Meditation

Meditation



Many years ago, when meditation was increasingly becoming popular in Western countries, a professor from Sweden was commissioned by his government to find out about meditation from all the famous meditation masters in Asia.

The professor visited several Theravadan forest Monasteries, seeking answers to a few questions regarding meditation.

One of the forest Monastery he visited was Ajahn Chah's Wat Pah Pong.



To the Venerable Ajahn Chah, the professor put forth his 4 questions :

1) What is meditation?

2) How do you meditate?

3) Why do you meditate?

4) What do you get out from meditation?




To the 4 questions, Ajahn Chah skillfully replied :

1) What is eating?

2) How do you eat?

3) Why do you eat?

4) What do you get out from eating?



That was most brilliant of the Venerable Master.

In fact, so brilliant were his answers that it inspired me to come out with something of my own :

Q : What is meditation?

A : What is poo-poo?


Q : How do you meditate?

A : How do you poo-poo?


Q : Why do you meditate?

A : Why do you poo-poo?


Q : What do you get out from meditation?

A : What do you get out from poo-poo!

"Clear the mind of all its defilements and you heal and free the body of all its ailments."

-The Buddha

"You know the telescope that scientists used to look at outer space?

Now turn the telescope around.

That's what meditation is about -

Looking into space ... Inner space ... YOUR space."

What is, What is not

What is, What is not

Love

Love is

- Unconditioned
- Letting go, setting free
- Acceptance
- Contentment and Forgiveness


Love is not

- Quantifiable; it is not measured by dollars and cents, or by any other physical, material means
- Conditioned and/or bound by views, opinions, beliefs, ideas etc
- Control, or the imposing of views and values
- Spoiling/pampering; it is not No discipline

**************************************

Education

Education is

- Literacy; learning to do things on our own, by ourselves; becoming independent.
- Being able to speck, read and write; communicate.
- Morals and values.
- Becoming a cultured and refine person who lives in harmony and is service to the world.


Education is not

- Competition.
- Being first/best.
- Labelling/branding/grading. (eg. elite/non-elite; normal/express/special; A/B/C/D/E/F etc)
- About money, Power and/or Status.

Love and Education plays a very important part in all aspects of our lives :


- In all our relationships with everyone
- In work and play
- In parenting
- In business
- In religion
- In governance


Yet, how many of us really understand what love and education really means?

How many of us, more often than not, fall into the trap of what they (love and education) are not.


Think about it :

If education is all about competition and being first, what usually follows is stress, anger, depression, anxiety, suspicion, low self-esteem, and all the other mental illnesses that's prevailing and afflicting in our modern society.

Education used to be about understanding, but now it's all about competition, achieving, being first and getting 'A's.

This results in separatism : I'm first, you're last. I'm good, you're bad/lousy. I'm higher/upper class, you're lower class. I'm superior, you're inferior. The list of labels goes on ........

The effects? Arrogance.

Or more aptly, cockiness for those who think they're better than others.

And builds resentment and jealousy for those on the other side of the fence.

In the end, it creates an immoral society with no values, and a people who are selfish and self-centred.



A country can be very good;

But education from the wrong/inappropriate perspective, and on the wrong/inappropriate footing, can destroy it.

Likewise with Love.

Do give it some thought.

"The wise ones focus on understanding and doing their best.

The foolish ones aim for 'A's.

Cos' if you think about it, at the end of the day, it's just a letter, a piece of paper anyway."

"Which is more important : Understanding a subject (or person)

or getting 'A's (showing off)?"

If

If


Many people, including my family and students, complain that they're tired.

Yet, they're not doing anything about it. And keep hanging/clinging on.

If your loved one is gasping for breath next to you,

Would you still be thinking about Toto? Car? House? Money? Why the shares haven't risen? How much you are making or losing from your shares?

Or, if the doctor tells you you have only a week to live, would you still be concerned or worried about work? Your projects? Deadlines to your boss?

Would you still be working overtime (OT)?


Funny more and more people are experiencing terminal, or life-threatening illnesses (eg. cancer, heart attacks etc), or illnesses of certain gravity (eg. high blood pressure, stomach ulcers etc),

Yet they're not learning from the lessons Life is teaching them.

