Lesson on Suffering

✨ The Young Monk and the Master’s Lesson on Suffering ✨

One day, a young monk walked slowly behind his master, his head heavy with thoughts. After some time, he finally spoke:

“Master, why does suffering always follow me? No matter where I go, no matter how much I try, pain and worry never leave my side.”

The old master stopped, smiled softly, and pointed at a clay pot nearby. Inside it was a small plant.

“Do you see this plant, child?” the master asked.

“Yes, Master,” the monk replied.

“This plant grows because someone waters it every day. Without water, without care, it would wither away. Now tell me, who waters your suffering?”

The monk thought for a moment and then said, “I… I think it is my own mind.”

The master nodded. “Yes. Every time you hold on to the past, you give it water. Every time you worry about the future, you give it sunlight. Every time you repeat your pain in your head, you give it soil to grow stronger roots. That is why suffering walks with you—it is the plant you yourself keep alive.”

The monk’s eyes filled with tears. “Then, Master, how do I stop watering it?”

The master placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered:

“Plant another seed. Water peace, kindness, and gratitude. Feed your mind with compassion instead of fear. Suffering will wither on its own, because nothing can survive without your attention.”

From that day, the monk began to change his thoughts—less watering of suffering, more watering of joy. And little by little, his life transformed.

💡Takeaway: What you water will grow. Stop feeding your suffering, and start feeding your peace.

Having a clear goal

“A monk should frequently reflect: ‘We have karma as our own possession. If we do good, we will receive good. If we do evil, we will receive evil.’” (Apinnhapaccavekkhana Sutta)

Defilements, karma, and results are the cycle that binds us in the round of existence. As long as our perfections (parami) are not yet complete, we still must face defilements, create karma, and reap its results. Thus, the journey of life becomes endless, without knowing where it begins, continues, or ends.

If one is born without a goal, life will be even more unstable and dangerous.

Having a clear goal—that we are born to cultivate perfections—is like a “crystal armor” that protects us. When we hold this firmly in our hearts, every crisis becomes an opportunity to build merit. Every breath we take has value. Every day that passes is filled with wholesome deeds. And this will lead us to true happiness and fulfillment in life.

How can we integrate Buddhism into our daily lives?

How can we integrate Buddhism into our daily lives?

When you wake up in the morning, try to make your first thought, “Today, I don’t want to harm anyone. I’m going to help others as much as possible. May all my actions be directed towards the long-term goal of becoming a Buddha to benefit others.” 

After you get up, meditate for a while to get in touch with your inner calm, to learn about yourself, and to set up good motivation for the day.

– Thubten Chodron

Seven Kinds of Giving

A man complained to the Buddha, "No matter how hard I work, I can't make any money. Why is that?" 

The Buddha replied, "Because you never give." The man replied, "But I am a poor man with nothing! How can I give?" 

The Buddha said, "Giving money and materials is only one of the ways to give. Even if you don't have money, you can still give people seven kinds of giving: 

1. Giving with a kind face: Treating sentient beings with a kind face is giving.

2. Giving with words: Saying words of encouragement, admonition, comfort, and meaningful words to sentient beings is giving.

3. Giving with heart: Thinking about the other person and caring about sentient beings out of a compassionate mind is giving.

4. Giving with eyes: Looking at all sentient beings with a loving and warm look is giving.

5. Giving with body: Helping all sentient beings with your body is giving.

6. Giving with seat: Giving up your seat to those in need,  This is charity.

7. Observation: Without asking, you can observe the other person's heart and give what they need. This is charity. "

The Buddha skillfully said seven ways to give charity without money or material things. Summarizing these seven methods, we can know that we should abandon and eliminate any mentality and behavior that comes from self-love and stinginess; on the contrary, all our motives and intentions are for the benefit of all sentient beings. Therefore, as long as we treat all sentient beings with kindness, good words and good deeds, it is charity.

