2010

Sometimes everything seems to make sense.

Other times, I'm just confused as hell.

Haha, that's life.

More to come.

2010.

Have an awesome year ahead!

Season's Greetings!

Home at last!

May you have a blessed Christmas! =D

Maxim 28

In polite society everybody notices if a man's hands are dirty. He'll be stared at contemptuously. Why, the fellow will be wretched until he washes his hands.

But isn't it funny how a man can character that's defiled by greed and hate and nobody will pay the slightest attention? He'll move about in perfect ease. Evidently, a dirty character isn't worthy of notice as a dirty hand.

It's so simple to restore dirty hands to a state of purity. Just wash them. But what about corrupted character? That's quite another problem...

~ Han Shan ~

Self-Reflection

P/S:
After re-reading this, I realize
that I really suck at poetry.
Ah whatever.

Sitting on my bed at 7am Finally home
Can't sleep
Jet lagged

Lots of thoughts
Come and go
I'll take this opportunity
To reflect on the past quarter

I know I keep saying this
So stop reading if you must
But I am truly grateful for this last quarter
It ended up as the best one yet

So much happened
Both good and bad
Yet through it all
I was so happy

Met new friends
Re-ignited old ones
Let go of dead branches
Nourished live ones
Had many wonderful moments
And some scary ones
Still
Through all that
At peace I was

Events of the past
That once haunted me
So grateful I am for having them
They have helped me grow
In ways
I couldn't have possibly imagined

Thanks to them
I found myself again
I realized what I really want
I rediscovered the Dharma

The painful and scary moments
I had this quarter
Were no biggie
Or at least not for long

They still hurt of course
But thanks to the past
I was able to deal with the present
In a much better light

I guess
Realization knocked on my head
Of what's truly important
And what's not

This quarter was marvelous
Full of laughter and joy
Enjoying each moment as it presents itself
The choices we make
Do change our lives

And yet I know
This is only just the beginning
There are more obstacles to come
For I never believe that life
Should or would
Be smooth-sailing

Yet
I also know
That despite this
There is much more joy
On the way

This is only the first step
I have much to learn
Much to experience
Much more to discover

Of course
This journey would not be complete
If it were not for you
Yes
You, my friend
You

I keep saying this
Perhaps you're numb already
But I don't care
I'll say it anyway

Thank you
Your presence
Your time
Your support
I will cherish our moments
Always

Thugs Violate Monastics in Phuoc Hue Temple

I felt so sad when I watched this

Thugs threatening monks and nuns

Mobs grabbing monastics and throwing them out

Shouting at the abbott and threatening to kill him

Apparently paid for doing so

They even went as far

As to send women in

To grab the private parts of monks

So that they had no choice but to leave

And what were the monks and nuns doing?

While they were suffering all this anger and hatred

While they were thirsty, hungry and cold

Did they fight back?

No they did not

Instead

They remained seated

Invoking the name of Avalokitesvara

The Boddhisatva of Compassion

Radiating forgiveness towards the very people

Who were mutilating them

Imagine how it would feel

If mobs of people went into your place of worship

Yelling swear words and molesting people by their privates

Throwing innocents out

Worse still

Imagine if you were one of these victims

Imagine if you had nowhere to go

Because that is the only home you have

That is how it feels

What is coming to this world?

Have people truly become so blinded

By hatred, anger and greed?

It doesn't seem fair does it?

But what can we do about it?

Do we punish the perpetrators?

No we cannot

For violence only leads to more violence

We can only forgive them

Understand them

Guide them

Pray for them

And hope that they change for the better

Namo Avalokiteshvaraya

Maxim 27

I glean what the harvesters have overlooked or rejected. So why are their baskets empty while mine is bursting with so much good food? They just didn't recognize their Buddha Nature when they saw it.

Everything in life depends on the choices we make.

~ Han Shan ~

Maxim 26

Everything in the universe is subject to change. There's only one exception: death always follows life. Isn't it strange that people haven't noticed this, that they conduct their lives as though they're going to live forever, that death is nothing to worry about?

Of course if they want to live as long as they obviously expect, they'd best pursue the Dharma. Life, death and change itself are transcended in the Dharmakaya.

~ Han Shan ~

Maxim 25

People think that if they possess worldly knowledge they know everything. But that's not correct. Even when subjects are mastered there's always room for error. And if the finest archers can miss their targets occasionally, what about the mediocre ones?

When we know the Dharma, we have all the information we need. No matter what the other facts we acquire additionally, our storehouse of knowledge, though very deep and wide, is already full.

~ Han Shan ~

You

How dare you judge others

when your own understanding is not yet perfect?

Then again

who am I to be judging you?

Maxim 24

If men can't even evade the demands of their father and emperor, what can they do when Death gives them an order? They may protest bitterly and scream at heaven, but they've got to obey. The man who howls the loudest is the one who thinks he has just reached the pinnacle of worldly success.

The enlightened understand life and death. They always live well and never complain.

~ Han Shan ~

The Mind is Buddha

Daibai asked Baso, "What is Buddha?"

Said Baso, "This mind is Buddha"

Under blue sky, in bright sunlight,

One need not search around.

Asking what Buddha is

Is like hiding loot in one's pocket and declaring oneself innocent.

