how his thoughts arise, where they go when thoughts fade away, and which ones were truly important to his journey on the Middle Path.
This is the essence of the samadhi of No-thought: breath meditation becalms the mind and develops single-mindedness, which prepares the mind to observe itself carefully.
Once the practitioner learns that the ebb and flow of his thoughts are as calm as the ocean waves crashing upon the shore, he has purified the mind with samadhi.
Why is it called "samadhi of No-thought?" His right concentration allows him to not be attached to his thoughts, and to let them rise and fall like waves on a beach.
For his mind is calm as the eye of a storm of thoughts he no longer holds close.
20130427
Amida Buddha Still Calls (poem)
If I knew good and evil like Amida does,
then I'd be Buddha.
Yet all I am is a fool
who recites the Nembutsu.
This is why a fool like me
is no good to set
an example since I call
to Amida now
and then. How slothful am I!
Even so, a fool
such as this one who writes
of the Buddha
tries to show perseverance
outdoes inconsistency.
No matter how many times
I recite the Name,
Amida Buddha still calls
through me as I chant,
"Namu Amida Butsu!"
20130424
NWSF: Warning! May is National Masturbation Month
According to their website, The Canadian Mental Health Association is against masturbation, as most of the medications reduce the ability to have orgasms. So a lot of mentally ill people have given up on orgasms in favor of quality relationships.
I can't think of a funny comeback to this as some types pf medications not only reduce the ability to have an orgasm, they also do not improve a person's ability to take a joke.
As well, the advocation of masturbation would not be endorsed by the government, due to the myth that it leads to reduced production at work. If the government had its way, then it would expect anyone aged 16 or older to be working.
Is it is any wonder that sex crimes including stalking have gotten into the law books? People obsessed about sex who get caught are unfairly daemonized by society as either a criminal or worse, mentally ill.
Perhaps this is how the "sex is counterproductive to the GNP of a nation" myth got started. First you label them crazy; then you criminalize them.
However, masturbation is the only safe sex when practiced online without intention to meet. What this means is the vice of erotica isn't going to be defeated by making it illegal online. It also means that sanitizing the Internet would also require sanitizing the world i.e. allowing sexually repressive laws to control our sex lives.
Of course, there is an alternative: we could learn more about Tibetan Buddhism and its tantric yoga. We could even learn about skyclad yoga, though there would be less co-ed classes for it due to the risk of decadent hedonists ruining its purpose to transcend the carnality of coitus.
I can't think of a funny comeback to this as some types pf medications not only reduce the ability to have an orgasm, they also do not improve a person's ability to take a joke.
As well, the advocation of masturbation would not be endorsed by the government, due to the myth that it leads to reduced production at work. If the government had its way, then it would expect anyone aged 16 or older to be working.
Is it is any wonder that sex crimes including stalking have gotten into the law books? People obsessed about sex who get caught are unfairly daemonized by society as either a criminal or worse, mentally ill.
Perhaps this is how the "sex is counterproductive to the GNP of a nation" myth got started. First you label them crazy; then you criminalize them.
However, masturbation is the only safe sex when practiced online without intention to meet. What this means is the vice of erotica isn't going to be defeated by making it illegal online. It also means that sanitizing the Internet would also require sanitizing the world i.e. allowing sexually repressive laws to control our sex lives.
Of course, there is an alternative: we could learn more about Tibetan Buddhism and its tantric yoga. We could even learn about skyclad yoga, though there would be less co-ed classes for it due to the risk of decadent hedonists ruining its purpose to transcend the carnality of coitus.
20130422
Diary Entry 20130422 0704H Insomnia - Tardis Log (non-canon)
Tardis Log
Planet: Earth
Location: London
Date and Time: April 22, 2013 0800H
Transcript of conversation with Doctor by Tardis
The Doctor has been enamoured with the new Companion. It has been noteable that we had first found her on the Dalek planet for his foes he defeated, sometimes with my help.
After losing Amy Pond and Rory Williams to a relative of the weeping angels in a space-time continuum which I'll never survive, we had met her great-great aunt, also named Clara Oswim Oswald.
This post-modern version has the same spunk and energy, and might truly be a match for the Doctor. At some point, I lost the ability to transcend time but could easily transcend space with ease.
I'm not sure if it is more than the usual possessive rivalry I feel for the same companions that I chose. After all, I picked the Doctor for his adventures after the war which left him the last of his world.
Yet it bothers me greatly to see the Doctor is also quite peeved about this decective from America, who it appears is not only protecting the fixed point in time, Enid Blyton, but also Clara is somehow attracted to him. I don't like that at all.
So earlier today I sent the emergency protocol avatar to confront Carla, Enid and The Doctor.
On board the Tardis, the Doctor overhears Carla talking to someone who sound like her.
"As this is the image you are able to adapt to, I have chosen it."
"But you're not me. I admit I fancy being able to talk to myself from time to time, but really..."
Tardis replaces Carla avatar with Doctor Avatar. "Would you rather there be two Doctors to talk to? One to fight with, and other who can outtalk even you for a change?
Doctor walks in to confront Tardis Doctor avatar.
"No, no, no, NO! Tardis, I forbid you to use am image of me to talk to my companions.
Avatar fades as Tardis says "Until next time... soon. Au revoir!"
"Clara, if you had noticed, we're back in London..."
"Doctor, how nice? Near where I live."
"No, um.. . no time when you live either."
"What? Some of my clothes are dirty. Just an afternoon wearing them, then?"
"I'm afraid not. Your story of your grandmother reading Enid Blyton stories led me to the time when she first started writing. It was circa 1930s, a handsome detective... rumors of a hidden romance, embarrasssment on exposure, and the detective returned home!"
"Back to France, I hope. Inspector Poirot?"
"No, he was a fictional character by another female author, Agatha Christie who I met once in the English Moors."
"The Mooors?"
"Yes, a dreary place, I thought," said the Doctor
"I visited it once," said Clara, "and walked to the train station to await one home."
"My first Moors trip was dull, dull, dull. Sorta like lots of dark matter that you can't see but the Tardis is impervious to the nasty x-rays and gamma rays."
"Okay," said Carla, "so we both agree the Moors are dull."
"Quite, but in my case, I still had fun a long time ago. Or was it sometime in the future? No matter. Enid Blyton's had a fan in your grandmother when she was a child."
"So? I find her stories are suitable to young children before they develop a mind of their own, and the energy to sustain it."
"Well, you were fond of your Nana!"
"Yes, but once I made up my mind to be an indepedent thinker, Blyton's stories lacked the role model I desparately wanted. Then again books are sometimes rubbish written to show off your college diploma."
"Even in Gallifrey, I had the equivalent education and then some. Then there's the fly by the seat of your pants that the Tardis provides."
"Tell me, is the Tardis jealous of me? You mentioned that you once met it, I mean her, once."
"It was like talking with my wife, actually, though I am currently still married to River Song, but I think she might've died when we first met in my Tenth incarnation. Well, I think it was. Anyway..."
"Anyway, let's talk to Enid Blyton, encourage her to continue writing, and don't let the detective romance her."
"Right!"
Sop anyway, both the Doctor and Carla went to visit the Blyton family. She's married, wrote her fiction for middle school and younger. As a teacher, this was the audience she wrote about. We are here before she wrote the first Noddy book, which became politically incorrect even during the war days.
Of course, now it's really boring to middle school children. However, the Doctor said "Enid and I share a connection in that writing the language of conversation with colloquial term needs to be censored so as not to lead to the traumatizing by one's parents over slang and sometimes profanity. Besides, the lessers fill their chatter with obscenities because they like to keep their simple speech as raw as possible."
...
Anyway, the Doctor and Carla meet Enid Blyton. She's doting on the model for her noddy, a young lady who later made it to Cambridge, and is a writer. Douglas Adams. Wrote a parody about me in which the starship Titanic injured me. It took awhile to replace the Blue Box with authentic wood I "grew" myself. Symthesized.
The Tenth Human Doctor in the pocket universe, who's married to Rose Tyler. He's almost synthesized, got a bit of the Doctor but a human heart. It's like Donna's subconscious plus my influence pulled that ending to Rose Tyler's time as companion.
That girl had potential: if I hadn't given her Vortex energy, all would have been lost for her and the Doctor.
...
The Doctor: Tardis avatar, please show yourself in an image pleasing to me.
Tardis avatar (as his wife from the planet long ago): Yes, I am here. What's going on?
The Doctor: I'm pretty it wouldn't be hard for you to find out, as you're close enough to provide translation for the maid.
Tardis avatar: Yes, well, Gaelic, be it Scots or Irish proper, alway needs a translation.
The Doctor: But this was Welsh English. Not Gaelic but Brythonic.
Tardis avatar: It was Welsh English, is it? Ere ye try as try can.
The Doctor: that's not English the Welsh spoke. Anyway, I meant the Americanisms of that detective.
Tardis avatar: Out of place, is he?
The Doctor: Yes, he used "shiney" in the same way children use "cool." Nobody from before Pearl Harbor used either terms, so it is possible he is an anarchonistic point in time, from Earth's future, perhaps a cultic Noddy fan from a nomadic Earth colonozer for nearby planets of a nearby star.
Tardis avatar: ...or worse, is not unlike that annoying fellow that kept hitting on friends, men and women alike.
The Doctor: (amazed but seems to have forgotten "Captain Jack") Hey, previous incarnation's doing. Besides, I always thought he'd be the best companion but is a bit shifty.
[at this point, Detective Knight arrives. He looks concerned, but still approaches the Tardis avatar hologram - and accidentally walks through her.
Tardis avatar (in Amy Pond voice with change in appearance) Well, shiver me timbers, a lad who walked right through me! Wooh!
Detective Knight (surprised, but looks wasted, must have been drinking with Blyton's husband in his study. A confirmed saké and tonic man) Nice 3D holo. (grins)
[rubs left chest area where derringer is]
Doctor: (to Knight) Mr Knight, Detective... Welcome to my humble abode!
Knight: (whispers) You blown my cover!
Doctor: Say wat?
Tardis avatar: (as Amy) So says the reject from another planet with a ship held together by baling wire.
Knight: excuse me? And you are?
Doctor: Thomas, my wife Tardis.
Knight: honored.
Tardis avatar; (as wife, not River Song!) Aren't you supposed to be babysitting an assassin savant from Blue Sun?
Knight: never heard of that. My name in this time period's Thomas Knight. oh, and I'm wasted.
Doctor: (annoyed) Drinking... Never had the habit. Red wine's horrible. no hard stuff. makes my heart timing go wonky. (fiddles a switch) here... (pulls out a cup that's got dry ice smoke folowing) ...try this!
Knight: what's this? (receives cup and sniffs)
Tardis avatar: exotic space spice panacea for ethanol intoxication.
Knight: say what?
Doctor: a relative of liquorice, gene modified, liver tonic, and safer than pills from the family doctor.
Avatar: also used as air scrubbing plant to convert carbon dioxide in Tardis to oxygen. It's in the sun room.
Knight: You guys got it right, but the comment to Ms Blyton's isn't right.
Doctor: you're gonna have to ask Carla to apologize. I didn't wing that zinger off my tongue.
Knight: Adultery? To a teacher of schoolchildren who is married in 1941.
Avatar: Yes, April 22, 1941 with return to Carla's place in 2013 to occur 235H, 8 hours aaway.
Doctor: But I've seen closer interaction with Carla and Miss Blyton. Plus she's not married. She's a spinster teacher.
Knight: I thought, married. Makes it easier to guard her, to protect her.
Doctor: and what's the details on that? Some plan some guy invented for you, perhaps a criminal.
Knight: No, I was born off-world. fought in the war of independence but lost.
Doctor: American?
Knight: not even close. So I was talking both women honorably. Honest!
Doctor: You actually click with Carla than she does with me. This is an anomoly.
Avatar: Anomaly.
Doctor: Anomaly, like you standout like a sore thumb.
Knight: No problem from MI5.
Doctor: the War needed their propaganda. Now it's in the English mass media.
Knight: No! (fakes amazement) Is that why it's dot com.uk rather than dot com period?
Avatar: (morphs to Rose, then Astrid, to Amy Pond, znd fades to wife of Doctor (not River Song) Mass media is controlled by the spy agency of a nation. Areopagita. Publisher rights. The writer thus is reduced to 10-25 cents a word!
Knight: If I wrote a 100,000 word novel, that'd be $25,000 advance with 5% royalties on books and merchandise sold through Indigo.
Doctor: will you pipe down, dear tardis?
Tardis: (to self) time to bug Carla! Woopee!
Carla: (outside tardis) Will you just walk out of the Tardis like a human being?
tardis as carala avatar: I thought it would be nice to talk to me. we make a truce?"
Carla: A truce when you provide English instructions for driving the Tardis when the Doctor's in the bowls of it.
[Knight's head appears when Tardis open from inside)
Carla: oh lookie here: fake detective, possible captain of a space junk!
Knight: What'd I do wrong to give myself away?
Carla: The derringer is so Victorian
Doctor: Oh, and when did you get the time vortex manipulator.
Knight: It's invented by an associate who was 18 at the time.
Doctor: In your pocket universe? ..Is it stable, even?
Knight: It's got fans! (grins)
Doctor: oh, you have a cult based on your pocket universe? What's its name?
Knight: Firefly.
Doctor: Oh, after the ship even though it would have crashed without that associate's flying skills.
Knight: gifted child. Kicks me out when she wants to talk to the ship, Firefly.
Doctor: (whips out the usual metal device with green light that makes funny noises)
Your vortex manipulator is BIG!
Knight: It's the ship like your Tardis, only bigger.
Doctor: Ok that makes it harder to steal. The one River Song and Jack stole... it being small had to have been a factor.
Knight: yes, myself, a mercenary who's fast on the draw but slow in the head (thinks all about guns and bombs)
Doctor: this is why I prefer one companion and maybe a well behaved gentleman like yourself.
Knight: sure thanks.
Doctor: real name? Please? I might be a fan too.
Knight: Malcom, call me Mal, everyone does.
Doctor and "Knght" shakes hands.
Knight: in cognito, capishe?
Doctor: yes, of course, your vortex manipulator is just a bigger Tardis. Does it have a Time Vortex?
Knight: my associate, she said it opens a big whole into the time vortex. then she had to add jargon to mess up my memory.
Flrefly Theme slowly builds
Knight: well, I gotta get back to my ship, Doctor. Would you like to see the time vortex attractor on the manipulator?
Doctor: well I could but if anything went wrong, how to I reduce here?
Knight: another time.
