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About The Daily Enlightenment
What you are reading now is the first compiled and revised
reprint of a complete year’s articles contributed by some 30
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to share the Dharma too!
Funny. I think the latter that is true. The sun meant no harm.
It was me to be blamed ultimately. I should have experienced the
heat mindfully without attachment—that’s all—no need to grumble
about it inside.
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JANUARY 2 | way of the bodhisattva
0
JANUARY 3 | Magic
0
JANUARY 4 | Belief
Be honest.
To seek the Truth and True Happiness,
you have to be honest to yourself.
Be honest—
Do you honestly believe you are a Buddhist at heart?
If yes, what is it you do that makes you Buddhist?
0
JANUARY 5 | Wild Wide Eyes
I noticed that the world looks brighter and sharper when I open my
eyes bigger. Don’t laugh! Maybe you think we should have realised
this since we were toddlers. But I don’t think this is exactly true.
Seeing the world through new big eyes brings a new wave of life
to everything. Try it on your loved ones—see them renewed with
a tinge of amazement at their being and their infinite complexities
from head to toe. It is because kids live their days with perpetually
wild and wide eyes that they have endless fun. Is that not true?
0
JANUARY 6 | Simple Truth
0
JANUARY 7 | Openness
With this openness in the heart, any angry words which come
your way become echoes in space that you can truly hear deeply—
without prejudice. With a closed heart, angry words become sharp
arrows piercing it, as they are taken with biasness, assumed to be
weapons shot to kill. He who is open can never be hurt. How can
you hurt open space? Incidentally, “happiness” in Mandarin means
“open-heartedness”!
10
JANUARY 8 | Resistance
11
JANUARY 9 | Compassion DEMON
12
JANUARY 10 | Real practice
I found and bought “The Long Discourses of the Buddha”. There and
then in the shop surrounded by the myriad Dharma books available,
I realised that all the sutras have been spoken by the Buddha
already (of course!), and all the essential teachings have been
given. And there were, just as there are, living masters who are still
teaching us today by word and example.
We are alive, able to appreciate all this. Yet aren’t many of us still
waiting? Something doesn’t seem quite “right”, so we procrastinate,
delaying the real learning and practice. But it is exactly because
things are not “right”, that we need to practise now! We tend to
keep delaying the actual practice. And when we do it, it’s in bits and
pieces. Sometimes we let ourselves “take off” on certain practices,
and other times, we let our mindfulness go on indefinite holidays.
13
JANUARY 11 | Marriage Vows
14
JANUARY 12 | Maybe
versus...
16
JANUARY 13 | Meditate!
17
JANUARY 14 | Amusement
For example, when you slip and fall in public before a crowd,
try to grin it away! (It happened to me before—it was such a
ridiculous fall that I laughed till my sides ached!) Do you know
there’s Compassion involved here? The people around you might
feel uneasily tense to some extent if you were to pick yourself
up grumbling, or even looking flustered and ashamed. That’s
Compassion for the crowd—assure them with a grin that you’re
okay! They might even smile back—it’s true! And it’s Compassion
for yourself for sure. It’s okay to be occasional clowns as long as we
learn to be more mindful in future!
18
JANUARY 15 | Value of a Day
19
JANUARY 16 | RIGHT NOW
20
JANUARY 17 | Alive
21
JANUARY 18 | Anger Reflection
Keep a pocket mirror with you everywhere you go. When you
become angry under any circumstances, the very moment you are
aware of it, take out the mirror and look at your facial expression in
it. See how horrible you look and your anger will dissipate quickly.
This method works like magic. This is the outer reflection of our
inner state of mind.
It means you are really angry! Watch it! The more you don’t feel
like reflecting pon yourself, the more you should!
22
JANUARY 19 | Death and the TITANIC
The Titanic was a real major disaster—It was the only ship
proudly proclaimed in the history of mankind to be unsinkable—yet
it sank on its maiden voyage. How does this relates to us? Many
of us feel that we are Titanics—we feel immortal at times. We feel
undefeatable by old age, sickness and death, invincible against
the law of impermanence. There are few illusions that great.
Impermanence is not to be talked about, but felt in the bones.
Impending death is one of the best motivations available for us to
attain the deathless state of Nirvana. The day we were born, we are
23
all sinking Titanics—we start advancing towards death. The tricky
part is we do not know how much of our “ship of life” is still above
the water. Have you planned your escape? How are you going to
escape? There is an ancient Indian saying:
24
JANUARY 20 | happy ending
25
JANUARY 21 | Zooming
26
JANUARY 22 | Puja
27
JANUARY 23 | Silence
I think I will close my eyes and meditate upon this silence for a
while, as I wait for the power to return.
28
JANUARY 24 | Learning Quickly
There are many things we have to learn. But there are not “too many”
things—the number is just right despite it being much. This is
because what we ought to learn, we ought to learn anyway. It is
crucial then, that we live sharply and mindfully, moving quickly
through the school of life, learning lessons properly and promptly,
paying attention to the details going through the mind, being
honest and indefensive to oneself and the world. Life is short. This
makes learning quickly and moving on quickly important. This is
where the practice of effort and energy comes in. For example, if
you know you have a bad temper, read about it, meditate on it, ask
others about it. Do the following:
29
That only took only 5 seconds. It can be done. Pretty soon, if
you have mastered this, you can hardly get angry generally. The
difficult part is being mindful enough to extinguish the volcano of
anger before it erupts.
30
JANUARY 25 | Pride
Pride is a tricky thing isn’t it? One can be so proud that one refuses
to admit it. The very moment one refuses to admit that one is proud,
one is almost definitely proud. Pride is this strong sense of self that
feels justified in every way despite reality being otherwise. In fact,
pride distorts reality. This could be why it is hard to detect. We all
have pride. To have no pride is to be egoless. For that to happen,
one has to be enlightened! Are you enlightened?
31
JANUARY 26 | Letting Go
32
JANUARY 27 | Tension
33
JANUARY 28 | Conqueror
When you win in a competition and you get high and haughty,
you had actually lost spiritually. And when your opponent, who
has lost, is not angry but is gracious about his defeat, it is he who
has won instead.
34
JANUARY 29 | Intentions & Consequences
True Wisdom is truly knowing how to think, speak and act with
Compassion for all. True Compassion is truly knowing how to think,
speak and act with Wisdom for all. Wisdom and Compassion, the two
peaks of spiritual perfection, are the functioning of each other.
35
JANUARY 30 | Spiritual Friendship
Then Ananda came to the Lord (Buddha) and said, “Half of the holy
life is friendship, association and intimacy with the spiritual.” The
Buddha replied, “Say not so! It is the whole of the holy life, not half,
this friendship, this association, this intimacy with the spiritual.”
—Samyutta Nikaya
Is not the holy life, the making of more spiritual friends, the
recognition of them everywhere? A stray dog can be a spiritual
friend who teaches a subtle lesson. So can the breeze, rain and
clouds. Friendliness is a feeling of affinity, and total spiritual
friendship is connecting spiritually with all beings and nature.
Nature is Truth! A spiritual person has no enemies. The world is just
full of friends, and strangers yet to be befriended.
36
JANUARY 31 | Dying & Sleeping
In this way, practise “letting to die” what should pass away. Upon
your deathbed, if you are a master of this practice, you will go in
peace. To practise now is to start your “going in peace” now. From
the moment we are born, we are already on our way “going”... Start
“going” peacefully now, as it is no easy journey. Then, surely, peace
and a good rebirth (if not already enlightened) will be attained.