For example: we can give people a good face, say good things to people, be considerate of others, treat people with kindness and love, help people, understand others' needs, forgive others, and give people opportunities.  We can take care of stray cats and dogs, clean the neighborhood, clean the environment, do volunteer work, dedicate merits, etc., and these are all giving.

Remember: giving money and materials is only one of the ways of giving. Even if we already have property, we should not forget the "Seven Givings of the Buddha" - there are still many more givings that we need to do!

The so-called giving will definitely benefit; if you give for pleasure, you will definitely be happy in the future.

If a person does not give, he will definitely not be able to do things that benefit others, and therefore he will not be able to become a Buddha. On the contrary, if you can give, you can forever break away from the evil ghost realm, forever leave all poverty, and be able to break all troubles, enjoy endless enjoyment, and receive all happiness.

•Do good deeds 

•Speak good words 

•Think good thoughts

🙏🏻

阿弥陀佛四十八大愿 Amitabha Buddha’s Forty-Eight Great Vows

   

阿弥陀佛四十八大愿

Amitabha Buddha’s Forty-Eight Great Vows
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What are the Five Precepts?

What are the Five Precepts?

The Five Precepts are recommendations given by the Buddha, proposed to be lived by one who wishes to lead a peaceful life while contributing to the happiness of family and society. The Five Precepts are voluntarily observed. They are not “commandments” that have to be abided by without question. They form the basis of universal morality in the Moral Conduct aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is very important as the foundation of practising the Buddhist path.

The Five Precepts are usually expressed in the following form:

1. To refrain from killing

2. To refrain from taking that which is not given

3. To refrain from sexual misconduct

4. To refrain from telling lies

5. To refrain from taking intoxicants

─ Excerpted from Be a Lamp Upon Yourself

Practice to see ourselves

Our practice is not to see the Buddha. Our practice is to see ourselves.

To see the Buddha during our practice is auspicious. However, the real practice is to see clearly the positive and negative aspects of our mind.

We cannot see our true self in the mirror because of our attachment to “me, myself and I”. From this, we differentiate and discriminate against “others”. 

─ Excerpted from Awaken Issue 53

Karma in Simple Explanation

Karma in Simple Explanation

Karma (Sanskrit) or Kamma (Pali) is one of the most profound of Buddhism’s core teachings. "Karma" refers to the actions done by our body, speech and mind. We may find karma difficult to understand as the ripening of karmic fruits is not instantaneous and may happen in our present life or even in one of our future lifetimes. As quoted in Buddhist teachings, “everything we do, even if it’s just spitting in the dust, brings consequences”. 

The law of karma can also be explained as the law of cause and effect. The effect of karma, manifesting as our body, appearance, parentage, present life’s friends and relatives, overall situation of life, state of mind including thoughts and emotions etc, are the results of the actions we did in the past. The present we are experiencing is the fruition of our past actions performed either in our present or past lifetimes.

Our future can be determined by every action we do in the present, and this is known as the cause. Explained simply, if our actions are virtuous, the karmic results will be positive; whereas, if the actions are unvirtuous, the karmic outcomes will be negative. These outcomes can affect our practice, while positive ones put us in a favourable position to change ourselves for the better, negative ones create obstacles making the path more difficult to progress.

As the Buddha said, “Intention, I tell you, is karma. Intending, one does karma by way of body, speech and intellect.” (AN 6.63). Our intentions are the determining factor on whether an action will result in positive or negative karma. It is important to assess and reflect on our intentions, though it is not easy as we have a natural tendency to hide the real motives from ourselves and others. Ignorance of our true motivations will not excuse nor relieve us from the karmic consequences that arise from our actions. 

The understanding of karma is important to train ourselves to be mindful by reflecting on our intentions before we take any action with our body, speech and mind that may cause suffering to ourselves and others. We can all work towards becoming kind, compassionate and generous people where our intentions and actions do not cause harm nor suffering to ourselves and others.

