Kamma Kamma (Part 4) : What Happens When ........

Kamma Kamma (Part 4) : What Happens When ........


"The taking and harming of life — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from the taking and harming of life is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to a short life span.

"Stealing — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from stealing is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to the loss of one's wealth.

"Illicit sexual behavior ( i.e. sexual misconduct )— when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from illicit sexual behavior is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to rivalry & revenge.

"Telling falsehoods ( i.e. lying ) — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from telling falsehoods is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to being falsely accused.

"Malicious tale-bearing — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from malicious tale-bearing is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to the breaking of one's friendships.

"Harsh speech — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from harsh speech is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to unappealing sounds.

"Frivolous chattering ( i.e. idle chatter, gossiping ) — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from frivolous chattering is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to words that aren't worth taking to heart.

"The drinking of fermented & distilled liquors — when indulged in, developed, & pursued — is something that leads to hell, leads to rebirth as a common animal, leads to the realm of the hungry shades.

The slightest of all the results coming from drinking fermented & distilled liquors is that,

When one becomes a human being, it leads to Mental Derangement."

— The Buddha, Anguttara Nikaya VIII.40 (AN 8.40)





"Sabbapapassa akaranam
To Avoid ALL evil
Kusalassupasampada
To Cultivate good
Sacitta pariyodapanam
To Purify one's mind
Etam Buddhana Sasanam
This is the Teaching of ALL The Buddhas."

- The Buddha

"I am the owner of my Kamma, Heir to my Kamma;

Born of my Kamma, related to my Kamma;

Abide, supported by my Kamma.

Whatever Kamma I shall do,

Whether good or evil,

Of that I shall be The Heir."

- The Buddha

Kamma Kamma (Part 3) : Prove It - Show Me The Kamma

Kamma Kamma (Part 3) : Prove It - Show Me The Kamma


One day, after a discourse, a man got up from his seat and told Maitreya,

"I like Buddhism. But I find the part on kamma very difficult to believe and accept. Can you prove it?"

Knowing that the man is short and bad tempered, egoistic and vain, and is highly unvirtuous,

Maitreya asked the man,

"Sir, has anyone ever commented on your looks?"

Startled, the man stammered,

"Er ........ no. Well, maybe they do find me attractive, but they never tell me."


Smiling along, Maitreya continued,

"Do you think you're handsome, good looking?"

Touching his hair and brimming with conceit, the man replied in mock/fake humility,

"I think I'm OK looking - just the average kind of guy, you know. But of course there are days when I look awful - bad hair days, you know what I mean?"


Smiling gently, Maitreya asked again,

"If given a choice, would you like to be better looking, look better?"

Bemused, the man replied earnestly,

"Well, of course! I'm sure anyone would."

Nodding the head, Maitreya went on,

"Well, then lose that temper of yours, avoid getting angry so often, and learn to be more virtuous by making an effort in keeping the 5 Precepts. And that's, kamma for you!"




"Kammassaka - Beings are owners of their own kamma."




"Anger makes a person look ugly;

Jealousy makes a person look sour;

AND, hatred makes a person look bitter."




"If you want beauty, then be kind, be virtuous, be nice.

Avoid anger, enmity, ill-will, jealousy and hate.

If you want wealth, then be generous - genuinely, unconditionally.

Avoid being stingy, selfish and greedy.

If you want health and longevity, then give life, save lives, and avoid hurting, harming and/or killing any being.

AND,

If you want wisdom, then learn to question,

Avoid intoxicating yourself, and very importantly,

MEDITATE !

Kamma Kamma (Part 2) : Lucky ...

Kamma Kamma (Part 2) : Lucky ...


Before everyone gets scared off by my previous blog, 'Kamma Kamma (Part 1) : Oh no!' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/04/kamma-kamma-part-1-oh-no.html,

Please wait.


In 'Kamma Kamma Part 1', I was talking about the unpleasant part -

The part which most people find hard to swallow,

And maybe even accept as well.

But rightly so.

Cos in the course of our lives, we would all have done/committed wrong/evil.

But just as I said in "I'm Not Good" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-not-good.html,

"In good there's bad, in bad there's good."

Likewise Kamma.

Kamma is very fair.

In fact, it's the fairest, most unbiased, unprejudiced law of justice in the whole universe.

Why?

Simply because it's Nature's Law.

So now, let's go to the other side - the good/ pleasant side.


Just as I say, when we do things to others, we're doing things to ourselves.

Likewise, when we do things FOR others, we're doing for ourselves.

Everything's the same - just in the reverse order/way -

Meaning : The more good we do, the more good will come to us.