37
February 1 | Breath
Watch your breath—it’s all there. The Buddha was a genius to teach
a practice as usefully simple yet profound as the mindfulness of
breathing. If you watch your breath constantly, noticing its ups
and downs, short and long durations, etc... you will discover that
there is a direct correlation between the state of your mind and
your breath.
38
February 2 | Humility
39
February 3 | Beauty
Beauty makes sense, and is beautiful, only when it is felt in the heart.
And a beautiful heart is one that sees beauty all around. It even sees
the beauty in what the world sees as ugliness.
40
February 4 | Real
I think we all are constantly looking for “substance” in our lives when
there is nothing materially substantial. We seek material wealth,
thinking that it will add true substance to our life, giving life real
meaning. Nothing can be further from the truth. As Buddhists, we
all should know the teaching well that there is no enduring self, and
that nothing (material or mental) is for real as in being substantial
(which is why we work towards Nirvana).
But we are all still deluded about this Truth, since each of us sees
it only to a certain extent, while we struggle to fulfil our material
cravings. Is this not what we call a spiritual struggle—being caught
between materialistic and spiritualistic goals?
41
February 5 | Guarding the mind
The watcher is the vigilant cat and one’s thoughts the scurrying
mouse. For the cat to be constantly chasing the mouse is tiring, not
to say never-ending. However, if the cat were to keep watch just
outside the mouse-hole, it would be much easier and the mouse
would never have a chance to run too far. Similarly, if the thinker
were to maintain constant awareness, it would be much easier to
watch his thoughts, the source of his happiness and grief.
42
February 6 | Music to My Ears
43
February 7 | Enough
44
February 8 | Freedom
45
February 9 | attachment
The Buddha, when he was still Prince Siddhartha, after he left the
palace that “fateful” night, rode off into a forest, where he raised his
sword to cut off his hair. This was symbolic of the cutting off of all
worldly attachments.
I have a personal theory. As it was said that his hair never grew
back. (Instead, they coiled clockwise neatly—this explains the curls
on Buddha images’ heads.) Maybe it is symbolic that he never got
attached to anything worldly again.
46
February 10 | Untitled
47
February 11 | Miracle
48
February 12 | Success
The secret to success is not wrongly giving up the right thing. Yes,
it is that simple. Learn from mistakes and carry on along the new
direction found. You only fail when you give up. No one can really
say you have failed for good.
Many of life’s failures are those who did not realise how close
they were to success when they gave up. Success is just a whole
bunch of failed attempts plus one final perfect attempt. If it is worth
it, just do it—never give up. Tell yourself—if I should, I shall!
49
February 13 | anew
No—we don’t need another life to live anew. A new life can
begin now.
50
February 14 | Judgement
Who is the best judge? Who has the “right” taste? Is there
a “proper” preference? A thousand people have a thousand
different standards because they have a thousand different sets of
karmic perceptions and inclinations. The wise argue not over the
unimportant and frivolous because they know there will be no
fruitful conclusion. The wisest judge is probably one who does not
judge, especially for trivial matters.
51
February 15 | Renunciation
52
February 16 | Posture
When depressed, depress not your head—lift it up. Look to the sky.
Take a mindful deep breath. Open your eyes wide. Smile. And where
is the depression now?
If you are mindful of your body postures when you are depressed,
you will notice that it takes certain patterns—you slouch and your
breathing becomes sighing, and your eyes become lifeless and small
as you frown. Maintaining these postures is almost a sure way of
maintaining the depression. Do the opposite and see what happens.
53
February 17 | Monday Blues
A Zen master who uttered that “Every day is a good day.” How
true—what is a bad day? We voluntarily choose certain days to be
“bad”. No one, especially Buddhists, should live only for Sundays.
That would mean one truly lives only 1/7 of his life! (As 1 week has
7 days). How ridiculous!
54
February 18 | Silence
Only when you are truly silent can you truly hear what is going
on in your mind—this is a basic step for meditation and quiet
reflection. Have you had your silence period today yet? Keep quiet
and you might just manage to keep some peace—and increase it!
55
February 19 | Did the Buddha Exist?
56
February 20 | Sudden Light
I want one too! I want to have one single startling realisation that
shatters aeons of clotted ignorance heaped up in the depths of
my mind. I think you would want one too. But how many of us
actually have this one single amazing realisation beyond all means
of description? Is it not a spiritual fantasy to have Enlightenment
strike you out of the blue into super-consciousness and liberation
just like that, effortlessly? Well, I think yes and no.
57
February 21 | Nagging
58
February 22 | Humility
I discovered that false humility can develop into such a state that
one can even think one is truly humble. It can be quite scary. I am
a victim of this unknowingly sometimes. Some of us, at some point
of our lives, get pointed out that we aren’t humble and sincere
enough. And some thus try too hard too fast without proper and
deep mindfulness, to be humble and sincere. Some thus end up
humble and sincere only in outer appearances, while the heart
remains full of pride.
59
February 23 | Upside Down
60
February 24 | Blame
Don’t blame yourself for the way you are now. Don’t lament of your
past (or past lives), when you did the wrong to deserve your present
state. Because that past person is no longer you. You now are the
repentant one willing to do good, not the past stubborn one only
willing to do evil. You have changed. And you have no one to blame.
Not even yourself in any way. Be at peace.
61
February 25 | Ugliness
See.
See deep.
See deep into the ugliest thing you ever laid your eyes upon.
See so deep that you realise that it is the ugliest thing,
not because of itself.
62
February 26 | No Compromise
63
February 27 | Re-emptying Your Cup
I’m sure many of you have heard this famous story... A university
professor visited Zen Master Nan-in to inquire about Zen, who
served tea. He filled his visitor’s cup and then kept on pouring. The
professor watched the overflowing until he could restrain himself
no longer. “It is too full. No more will go in.” “Like this cup”, Nan-in
said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can
I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
64
February 28 | Time
Time “exists” only when one waits for the future to come, and when
one wishes for the past to come again. It doesn’t “exists” for one
who lives in the “now” only. There is no fixed conception of time to
the good Bodhisattva. He is not anxious to attain the future fruit of
Buddhahood (which he knows is “a matter of time”—which is why
he is still gladly a Bodhisattva), and he yearns not to return to his
deluded non-Bodhisattva past.
65
February 29 | Transformation
66
March 1 | Dare to let go
67
March 2 | Was the Buddha Enlightened?
68
March 3 | Cloud
Or is it “cloudiness”?
69
March 4 | Imagination
70
March 5 | Mara
71
March 6 | snapshot
72
March 7 | death rehearsal
Stop!
Whatever you are doing right now—
sense the uneasiness and dissatisfaction
in the abrupt interruption.
The above had been a poor rehearsal for your possible sudden
death. We either face death abruptly and rudely, or with ample
time to prepare for it. It is arrogant to assume we will be dying the
latter way.
73
March 8 | Practise now
Hello fellow Buddhists out there! Are you a real practising Buddhist
in body, speech and mind? Are you sure? I’m referring to right
now—not a few years back, or yesterday, or even a minute ago.
74
March 9 | Ego
75
March 10 | Tendencies
76
March 11 | Adventure
For example, don’t keep walking the same old path from your
home to the bus-stop day after day. Take a new turn and enter new
worlds and explore new sceneries. You might meet an interesting
“new” neighbour or... Whatever it is, if you keep your mind open
and watchful—enlightenment is abound in every nook and cranny
high or low. Spiritual realisations can hit you. We don’t necessarily
have to seek adventure in the wild—adventures can happen in real
life every day.
