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Stonepeace Old Archives Page 19 of 27

Who is Guanyin Pusa?




In "The Universal Gateway of Observer of the World's Sounds (Avalokiteshvara or Guanyin) Bodhisattva" (Chapter 25, Lotus Sutra "Pu1 Men1 Pin1") http://www.kalavinka.org/jewels/shakmuni/pumen01.htm,

The Buddha declared to Endless Intention Bodhisattva, "Good Man, If there are beings in a country who ought to gain the crossing over to liberation assisted by the person of a Buddha, by the person of the wife or daughter of an elder, community leader, government official, or..., he then manifests the body of such a wife or daughter... and speaks Dharma for their sakes. If there are those who ought to gain the crossing over to liberation through the person of a boy or a girl, he then manifests the body of a boy or a girl and speaks Dharma for their sakes... This Observer of the World's Sounds Bodhisattva has perfected meritorious qualities such as these whereby he employs all different sorts of forms and wanders to every region crossing beings over to liberation. Therefore, you should all single-mindedly make offerings to Observer of the World's Sounds Bodhisattva. In the midst of fear and urgent difficulty, this Observer of the World's Sounds Bodhisattva, Mahasattva is able to bestow fearlessness. Hence everyone in this Sahaa World calls him 'The Bestower of Fearlessness."

I find this very interesting. Because not only does it mean any man on the street can be a manifestation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, to me it also means any one of us can manifest into Guanyin when we are to emulate Him selflessly.


Love & Marriage



Shyai: My gran and ma are not very happily married. Is this a sign?

Shiqin: We all have our own karma to deal with. What makes you so sure yours will be the same as your family's? Then again, there is some common collective karma that binds family members together- that's why you are together as a family in the first place. But then again, we can all break free of karma since everything is dynamic. This very thought itself, of their "fate" as a "sign" might be a karmic obstacle to you wanting a relationship now. But you don't have to project your future based on your family's past history. We should learn from history and move on, not be hampered by it, and create our own "history."

Fate is in our hands; but for the unenlightened, it is not totally so- in the sense that we have yet to fully understand the workings of karma totally to take total control, to turn its negative tides. Thus, we might unwittingly suffer the payback of some bad karma, be it of individual or collective nature.

So what am I saying? The idea is to always get more enlightened- whether you want a relationship or not- in order to master your karma and life by doing the right things to deserve love. But the funny thing is the more enlightened you get, the less you might yearn for a love relationship. Either way is fine isn't it?

We should learn to be happy of whatever state we are in now, with or without a lover. For how can anyone ever rush love? It is a seed hidden in us. When the right conditions are present, love blossoms. Just be open, be happy... and the world will know you have a wonderful seed. That is good enough. We should think of love that comes to us as a bonus- every drop of rain that falls, every ray of sunlight that shines, on our seed of love. How blessed we will feel if we appreciate it with joy!

How lacking in love can we be, if we love more instead of wanting to be loved more? How much more lovely to others will we be if we are more loving than wanting to be loved? The only true way to attract true love is to be more loving.


The Missed Bus



It was a bus I never missed at the bus stop. Usually, there would be someone else flagging it. But that night, despite the normal sizable crowd there, no one flagged it... and there it went, whooshing by, as I stared in disbelief, too stunned to even run and flag it in time. It might seem hardly a big deal, but missing the bus left me in a state of shock and disappointment- not at the bus or the crowd, but at my realisation of my having taken the "fact" that I will "never" ever miss the bus too much for granted. For years, I had never missed this bus!

It was a timely, though rude awakening. I used to pride myself being able to deliver quality last minute work. This pride overflowed to my spiritual life, making me procrastinate regular practice. It developed into over-confidence; spiritual cockiness. If even a bus can be missed so easily, how much more easier it is to miss the final opportunity to position my mind well when dying! Practice makes perfect! Practise then! Miss not the last bus of life, and death. Do not take it for granted.


Uniqueness

If we can see the uniqueness of each problematic situation from moment to moment,
there will be more ease, less fretting, and solutions will come easier.
Yes- Zen mind; beginner's mind.
This is not merely a mind exercise- every situation is indeed unique!


Carry On the Lamp of Truth

I recall I was hesitant when I was about to start a Dharma sharing project. I was unsure how far it would go, whether it will lead to substantial good. A friend reminded me the following... The Buddha started with only five disciples. That was more than two and a half millenia ago. They carried on the lamp of truth to more and more... such that the light of Dharma still reaches us today. Will you help to carry on the lamp of truth?


