Poll Analysis: What do you wish to attain by the end of this life?

38 thoughts on “Poll Analysis: What do you wish to attain by the end of this life?”

1. Thanks Summer & Faith.

   The problem is I begin to see the beauty in sufferings … I find that I start to learn more from sufferings … I want to learn to take control of my life and I have a weirdo thinking … and because of my temperament … and I learn things in a different way … and many more …

   I have gone through some sufferings in life, so I don’t think I will end up like your mother. 16 years ago, my dad’s death and 11 years ago when my mother diagnosed with cancer, I started to look at the issue – death. Today, I am still looking at this issue on and off. I started talking to my kid on death when he is 6+ yrs old (depending how the kid take this subject) and still a topic we discuss a little bit on and off …

   Not that I don’t see the beauty in Pureland, if anyone who had aspiration to be there I totally support them … I can even see how Pureland can use to help those feeling loss at deathbed and so on …

   I think aspiration can come to some very easily, if there is no hope anywhere and no other choice, aspiration to pureland is easily achieved, therefore, for some terminally ill patients, they can ‘go’ pureland easily. It also depends on their nature too and how they have live their life before they die.

   Practices, not too sure what practices here comprise of – chanting? If just chanting, without looking in depth for meaning, it serves nothing much. It could just be like ‘safety drills’ but for each individual when on the death journey to remain calm and not panic, is that enough?

   What is the real purpose of doing good deeds? Just accumulating merits? Or it has a deeper meaning and purpose? The human nature, is it something that need attention too. If we understand how we live our life now till the time we die, would it ensure a more successful entry to pureland?

   C500 brought up a good point – “古人修行万修万人去，现代人念佛万修一二去”. Why is现代人念佛万修一二去? Comparing the past and current society, what is the different?

   I have a funny feeling to this question, maybe one of the reasons is. The current society is more complex and we live a ‘World of Measurement’ – by scales, standards, grades and comparison. Even we didn’t like this very much, but it had been wired in us. If this is not undo, it may explain 现代人念佛万修一二去.

   Pureland => University

   Death => Final Year Exam, passed then in Pureland, failure don’t know go where

   Good deeds, Practices etc => Preparation for Final Year Exam

   Worry come from – can pass or not (can be in pureland or not), have done enough or not …
   Stress come from – want to go Pureland, must be there (only hope) …

   In the end, affect the performance and get panic during exam (death). To some, with

   The whole process, the joy of learning is gone, the purpose of learning is gone, and do certain things (like it or not) to gain entry to the place (life become more sufferings … )

   Reply

2. Re: ‘Touch wood, but one never know what happens tomorrow, would one has the time and right environment to understand and gain Faith immediately?’

   Comments: Agree :-] When I was 16, something devastating happened to me. I was already learning Buddhism, though not really well, but for some reason I still can’t discern, I lost confidence in almost everything and became suicidal. It was instant – happened one afternoon. The only thing that held me back from killing myself was lack of guts and a genuine fear of a bad rebirth. (Suicides easily lead to the lower realms, especially the hells, because there is usually intense fear and/or hatred generated.) Later, the suicidal tendency faded. This incident was very humbling to me. It showed me clearly that we do not know when and what negative karma from the past (not just the immediate past life but from further back) can suddenly bear fruit. It is thus important to keep learning the Dharma actively and create merits to repent and dilute negative karma. If our karma is so good already, we shouldn’t be still be unenlightened. Of course, wisdom is needed too.

   Re: ‘she knows that Buddhism is good but keeps giving excuses to delay learning it. I feel so sad for her.’

   Comments: Maybe you can bring her to special occasions at the temples first for a start?
   ____

   Re: ‘I have gone through some sufferings in life, so I don’t think I will end up like your mother.’

   Comments: Hmmm… I have also gone through suffering and never thought the above incident at 16 could happen, but nevertheless, it did.

