Daily Enlightenment July '06
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9th July '06
Empty Boat
You are cruising down a river.
Another boat comes opposite towards you -
right at you, faster and faster.
You get upset and start yelling.
But it only comes faster and faster.
As it gets closer, you suddenly see clearly that it is empty.
This is how we make ourselves suffer -
by seeing the world out to get us,
by not steering clear of what is natural -
your delusion and negative karma's rebound.
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13th July '06
Greatest Resource
The greatest resource of our collective human resource
is that of our individual spiritual resources -
which should never be compromised.
Our spirituality should never remain stagnant or decrease;
but only increase -
or our Dharma learning and sharing will not grow.
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19th July '06
Sandcastles
Some children made sandcastles,
keeping theirs separate from others'.
When the castles were completed,
one kicked over another's.
The owner flew into a rage and hit him,
yelling, "Come and help punish him!"
Others came to his help,
beating the child...
Then they carried on playing their sandcastles,
each saying, "This is mine!"
Evening came,
and the children thought they ought to go home.
No one now cared of his castle.
One stepped on his, and another pushed his over.
Then they turned away and went back, each to his home.
-Adapted from Yogacara Bhumi Sutra
What are your sandcastles?
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23rd July '06
Hope
If you are only hopeful,
you are totally hopeless.
Do not hope -
if there is something you can do about it, just do it;
if not, just accept it gracefully. -
24th July '06
The Lake Of Your Mind
The Noble Eightfold Path consists of three parts,
which can be practised first sequentially, then concurrently.
The first is Moral Conduct.
It is the clearing of the garbage floating on the surface
of the lake of our mind.
The second is Mental Development.
It is the stilling of the lake of our mind.
The third is Wisdom.
It is the looking into the depths of the lake of our mind,
to realise what it is all about -
to clearly see the reality of mind and matter.
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Understanding "Not 2 not One."
Analogy of an object and it's shadow.
the shadow come together with the object. cannot say they are two nor one.
sometimes, at night when there's no light, there's no shadow, but that does not mean there's no shadow at all.
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27th July '06
Why Gratitude
Why do I have to be grateful for anything at all -
since the blessings I receive I deserve,
in the name of my karma.
I discovered I didn't have to feel gratitude -
there is no obligation...
But to feel gratitude to all does good to all.
It makes me treasure the goodness others do for me.
It makes others feel appreciated,
motivated to do more good.
It makes no one take anything for granted -
not even your own karma,
your own goodness that harvested goodness.
It makes goodness a privilege, a treasured gem.
It perpetuates goodness in the world.
It is goodness itself.
The more gratitude you feel,
the more blessed your life is.
Imagine feeling gratitude even to the air, the sun and wind,
your friends and neighbours, cats and dogs...
A life without gratitude is a punishment instead -
it becomes a miserable life with no heartfelt blessings.
While we feel gratitude for our blessings,
it is a blessing itself to be able to feel gratitude -
for it is the ability to appreciate goodness,
to feel good, to feel goodness,
to want to return goodness, to want to generate goodness,
into this world so scarce of it.
Let us be reminded, to be grateful to all beings,
to the enlightened ones,
for teaching us the path,
to the unenlightened ones,
for letting us have the opportunity to practise the path. -
31st July '06
Change
Being Buddhist is simple.
Understand impermanence of everything
and continually change for the better.
-Junlie