Be Nonjudgmental of Lost Sheep

Be nonjudgmental of the lost sheep whose behavior would damn them by their wicked deeds.

Furthermore, do not label them "damned" or call them "wicked." Only the truly apostate are only destined to stand before the Fire. Therefore while they live, there is still hope for reconciliation.

For we who are children of the light are only projecting our fear of their destiny, if they do not repent of their wickedness, by judging them thusly.

Yet it is up to the children of the light to bring light into the darkness of the lost. Thus, treat kindly and firmly the lost sheep, and patiently guide them back to the Lord.

Samadhi: The Meditation of Pure Joy

The cure for anger is simple:
cultivate love and practice patience
in the face of anger, desire, hatred, jealousy
and worldliness too base for comfort.
Show compassion for all sentient beings,
and know that loving kindness leads to
compassion so powerful, it burns away
evil karma until all that is left is merit.

May all sentient beings be happy!
May all sentient beings attain the pure joy of liberation!
May all sentient beings focus on the one-pointedness of mind!
May all sentient beings aspire to attain Buddhahood!
May all sentient beings become determined to be bodhisattvas!
May All sentient beings be loving in the face of anger and hatred!
May all sentient beings remember the kindness of their parents!
May all sentient beings be excellent to each other!

Gone away is this vain grasping self,
for in its place is selflessness as virtue
which drives away selfishness and its companions.
All that is left is the pure joy of liberation.

---

Originally posted on February 21, 2013 at 7:09 AM

A Meditation on the Weird and Wonderful (satire)

Sometimes, out of fear a person would deem me weird, rather than acknowledge their fear and grow from that knowledge.

Labelling me weird means you are afraid of someone else being different from you.

It also means you do not care to know me, but wish to remain ignorant of the fact that I am mostly harmless and am a very loyal friend to those people who are willing to abandon their fear of me and to love me just as I am.

Knowing this, I understand why I have few friends because truth telling like this is certain to scare away people unable to handle the truth.
They will deny it to be true, and accuse me of insulting them, telling me "You don't know me."

Of course, I do not know you but the truth is, my own fear of you do not end with me projecting it onto you, and labelling you "weird". That would be too easy to do.

Instead, I would meditate on why people label other people they barely know as "weird", and come to realize that such labelling is based on ignorance about the "weird" person and the unwillingness to get to know the other person and truly acknowledge them as a human being.

Perhaps we project our anxiety about "being different" onto other people, mainly because we want to fit in, and keeping out people who we think don't fit in is for the greater good.

Sadly though, creating a "them versus us" scenario violates the human rights of the person who is merely different from you, even if it may be higher intelligence, being more patient than Job, or having the biggest collection of plush toys.

For myself, I find that I grow from the knowledge about other people who are my closest friends. This comes through sharing our thoughts about our lives, and overcoming our fears about what concerns us, such as food, shelter and entertainment. Often it requires promises of commitment followed by honoring that commitment.

Perhaps it is possible to be weird and wonderful. Perhaps weird morphs into a new kind of difference which arises out of love and respect for each other. Maybe it's time to embrace the fear and transform our inner weirdness into something wonderful.

For love conquers the fear of being different.

Socratic Three Goods Defeats Narcissism (satire)

Socrates was said to have said that the chief goodness consists in the caring of the soul concerned with moral truth and moral understanding, that "wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state", and that "life without examination [dialogue] is not worth living".

As a Buddhist, I take it that by "the soul", Socrates implies the person who has a finite existence. Therefore, the first truth can be rewritten as "The chief goodness consists in the caring of the person concerned with moral truth and moral understanding." This implies that Socrates cared about other people because they were as ignorant as he was, but vain enough to think they knew a lot more than they actually did.

The remaining two goods are as depicted. For the second, by caring for another person's understanding of moral truth and moral understanding, "goodness bring wealth and other blessings".

Finally, the third good can be rephrased as "the unexamined life is not worth living, however each of us are only able to examine their life based on the previous two goods.

However, today's society appears not to have time to examine their life. As a result, people sometimes lack the ability to care for others with moral truth and moral understanding in mind. Instead, they are too busy tweeting or other wise distracted.

Eventually this may lead to a sense of entitlement if they were taught by their parents that they are unique. It also leads to a secret desire for fame, and if they cannot get it, notoriety. They also end up looking like selfish jerks. Such is how narcissists are made.

Thus a narcissist would deny that goodness brings wealth and other blessings. Instead, he would claim that "my good looks and natural charm bring wealth and blessings."

Then what of ugly men who are wealth? Do all of them come from good families? And of the ones who were originally poor, would being a conceited ass make them think they could but goodness for a pretty penny?