They continue living in the same way as before, some only taking remedial actions such as trying out a new or different diet - so called 'fire fighting'.

And not making changes to their lives, how they live their lives, their attitudes and mindsets - the root of the problem. The Real stuff.

It's like you earn from the right, and give it all to the doctor, or someone else, on the left.

What's the point?


Be Content.

Live Simply.

Be Happy.

Have, have. Don't have, don't have;

Never mind. It doesn't matter. It's not the end of the world.


How much does a person really need?

How many clothes do you wear in a day?

How many cars can you drive at one time?

I sometimes say this in class :

"Be Happy and satisfied when you have something.

Be Happy and Content even if you don't have.

With no longing and no desire, you can and you will attain Peace."

A student once asked me, "Why is the weather getting hotter? Is it because of global warming? Why is the world heating up? The weather is getting crazy ........"

I smiled. I didn't answer her.

Cos' the reason the weather is getting crazy is because Humans are getting 'crazy'.

And, the reason the Earth is heating up is because Humans are 'heating' up.

Burning from the Fires of Passion :

- Passions of Lust;

- Passions of Physical wants and material gains (Greed and Power);

- Passions of Emotions - Anger, Hate; and

- Passions of the 5 senses - Sensory Pleasures,

And drowning themselves in it (whenever it rains).

That's why the Earth is heating up.

That's why the weather is getting 'crazy'.

(Note ... To understand more on this subject, read

1) Competition and Consequences - Part 1 : http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/06/competition-and-consequences.html,

Part 2 : http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/06/competition-and-consequences-part-2.html

2) Earth - Do you know she's in pain? - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/02/earth.html

Everyone is chasing after that elusive dream of desires, and getting hot and dehydrated from from all that chase.

With all the running around, no wonder everyone is tired.

Everyone is putting off their (True) Happiness :

If I win the $1.5million Toto, I'll be happy.

If I get married, I'll be happy.

If I have children, I'll be happy.

When my children grow up, I'll be happy.

If I have that house or car or blah blah blah, I'll be happy ........

Really?

Why do we have to put off our happiness to a later, or a future date?

And, why do we have to depend on something external for our Happiness?

Why can't we be happy NOW?

Or rather, why don't we want to be Happy NOW?

We can, if we want to.

But we're attached to all the physical, material, external stuff.

Stuff which 'people' tells us, the day we get it, we'll be happy; we must get it so that we'll be happy.

Really?

I don't think so.

I think this is all brain-washing.

I think the more we're attached to these 'stuff', or to getting these 'stuff', the more we can't be happy.

Can't be free.

Cos' we only chain and lock ourselves up in craving and more craving.

Besides, what if that day never comes?

Has it ever occur to you that you may just drop dead and die the next moment?

I have.

Cos' its true.

We never really know, do we?

In Venerable Ajahn Chah's famous words, "The future is uncertain."

One thing I know for certain though is ........

"I will die. That's For sure."

PS : Knowing that we'll all die, and that's for sure, is it worthwhile holding on to grudges? To money? To possessions? To all the physical, material, external stuff?

Why not let go and be Free? NOW. .

.

"We can possess riches, but just remember ... NEVER allow the riches to possess us.".

.

"You are getting old.

Your body is like a withered leaf.

Your life has come to an end now.

To the presence of death you are setting out.

Be wise and develop your devotion and spiritual way of life.


Make an island unto yourself.

Strive without delay; Become wise.

Having removed impurities and being free from moral defilements,

You will no longer be subject to rebirth and decay."

- The Buddha

.

.

"From attachment springs grief;

From attachment springs fear;

For him who is wholly free from attachment,

There's no grief, much less fear.


From lust springs grief;

From lust springs fear;

For him who is wholly free from lust,

There's no grief, much less fear.


From craving springs grief;

From craving springs fear;

For him who is wholly free from craving,

There's no grief, much less fear."

- The Buddha

Tibet - An Experience I'll Never Forget

Tibet - An Experience I'll Never Forget


In the early morning of 7th July 2007, I set off from home for my journey to Tibet, known to most as a mystical place.

And to some, a holy place.

To me, it was just a place.


However, it was to be, as I later come to know, a trip which touches my heart and left deep imprints in my mind. And also by far, one which have the most effects on me, and one which I find hard to let go of.