馬祖、因大梅問、如何是佛。

祖云、即心是佛。

青天白日

切忌尋覓

更問如何

抱贓叫屈

Maxim 23

By successfully concealing his crimes, a person can't consider himself honorable. He knows he's done wrong.

By constantly bragging, a person can't claim to be famous even if he hears his name mentioned everywhere he goes.

By affecting the manner of holy men, monks may receive veneration, but a pious demeanor never made anyone a saint.

What are true honor, true recognition and true piety? They are internal qualities, not superficial acts or appearances.

When a man's conscience is free from stain, he is honorable.

When his reputation for integrity precedes him, he is famous.

When humility and reverence for the Dharma flow naturally out of his character, he is esteemed.

~ Han Shan ~

Realization

The hidden book

The closed room

They are all the same

And yet, they are not

The Buddha

The Dharma

A way of life

A way of death

The Dharma, a pile of books

The Dharma, singing in the bathroom

The Dharma, a load of dung

Where is the Buddha?

Makers of our own destiny we are

Yet, are not

Do you see what I see?

Maxim 22

The rich are admired because they have saved money. But what's been saved can be spent. The admiration goes with the money. A king receives loyalty because his people regard him as noble. If they decide he is acting badly, he may lose more than his throne. Those who are in rich in the Dharma and noble in the Buddha's Way always retain their wealth and the fealty of the people.

~ Han Shan ~

Maxim 21

There are people who, having accomplished nothing, connive to receive great honors or high positions of authority. Well, people who gain high rank without having earned it are like rootless trees. They live in fear that even the slightest wind will topple them.

Undeserved honor is a preface to disgrace.

~ Han Shan ~

Maxim 20

What are the two most common goals for people who live in the world? Wealth and fame. To attain these goals, people are willing to lose everything, including their health, mind and spirit. Not a very good exchange is it?

Worldly wealth and fame fade so quickly that we wonder which will last longer: the money, the fame, or the man.

But consider the goal of enlightenment, of attaining the wealth of the Dharma. Those who reach this goal are vigorous in body, keen in mind, and serene in spirit... right into eternity.

~ Han Shan ~

Presenting to You...

... Poison Ivy.

Introducing:

Lead Vocalist - Augustine

Lead Guitarist - Francis

Bassist - Zhen Hao

Keyboardist - Lemon

And of course...

Adrian, the bad-ass drummer

Coming to a town near you...

... Poison Ivy.

Maxim 19

People are always looking for the easy way. The hard way - the way learned by difficult experience and painful realizations - doesn't interest them. They want a short cut.

True Dharma seekers are afraid of short cuts. They know better. They know that without effort, there's not sense of accomplishment. It's that sense that keeps them going.

People who don't appreciate the struggles of climbing lack understanding of where they've been, awareness of who they are, and determination to continue climbing. That's why they never attain the Dharma.

~ Han Shan ~

Keep up the good fight guys!

Maxim 18

It is easier to do the right thing when we know what the right thing to do is. We can't rely on instinct to find the Way. We need guidance.

But once we're shown the path and begin to climb it, we find that with each step up, we grow in wisdom and fortitude. Looking down, we see how many of our old desires have fallen dead on the wayside. They look so feeble lying there that we wonder why we ever thought we lacked the courage to resist them.

The Mountain of Wisdom is different from other mountains. The higher we climb, the stronger we grow.

~ Han Shan ~

Maxim 17

Look at people who keep tigers as pets. Even while they're laughing and playing with them, in the back of their minds they're afraid their pet will suddenly turn on them. They never forget how dangerous tigers are.

But what about people who lust after possessions, indulging themselves with one acquisition after another? They remain completely unaware of any danger.

Yet, the tiger can only eat a man's flesh.

Greed can devour his soul.

Maxim 16

Why are certain material objects so treasured? A gem is virtually useless and a gilded scabbard is no better than a plain one.

Man decides that gold is valuable because it is rare and enduring and brilliant. He then thinks that if he possesses gold, he himself will become rare or unique, that his individual worth will endure, and that he also will be considered a rather brilliant fellow. So obsessed he may become with these foolish notions that in trying to obtain gold, he will destroy the very life he is trying to embellish.

In the darkness of delusion the unenlightened believe that they can glorify themselves by reflecting the qualities they have assigned to their possessions. Those who live the enlightened life readily discern that the qualities of an object are not transferred to its possessor. They can see right through them.

Gold in the pocket is not gold in character.

~ Han Shan ~

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the flower leaves on
the heel of the one who crushed it.

~ Mark Twain ~

Maxim 15

Great accomplishments are composed of minute details. Those who have succeeded in attaining the Whole have attended carefully to each tiny part. Those who fail have ignored or taken too lightly what they deemed to be insignificant.

The enlightened person overlooks nothing.

~ Han Shan ~

Maxims 13 & 14

The heart's weather should always be clear, always sunny and calm. The only time the weather could turn bad is when clouds of lust and attachment form. These always bring storms of worry and confusion.

A single speck in the eye blurs good vision, we see double or triple images. A single dirty thought confounds a rational mind. Many errors in judgement can arise from it.

Remove that speck and see clearly! Remove that dirty thought and think clearly!

~ Han Shan ~