Mirror Effect

Two mirrors
reflect each other.

-Soiku Shigematsu, trans., A Zen Forest

What can two mirrors do by themselves-
other than reflect each other?

-Zeph

The dog yaps away at the dog in the mirror.
He sees an angry dog because it chose to be an angry dog.
He saw a dog that he thought deserved anger and gave it anger,
and it received anger in return.
This world is the macro-view of your heart.


Stonepeace

A stone's peace is imaginary in your mind-
for neither does the stone know peace
or the lack of it.
This is the stone's true unassuming peace.
Nature is naturally at peace with itself-
even the wildest storm is fine by itself.

Once you know peace to be peace,
non-peacefulness will come.
Stonepeace!
Just be peace.

But you are not dead.
Stonepeace is not a gravestone's peace of "rest in peace."
You are not a stone-
you are a sentient being.
Be peace alive!
Share living peace!


Do We Really Need Religion?

Do we really need religion?
Any person smart enough can figure out
that evil leads to suffering and does not lead to happiness (Avoid Evil),
that making others happy really makes oneself happy (Do Good),
that not being attached to happiness or anything (including delusion that there is a self, which is the source of all suffering) is true happiness (Purify the Mind),
that he will die happy without regret if he does the above best he can.

Well, on second thought, we still need the Buddhadharma- most of us aren't so smart afterall! Writing this only makes me realise that the Dharma is a natural teaching- something that someone smart enough, though rare, will realise by himself.


Reply 1 : Touch

Slen: Haha...
Stan: Huh? that's it? Haha....? The girl laughs at the boy. Haha. The last 3 lines are most important. In case of misunderstanding, the last line "May you be true love" means "May you become synonymous with the essence of True Love." (May you be able to love truly!)
Slen: Ya I know la!
Stan: Finding true love is not as good as being able to love truly. "Touch" is the trickiest poem I wrote in a while. Haha. Read and understood from another way, it might seem like an unrequited love poem of tortured restraint. It can also be seen as a noble poem of platonic spiritual friendship. Haha. I think it brings out the essence of the conflict between worldly and spiritual love very well.


A Rationale for Vegetarianism

Hong discovered an ironical truth recently. Meat unseasoned is quite tasteless and in fact horrid- which is why it is marinated and spiced up. What we crave for is the texture and taste of seasoning with it. And the funny thing is much of the seasoning is vegetarian. We are fooling ourselves when we eat meat, thinking it is delicious, when it is the vegetables which already taste so good by themselves! If we seek Truth in everyday life, how can we not see this simple truth clearly? Why do we still cling to the choice of greed and delusion? And ignorance too, if we think in terms of the healthier diet.


Talking Dog

Jade: Hey! Something funny and strange happened! The day before, I dreamt of the temple dog Xiao Wang and you.
Zeph: So what happened?
Jade: I bumped into him and he said this to me, "Now you are here! Come back next week!"
Jade: I turned around in surprise to look for someone to witness him talking and saw you nearby. I yelled, "Hey! Look! Xiaowang's talking!" You replied, "Actually, if you think carefully, Xiaowang is not any different from us." I thought, "Wow! What was that about?" I couldn't find Xiao Wang. If you see him, please help me ask him what I can do for him.
Zeph: Haha ok :-]


Fools

San: Your book looks quite interesting- based on a quick flip.
Ston: Phew! Finally a book you like, Miss Hard-to-please!
San: Haha. Got high standards! I don't suffer fools gladly.
Ston: The wise suffer fools gladly when they have to. It is foolish to be unhappy with fools you can't escape from.
San: That's why I always try not to associate with fools and discard them readily. Haha.
Ston: Oh how lacking in compassion! Who to look after the fools if not the wise? Unless you are not wise- that makes you a fool? Haha.
San: Haha. Go ahead and "fool" around then. But it's not for me.
Ston: I am a fool you see! Haha. So no problem. But then again,

Conceiving so his foolishness
the fool is thereby wise,
while 'fool' is called that fool
conceited that he's wise.

-Dhammapada

San: Haha. Compassionate fool.
Ston: Until I become a compassionate wise one, yes.

Not to associate with fools,
To associate with the wise,
And pay honour to those
who are worthy of honour,
This is the Highest Blessing.