It's that simple.

Just as The Buddha said in Dhammapada verse 2,

"If one speaks or acts with pure mind,

Because of that, Happiness follows one,

Even as one's shadow that never leaves."


So, if you want good things, pleasant things to come to you,

Then do good. Be good.




"Kamma can be changed -

If you've done wrong/evil, dilute it with good.

If you're suffering now, humble yourself down and do more good.

AND, if you're enjoying now, remember to continue to do good."





" ........ the way to goodness is open for ALL people who want to be good,

No matter how badly they have behaved in the past."

- Thanissaro Bhikkhu

* P.S ... Lucky :)

Kamma Kamma (Part 1) : Oh no ...

Kamma Kamma (Part 1) : Oh no ...!


In several of my blogs, I mentioned that what we do to others, we're actually doing to ourselves.

What do I mean by that?

When you scold others, rude to them, cheat, lie to people, carry tales, backstabbing them, or even do harm to them etc,

You may think you're doing it to other people.

In Reality, you're doing it to yourself.


In 'The Body' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/03/body.html, I said that we're all made up of dead stuff.

So you see, you're doing things to dead stuff.

BUT, because you're the one doing it,

The things get thrown back on your face - bounce back on you, FLY back to YOU.

Just like a mail, if there's no one to receive it, it gets sent back to the sender.

Cos what goes around comes around;

The boomerang will find you.

They will all come back to - YOU.

*Read "Mr CEO or Cleaning Auntie" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/03/mr-ceo-or-cleaning-auntie.html

"If one speaks or acts with a wicked mind,

Because of that, suffering follows one,

Even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draught-ox."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 1




"Not in the sky, nor in mid-ocean,

Nor in a mountain cave,

Is found that place on earth

Where abiding,

One may escape from the consequences of one's evil deed."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 127
.
.

"That deed is not well done, when, after having done it, one regrets,

And when weeping, with tearful face,

One reaps the fruit thereof."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 67




"There is NO power superior to that of Kamma which goes beyond the grave."

- Ajahn Mun




"Beings are owners of their own Kamma,

And the results of their Kamma belong to them

Alone."

- The Buddha




"Kamma is within oneself.

It is oneself who is constantly performing causes and experiencing their effects."

- Ajahn Mun




In short,

"One has the right to make Kamma,

BUT Kamma (also) has the right to bring the results back to ONE."

- The Buddha

* ... Oh no!

Pureland Paradise

Pureland Paradise


In 'The M-Word' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/04/m-word.html, I spoke about people who want/hope to be born in pureland.

I also mentioned that perhaps we should all start to think about working on purifying our minds FIRST before thinking about being born in a Pureland.

Actually, there's no need to go around searching for a paradise or pureland.

As I said in 'What Do We Expect?' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-do-we-expect.html,

"If the hearts and minds of the people are pure, the world will be pure."

And as I quoted Ajahn Maha Boowa in 'Where's God?' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/08/wheres-god.html,

"We need not struggle to find happiness and contentment in other places or other realms - which is merely creating images to deceive ourselves, causing us to develop a strong craving which promotes the cause of suffering that becomes the greed which burns us and causes us so much misery.

The happiness that is known and experience in the heart is a happiness which is already sufficient and complete."

And,

"If we look for suffering, we'll find suffering. If we look for happiness, we'll find happiness. Whatever we really look for, we find.

Afterall, these things all exist in the world, don't they? So why shouldn't we be able to find them?"



So, where's Pureland?

It's right here - in this world - in the hearts and minds of us ALL.




"The deluded person recites the Buddha's name seeking rebirth there (i.e. the Pureland);

While the wise person purifies his own mind."

- Mahayana Sixth Patriarch Sutra

.

"Reborn = re-Birth = SUFFERING ( cos you are born again )."

**As The Buddha taught :

"From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications...

From birth as a requisite condition, then old age & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair come into play.

Such is the ORIGINATION of this entire mass of stress & suffering." - SN 12.35

.

"All phenomenon begins from, and depends on the mind.

Heaven, Hell, or Pureland Paradise?

You decide."





"A beautiful world can only be seen through the eyes of a pure, happy and contented heart."




"Fools, men of little intelligence, give themselves over to negligence,

But the wise man protects his diligence as a supreme treasure.

Therefore, one should NOT be negligent, nor be addicted to sensual pleasures.

The man who meditates with diligence attains much happiness."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 26, 27.

.

.

"The ordinary man always sees the darkness and the misery of this world,

But the yogi sees the grand beauty and the real nature of the world."

- Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda.