   Re: ‘I started to look at the issue – death. Today, I am still looking at this issue on and off. I started talking to my kid on death when he is 6+ yrs old (depending how the kid take this subject) and still a topic we discuss a little bit on and off …’

   Comments: A huge part of the Pureland practice is to prepare for a happy peaceful death. When we prepare well for death, we are better prepared to live – as our short and long term bearings snap into place.

   Re: ‘I think aspiration can come to some very easily, if there is no hope anywhere and no other choice, aspiration to pureland is easily achieved, therefore, for some terminally ill patients, they can ‘go’ pureland easily. It also depends on their nature too and how they have live their life before they die.’

   Comments: The requirements are still the same – faith, aspiration and practice. One must believe enough, want to go for the right reasons and practise accordingly. Sometimes, the dying lack one or more of these provisions, or are not strong enough in some of them. That’s why learning and practice beforehand is important. Those who can make it by last minute practice have much merits and latent wisdom that ripened in time. It’s dangerous to assume everyone is like so.

   Re: ‘Practices, not too sure what practices here comprise of – chanting? If just chanting, without looking in depth for meaning, it serves nothing much. It could just be like ‘safety drills’ but for each individual when on the death journey to remain calm and not panic, is that enough?’

   Comments: Practice involves many aspects. E.g. Learning about the Pureland teachings to create unshakeable faith (which is built upon learning the foundational teachings of Buddhism), creating strong and right aspiration for practice and birth in Pureland, practising mindfulness of Buddha by chanting to a state as equanimous as possible, without a scattered mind (this is the trickiest part), plus observation of precepts and doing of good to amass merits to aid a successful birth…

   Re: ‘What is the real purpose of doing good deeds? Just accumulating merits? Or it has a deeper meaning and purpose?’

   Comments: Doing good is to benefit others, to nurture our compassion. It just so happens that merits are cultivated along the way, which is useful – for making our spiritual life and rebirth more smooth, and for sharing the merits with others in need.

   Re: ‘The human nature, is it something that need attention too. If we understand how we live our life now till the time we die, would it ensure a more successful entry to pureland?’

   Comments: The three provisions are the criteria. There are many who know bits and pieces about human nature, but lack faith in Pureland or knowledge about it, thus have no aspiration to be born there and never practise accordingly.

   Re: ‘C500 brought up a good point – “古人修行万修万人去，现代人念佛万修一二去”. Why is现代人念佛万修一二去? Comparing the past and current society, what is the different?’

   Comments: The answer to this is in the last two paragraphs at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/131

   Re: ‘Stress come from – want to go Pureland, must be there (only hope) …In the end, affect the performance and get panic during exam (death). To some, with the whole process, the joy of learning is gone, the purpose of learning is gone, and do certain things (like it or not) to gain entry to the place (life become more sufferings … )’

   Comments: It’s actually the exact reverse. Pureland practice is for removing the stress and worry about where we will be reborn. It builts steady calm confidence for birth in Pureland. For instance, at the rate I’m practising, plus some bucking up of course, I’m confident of birth in Pureland. So there is little stress. And I’m still joyous in learning and sharing Buddhism, not just in terms of the Pureland teachings, but in its various other wonderful aspects too. I’m sure it’s joyous, because I laugh quite a bit during Dharma discussions 😀

   Here’s a nicely written introduction to Pureland Buddhism:
   http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/pureland/inropl.html

   Reply

3. You are very strong as you have survived the transition of going through the death of your most loved ones. And all the more you want the very best for your kid. I am a mother too, which is why, I also wished that my child would accept Pureland Practice as I feel this is the best for him.

   Buddha’s love/ compassion for all sentient beings is no less than our love for our child. There must be a valid reason why He said Pureland is the best Practice for us.

   To start a spiritual journey in Pureland Path is not easy, but to maintain your momentum in Practice is the challenge. Thus, it is important to set goals. If going to Pureland is the ultimate goal, we can set smaller goals to reach the ultimate one.
   The first step would then be:
    Knowing what exactly is Pureland Practice
    How does this help me and my family in my everyday life

   Practice is being mindful in speech, thought and actions in everyday life. Chanting, sutras research, meditation, attending Dharma classes is the start/ or reminder of the journey, just like attending a course to learn/ brush up new skills. If we are not able to integrate Buddha’s teachings in our everyday lives, we are not considered Buddhists. We are merely scholars, trying to learn the theory and just like earning a Degree out of it.