Malcolm Reynolds walks to the opened bay up the walkway. A hum that has a "woohoo-crunk" to it begins as the bay doors hermetically sealed. Then the Firefly Serenity rises and takes off, dropping another ceramic heat shield. As the ship reaches the speed needed to transcend the space-time continuum without dragging all mass with you. The hum now is replaced by a "Good-bye".
(Remix of Ballad of Serenity and short version of Doctor Who Theme play to fade.)
Avatar: Aloha, son!
(Ceramic heat shield tiling falls near the Doctor and Clara.)
Doctor: Incoming!
(Clara leaps into Tardis with Doctor right behind.)
(Dr Who intro to fade black, show Serenity disappear high in the sky)
(Firefly ending theme to fade to blacl)
Planet: Earth
Location: London
Date and Time: April 22, 2013 0800H
Transcript of conversation with Doctor by Tardis
The Doctor has been enamoured with the new Companion. It has been noteable that we had first found her on the Dalek planet for his foes he defeated, sometimes with my help.
After losing Amy Pond and Rory Williams to a relative of the weeping angels in a space-time continuum which I'll never survive, we had met her great-great aunt, also named Clara Oswim Oswald.
This post-modern version has the same spunk and energy, and might truly be a match for the Doctor. At some point, I lost the ability to transcend time but could easily transcend space with ease.
I'm not sure if it is more than the usual possessive rivalry I feel for the same companions that I chose. After all, I picked the Doctor for his adventures after the war which left him the last of his world.
Yet it bothers me greatly to see the Doctor is also quite peeved about this decective from America, who it appears is not only protecting the fixed point in time, Enid Blyton, but also Clara is somehow attracted to him. I don't like that at all.
So earlier today I sent the emergency protocol avatar to confront Carla, Enid and The Doctor.
On board the Tardis, the Doctor overhears Carla talking to someone who sound like her.
"As this is the image you are able to adapt to, I have chosen it."
"But you're not me. I admit I fancy being able to talk to myself from time to time, but really..."
Tardis replaces Carla avatar with Doctor Avatar. "Would you rather there be two Doctors to talk to? One to fight with, and other who can outtalk even you for a change?
Doctor walks in to confront Tardis Doctor avatar.
"No, no, no, NO! Tardis, I forbid you to use am image of me to talk to my companions.
Avatar fades as Tardis says "Until next time... soon. Au revoir!"
"Clara, if you had noticed, we're back in London..."
"Doctor, how nice? Near where I live."
"No, um.. . no time when you live either."
"What? Some of my clothes are dirty. Just an afternoon wearing them, then?"
"I'm afraid not. Your story of your grandmother reading Enid Blyton stories led me to the time when she first started writing. It was circa 1930s, a handsome detective... rumors of a hidden romance, embarrasssment on exposure, and the detective returned home!"
"Back to France, I hope. Inspector Poirot?"
"No, he was a fictional character by another female author, Agatha Christie who I met once in the English Moors."
"The Mooors?"
"Yes, a dreary place, I thought," said the Doctor
"I visited it once," said Clara, "and walked to the train station to await one home."
"My first Moors trip was dull, dull, dull. Sorta like lots of dark matter that you can't see but the Tardis is impervious to the nasty x-rays and gamma rays."
"Okay," said Carla, "so we both agree the Moors are dull."
"Quite, but in my case, I still had fun a long time ago. Or was it sometime in the future? No matter. Enid Blyton's had a fan in your grandmother when she was a child."
"So? I find her stories are suitable to young children before they develop a mind of their own, and the energy to sustain it."
"Well, you were fond of your Nana!"
"Yes, but once I made up my mind to be an indepedent thinker, Blyton's stories lacked the role model I desparately wanted. Then again books are sometimes rubbish written to show off your college diploma."
"Even in Gallifrey, I had the equivalent education and then some. Then there's the fly by the seat of your pants that the Tardis provides."
"Tell me, is the Tardis jealous of me? You mentioned that you once met it, I mean her, once."
"It was like talking with my wife, actually, though I am currently still married to River Song, but I think she might've died when we first met in my Tenth incarnation. Well, I think it was. Anyway..."
"Anyway, let's talk to Enid Blyton, encourage her to continue writing, and don't let the detective romance her."
"Right!"
Sop anyway, both the Doctor and Carla went to visit the Blyton family. She's married, wrote her fiction for middle school and younger. As a teacher, this was the audience she wrote about. We are here before she wrote the first Noddy book, which became politically incorrect even during the war days.
Of course, now it's really boring to middle school children. However, the Doctor said "Enid and I share a connection in that writing the language of conversation with colloquial term needs to be censored so as not to lead to the traumatizing by one's parents over slang and sometimes profanity. Besides, the lessers fill their chatter with obscenities because they like to keep their simple speech as raw as possible."
...
Anyway, the Doctor and Carla meet Enid Blyton. She's doting on the model for her noddy, a young lady who later made it to Cambridge, and is a writer. Douglas Adams. Wrote a parody about me in which the starship Titanic injured me. It took awhile to replace the Blue Box with authentic wood I "grew" myself. Symthesized.
The Tenth Human Doctor in the pocket universe, who's married to Rose Tyler. He's almost synthesized, got a bit of the Doctor but a human heart. It's like Donna's subconscious plus my influence pulled that ending to Rose Tyler's time as companion.
That girl had potential: if I hadn't given her Vortex energy, all would have been lost for her and the Doctor.
...
The Doctor: Tardis avatar, please show yourself in an image pleasing to me.
Tardis avatar (as his wife from the planet long ago): Yes, I am here. What's going on?
The Doctor: I'm pretty it wouldn't be hard for you to find out, as you're close enough to provide translation for the maid.
Tardis avatar: Yes, well, Gaelic, be it Scots or Irish proper, alway needs a translation.
The Doctor: But this was Welsh English. Not Gaelic but Brythonic.
Tardis avatar: It was Welsh English, is it? Ere ye try as try can.
The Doctor: that's not English the Welsh spoke. Anyway, I meant the Americanisms of that detective.
Tardis avatar: Out of place, is he?
The Doctor: Yes, he used "shiney" in the same way children use "cool." Nobody from before Pearl Harbor used either terms, so it is possible he is an anarchonistic point in time, from Earth's future, perhaps a cultic Noddy fan from a nomadic Earth colonozer for nearby planets of a nearby star.
Tardis avatar: ...or worse, is not unlike that annoying fellow that kept hitting on friends, men and women alike.
The Doctor: (amazed but seems to have forgotten "Captain Jack") Hey, previous incarnation's doing. Besides, I always thought he'd be the best companion but is a bit shifty.
[at this point, Detective Knight arrives. He looks concerned, but still approaches the Tardis avatar hologram - and accidentally walks through her.
Tardis avatar (in Amy Pond voice with change in appearance) Well, shiver me timbers, a lad who walked right through me! Wooh!
Detective Knight (surprised, but looks wasted, must have been drinking with Blyton's husband in his study. A confirmed saké and tonic man) Nice 3D holo. (grins)
[rubs left chest area where derringer is]
Doctor: (to Knight) Mr Knight, Detective... Welcome to my humble abode!
Knight: (whispers) You blown my cover!
Doctor: Say wat?
Tardis avatar: (as Amy) So says the reject from another planet with a ship held together by baling wire.
Knight: excuse me? And you are?
Doctor: Thomas, my wife Tardis.
Knight: honored.
Tardis avatar; (as wife, not River Song!) Aren't you supposed to be babysitting an assassin savant from Blue Sun?
Knight: never heard of that. My name in this time period's Thomas Knight. oh, and I'm wasted.
Doctor: (annoyed) Drinking... Never had the habit. Red wine's horrible. no hard stuff. makes my heart timing go wonky. (fiddles a switch) here... (pulls out a cup that's got dry ice smoke folowing) ...try this!
Knight: what's this? (receives cup and sniffs)
Tardis avatar: exotic space spice panacea for ethanol intoxication.
Knight: say what?
Doctor: a relative of liquorice, gene modified, liver tonic, and safer than pills from the family doctor.
Avatar: also used as air scrubbing plant to convert carbon dioxide in Tardis to oxygen. It's in the sun room.
Knight: You guys got it right, but the comment to Ms Blyton's isn't right.
Doctor: you're gonna have to ask Carla to apologize. I didn't wing that zinger off my tongue.
Knight: Adultery? To a teacher of schoolchildren who is married in 1941.
Avatar: Yes, April 22, 1941 with return to Carla's place in 2013 to occur 235H, 8 hours aaway.
Doctor: But I've seen closer interaction with Carla and Miss Blyton. Plus she's not married. She's a spinster teacher.
Knight: I thought, married. Makes it easier to guard her, to protect her.
Doctor: and what's the details on that? Some plan some guy invented for you, perhaps a criminal.
Knight: No, I was born off-world. fought in the war of independence but lost.
Doctor: American?
Knight: not even close. So I was talking both women honorably. Honest!
Doctor: You actually click with Carla than she does with me. This is an anomoly.
Avatar: Anomaly.
Doctor: Anomaly, like you standout like a sore thumb.
Knight: No problem from MI5.
Doctor: the War needed their propaganda. Now it's in the English mass media.
Knight: No! (fakes amazement) Is that why it's dot com.uk rather than dot com period?
Avatar: (morphs to Rose, then Astrid, to Amy Pond, znd fades to wife of Doctor (not River Song) Mass media is controlled by the spy agency of a nation. Areopagita. Publisher rights. The writer thus is reduced to 10-25 cents a word!
Knight: If I wrote a 100,000 word novel, that'd be $25,000 advance with 5% royalties on books and merchandise sold through Indigo.
Doctor: will you pipe down, dear tardis?
Tardis: (to self) time to bug Carla! Woopee!
Carla: (outside tardis) Will you just walk out of the Tardis like a human being?
tardis as carala avatar: I thought it would be nice to talk to me. we make a truce?"
Carla: A truce when you provide English instructions for driving the Tardis when the Doctor's in the bowls of it.
[Knight's head appears when Tardis open from inside)
Carla: oh lookie here: fake detective, possible captain of a space junk!
Knight: What'd I do wrong to give myself away?
Carla: The derringer is so Victorian
Doctor: Oh, and when did you get the time vortex manipulator.
Knight: It's invented by an associate who was 18 at the time.
Doctor: In your pocket universe? ..Is it stable, even?
Knight: It's got fans! (grins)
Doctor: oh, you have a cult based on your pocket universe? What's its name?
Knight: Firefly.
Doctor: Oh, after the ship even though it would have crashed without that associate's flying skills.
Knight: gifted child. Kicks me out when she wants to talk to the ship, Firefly.
Doctor: (whips out the usual metal device with green light that makes funny noises)
Your vortex manipulator is BIG!
Knight: It's the ship like your Tardis, only bigger.
Doctor: Ok that makes it harder to steal. The one River Song and Jack stole... it being small had to have been a factor.
Knight: yes, myself, a mercenary who's fast on the draw but slow in the head (thinks all about guns and bombs)
Doctor: this is why I prefer one companion and maybe a well behaved gentleman like yourself.
Knight: sure thanks.
Doctor: real name? Please? I might be a fan too.
Knight: Malcom, call me Mal, everyone does.
Doctor and "Knght" shakes hands.
Knight: in cognito, capishe?
Doctor: yes, of course, your vortex manipulator is just a bigger Tardis. Does it have a Time Vortex?
Knight: my associate, she said it opens a big whole into the time vortex. then she had to add jargon to mess up my memory.
Flrefly Theme slowly builds
Knight: well, I gotta get back to my ship, Doctor. Would you like to see the time vortex attractor on the manipulator?
Doctor: well I could but if anything went wrong, how to I reduce here?
Knight: another time.
Malcolm Reynolds walks to the opened bay up the walkway. A hum that has a "woohoo-crunk" to it begins as the bay doors hermetically sealed. Then the Firefly Serenity rises and takes off, dropping another ceramic heat shield. As the ship reaches the speed needed to transcend the space-time continuum without dragging all mass with you. The hum now is replaced by a "Good-bye".
(Remix of Ballad of Serenity and short version of Doctor Who Theme play to fade.)
Avatar: Aloha, son!
(Ceramic heat shield tiling falls near the Doctor and Clara.)
Doctor: Incoming!
(Clara leaps into Tardis with Doctor right behind.)
(Dr Who intro to fade black, show Serenity disappear high in the sky)
(Firefly ending theme to fade to blacl)
Diary Entry: 20130422 0408H: Insomnia
Insomnia
...
Detective Thomas Knight has been in London for some time. One wonders if he is protecting the young lady Enid Blyton or bent on romancing her. All I know is, my grandmother loved the elder Lady Blyton's books when she grew up in the countryside.
Since I had a lot of respect for dear old Nan, her books are still old fashioned. Apart from that, it doesn't hurt a young child's mind. "But at my age, the old fashioned bits seem a bit stuffy," I said to the Doctor.
"Don't be mentioning your opinions to Miss Blyton, Clara."
"Afraid it'll give her writer's cramp or something."
"Well, if you must know," he replied, "she's working on her first novel."
"So, why is an American detective, that Knight fellow, protecting her?"
"Protecting?" scoffed the Doctor. "Who told you that?"
"I'm afraid I did," said Enid Blyton. "If you think my first book is stuffy just by meeting me, then I wonder if it'd be a seller too."
"Fixed point in time!" hiss the Doctor, but I don't really believe that. I mean, as long as Miss Blyton thinks Mr Knight is protecting her, then let her think that.
"Knight's not the fixed point in time."
Well, I'm fixing for some time with the great detective Thomas Knight, just so Nan gets to read Enid Blyton's books for children.
I'm absolutely sure that insomnia has kept me up being vexed about him so I put this note in me diary for keeps.
...
...
Detective Thomas Knight has been in London for some time. One wonders if he is protecting the young lady Enid Blyton or bent on romancing her. All I know is, my grandmother loved the elder Lady Blyton's books when she grew up in the countryside.
Since I had a lot of respect for dear old Nan, her books are still old fashioned. Apart from that, it doesn't hurt a young child's mind. "But at my age, the old fashioned bits seem a bit stuffy," I said to the Doctor.
"Don't be mentioning your opinions to Miss Blyton, Clara."
"Afraid it'll give her writer's cramp or something."
"Well, if you must know," he replied, "she's working on her first novel."
"So, why is an American detective, that Knight fellow, protecting her?"
"Protecting?" scoffed the Doctor. "Who told you that?"
"I'm afraid I did," said Enid Blyton. "If you think my first book is stuffy just by meeting me, then I wonder if it'd be a seller too."
"Fixed point in time!" hiss the Doctor, but I don't really believe that. I mean, as long as Miss Blyton thinks Mr Knight is protecting her, then let her think that.