77
March 12 | Smile
78
March 13 | The THIRD Precept
79
March 14 | Offerings
80
March 15 | Trash
The story doesn’t end here. Before I cleared the trash, I told
myself to be mindful of my present attachments—both material
and mental. I wouldn’t want to sort out a pile of trash again in a
few years’ time!
81
March 16 | Sense of the Sacred
82
March 17 | mystery
Why we are here? What is the meaning and purpose of life? That
is the ultimate personal mystery of every individual to be solved
by oneself. This search is hardly a journey to the reaches of outer
space. No need to uncover the identity of strange aliens, when the
individual, on the path to Enlightenment, is one who had discovered
oneself to be essentially an alien to oneself. He is alienated from his
true “self”. How much more fascinating can discovering aliens be,
when oneself is the immediate alien?
83
March 18 | Vow
Bodhisattvas were once ordinary human beings like us, but they
developed hearts of great Compassion. They vowed with all their
hearts to help all sentient beings be released from their sufferings.
In that sense, they were great human beings.
84
March 19 | Calm
85
March 20 | Middle Way
No. When we say “Walk the Middle Way”, we actually mean “Try
our best to walk the Middle Way.” We will tend to stray now and
then in different aspects of our life while we practise walking it. For
example, we might in one second entertain the illusory possibility
of the existence of a permanent self (this is falling into the extreme
of belief in eternalism). And in the next second, we might catch
ourselves over-eating our favourite food (another form of extreme).
And this is where diligence and the perfection of effort in cultivating
Wisdom comes in. The point is to constantly tune ourselves to the
balancing point of “not too much or little; but just enough”.
86
March 21 | questions
87
March 22 | Refuge
88
March 23 | Misery
89
March 24 | Lost in Space and Time
90
March 25 | Common Ground
Like the rays of light from the “sun” of the Threefold Refuge, may
we reach out in 84,000 ways and directions pervading all space,
eliminating the darkness of delusion. Peace to all schools of the
Buddha’s teachings. The greatness of the Buddha’s teachings is their
abilities to shine forth skilfully in different ways to reach different
beings. And it is us all, the individuals who are to be the rays of light,
the missionaries of the Dharma. Be your own lamp, but shine forth
too, best you can, to guide others.
91
March 26 | what you want
Have: great.
Don’t have: it’s okay.
This is non-attachment:
the non-yearning all-accepting heart.
92
March 27 | Seeking Forgiveness
93
March 28 | Best
Do your best.
But how do you know it is your best?
Because you don’t,
you don’t have any reason not to try harder.
94
March 29 | Millennium
95
March 30 | Spiritual Improvement
To improve spiritually is
to be kind enough to want to help all,
and to be wise enough to be able to help all.
96
March 31 | Light
97
April 1 | Knowing
The Truth is what you know. If you do not know it, you only choose
to believe in something that might, or might not be the Truth. Be
without choosing. Why play the guessing game? A correct guess is
still only a guess. To be enlightened is to be “choicelessly knowing”,
with no alternative knowledge or doubt. Be in the light. Know the
Truth. Don’t just agree with the enlightened; become enlightened.
98
April 2 | Help Yourself
99
April 3 | Bowing
Why do some Buddhists not bow when they come across a Buddha
image at a place of worship? Do they not remember the significance
of bowing? It is to pay our homage to the enlightened one while
humbling ourselves, so that we can be more willing to learn. We
all know well that a Buddha image is just a block of wood, ceramic
or metal. However, in the moment of bowing, the Buddha image
is visualised to be the Buddha himself. It is taken to represent
him because the Buddha is not visibly around to most of us at
the moment, and we humans are creatures who need images for
remembrance. Why not bow when it takes only a little time and
effort? There are the two common reasons (besides sheer laziness)
why one does not:
100
April 4 | Faults
101
April 5 | Insight
Be glad that you are one step closer and continue stepping
forward. Do not think that you are one step ahead of others—that is
your ego playing tricks—you are not out to win others in attaining
Enlightenment first. Your Enlightenment is for others—we are all
“one”. Your one “big” step to your personal Enlightenment might
be just one small step to the Enlightenment of all.
102
April 6 | design
So much effort was put in the details of design for the aesthetics
of the place. And all along, I had walked by, not stopping to “smell the
roses”. Poetry is all around us. The world is so complex in detail that
it simply can’t be the design of one creator. This world is conceived
through the collective efforts and karmic manifestations of us all. It
is helpful to remember that there is a reason in the name of the law
of cause and effect (karma) why things are the way they are, and
why the same things appear differently before different individuals.
This increases our appreciation of every physical environment and
mental state we get into—be they positive or negative. Nothing
arises randomly. Take nothing for granted. Everything that we
experience on the individual level, right down to the fine details, are
amazing results of self and collective karmic engineering. We draw
the blueprints of our worlds of experience, and we are constantly
amending the designs through our present efforts.
You, the architect of your life, what kind of world have you
designed yourself to be in? Does it have poetry and fountains? Or
do you pass them by? What is your master plan and what does it
lead to?
103
April 7 | Transformation
104
April 8 | Dharma Doors
Sit down and meditate, contemplate things over. Then open the
selected door and walk forward without turning back. Better get
going soon—because the journey might be long and life is short.
105
April 9 | Peace All the Time
106
April 10 | Human
107
April 11 | Thousands
108
April 12 | Sutra Surprise
Whenever I feel empty and hollow, down and out, I would flip
open a Dharma book or a Buddhist sutra at random and cast my
eyes upon any passage. It would be a nice “karmic coincidence” if
the passage relates to my present blues and suggests a related
solution. I feel inspired almost instantly. Even when the passage
is irrelevant, it still brings me to calm as I read the Buddha’s
words—his dialogues with his disciples.
109
April 13 | Is-ness
110
April 14 | Demystification of the Buddha
So how do we see the Buddha? Just see him as the wisest and
kindest person ever. Nothing fancy in that sense. His greatness is his
total ability to connect with us human beings, understanding us all,
and offering us a path that leads to True Happiness. Let us all feel
close to him. The closer you feel you are to him, the closer you are
to your very own Buddha-nature and Buddhahood itself!
111
April 15 | Natural
Just look deep into yourself honestly. For example, is your sexual
drive always natural? Do you always have to be driven by it? Is your
backstabbing of your colleague natural? Do your animal instincts
justify you to be animal and inhumane? Though man is of the
animal kingdom (as classified by human science), is he supposed to
behave like an animal? Or is there clouded conscience and Wisdom
within that knows exactly what is right from wrong?
Which aspect of your nature do you feel the closest to, that you
are the most comfortable with? I suspect it is your Buddha-nature!
It’s only perfectly natural!
112
April 16 | Little by Little
113
April 17 | Opportunity
114
April 18 | Sickness, Ageing & Death
1. Sickness is sickening!
(It feels terrible and that it can strike anytime.)
2. Ageing is crippling!
(Old age cripples body and mind, and this is ongoing.)
3. Death is deadly!
(Life is a fatal disease we all eventually die of!)
115
April 19 | Bad Mood
Don’t think you have a valid excuse for bad behaviour when you are
moody. Don’t think you can just say something offensive, followed
by, “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’m in a bad mood today.” You can’t
just walk away like that. Do you expect others to simply understand
and forgive you—again and again, when you do it again and again?
We can control our moods—we are our masters.
