A word can melt the cold in January, but also can freeze the warmness in June. Rough words harm both the self and others, while kind words bring benefit to all.
Do not speak of others' faults
and do not talk of your won virtues.
Wisely contemplate the oneness and eqaulity
of all sentient beings and you will enjoy a good reputation.
thursday November 29th 2001
Written by Master Hsing Yun
" The power of patience"
Patience is clear and bright like sunlight or moonlight. The dragon and Elephant are very strong, but even together they do not have a thousanth part of strength of one who is patient.
Common people believe jewels and treasures are the greates things. They do not see the calamities they cause and the pain. The real, true treasure is patience, for it always assures one of peace and it always treats others well and it always brings the greatest reward.
The best way to rid yourself of anger is through patience. Those who are able to be patient become powerfull and great.
True patience requires no engergy. If you have to expend energy to be patient, you can be sure your patience will not last for long. Patience is found in resting in the spaces between thoughts. Patience is calm and non-judgemental. It is humble and wise in tat it does not expect to be first or to have everything go tis own way all the time.
Thursday November 29th 2001
Written by Master Hsing Yun
Sometimes we forget that we are a humanbeing. Just being part of this whole world. But When we loop deeply to the words Human Being, then it's just a concept, a meaning to select, catoglize ourselves in this big world.
When we look deeper to what the human being is, then we will see a human being with a head, two arems, two hands, two legs. A very nice and complicated organism. The human being is evolved into something even better then 200 years ago. Because of the growing and impermanent knowledge.
As a buddhist we look at the human as a human and non-human. It's more a ecological concept of looking at the human being. Science had a perfect positive impact on Buddhism. They confirmed reincarnation in a ecological concept. There is a circle of rebirth when we are standing from this ecological perspective. Even our mind, it's constant changing and impermanent by its existence. Think about how much knowlegde you had 10 years ago. And how many skills and knowlegde you gained till now. It's really in constantly proces. If this was not, it would be not here. So when we look at human and non-human, we are meaning that human is the concept and non human is the conditions that makes us as Human Being existing.
So, as conclusion, we as human being cannot excist without the non human elements. Therefor, protecting the non-human elements is protecting the human. Protecting the human being is protecting the non-human elements. As a true PROBLEMSOLVER, we have to solve it from two sides. Protecting the environment, but also our parents, children, brothers and sisters, friends and many more. It's socialogy and it's ecology.
Thursday January 17th 2002
As I grow step by step
I will slowly realise this mother earth.
When the wind blows his nature,
I will bow for his joyfull changing, but won't break apart.
Luckly the wind passes by
and puts me bback to the place where I belong
putting my footprints with colours in the sky.
A lot of people don't have the knowldge to think, whether their believe is relieve of sufferins or causal for mor sufferings. We have to excuse them for this ignorance. If I was born in a environment like where the terrorists are raised up, I would be a terrorist now. I would have the same believe. I would have my own views of a better world. I would not have written this here. We have to look to the whole situation to face this terroristsproblem. Not just the group of terrorists, but we have to face also the Non-terrorist elements. Where are they from? why do they do this? all the causes to the problem is the real problem. Then when we find a way to overcome the conditions to this problem. We can start to have a better world.
Hatred is born to these terrorists. It's suffering indeed. But when we look deeper into the situation we'll understand them and then we can even help them respectfully.
Jihad (holy war), is war against your enemy who lies in ourselves. For example, greed, anger, fear and many more desires, which are conditions to suffering.
I have a Turkish old friend, he was addicted to alcohol, he drunk everyday, because he was working behind a bar. When the atmosphere went good, he will always take a drink, which slowly will develope a addiction of alcohol. He used this Jihad, to stop this addiction. And now he is not addicted anymore. So, this Jihad can be used in a good way indeed. This is also the power which lies under each religion. It gives you mighty motivation to act.
Many people used Jihad in a wrong way. Because they interpret it in this way that Jihad is war against the evil. And the enemy is evil, so I need to destroy this evil.
Another Islamitic activity is Ramadan. I serve breakfast in a hotel, which there will be a crew of Garuda Airlines, Indonesia. They were having Ramadan. So, they need to get up early to have a breakfast, before the sun comes up. I was thinking, what is the real purpose of Ramadan?