Source : Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

The teachings of the Dharma

🙇‍♂️...Namo Shakyamuni Buddha

“The teachings of the Dharma have great power, but unless you practice them properly that power will remain merely as a potential which is never expressed. If one has a tool and does not use it, not much will be accomplished. An unused tool is not particularly beneficial in itself. But if you truly put the teachings into practice, as the Dharma takes birth and grows in your mindstream, all your faults will naturally diminish and all your positive qualities will spontaneously blossom, just as the sun, as it rises higher in the morning, gradually spreads increasing light throughout the world.”

Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - The Heart of Compassion - Instructions on Ngulchu Thogme's Thirty-Sevenfold Practice of a Bodhisattva - p 49, Padmakara Translation Group - Shechen Publications

Why must positive potential be dedicated and what should it be dedicated for?

Why must positive potential be dedicated and what should it be dedicated for?

It is important to dedicate our positive potential so it does not get destroyed by our anger or wrong views. Like the steering wheel guiding where the car goes, dedication will guide how our positive potential ripens. It is best to dedicate for the most extensive and noble goals. If we do so, all the smaller results will naturally come. If we set our destination as London, we will pass through Delhi and Kuwait along the way; we do not need a special ticket for those places. Likewise, if we dedicate our positive potential, however small, toward the ultimate happiness and enlightenment of all sentient beings, this automatically includes dedicating for a good rebirth and for the happiness of our relatives and friends.

Some people think, “I have so little positive potential. If I dedicate it for the happiness of everyone, then I won’t have any left over for myself.” This is not correct. By dedicating our positive potential to others, it does not mean that we have less for ourselves. We will not become paupers by sharing the good results of our actions with others. While dedicating our positive potential for the benefit of all beings, we can still make special prayers, for the happiness of a particular person who is having difficulties at that time.

─ Excerpted from I Wonder Why

PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

●◆● ════ ◆◇◆ ════ ●◆●

"Always practice the two benefits of benefiting self and others. If we do this with pure intentions then our wisdom and compassion will naturally increase, until eventually they become immeasurable and unified, leading ourselves and others towards Anuttara Samyaksam Bodhi (unsurpassed supreme enlightenment).

We should do our very best to develop insight into the nature of reality and develop the extraordinary altruistic intention to attain unsurpassed supreme enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, and encourage others to do likewise.

Renouncing worldly ways, turn your mind towards enlightenment. Accumulate oceans of merit. Practise and master enthusiastic effort and mindfulness.

Prepare your mind, with perfect patience, to realise the emptiness of self and other. Perfect the five faculties to become the five powers of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. Eradicate all acquired misconceptions and wrong views.

Absorb your mind with supreme wisdom and attain the seven factors of enlightenment; supreme mindfulness, awareness, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration and equanimity.

Eliminate the innate obscurations and master the eight-fold path. Realise the five wisdoms; wisdom of ultimate reality, mirror-like wisdom, wisdom of equality, wisdom of discernment and all-accomplishing wisdom.

With a great heart of compassion, the extraordinary altruistic intention, encourage and lead all sentient beings to do likewise. May all sentient beings attain unsurpassed supreme enlightenment. Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya."

●◆● ════ ◆◇◆ ════ ●◆●

~Dharmacharya Andrew. J. Williams~

Rebirth

“Rebirth is not a dogma to be blindly accepted. It is a theoretical framework for understanding our lives, which provides necessary supportive conditions for consistent progress on the path.”  -  Ajahn Jayasaro

“ Ownership is not a natural truth, it is a concept. It is defined by power over the “owned”.

“ Ownership is not a natural truth, it is a concept. It is defined by power over the “owned”.

          -  Ajahn Jayasaro

《利人就是利己》英文版 To benefit others is to benefit ourselves

《利人就是利己》英文版

To benefit others is to benefit ourselves

能夠每個念頭都想到「利人就是利己」，便會採取積極的態度。許多人只管自掃門前雪，以自己的利益為重，其實，那是最傻的。

If our every thought is about “benefiting others to benefit ourselves”, we would take on a positive attitude. Many people only think about themselves and put their welfare above all, when actually doing that is very foolish.