Not a single angry word slipped from the Buddha’s mouth even
when the party he was talking to cursed and swore at him. Nope—
no bad moods for he who is ever mindful, a master of his mind.
116
April 20 | Professionalism
117
April 21 | Rationalisation
We all rationalise here and there, now and then, to the world and
to ourselves, to get away. We bend, stretch and re-interpret reality
to excuse ourselves from the unpleasant aspects of our “real”
selves. This is actually breaking the fourth precept, which is about
respecting the Truth.
118
April 22 | Much Ado About Nothing?
Life is then easy and bearable for the Buddhist who understands
his personal roots of suffering. Why then, is there a “need” to aspire
towards the ultimate fruit of Buddhahood? It is simple—so that you
can save the countless other beings out there, who understand not,
that their craving and hatred, out of their delusions, are “much ado
about nothing”. This need in you that you feel, to become a Buddha,
arises out of Compassion. This is the preciousness of Compassion.
It creates Buddhas—that creates countless more Buddhas. It is not
“much ado about nothing” at all! It has to do with everything that
is precious.
119
April 23 | The SIX Senses
120
April 24 | Spiritual Burnout
There are times when we feel spiritually low and burnt out. While
it is a popular belief that this might mean it is time to “take a
break” from any spiritual training, I personally see that for a mature
enough spiritual practitioner, there is no better time to really put
his spirituality to the test. As the saying goes, “When you hit rock
bottom, the only way is up.” How can anyone who is serious about
seeking liberation actually “take a break” from this goal? Of course
this is a lot easier said than done. But what is truly worth doing
will always require much effort; Enlightenment isn’t going to come
too easily.
Great effort is needed not only to, say, being able to meditate
with steady calm and insight, it also means living totally down
to earth responsibilities, like being a better son and friend etc.
Spirituality is not up in the heavens, it is here on Earth where you
stand right now. The next time you burn out, remember that your
spirituality was probably never properly “kindled” in the first place!
A good flame burns on unflickering and bright.
121
April 25 | Good Reason
But there will also forever be 1 good reason for you to strive on
the long and difficult path of spiritual betterment—so that you can
become truly happy, so that you can bring True Happiness to others.
122
April 26 | One Moment
A lifetime is not
what’s between the moments of birth and death.
123
April 27 | Giving Chance
124
April 28 | Dirty Job
I was at a public toilet bowl, about to pass motion, when I saw this
small winged insect on the surface of the water, fluttering helplessly,
drowning. In a split-second, in my mind, arose the question of whether
to save it or not. There was nothing to scoop it out with—and I didn’t
want to get my hands dirty. In another split-second, I felt an instant
sense of shame at my lack of Compassion—I could simply wash my
hands later! Despite mindfulness of this sense of shame, I still looked
around frantically for some instrument to use.
125
April 29 | A Serious Problem
126
April 30 | No New Dharma
Don’t look for some “new” Dharma teaching here today. There is
already a whole lot of “old” but timeless Dharma teachings that you
already know—that you have yet to put into practice! Right? The
Dharma today is to remind you to practise what you already know
you ought to! No theory today! Practise today!
127
May 1 | effort
128
May 2 | Mess
I don’t want it to be such that I came into this world to mess it up.
There is an ideal “place” for everything and everything should be in
its place.
The next step from not creating a mess is clearing up your own
personal mess. My personal mess is my collection of bad habits
from my greed, hatred and ignorance, which is spiritually harmful
to myself and others.
129
I think of the Buddha as one major mess-clearer. He cleared
messes perfectly—in fact, he “enlightened”. He came into our
world in a time when humans were seriously “messed up” in their
hearts and minds. It was when dozens of systems of religions and
philosophies were abound, and few really knew what was really
worth living for.
If we are to all clear up each of our own mess, and help each
other do the same, there would be no mess left in this world. This
world will then become a Pure Land.
130
May 3 | Beyond the Horrids of Life
“The secret of happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible,
horrible, horrible.”
131
May 4 | Repentance
132
May 5 | Allergy
I developed this strange rash two days back. The doctor was
unsure whether it was a pox. He told me to apply a prescribed
cream and to see him again if more rashes come up.
133
4. Allergies are generally (but not always) harmless. Well, what we
feel averse to, is only in our minds—like inner demons haunting
us.
5. Allergies can be prevented as aversion, as one of the three
poisons, along with craving and ignorance, can be eradicated.
Keep an open mind and heart. Learn to embrace all. Mind over
matter! With enough practice, even bodily reactions can be
overcome with control of the mind!
134
May 6 | Ehipassiko
“Ehipassiko” means “Don’t just believe; come and see”. It sums up the
Buddhist spirit of free enquiry. This is the teaching that any teaching
should not be accepted upon face value. They should be thoroughly
investigated before accepting them as Truth.
Many Buddhists are proud that Buddhism lives this spirit. But
some might get carried away such that they use it as a “weapon”
against other religious beliefs, proclaiming faiths without the
Ehipassiko spirit as blind. But they themselves might forget to apply
Ehipassiko in their own Dharma practice. They might end up the
very ones who accept the Buddhist teachings upon face value!
135
May 7 | for you
The reason why the Buddha came into our world, though he might
have came before your birth, is for YOU. The reason why the myriad
countless Bodhisattvas are still around to help is because YOU are
still unenlightened, and that they are still hopeful, believing that
YOU can be helped on the path to Enlightenment. And they are
always around, helping you in a million ways unknown by you—in
hope that one day, you will be like them, helping to free all other
beings. This is the unseen power so invisible, yet so potent. This is
the power of Compassion.
The priceless Triple Gem is YOURS. All the sutras were spoken
for YOU. All the venerable Venerables are YOUR teachers.
Everyone rejoice!
136
May 8 | Transgressions
The state of the world lies in the hands of the individual. Don’t
just complain that you don’t know what the world is coming to.
The transgressions of the world belong to the world. The world is
responsible for them all and you are part of the world. You are just
as responsible as anyone else for the state of the world.
137
May 9 | Living Joyously
138
May 10 | merry-Go-Round?
The possible reasons why you are still riding in the “unmerry-go-
round” of life and death (Samsara):
1. You have not got sick and tired of the ride yet.
2. You have forgotten how sick and tired of the ride you were.
3. You enjoy it now, not realising you will get sick and tired of it.
4. You are sick and tired of it but don’t know how to get off.
5. You...
139
May 11 | Birthday
140
May 12 | Ignorance
141
May 13 | spiritual Deadlines
Okay everyone! Yes, you too! It is high time that we all give ourselves
some spiritual deadlines. Let us not say we want to be better people
while taking forever (maybe that’s why we are reborn again and
again); let us give ourselves credible real-time deadlines to urge us
to advance steadily on the path of spiritual betterment.
142
May 14 | Rush
143
May 15 | Celebration
144
May 16 | Comfort Zone
Are we better off than him? We have our comfort zones too.
Sometimes they aren’t obvious at all. It could be someone you keep
confiding in when in trouble. It can be the unchallenging job that offers
no chance for personal growth, that you have been holding for years.
Sometimes we shouldn’t get too comfortable, or we end up imprisoning
ourselves within self-made walls.
145
I dedicate this article to the unknown man at the window. And
to all of us at the windows of our self-made prison cells. Let us not
get too comfortable. Let us start stepping out. Any comfort zone
that is not Nirvana is not real comfort.