Before the trip, I've heard a lot of horror stories and negative feedback about the place, the toilets, the food etc.

Interestingly, none deters me from my decision to go.
Ironically, the stories strengthen my determination to go and explore the place, and fills me with excitement and anticipation for what awaits me, each time I hear the 'stories'.

I was determined to see and experience the place as it is.


I told myself before the trip to accept whatever that's to come - fever, diarrhoea, breathlessness, etc etc - if I get it, it's all part of the 'Tibet' experience.

And, to use the Buddha's Kalama Sutta to guide me :

"Never blindly believe in hearsay, or just because many have spoken about it. Analyze, question, investigate and find out for yourself, said the Buddha."

(Note : I did not experience any fever, diarrhoea, breathlessness etc etc. I was fit as a yak throughout the whole trip)


To me, the toilets are not as disgusting as the behaviour of some of the people in the group.

Many who visit Tibet may be from the 'so-called' world class, developed/developing, established societies.

But in terms of social etiquette, mannerisms and basic courtesy, they're bottom-class.


I watched as people cut queues, pushed and shoved and acted as if nothing has happened.

During meal times, majority just sat and waited to be served.

Why do servers end up stacking the dishes on top of each other?

That's the reason why.


And also because people demanded for the food to be served fast.

Yet none lifted a finger to help move the dishes of food to create space on the table so that the servers do not need to stack up the dishes of food on top of each other.


It's very interesting and amusing to watch as people rushed to be first to grab food on their plates, turning the rotational table, without regard and not caring if others are taking the food, and then piling their plates with food and yet not finishing it.

It makes one wonder what's the rush for?

Especially when they don't or can't even finish their food.

Perhaps this is the result of societies emphasizing too much on competition, which thus creates a culture of 'me-first' altitude.

Very sad.


I watched with empathy as people acted arrogantly towards the service staff with no 'P's and 'Q's (please and thank you), or basic human courtesy.

Why the arrogance? Is it necessary? I can never understand.

While the rest of the world are 'fighting' to be first, and grappling with increase in mental illnesses because of it,

Tibetans are content to just be.

According to our Chinese guide, the suicide and mental illness rate in Tibet is zero.

Now, that's something to shout and be really proud about.

However, I do see the purity of the place being eroded by the indiscriminate dumping of leftover food, wastes from construction, etc.


It is undeniable that the Chinese authorities did an excellent job in developing the place to make it more accessible for visitors and locals alike, and also in helping the Tibetan people, such as by building schools and creating jobs for them so that human's most basic needs - food for the stomach, is met.


However, as we create, we destroy.

It is my hope that the (Chinese) authorities would seek a balance while developing the place focusing and emphasizing on values and morals rather than economics, and leaving certain places untouched, unspoilt and as it is (which they are doing now).


'Horror' stories aside.

The beauty of the place, and the 'friends' I made along the way, are what made this trip unforgettable.

While everyone was sleeping in the coach, I was looking out of the window as the bus sped pass the mountains, the valleys and the open fields.

I watched in awe at the vastness of it all, as

- water cascades down from the mountains creating natural waterfalls.
- birds and eagles soaring in the sky
- streams meandering though the fields
- water buffaloes crossing the rivers
- horses grazing freely in the open
- yaks, lambs and goats wandering happily in the mountains
- ducklings and their mothers wading in the streams
- family of mother, father and their tiny piglets ......

scenes which you can only imagine, or watch/see on National Geographic, Planet Earth, or the calendars.

This, to me, is Freedom.

I get to pee in the open as well! Ha Ha! Just like the guys!

With rocks, bushes and shrubs etc as my camouflage/cover.

Love it! :)


I remembered the few occasions when I climbed up the mountains.

The higher I climbed, the more energetic and exhilarated I felt.

Altitude? Air pressure? Breathlessness? Nauseousness?

I experience none of it.

What I experienced was Freedom. Love.

Happiness upon happiness.

Excitement upon excitement.

Bliss upon bliss.


It was like a child-like fantasy dream come true!

I never knew I love mountains and high altitude so much.

Unfortunately we were not given much time to linger or to explore.

I finally comprehend what a monastic meant when he told the retreatants to look sad in their photos on the last day of the retreat.

