Saturday, December 27, 2008

No.10 - What Is True Compassion



One must be careful not to confuse compassion with morbid manifestations of sadness, with feelings of mental pain and with sentimentality. At the loss of a dear one, man weeps, but that is not compassion. If we analyse such feelings carefully we will conclude that they are outward manifestations of our inner thoughts of selfish affection. Why do we feel sad? Because our loved one has passed away. He who was our kith and kin is now no more. We feel that we have lost the happiness and all else that we derived from him and so we are sad.

Do we not see that all these feelings revolve round the 'I', 'Me' and 'Mine'? Whether we like it or not, self interest was responsible for it all. Can we call this karuna, pity or compassion? Why do we not feel equally sad when others who are not our kith and kin pass away before our eyes? Because we were not familiar with them, they were not ours, we have not lost anything and are not denied the pleasures and comforts we already enjoy. It will now be clear that our feeling of sadness at the loss of a dear one is the outcome of our own selfishness: this is a subtle psychological affair, and all worldlings are subject to such shortcomings and weaknesses. It is the man with a highly developed mind who controls such feelings and tries to see the situation as it really is, according to karma, to see things as they are, and not as they appear to be. Compassion is surely not a flabby state of mind. It is a strong enduring thing.

When a person is in distress it is the truly compassionate man's heart that trembles. This, however, is not sadness; it is this quaking of the heart that spurs him to action and incites him to rescue the distressed. And this needs strength of mind, much tolerance and equanimity, another of the four sublime states. Those who rush to a conclusion and declare compassion to be an expression of feebleness, because it has the quality of tenderness, do not know what they are talking about. May be according to them persecution is a sign of strength.

- The Buddha's Ancient Path

Thursday, December 18, 2008

No.8 - The Travels of Andrew Sum - China Town.



14th December,2008 Sunday



I visited Kuala Lumpur's China Town - the famous Petaling Street. The blue sky and beatiful scenary makes it a wonderful day. It is at 1000 hours in the morning and the stalls are just being pushed open. The customers are just about to be pouring in.





Christmas is around the corner. Shops near Petaling Streets are

well decorated.











Visitors walking about in Petaling Street.











An early monk waiting for donations.











A whole family having their field day.









Children sandles on sales.












Indian mangoes for sales.










Succulent and juicy fruits stalls are a plenty.








A man selling his wares.










A chinese herbal shop.







A three floor Mc Donald near Petaling Street.









Petaling Street.







Petaling Street China Town from the outside view.








A famous old chinese temple near China Town. Here school children goes to pray and ask for blessings before an exam to get good luck and good grades.







An old restaurant serving the best coffee in town.








This old man, though his hands shaking, knows how to make the best coffee.













Wednesday, November 26, 2008

No. 7 - The Fleeting Bubbles





Jetsun Mirarepa is one of Tibet's most famous yogis and poet, a student and major figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. The essence of Mirarepa lies in his writing, often referred to as the Songs of Milarepa.

Travelling with his disciples, Milarepa came to Din Ri Namar where he enquired for the name of the outstanding patron. Learning that the physician Yang Nge was a devoted Buddhist, he proceeded to his house where the physician said, "It is said that Jetsun Milarepa can use anything at hand as a metaphor for preaching. Now please use the bubbles of water in this ditch before us as a metaphor and give us a discourse." In response, Jetsun sang a song -

I pay homage to my gracious Guru --

Pray make everyone here think of the Dharma!

As he said once, "Like bubbles is

This life, transient and fleeting--

In it no assurance can be found."

A layman's life is like a thief

Who sneaks into an empty house.

Know you not the folly of it?

* * *

Youth is like a summer flower--

Suddenly it fades away.

Old age is like a fire spreading

Through the fields -- suddenly 'tis at your heels.

The Buddha once said, "Birth and death

Are like sunrise and sunset--

Now come, now go."

Sickness is like a little bird

Wounded by a sling.

Know you not, health and strength

Will in time desert you?

Death is like an oil-dry lamp

(After its last flicker).

Nothing, I assure you,

In this world is permanent.

Evil Karma is like a waterfall,

Which I have never seen flow upward.

A sinful man is like a poisonous tree--

If you lean on it, you will injured be.

Transgressors are like frost-bitten peas--

Like spoiled fat, they ruin everything.

Dharma-practisers are like peasants in the field--

With caution and vigour they will be successful.

The Guru is like medicine and nectar--

Relying on him, one will win success.

Discipline is like a watchman's tower--

Observing it, one will attain Accomplishment.

The Law of Karma is like Samsara's wheel--

Whoever breaks it will suffer a great loss.

Samsara is like a poisonous thorn

In the flesh - if not pulled out,

The poison will increase and spread.

The coming of death is like the shadow

Of a tree at sunset--

It runs fast and none can halt it.

When that time comes,

What else can help but Holy Dharma?

Though Dharma is the fount of victory.

Those who aspire to it are rare.

Scores of men are tangled in

The miseries of Samsara;

Into this misfortune born,

They strive by plunder and theft for gain.

