SOS Enlightenment

A lot has been written about Buddha Sakyamuni or Gautama Buddha attaining enlightenment under the  bodhi tree.  However, not much was documented about what Enlightenment means.  From the perspective of a Buddhist, I suppose, when one is enlightened, it is referring to the awakening to the truth of the universe through cultivation.

Even with the existing evidence of Gautama Buddha, there are still many who disbelieve that the Dhama can help a person to attain Enlightenment.

Why so?

SOS What a 2013 Year

The year of 2013 is like a roller coaster ride, full of hopes and full of uncertainties.  There is no rooms for regrets tough, even though it is not one of my better years.  But, it could be worst.  Never, ever, regrets on what you could have done or you should not have done.  Concentrate on the things you have done, and reflect on them, look within to improve your moral character.  Perhaps one may ask, what exactly is moral character.

It is actually a very broad terms.  Depends from which prospective of your view.  Confucious is one of the few great teacher of ancient China.  He taught man and woman how to live with high moral character and live in harmony.  However, towards his seventies, he regretted he did not follow the spiritual path much earlier.

Moral character or mind and heart nature, if view from the perspective of Confucious, it mainly describe how to be a good human being, teaching us all the great principles of being a good human being.  However, it does not help us to view it from the perspective from the spiritual side, although he was much more spiritual towards his seventies.  

Hence, should we look at moral character from a higher level, i.e. from the perspective of spirituality, the standards or principles held by a genuine spiritual practitioners are much higher than how to be a good human being.  These higher principles actually explain from the perspective from the higher levels but yet to be abide by the practitioners at the lower level of secular society.  One may think, would it be hard.  Yes, in terms of how ordinary people look at it because they do not understand how the reasons behind the higher principles.  In order to understand them, one has to read Zhuan Falun in order to understand how the said principles comes about.

In Buddhism, Sakyamuni in his Dharma, talk about many precepts the disciples must follow, however, he did not explain the original course of the principles.  Until we know the actual reasons behind the precepts, it is rather hard to cultivate without knowing the higher principles or the inner meanings behind those principles.  These will involve the enlightenment of the disciples.  However, in Zhuan Falun, it explain clearly all the rational behind the high level principles, so we could make the right choice in our lives.

There was an old sayings, if you can master others, you are a good leader, if you could master yourself, you are your master of yourself.

SOS Tolerance

What is tolerance?

Normally we tolerate with anger or grieve or hatred.  Especially from the conflict whether in work or at home.  Is it good or not good?  Of course it is not good.  So what is the solution? Fight it off?

Nope, let it go with kindness.  That's all.

SOS Who is right and who is wrong

Whenever there is a conflict, both sides will normally have their own justifications.  Assuming, we are become the judge of the conflict, how do you then decide who is right and who is wrong?

But, then, the conflict between two persons could be due to their karmic relationships, which we are unable to know, because karmic relationships may have developed over many lifetimes.

We can only measure based on the superficial actions taken by both.  That is, we are not able to know the truth of the matter, but only from the surface of the matter.  Of course, we can measure whether a person is good or bad based on the surface by using Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.  Of course, in the first place, if we are a cultivator, we should not judge what people does, but can learn from their actions and look within ourselves for any attachments.

Anyway, is wrong or right really very important?

SOS How to be diligent

How to be a diligent cultivator?

Study the Fa more

Have a righteous mind - mind is certain and determine

Have righteous action - let go of fame, self interest and emotions

Cultivate Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance

How to achieve real Enlightenment?

1.  Understand that we are a cultivator when facing problems
2.  Understand and accept the Fa
3.  Follow the requirement of the Fa

Cultivation is a process

SOS Journey of Life

Everyone has his or her own journey of life.  Since human is created by god, would it be correct to say his or her journey of life is predestined or being arranged by gods?

Well, this is rather a sensitive issue.  Some will argue that since it is predestined or fated, being hard working in life would have no effect on our life, isn't it? However, if you give it a deep thought, isn't our life pretty arranged for, our parents will do their best to send us to the best school to get the best education, we will try to work with a big corporation, meet the elites, lives in a happy and comfortable life, become recognized socially, or become a dignify person, or to become rich and famous.

This journey is pretty much govern by the environment that already being set by the society (like it or not).  You cannot enjoy your life first, then go to school when you are in the 30s, and then go into the work force at 33 years old.  This is UNACCEPTABLE to the society today.  Partly because we follow the principle of born, age, ill and death.  Of course no one have instructed us, but the society is formed in such a way that you must sent your child to school at 7, and enter university around 19 years old.  Graduate about 22 years old, and start working from thereon.  Of course, there are few exceptions, example, some poorer people may do their studies later due to financial limitations, other than that, it is save to say 70% of the general public follow this route.  Of course, there are those who comes out and become self employed, which is another route of life.

SCHOOL - UNIVERSITY - WORK - (MARRY) - RETIRE - DEATH

This seems to be the most common routes people take.  As for who you meet in which company, don't you find it is pretty predestined.  Some got it easy and some got it hard, but eventually, they go through pretty much the same.  Of course, along the line, many will say the world is UNFAIR, because, they always think they deserve more.

Even if life is PREDESTINED is true, many will still not believe it, because, the society is working such a way, you have to work hard to get what you want in life.  Of course, some rich kids do not need to do that.

There is also a believe, when a person dies, his soul will continue to live.  So, if he is reborn, he have to go through the same thing all over.  Of course, in Buddhism, they believe in Six Path of Transmigration (i.e. your soul may go to different realms, like being an animal, plant, ghost, heavenly being or rebirth as human).

In short, when you are born with nothing, you take nothing with you when you leave.  So whatever happiness we have, is for that few decades of living.

SOS Where to find Motivation? Part 2

Within.

Depends what drives in within.

Some are driven by fear, some are driven by courage

Some are driven by awareness, some are driven by inborn quality

Whatever drives motivation, it is from within

So, once you know how to make the driver drives, you are the master