"Knight's not the fixed point in time."
Well, I'm fixing for some time with the great detective Thomas Knight, just so Nan gets to read Enid Blyton's books for children.
I'm absolutely sure that insomnia has kept me up being vexed about him so I put this note in me diary for keeps.
...
Diary 20130422: Oh snap! I missed Earth Day!
However, global warming is based on bad science as is anti-global warming. Both anti and pro elements of global warming tend to emotional pleas in their propaganda, which indicates a fallacy is being purported as truth. I call this bad science because the same statistics may be interpreted to please the other side.
Would it not be easier just to SLOW DOWN the economy so that it can handle BOTH scenarios without getting colder /warmer??
"No, that's unfeasible!" cry the number crunchers.
Yet a 3 percent downturn is a lot if the GDP is over 10 billion dollars i.ze. 300 million dollar while it's only 30 million for a 1 billion dollar GDP.
Though the 1 billion dollar GDP is greatly impacted by a 30 million dollar loss even though it's ten times smaller.
I don't know why this is so, but it could be that the larger GDP has a wider variety of income streams while the smaller GDP has less income streams.
Likewise a 1 degree change in surface temperature has a larger effect on the Earth than 0.1 change. It means either flooding will occur or it won't but it could change coastlines, ports, harbours...
On the other hand, the anti-global warming people want to exploit more oil, and pollute the earth whilst trading carbon taxes for ways of looking greener than they were yesterday.
I don't think so.
I think either way, things will run a little faster, but the global warming proponents who don't want more and say it exists but still cause as much pollution as the anti-global warming action.
Even creating a green computer pollutes.
Hopefully it outweighs the pollution it takes to make things green.
It would be better to be honest about global warming: it exists when you tweak the statistics to support the pros and cons.
20130421
Diary Entry: 20130421: wrote funny reply in anime-related community which blew up in my face
Diary entry, April 21, 2013: wrote reply in Anime related community, self edited myself to prevent half of the children there to prefer manga to real life for life, the universe and everything you wanted to know about 6.
Almost feel for shaming and embarrassment from a mature female member, age unimportant.
Returned to planet Nembutsu.
Currently wondering what my favorite science-fantasy character Dr Who is doing with Clara Oswin Oswald in Shroud of Sorrow.
Got reference of the Tardis being like an automobile.
The Tardis makes Stephen King's Christine seem evil weird to its "fantastically weird and all that!"
Am waiting for a mangaka to make the Dr WHo staff go WOW!
Also am betting myself that won't happen until 12th Doctor as it takes a while for me to inspire a UK mangaka who is a Dr Who Otaku.
...
Meditating on how to "inhale" a banana on the street....
...
Almost feel for shaming and embarrassment from a mature female member, age unimportant.
Returned to planet Nembutsu.
Currently wondering what my favorite science-fantasy character Dr Who is doing with Clara Oswin Oswald in Shroud of Sorrow.
Got reference of the Tardis being like an automobile.
The Tardis makes Stephen King's Christine seem evil weird to its "fantastically weird and all that!"
Am waiting for a mangaka to make the Dr WHo staff go WOW!
Also am betting myself that won't happen until 12th Doctor as it takes a while for me to inspire a UK mangaka who is a Dr Who Otaku.
...
Meditating on how to "inhale" a banana on the street....
...
The Absolute is Almost Infinite
Buddhas and bodhisattvas are not the same as God, as even these Buddhas are finite in lifespan.
Only the Absolute is infinite in Western terms. In Eastern terms, the Absolute is both infinite and finite.
Compared to humans, the Absolute is close to infinite in age yet is finite in the sense that it too has a very long age i.e. is older than the present universe as the universe as science knows it has been reborn an almost infinite number of times.
Thus it is true to say the Absolute is older than the current universe as it has been reborn countless times and there has been no primordial creation.
Only the Absolute is infinite in Western terms. In Eastern terms, the Absolute is both infinite and finite.
Compared to humans, the Absolute is close to infinite in age yet is finite in the sense that it too has a very long age i.e. is older than the present universe as the universe as science knows it has been reborn an almost infinite number of times.
Thus it is true to say the Absolute is older than the current universe as it has been reborn countless times and there has been no primordial creation.
Becoming Unborn
When we are reborn in the Six Realms of Desire, samsara is not nirvana.
When we are attached to nirvana, nirvana is samsara for it leads to rebirth in samsara.
Samsara consists of the Six Realms of Desire —
When one is attached to rebirth in the human realm, that is not Buddhism but Sanatanadharma and results in rebirth. This attachment consists of a strong belief in transmigration and the permanent soul that is reincarnated solely as a human. It also violates the law of karma, which allows for rebirth in the Six Realms.
In Buddhism, non-attachment is an ideal which may be achieve by purifying the mind. The difficult route is to practice No-thought i.e. let no thought attract you to follow it to its end, but first let each thought go and return to the breath. With practice, it becomes as easy as breathing. This is the essence of Zen.
As for the easy route, Buddha Recitation leads to non-attachment as the Name-that-calls purifies the mind with earnest repetition, burning evil karma as you remember the Buddha. This is why it is called Buddha Remembrance. This is the essence of Pure Land Buddhism.
By remembering the Buddha, the mind is purified so that non-attachment to Nirvana is easily assured!
For non-attachment to Nirvana is essential to becoming Unborn.
When we are attached to nirvana, nirvana is samsara for it leads to rebirth in samsara.
Samsara consists of the Six Realms of Desire —
- the Hells,
- the Realm of Hungry Ghosts,
- the Realm of Animals,
- the Realm of Humans,
- the Realm of Daemons, and
- the Realm of the Gods
When one is attached to rebirth in the human realm, that is not Buddhism but Sanatanadharma and results in rebirth. This attachment consists of a strong belief in transmigration and the permanent soul that is reincarnated solely as a human. It also violates the law of karma, which allows for rebirth in the Six Realms.
In Buddhism, non-attachment is an ideal which may be achieve by purifying the mind. The difficult route is to practice No-thought i.e. let no thought attract you to follow it to its end, but first let each thought go and return to the breath. With practice, it becomes as easy as breathing. This is the essence of Zen.
As for the easy route, Buddha Recitation leads to non-attachment as the Name-that-calls purifies the mind with earnest repetition, burning evil karma as you remember the Buddha. This is why it is called Buddha Remembrance. This is the essence of Pure Land Buddhism.
By remembering the Buddha, the mind is purified so that non-attachment to Nirvana is easily assured!
For non-attachment to Nirvana is essential to becoming Unborn.
The Primal Vow in Brief (poem)
With clear recitation,
let the Buddha within call out
the Name-that-calls
so that your voice and his are one.
Even if you recite his name
but once with sincerity,
you shall be reborn in
the Pure Land of Bliss.
For as long as you remember
the Buddha, rebirth in
the Pure Land is assured!
Namu Amida Butsu!
let the Buddha within call out
the Name-that-calls
so that your voice and his are one.
Even if you recite his name
but once with sincerity,
you shall be reborn in
the Pure Land of Bliss.
For as long as you remember
the Buddha, rebirth in
the Pure Land is assured!
Namu Amida Butsu!
20130419
Is Buddhism Ready for Secularism?
Meditation is the key element in Buddhism which can be used to help people adapt to Western society.
For example, cognitive behavior therapy uses Buddhist meditation and much of the therapy reminds me of Zen. There is also Morita therapy. However, it costs $$$ to become a CBT facilitator.
Buddhism is religious because its abuse in politics is dangerous. The Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka precipitated the civil war with Tamil peoples by making Buddhism a state religion. However, it is because the Buddhist clergy wielded power in Buddhist nations such as Thailand and Burma that politic conflicts exist.
As well, the Hindu fanatics consider Buddhism to be a part of their religion - to the point where Mahayana is heresy!
In order for Buddhism to be effective as a non-religion, there would have to be a change of mind to view it thusly. Furthermore, the Buddhist clergy would have to abandon their political power in Buddhist nations — such a tradition is hard to let go.
Zen may have the trappings of religion, but it appeared to the West precisely because it considers reading the sutras secondary to the koan and meditation.
In order for Buddhism to be a non-religion, its spiritual aspects would have to be transformed into psychobabble, and represented as metaphysical in a form that the laity can understand without losing the religionists who are attracted to the orderliness of rites and rituals.
In India, Buddhism lives on as part of the Hindu Sanatanadharma with strong hints of Hinduism.
For Buddhism to become a tool of secularists, especially atheists, the Hindu gods would be best described in psychological terms i.e. representing the human qualities such as compassion and wisdom.
For example, cognitive behavior therapy uses Buddhist meditation and much of the therapy reminds me of Zen. There is also Morita therapy. However, it costs $$$ to become a CBT facilitator.
Buddhism is religious because its abuse in politics is dangerous. The Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka precipitated the civil war with Tamil peoples by making Buddhism a state religion. However, it is because the Buddhist clergy wielded power in Buddhist nations such as Thailand and Burma that politic conflicts exist.
As well, the Hindu fanatics consider Buddhism to be a part of their religion - to the point where Mahayana is heresy!
In order for Buddhism to be effective as a non-religion, there would have to be a change of mind to view it thusly. Furthermore, the Buddhist clergy would have to abandon their political power in Buddhist nations — such a tradition is hard to let go.
Zen may have the trappings of religion, but it appeared to the West precisely because it considers reading the sutras secondary to the koan and meditation.
In order for Buddhism to be a non-religion, its spiritual aspects would have to be transformed into psychobabble, and represented as metaphysical in a form that the laity can understand without losing the religionists who are attracted to the orderliness of rites and rituals.
In India, Buddhism lives on as part of the Hindu Sanatanadharma with strong hints of Hinduism.
For Buddhism to become a tool of secularists, especially atheists, the Hindu gods would be best described in psychological terms i.e. representing the human qualities such as compassion and wisdom.
Ego
Ego is about me, myself and I,
as well as what's mine and my possessions.
Ego lacks compassion and wisdom,
but thinks it is more intelligent
than anyone else — filled with vanity
and so puffed up with pride!
All it takes is two egocentric people,
and their egos will soon butt heads,
leading to trivial arguments
that make the observer shake his head.
Ego is why a woman demands attention
from her lover, and why a man's worth
is measured by his conquests.
It takes meditation to control the ego,
for we all need do so in society,
lest our ego lead us astray,
and our very lives in ruin.
as well as what's mine and my possessions.
Ego lacks compassion and wisdom,
but thinks it is more intelligent
than anyone else — filled with vanity
and so puffed up with pride!
All it takes is two egocentric people,
and their egos will soon butt heads,
leading to trivial arguments
that make the observer shake his head.
Ego is why a woman demands attention
from her lover, and why a man's worth
is measured by his conquests.
It takes meditation to control the ego,
for we all need do so in society,
lest our ego lead us astray,
and our very lives in ruin.
20130418
Karma
The Buddha said:
According to the seed that is sown,
So is the fruit you reap
The door of good will gather good result
The door of evil reaps evil result.
If you plant a good seed well,
Then you will enjoyed the good fruits.
Reference:
Karma: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~alankhoo/Karma.htm
According to the seed that is sown,
So is the fruit you reap
The door of good will gather good result
The door of evil reaps evil result.
If you plant a good seed well,
Then you will enjoyed the good fruits.
Reference:
Karma: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~alankhoo/Karma.htm
The Last Stanza of Hui-Neng
Before his Mahaparinirvana, the Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng said:
The Essence of Mind or Tathata (Suchness) is the real Buddha,
While heretical views and the three poisonous elements are Mara.
Enlightened by Right Views, we call forth the Buddha within us.
When our nature is dominated by the three poisonous elements,
We are said to be possessed by Mara;
But when Right Views eliminate from our mind these poisonous elements,
Mara will be transformed into a real Buddha.
The Dharmakaya, the Sambhogakaya and the Nirmanakaya --
These three Bodies emanate from one — the Essence of Mind.
He who is able to realize this fact intuitively
Has sown the seed, and will reap the fruit of Enlightenment.
It is from the Nirmanakaya that our 'Pure Nature' emanates;
Within the former the latter is to be found.
Guided by 'Pure Nature,' the Nirmanakaya treads the Right Path,
And will some day attain to the Sambhogakaya, perfect and infinite.
'Pure Nature' is an outgrowth of our sensual instincts;
By getting rid of sensuality, we attain the Pure Dharmakaya.
When our temperament is such that we are no longer the slaves of the five sense-objects,
And when we have realized the Essence of Mind even for one moment only, then Truth is known to us.
Should we be so fortunate as to be the followers of the Sudden School in this life,
In a sudden we shall see the Bhagavat of our Essence of Mind.
He who seeks the Buddha (from without) by practicing certain doctrines
Knows not where the real Buddha is to be found.
He who is able to realize the Truth within his own mind
Has sown the seed of Buddhahood.
He who has not realized the Essence of Mind and seeks the Buddha from without
Is a fool motivated by wrong desires.
I have hereby left to posterity the teaching of the Sudden School
For the salvation of all sentient beings who care to practice it.
Hear me, ye future disciples!
Your time will have been badly wasted if you neglect to put this teaching into practice.
Reference:
Last Stanza of Hui Neng: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng10.html
The Essence of Mind or Tathata (Suchness) is the real Buddha,
While heretical views and the three poisonous elements are Mara.
Enlightened by Right Views, we call forth the Buddha within us.
When our nature is dominated by the three poisonous elements,
We are said to be possessed by Mara;
But when Right Views eliminate from our mind these poisonous elements,
Mara will be transformed into a real Buddha.
The Dharmakaya, the Sambhogakaya and the Nirmanakaya --
These three Bodies emanate from one — the Essence of Mind.
He who is able to realize this fact intuitively
Has sown the seed, and will reap the fruit of Enlightenment.
It is from the Nirmanakaya that our 'Pure Nature' emanates;
Within the former the latter is to be found.
Guided by 'Pure Nature,' the Nirmanakaya treads the Right Path,
And will some day attain to the Sambhogakaya, perfect and infinite.
'Pure Nature' is an outgrowth of our sensual instincts;
By getting rid of sensuality, we attain the Pure Dharmakaya.
When our temperament is such that we are no longer the slaves of the five sense-objects,
And when we have realized the Essence of Mind even for one moment only, then Truth is known to us.
Should we be so fortunate as to be the followers of the Sudden School in this life,
In a sudden we shall see the Bhagavat of our Essence of Mind.
He who seeks the Buddha (from without) by practicing certain doctrines
Knows not where the real Buddha is to be found.
