Maitreya 2 - The Truth

Maitreya 2 - The Truth


There was once Maitreya visited a monastery.

Through vision/insight, Maitreya saw and knew that that monastery was in a terrible state of affairs.

The monks and nuns were lazy, not practising, but indulging in the senses, and giving false distorted teachings.


When Maitreya went, Maitreya gave all of them - the monks, the nuns and lay disciples, a huge dressing down.

Maitreya really lam-blasted them, striking down to their very core of existence.

After the ferocious and fiery scolding, as some of them puts it, there were a few who realised their mistake and were truly sorry.

Others became enlightened.

However, there were a few ignorant and proud ones who were recalcitrant, dissatisfied and very unhappy.

They expected Maitreya to be soft and gentle, and to praise them.


As they were walking away, a lady was heard telling the others rather arrogantly,

"Hng! I thought they say Maitreya is a Buddha. A Buddha should not scold people. What kind of Buddha is that?!"

At that very instant the lady's words were spoken, Maitreya's image appeared right in front of them, saying,

"A Loving and Kind One!"




"Only a loving and kind friend who truly cares about you would tell you your faults.

Others only lie and give you false hopes, sinking you further and deeper into samsara."



"One should follow a wise man who admonishes one for one's faults,

As one would follow a guide to some buried treasure.

To one who follows such a wise man,

It will be an advantage, NOT a disadvantage."

- The Buddha (Dhammapada verse 76)




"You want to know the Truth?

But can you handle or accept the Truth?"




"Truth hurts; whether we like it or not."

"The wise man should admonish others;

He should give advice and should prevent others from doing wrong;

Such a man is held dear by the good;

He is disliked only by the bad."

- The Buddha (Dhammapada verse 77)




"The foolishman, who, on account of false views,

Scorns the teachings of The Arahants, The Noble Ones and The Righteous,

Produces fruit like the bamboo,

Only for self-destruction."

- The Buddha

Maitreya 1 - Buddhism and Compassion

Maitreya 1 - Buddhism and Compassion


One day, in front of an assemblage, a man asked Maitreya, in a not very polite tone, and sounding quite frustrated too,

"You Buddhists always talk about compassion. Buddhism is all about compassion!"

Maitreya looked at the man, smiled and said,

"Sir, you are wrong.

Buddhism is not about compassion.

Buddhism is about compassion and a whole lot more!

Buddhism is about kindness, happiness, love, freedom, contentment, peace, and most important of all, Wisdom, Truth, Dhamma.

Anyway, isn't that what other religions are also about? Compassion.

Isn't that what being human is about? Compassion.

My goodness! Even animals know compassion.

If you do not know compassion, I do not know what are you!"
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"Money (greed) does not make the world go round.

Money (greed) makes the world go down.

Compassion, love, kindness, peace, harmony and wisdom

Is what makes the world go round."



"Ground the people and children in wisdom and compassion,

Success and happiness will follow.

Ground the people and children in greed, hatred and delusion,

Then sadness, sorrow, pain and suffering will ensue."

Giving

Giving


There was a time when I was not well.

An acquaintance-friend, let's call 'A', got to know about it and sms me, telling me about the chanting 'A' did for me.

Touched by the gesture, I thanked 'A' via sms.

Sometime later, we met.

On seeing me, 'A' brought up the subject of chanting for me when I was unwell.

I told 'A' thank you.

When we reached the venue of where we were going, 'A' told me again of the chanting done.

Again, I said thank you.

In a span of 2-3 hours throughout that meeting with 'A', 'A' told/reminded me about 3 or 4 times the chanting done for me.

Thinking back, perhaps a humble 'Thank You' is not enough.

Perhaps I should have taken a loudhailer, or announced it over the PA system for everyone to hear, what 'A' had done for me.

Or maybe I should have called the press, the newspaper, the radio and TV stations, and have it announced to the whole world.


The point is,

Give for the JOY of giving, expecting nothing,

And I mean NOTHING, 'NO-THING', not even a simple 'Thank You', in return.

When you're expecting something in return, that's NOT giving.

That's business transaction, where Terms and Conditions apply.


Real, Pure giving is about letting go;

Not gaining and/or achieving. (Unconditional)

Many people feel that when they give something, or do something for others, they must or have to get something back.

Not just something,

But a Big something.

A HUGE something.


That's how our society, our world is nowadays - from the highest to the lowest.

No wonder people are getting selfish, greedy and stingy.

It all comes as a package.

There are even some new age so-called holistic/spiritual people who coin out a term - "energy exchange", or "spiritual exchange", for it.

My goodness!

The next time you give,

For goodness' sake,

Be quiet about it.

Shhhhh !



"Give for the joy of giving,

Expecting nothing in return.

When you can give that way,

You'll find Real True Happiness."




"Give and forget you've given.

Take/receive and always remember you've taken/received."




"When you measure a relationship by how much you've done and/or given,

It's no longer a relationship.

