Stonepeace Old Archives Page 16 of 27

Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Beauty



Posessing the physically beautiful is not as good as being mentally beautiful (pure). True beauty is beyonf the physical. Anyway, it is spiritual beauty that leads to true physical beauty. Just look at the Buddha. Be careful! If you think you are beautiful physically and must be likewise mentally, it might not be so. Your physical beauty might be the fruit of past mental beauty. Not keeping your mind beautiful means your physical beauty will fade away in time.

Thursday, December 12, 2002
Busy



Boss: I'm so busy! I have so many things to do!
Lynn: (looks at him in the eye) Just do one thing... (pauses) first.
Boss: Okay!


Thing


The thing is just like that la!...
It's just like that.

-Lynn

Monday, December 02, 2002
Suffering Self

Sophie: It is the self who suffers. When there is no self, there is no suffering.
Zeph: And since there is actually no self, there is actually no suffering.
Sophie: I am still deluded, so there "is" self and the self is suffering.
Zeph: We do not suffer from having a self; we suffer from having the delusion of having a self. What is worse than attachment to "something" is attachment to illusion. But then again, nothing else in the universe is a definite unchanging "something." In the realization that everything is changing, including our "selves", we let go of everything and become totally free.


Top Priority

Enlightenment has to be your first priority for it to be attained. As long as your top priority isn't Enlightenment, you will not attain it. It is exactly because Enlightenment is probably just in our Top Ten To Do's list of important things, yet not positioned number one, that renders us unenlightened. We have to renounce the items of higher placings in our list of priorities in order to shift the priority of Enlightenment up. This can be as simple as giving up a not so important fun outing which we crave to enjoy... in order to dedicate more time to meditation or self-reflection. Let's face it, we are almost always inserting other new non-Enlightenment top priority items in our To Do List as fast as the previous ones are fulfilled. Yes, it is spiritual procrastination.

You can't attain Enlightenment while entertaining a single thought of samsara. A single drop of poison renders a whole glass of drinking water impure. As long as you do not consider advancing towards total mental purification, you will not become totally pure. This means that Enlightenment not only has to be the first priority in your life in order to attain it, it has to be the only! This is not to say spiritual progress is not possible as long as we do not place Enlightenment on top priority; but the final lap to Enlightenment requires the relinquishment of all other concerns or attachments. Think of it likened to a rocket needing to accelerate to the critical escape velocity in order to break free of our world's (Earth) gravitation. In relinquishment of everything holding it back, it wins the "freedom" of space, and escapes the grasp of an entire planet. Speaking in a parallel way, Enlightenment is the fruit of the relinquishment of "all worlds"- the letting go of our craving for existence, non-existence and sense pleasures.
When Enlightenment is your top priority, everything you do becomes nothing less than direct or supportive actions for aiding you to attain Enlightenment. Eating, for example, should no longer be out of craving; for the sole purpose of sustenance of the body as a necessary vehicle for attaining Enlightenment. This is part of the practice towards perfect wisdom. The additional task of the Bodhisattva is to help others realise the Dharma... including this very snippet of Dharma... which helps lead to Enlightenment. This is part of the practice towards perfect compassion.


Useful

The only useful emotion is compassion.
Our only emotional need is compassion.
The only useful reason is wisdom.
Our only reasonable need is wisdom.


Horoscope

Despite some "accuracies"- I believe in Anatta (Non-Self: Truth of the Constantly Changing Mind & Body) more than any typically generically casted horoscope- that's why I'm Buddhist.


Is This Worthy of Publishing?

Hey you! Do u think the stuff in http://stonepeace.blogspot.com are publish-worthy? Almost 200 articles written in 1.5 months! i think it'll be a semi-funny book. Thinking of making it into a sort of diary book- need 366 articles haha. i dun think it will sell- cos need to understand basic Dharma to appreciate the articles. or maybe i can add a short intro of the main tenets of Buddhism. what do u think? maybe i fork out money to print for free distribution haha- no heartbreak from lack of buyers then. haha be honest- i know most likely u think the material is crappy!


Karma Accounting

Lynn remarked that Karma is fair-
like accounts- the debit will always equal the credit.
Even when it seems impossible, something amiss, the balance sheet will always work out-
just ask any accountant!


Interesting

Samsara might seem exciting, a treat for the senses-
but it is not as interesting as the quest to transend it.


Of Time & Samsara

Time can heal only if we learn to let go in time.
Time will only increase our pain if we continue to be attached.
Samsara will lead to Nirvana if it motivates you to let it go.
Samsara will lead to deeper Samsara if you relish in it.

Who's the Boss?

Sometimes my Dept (in temple) folks call me boss. I remind them that the Buddha is the real boss. After some thought, sentient beings are our real bosses, and customers at the same time- We are here to serve them, not our human lay or venerable bosses, or even the Buddhas! Strive on with diligence!


Physical Impurity?

Q: Please advise me about a doubt that I always wanted to clarify, as I am very interested to attend the workshop, but, being a female there is always some inconvinience.