He who is able to realize the Truth within his own mind
Has sown the seed of Buddhahood.
He who has not realized the Essence of Mind and seeks the Buddha from without
Is a fool motivated by wrong desires.
I have hereby left to posterity the teaching of the Sudden School
For the salvation of all sentient beings who care to practice it.
Hear me, ye future disciples!
Your time will have been badly wasted if you neglect to put this teaching into practice.
Reference:
Last Stanza of Hui Neng: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng10.html
Mahaparinirvana is not Death
Hui Neng, The Sixth Patriarch, said:
The Supreme Maha Parinirvana
Is perfect, permanent, calm, and illuminating.
Common people and ignorant ones miscall it death,
While heretics hold arbitrarily that it is annihilation.
Those who belong to the Sravaka Vehicle or the Pratyeka Buddha Vehicle
Regard it as 'Non-action'.
All these are mere intellectual speculations,
And form the basis of the sixty-two fallacious views.
Since they are mere fictitious names invented for the occasion
They have nothing to do with the Absolute Truth.
Only those of super-eminent mind
Can understand thoroughly what Nirvana is, and take up the attitude of neither attachment nor indifference towards it.
They know that five Skandhas
And the so-called 'ego' arising from the union of these Skandhas,
Together with all external objects and forms
And the various phenomena of sound and voice
Are equally unreal, like a dream or an illusion.
They make no discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man.
Nor do they have any arbitrary concept on Nirvana.
They are above 'Affirmation' and 'Negation' and they break the barrier of the past, the present, and the future.
They use their sense organs, when occasion requires,
But the concept of 'Using' does not arise.
They may particularize on all sorts of things,
But the concept of 'Particularization' does not arise.
Even during the cataclysmic fire at the end of a Kalpa, when ocean-beds are burnt dry,
Or during the blowing of the catastrophic wind when one mountain topples on another,
The real and everlasting bliss of 'Perfect Rest' and 'Cessation of Changes'
Of Nirvana remains in the same state and changes not.
Here I am trying to describe to you something which is ineffable
So that you may get rid of your fallacious views.
But if you do not interpret my words literally
You may perhaps learn a wee bit of the meaning of Nirvana!
Reference:
The Supreme Maha Parinirva: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng7.html
The Supreme Maha Parinirvana
Is perfect, permanent, calm, and illuminating.
Common people and ignorant ones miscall it death,
While heretics hold arbitrarily that it is annihilation.
Those who belong to the Sravaka Vehicle or the Pratyeka Buddha Vehicle
Regard it as 'Non-action'.
All these are mere intellectual speculations,
And form the basis of the sixty-two fallacious views.
Since they are mere fictitious names invented for the occasion
They have nothing to do with the Absolute Truth.
Only those of super-eminent mind
Can understand thoroughly what Nirvana is, and take up the attitude of neither attachment nor indifference towards it.
They know that five Skandhas
And the so-called 'ego' arising from the union of these Skandhas,
Together with all external objects and forms
And the various phenomena of sound and voice
Are equally unreal, like a dream or an illusion.
They make no discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man.
Nor do they have any arbitrary concept on Nirvana.
They are above 'Affirmation' and 'Negation' and they break the barrier of the past, the present, and the future.
They use their sense organs, when occasion requires,
But the concept of 'Using' does not arise.
They may particularize on all sorts of things,
But the concept of 'Particularization' does not arise.
Even during the cataclysmic fire at the end of a Kalpa, when ocean-beds are burnt dry,
Or during the blowing of the catastrophic wind when one mountain topples on another,
The real and everlasting bliss of 'Perfect Rest' and 'Cessation of Changes'
Of Nirvana remains in the same state and changes not.
Here I am trying to describe to you something which is ineffable
So that you may get rid of your fallacious views.
But if you do not interpret my words literally
You may perhaps learn a wee bit of the meaning of Nirvana!
Reference:
The Supreme Maha Parinirva: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng7.html
20130417
Clear as the sky above (poem)
Clear as the sky above
is the mind freed of the Ten Evils.
Through actions and meditation,
the Ten Evils are transmuted into
the Ten Virtues by not doing them.
Not doing the Ten Evils is
repentance in action.
Thus the faithful freely
give of themselves
in compliance with the Dharma.
In praise of the global warming (poem)
Thousands of people decrying
Global warming, anticipating disaster,
Prodding from the fears about disaster.
How foolish! All this is what has happened
Before, so no worries. It's happened
Before but the hype is on
Global warming so lies are told
To profit the old Left.
Truth of the Name-that-calls
Calling out to Amida Buddha,
I hear Amida calling out to me
With each and every utterance
Of the Name-that-calls.
A foolish sentient being
such as this one cannot achieve
Nirvana in this Age of Decadent Hedonism.
All he can do is utter
The Name-that-calls
With the belief
that he shall be born
in the Pure Land of Bliss.
In the Pure Land
All who are born there
Sit listening to Amida Buddha
Preach his Buddhadharma,
And, according to his karma,
Aspire to become Bodhisattva.
With all the suffering
in Samsara, the Bodhisattva
vows to be reborn in
the realm where he is needed,
be it in the Hells to
rescue hell beings,
in the Hungry Ghost realm
to rescue hungry ghosts,
in the Animal realm to
rescue animals,
in the Human realm to
rescue human beings,
in the Demon realm to
rescue demons, and
in the Godly realm to
rescue the gods.
By rescuing all sentient beings
in the Realms of Desire — Samasara —
the Bodhisattva gains karmic merit
which aids his transformation
into Buddha, thus freeing him
from rebirth in the Realms of Desire.
This is why this one, devoted to Amida,
Calls out to him endlessly,
So that after this life, rebirth
in the Pure Land of Bliss is assured!
Namu Amida Butsu!
I hear Amida calling out to me
With each and every utterance
Of the Name-that-calls.
A foolish sentient being
such as this one cannot achieve
Nirvana in this Age of Decadent Hedonism.
All he can do is utter
The Name-that-calls
With the belief
that he shall be born
in the Pure Land of Bliss.
In the Pure Land
All who are born there
Sit listening to Amida Buddha
Preach his Buddhadharma,
And, according to his karma,
Aspire to become Bodhisattva.
With all the suffering
in Samsara, the Bodhisattva
vows to be reborn in
the realm where he is needed,
be it in the Hells to
rescue hell beings,
in the Hungry Ghost realm
to rescue hungry ghosts,
in the Animal realm to
rescue animals,
in the Human realm to
rescue human beings,
in the Demon realm to
rescue demons, and
in the Godly realm to
rescue the gods.
By rescuing all sentient beings
in the Realms of Desire — Samasara —
the Bodhisattva gains karmic merit
which aids his transformation
into Buddha, thus freeing him
from rebirth in the Realms of Desire.
This is why this one, devoted to Amida,
Calls out to him endlessly,
So that after this life, rebirth
in the Pure Land of Bliss is assured!
Namu Amida Butsu!
The Fivefold Incenses and the Formless Repentance
Zen Master Hui-Neng said:
"The first is the Sila Incense, which means that our mind is free from taints of misdeeds, evil jealousy, avarice, anger, spoliation, and hatred.
"The second is the Samadhi Incense, which means that our mind is unperturbed in all circumstances, favorable or unfavorable.
"The third is the Prajna Incense, which means that our mind is free from all impediments, that we constantly introspect our Essence of Mind with wisdom, that we refrain from doing all kinds of evil deeds, that although we do all kinds of good acts, yet we do not let our mind become attached to (the fruits) of such actions, and that we are respectful towards our superiors, considerate to our inferiors, and sympathetic to the destitute and the poor.
"The fourth is the Incense of Liberation, this means that our mind is in such an absolutely free state that it clings to nothing and concerns itself neither with good nor evil.
"The fifth is the Incense of 'Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation.' When our mind clings to neither good nor evil we should take care not to let it dwell upon vacuity, or remain in a state of inertia. Rather should we enlarge our study and broaden our knowledge, so that we can know our own mind, understand thoroughly the principles of Buddhism, be congenial to others in our dealings with them, get rid of the idea of 'self' and that of 'being', and realize that up to the time when we attain Bodhi the 'true nature' (or Essence of Mind) is always immutable. Such, then, is the Incense of 'Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation.' This five-fold Incense fumigates us from within, and we should not look for it from without."
...
"May we, disciples so and so, be always free from the taints of ignorance and delusion. We repent of all our sins and evil deeds committed under delusion or in ignorance. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again.
"May we be always free from the taints of arrogance and dishonesty (Sathya). We repent of all our arrogant behavior and dishonest dealings in the past. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again.
"May we be always free from the taints of envy and jealousy. We repent of all our sins and evil deeds committed in an envious or jealous spirit. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again."
Reference:
Chapter 6: On Repentance: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng6.html
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng6.html
"The first is the Sila Incense, which means that our mind is free from taints of misdeeds, evil jealousy, avarice, anger, spoliation, and hatred.
"The second is the Samadhi Incense, which means that our mind is unperturbed in all circumstances, favorable or unfavorable.
"The third is the Prajna Incense, which means that our mind is free from all impediments, that we constantly introspect our Essence of Mind with wisdom, that we refrain from doing all kinds of evil deeds, that although we do all kinds of good acts, yet we do not let our mind become attached to (the fruits) of such actions, and that we are respectful towards our superiors, considerate to our inferiors, and sympathetic to the destitute and the poor.
"The fourth is the Incense of Liberation, this means that our mind is in such an absolutely free state that it clings to nothing and concerns itself neither with good nor evil.
"The fifth is the Incense of 'Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation.' When our mind clings to neither good nor evil we should take care not to let it dwell upon vacuity, or remain in a state of inertia. Rather should we enlarge our study and broaden our knowledge, so that we can know our own mind, understand thoroughly the principles of Buddhism, be congenial to others in our dealings with them, get rid of the idea of 'self' and that of 'being', and realize that up to the time when we attain Bodhi the 'true nature' (or Essence of Mind) is always immutable. Such, then, is the Incense of 'Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation.' This five-fold Incense fumigates us from within, and we should not look for it from without."
...
"May we, disciples so and so, be always free from the taints of ignorance and delusion. We repent of all our sins and evil deeds committed under delusion or in ignorance. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again.
"May we be always free from the taints of arrogance and dishonesty (Sathya). We repent of all our arrogant behavior and dishonest dealings in the past. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again.
"May we be always free from the taints of envy and jealousy. We repent of all our sins and evil deeds committed in an envious or jealous spirit. May they be expiated at once and may they never arise again."
Reference:
Chapter 6: On Repentance: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng6.html
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng6.html
Free from Karmic Destiny (poem)
Free, free, free are we
when Awakened &mdash free to be
unborn like a babe.
The Tathatagharbha is
Ultimate Reality,
a metaphysical womb
into which we are reborn,
free to travel to
an almost infinite number
of Pure Lands as Buddha.
as immaculate as the Unborn.
Having Awakened from Ego,
Nirvana is where anything
can happen, but few of us
can experience this freedom
due to karmic destiny.
when Awakened &mdash free to be
unborn like a babe.
The Tathatagharbha is
Ultimate Reality,
a metaphysical womb
into which we are reborn,
free to travel to
an almost infinite number
of Pure Lands as Buddha.
as immaculate as the Unborn.
Having Awakened from Ego,
Nirvana is where anything
can happen, but few of us
can experience this freedom
due to karmic destiny.
Truth about Nirvana (poem)
Nirvana is when
we awaken from this dream
called Life, and
realize we were never
the caterpillar dreaming
we were the butterfly.
Nor are we God.
All we are is free
from rebirth in
the Realms of Desire.
we awaken from this dream
called Life, and
realize we were never
the caterpillar dreaming
we were the butterfly.
Nor are we God.
All we are is free
from rebirth in
the Realms of Desire.
The True Essence of Mindfulness (poem)
All sentient beings are in slumber,
dreaming the dream called "Ego",
lost in the fantasy of selfishness,
knowing only all concept of "me" and "mine."
Through shamatha, the mind is becalmed.
In this calm state of mind, who is it
that observes carefully each moment?
Thinking "I observe", we are asleep
and are caught in the dream of Ego.
When carefully observing the stream
of consciousness, all thought of "I"
is gone, gone, gone — all that is
left behind is Bodhi Mind, aspiring
for the samadhi of Awakened Mind.
For the Awakened Mind lacks Ego,
and this Egolessness is empty of Ego.
Awaken to Mindfulness, and truly see
the splendor of the Awakened Mind.
Let go of all concept of me and mine!
Be embraced by Emptiness —
Awakened Mind is Bodhi Mind,
Bodhi Mind is mindful only of Awakening.
Abide in Awakening, and be free to be.
For this is the true essence of Mindfulness.
dreaming the dream called "Ego",
lost in the fantasy of selfishness,
knowing only all concept of "me" and "mine."
Through shamatha, the mind is becalmed.
In this calm state of mind, who is it
that observes carefully each moment?
Thinking "I observe", we are asleep
and are caught in the dream of Ego.
When carefully observing the stream
of consciousness, all thought of "I"
is gone, gone, gone — all that is
left behind is Bodhi Mind, aspiring
for the samadhi of Awakened Mind.
For the Awakened Mind lacks Ego,
and this Egolessness is empty of Ego.
Awaken to Mindfulness, and truly see
the splendor of the Awakened Mind.
Let go of all concept of me and mine!
Be embraced by Emptiness —
Awakened Mind is Bodhi Mind,
Bodhi Mind is mindful only of Awakening.
Abide in Awakening, and be free to be.
For this is the true essence of Mindfulness.
Awake and Asleep (poem)
Awaken from all concept of "me",
and you are truly awake.
If ego grasps onto "awakening",
then you are still asleep.
When awakened, the ego is gone;
when asleep, only the self remains.
Sadly, he who says, "I am awake!"
has yet to awaken from the dream
called Ego — for the awakened
have forgotten about the self.
When you are truly awake,
it would be best to be humble
and abide in awakening.
and you are truly awake.
If ego grasps onto "awakening",
then you are still asleep.
When awakened, the ego is gone;
when asleep, only the self remains.
Sadly, he who says, "I am awake!"
has yet to awaken from the dream
called Ego — for the awakened
have forgotten about the self.
When you are truly awake,
it would be best to be humble
and abide in awakening.
20130416
Truth about Samsara
In this world of dreams — Samsara itself —
it is impossible to imagine Ultimate Reality,
let alone fully realize Nirvana.
Buddhism Arises When Peace Flourishes
Ultimate reality, being Nirvana, cannot happen in these desperate times, when few people realize the important of being calm yet vigilantly observant. In this world, it's a rush of birth, life and death, often repeated and filled with suffering.