It's a business transaction."



"When you give and expect something in return,

It only give rise to suffering."

- The Buddha




"When you have high expectations, you'll fall and be crushed.

When you have low expectations, you'll still fall, but may or may not be crushed.

But when you have no expectations,

You'll not fall, so wherefore the crush?"




"Giving = Loving = Forgiving = Letting Go = Freedom."

Wise vs Fools

Wise vs Fools



"Associate ONLY with the wise;

Associate NOT with the fools."

- The Buddha



My sister related a story to me about her student.

There was once the student needed to stay back in school for CCA.

Together with his friends, they went to the nearby games arcade to while away time while waiting for the CCA to begin.

His friends played the game machines there.

He did not.

He merely bought a cup noodle and ate

Smart move cos' that day, their teacher made a surprise spot check at the place and caught all of them.

When the teacher asked for his parents' number, he told the teacher that he did not play the games, he only ate.

The teacher then checked with the uncle at the shop and confirmed that what he said was true.

With that, the teacher let him off.


Take another example.

You're out with a group of friends.

Your friends suggested going to an illegal gambling den.

You hesitated.

But they call you a coward, a 'chicken', and told you there's no danger, that you can just sit and watch and don't have to gamble.

Out of peer pressure, and not wanting to 'lose face' or appear like a coward or a 'chicken', you went along.

To watch.

Coincidentally, there was a police crackdown that evening and even though you kept telling the police you were only there to watch, you were arrested just the same.

Depending on your past karma (deeds),

3 scenarios may take place.

You may :

1) Be charged, even though you are truly innocent (and that means you don't have much good karma);

2) Be arrested and put in jail over night and released the next day because you were found to be innocent after all. ( a bit good karma from the past); OR

3) Found to be innocent and released that same night (past good karma).


The opposite is also true.

Take an example :

You are stressed with work and family commitments.

Your friend told you about a free meditation course.

You went for it, enjoyed it and attended the whole course with your friend, and benefited from it, feeling more relaxed after the course.



From the above examples, we can see why The Great Buddha said 'to associate only with the wise, and not the fools'.

Cos' with the wise, they will encourage you on only doing good.

To cultivate.

That way, you'll gain merits and have good karma to help you tide through future bad times, should there be any.



Whereas if you associate with the fools, not only will they bring you suffering upon suffering, but also sink you further and deeper into samsara.

So do be careful who you consider to be your real true friends, and who are your real foes.







"Associate not with evil friends,

Associate not with mean men;

Associate with good friends,

Associate with Noble men."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 78

"He who walks in the company of fools has to grieve for a long time.

Association with fools is ever painful, as living with an enemy.

Association with the wise is a pleasure, as living with relatives."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 207

"Do not think lightly of evil, saying 'it will not come to me.'

Even a water pot is filled by the falling of drops.

Similarly the fool, gathering little by little,

fills himself with evil."

- The Buddha






"So long as an evil deed does not affect the fool,

he thinks it is honey;

But when it affects him,

Then he comes to grief."

- The Buddha







"So, when a fool does wrong deeds, he does not realise (their evil nature);

by his own deeds the fool is tormented,

like one burnt by fire."

- The Buddha







"It is easy to be bad but difficult to be good.

- The Buddha







"Karma does not depend on any special being or power,

BUT only upon each individual who makes his own karma."

- Ajahn Laa







"An evil deed does not immediately bear fruit,

Just as milk does not curdle at once;

But it follows the fool,

Burning him like live coal covered with ashes."

- The Buddha







"The skill and knowledge of a fool can only harm him;

It destroys his merit and his wisdom."

- The Buddha

One is Enough

One is Enough



Guys, if you're a husband or a boyfriend, know that one wife or girlfriend is enough.

Cos' one is headache enough.

If you have more than one, you'll have double, triple, or multiple headaches.

I know, cos' I'm a woman.

Likewise, ladies, if you're married or attached, know that one husband or boyfriend is enough.

Cos' one husband or boyfriend is suffering enough.


If you have 2 or more, you'll get double and multiple suffering.

So stick with the rule of 'One is Enough' and you'll prosper.

When we prosper individually, our families will prosper,

And when our families prosper, our nations will prosper,

And that's how the whole world prospers.

By being content and having fewness of wants.

- The Buddha








"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."







"Contentment is the greatest wealth.

(Wisdom comes to the one who's content)."

- The Buddha







"Those who are infatuated with lust fall back into the stream,

as (does) a spider into the web spun by itself."

- The Buddha








"For a person who is perturbed by (evil) thoughts,

who is exceedingly lustful,

who contemplates pleasant things,

craving increases more and more.

Surely, he makes the bond of Mara ( the evil one ) stronger."

- The Buddha









"Contrary to popular conventional worldly and humanistic beliefs,

Prosperity is not about, and does not mean external wealth or worldly possessions;

Prosperity is about inner virtues and morality."








"All who follow their greed, no matter where if leads, are left unsatisfied.