Cos' that's exactly what I felt. Sadness.

On the last day, as I sat in the coach heading towards the airport, emotions overwhelmed me as I looked at the mountains and the nature that passes by.

My tears just flowed.

I didn't want to go.


This, I felt, is where I belong.

Up in the mountains.

In the wilderness.

This is my 'home', where I can be free.


Hard as it is for me to go, I know I have to.

At the same time, I'm glad I came.

That I made this trip.

A monastic once used the metaphor of climbing up a mountain to explain about meditation and jhanas to the retreatants.

He mentioned that you climbed so high to have an overall view, and then you have to come down again.

But you bring along with you lessons, knowledge, wisdom and experience which you'll never forget.

Tibet, to me, is one such experience -

An experience I know I'll never forget.

PS ........ I've included the pictures above to share with everyone. But please remember : pictures are 'dead'. The moment a picture is taken, that moment is gone. You have to be there to experience and feel 'it'.

Pictures will not be able to express,

Likewise, words.

Nevertheless, hope you enjoyed them! :)

Maitre-light

"扎西德勒"
(吉祥如意)

What A Wonderful World

What A Wonderful World


I see trees of green

Red roses, too

I see them bloom

For me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world


I see skies of blue

Clouds of white

Bright Blessed days

Dark sacred Nights

And I think to myself

What a Wonderful World


The colours of a rainbow

So pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces

Of people going by

I see friends holding hands

Saying "How do you do?"

They're really saying

"I Love You"


I hear babies cry

I watch them grow

They'll learn much more

Than I'll ever know

And I think to myself

What a Wonderful World


The colours of a rainbow

So pretty in the sky

Are there on the faces

Of people going by

I see friends holding hands

Saying "How do you do?"

They're really saying

"I Love You"


I hear babies cry

I watch them grow

You know they're gonna learn

A whole lot more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself ........

What a wonderful world ........


Yes I think to myself ........

What a wonderful world ........

Oooh - ya ........

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Don't Worry, Be Happy


Here is a little song I wrote

You might want to sing it note for note

Don't worry, Be Happy

In everyday life we have some trouble

When you worry, you make it double

Don't worry, Be Happy


Ain't got no place to lay your head

Somebody came and took your bed

Don't worry, Be Happy


The landlord say your rent is late

He may have to litigate

Don't worry, Be Happy

Look at me, I am happy

Don't worry, Be Happy

Here, I give you my number

When you worry, you call me

I make you happy

Don't worry, Be Happy

Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style

Ain't got no girl to make you smile

But don't worry, Be Happy

Cause when you worry

Your face will frown and you'll put everybody down

So don't worry, Be Happy Now


There is this little song I wrote

I hope you learn it note for note

Like good little children

Don't worry, Be Happy

Listen to what I say

In your life, expect some trouble

But when you worry

You make it double

Don't worry, Be Happy

Don't worry, don't do it, Be Happy

Put a smile on your face

Don't bring everybody down

Don't worry, it will soon past

Whatever it is

Don't worry, Be Happy

Heal The World

Heal The World


There's a place in Your heart

And I know that it is love

And this place could be much

Brighter than tomorrow

And if you really try

You'll find there's no need to cry

In this place you'll feel

There's no hurt or sorrow

There are ways to get there

If you care enough for the living

Make a little space

Make a better place ......

Heal The World

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place

For you and for me

If you want to know why

There's a love that cannot lie

Love is strong

It only cares for Joyful giving

If we try we shall see

In this bliss we cannot feel

Fear or dread

We stop existing

And we start living

Then it feels that always

Love's enough for us growing

So make a better world

Make a better world ......

Heal The World

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me

And the dream we were conceived in

Will reveal a joyful face

And the world we once believed in

Will shine again in grace

Then why do we keep

Straying life

Wound this earth

Crucify its soul though it's plain to see

This world is heavenly

Let Love glow .........

We could fly so high

Let our spirits never die

In my heart

I feel you are all my brothers

Create a world with no fear

Together we cry happy tears

See the nations turn their swords into plowsheares

We could really get there

If you cared enough for the living

Make a little space

To make a better place ......

Heal the world

Make it a better place for you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me

Heal the World

Make it a better place for you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying if you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me


Heal the World .........

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place

For you and for Me .........