* * *

He who talks on Dharma

With elation is inspired,

But when a task is set him,

He is wrecked and lost.

* * *

Dear patrons, do not talk too much,

But practise the Holy Dharma.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

No.6 - A Song with Nine Meanings

Milarepa- a Tibetan hermit saint, lived in Tibet short after 1000 A.D. He was a magician and a buddhist. His physical strength was extreme and his will was exceptionally strong.

Going to Bardarbom's house for alms, Milarepa encountered "an ugly old woman with a handful of ashes." She rushed at him, shouting, "You miserable yogi-beggars! I never see you in one place! In the summer you all show up begging for milk and butter! In the winter you all come for grain! I'll wager you wanted to sneak in to steal my daughter's and daughter-in-law's jewellery! Grumbling and trembling with rage, she was about to throw the ashes at Milarepa, when he said, "Wait a minute, grandmother! Please listen to me! He then sang:

Above in the auspicious Heaven,

Below are the Three Paths of Misery,
In between, are those who are not free
to choose their birth.
These three all converge on you.
Grandmother, you are an angry woman,
And dislike the Dharma!
Question your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
You need a qualified and dependable Guru,
Think carefully, dear lady;
When you were first sent here,
Did you dream that you would become an old nanny-goat?

In the morning you get up from bed,
In the evening you go to sleep,
In between, you do the endless housework,
You are engrossed in these three things.
Grandmother, you are an unpaid maid.
Question your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
You need a qualified and dependable Guru,
And then things may be different for you.

The head of the family is the most important one,
Income and earnings are the next longed-for things,
Then sons and nephews are wanted most.
By these three you are bound
Grandmother, for yourself you have no share.
Question your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
You need a qualified and dependable Guru,
And then things may be different for you.

Attaining what you want even though you steal,
Getting what you desire even though you rob,
Fighting your foe without regard to death and wounds,
To these three things you are subjected.
Grandmother, you are burned up with fury
When you come upon your foe.
Question your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha' Teaching,
You need a qualified and dependable Guru,
And then things may be different for you.

Gossip about other women and their manners
Is what interests you;
To the affairs of your own son and nephew
You pay attention,
To talk of widows and relatives is your delight.
These three things enchant you.
Grandmother, are you so gentle when you gossip?
Question your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
You need a qualified and dependableGuru,
And then things may be different for you.

To lift you from a chair is like pulling out a peg;
With feeble legs you waddle like a thieving goose;
Earth and stone seem to shatter when you drop into a seat;
Senile and clumsy is your body,
Grandmother, you have no choice but to obey.
Question your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
What you require is a qualified and dependable Guru,
And from that you may find our how you have changed
Your skin is creased with wrinkles;
Your bones stand our sharply from your shrunken flesh,
You are deaf, dumb, imbecile, eccentric and tottering;
You are trice deformed.
Grandmother, your ugly face is wrapped in wrinkles.
Qustion your own thoughts and your mind examine.
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
You need a qualified and dependable Guru,
And then things may be different for you.

Your food and drink are cold and foul;
Your coat is heavy and in rags:
Your bed so rough it tears the skin;
These three are your constant companions.
Grandmother, you are now a wretch,
half woman and half bitch!
Question your won thoughts and your mind examine!
You should practise the Buddha's Teaching,
What you need is a qualified and dependable Guru,
And then things may be different for you.

To attain higher birth and Liberation
Is harder than to see a star in daytime;
To fall into Samsara's wretched path
Is easy and often happens,
Now, with fear and grief at heart,
You watch the time of death draw nigh.
Grandmother, can you face death with confidence?
Question your own mind and your thoughts examine!
What you need is to practise the Teaching of the Buddha,
What you need is a qualified and dependable Guru.


From: Sixty Songs of Milarepa.

Monday, August 11, 2008

No.5 - A Soldier's Prayer to His Son.

By Gen.Douglas Mac Authur.



Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, brave enough to face himself when he is afraid. One who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee - and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Let him learn to stand up in the storm; let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humour so that he may always be serious yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, " I have not lived in vain."
- Douglas Mac Arthur.



