Wonderous Service of the Heart

Patience

2010-12-12T05:01:00.005+08:00

For most of us, patience refers to tolerance or endurance. In Buddhism, it has a specific meaning. It actually refers to a mind that can remain undisturbed when we are harmed by others, when we are suffering or when we face obstacles in the course of Dharma pursuits.

How could we develop such a virtuous mind in the face of people who are harming us? Is it possible to do so without being angry and striking back? If we are willing to change our perspective about harmful people and strongly acquaint ourselves with the desired state of mind, it is definitely possible to cultivate patience towards these people.

Towards harmful people, we can think of them as follows:
i) They are the only ones who can give us the opportunity to practise patience.
ii) They are worthy of our compassion (rather than our anger) because they are creating far more suffering for themselves in the future than for us, due to the negative karma accumulated from harming us.
iii) They are helping us to finish our negative karma forever as the real cause of the harm is our own past negative karma. And since they are only the external condition for the ripening of our negative karma, they are not to be blamed for harming us.
iv) They are also victims, like us. It is their delusion and karma that is driving them to harm us. The real source of harm is not them, but their delusions that afflict them.
v) They are merely ordinary beings and it is the nature of ordinary beings to be deluded, just as it is the nature of fire to burn.
vi) Their harmful actions arise due to causes and conditions that are beyond their control. The real source of both the act of harming and the suffering inflicted are the conditions of karma and their delusions.
vii) They do not exist inherently, just as the we do not exist inherently and our act of being patient also does not exist inherently.

Apart from the above, if we know the sufferings that anger can cause us to experience when we retailiate, and how patience can benefit us, we will certainly be able to have a calm mind even when there is harm inflicted upon us.

Source: "Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism" by Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden

Equanimity

2010-12-08T02:17:00.008+08:00

Most of us do not have an equal attitude towards living beings. We are kinder to people we like than to people whom we dislike, and we are indifferent towards strangers. If we look deeply, we will see that we label people we like as friends because they like us, praise us, do things we like. We label people as enemies when they dislike us, criticise us, hurt us and do things we find unpleasant. As for people who have not harmed nor benefited us, we label them as strangers. In this way, we generate an uneven state of mind towards others.

Is it harmful to have such an uneven state of mind? When we "cling" onto a friend, we nourish our delusion of attachment. When we encounter our enemy, we strengthen our delusions such as anger or fear. With strangers, we generate boredom. How could our mind be happy and peaceful if we are constantly subjecting ourselves to such discriminations which generate delusions? With such a mind, it will not be feasible to develop the mind of enlightenment, Bodhicitta.

Is it possible to develop an equal attitude towards every living being? Of course, it is possible. How? By changing the way we look at living beings.

i) Consider every living being beyond one lifespan: our enemy in this life may have been our benefactor in our past lives.

ii) Recognize the impermanent nature of all our relationships.

iii) Recollect that every living being has been our mother in our previous lives and has been kind to us.

iv) Appreciate that, like us, all living beings wish for happiness and not suffering. As every living being is equally afflicted by suffering in cyclic existence, why should some deserve more of our compassion and love than others?

v) Reflect on whose view is correct if we and our enemy have equally bad perceptions about one another?

vi) Meditate on emptiness of inherent existence. Friends, enemies and strangers are labelled by our mind, in dependence on a valid basis.

Once we develop equanimity, our delusions such as attachment, anger and ignorance will naturally decrease since we have equalize the object of our emotions. In fact, we will reap its immediate benefit when we feel more relaxed and are able to put up with disagreement by people.

Sources: "Path to Englightenment in Tibetan Buddhism" by Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden and "The Essential Nectar: Meditations on the Buddhist Path" by Geshe Rabten

Cyclic Existence

2010-12-07T04:36:00.006+08:00

What is cyclic existence? It is the 5 contaminated aggregates which arise from karma and delusions. All beings have 5 aggregates, namely form, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness.

Cyclic existence is the experience of ordinary beings. Ordinary beings are those who have not realized emptiness of inherent existence.
Cyclic existence is not the external, material world.
Material things and environments are merely things of cyclic existence and places inhabited by beings of cyclic existence, not cyclic existence itself.