146
May 17 | Sleeping on It
Can we call that wise and forgiving, or plain escapism? The issue
of who was right was not even brought up yet! Some of us sleep on
serious problems—figuratively. Sleep as in plain “don’t give a damn”. But
forgetting about a problem does not resolves it. Doing so is like being
an ostrich that buries its head in the sand, thinking that if it can’t see
what is troubling it, that thing will disappear!
147
May 18 | Perfect
Don’t look for the perfect time and place to truly begin your spiritual
practice. We should create perfect existence though this might
not “be” perfect existence. Practice is the perfecting of our minds
such that every time becomes the perfect time, and every place
becomes the perfect place. This is the state of perfect existence. It
is not a place or time. It is a state of mind. And this state of mind
is achieved without a perfect place and time, for a perfect place
and time is possible only in the perfected mind. So wherever you
are, whenever it is, already is your “perfect place and time” to begin
your perfection!
148
May 19 | Experimentation
149
May 20 | Treasure the Dharma
150
May 21 | Appreciation
I would like to hereby, thank the following who have made my life
a certain success so far. Except for the Buddha, who is number one,
the rest listed are placed in no particular order. They are the ones
who helped made and shaped me to be who I am today:
151
May 22 | One
When alone,
learn to be at one with yourself and the world;
don’t be the loneliest one in the world.
152
May 23 | Next
153
May 24 | Kicking Off Bad Habits
We all know it can be pretty tough to kick off our bad habits.
However, it is important because habits are what “make” us. Every
sentient being’s illusory self is just a bunch of tendencies to do this
or that due to habitual forces. In fact, I think kicking off a habit is
part and parcel of the process of breaking the illusion of a self that
seems so fixed, and condemned by the negativity of the habit.
For example, for habits like smoking, what is the best way
to quit it naturally? We have to first be deeply convinced of the
destructiveness of the bad habit, physically and spiritually, deep
down in our hearts. The next step is to replace that bad habit with
a good one, or at least a neutral one. This is to fill in the sudden
feeling of “loss” and urge. Maybe have a bunch of baby carrots
around to chew? That’s healthy! Vitamins instead of over 400
chemicals in a cigarette!
154
May 25 | Secret of Daily Happiness
Once, a king visited the Buddha and was astonished to see how
calm and happy his monks were. So he asked, “Venerable Sir, the
monks of other gurus constantly look as if they’re in pain. But your
monks, Sir, radiate such peace and happiness. Tell me, how do they
did it?”
155
May 26 | Bump in the Night
156
May 27 | Looking for Me
Who am I?
I can’t find.
I can’t define.
I can’t see.
Who am I?
I am “looking”.
157
May 28 | Venerable
158
May 29 | ORIGINALITY
159
May 30 | Light
160
May 31 | Finger and Moon
I point my finger at the moon and my dog looks at “it”. “It”, however,
as in my finger, not the moon. He sees not that beyond my finger.
I move my finger and he jumps around with it. He only needs to
see where my finger leads to, to see the moon. But he misses it. So
close yet so far away!
The finger represents the sutras and teachings, that point to the
Truth, as represented by the moon. The finger is just a guide to the
moon. The finger is not the moon per se. The teachings are not the
Truth—they are about the Truth.
161
June 1 | Nature
We see that the Buddha was one with nature and saw the
importance of its relationship with us all. Respect nature. We belong
to nature. Nature does not belong to us. Destroy nature and we
destroy ourselves, for we are part of nature too.
162
June 2 | Change
I discovered that there is this trap that Buddhists tend to fall into, as
a result of not seeing things enough according to the spirit of the
Middle Way. Specifically here, I refer to the truth of impermanence.
There is this tendency for us to visualise this truth in terms of death
and decay only. We tend to relate to this truth only in the negative
aspect. We forget the other side of the coin! The rain will come after
sunshine, but sunshine also comes after the rain! Impermanence
means “constant change” of all phenomena. This truth is neutral.
It is what makes possible the transforming of bad situations for
the better (and vice versa). Impermanence thus can offer hope! It
is partly due to this truth that we can transform into Buddhas! No
one is condemned to be unenlightened forever.
163
June 3 | Sutra Closing
“When the Buddha preached this sutra, ... and the other Bodhisattvas,
... and the gods..... human and non-human beings, and all others in
the great assembly greatly rejoiced together, and taking possession
of the Buddha’s words, made salutation to him and withdrew.”
164
June 4 | Secret Smile
165
June 5 | Chains
Quit it now!
Rid that bad habit of yours.
An attachment is a weakness.
No matter how small it is,
it is one of the chains that shackle you to Samsara.
Remember—
you have a thousand other chains to free yourself from.
You had better start freeing yourself now.
Out of Compassion,
I dare you!
166
June 6 | Paradox
167
June 7 | Happy Buddhist
168
June 8 | Spiritual FrienD
169
June 9 | Words
A word
conjures 10,000 different thoughts
in 10,000 different minds.
What do the Buddha’s words conjure in yours?
Whatever it is,
however much,
hope you understand what this means.
Well, these words can only help this much...
170
June 10 | Realisation
171
June 11 | Teaching of All Buddhas
PRACTISE!
Get practical.
Practise what you preach.
Practise what the Buddha preached.
172
June 12 | Sexual Tension
There exist sexual tension between the sexes at every level to some
extent, even if subtle. I do not like this feeling of tension. I used to
feel uneasy when around the opposite sex. But if we were to see
beyond the outer, we would see that we are all simply sentient
beings in search of True Happiness, while harbouring the same
perfect Buddha-nature within. Recalling this brings me a sense of
reverence and peace, rather than excitement or lust.
173
June 13 | Me
The sense of sight, hearing, smell, taste and sensation that I lose
in an accident is not me. The mind that I lose to insanity is not me.
Or is there a “me” at all? Me—perhaps the greatest conjurer of the
greatest magic trick ever. “Me” created the illusion of “me”.
174
June 14 | Threshold of Pain
175
June 15 | The Purpose of Life
176
June 16 | Point
Be careful—
What seems most purposeful
(e.g. accumulation of fame and fortune)
might be most pointless eventually,
and what seems most pointless
(e.g. renunciation of worldly enjoyments for peace)
might be most purposeful.
177
June 17 | LOOK!
Look!
And in that split instant, I caught you off guard.
I got you surprised.
And maybe now I got you a little impatient and irritated.
Because you don’t know what I’m up to.
Is this worth your attention, you might wonder, as you fret a little.
Look!
Aha!
Don’t let me catch you again.
178
June 18 | All-Knowing
179
June 19 | Ending all Wars
While we alone may not effectively end the wars out there, we
can definitely contribute to world peace... by first ending the wars
within us. Every quarrel, every shout of anger, every gesture of fury,
even if just to another person, is a small war waged. And it only
takes a handful of angry persons to start a riot and more to start
a “real war”. Your family fights and disputes might well be a micro
version of a localised war.
180
June 20 | Mountain
181
June 21 | History’s Hero
That was the big picture. Are we each not right now writing
history with every one of our personal endeavours? Are your
struggles as simple as wanting a promotion or as complex as
wanting to be a world leader? How will our descendents see
us? Would what we have done be worthwhile? Will you make
a worthwhile mark for the betterment of everything? The truly
substantial “stuff” to be achieved in life is not material. It is without
“substance”. For example, being at peace and spreading peace is
formless and strifeless.
What wars are you waging right now? Will it be good for one
and all? How will you stand in history? Be a great hero, a spiritual
one. Visualise being your own descendents and tell me what you
see of your ancestor’s failed and successful conquests. Anyway, you
are your own “descendent”, the heir of your own karma.