Wars arise due to vast differences of culture fighting for resources, yet patient diplomacy might have achieved long-lasting compromises. Instead, evil karma dominates
in the form of terrorism, though now the people finally realize that peace requires vigilance in these uncertain times.
In the 21st century, the words of the Buddha fall on deaf ears:
"A warrior may have conquered
one thousand foes but he who
conquers himself is truly a warrior."
Likewise, the words of Mohammad's companion Jabir are forgotten: "You have arrived
with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad — the striving
of a servant of Allah against his foes — to the Greater Jihad — the striving of a servant of Allah against his desires — the holy war that all Muslims must fight."
Instead, the only holy war is the lesser jihad, for a militant Millennialism is all that is left for the servants of Allah.
How can there be any peace then?
Forgotten is the peace of the Saracens, and the greatness of the Ummayad Caliphate
whose adminstration of al-Andalus brought peace to the Arabs, Berbers, Separdic Jews
of Eastern Europe, and the Musalimah until the taifa kingdoms arose.
Then the Inquisition forced out the Arabs and Jews, and resulted in the Conversos during the Reconquista, bringing suffering to pious Jews and Muslims alike.
Since then, the Hispanics suffered under the fascist regime of Franco but bloomed during the Carnation Revolution.
Today, Buddhism has enlightened Europe, with Tibetan and Zen being the most popular.
Humanistic Buddhism has replaced atheism both in Europe and in the Americas. Yet this has more to do with the peace found in the West, rather than war.
It appears that Buddhism arises in nations when peace prevails, which implies
that war-torn nations are not ready.
Even so, it is the duty of Buddhists everywhere to practice for the benefit of all sentient beings, rather than for attachment to the mind and the body. By doing to other sentient being that one does for the self, it is possible to await the time when all sentient beings come to know the Buddha willingly.
Wars arise due to vast differences of culture fighting for resources, yet patient diplomacy might have achieved long-lasting compromises. Instead, evil karma dominates
in the form of terrorism, though now the people finally realize that peace requires vigilance in these uncertain times.
In the 21st century, the words of the Buddha fall on deaf ears:
"A warrior may have conquered
one thousand foes but he who
conquers himself is truly a warrior."
Likewise, the words of Mohammad's companion Jabir are forgotten: "You have arrived
with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad — the striving
of a servant of Allah against his foes — to the Greater Jihad — the striving of a servant of Allah against his desires — the holy war that all Muslims must fight."
Instead, the only holy war is the lesser jihad, for a militant Millennialism is all that is left for the servants of Allah.
How can there be any peace then?
Forgotten is the peace of the Saracens, and the greatness of the Ummayad Caliphate
whose adminstration of al-Andalus brought peace to the Arabs, Berbers, Separdic Jews
of Eastern Europe, and the Musalimah until the taifa kingdoms arose.
Then the Inquisition forced out the Arabs and Jews, and resulted in the Conversos during the Reconquista, bringing suffering to pious Jews and Muslims alike.
Since then, the Hispanics suffered under the fascist regime of Franco but bloomed during the Carnation Revolution.
Today, Buddhism has enlightened Europe, with Tibetan and Zen being the most popular.
Humanistic Buddhism has replaced atheism both in Europe and in the Americas. Yet this has more to do with the peace found in the West, rather than war.
It appears that Buddhism arises in nations when peace prevails, which implies
that war-torn nations are not ready.
Even so, it is the duty of Buddhists everywhere to practice for the benefit of all sentient beings, rather than for attachment to the mind and the body. By doing to other sentient being that one does for the self, it is possible to await the time when all sentient beings come to know the Buddha willingly.
20130415
The Five Spiritual Faculties and Its Potential In Education
Spiritual progress are dependent of the emergence of Five Spiritual Faculties — faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. The conduct of the sentient being is governed by his sense-based instincts and impulses.
As we progress in our spiritual practice, new spiritual forces gradually take over. In the end the five cardinal virtues dominate and shape everything we do, feel and think. These virtues are called, in Sanskrit and Pali, indriya, variously translated by faculties, controlling faculties, or spiritual faculties. The same five virtues are called powers (bala) if emphasis is on the fact that they are "unshakable by their opposites."
Control (indriya) as a spiritual faculty prevents the Five Evils from dominating the mind. Mindful practice such as the meditation of samatha, which calms the mind so that it carefully observes both the mind and the Five Consciousnesses in the meditation of vipasyana.
Thus self-control arises, not because of the calm mind, but because when the mind becomes calm, the Five Spiritual Faculties arise.
Despite meditation's use in cognitive behavior therapy, those faculties still arise within the secular setting and in the absence of Buddhist mindful practice. Without the use of Buddhist training, these faculties — without spiritual guidance mdash; are wasted. Thus, cognitive behavior therapy becomes a replacement for biomedical control through medication.
If the Western public education system allowed for meditation and Buddhist spiritual guidance, then it is possible for the student to excel under the current curricula. As a result of such spiritual training, not only would a child be ready for post-secondary education, s/he would be ready for the world.
There would be less behavior problems in children and consequently improvement in their ability to learn.
Reference:
"The Way of Wisdom: The Five Spiritual Faculties", by Edward Conze. Access to Insight, 5 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/conze/wheel065.html .
As we progress in our spiritual practice, new spiritual forces gradually take over. In the end the five cardinal virtues dominate and shape everything we do, feel and think. These virtues are called, in Sanskrit and Pali, indriya, variously translated by faculties, controlling faculties, or spiritual faculties. The same five virtues are called powers (bala) if emphasis is on the fact that they are "unshakable by their opposites."
Control (indriya) as a spiritual faculty prevents the Five Evils from dominating the mind. Mindful practice such as the meditation of samatha, which calms the mind so that it carefully observes both the mind and the Five Consciousnesses in the meditation of vipasyana.
Thus self-control arises, not because of the calm mind, but because when the mind becomes calm, the Five Spiritual Faculties arise.
Despite meditation's use in cognitive behavior therapy, those faculties still arise within the secular setting and in the absence of Buddhist mindful practice. Without the use of Buddhist training, these faculties — without spiritual guidance mdash; are wasted. Thus, cognitive behavior therapy becomes a replacement for biomedical control through medication.
If the Western public education system allowed for meditation and Buddhist spiritual guidance, then it is possible for the student to excel under the current curricula. As a result of such spiritual training, not only would a child be ready for post-secondary education, s/he would be ready for the world.
There would be less behavior problems in children and consequently improvement in their ability to learn.
Reference:
"The Way of Wisdom: The Five Spiritual Faculties", by Edward Conze. Access to Insight, 5 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/conze/wheel065.html .
20130413
Understanding 5HTP
Today I stopped by the Alive health food store to purchase their 5-htp (5-hydroxytryptophan). After ingesting 200 mg I felt the anxiety that stress induces in me to dissipate.
Even though that could be the strong placebo effect that happens when I am bathed in the glow of healthy living after visiting Alive, it's been said by researchers that 5-HTP is useful in maintenance of mood balance, sedation that promotes sleep, reduces pain and relieves migraines.
Yet serotonin is also associated with anxiety, nausea and vomiting, which are side effects of the antidepressant SSRI drugs.
For it is actually dopamine, associated with the reward system that actually result in relaxation, contrary to the assumption that dopamine is only associated with mania and pyschosis.
The truth is, dopamine and serotonin receptors are associated with those physiological effect and is the rise and fall of neurotransmitter levels that lead to the symptoms.
As I mentioned early, serotonin promotes sedation but also the anxiety-nausea-vomiting triad when stress oppresses us.
Mania and psychosis are only evidence that the dopamine receptors are involved in their etiology. When we treat these effects as evidence of the neurotransmitters, we are under the misconception that only one neurotransmitter is involved, which leads to misconceptions about them.
It is actually the sum total of stress and its effect on the brain, especially in morphing harmless schizotypies in their various manifestations (schizo-affective, the myriad schizophrenias, and even bipolar disorders type I and II).
Since 5-HTP sedates me, it could a cascade effect beginning with serotonin receptors, which in turn affect histamine receptors and the mast cells that are associated with histamine. Hence the sedation.
All in al, I still feel this is a placebo effect. Meditation helps me to remain sensitive to my environment, both mental and physical. Since I believe in what it is used on to treat (migraines, pain, and mood balance), that affects its result, sedation.
Even though that could be the strong placebo effect that happens when I am bathed in the glow of healthy living after visiting Alive, it's been said by researchers that 5-HTP is useful in maintenance of mood balance, sedation that promotes sleep, reduces pain and relieves migraines.
Yet serotonin is also associated with anxiety, nausea and vomiting, which are side effects of the antidepressant SSRI drugs.
For it is actually dopamine, associated with the reward system that actually result in relaxation, contrary to the assumption that dopamine is only associated with mania and pyschosis.
The truth is, dopamine and serotonin receptors are associated with those physiological effect and is the rise and fall of neurotransmitter levels that lead to the symptoms.
As I mentioned early, serotonin promotes sedation but also the anxiety-nausea-vomiting triad when stress oppresses us.
Mania and psychosis are only evidence that the dopamine receptors are involved in their etiology. When we treat these effects as evidence of the neurotransmitters, we are under the misconception that only one neurotransmitter is involved, which leads to misconceptions about them.
It is actually the sum total of stress and its effect on the brain, especially in morphing harmless schizotypies in their various manifestations (schizo-affective, the myriad schizophrenias, and even bipolar disorders type I and II).
Since 5-HTP sedates me, it could a cascade effect beginning with serotonin receptors, which in turn affect histamine receptors and the mast cells that are associated with histamine. Hence the sedation.
All in al, I still feel this is a placebo effect. Meditation helps me to remain sensitive to my environment, both mental and physical. Since I believe in what it is used on to treat (migraines, pain, and mood balance), that affects its result, sedation.
Dio non ha tempo per gli sciocchi / God has no time for fools (poem)
Amore che è più
profondo di affetto e più
compassionevole che il desiderio
non è mai spesso considerato
la motivazione di lasciarsi
andare e lasciare che Dio.
Invece, avere i piedi freddi,
e il dramma conseguente ci
convince che possiamo
fare senza amore.
Come vana è essere umani,
quando perdono ci
potrebbe raccogliere fino
a vedere chiaramente Dio
come il buon amico,
piuttosto che nostro
Signore e Salvatore.
Solo tu puoi risparmiare.
Quando tutto è fatto,
Dio non ha tempo
per gli sciocchi.
English translations:
Love that is more than
deep affection and more
compassionate than desire
has never often been
considered as motivation to
let go and let God
Instead, we get cold feet,
and the drama leads us
to be convinced that
we can do without love.
How vain it is to be human,
when we lose what
could rise up and
clearly see God
as a good friend,
rather than our
Lord and Savior.
Only you can save yourself
When everything is done,
God has no time for fools.
Pure Land Zen: Meditation and Buddha Recitation
Once you regularly meditate, although you still have thoughts wandering through the halls of the mind, Buddha Recitation soon makes it easy to bear those thoughts without clinging.
Even though you have countless thoughts, meditation helps the mind to ignore these thoughts so that you can focus on Buddha Recitation only to uncover a mind of no-thought.
Without clinging, a mind of no-thought remains thoughtful, yet empty of form. Neither meditation or Buddha Recitation is the cause of a mind of no-thought. Rather, it is good karmic merit accumulated by meditation and Buddha Recitation.
To forget Buddha Recitation and abandon meditation is to lose the Middle Way — a tragedy.
It is a tragedy because returning to the Realms of Desire makes it difficult to meditate and regularly recite the Buddha's name.
This is why I have faith in the Primal Vow, and believe that on my death the Pure Land is where I am destined.
I also believe that regular Buddha Recitation helps
Even though you have countless thoughts, meditation helps the mind to ignore these thoughts so that you can focus on Buddha Recitation only to uncover a mind of no-thought.
Without clinging, a mind of no-thought remains thoughtful, yet empty of form. Neither meditation or Buddha Recitation is the cause of a mind of no-thought. Rather, it is good karmic merit accumulated by meditation and Buddha Recitation.
To forget Buddha Recitation and abandon meditation is to lose the Middle Way — a tragedy.
It is a tragedy because returning to the Realms of Desire makes it difficult to meditate and regularly recite the Buddha's name.
This is why I have faith in the Primal Vow, and believe that on my death the Pure Land is where I am destined.
I also believe that regular Buddha Recitation helps
Even Trangressors May Approach the Pure Land
They who promotes mental unrest
in all sentient beings is
destined for the Hells.
Let us hope when they depart
samsara, the loved ones
lefts behind are so devoted
to him that he escapes samsara
by practicing Buddha Recitation
of Amida's Name-that-calls accumulating
the good merits which result
in rebirth in the Pure Land.
All that sentient beings are
required do is Buddha Recitation,
with meditation providing
the set and setting conducive
to Buddha Remembrance.
in all sentient beings is
destined for the Hells.
Let us hope when they depart
samsara, the loved ones
lefts behind are so devoted
to him that he escapes samsara
by practicing Buddha Recitation
of Amida's Name-that-calls accumulating
the good merits which result
in rebirth in the Pure Land.
All that sentient beings are
required do is Buddha Recitation,
with meditation providing
the set and setting conducive
to Buddha Remembrance.
Only Human / Ningendesu / 人間です
私は西洋の理想に同化さしていたが、
私は日本人の祖先のように人間です。
西と東は、この中心部に集中している。
Romaji transliteration:
Watashi wa seiyō no risō ni dōka sa shite itaga,
watashi wa nihonjin no sosen no yō ni ningendesu.
Nishi to azuma wa, kono chūshin-bu ni shūchū shite iru.
English translation:
(Though) I am assimilated to ideals of the West,
I am only human like my Japanese ancestors.
East and West are one in my heart.
私は日本人の祖先のように人間です。
西と東は、この中心部に集中している。
Romaji transliteration:
Watashi wa seiyō no risō ni dōka sa shite itaga,
watashi wa nihonjin no sosen no yō ni ningendesu.
Nishi to azuma wa, kono chūshin-bu ni shūchū shite iru.
English translation:
(Though) I am assimilated to ideals of the West,
I am only human like my Japanese ancestors.
East and West are one in my heart.
Returning Unborn (poem)
Meditation is like
preparing for a bath
and washing yourself clean,
except that, rather than
washing your body,
you purify your mind.
Buddha Recitation is
like sending the pure mind
to the Pure Land,
and returning Unborn,
bright and clean,
ready to be of service
and helpful for the sake
of all sentient beings.
preparing for a bath
and washing yourself clean,
except that, rather than
washing your body,
you purify your mind.