The person is also not cyclic existence. He/she is simply someone who takes rebirth again and again in cyclic existence because he/she has the 5 contaminated aggregates, bound by delusion and karma. These aggregates are pushed uncontrollably by delusion and karma from rebirth to rebirth. As long as the wisdom realizing emptiness of inherent existence is not cultivated, delusions continue to arise without any choice, contaminated karma created, rebirths perceptuate and sufferings experienced. This is cyclic existence!

Source: "Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism" by Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden

Causes of Delusions

2010-12-07T02:18:00.005+08:00

What are delusions? They are states of mind which cause our mind to be unpeaceful. They are also known as afflictions, defilements, negative or contaminated minds. If we wish to develop peaceful states of mind, one way is to know what causes delusions to arise.

There are 6 factors which cause delusions to arise.

i) Latencies

ii) Sense object

iii) Bad company

iv) Wrong explanations

v) Familarity with any delusion
vi) Inappropriate attention

When our mind comes in contact with any object of the senses, certain latency or karmic potential that is already in our consciousness ripens into a particular delusion, such as anger. Without latencies and sense objects, no delusion will arise. Even a mere memory of a desirable object and the pleasurable object associated with it can trigger the seed of attachment and generate craving. Thus, whenever we encounter an object of the 6 senses, we must be mindful and alert to stop our mind from being tempted and avoid responding in a deluded way. When one realizes emptiness of inherent existence, it is possible to enjoy an attractive person without attachment and not to be angry with hateful people.

Being in the company of certain people can stimulate our own delusions. Their attitudes and behaviour can have a subtle influence on our mind. Similarly, exposure to unwholesome stories, movies, television programmes can stimulate our delusions to arise. Hence, it is important that we associate with the good people and expose ourselves to good reads etc, in order to plant wholesome seeds in our mind.

When we become familiar with a particular delusion, it will arise spontenously and effortlessly. Furthermore, allowing our mind to dwell on the desirable attributes of an object that we are attached to or the hateful characteristics of someone we dislike, will strengthen our delusions of craving and anger respectively. To overcome them, we need to apply the appropriate antidotes to the respective delusions.

Source: "Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism" by Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden

The Power of Joy

2010-02-17T18:55:00.003+08:00

Everyone wants to be happy and joyful. How wonderful it would be if we can cultivate true joy within us in everything we do!

True joy nourishes our mind and body. It can be generated in whatever we do, even in our practice of meditation. When there is joy and concentration during our walking, sitting or any other types of meditation, we are doing our practices correctly. If we do not feel joyful, something is wrong with our practice.

When we are joyful, not only does it benefit us, it can also inspire others to be joyful. This is because when we are happy, our joy is naturally felt by the people around us. When we share our joy with one person, we are already offering joy to many people.

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Source: "Answers from the Heart" by Thich Nhat Nanh

Purpose of Retreat

2010-02-06T22:17:00.005+08:00

People go for retreats for various reasons. For those attending a Buddhist retreat, the purpose is not about learning more about Buddhist psychology or a particular sutra. Its purpose is to help us untie the knots that we possess within us.

These knots are mainly of 2 types: i) our concepts and ideas and ii) our afflictive emotions. All of us have concepts and ideas. When we become attached to them, we loose our freedom and open mind. When this occurs, we are no longer in touch with the truth in life. The second type of knots that we possess is our afflictive emotions such as fear, anger, arrogance, despair and discrimination.

If we wish to be in touch with reality, we need to remove our concepts and ideas. If we wish to be happy and be free, we need to overcome our destructive afflictive emotions. One quick way of doing so is to go for a retreat.

During the retreat, when we listen to a Dharma talk, we are not polluting ourselves with more concepts and ideas. Instead, the actual purpose of listening to a Dharma talk is to help us release the concepts and ideas that we hold on strongly. We listen so as to get free from all notions and concepts.

Source: "Answers from the Heart" by Thich Nhat Nanh

Contentment

2010-01-30T21:44:00.004+08:00

Contentment is a state of mind. It is a mind that stops yearning for more....a mind where we are happy with what we have and who we are. However, it is not about complacency. In my opinion, it is possible to set goals in our lives and yet be contented in the present moment, but I am not sure how this works. Perhaps, the key lies in not being attached to the goals in our lives.

Thay said that contentment is about practising aimlessness. When we have aims in our lives, we'll always be running and it'll be hard to have happiness in our lives. If we want to be happy, we need to stop running and start cherishing the present moment and who we are. In Thay's very own words: "You don't need to be someone else; you're already a wonder of life".