   And to me:
   Pureland is Home
   Amituofo is Father/ Teacher
   Good deeds, Practices etc is learning to be selfless
   Worry & Stress come from not able to let go of my attachments, emotions, feelings, opinions that misdirect my path to ultimate goal
   In the end, if not able to reach Pureland, it is my own karmic result
   The joy of learning is to see myself, gradually and consistently change to a better person, i.e. from losing control to being disciplined, from being lost to knowing how to live my life, from being ignorant to sharing knowledge with others.

   There is so much more to improving myself, and all these are the smaller goals that I set to achieve before I get to reach my ultimate home (Pureland). And I really wished to see you there too!^_^

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4. Just two cents worth…

   If one wants to know what Pureland teachings are, why not just go for lessons and learn about it?
   If one wants to know what Pureland practice is about, why not just go for a retreat and practise it?

   It’s no rocket science, just moments of mindfulness and sincerity.
   It’s no use to be skeptical and speculative.

   The best answer is not from anyone, but always from your own realisation. 😉

   Reply

5. Life is uncertain, death can come anytime, any moment! 2 of my boy’s schoolmates just passed away like that when school reopened. That’s one of the reason, that I started discussing the issue on death with my kid at a very young age, to give him an idea and he read ‘The Tibetan book of living and dying” when he was P2, 7+ years old. He finished reading it, on and off, if he feels like, he flip through the book – just to get him looking into the issue bit by bit. Another thing, maybe is to strongly cultivate the compassionate heart in young kid (easily too) and should anything happened anytime, a better rebirth and bring such good quality over to next life (if).

   As each of us going through different experiences, sufferings to each of us mean different things and how we react to this is also differently, other factors – our temperamental, our thinkings, our environment …

   Shian, you are doing thing right; therefore you don’t see these problems. It is appearing in some Buddhists and it is affecting those that they come in contact and the name of Pureland practices. And different people reacting differently to this ‘stress’, just like, some need stress to motivate themselves and some totally broke down in it. Look at our education system now (some kill themselves, some gone insane, some into depression, some carry over to their adulthood).

   For some, to convince themselves that Pureland is the best place (so as to build their faith) and all things on earth are label as sufferings. When they keep remind themselves this, all things (even non suffering) become sufferings and block the abilities to find solution to handle things in their daily life.

   Some build their Faith on Pureland by the more people believes in it and goes for it, so that is right way, rather than make sense out of the Pureland practice. To convince themselves, Pureland Practices is the BEST, they find it hard to accept people interest in Buddhism and not into Pureland.

   They get so upset, if they can’t convince people to believe with them. They will then label these people as having no good karma and karmic conditions. I personally met one such person, first thing ask, you suffered before right, I know this very good course and brought me to the class (is Buddhism) and I was so shocked as I saw how the people behave in the class.

   When I don’t want to go for the class anymore, this person really “hate” me and my family member who have to come in contact, got the terrible treatment as a result. I began to wonder, what are they doing? And doing right way in creating merit, or just to create “good merit” (upon able to convince one over to what they believe) for themselves to go Pureland.

   People do not get into Pureland Practices, does not mean it is hopeless, as long as keep them in this beautiful religion – Buddhism, is good enough, don’t chase them away.

   And there are many reasons why people is not into this yet, one thing is if a person is not ready to talk about the topic on death, it is very difficult to get them to into Pureland practices. And many more reasons.

   Apology for being very frank, I know not all behave like what I mentioned. Not skeptical and speculative, there are some out there need helps … I know it is not your issue that other behave such way either …

   Reply

6. >>>Worry & Stress come from not able to let go of my attachments, emotions, feelings, opinions that misdirect my path to ultimate goal.

   Very truth. If going pureland become an attachments, it will cause worry and stress.