-Mangala Sutta


Meaning

Sophie: The temple uncle just crossed the road.
Zeph: Haha so what?
Sophie: Nothing. Just a funny coincidence :> (He bumped into them earlier at dinner.)
Zeph: It has no meaning.
Sophie: Haha. I wasn't looking for a meaning. Just stating a fact.
Zeph: Interesting... I will write on this.
Sophie: What's there to write about?
Zeph: Haha it will be an interesting article. (This is the article!)
Sophie: On second thought, I'm more chim (deep) that I realised. Haha.
Zeph: Gotcha! Don't think so much! That was what I did! I looked for meaningfulness in what I needn't. Now you are doing the same! Haha. It's also interesting that you found that coincidence funny too- where's the joke? Haha.
Sophie: There you go again- trying to find meaning in the unnecessary!
Zeph: It's a disease!


Forebearance

San: Oh what karma have we committed to deserve suffering through this hellish cage together... May this suffering come to an end soon...
Ston: Let us pray to be able to withstand Samsara with Compassion and Wisdom instead of having aversion for it.


Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Wacko

Zeph: Why did you say you knew I was weird by looking at me?
Sophie: You have a certain wacko look. Whether right or wrong, it's my perception. Haha.
Zeph: I told a colleague I find Mee Siam (a Singaporean dish) strange, and she says its strange because I'm strange. So are you a wacko too? Haha.
Sophie: Haha. No. I'm very straightforwardly normal :p
Zeph: You don't get it- Mee Siam is strange because I am strange. And you see me wacko because you are wacko! Haha.
Sophie: LOL (Laugh Out Loud)
Zeph: Welcome onboard wacko! We are on the same boat. Birds of a feather flock for dinner. Haha.
(This SMS conversation took place after leaving for home after dinner.)


Conquer

Conquer anger
with lack of anger;
bad, with good;
stinginess, with generosity;
a liar, with truth.
-Dhammapada, 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

For if you are angry to the angry,
you are adding fuel to fire.
For if you are bad to the bad,
you aren't good yourself; things will not turn out good.
For if you are stingy with your generosity, you are just another miser.
For if you lie to a liar, you have forgotten that two wrongs do not make a right.


Sand & Stone

Sand is Stone in "particular" (as in "particle"),
and everything else particularly too-
for the entire universe's stuff
must allow it to exist
for it to exist.
In this sense too,
the entire universe is in a grain of sand.
Thus Moby sings, "We are all made of stars."

Everything is in everything.
Everything is in any one thing.
The Universe is everything.
We are the Universe.
Without you, the Universe isn't itself.

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."

-William Blake's "Auguries of Innocence" opening stanza


Crtical

Chat on the movie "Baraka" http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/baraka.asp:

San: Yeah. You're easy to please and I'm a closet critic :p
Ston: The critical live in a critically situation of likes and dislikes. I like; You dislike. The monk in the scene ringing the bell seems equanimous- beyond like and dislike. By the way, Ron Fricke is also working on a sequel to Baraka entitled Samsara!


Joke's on You - Joke is You

Ston: Samsara is a joke we play on ourselves that fail to catch.
When we do, we shall smile gently like the Buddha, or grin and roar with laughter like Maitreya.
Star: Wow :-)
Ston: Haha


Touch

It's a question of lust
It's a question of trust
It's a question of not letting
What we've built up
Crumble to dust
It is all of these things and more
That keep us together

-A Question of Lust ("Black Celebration" by Depeche Mode:
http://www.depeche-mode.com/lyrics/bc.html#aqol)
____________________________________________________________
The following is inspired by the above. It is dedicated to all lonely singles.

Stan: Just to let you know I offer the same care and concern of a lover as a friend- except that I don't touch you- it's true.
Slen: How to explain? Will not try because we'll never agree.
Stan: (breaks into a ballad)-

Oh pray tell me anyone,
for what is love
but friendship with a "deeper touch"?
A touch forbidden between friends because it taints.
Why then do we want the taint?

I can love you
and touch you
in your heart
in every way
but I will not touch you
in any other way...
And because of that,
I might never really touch you deeply enough.

Are we then lovers
or just good friends?

In love,
it is possible to have and to hold without tainting.
But is it impossible to love without holding?
Why not?
Because that would be mere friendship,
not love?

I offer you my love, my friendship,
a love that touches,
but does not touch.
I pray it is enough,
even though I know that to you,
it'll always lack the special touch.

Suddenly I realise,
I just want to be your Bodhisattva best I can.
Suddenly I realise,
I should be everyone's Bodhisattva best I can-
with the committment of True Love,
without strings attached,
without the need to touch,
with the true ability to touch.

Dear friend,
may you find True Love.
May you be True Love.

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