182
June 22 | Ease the Heart
183
June 23 | No Need to Judge
It seemed kind of scary that people can change “just like that”.
It kind of jolted me to my senses—I don’t really know anyone at
all! I can’t ever really! (But there is the unchanging Buddha-nature
beneath this all.) Even I myself am a fickle person under the guise
of a “fixed” personality.
184
yesterday. We are all literally reborn with every changing thought.
No one self at all persists throughout.
185
June 24 | The Old Man and the Child
The wise old man doesn’t have to run after the child
to take care of him.
He only has to watch him.
The stiller he is,
the stiller the child will be.
186
June 25 | Boredom
Boredom...
is a disease subtle,
that eats away time and life.
We “escape” it by filling up the gaps of our life
with essentially empty and meaningless activities—
the eternal search for new external stimulus of the senses...
hear music, see shows, shop, snack, chat, surf the net...
Sit down.
Meditate... look at your state of boredom...
See its roots.
Suddenly, you see them,
sharp and clear...
and all boredom disappears,
and the world is seen in fresh clear light.
187
June 26 | contentment
188
June 27 | Mere Feelings
With this thought, I felt much better. I realised that our feelings
fluctuate easily when the environment changes. Only now do I really
see how true the Buddha’s teachings are about impermanence and
non-self—everything physical and mental is in constant change.
So much so, that there is no fixed self in anything. No feelings are
substantially real because they change all the time. We express our
emotions in the heat of the moment because our feelings of rage
feel so “real” and justified then. Pause a few seconds in the light of
mindfulness and you will see the anger dissipate as quickly as it
surfaced. Never let feelings control us; we should learn to control
our feelings. Rashness leads to lots of negative karma!
189
June 28 | TRUTH
190
June 29 | Big Sky Mind
191
June 30 | Nature
Be natural then.
No one is as natural as the Buddhas.
And we are unnatural somewhat,
not being one with our true nature,
not being one with the rest of nature.
192
JULY 1 | Just Like That
War breaks out and all able young men have to fight.
Friends congratulate him.
He says,
“I don’t know whether this is good or bad—
it is just like that.”
193
JULY 2 | Inner Demons
194
JULY 3 | Blurred Vision
195
JULY 4 | Being Touched
196
JULY 5 | Only Human
197
JULY 6 | Threshold of Pain
It’s time you made up your mind on what it’s all worth. Your
threshold of pain might well be that which determines when
you truly aspire to step out of Samsara. You decide when enough
is enough, when the time for renunciation from all causes of
suffering is right.
198
JULY 7 | FirE
199
JULY 8 | Different Horror of Rebirth
200
JULY 9 | Empty Boat
201
JULY 10 | Responsibility
202
JULY 11 | My Teacher
He is, at the same time, the best teacher I’ve ever had.
He has taught me everything I know...
about dissatisfaction, greed, hatred, and ignorance.
203
JULY 12 | Six Perfections by Mindfulness of Buddha
204
JULY 13 | Greatest Resource
205
JULY 14 | Freedom
206
JULY 15 | Before & After
207
JULY 16 | The Teaching of All Buddhas
To avoid evil.
To do good.
To purify the mind.
This is the teaching of all Buddhas.
What is evil?
It is that which causes suffering, for one and/or all.
It is our thoughts, speech and actions,
that arise from the three poisons—
Attachment (Greed/Craving), Aversion (Hatred/Anger)
and Ignorance (Delusion).
What is good?
It is that which causes the end of suffering;
Nirvana; Enlightenment; Emancipation;
Liberation; Freedom; True Happiness, for one and/or all.
It is our thoughts, speech and actions,
that arise from the three antidotes to the three poisons—
Generosity, Loving-kindness and Wisdom.
208
JULY 17 | Renunciation
209
JULY 18 | Sandcastles
Evening came,
and the children thought they ought to go home.
No one now cared about his castle.
One stepped on his, and another pushed his over.
Then they turned away and went back, each to his home.
210
JULY 19 | Bliss
211
JULY 20 | Hope
No need to hope—
if there is something you can do about it, just do it;
if not, just accept it gracefully.
212
JULY 21 | Holding On
213
JULY 22 | Rise & Fall
214
JULY 23 | Sentiments
215
JULY 24 | Letting Go
When you want to forget, you might recall. When you recall,
you might want to forget. I guess this is the anguish of mental
suffering, of not being with the beloved, of departing from the
beloved.
216
JULY 25 | Centre of the Universe
217
JULY 26 | Why Gratitude?
218
JULY 27 | Ladies & Gentlemen
Ladies!
Do not be ladylike!
Gentlemen!
Do not be gentlemanly!
219
JULY 28 | Be Centred
220
JULY 29 | The Lake of Your Mind
221
JULY 30 | Mud Bodhisattva
The mud Bodhisattva who crosses the river does not get across.
He needs to toughen himself spiritually,
much more so if he wishes to bring others across suffering,
to the other shore of liberation.
222
JULY 31 | Change
223
AUGUST 1 | An Appropriate Statement
224
AUGUST 2 | Love
225
AUGUST 3 | Chains
226
AUGUST 4 | Freedom
227
AUGUST 5 | Reason
228
AUGUST 6 | Precepts
229
AUGUST 7 | Embrace Your Karma
Then the goat cried. And the priest asked, “Why are you in
tears?” The goat replied, “Five hundred lives ago, I was a priest like
you, killing goats for offerings!” Of course, karma does not always
operate so simplistically.
230
AUGUST 8 | Pure land
231
AUGUST 9 | Wrong
232
AUGUST 10 | Enjoy
233
AUGUST 11 | What’s the Point?
234
AUGUST 12 | Surprise
First,
because of surprise.
Second,
because words fail to describe it.
235
AUGUST 13 | Sustenance of Realisations
You’ll be surprised...
how simply being mindful from moment to moment
can keep the light of your realisation
from flickering or extinguishing.
Be aware, be awake!
236
AUGUST 14 | Laziness
237
AUGUST 15 | By the Second
238
AUGUST 16 | A Hundred Years Later
239
AUGUST 17 | Conquering Mountains
240
AUGUST 18 | Alone
241
AUGUST 19 | Spiritual Hero
“I” am the...
unsung, unrecognised, unknown hero
of my own small proud and self-centred world.
Why is it that there are never enough people
who know and appreciate me,
for all I’m worth?
This is so sad—
sadly egoistic!
No ego,
No swelling pride.
They are the real heroes—
spiritual heroes who inspire us to be heroes like them.
242
AUGUST 20 | Confession of Faults
243
AUGUST 21 | Rebirth
Go then!
Beyond good and evil—be pure,
beyond life and death,
to the other shore of Nirvana.
244
AUGUST 22 | Bodhisattva Mother
Guanyin Bodhisattva
does not cling on to the fact
that she is Guanyin.
My Mother
is “being” Guanyin
to me,
by praying to Guanyin
for me...
without thinking she is “being” Guanyin.
Guanyin, my Mother;
My Mother Guanyin;
Guanyin Mother.
245
AUGUST 23 | Scenery
246
AUGUST 24 | Sanity
247
AUGUST 25 | Mosquito Bite
Scratching
a mosquito bite
is pleasure,
is pain
altogether...
Mini Samsara!
How paradoxical!
Makes me think
that
peace
is neither.
248
AUGUST 26 | Mercy
249
AUGUST 27 | Pass You By
Almost meditation—
driver meditation,
passenger meditation.