古人說：「人不為己，天誅地滅。」今天的我們則應說：「人不為人，天誅地滅。」損人者必自損、害人者必自害，單一地區的環境汙染、經濟惡化、政治混亂與社會風氣敗壞，立刻就會對全體人類的生活安全，帶來負面影響。

The old adage states, “every man for himself”, while today we should say, “every man for others”. Harming others will only bring harm to oneself. For example, environmental pollution, economic down turn, political chaos and social unrest within a region will immediately cause negative repercussions on the safety and quality of life to all mankind.

因此，今天的我們做任何事，首先要為全體的他人著想。所謂全體，在家裡指的是整個家庭，在社會指的是整個社會，在國家指的是整個國家。全體受益的話，個人身居其中，必然受益。

Thus, every action that we take today should be based on the primary consideration for the good of all others. On a personal level, “all others” include the whole family, while on a higher level, they include everyone in our society, and even our entire nation. When everyone benefits, as a member of the community, we too will be taken care of.

文／摘自聖嚴法師著作《積極人生元氣滿分》圖／菊子

Excerpts from Master Sheng Yen’s book, A Positive Life Filled with Energy

Translated by Chang, Cheng-yu    

Edited by Chang Chia-cheng 

Illustration by Juzi

#聖嚴法師

#利人就是利己

#法鼓山

#英文版有聲書

#積極人生元氣滿分

About Anger by Thich Nhat Hanh

"A monk decides to meditate alone.

 Away from his monastery, he takes a boat and goes to the middle of the lake, closes his eyes and begins to meditate.

 After a few hours of unperturbed silence,

 he suddenly feels the blow of another boat hitting his.  With his eyes still closed, he feels his anger rising and, when he opens his eyes, he is ready to shout at the boatman who dared to disturb his meditation.

 But when he opened his eyes, saw that it was an empty boat, not tied up, floating in the middle of the lake ...

 At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization and understands that anger is within him; it simply needs to hit an external object to provoke it.

 After that, whenever he meets someone who irritates or provokes his anger, he remembers; the other person is just an empty boat. Anger is inside me.  "

 Thich Nhat Hanh

No choice but to face death all alone

No choice but to face death all alone 

We came into the world without husband, wife, friend, or companion. We may have many friends and acquaintances at the moment, and perhaps many enemies too, but as soon as death falls upon us we shall leave all of them behind, like a hair pulled out of a slab of butter. 

Not one of our friends and relatives will be able to help us; we have no choice but to face death all alone. This body of ours, which finds even the pain of a pinprick or a tiny spark of fire really hard to bear, is going to experience death. 

This body of ours, which we cherish so dearly, will turn into a corpse that our friends and relatives will only want to dispose of as quickly as possible.

~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones

【不离】法王如意宝：生活中的你，经常抱怨吗？

【不离】法王如意宝：生活中的你，经常抱怨吗？

如果我们脸上没有污渍，在镜子中也照不出来

If There Is No Stain on Your Face, There Is No Stain in the Mirror

要知道，我们所感受的一切苦，都是往昔造恶的果报现前。

All of the suffering we experience is the fruition of unwholesome actions we committed in the past.

但许多人并未深刻认识到这一点，

Many people,however, have not truly recognized this.

以至于遇到点滴违缘便怨天尤人，这种做法确实愚不可及。如今许多人在遭受挫折时，要么埋怨亲友没有本事，要么抱怨环境没提供足够的机遇，

As a result, when they encounter the slightest difficulty, they either blame their friends and family for being incapable or complain that life has not given them sufficient opportunities. This is truly the height of folly.

却不知苦乐的根源是自己。

They do not know that the root of suffering and happiness is the self.

打个比方，如果我们的脸上没有污渍，在镜子中也照不出来；

To give an analogy, if there is no stain on our face, then a mirror will not reflect it.