Source: "Answers from the Heart" by Thich Nhat Nanh

Doing Nothing is Something

2010-01-23T21:48:00.008+08:00

When we occupy ourselves with many activities, we reduce the quality of our well-being. If we wish to preserve ourselves, it is important that we maintain our freshness, good humour, joy and compassion.

One way is to spend a lazy day doing nothing, and just be content with being there. It's not easy as we are so used to running around doing things. We are actually quite strong mentally if we can be smiling and relaxed when not doing anything. Contrary to what most of us think, doing nothing can enhance the quality of our well-being. As Thay aptly said, "Doing nothing is something."

Source: "Answers from the Heart" by Thich Nhat Hanh

Understanding Self

2010-01-16T22:33:00.007+08:00

Do we know ourselves well enough? Why is it that some people are able to cope with problems better than others?

When we look at ourselves closely, we will see that we identify ourselves instinctively and emotionally with an "I" who seems to step back and look on life, striving for happiness and avoiding sufferings. It feels like it is separate from our body and mind. It also feels like it functions independently and that it lasts forever.

When we look deeply, we will come to realize that this is the false nature of "I" or Self and it does not exist in reality. The "I" exists but it does not exist in the way it appears to us.

So, what is the true nature of "I"? To look for it, we must first identify its false nature. There are many different approaches in understanding this and they vary in subtlety. At the least subtle level, we can understand the false nature of Self as being single, independent and permanent. At the most subtle level, it can be understood in terms of existing truly.

We must also remember that it is our emotional responses and experiences, not the theories of Self, that we are examining. For example, when we feel hurt or offended, we should find out who or what exactly in us that is feeling hurt or offended. We will come to realize that we feel that way because we believe in and are emotionally attached to a Self that is single, independent and lasting. Because we instinctively embrace this false notion of Self, we are constantly preoccupied with protecting it and satisfying its desires. When we examine it more closely, we will realize that such a separate, independent and lasting Self does not exist.

As the clinging to this false nature of Self is the source of all our negative emotions, actions and sufferings, we must strive to eliminate it and understand the true nature of Self as much as possible, if we do not wish to suffer.

Sources: "Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness" by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and my reflections and knowledge on Buddhist Philosophy

Understanding Reality

2010-01-10T13:25:00.009+08:00

Different traditions and faiths have their unique way of presenting reality. Even within the Buddhist faith, there are different school of thoughts about reality. In my view, this is not because there are many types of reality out there. These presentations arise because there is a need to cater to the different levels of understanding of a variety of people in comprehending reality.

As a start, let's understand reality by using the example of a dream. In a dream, we have a sense of being real, living in a world where there are things we feel attracted or averse to, depending on how they appear to us. As long as we do not realize that it is only a dream, we will take everything in the dream as real and respond to it accordingly. For example, when we dream of being burnt, we feel the pain although in reality, nothing has really happened. We suffer because we identify ourselves with the person in the dream. As soon as we are aware that it is only a dream, our pain disappears. Our suffering in the dream only arose from a lack of awareness that we, the person in the dream is unreal. It has no separate, independent and lasting Self of its own.

Similarly, in life, we unconsiously cling onto a Self that is perceived to be separate from everything, independent and lasting. In reality, we are interconnected, dependent on others and changing from moment to moment. Because of our clinging to such a Self that does not accord with reality, our negative emotions arise easily, making us suffer. They in turn cause us to act inappropriately, and as a result, we have to face undesirable consequences of our actions.

To free ourselves from experiencing sufferings, we have to give up our strong and ingrained habit of clinging onto our body and mind as a separate, independent and lasting Self. We have to first realize what we are clinging on, be aware of its false nature, and reflect as well as familarise ourselves, as much as possible, with the true nature of our Self.

Sources: "Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness" by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and my reflections and knowledge on Buddhist Philosophy

Letting Go

2010-01-05T18:45:00.007+08:00

Letting go is both a practice and an art. To let go involves letting go of something. It can be an idea, feeling, desire or belief. Getting stuck with something that we wish to let go of can make us very unhappy and anxious. Fear of having nothing to cling on can also make it very difficult for us to let go.