I always have this thought of cleaning the soul and by suffering yourself, you could become aware of this suffering and compare yourself with the people with constantly suffering of hunger.
I asked my Turkish friend about Ramadan. And the thought behind this ritual is? Without touching the suffering, we will never really realise what suffering is. We will just have the idea of suffering. WHich is very different from the reality of suffering. Then why should we touch suffering then? This is because to realise to be very happy and satisfied in what we have now. Otherwise we only have the idea of happiness and satisfaction. Wich is different of the reality of happiness and satisfaction.
Ofcourse this way of touching suffering is very painfull and also it could harm your health. That's why this is just a method to touch the suffering. In our lifes, we have ups and downs. We have to look more deeply into the downs, to become really satisfied with the ups. That's why the situations where you are in deep trouble, can really be cultivation and a lesson. This is called contemplating of your experiences, either bad or good. And the Westerners call it Reflection on your experiences.
His Holiness Dalai Lama once said: "If you lose something, don't lose the lesson"
Tuesday December 18th 2001
It's almost the day of love. I was reading the papers and I bumped into the articles of people looking for lovers. I was thinking that people really are into looking for the ONE they want to share things with.
What does love mean? Love does have a lot of different meanings. Specially because of the different cultures on this planet, makes it very difficutl to capture the concept of love. But one thing is for sure. Love means more then just person. When Valentines Day is coming, the flame of love is burning almost everywhere, actually this flame could be lightened every moment now.
When you see that perfect partner down the street, this flame will suddenly turn on. After seeing him/her, the butterflies are already dancing around in the stomach. For many people this desire comes often. My questions are: 'Is this feeling good? Is this feeling pemanent? Is this feeling a extreme or not?......
For many people, you might think that you really want to date that person and finally you can have a date with him/her. My opinion is that a goodlooking person is ofcourse a goodlooking person. But the fact is this is only a appearance. I am not saying that appearance isn't important, but it shouldn't be the priority. If you want to build up a relationship with a person. It should contain the aspects of care, compassion and affintity. So, actually this falling in Love feeling is good. Because people feel very good when they fall in love. But I am sure of that this feeling is like a burning flame. When there is no fuel anymore to let the flame burn properly, then this flame will go off. YES, this feeling is impermanent. This is not saying that LOVE isn't good. But we just have to find a better way to let the flame burn longer then just this. A flame that doesn't go off.
If a relationship is only build up of money, power and glory. Then this type of relationship isn't lasting for long. It's like doing business with somebody. Because when money, power and glory are gone, then this relationship will also slowly fall in his deep bottom.
The concept about ROMANCE is a extreme. Because romance is build up from cultural, biological and psychological aspects. When you start a relationship with this aspect of romance. This relationship will be not lasting long too. Ofcourse romance is great ingredient, but we cannot rely on it. Passions and desires are just extremes, winds that are passing by.
Love can be very good and not a extreme if we put the correct ingredients into the relationship to let it cook well.
So, what are the ingredients? Above I showed the ingredients we always will put into the soup of love. But you need more then just these. I think we need endless new ingredients to build up a creative relationship.
When you start a relationship, please make sure that both of the people are in non-duality. You have to understand the other person to get real affinity, because when you are just seperated from him or her, then it's just a fake relationship and it will not last for long.
- true understanding the other person
- compassionated feelings, which is care
- patience, this is very important. When you cook potatoes you always have to wait till the water is boiling. Time is a condition to every existence
- good affinity, don't create hatred. Be skillfull and motivate the other person in a peacefull way. Always showing the world is a good place to live in
- responsibility, specially for the married couples. This responsibility is what the motivation is build from if you have a family to raise
Ofcourse you have to be very natural in putting the ingredients into the relationship. Just what here above is described, it's also the meaning of respect to the other person. This is how we create respect for the other.
It's maybe a bit strange that I write this down. But I realised that a relationship will last longer with these secret ingredients. It has to be added to the other ingredients.
I hope you like this recipe. May your love cook well.
O MI TO FO,
Guan Her joining palms..... Happy valentines day
February the 5th 2002