Tuesday, August 5, 2008

No.2 - C R E D E N D A

TURN AWAY FROM THE CROWD AND ITS FRUITLESS PURSUIT OF FAME AND GOLD. NEVER LOOK BACK AS YOU CLOSE YOUR DOOR TO THE SORRY TUMULT OF GREED AND AMBITION. WIPE AWAY YOUR TEARS OF FAILURE AND MISFORTUNE. LAY ASIDE YOUR HEAVY LOAD AND REST UNTIL YOUR HEART IS STILL.
BE AT PEACE, ALREADY IT IS LATER THAN YOU THINK FOR YOUR EARTHLY LIFE, AT BEST IS ONLY THE BLINK OF AN EYE BETWEEN TWO ETERNITIES.
BE UNAFRAID, NOTHING HERE CAN HARM YOU EXCEPT YOURSELF. DO THAT WHICH YOU DREAD AND CHERISH THOSE VICTORIES WITH PRIDE. CONCENTRATE YOUR ENERGY. TO BE EVERYWHERE IS TO BE NOWHERE.
BE JEALOUS OF YOUR TIME, SINCE IT IS YOUR GREATEST TREASURE. RECONSIDER YOUR GOALS. BEFORE YOU SET YOUR HEART TOO MUCH ON ANYTHING, EXAMINE HOW HAPPY THEY ARE WHO ALREADY POSSESS WHAT YOU DESIRE.
LOVE YOUR FAMILY AND COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, REFLECT ON HOW EAGERLY THEY WOULD BE SOUGHT IF YOU DID NOT HAVE THEM. PUT ASIDE YOUR IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS AND COMPLETE THE TASK AT HAND NO MATTER HOW DISTASTEFUL. ALL GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS COME FROM WORKING AND WATIING.
BE PATIENT, GOD'S DELAYS ARE NEVER GOD'S DENIALS. HOLD ON. HOLD FAST. KNOW THAT YOUR PAYMASTER IS ALWAYS NEAR. WHAT YOU SOW, GOOD OR EVIL, THAT YOU WILL REAP. NEVER BLAME YOUR CONDITION ON OTHERS. YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE THROUGH YOUR CHOICE ALONG.
LEARN TO LIVE WITH HONEST POVERTY AND TURN TO MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS THAN TRANSPORTING GOLD TO YOUR GRAVE. NEVER MEET TROUBLE HALFWAY. ANXIETY IS THE RUST OF LIFE, WHEN YOU ADD TOMORROW'S BURDEN TO TODAY'S, THEIR WEIGHT BECOMES UNBEARABLE. AVOID THE MOURNER'S BENCH, AND GIVE THANKS INSTEAD, FOR YOUR DEFEATS YOU WOULD NOT RECEIVE THEM IF YOU DID NOT NEED THEM. ALWAYS LEARN FROM OTHERS. HE WHO TEACHES HIMSELF HAS A FOOL FOR A MASTER.
BE CAREFUL, DO NOT OVERLOAD YOUR CONCIENCE. CONDUCT YOUR LIFE AS IF IT WERE SPENT IN AN ARENA FILLED WITH FATTLERS. AVOID BOASTING. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING IN YOU THAT PUFFS YOU WITH PRIDE, LOOK CLOSER AND YOU WILL FIND MORE THAN ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU HUMBLE.
BE WISE, REALIZE THAT ALL MEN ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL, FOR THERE'S NO EQUALITY IN NATURE. YET NO MAN WAS EVER BORN WITH HIM. WORK EVERYDAY AS IT IT WERE YOUR FIRST, YET TENDERLY TREAT THE LIVES YOU TOUCH AS IF THEY WILL END AT MIDNIGHT.
LOVE EVERYONE, EVEN THOSE WHO DENY YOU, FOR HATE IS A LUXURY YOU CANNOT AFFORD. SEEK OUT THOSE IN NEED. LEARN THAT HE WHO DELIVERS IN ONE HAND WILL ALWAYS GATHER WITH TWO.

BE OF GOOD CHEER. ABOVE ALL REMEMBER THAT VERY LITTLE IS NEEDED TO MAKE A HAPPY LIFE. LOOK UP, REACH OUT. CLING SIMPLY TO GOD AND JOURNEY QUIETLY ON YOUR PATHWAY TO FOREVER WITH CHARITY AND A SMILE. WHEN YOU DEPART, IT WILL BE SAID BY ALL THAT YOUR LEGACY WAS BETTER A WORLD THAN THE ONE YOU FOUND.

No.4 - Spew It Out !


Spew out the venom of hatred from your heart - that hatred which is poisioning and choking all that is good and beautiful in you.
Then fill the heart with the soothing balm of loving-kindness. Let it permeate every pore of your being. Soaked with tenderness, reach out with a mind of pure love. Let every being who comes within the ambit of your presence feel the magic aura of your goodness, such that when they take their leave, they depart fortified with more confidence and courage to face this often hard and cruel world.
Like a little but steadily glowing lamp, we can ignite many other little lamps and perhaps we may yet drive out the black night of despair, dispel the murk of delusion, and bring back the pure light of wisdom and love.

No.3 - Emptyness

Tai Chi is not a kung fu.
It's a way of understand life.
Understand the nature.
Understand the world.
Endless knowledge inside.


Like Buddha said, we must give.
The more you give, the more you gain.
In Tai Chi, we call this emptyness.
If you empty yourself,
you will be part of the nature,
and you get everything.
So try hold lesser and lesser,
you will have less burden.



By Sum Weng... 20th October,2005 18:43 hrs

Saturday, August 2, 2008

No.1 - To Live In Peace.

I myself tremble at violence,
wish to live in peace
and do not want to die.
Thus putting myself in the place
of others, I should recognize that all other beings tremble at
voilence, that all wish to live and do not want to die.
Recognising this, I should not intimidate others,
harm them, or cause them to be
harmed in any way.