Pleasures always come to an end.

If you allow them to feed your greed, you'll always be left exhausted and discontented."

Nobody Me

Nobody Me


Somewhere in November 2007, I was at a fast food outlet having my lunch, when a local celebrity walked in with a group of children, and sat down at a table at the opposite corner of where I was seated.

I noticed that every one's eyes were on them, including mine.

I was aware that on and off, I would cast a glance in their direction.

I don't know why.


Later, when I reflected on it, I realised it's humans' nature.

Actually, it's not easy being a celebrity, cos' all eyes will be on you wherever you go.

There's really not much of a privacy, and you're constantly under scrutiny.

It's as if you have to always be on your guard, in your best behaviour -

No scratching of the head or butt here, no touching of your nose or mouth or ears there.

And you always have to look good - Not your version of good, mind you, but others'.

Cos' you'll constantly be 'judged' based on people's perspective of what's good, how you should behave etc.

Any misbehaviour or mistake on your part will be blown out of proportions, sensationalised even.

It's as if you're a god (which to a certain extent, you are) and not a human (which is what you Really are).

Boy! That's stressful!


Whereas, if you're a nobody, no one would bother, or even cast an eye on you, which is very good.

Cos' that means you can escape the 'radar', and you don't have to pretend.

You can be the real you - who you really are.

And that way, you'll be happier, at ease.

And that's also the reason why I'm happy and content being a 'Nobody Me'.



"我从来就不在乎 自己不是一个大人物 因为平凡也是一种幸福转 看到名人总是忙忙碌碌 我的时间由我控制 平凡日子一样会充实"


- Taken from the song 小人物的心声





"When there's praise, there will be blame.

When there's fame, there will be ill-fame.

When there's happiness, there will be sorrow.

And when there's fortune, misfortune will quickly follow."

- The Buddha




"Faring Far, wandering alone, bodiless, lying in a cave, is the mind.

Those who subdue it are freed from the bonds of Mara."

- The Buddha (Dhammapada v.37)




"Fame, Fortune, Glory, Praise, Recognition, Competition etc are ways of the worldly people;

For the wise, it doesn't matter."

It's All The Same Anyway

It's All The Same Anyway



One of the stories which I find interesting in the book, "Opening The Door of Your Heart", by Ajahn Brahm, is the one on his 'Enlightenment'.

There was one night Ajahn Brahm was doing walking meditation till late.

As he went deeper into the meditation, insights came cascading down like a waterfall, dawning him.

He felt, "This is it!"

He did not sleep much that night, yet he felt very energised.

And also, exceptionally happy.

The day after his 'enlightenment', as usual, he went for his meal.

One meal a day.

The Abbot of monastery was in front of him, and he's 2nd in line.

That special day, instead of the usual rotten fish curry which they have to eat day after day, they were given another pot of pork curry.

Even the Devas are celebrating his 'enlightenment', he thought.

Ajahn Brahm watched in earnest anticipation as the Abbot took 3 huge ladleful of the delicious pork curry.

But there's still plentiful left, thought Ajahn Brahm, and besides, he's the next in line, so it's ok.

So, imagine Ajahn Brahm's astonishment and anguish when after scooping the pork curry in his bowl,

The Abbot of the monastery, instead of passing it over to Ajahn Brahm,

Poured the whole pot of delicious pork curry into the rotten fish curry, and stirred them together, telling Ajahn Brahm, "It's all the same anyway."

Ajahn Brahm was fuming mad.

Hopping mad.

"What do you mean it's all the same anyway?! If it's all the same, why didn't you mix them up before taking that 3 huge ladleful of pork curry yourself?! You ......... !"


Then, suddenly, a realisation struck Ajahn Brahm : Enlightened ones do not have preferences over food, nor do they get angry.

At that point, of course Ajahn Brahm realised he's NOT enlightened after all.

He was so dispirited he didn't care what he had to eat.

But, the point I want to make is not about Ajahn Brahm.

Rather, about the Abbot.

He's absolutely Right!

It's all the same anyway.

Rotten fish curry, pork curry, chicken curry, mutton curry, beef curry, whatever curry.

No matter how good and delicious the food looks on the table,

When it goes into your mouth, down the oesophagus, into your stomach, all the way to the intestines and colon and out from the rectum, it's ALL the same anyway.

You can eat food that's attractively coloured, in hues of blue, green, yellow, pink, orange, red and even gold.

But when it comes out from the bottom, it's all the same black, brown or yellow.

Or, when you put them in your mouth and start chewing them to bits and pieces, swallowed them down your throat and they're grind by the concentrated hydrochloric acid in your stomach,

By a mere chance you have a stomach discomfort or upset, when you start throwing them up, or releasing them down, it doesn't look as appealing and appetising anymore, does it?

So why even bother eating in expensive restaurants, paying huge sums of money for a meal,

When it's All The Same anyway?




"There are many facets to Dhamma."