Buddha Recitation is
like sending the pure mind
to the Pure Land,
and returning Unborn,
bright and clean,
ready to be of service
and helpful for the sake
of all sentient beings.
I have a Great Imagination (NWSF humor)
I see this as Britney Spears and her two bodyguards.
However it is a metaphor and I do not state this to cause embarrassment to Britney Spears but to demonstrate that a fan will see his favorite popstar even when it clearly really isn't her.
This is called a pseudo-hallucination when the person is aware that what he thinks is someone who looks like his favorite celebrity that he cannot distinguish fantasy from reality.
If it were a real hallucination I wouldn't be blogging it. I'd be hiding it, deleting it, etc.
If this post is deleted, then don't panic. Maybe I was afraid Britney Spears might sue me for defamation of character, when actually I am paying her a complement. heheh
Never forget that Madonna flaunted this kind of behavior as a decadent hedonist. >:)
Actually, I am not writing about Britney Spears and her two bodyguards or even about Madonna personally. I am actually exercising a harmless fantasy with mildly sexual content.
So there. :p
Hold the Psychiatric Professional Accountable (RANT)
There is no such thing as a bad drug regarding antidepressants . There are just psychiatrists who are bad at seeing akathisia for what it is. It is always their mistake to UP the dose, because they see "anxiety" and "mania".
Throwing more prozac at akathisia is the leading cause of suicide & murders, not prozac.
Stop blaming the drug; hold the psychiatric profession responsible!
Do not up the dose if you feel anxious, hyper or manic even when directed. Instead, get a second opinion by a doctor who doesn't have socials with the first.
ymmv
Throwing more prozac at akathisia is the leading cause of suicide & murders, not prozac.
Stop blaming the drug; hold the psychiatric profession responsible!
Do not up the dose if you feel anxious, hyper or manic even when directed. Instead, get a second opinion by a doctor who doesn't have socials with the first.
ymmv
30 Years After Fukushima Comes the Zombie Apocalypse (humor)
As long as America and Iran have this propaganda war, eventually it will not be Americans that will rule the world, or the Muslims, Nortth Korea and Syria.
Rather it will be cockroaches as they adapt to gamma irradiation.
Every human will expire not by nuclear war but from fallout from the ongoing Fukushima nuclear hell.
Additionally, when the thorium reactor becomes popular, gamma radiation will rise to the point of mutation.
Here's why: 232Thorium is irradiated by neutrons, forming 233Uranium and suddenly gamma ray emitters are produced!!!
The decay chain of 232U quickly yields strong gamma radiation emitters:
232U (α, 72 years)228Th (α, 1.9 year)224Ra (α, 3.6 day, 0.24 MeV)220Rn (α, 55 s, 0.54 MeV)216Po (α, 0.15 s)212Pb (β−, 10.64 h)212Bi (α, 61 s, 0.78 MeV)208Tl (β−, 3 m, 2.6 MeV)208Pb (stable)
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-233
This means gamma ray mutations.
And no, nobody turns into the Fantastic Four.
Actually it means everyone irradiated is destined to develop cancer 30 years from now.
So the starting point of this doomsday scenario is the Fukushima Earthquake.
Thirty years from now, there will be more people in their 80s than now. This means senile octogenarians with cancer will basically become the zombies of 2040.
>:)
PS Currently, the thorium reactor lobbtist wants us to use "safe" thorium.
Rather it will be cockroaches as they adapt to gamma irradiation.
Every human will expire not by nuclear war but from fallout from the ongoing Fukushima nuclear hell.
Additionally, when the thorium reactor becomes popular, gamma radiation will rise to the point of mutation.
Here's why: 232Thorium is irradiated by neutrons, forming 233Uranium and suddenly gamma ray emitters are produced!!!
The decay chain of 232U quickly yields strong gamma radiation emitters:
232U (α, 72 years)228Th (α, 1.9 year)224Ra (α, 3.6 day, 0.24 MeV)220Rn (α, 55 s, 0.54 MeV)216Po (α, 0.15 s)212Pb (β−, 10.64 h)212Bi (α, 61 s, 0.78 MeV)208Tl (β−, 3 m, 2.6 MeV)208Pb (stable)
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-233
This means gamma ray mutations.
And no, nobody turns into the Fantastic Four.
Actually it means everyone irradiated is destined to develop cancer 30 years from now.
So the starting point of this doomsday scenario is the Fukushima Earthquake.
Thirty years from now, there will be more people in their 80s than now. This means senile octogenarians with cancer will basically become the zombies of 2040.
>:)
PS Currently, the thorium reactor lobbtist wants us to use "safe" thorium.
Pure Land, Pure Mind, Pure Zen
My reasoning for blending Zen with Pure Land is the same reason the Pure Land has a Long Pure Land sutra and a Short Pure Land sutra as well as an Amida meditation sutra: I want to cover all my bases for the afterlife.
What if Zen does not end in Buddhahood in the next life? What if in the next life, I am randomly thrown into another realm, next time the hells, the time after that human, then animal, then god, then demon, then hungry ghost? If I am destined for samsara, then what good is Zen except to develop a calm mind and to carefully observe the mind, and nothing more??
For endless rebirth in samsara is worse than the Pure Land of Bliss which is OUTSIDE the Six Realms of existence.
Once I die, because I have recited the Nembutsu, my rebirth in the Pure Land is assured by Amida Buddha's Primal Vow, once I repent from the Ten Evils.
However, it is not Buddha Recitation that burns away evil karma; it is the practice of the Ten Virtues!
All Buddha Recitation does as far as karma is concerned is ensure rebirth in the Pure Land. There I shall listen to Amida preach his Dharma, practice to be a bodhisattva, return to any of the Six Realms of existence to aid hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demons and even the gods themselves in attaining their own Buddhahood.
This is the path of the bodhisattva, and has always been the Buddhist way.
Denial of this is like disrepecting the Buddha, which is surely evil karma.
Want to erase that bad karma? Remember Buddha! How? It's simple calling the Name-that-calls!
Why? Because when I call, it is only Amida Buddha calling through me!
This is exactly why samsara is Nirvana, for Zen cure mental unrest by way of samatha-vipassana meditation.
FOr Buddha Recitation prepares us for future Nirvana in the Pure Land — not in this life — but in the afterlife of the Pure Land!
What if Zen does not end in Buddhahood in the next life? What if in the next life, I am randomly thrown into another realm, next time the hells, the time after that human, then animal, then god, then demon, then hungry ghost? If I am destined for samsara, then what good is Zen except to develop a calm mind and to carefully observe the mind, and nothing more??
For endless rebirth in samsara is worse than the Pure Land of Bliss which is OUTSIDE the Six Realms of existence.
Once I die, because I have recited the Nembutsu, my rebirth in the Pure Land is assured by Amida Buddha's Primal Vow, once I repent from the Ten Evils.
However, it is not Buddha Recitation that burns away evil karma; it is the practice of the Ten Virtues!
All Buddha Recitation does as far as karma is concerned is ensure rebirth in the Pure Land. There I shall listen to Amida preach his Dharma, practice to be a bodhisattva, return to any of the Six Realms of existence to aid hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demons and even the gods themselves in attaining their own Buddhahood.
This is the path of the bodhisattva, and has always been the Buddhist way.
Denial of this is like disrepecting the Buddha, which is surely evil karma.
Want to erase that bad karma? Remember Buddha! How? It's simple calling the Name-that-calls!
Why? Because when I call, it is only Amida Buddha calling through me!
This is exactly why samsara is Nirvana, for Zen cure mental unrest by way of samatha-vipassana meditation.
FOr Buddha Recitation prepares us for future Nirvana in the Pure Land — not in this life — but in the afterlife of the Pure Land!
20130412
Long is The Night
A verse from Dhammapada: Long is the night to one who is wakeful; long is (the journey of ) one yojana* to the traveller who is tired; long is sansara (round of rebirths) to the fool who is ignorant of the true Dhamma (the Teaching of the Buddha).
- The Fools 60
* Yojana: a measure of length, about twelve miles
Bring Justice for Rehtaeh's Family
Trigger warning: this post contains information about sexual assault that may be upsetting to survivors.
"My daughter wasn’t bullied to death, she was disappointed to death. Disappointed in people she thought she could trust, her school, and the police... For the love of God do something." -Glen Canning, Rehtaeh's father
As I'm writing this, 84,347 of you have already done something important. You signed my petition demanding an independent review asking how on earth the police couldn't find the evidence they needed to charge those who raped Rehtaeh and who distributed photos of her rape on Facebook.
Rehtaeh's tragic story of rape and blame is too common. By demanding perpetrators and authorities be held responsible is how we can change this -- how we can change the legal system and culture that allows this to happen.
Please share my petition by forwarding this email to your family and friends and asking them to sign at Change.org/Rehtaeh.
Tell them that the pressure is working.
On Tuesday, Minister Landry told reporters he would not order a review of the investigation. Hours after launching the petition we had a few thousand signatures and Minister Landry backtracked saying he was looking into all the options. By Wednesday afternoon we had nearly 20,000 signatures and Premier Darrell Dexter said "We need to have a broad-based comprehensive review."
I am glad the Minister and Premier have agreed to 'consider options for a review,' but that's not a commitment and the review can't be done by the people who messed it up in the first place.
How many signatures will it take for them to commit to the independent review? Please forward this email and ask your friends and family to sign at Change.org/Rehtaeh.
Thank you,
Sherri Bain,
A friend of the Parsons family
"My daughter wasn’t bullied to death, she was disappointed to death. Disappointed in people she thought she could trust, her school, and the police... For the love of God do something." -Glen Canning, Rehtaeh's father
As I'm writing this, 84,347 of you have already done something important. You signed my petition demanding an independent review asking how on earth the police couldn't find the evidence they needed to charge those who raped Rehtaeh and who distributed photos of her rape on Facebook.
Rehtaeh's tragic story of rape and blame is too common. By demanding perpetrators and authorities be held responsible is how we can change this -- how we can change the legal system and culture that allows this to happen.
Please share my petition by forwarding this email to your family and friends and asking them to sign at Change.org/Rehtaeh.
Tell them that the pressure is working.
On Tuesday, Minister Landry told reporters he would not order a review of the investigation. Hours after launching the petition we had a few thousand signatures and Minister Landry backtracked saying he was looking into all the options. By Wednesday afternoon we had nearly 20,000 signatures and Premier Darrell Dexter said "We need to have a broad-based comprehensive review."
I am glad the Minister and Premier have agreed to 'consider options for a review,' but that's not a commitment and the review can't be done by the people who messed it up in the first place.
How many signatures will it take for them to commit to the independent review? Please forward this email and ask your friends and family to sign at Change.org/Rehtaeh.
Thank you,
Sherri Bain,
A friend of the Parsons family
Dear ET, Save Us from President Kim of North Korea! (humour)
It takes ten thousand planets to be inhabitable in a universe as large as this era's — only one thousand are like ours.
Of these thousand planets perhaps only a half of them are civilized enough not to invade our Earth — no chance of alien invasions, regardless of what the UFO fanatics fear.
Most likely if an alien landed, it might be to congratulated us for not blowing ourselves up with nuclear missiles from Iran, North Korea, or Pakistan.
Perhaps right now, the UFOs are visiting North Korea to prevent World World Three from happening, all because of trade embargoes and other difficulties of which America has been the cause.
Let's hope those 500 civilizations in our galaxy are holding meeting to send a message to President Kim, perhaps by mind control techniques that makes anything the CIA has
to be silly and ridiculous.
Why? Because I don't want to glow in the dark after one of North Korea's errant missiles wipes out Vancouver by accident.
Of these thousand planets perhaps only a half of them are civilized enough not to invade our Earth — no chance of alien invasions, regardless of what the UFO fanatics fear.
Most likely if an alien landed, it might be to congratulated us for not blowing ourselves up with nuclear missiles from Iran, North Korea, or Pakistan.
Perhaps right now, the UFOs are visiting North Korea to prevent World World Three from happening, all because of trade embargoes and other difficulties of which America has been the cause.
Let's hope those 500 civilizations in our galaxy are holding meeting to send a message to President Kim, perhaps by mind control techniques that makes anything the CIA has
to be silly and ridiculous.
Why? Because I don't want to glow in the dark after one of North Korea's errant missiles wipes out Vancouver by accident.
1000 Planets
"In 1961, University of California, Santa Cruz astronomer and astrophysicist Dr. Frank formulated the Drake equation. This controversial equation multiplies estimates together with the following conditions:
- Level of star formation that matches.
- The fraction of these stars surrounded by planets.
- Total world similar to Earth per-system planets.
- The fraction of planets where intelligent life evolved.
- The fraction of communicative planets possible.
- Age of the possible communicative civilizations.
Reference:
Potential and Shortcomings for Life In the Universe (translated from Bahasa Melayu and Indonesian):
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ms&tl=en&u=http://virgoez23.blogspot.ca/2013/04/potensi-dan-kelemahan-kehidupan-di-luar-planet-bumi.html&usg=ALkJrhi8sXsZe9Z0OqMRVKlM7eI3LjEONw
You might wish to change the translating language to Indonesian, as the blog's owner switches between Bahasa Melayu to Indonesian. As well, the translation is a best guess, and would need a native English speaker who understands the rules and syntax of their mother tongue.
List of habitable planets: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HabCat
20130411
The Pure Land of One's Own Essence of Mind
Hui-Neng said:
"All of you should put into practice what is taught in this stanza, so that you can realize the Essence of Mind and attain Buddhahood directly. The Dharma waits for no one." — Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng
Reference:
Formless stanza quote: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng3.html
For a fair mind,
observation of precepts (Sila)
is unnecessary.
For straightforward behavior,
practice in Dhyana (contemplation)
may be dispensed with.
On the principle of gratefulness,
we support our parents and serve them filially.
On the principle of righteousness,
the superior and the inferior stand
for each other (in time of need).
On the principle of mutual desire
to please, the senior and junior
are on affectionate terms.
On the principle of forbearance,
we do not quarrel even in
the midst of a hostile crowd.
If we can persevere until
fire can be obtained through
rubbing a piece of wood,
Then the red lotus (the Buddha-nature)
will shoot out from the black mire (the unenlightened state).
That which is of bitter taste
is bound to be good medicine.
That which sounds unpleasant
to the ear is certainly frank advice.
By amending our mistakes, we get wisdom.
By defending our faults, we betray an unsound mind.
In our daily life we should
always practice altruism,
but Buddhahood is not to be attained
by giving away money as charity.
Bodhi is to be found
within our own mind,
and there is no necessity
to look for mysticism from without.
