The worldly admired tend to be more imperfect than hoped upon a closer look [because defilements are there], yet more perfect than expected upon a deeper look [because Buddha-nature is there too].

我不敢轻于汝等， 汝等皆当作佛。 – 常不轻菩萨 (法华经) ‘I do not dare to belittle you all, for you all will become Buddhas.’ – The Bodhisattva ‘Never Underestimate’ (Lotus Sutra) Who Became Shakyamuni Buddha Related Articles: The Bodhisattva Who ‘Cried’ Truth http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailyenlightenment-realisation/message/157 The Story in Comics http://mahaati.blog.163.com/blog/static/1763504562010111211133702

I’m interpreting ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Florence + the Machine my way, with ‘Lord’ standing for Lord Buddha, and even Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo). Electric ‘spiritual’ beginning to the song at the concert in the video above! In a way, the ‘You’ sung about can refer to yourself, your own Buddha-nature, which ‘got the love’ [...]

I came across two strange sentiments about eating animals: 1. ‘As long as the Buddha is in my heart, eating animals is okay.’ 2. ‘I think it’s my karma to eat animals.’ What’s wrong with the above? 1. If one truly keeps the Buddha in one’s heart, as in being attuned to one’s Buddha-nature, and [...]

From Chester Brown’s ‘Paying for It’: Jealousy is natural, but that doesn’t mean that not feeling jealous is not natural. It’s probably better to frame the matter in relation to maturity. It’s immature to be jealous, it’s mature to not feel jealous. Likewise, while it is ‘natural’ for us spiritually immature beings to have greed, [...]

‎ S: Otto von Bismarck said, ‘When you say that you agree to a thing in principle, you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out.’ Let’s agree with our convictions in action too! N: If I agree to something in principle, it must mean that certain conditions have been met. [...]

Here, Edward Monkton gets his ‘Zen’ right, though he doesn’t use the word ‘Zen. But Zen is Zen whether you call it so or not! Zen is indeed about living truly and happily in the moment, from moment to moment, with a sense of joy and wonder, taking nothing for granted, even when it comes [...]

Amituofo! I chant this for you to hear, not to condemn you for the evil you do, but to urge you to awaken to your Buddha-nature. Amituofo! I chant this for you to hear, not to flatter you for the good you do, but to urge you to align it to your Buddha-nature.

Question: How does the concept of the Collective Unconscious (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious) fit in Buddhist philosophy? Answer: Commenting based on the definition of ‘collective unconscious’ in the Wikipedia link, Buddhism would see that the collective unconscious is actually based on the personal unconscious. Because of the existence of past lives with similar experiences for many individuals, they [...]

One of the methods to ‘combine’ Pure Land and Zen practice is that the one who practise mindfulness of Amituofo’s (Amitabha Buddha) name also asks oneself ’Who is the one mindful of Amituofo?’ Who is the one who practises mindfulness of Buddha? One who is truly mindful would realise that the one mindful of Buddha is one’s Buddha-nature. [...]

Below is a passage I helped to translate to Chinese for Buddhist Library’s newsletter: Brightly shining, luminous is this mind, but it is defiled by the stains which visit it. This the unlearned common folk do not really understand; so for them there is no development of the mind. Brightly shining, luminous is this mind, [...]

To empathise is to civilise. To civilise is to empathise. – Jeremy Rifkin As mentioned in the video, ‘We are soft-wired to experience another’s plight [or joy] as if we are experiencing it for ourselves.’  Interesting. The monkey experiment illustrates the power of empathy and rejoice.  Some Dharma teachers teach that rejoice in a good [...]

A friend sent an old news link about how a girl killed and cut her parents into pieces due to both frustration and fear. The news reported on investigation into whether she was mentally ill or not. But of course she was ill! Even if she was proven not ill in the conventional medical sense, [...]

A bipolar student wasn’t sure he liked being his more ‘sober’ self. Perhaps he is used to swinging between highs and lows? I advised that there is no need to cling to any self… Since there is no fixed self that stays high or low, especially in mundane way. Good to chant ‘Amituofo’ more, to [...]

A Buddhist friend whom I did not know too well commented during a group chat that just as the universe has balanced energies of the Yin and the Yang, it is necessary for  individuals to have balanced positive and negative aspects too, in terms of character. I think he is one of those who clings [...]