So how do we let go? First, we have to recognize the object of our mind as something very real to us. We try and understand its nature and identify its root by looking deeply. It could have come from our ideas, feelings, past experiences and the environment. The key is to allow our insight to arise so that it can help us free the object of our mind.

Many of us wish to let go but lack the insight to do so. Mindfulness and concentration bring insight. If we can master these, we will be able to eventually let go of all our negative emotions.

Source: "Answers from the Heart" by Thich Nhat Hanh

4 Elements of True Love

2009-12-19T21:23:00.005+08:00

There are 4 elements that establish True Love. They are Loving kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity. They are also known as the 4 Immeasurables.

Loving kindness is the capacity to bring happiness to ourselves and others. It is not a mere wish. It requires understanding others in such a way that one knows exactly how to give them happiness. This is also applicable to us. If we are capable of making ourselves happy, it will be easier for us to make others happy. When we make others suffer, it is not True Love.

Compassion is the capacity to transform sufferings. We need to first understand the nature of our sufferings before we can transform them. If we know how to help ourselves suffer less, it will be easier for us to help others do the same.

Joy is about knowing how to bring joy to ourselves and others. It can be experienced in every moment of our lives if we know how to nourish ourselves with feelings of peace and happiness. When we master this, we will be able to help others do likewise.

Equanimity is about non-discrimination, non-separation and inclusiveness. We recognize that the happiness, joy and sufferings of others are our happiness, joy and sufferings, and vice versa. We and others are no longer separate entities. We "inter-are".

Source: Teachings by Thay at Plum Village in Jul 2009

Beginning Anew

2009-12-18T21:53:00.007+08:00

Beginning Anew is a simple but powerful healing practice that can help to resolve our unhappiness towards others as well as nourish our good feelings towards them.

It starts with showing or expressing our appreciation to a particular person. It is then followed by apologizing for any wrong doings that we have committed towards the person. It ends with seeking clarification on whether something has been done which has hurt the person. In this way, not only are misunderstandings clarified, mutual understanding will also increase.

Source: Teachings by Sister Chang Khong at Plum Village in Jul 2009

Non-discrimination and Inclusiveness

2009-12-17T21:11:00.011+08:00

To understand non-discrimination and inclusiveness, let's consider how our right and left hand co-exist harmoniously and peacefully.

When our right hand is in pain, our left hand takes good care of it and vice versa. Our right hand does not say to our left hand, " Since I took care of you the last time, you must now take care of me." Our right hand does not have superiority complex by having the thought that "I am the best" or "I am better than the left hand". Similarly, our left hand does not harbour inferiority complex. As there is no comparison between both hands, there is also no thoughts thinking "I am his equal".

In summary, our 2 hands are free from the 3 complexes: complex of superiority, inferiority and equality. As a result, harmony is perfected and peace and happiness prevail. When we take care of our right hand, we are also taking care of our left hand. Our left hand understands that our right hand has not been careful when it gets hurt. Not only does our left hand not become angry with our right hand, it does not blame our right hand by saying, "You are the cause of my suffering and I demand justice, so you should be punished."

Love where there is non-discrimination, inclusiveness and equanimity is True Love. When a person suffers, both suffer. When a person is happy, both are happy and this is True Love. It is no longer possible to attribute happiness to an individual. One's happiness is his/her happiness. His/her happiness is one's happiness. Similarly, one's suffering is his/her suffering. His/her suffering is one's suffering. This is True Love.

Source: Teachings by Thay at Plum Village in Jul 2009

Noble Silence

2009-12-16T22:13:00.010+08:00

There are many types of silence. Oppressive silence is unpleasant. It is created, for example, when two persons refuse to talk to each other after a quarrel. Similarly, arrogant silence, which arises when others provoke us, can make us suffer. Noble Silence, on the other hand, can be very powerful and nourishing. It is a silence which is pleasant, peaceful, healing and beautiful. It's a silence that is alive.

All of us have the capacity to create Noble Silence. When we eat, sit, walk or wash dishes mindfully in a peaceful and relaxing way, without chatting, we create Noble Silence. Noble Silence is especially felt when everyone appreciate its presence and take effort not to break it.

Noble Silence is about our state of mind. When we are alone and have no one to chat to, it does not necessarily mean that there is Noble Silence. This is because we can have mental chatter in our mind. Conversely, when we are with someone, it does not necessarily mean that Noble Silence cannot arise. If everyone maintain silence in their heart and mind by focusing on breathing in and out in a common activity such as walking, not only will Noble Silence be present, it will also be deeply felt and enjoyed tremendously.