No and no, I say! The goodness arising from a person's caring and concern for other people allows him realize that wealth requires patience, perseverance and politeness.

It is these three attributes that mark the man who successfully applies the three Goods to validate the goodness that results in wealth and other blessings.

Do not tempted to give in to the ignorant craving of your ego. Think before you tweet, and above all, correct your typos! I have no desire to see your cleavage or your abs. I would rather let you tell me what's on your mind.

Steam Madness (poem)

Gender-baiting due to
the hypocrisy of polarized politics -
left versus right ad nauseum -
of which religion is a subset...

Carry on with the insomnia.
Don't worry about the mania.
Just win at Steam
Whilst undergoing euphoria.

I see these insults
as terms of endearment
or morbid estrangement -
take your pick -for you kids.

Carry on with the insomnia.
Don't worry about the mania.
Just win at Steam
Whilst undergoing euphoria.

I am waiting for you to win
your stupid game once again tonight,
all the while burning patience
like joss sticks on the altar of devotion.

Carry on with the insomnia.
Don't worry about the mania.
Just win at Steam
Whilst undergoing euphoria.

Mental Negativity is the Dark Side of Ego

Sometimes I'd rather be a Westernized Asian rather than fall for propaganda designed to create hatred against another nation, be it Japan, Germany or America.

Hatred causes and arises from mental negativity. It is but an ally of anger which is the root of all negativity.

Indeed, negativity is the dark side of the ego left in control of the mind, sometimes with tragic yet preventable results (war, famine, and other human problems).

Only patience and love will stand up to anger. As for hatred, it is transformed by love into compassion. For love has opened the eyes of people who once hated and they repented.

Within context of Buddhism repentance is mandatory after admitting your faults in front of fellow Buddhists.

This brings out humility, which helps the Buddhist vow to "think good thoughts" as Zen Master Hui-Neng suggests.

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.

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.

The Root of Nirvana is Found in Adversity (poem)

Even though I speak of
love and compassion,
patience and wisdom,
the disciple who believes
that they only arise
out of peaceful situations
will never find love,
compassion, patience,
or wisdom on a good day,
because they arise out of
the muck and mire of a bad day.
For the root of Nirvana is not
found by contemplating your navel
but by dealing in adversity!

Rethinking my life

September 8, 2004: I know when it becomes dysfunctional: when I'm in the hospital, recovering from a concussion. In walks my mother and sister with her two nieces.

After telling them what happened to me, my mother proceeds to claim that karma is the reason I'm in the hospital i.e. my attitude prior to getting assaulted at a job site. Not one word about the fact that i survived it and am still alive. How cold!

Meanwhile my sister's unwarranted fear gets a hold of her, and she starts blathering about getting a gun to deal with future assault.

My response to that comment was to state that such violence is inappropriate.

When I had some time alone to think about it, i made my employer my next of kind contact, because my ex-girlfriend would be inappropriate since she has a new boyfriend. As well, I requested that if my mother called, that she not know when i get out of the hospital.

Two weeks later, my mother calls and doesn't mention her inappropriate remarks. The next time she calls, I don't call back. The reason why I don't wish to forgive her is because I am tired of the dysfunctional behavior.

Since my mother can't change, I'll have to change my own behavior, even when it means being cut off from dysfunctional mother love.

Update March 12, 2013

Today, I have stopped overreacting to my mother when she uses shaming to control me. Instead, I let her words into one ear and out the other ear, like mental floss. >:)

It is becoming so easy to ignore her, but to still thank her for preparing a wonderful dinner afterwards.

All it takes is a lot of patience and love to bear the brunt of her aggression with aplomb. All I have to do to prevent forgetting boundaries, is to practice patience and love as a son.

Though, when she becomes relentless in the insults œmdash; yesterday it was the "you have a horrible body odour" broken record, which is actually a hallucination on her part because she'd never be able to smell my body odour.

Just before she started talking like this, she told me that I messed up the couch I sat on and "stinked it up" despite the fact that I had showered before I came.

According to her, since I am not capable of keeping myself clean according to her arbitrarily high standards, it follows that I need to wash good.

Before I left, she offered me another bar of soap. Gee, it looks like I was actually getting brainwashed regarding "perfect hygiene and cleanliness!"

So I declined the offer of soap, since I have yet to use the one she gave me two weeks ago.

---

Original post: September 8, 2004 2028H
Update posted: March 12, 2013 0651H

The Craziness Called Love

It is like I have
danced with you as
we talked on the phone.
In our imagination,
we visited that special place
in each other's heart
where friends find each other.
We laughed at the white lies
that we told each other
about the craziness called love.
When a human being realizes
Who truly rules the world,
what right do we have
except to love all
as God loves us?