Hearers of this stanza
who put its teaching
into actual practice
will find paradise in
their very presence.
"All of you should put into practice what is taught in this stanza, so that you can realize the Essence of Mind and attain Buddhahood directly. The Dharma waits for no one." — Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng
Reference:
Formless stanza quote: http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/huineng/huineng3.html
Ten Deeds of Merit
All sentient beings are potential Buddhas; all they are required to do is to realize Buddhahood is to cross over to the Middle Way, by abandoning their worldliness and following the Ten Virtues.
While this seems like a simple thing, few sentient beings are able accomplish it due to attachment to one or all of the Ten Evil Acts. In order to practice the Ten Virtues, the practitioner is encouraged to practice the Ten Deeds of Merit:
Reference:
Ten Evil Acts: http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/156.htm
Ten Virtues: to not practice the Ten Evil Acts
While this seems like a simple thing, few sentient beings are able accomplish it due to attachment to one or all of the Ten Evil Acts. In order to practice the Ten Virtues, the practitioner is encouraged to practice the Ten Deeds of Merit:
- Charity (giving without expectation of reward)
- Morality (
- Mental culture (meditation and reading the sutras)
- Reverence or respect
- Service in helping others
- Sharing merits with others
- Rejoicing in the merits of others
- Preaching and teaching the Dhamma
- Listening to the Dhamma
- Straightening one's views
Reference:
Ten Evil Acts: http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/156.htm
Ten Virtues: to not practice the Ten Evil Acts
Youtube: Vernal Remixes Music Videos
Here is my Vernal Remixes video playlist for your viewing pleasure.
20130409
Anxiety Relief Through Meditation
Sometimes, when sitting in my room meditating, my mind gets restless. Anxiety leads to emotions and feelings appearing to get the better of reason. It's as though I have two minds.
When of two minds, it's as though the heart battles with reason.
Once I've calmed down, I let the heart-mind exercise compassion.
How do I calm down? I start by concentrating on my breathing. Within a minute, my heart slows down. At this point in my meditation, I let my thoughts come and go without following any of them. Since the object of the meditation is to collect my thoughts, I find that letting go of them leads to a calm mind.
When one lets go of thought, thoughts are free to dissipate.
Through single-minded concentration it is possible to rein in the heart through the use of reason. This requires no effort on my part, except to breathe and to observe my mind carefully.
If anxiety starts to rise, then I return to my breathing by "thinking breathing."
After a short while the mind is calm, all anxiety forgotten. As a result, I feel positive and self-assured. When the mind is calm, and the rational mind is once again in control, the heart-mind is free to exercise compassion.
At this point in my meditation, I start to generate good thoughts to ensure the positive frame of mind in which there is no room for negativity.
Then the meditation is over and I'm ready to handle the day.
When of two minds, it's as though the heart battles with reason.
Once I've calmed down, I let the heart-mind exercise compassion.
How do I calm down? I start by concentrating on my breathing. Within a minute, my heart slows down. At this point in my meditation, I let my thoughts come and go without following any of them. Since the object of the meditation is to collect my thoughts, I find that letting go of them leads to a calm mind.
When one lets go of thought, thoughts are free to dissipate.
Through single-minded concentration it is possible to rein in the heart through the use of reason. This requires no effort on my part, except to breathe and to observe my mind carefully.
If anxiety starts to rise, then I return to my breathing by "thinking breathing."
After a short while the mind is calm, all anxiety forgotten. As a result, I feel positive and self-assured. When the mind is calm, and the rational mind is once again in control, the heart-mind is free to exercise compassion.
At this point in my meditation, I start to generate good thoughts to ensure the positive frame of mind in which there is no room for negativity.
Then the meditation is over and I'm ready to handle the day.
20130406
The Fallacy of a Democratic Government
Are today's Western nations democracies? While I have yet to find an affirmation of this, I am compelled to rant about this topic today. Thank you to Bobbi Jo, for inspiring me. While I am not an American or Indian citizen, my choice of including them in this rant is because leaders of both nations claim they live in a democracy. Though I am not convinced their governments are run like a democracy, I only use them as examples. Hopefully my rhetoric will inspire others to question their government and their lip service to democracy.
In my opinion, America and India think they have a democracy when in actual fact, only the bill of rights and privileges potential grant citizens of both countries the rights and freedoms of democracy.
Yet the minute they exercise their right to protest injustice, the radical right arises to suppress them and take away those rights by force, and force their own privileges on everyone else who is excluded by them i.e. visible minorities, the poor, and the mentally challenged.
These rights and freedoms are slowly taken away from us at home, in public education, and at work. By the time some of us make it to university, we learn that our rights and freedoms are invoilable and still remaion, despite oppression and everyday suppression we exert to protect our lives.
In any given country, it is true that some people (the upper class) have more rights than the underprivileged. If a person from the middle class does not abide by the status quo, then he or she may be bullied into accepting it by force.
If a person tries ot exercises his rights, then he treads a rocky road because, despite free legal aid, the lawyer usually sides with his oppressor.
For example, when corruption such as sexual slavery is exposed, the whistleblower is usually forced into a psychiatric ward and given medication. Later, the nation's scions will send their representative to force him to abandon his just cause and their collaborators in mass media will tarnish his name, forcing him to abandon his legal career. Then he will retire in the country to tend an orchard on his hobby farm with the money he accumulated whilst defending the poor and underprivileged, who were mainly prostitutes, drug addicts and the poor.
America is a sick society that presents its citizens with the illusion of democracy. When the smoke and mirrors are exposed, rather than admitting the truth ("government is not a democracy but a plutocracy with lip service paid 24/7 through mass media"), the majority will attack the whistle-blower rather than face the truth.
What then is truth and justice when the American way is based on a sickness in society that never goes away but worsens by the day?
Mass media perpetuates this sickness, sometimes making a parody of it to entertain the masses, and sometimes exposing their version of the truth so as to profit from it whilst a scapegoat is chosen in a feeble attempt to absolve themselves of their participation in a new round of smoke and mirrors.
Whereas in the Americas, democracy at the grassroots level often meets imprisonment for their activism, in Asia and in Africa, there appears to be a handful of nations which are either dictatorships or run as classical democracies where the majority rules, and the large number of the poor live in abject poverty. Corruption exists because most people of the middle class realize that bribery smooths the wheel of progress and hush money is often paid to repair the honor of the privileged when they err.
Muslim martyrdom falls into this part of my rant, because blood money usually prevents the surviving family from legally challenging the injustice. If anyone objects, then the radical right will harass them and bribe the legal system so that if anyone dares to confront corruption, off to prison they go.
In other nations, particularly in Africa, the native Africans are militantly confrontative towards Asians (Indians), the Chinese and other "visible" minorities who are usually the majority back in their ancestral homelands (China, India, Pakistan, and sometimes South-East Asians).
It is delusion to declare that free-market capitalism empowers democratic rights. If this were true, then why did the US government bailout mortgage banks? If capitalism helps grease the wheels of democracy, then why did not the Mexican government closely scrutinize HSBC Mexico to ensure transparency to prevent money laundering? Perhaps it is because HSBC Mexico is a legal person, and thus has more privacy rights than the poor in Mexico.
I wish I could rant longer, but I must prepare for work soon. Were I to devote time to asking these questions which rarely are answered by the government, I'd be one of the "lazy poor" rather than a merely the "working poor."
In conclusion, I like to thank the people who act to discover the answers to my questions. We are all in this together. Peace to you all.
In my opinion, America and India think they have a democracy when in actual fact, only the bill of rights and privileges potential grant citizens of both countries the rights and freedoms of democracy.
Yet the minute they exercise their right to protest injustice, the radical right arises to suppress them and take away those rights by force, and force their own privileges on everyone else who is excluded by them i.e. visible minorities, the poor, and the mentally challenged.
These rights and freedoms are slowly taken away from us at home, in public education, and at work. By the time some of us make it to university, we learn that our rights and freedoms are invoilable and still remaion, despite oppression and everyday suppression we exert to protect our lives.
In any given country, it is true that some people (the upper class) have more rights than the underprivileged. If a person from the middle class does not abide by the status quo, then he or she may be bullied into accepting it by force.
If a person tries ot exercises his rights, then he treads a rocky road because, despite free legal aid, the lawyer usually sides with his oppressor.
For example, when corruption such as sexual slavery is exposed, the whistleblower is usually forced into a psychiatric ward and given medication. Later, the nation's scions will send their representative to force him to abandon his just cause and their collaborators in mass media will tarnish his name, forcing him to abandon his legal career. Then he will retire in the country to tend an orchard on his hobby farm with the money he accumulated whilst defending the poor and underprivileged, who were mainly prostitutes, drug addicts and the poor.
America is a sick society that presents its citizens with the illusion of democracy. When the smoke and mirrors are exposed, rather than admitting the truth ("government is not a democracy but a plutocracy with lip service paid 24/7 through mass media"), the majority will attack the whistle-blower rather than face the truth.
What then is truth and justice when the American way is based on a sickness in society that never goes away but worsens by the day?
Mass media perpetuates this sickness, sometimes making a parody of it to entertain the masses, and sometimes exposing their version of the truth so as to profit from it whilst a scapegoat is chosen in a feeble attempt to absolve themselves of their participation in a new round of smoke and mirrors.
Whereas in the Americas, democracy at the grassroots level often meets imprisonment for their activism, in Asia and in Africa, there appears to be a handful of nations which are either dictatorships or run as classical democracies where the majority rules, and the large number of the poor live in abject poverty. Corruption exists because most people of the middle class realize that bribery smooths the wheel of progress and hush money is often paid to repair the honor of the privileged when they err.
Muslim martyrdom falls into this part of my rant, because blood money usually prevents the surviving family from legally challenging the injustice. If anyone objects, then the radical right will harass them and bribe the legal system so that if anyone dares to confront corruption, off to prison they go.
In other nations, particularly in Africa, the native Africans are militantly confrontative towards Asians (Indians), the Chinese and other "visible" minorities who are usually the majority back in their ancestral homelands (China, India, Pakistan, and sometimes South-East Asians).
It is delusion to declare that free-market capitalism empowers democratic rights. If this were true, then why did the US government bailout mortgage banks? If capitalism helps grease the wheels of democracy, then why did not the Mexican government closely scrutinize HSBC Mexico to ensure transparency to prevent money laundering? Perhaps it is because HSBC Mexico is a legal person, and thus has more privacy rights than the poor in Mexico.
I wish I could rant longer, but I must prepare for work soon. Were I to devote time to asking these questions which rarely are answered by the government, I'd be one of the "lazy poor" rather than a merely the "working poor."
In conclusion, I like to thank the people who act to discover the answers to my questions. We are all in this together. Peace to you all.
Kokoro / Heart-mind: One heart, two-minds
心が思いやりを象徴するので、心臓心が感情を感じている。
合理的心臓が理性と制御を象徴するので、我々は愚かになるといけないので、それは、心を支配するようべきである。
Romaji transliteration:
Kokoro ga omoiyari o shōchō surunode, shinzō kokoro ga kanjō o kanjite iru.
Gōri-teki shinzō ga risei to seigyo o shōchō surunode, wareware wa oroka ni naruto ikenainode, soreha, kokoro o shihai suru yōbekidearu.
English translation:
Because the heart symbolizes compassion, the heart mind feels emotion.
Because the rational mind symbolizes reason and control, it ought to dominate the heart, lest we become mindless.
What this means is the heart symbolizes emotions and feelings; and the rational mind, reason and control. This is the essence of the original concept of "one heart and two minds" (一つの心、二心 / hitotsu no kokoro, futagokoro).
合理的心臓が理性と制御を象徴するので、我々は愚かになるといけないので、それは、心を支配するようべきである。
Romaji transliteration:
Kokoro ga omoiyari o shōchō surunode, shinzō kokoro ga kanjō o kanjite iru.
Gōri-teki shinzō ga risei to seigyo o shōchō surunode, wareware wa oroka ni naruto ikenainode, soreha, kokoro o shihai suru yōbekidearu.
English translation:
Because the heart symbolizes compassion, the heart mind feels emotion.
Because the rational mind symbolizes reason and control, it ought to dominate the heart, lest we become mindless.
What this means is the heart symbolizes emotions and feelings; and the rational mind, reason and control. This is the essence of the original concept of "one heart and two minds" (一つの心、二心 / hitotsu no kokoro, futagokoro).
The Finest Place to Practice (poem)
It is because of attachment
to the many distractions of worldliness
that, despite decades of meditation,
many devotees of the Middle Way fail
to develop even a single siddhi.
Therefore, do not become attached at all
to anything in this world,
lest you give up meditation in haste
and return to worldliness,
only to obtain rebirth in the Hells.
However, even if you develop
a siddhi, try not to show off,
lest your attachment delude you.
It is better to take up Vajrayana,
and devote yourself to a Tibetan guru.
Yet, it is said that the Nembutsu
will surely lead to Amida
and his Pure Land of Bliss. O!
The Name-that-calls is
all that the Pure Land practitioner needs!
For the Pure Land is
the finest place to practice and decide
if you wish to return
to help others by being of service
to other sentient beings in Samsara.
to the many distractions of worldliness
that, despite decades of meditation,
many devotees of the Middle Way fail
to develop even a single siddhi.
Therefore, do not become attached at all
to anything in this world,
lest you give up meditation in haste
and return to worldliness,
only to obtain rebirth in the Hells.
However, even if you develop
a siddhi, try not to show off,
lest your attachment delude you.
It is better to take up Vajrayana,
and devote yourself to a Tibetan guru.
Yet, it is said that the Nembutsu
will surely lead to Amida
and his Pure Land of Bliss. O!
The Name-that-calls is
all that the Pure Land practitioner needs!
For the Pure Land is
the finest place to practice and decide
if you wish to return
to help others by being of service
to other sentient beings in Samsara.
Dakini: the Wrathful Form of Tara
As a Buddhist, I do not view the opposite sex like my fellow sentient beings do.
Although I admit to objectifying women, I try not to make a habit of telling other men within earshot of women.
For those of you who remember the pictures of naked women, women showing cleavage, and the the picture of the shapely cosplay woman which I called "dakinis", a dakini is a celestial being, separate from Tara, who was originally an Indian goddess who vowed to be reborn as a bodhisattva in the Realm of Desire consisting of the six realms of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demons/asuras/demigods, and gods.
Am I saying that Tara walks among the sentient beings who dwell in the human realm?
Yes, that was included in her vow to be reborn in the human realm out of compassion for all sentient beings. Her task is to Help human beings to realize their purpose in life, which is to be of service to others, and to be helpful to all sentient beings, regardless of whether they are animals or human beings.