   “The Buddha taught us to stop wanting to be something, because he realized that all the wanting to get something and to be something is suffering”

   Reply

7. Re: ‘Very truth. If going pureland become an attachments, it will cause worry and stress.’

   Comment: A pure aspiration based on compassion and wisdom will not be an attachment that causes worry or stress.

   Re: ‘The Buddha taught us to stop wanting to be something, because he realized that all the wanting to get something and to be something is suffering’

   Comment: The wanting above refers to worldly things. The Buddha also taught that we need spiritual aspirations to drive ourselves forward. He too aspired to attain enlightenment. Without his aspiration, there would be no Buddha. There is a world of difference between aspiring to better spirituality and craving for something. The Bodhisattvas vow great vows not because they have great craving, but are driven by great compassionate aspirations.
   _______

   Re: ‘For some, to convince themselves that Pureland is the best place (so as to build their faith) and all things on earth are label as sufferings. When they keep remind themselves this, all things (even non suffering) become sufferings and block the abilities to find solution to handle things in their daily life.’

   Comment: Pureland teachings do not teach the labelling of every single experience as suffering, or the rejection of solving everyday life problems. In fact, many teachers advocate aspiring to go Pureland while trying to make this world a Pureland in this lifetime (and to resume after return).

   Re: ‘Some build their Faith on Pureland by the more people believes in it and goes for it, so that is right way, rather than make sense out of the Pureland practice. To convince themselves, Pureland Practices is the BEST, they find it hard to accept people interest in Buddhism and not into Pureland.’

   Comment: Pureland Buddhism is a big part of Buddhism. It cannot be separated from it. There are other Buddhist traditions too, and there are based on the same foundational teachings.

   Re: ‘They get so upset, if they can’t convince people to believe with them. They will then label these people as having no good karma and karmic conditions. I personally met one such person, first thing ask, you suffered before right, I know this very good course and brought me to the class (is Buddhism) and I was so shocked as I saw how the people behave in the class.’

   Comment: It’s wise not to let examples of not so good Buddhists distract us from learning Buddhism. An example of a Buddhist friend who persevered can be seen at https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/03/dont-walk-over-a-sutra Today, she is a devout Buddhist who learns and practises the Dharma diligently.

   Reply

8. As I always say, Buddhism is a beauty religion and what I wish to see is also the Truth Buddhism as commented in one post in the old moonpointer. The reason writing these is to highlight there are some “problems” in here, so something can be done to address if possible, rather be in the dark and don’t know how the rest of the society look at it .

   PLEASE, don’t forget these not so good Buddhists, they highlight the hurdles and need helps.

   I really hope Buddhism can spread far. We being to find our society so cold, self-centre, not compassionate enough, not much concern for humane values and lost of the “kampong spirit” etc , I really hope Buddhism a compassionate religion can give the society some hopes and more can go towards it.

   But what I saw Buddhism here is not like this, maybe I am wrong. Few years back I was so shocked and sadden that Buddhist Organizations even allow non-vegetarian food as a mean to raise fund. If a religion that teaches compassionate is having difficulties to get Buddhists to understand the concept of Vegetarianism, I just don’t know what to say …

   More are being emphasis on the material things, to please people rather than guide them and more is channel on the easy way of doing goods rather than address the humane or moral values, so there is emptiness, unfulfilled self and can’t progress far.

   When I talked to my hubby and encourage him to go for Buddhism, he said too commercialized and even my sister does not want to go anymore. They used to follow our mother to temple chanting.

   I find the below by Dalai Lama very meaningful:-
   “I am not at all interested in increasing the number of people who call themselves Buddhists, I am eager to see how Buddhist ideas can contribute to the generate welfare.”

   What I think, when people start to admire the Buddhist ideas and see how it contributed to the generate welfare, they will start to learn bit by bit. We just don’t have to worry because they will fall in love with it sooner or later, even not now, it could be in future lives …

   My apology, as I am never good in words or languages, I could not express my ideas well or in a better way, it might sounds 👿 sorry.

   Reply

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