My question is, what if before/during the duration of the workshop, we have menstruation can we still attend/complete the workshop. Whenever we pay respect at the temple, my mother-in-law used to ask me whether am I clean. Till today I always bear these words in mind.

A: There is no Buddhist precept or regulation that discourages participation in Buddhist activities or visiting Buddhist temples before or during menstruation. The origin of this thinking probably originated from the traditional Chinese mindset that menstruation implies impurity; it is not related to Buddhism.
In Buddhism, the Buddha emphasizes on the importance of purity of the mind, not body, since the mind is the source of our happiness and unhappiness. In fact, He taught us that the body is already naturally impure by itself due to its internal substances and processes. This is not to say that we should not treasure our body, but that we should not be attached to it. It is realising purity of the mind that will set us free and win us Enlightenment, which is none other than True Happiness. Do feel at ease and join the workshop :-]


Classes of Wisdom

1st class wisdom- Knowledge through self-realised personal experience (similar to pacceka-buddhas)
2nd class wisdom- Knowledge through realisation by instruction by the Buddha (similar to arahants)
3rd class wisdom- Knowledge through realisation by instruction by sutras (similar to self-motivated practitioners)
4th class wisdom- Knowledge through realisation by instruction by commentators of sutras (similar to teacher-motivated practitioners)


Karma-puters

Q: I am surprised at how computers work. when i use Cs wire to connect to my PC, there is error. Now I am using S's wire and i can access your email. Why is that so? this is beyond my understanding.....
A: About how computers work in quirky manners.... Well... let's just say there is still cause and effect at play, and in a day and age of "perfect machines", it is a fantasy to think that karma will not be able to reach us. Yup... karma is still meted through "perfect machines", delivered to us personally, be in by hanging or crashing or the like... humbling us, reminding us of our imperfect karma.


Psychic Powers

Hi! If a person is able to use psychic powers for good purposes, to help others and not for money and fame, is that good? I remember Mogallana used such powers to help the devotees see the 'true face' of a lady who pretended to bear the child of the Buddha, thus prventing a lot of confusion and unneccessary porblems.

If a person has psychic powers and uses one to help others out of love and compassion, doesn't that become a gift? Just like those gifted doctors who help others throught their skills etc (eg li3 shi2 zhen1), doesn't that make them like a Bodhisattva who helps others out of their suffering? Of course, that cannot be the ultimate goal, but i would like to think it is one of the methods to help relieve suffering from others....Just would like to share some thoughts :)
___________________
I agree but

Psychic powers and wonders are not to be revealed.
Anyone who reveals such powers openly is doing wrong.

-Vinaya Cullavagga 5.8.2

The monastic discipline prohibits display of psychic powers. The Buddha takes this very seriously. Monks can be expelled for doing so. This is because psychic powers attact a lot of blind followers. Even Devadatta had psychic powers- though he was evil. The Buddha wants people to be attracted to the Dharma for its goodness, not to psychic powers. So when you hear TRUE monks' stories of display of psychic powers to help people, they are

1. Usually not public displays
2. Usually shown to selected people who "need" psychic powers to be convinced of the teacher to humble them.
3. Usually used for life or death situations, with understanding of karma.
4. Usually "legends" or acidentally seen accounts
5. Usually displayed to people who already have enough wisdom.
The above also applies to the Buddha. So if a master uses psychic powers otherwise, they are in theory breaking an important precept. If a master displays psychic powers to awe someone, and does not comments on it, letting the person spread word of his power, it is also wrong.

Enlightenment or Fun

You want Enlightenment or fun?
Why do you think it has to be mutually exclusive or a compromising decision?
Seeking Enlightenment is fun when you do it properly!
It is the ultimate and final adventure!
Only spiritual practice done in a non-good-humoured way is not fun.
There is nothing more intriguing than discovering the emptiness of your self,
of discovering the secret behind the ultimate magic trick of the world- the illusory self.


I

"I am not, I will not be.
I have not, I will not have."
That frightens all the childish
And extinguishes fear in the wise.
-Nagarjuna, "Precious Garland"

Conversely speaking....

"I am, I will be.
I have, I will have."
That delights all the childish
And brings no joy to the wise.

-Zeph


Calling Fellow Dharma Bloggers!

Hi,

Have I asked you before? after knowing you have set up the blogspot corner (your http://stonepeace.blogspot.com), i have set up one also and thought whether it is possible to link up buddhist "blogspotters" and build an online community. cuz it acts like sort of a diary for some of us; if there are more like-minded buddhists around setting their blogspots, we can introduce or recommend sites and see if it becomes an interaction where we comment, comfort one another....

even if there is no interaction, at least we visit one another's webpage to read how other buddhists apply buddhism in their daily lives. just an idea. see if you have friends who may be interested.

-Thinkarma

Know other Dharma blogs? Interested in setting up a community?


Most Important Event

Life's most important event is not the re-entry (rebirth)-
thus there is no real cause of celebration for re-birthdays;
Life's most important event is having a smooth departure, a happy "ending".

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