同样，我们昔日若从未造过恶业，今生绝不会无缘无故感召痛苦。

Similarly, if we had never committed unwholesome karma in this life or in a previous lifetime, we could never inexplicably attract suffering.

当年我身染重病时，不少人以为是魔众干扰，或是某些居士供养的信财不清净所致。

When I was severely ill, a number of people thought it was a disturbance caused by demon beings or due to impure donations offered by some lay practitioners.

但我清楚地知道，这是自己以前的业力所感。

But I knew clearly that it was the result of my past karma.

其实不仅是我，

In fact, I am not alone in this.

每一个众生的痛苦，都跟往昔的业力有关。

Every living being’s sufferings are all related to their past karma.

表面上看来，外境对我们的苦乐似乎有着直接影响，

On the surface, it appears that external objects have a direct bearing on our happiness and suffering,

但实际上，它只是通过业力在起作用，

but in reality, they are only operating under the power of karma.

伤害你的人也是被业力操控，身不由己。

The people who hurt you are also controlled by karma and have no command over themselves.

在业力成熟之际，我们再有钱、再有势，也无法驱走曾酿下的苦果；

The moment karma ripens, then no matter how much money or power we have, we lack any means to eliminate the bitter fruits we once sowed.

纵有天人的神变，在业力面前也无济于事。

Even if we had the miraculous powers of a god or goddess, they would be of no avail in the face of karma.

若想将其彻底净除，唯有通过忏悔才可以！

If we wish to completely purify our karma, this is possible only by confessing our wrongdoings!

敬摘录 法王如意宝《不离》

His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche 《Always Present》

Awareness and remembrance of death

Awareness and remembrance of death are extremely important in Buddhism for two main reasons: 

1)  By realising that our life is transitory, we will be more likely to spend our time wisely, doing positive, beneficial, virtuous actions, and refraining from negative, non-virtuous actions. The result of this is that we will be able to die without regret, and will be born in fortunate circumstances in our next life. 

2)  Remembering death will induce a sense of the great need to prepare ourselves for death. There are various methods (e.g. prayer, meditation, working on our mind) that will enable us to overcome fear, attachment and other emotions that could arise at the time of death and cause our mind to be disturbed, unpeaceful, and even negative. Preparing for death will enable us to die peacefully, with a clear, positive state of mind.

- Excerpted from Preparing For Death And Helping The Dying

Avoiding criticism ~ 17th Karmapa

Avoiding criticism ~ 17th Karmapa

We should not say bad things about anyone, whether or not they are bodhisattvas. It is not the same thing, however, if we know that pointing out someone’s mistakes will help them to change. Generally speaking, since it is not easy to change another person, we should avoid criticism. Other people do not like to hear it and, further, laying out their faults will create problems and troubles for us. We who are supposed to be practicing the dharma should be trying to do whatever brings happiness to ourselves and others. Since faultfinding does not bring any benefit, we should carefully avoid it.

[…]

If we really want to help someone, perhaps we can say something once in a pleasant way so that the person can readily understand, “Oh yes, this is something I need to change.” However, it is better not to repeat our comments, because if we keep mentioning faults, not only will it not truly help, it will disturb others to no good effect. Therefore not mentioning the faults of others is the practice of bodhisattvas.

– 17th Karmapa

from the book "Traveling the Path of Compassion: A Commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva"

Ajahn Chah about Dhamma

“If you look for the Dhamma, you will find that it has nothing to do with the forests, the mountains, or the caves – it exists in the heart. The language of the Dhamma isn’t English or Thai or Sanskrit. It has its own language, which is the same for all people – the language of experience. There is a great difference between concepts and direct experience. Whoever puts a finger into a glass of hot water will have the same experience of hot, but it is called by many words in different languages. Similarly, whoever looks deeply into the heart will have the same experience, no matter what his or her nationality or culture or language.”

-  Ajahn Chah