250
AUGUST 28 | Setting Free
251
AUGUST 29 | Letting Go
252
AUGUST 30 | Success
There was a majestic temple laid with marble flooring. Inside its
hall was a marble Buddha image. One night, the floor asked the
Buddha image, “You and I were made from the same material.
How is it that I’m on the floor, stepped on by humans, and you are
sitting up there being respected?” The Buddha image answered,
“Remember when we were both just two pieces of marble? When
the stone carver was trying to carve you, you complained of the
pain and discomfort it will cause. For me, I was able to take the
pain, and went through the process of being carved and polished.
Hence I became an exquisite statue admired by many, while you,
being afraid of hardship, were laid on the floor.”
253
AUGUST 31 | One Crucial Realisation
254
SEPTEMBER 1 | Release
Realise this—
such a simple thing
as easing yourself at the loo,
you have to do by yourself.
No one else can do it for you.
255
SEPTEMBER 2 | Mind
256
SEPTEMBER 3 | Being Single
The news article read half-jokingly, “If all else fails, perhaps the
best way to get singles to marry and have babies is to drum into
them the loneliness of being single and childless.” Will it work? I
am a single career woman. Am I afraid of lonely twilight years?
Do I need to worry that I might die enveloped by insecurity and
loneliness? Honestly speaking, I used to. Until I realised what my
supreme teacher, the Lord Buddha, had compassionately and
painstakingly told me, his disciple—that life is uncertain, likened
to a bubble that can burst any moment. I cannot “prevent” the
bubble from bursting. Nor am I able to bring along with me
my beloved ones, be it my spouse or children to my next life.
What is there right here and now that can guarantee I will die
happily with someone by my side? And for that matter, must it
be a husband or my children?
What is insecurity in life? The truth is, my short life span should
be what I am mindful about. And this mindfulness continually
inspires me to treasure everyone and everything in my life right
here, right now. It is needless to anticipate or speculate about the
unknown future when I do not even know whether I can live to see
tomorrow. The harsh reality is that I cannot even hold on to this very
moment, which continually slips away.
257
This day is a special day,
It is yours.
—Ancient poem
258
SEPTEMBER 4 | Brakes
Like brakes, the precepts are for control, safety and protection;
they were never meant to restrict or restrain you.
A car without brakes can never come to any good use.
The same goes for a person who has no moral guidelines.
259
SEPTEMBER 5 | True Love
260
SEPTEMBER 6 | Flinch
261
SEPTEMBER 7 | Ignorance
Do not be ignorant
about who or what is right or wrong—
Blame the ignorance, not the ignorant!
262
SEPTEMBER 8 | A Buddhist Management Style
263
SEPTEMBER 9 | Conflict
264
SEPTEMBER 10 | Teacher
265
SEPTEMBER 11 | Escapism
266
SEPTEMBER 12 | Be Blameless
267
SEPTEMBER 13 | Nose
268
SEPTEMBER 14 | Truth Hurts?
269
SEPTEMBER 15 | Procrastination
Today
is
your last day?
270
SEPTEMBER 16 | What Truth?
Everyday,
You smile and say “yes” to an invitation you do not want.
You say “no” to a piece of cake which you want.
You cower when something wrong is going on.
You dare not speak up,
and so on and on...
271
SEPTEMBER 17 | Be Better
However,
we are seldom as evil as we think we are.
No matter how evil we reckon ourselves to be,
we can always be better.
272
SEPTEMBER 18 | Self-Entitlement
273
SEPTEMBER 19 | Quarrel
274
SEPTEMBER 20 | Light
One is to be a candle.
One is to be the mirror reflecting it.
One is to share your light with other candles.
275
SEPTEMBER 21 | Boring
276
SEPTEMBER 22 | You Are Responsible
But of course,
by that,
I mean...
it is entirely MY fault—
not yours—at all...
277
SEPTEMBER 23 | Law
It is permanent—
it applies to you,
as long as you are not above the law—
not enlightened.
278
SEPTEMBER 24 | Open-Mindedness
You can choose to believe your ex-lover left you because you
were too good for her. But it is just a belief; the truth might be that
you were not good enough for her. And because it might hurt you
to ask, and that she might hurt you in telling you, you will never
know the truth. Yet it is an assumption that you will be hurt—an
assumption that the truth will not set you free, when your false
belief keeps you prisoner from reality.
The day we are so down to earth that we are rooted in the here
and now, is the day we awaken to all truths that already lie naked
before us, another collective name for which, is “the Truth”.
279
SEPTEMBER 25 | Letting Go
By plucking a flower,
you do not grasp its beauty.
By clinging,
you do not get.
By letting go of everything,
what of this world is not already “yours”?
280
SEPTEMBER 26 | Freedom of Choice
281
SEPTEMBER 27 | Liberation
What is yours?
282
SEPTEMBER 28 | Trying
Stonepeace says,
“Hold something and TRY to drop it. Can you?”
“TRY not to think about a blue dog. Can you?”
Zeph says,
“TRYING is the uncertainty,
the fickleness of the heart,
the half-heartedness of intention.
283
SEPTEMBER 29 | Make & Break
284
SEPTEMBER 30 | Deaf Ears
285
OCTOBER 1 | The Laughing Buddha
286
OCTOBER 2 | Wonderful Karma
287
OCTOBER 3 | Buttons and the Six Perfections
288
OCTOBER 4 | Versed in the Dharma
289
OCTOBER 5 | Wave-Rider
290
OCTOBER 6 | Steal
291
OCTOBER 7 | Is There Something Wrong?
292
OCTOBER 8 | The First Existential Question
293
OCTOBER 9 | Home Sweet Home
294
OCTOBER 10 | Imprints
295
OCTOBER 11 | Uncertainty
I am sometimes as sure...
that today is my last day...
as you are sure it is not yours.
Who is the fool?
296
OCTOBER 12 | Why Buddhas are Still Bodhisattvas
Where’s the punch line? Are we not sometimes like this disciple?
Do we not keep asking irrelevant questions that keep us from
attaining Enlightenment? Maybe the disciple had asked the same
question time and again life after life—which shows his ignorance,
not being on the right track to Enlightenment. Manjusri Bodhisattva
answers in the form of a question—which shows that it is out of
Compassion that he chose to manifest as a Bodhisattva, for as long
as it takes, as long as we ask the wrong questions, to guide us onto
the right path to Enlightenment!
297
OCTOBER 13 | Heat of Anger
What stupidity!
298
OCTOBER 14 | Birthright
299
OCTOBER 15 | The Key Difference
300
OCTOBER 16 | Refuge
True refuge
is taken in the Triple Gem
from moment to moment,
every moment.
The refuge ceremony
we go through
merely marks the moment
it wholeheartedly and formally begins.
301
OCTOBER 17 | Gratitude to the Buddhas
302
OCTOBER 18 | Discipline
It is a vicious cycle—
only to be stopped by first disciplining the mind.
303
OCTOBER 19 | Moment
304
OCTOBER 20 | Just See
Thus, in meditation,
do not think, just see.
Meditation in the end, is just two things—
stilling your mind so that you can look at it so clearly,
that you realise the naked Truth about everything.
305
OCTOBER 21 | Karma
Someone said,
“Your karma is your Dharma.”
How true.
306
OCTOBER 22 | Retrospection
307
OCTOBER 23 | Desire
308
OCTOBER 24 | Dedication
309
OCTOBER 25 | Nature
310
OCTOBER 26 | Emptiness
311
OCTOBER 27 | Mind Over Matter
312
OCTOBER 28 | Life & Death
Sometimes we forget
that life and death
is a matter of life and death.