For Tara represents both the teacher and the nurse, and even the people welcoming you at Walmart.
And what are dakinis? They are the wrathful form of Tara who are able to dance high up in the sky. For they are Skywalkers.
I am sure Star Wars fans will pick on that: Luke Skywalker's last name was borrowed from the term that describes a dakini.
As well, "sky" symbolizes the freedom of space. It also suggests another freedom that Westernized people might object to, depending on their culture and upbringing. I am referring to the freedom of being unclothed and dancing naked in the sky.
Please note that I have associated a dakini with Tara, with the latter being the closest thing to a Buddha, for she is a bodhisattva out to save all sentient beings.
However, I refered to the two young women as dakinis for wearing little or no attire, as it helps me to keep my distance from lust. By keeping my distance, I hope to avoid being reborn in the hells both literally as I would rather go to the Pure Land, and figuratively i.e. by making inappropriate comments about either lady.
For having an open mind is a dedicated skill involving controlling one's secret wish to kill a person for speaking inappropriately. I am sure this is why chat features on GooglePlus are useful to privately talk with another member who is in my circle, if I so desire.
However, I have had my fill of chat using Facebook, Microsoft Messenger and Yahoochat as well as chat services on other web forums.
If I wanted to chat one-to-one with a woman, then it'd be IRC on the #sex channel of dalnet. However, there are children who would kick me off chat on dalnet, thus proving "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and confirming that most of the time, children do not have open minds.
Returning to dakinis and Tara, it is quite possible that Tara "magically" created clones of herself, as there is a White Tara, a Blue Tara and a Green Tara. There may also be yellow Tara, but I have yet to hear of a Red Tara.
In this way, she could enlighten more people than as plain vanilla Tara.
I have read in a Chinese sutras about a multitude of buddhas in their Pure Lands. So it stands to reason that there are a multitude of bodhisattvas as well as dakinis.
If even one god or demigod were to have the Buddhadharma preached to him, then it would lead to rebirth in the human realm.
Sometimes a Buddha will do that so that all sentient beings bond to the Buddha, and protect that Buddha from non-believers — an avatar of a sentient being who was non-human would be reborn as human, and might remember his life in the realm of god. However, even when an avatar of a god cannot remember her past life, she will eventually become a Buddhist.
After making a commitment to Buddhism and following the precepts, she may attain the past life samadhi. Even so, that happens after decades of mindful practice, both meditation and the works of charity, including volunteering at the Buddhist temple of which she is a member.
For the siddhi of past life memories takes a long time to be acquired since everything that happens to a devoted Buddhist practitioner is supposed to prepare you for that. If it is done within a setting that has no cultural means of such preparation, then surely we live in the age of Mappo —the degenerate age when only the Pure Land practice of Buddha Recitation is the sole means to be assured of being reborn as a bodhisattva and much later, a Buddha.
However, it is said that worship of dakinis and of Tara in any of her forms, be it spiritually/supernaturally or worldly, earns merit for the Tibetan devotee. Though, I am NEVER going to worship a woman dressed up as one, face-to-face.
References
Tara as tantric deity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_%28Buddhism%29#T.C4.81r.C4.81_as_a_Tantric_deity
On No-Thought Practice and the Five Poisons
I cannot see the point of sitting, trying to practice no-thought, when thoughts come and go.
Trying to stop my thoughts is impossible, and getting attached to stopping them only leads to mental unrest, which is what the First Noble Truth describes.
Thus, trying to stop thoughts is ignorance since it leads to the delusion that practicing no-thought leads to Nirvana.
Until a Zen master can explain how no-thought practice leads to bliss, I will stick to Buddha Recitation. It's easier to do, and practice helps me remember the Buddha.
Currently I have violated the precept on avoiding intoxicants since I am on Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Almost every time I lose sleep — often by spending more than 4 hours on the computer at a time — insomnia and the nicotine gum inspires me to write these blog entries which lack references to Wikipedia and other sources.
However, this blog entry is no different from my childhood memories: it offers no Buddhist philosophy, apart from the complaint about no-thought.
This may be how no-thought practice works: your stream of consciousness flows freely and thought come and go in your head. You make no effort to cling to a single thought. It also helps to sit quietly and not speak.
At first glance, this would be a put-off for most people who want to rein in their thoughts. It helps to treat free flowing thoughts that distract you as you do dealing with anger.
With patience and love, all the Five Poisons can be conquered. Once conquered, you control them by using them wisely. Wise use of your negative emotions requires being open about your feelings as required.
When anger arises, the wise man says:
"I am angry because of what I did not do;
This anger is transformed by love and patience
Into rising energy, leaving a smile on my face."
When fear arises, the fool says:
"I fear the consequences of what I did not do."
Then he grows quiet while awaiting punishment,
Thus causing his own suffering, needlessly.
When lust arises, the decadent hedonist says:
"Money buys me, not love. but a hooker and blow!
My motto is "Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll!!"
This truly is the calling of a sentient being...
When sloth arises, the lazy fool says:
"I don't want to work; I just want to enjoy life."
The only time he is seen is when in the dole line.
Such a fool would vehemently deny that he suffers.
When greed arises, the miser says:
"Why should I pay taxes to the government?
It's my money, and taxation is thievery!"
He hoards his money and trades in used goods.
See how he suffers by not paying taxes.
Trying to stop my thoughts is impossible, and getting attached to stopping them only leads to mental unrest, which is what the First Noble Truth describes.
Thus, trying to stop thoughts is ignorance since it leads to the delusion that practicing no-thought leads to Nirvana.
Until a Zen master can explain how no-thought practice leads to bliss, I will stick to Buddha Recitation. It's easier to do, and practice helps me remember the Buddha.
Currently I have violated the precept on avoiding intoxicants since I am on Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Almost every time I lose sleep — often by spending more than 4 hours on the computer at a time — insomnia and the nicotine gum inspires me to write these blog entries which lack references to Wikipedia and other sources.
However, this blog entry is no different from my childhood memories: it offers no Buddhist philosophy, apart from the complaint about no-thought.
This may be how no-thought practice works: your stream of consciousness flows freely and thought come and go in your head. You make no effort to cling to a single thought. It also helps to sit quietly and not speak.
At first glance, this would be a put-off for most people who want to rein in their thoughts. It helps to treat free flowing thoughts that distract you as you do dealing with anger.
With patience and love, all the Five Poisons can be conquered. Once conquered, you control them by using them wisely. Wise use of your negative emotions requires being open about your feelings as required.
When anger arises, the wise man says:
"I am angry because of what I did not do;
This anger is transformed by love and patience
Into rising energy, leaving a smile on my face."
When fear arises, the fool says:
"I fear the consequences of what I did not do."
Then he grows quiet while awaiting punishment,
Thus causing his own suffering, needlessly.
When lust arises, the decadent hedonist says:
"Money buys me, not love. but a hooker and blow!
My motto is "Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll!!"
This truly is the calling of a sentient being...
When sloth arises, the lazy fool says:
"I don't want to work; I just want to enjoy life."
The only time he is seen is when in the dole line.
Such a fool would vehemently deny that he suffers.
When greed arises, the miser says:
"Why should I pay taxes to the government?
It's my money, and taxation is thievery!"
He hoards his money and trades in used goods.
See how he suffers by not paying taxes.
20130405
The Bone Storage Hall (story)
Once Upon a Time...
In ancient Buddhist traditions, a spirit temple is a mausoleum containing the bones of countless sentient beings who have died.
It is a tall building with the Japanese characters ("霊廟", reibyō) for "mausoleum" above the doorway.
When the door of the mausoleum is open, it is like the Pure Land of Bliss inside.
Inside the mausoleum is a long dark hallway. High above me, the ceiling glistens with a soft glow when the door is closed.
On my left are twenty-four rooms with open access to the hall, and on the right, the same — a total of forty-eight rooms. Inside each room are shelves filled with drawers. Some rooms contain a lot of drawers; others contain very few drawers.
On each shelf are drawers containing the bones of the dead. Firmly affixed to the front of each drawer is the given name and Japanese Buddhist name of the deceased. Inside each drawer is an urn containing the deceased's bones.
A bright glow from Room Eighteen attracts my curiosity. Inside the room, I recite the Nembutsu ten times until the bright glow becomes a brilliant light that slowly dissipates. Softly I hear a sweet melodious voice sing:
"The Primal Vow is fulfilled," I thought myself. "That glow which turned into brilliant light is Amida Buddha."
Having seen this miracle, I felt humbled so I bowed and exited the room.
As I walk down the hallway, a sign appears on the wall in the distance. On it appears the Chinese characters:
堂
納
骨
納
骨
Not only is this spirit temple a mausoleum, it also is a bone storage hall where the bones of dead sentient beings are stored.
Then I turn around, and slowly walk back to the door of the mausoleum.
When I open it, the brilliant light of the setting sun almost blinds me. After I close the mausoleum door, the sun has painted the sky with a rapidly fading red glow.
As I wander home in the rapidly fading dusk, my path takes me due east where the moon shines brightly in the sky.
My thoughts return to my visit to the mausoleum and the shelves within its rooms filled with drawers containing the bones of the deceased collected after cremation. While walking the path alongside the pond near my home, I reflect on death and the brevity of human life.
When I was a child, my first exposure of death happened when my grandmother died. As I grew older, my first contemplation on nonexistence left me anxious and afraid of death. Once, when I had caught the flu as a child, my own life had almost been taken from me. So my mother bought medicine from the local pharmacy. The next day, my fever broke.
From that moment on, my fear of death became worse. As a result of that fear, the stress caused the allergic reaction of hay fever to arise.
Then one day, at the Buddhist temple near my parents' home, I requested the Three Pure Land Sutras central to the Jodo Shinshu faith to read at my leisure. As I read about the Pure Land of Bliss being described, it seemed a wonderful place.
Once I grasped the concept of the Pure Land as the afterlife, my belief in it increased as my faith in Amida's Primal Vow grew.
ReflectionsIn a pond near my home, I gaze on the moon's reflection in it while seated comfortably in a wicker chair.
As it glistens in the water, my thoughts turn inwards in meditation, visualizing the Buddha Amida with eyes closed. From time to time, my eyes open as I gaze on the moon's image reflected on the still surface of the pond. Then I look up at the moon.
At some point during meditation, my inner vision of the Buddha merges with the sight of the bright moon in the sky. It is as though the light of the moon is the light of Buddha Amida.
My meditation is over. So I rise to stretch my legs and raise my arms as if to embrace the moon.
In an instant I feel solemn as I stand before the glistening Boundless light of Buddha Amida, assuring me that Amitabha is nearby.
Thus assured, all fear of death fades from my mind. It is replaced by a greater appreciation of life.
King Emma or Yama: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama_%28Buddhism_and_Chinese_mythology%29
Buddhist funeral: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_%28Buddhism%29
Pure Land Buddhism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land_Buddhism
Pure Land Rebirth Dharani: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land_Buddhism#Pure_Land_Rebirth_Dh.C4.81ra.E1.B9.87.C4.AB
20130403
Birth and Death and the Middle Way
Life is the companion of death,
death is the beginning of life.
Who understands their workings?
Man's life is a coming together of breath.
If it comes together, there is life;
if it scatters, there is death.
And if life and death are companions to each other,
then what is there for us to be anxious about?
— Chuang Tzu
A society that fears death such that almost everyone refuses to discuss death "out of respect for the dead" has thus paid false respect for their dead.
If such a society has no coming-of-age ritual to inculcate fearlessness in the face of death, then making death taboo is a cowardly act.
By fearing death, a person is but a coward when society treasures life so much that mass media glorifies youth to the point where the elderly are mocked by placing them in old age homes to die.
Western society thus is rendered sick in the sense that we associate death with sadness and despair to the point where the dead's living relatives are called "survivors".
In Taoism, Chuang Tzu wrote the truth about how death should be treated, as a companion of life.
Furthermore, viewing death as the beginning of life makes more sense than seeing it as the end of life.
Death is only the end of life when we ignore the afterlife.
Because society sees any depiction of the afterlife as fiction, it makes sense that death is taboo.
Such a society would rather let mass media manufacture a violent parody of life than make a film about the afterlife according to Buddhism.
Indeed, there has never been a movie about the Tibetan Buddhist afterlife, despite a book being written about Tibetans who have returned from the dead to tell about it.
Is it because the Dalai Lama forbids it? Or is it out of false piety and respect for the Tibetans that Hollywood has yet to finance such a venture?
Personally I find the Buddhist afterlife to be a place where anything can happen. I could be reborn in the hells and suffer according to the evil karma I have accumulated in this life. Eons later, I may spend time in the hungry ghost realm not taking any pleasure from eating.
Later on, I may be reborn as a worm in the animal realm, only to be eaten by a bird. Then I might be reborn as a girl in the human realm. Many eons later, I could end up in the demon realm and fight with other demons.
Much later, I may be reborn in the realm of gods and live a long life only to be reborn in one of the Buddhist heavens.
However, each rebirth still requires hearing the Dharma and turning away from evil. In this case, karmic evil would occur when I act according to the realm in which I am reborn.
In the human realm, to act like other humans requires committing evil karma. All the things humanity does to glorify humankind cannot help but create seeds of evil karma which only leads to rebirth in samsara, the realms of desire — the hells, hungry ghost, animal, human, demons and gods.
What kind of existence is this? Is it worth being reborn endlessly due to evil karma?
I do not believe so. For samsara is not humanity's destiny if we choose to live according to the Buddhadharma.
Contrary to what the brahmins of Santanadharma preach, rebirth in samsara is not a person's destiny when she chooses to become a Buddha.
In choosing to become a Buddha, even one sentient being abandons ignorance for the greater good of all sentient beings. This happened to Gotama over 2500 years ago. He became Sakyamuni Buddha in one lifetime, and discovered that he too spent previous lifetimes as a Bodhisattva, preparing for Nirvana.
Even after his mahaparinirvana, which appears to us as an earthly death, the Buddha was liberated to be whatever it is causes each Buddhist to abandon human existence in samsara to become like him.
He could be your Buddhist teacher, a guru, or even someone you hate. He might appear as your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your family, or even that bully who beat you up in Grade Two.
Whenever whatever another person does to us, good or bad, if we are inspired to learn from it and become better than we were before, then that is due to the Buddhadharma.
For it is the Buddha's aim to liberate all sentient beings from human existence and not be reborn in Samsara.
Each liberated sentient being is destined to become a Buddha when she has heard the Buddhadharma — the Four Noble Truths, dependent arising — and, repenting her former life, jumps over to the Middle Way.
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