Source: Teachings by Thay at Plum Village in Jul 2009

Habit Energies

2009-12-15T20:41:00.008+08:00

We all have habits, good and bad ones. The good ones bring us happiness while the bad ones can make us suffer. When our negative habit energy surfaces, recognize it and focus on breathing in and breathing out.

While we breath in, we tell ourselves, "I know my habit energy is coming. It'll push me to do or say things I'll regret. Hello, Habit Energy, I know you're there. This time, I'll not allow you to take over me. Instead, I'll take over you this time." Then, we smile.

In this way, we do not fight our negative habit energy. By recognizing it, our negative habit energy will loose its strength. Over time, we will be able to transform our negative habit energy. If we do not recognise it, it will push us to say or do things that we will regret.

Source: Q&A session at Plum Village in Jul 2009

Embracing Our Inner Child

2009-12-14T21:58:00.012+08:00

Thay showed us how our present desires and fears can be traced to what we had gone through at the time of birth. When we were in our mother's womb, we were very much protected by the soft environment we were in. Hence, there were no worries, fear and desires. The suffering came at the time of birth when we needed to learn to breath for the first time in order to survive. That was also the time when we experienced the first unpleasant feeling: the fear of dying. We felt powerless and helpless. And, we badly needed someone to take care of us.

This original primitive desire and fear continues to be with us as we grow up. Our search for a partner can very well arises from our original desire and fear that we cannot survive without having someone. Similarly, our need to be with people at the pubs, our fear of watching TV alone, our fear of how others think of us, and our fear of not being accepted by others etc, are all a continuation of the same fear experienced at the time of birth. If we look deeply into our present fears and desires, we will realize that every fear and desire is a continuation of the fears and desires from the past.

We need to find ways to get in touch with our inner child, invite it to walk with us, say goodbye to our past and live in the present moment. Instead of ignoring and feeding our painful feelings, we recognize them and the sufferings they bring. By being mindful, we are there for them. We embrace them with tenderness, without being judgemental. The result is a sense of relief and well being, as well as knowing what to do whenever they arise.

Source: Teachings by Thay at Plum Village in Jul 2009

True Happiness

2009-12-13T10:20:00.011+08:00

Thay said that it is possible to be happy in the present moment. If we look deeply, we will be able to see that we have enough conditions to be happy. We can celebrate life now. Happiness is in the "here and now".

True happiness comes from inside of us. It is a state of mind. It depends on the way we look at things and the way we respond to situations.

There are many conditions in us and around us that we can be happy about. We can start with appreciating and valuing what we have.....a pair of eyes to see, a loving family and supportive friends, a job, a safe country to live in etc.

We often cannot recognize them because of the way we look at things and the way we respond to them. If we are stuck with not valuing what we have and instead yearn for fame, power or other better conditions, we will continue to suffer. We will not be able to enjoy the present moment and our well-being will be compromised.

Source: Teachings by Thay at Plum Village in Jul 2009

Sound Basis For Making Decisions

2009-12-12T16:58:00.006+08:00

In a recent Dharma talk, Ven Ajahn Brahm shared his insights on how to make choices. In making decisions, how we arrive at the decision is more important than the final decision that is made.

For it to be a sound one, our motivation/decisions should NOT be made out of:

1. Self-interest/attachment

2. Malice/anger

3. Ignorance/stupidity

4. Fear

Making choices do not always involve making decisions to act. Not taking action can also be a decisive life choice. Because life is impermanent and things change on its own accord, things can turn out for the better even when nothing is done to make it happen.

Source: Dharma talk by Ven Ajahn Brahm at Buddhist Lodge on 25 Nov 09

Mindfulness Training

2009-12-11T17:30:00.010+08:00

Mindfulness training with Thay has been an enriching experience.

Mindfulness is a source of happiness. It can be generated at any moment, in any place with mindful breathing. It is the energy that keeps us in touch with the wonders of life and brings us happiness. Only then can we help others to have feelings of joy and happiness.

It is possible to eat, drink, walk and even wash dishes with joy. All we have to do is to do these mundane things mindfully by giving our full attention to the task on hand and living in the present moment.

Source: Teachings by Thay at Plum Village in Jul 2009