---

original post: May 10, 2005 1059H
update posted: March 11, 2013 1304H

遭受我悄悄/ Suffering in Silence (poem)

坐在這老不死
等待耐心
出現的那一刻
克服懶惰。
遭受我悄悄嗎？

翻譯 / Translation (EN)

here sits this old fool
awaiting patiently
the moment to arise
and conquer sloth.
Why do I Suffer quietly?

The Cure for Suffering

What is ego but the self pretending it is the little god of the universe?

Yes, I know: everyone's been taught that the ideal ego is the healthy ego which is free from want and is satisfied with just enough of everything.

This is fine in an ideal world, but this world consists of suffering.

This at first sounds depressing but there is character to be built because of suffering.

For suffering with patience and love surely protects us from the ravages of anger.

I do not mean suffering is a noble sacrifice where one suffers needlessly. Even though a man may suffer great anxiety, that anxiety could be "cured" through meditation after just assuring that oneself will be reborn in the Pure Land.

It is said that to say the name of the Buddha, one will surely be reborn as Buddha.

All it takes is to utter the Six Symbols.

Namu Amida Bu (Homage to Boundless Light)

Anger Cured With Patience and Love (poem)

How the mood does change
From anger to sullenness,
Until this old fool
Remembers to soak the stain
with Love and rinse in patience.

To people always angry
this old fool knows well,
how fury can stain the mind
darkly 'til hope sighs
in wait of patience and love.

'Tis the worst advice
for a pop psychologist
to say that anger
is better expressed than not —
only have rage surprised her.

Indeed, the worst thing to vent
is the primal rage,
unleashed without the control
over one's anger —
'Tis folly to attempt it.

Surely this old fool
has experienced it all,
anger and rage — O!
were he to give vent, the death
would be of his self control.

With patience, anger can be
soothed with love that is kinder
than the repression
that smouldered into fire —
How soothing is Love unleashed!

So unleash your love
while guided by patience to
control the mind now!
Pity the old fool who, lost
to rage, now grows still, alone.

With remorse, his heart will burst,
and humility
has him hanging his head low,
until he rises
to meet the day's challenges

Cured with patience and love is
this old fool, again!
His rough ride through all of hell
never is worth pain
this great of sheer regretfulness.

One day soon will he
treat anger with the patience
that the lover has
for the Beloved, for Love
is the answer we all share.

Everyone Has Buddha Nature

Since the Buddha said
everyone has Buddha Nature,
this old fool believes that
he has Buddha Nature.
Even though his efforts
have yet to blossom,
waiting has taught him patience.
When deep in meditation,
counting each and every breath,
this old fool soon loses count.
All that is left is to
breathe in darkness,
and breath out light,
until his mind is clear.
Then, in a moment of clarity,
his mind stops wandering,
and his focus is on
thse six syllables:
Namu Amida Butsu!
Homage to Boundless Light!

Tips on How To Get a Spiritual Warrior Into a Buddhist Retreat

What To Do When Asked How You Meditate

This is satire. Using anything contained in this article may get you kicked out of a Buddhist retreat. It is provided here to poke fun at spiritual warriors who take themselves too seriously. However, the aim of this article to help Buddhists to develop humility.

1) Quietly state that you are at the retreat to share what you know about "chanting" before and after meditation.

2) Mention that you visualize the Buddha sitting in meditation by first looking at a picture of Amida Buddha.

3) Insist that reality is subjective and that it is only interpretable to each person. By doing so, you demonstrate that subjective reality is not consensual reality. Do not let their rationalization distract you from your inner Truth. You are not at the retreat to analyze but to be in the moment sitting in meditation.

4) If someone asks you to teach them chanting then tell them "I have meditated for over 20 years and chanting the name of the Buddha before and after helped with my meditation." Then teach them Buddha Remembrance by chanting "OM MANI PADME HUM" 7, 21 or 49 times. Emphasize sincerity during chanting.

What To Do Actually All Day and/or Night When Committed To the Retreat

For people who are serious about attending a Buddhist retreat, here are some simple rules regarding attendance. A Buddhist retreat is for developing compassion, humility, patience, and wisdom.

Bring a sleeping mat and pillow and be prepared to sleep on a hard floor.

Practice harmlessness against yourself and/or others.

Practice meditation on rising and before going to bed.

Be peaceable to other people, but be assertive.

When they give you the vegetarian meal, take it with thanks.

Do not talk out of turn or verbally harass other people. Otherwise, you lose the chance to help each other to enlightenment.