We are not talking about one life and one death at its end;
We are talking about countless lives and deaths from rebirths.
313
OCTOBER 29 | ing
314
OCTOBER 30 | Laugh
315
OCTOBER 31 | Perception
316
NOVEMBER 1 | First Thought
317
NOVEMBER 2 | Path
318
NOVEMBER 3 | Change
319
NOVEMBER 4 | Getting it Right Fast
320
NOVEMBER 5 | Birth
321
NOVEMBER 6 | Nature
322
NOVEMBER 7 | Sound
I asked a friend,
“When a tree falls in a forest,
and no one is there to hear it,
does it make a sound?”
He replied,
“There was a sound
when I was thinking of the question.”
I replied,
“I just said there is no one there to hear it,
why did you put yourself there?”
323
NOVEMBER 8 | Eye
324
NOVEMBER 9 | Truth
325
NOVEMBER 10 | See the Buddha
Truth is,
if you do not ask for the Dharma,
you are not a true Buddhist, not a Truth-seeker;
you are merely a Buddha worshipper.
326
NOVEMBER 11 | Black & White
327
NOVEMBER 12 | Precepts
328
NOVEMBER 13 | Enlightenment
Even so,
avoid taking the indirect path,
unless you are sure it does lead the right way,
eventually,
and fast enough.
329
NOVEMBER 14 | Solace
330
NOVEMBER 15 | Smile
Behold!
And hold—
the Buddha’s smile!
331
NOVEMBER 16 | Truth
332
NOVEMBER 17 | Wind
As I am walking,
no longer do I know time.
For the sound sounds the same
as it has always been.
Oh!
What bliss!
Self—
No more.
Time—
Don’t know!
333
NOVEMBER 18 | Lust
—Alternative translation
334
NOVEMBER 19 | Dear Ma
I regret being born the way I was. I can almost imagine myself as a
baby just out of your womb, howling and screaming like the whole
wide world owes me much. It’s so sick that I came crying madly,
even though I don’t remember. I regret having been a bad baby,
kicking around wildly when still within you. I have no one to blame,
I got myself into the prison of the womb. I got myself born into the
prison of this world of suffering. No one owes me anything.
335
NOVEMBER 20 | Interbeing
We exist interdependently;
we are dependently-originated and sustained.
We do not exist independently.
336
NOVEMBER 21 | Love
337
NOVEMBER 22 | BlessingS
338
NOVEMBER 23 | So Close
339
NOVEMBER 24 | Fundamental Questions
340
NOVEMBER 25 | Purpose of Living
As yet,
I live not because I have found my purpose of living.
I live in order to find it.
341
NOVEMBER 26 | Prophecy
342
NOVEMBER 27 | Middle Path
343
NOVEMBER 28 | Justice
344
NOVEMBER 29 | Creativity
It is spiritual creativity—
the realisation that as many kinds of delusions there are,
there are as many means appropriate to eradicate them.
Think in the box, out of the box, and without the box.
You can be spiritually creative too.
345
NOVEMBER 30 | Fill in the Blanks
In this space,
pen your personal realisation:
346
DECEMBER 1 | No Prejudice
347
DECEMBER 2 | Good & Evil
In avoiding evil,
the aversion to evil is itself evil (not good).
In doing good,
the attachment to good is itself not good (evil).
348
DECEMBER 3 | Heed This
Welcome to here.
Welcome to now.
Welcome to your life.
349
DECEMBER 4 | Mind Garden
350
DECEMBER 5 | Perception
It is an inward reflection—
learn to look at your thoughts.
Seeing how perceptions rise,
and how they fall away,
Wisdom arises.
351
DECEMBER 6 | Retaliation
In retaliating,
you would had become like the abuser.
And it becomes a lose-lose situation.
352
DECEMBER 7 | Have a Good Time
353
DECEMBER 8 | It is Time
I think it is time
to face yourself again.
Because
it is always time
to face yourself.
354
DECEMBER 9 | Hell
355
DECEMBER 10 | Mistakes
356
DECEMBER 11 | Delusion
357
DECEMBER 12 | Truth Within Oneself
358
DECEMBER 13 | Everyone Everywhere
359
DECEMBER 14 | Share
360
DECEMBER 15 | Evil
361
DECEMBER 16 | Die Young
362
DECEMBER 17 | Hidden Reality
363
DECEMBER 18 | The Gift of Truth
364
DECEMBER 19 | Meaningfulness
Life is meaningless
in the sense that there is no obligatory purpose in life.
Death is meaningless
in the sense that there is no specific purpose in death.
365
DECEMBER 20 | Estimation
366
DECEMBER 21 | Ambidexterity
367
DECEMBER 22 | Mara
Without “me” ,
Mara and his minions would amount to absolutely nothing!
368
DECEMBER 23 | Live In the Moment
369
DECEMBER 24 | Fool
370
DECEMBER 25 | Conquer
371
DECEMBER 26 | Indirect Dharma
372
DECEMBER 27 | Concentration
“Hey! Stop that that racket! I’m concentrating!” In the very next
moment, I realised the foolishness of the remark. How can I be
distracted if I’m truly in concentration?
373
DECEMBER 28 | The State of the World
374
DECEMBER 29 | Forgiveness
375
DECEMBER 30 | Complacency
After the heavenly holiday, even the gods can fall—and all “hell”
might break loose. Are you a “god” now? Be careful!
376
DECEMBER 31 | Integration of the Dharma
into Everyday Life
We have to see that practice sessions are for none other than to
benefit the rest of the day. We should make continual mindful efforts
to let the positive effects of regular practice sessions seep into the
rest of the day, permeating it thoroughly, genuinely transforming it
for the better. The bulk of time for practice is beyond, and far more
than that of spent in practice sessions. The rest of the day is the real
test of whether your regular practice has been done correctly. In fact,
every moment is a new test. There is no mock test or rehearsal for
life. Every single thought, word and deed results in the creation of
fresh new karma, for better or worse, whether you like it or not.
Only so can our practice seep through all other periods of time.
Only when we integrate the Dharma into everyday life can there be
accurate assessment of our spiritual well being. For example, if I had
been practising Loving-kindness meditation daily for a whole month
and still find myself flaring up at my kid brother over his “request”
for some Loving-kindness, something must be very wrong with my
practice; more so than with my brother! It is then time to look into
how well I have been doing my regular practice, and whether it had
been integrated well enough into everyday life.
378
Glossary
Emptiness : The truth that all mind and matter are constantly
changing—thus being empty of any fixed unchanging self.
379
4. The Truth of the path to Nirvana being the Noble Eightfold
Path.
Hell : The mind state of fear and hatred. Also refers to a world one
might be born in, as influenced by these negative mind states.
Karma : The moral law of cause and effect, that what we experience
is the result of what we have intentionally done in terms of thought,
word and deed, and that what we do will result in what we will
experience.
Noble Eightfold Path : The Fourth Noble Truth of the Four Noble
Truths, the path to Enlightenment and True Happiness. It includes
the practice of:
380
1. Right Speech
2. Right Action
3. Right Livelihood
4. Right Effort
5. Right Mindfulness
6. Right Meditation
7. Right Understanding
8. Right Thought
381
Three Poisons : The roots of evil and all suffering—Greed, Hatred
and Ignorance.
Triple Gem : The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha collectively—
the subjects of the Threefold Refuge.
382
The Merits of Producing
Buddhist Teachings and Buddha Images
Namo amituofo
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