.

.

"The wise one dispels negligence by means of mindfulness;

He ascends the Tower of Wisdom.

And being free from sorrow, looks at the sorrowing beings.

Just as one on the mountain top looks at those on the plain below,

So also, The Wise One (The Arahant) looks at the ignorant."

- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 28

.

.

"While the fool enslaves himself,

The Wise seeks his way out."

.

*** Read "Heaven or Hell" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/01/heaven-or-hell.html

If Only ........

If Only ........


This entry is in relation to the previous entry, 'What Do We Expect?' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-do-we-expect.html.

To me, if only the world has knowledge of the Buddha-Dhamma, practise the Buddha-Dhamma,

The world would not be in the state it is in today.

As I said in 'Why Buddhism / Buddha's Teachings' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-buddhism-buddhas-teachings.html,

"The Buddha's Teachings - The Dhamma, is the most comprehensive and complete teaching that the world has ever seen, and will ever need."


And as I quoted Jawaharla Nehru and Javier Purez De Cuullar in the same blog,

"The Path that the Buddha showed us is, I believe, the ONLY path humanity must tread if it is to escape disaster."

(Jawaharla Nehru)


And,

"Buddha's message of compassion and devotion to the service of humanity is MORE relevant today than at any other time in history.

Peace, understanding and a vision that transcends purely national boundaries are imperatives of our insecure nuclear age."

(Javier Purez De Cuullar)


But, regardless of what's being said (in praise) of The Buddha's Teachings/Dhamma,

No one can express the need for The Buddha's Dhamma as fluently and eloquently as Ajahn Maha Boowa in one of his teachings.

As such, I'm reproducing an excerpt of that teaching here to share with all.

Hopefully, we can all learn a little something from it and make small, BUT necessary changes to ourselves, a little bit at a time,

So that this world can be the fun and joyful place the way it was supposed to be;

The way it really is.

Enjoy ! :)


The following is taken from the book, "Kammatthana - The Basis of Practice" by Venerable Acariya Maha Boowa, page 159-161.

"In desiring that people should be good, no one can surpass the Lord Buddha. The Teaching which he gave the world was only so that everyone could be virtuous, good and happy. He did not want the world to be troubled and harmed, which results from wrong-doings due to ignorance of the way of conducting oneself.

If anyone had listened to the Teaching of the Lord Buddha, either from His own mouth or from the scriptures, and had belief in the principle of truth there presented, they would each then try to correct and improve themselves so as to be a good person.

That is to say, any person so practising will be good; so with the first person that takes it up and likewise with the second person, etc.

However many family members there are, when each receives the Teaching and training to be good, then that family is also good; and likewise in a village, town or country.

Then there is no need to ask any more about the peace and happiness of that country, for it must definitely follow from the goodness of all the people who do good.

But on the other hand, the various kinds of hardship and unhappiness also only arise out of wickedness. The extent of how many wicked people there are corresponds to the number of 'disturbers of society'.

The more there are, the more hellish the world becomes.

It is then dark both in the night and daytime and in a constant state of agitation.

There is no need to go and search after hell for it is being constructed right there in the Hearts of people, and then scattered and extended everywhere, turning everything into fire.

This is Wrong; not right or proper.

If it were in accordance with the Buddha-Dhamma, these things would NOT occur.

There would not be any need for judges, court of appeal, or even the supreme court, for there would be no cases to settle, because each one has the intention to be virtuous and all try to listen to reason for virtue's sake.

In talking to each other, whether amongst the young and old, man or woman, ordained or householder, there would be understanding.

The reason for this deep understanding is due to the understanding of the good and bad that is within the Heart.

There would only be the wish and intention to see in the way of reason, truth, reality, and virtue.

It would be easy to listen and understand, and in conduct it would be always fair and equal with no need for secrecy.

The world, however, does not follow the Heart's wish.

Wherever one goes, there are only complaints about Dukkha (suffering) and troubles.

The whole world is in a state of confusion and unrest even though everyone studies and searches for knowledge.

But this knowledge does not bear any usefulness except only in using it to burn oneself, for these types of knowledge are not permeated with Dhamma.

They do not have Dhamma as a support, brake, accelerator, or guide.

Therefore, they just go on their own way (Yatha Kamma) without any limit or bounds.

When one thinks and investigates in this way, one will come to see how important and valuable is the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha.

If one were just to try and conduct oneself so as to be a good person, even though one was still not capable of teaching others to be good, this practice in the way of virtue alone will provide peacefulness wherever one goes and whatever circumstances maybe, one will be peaceful and happy which is the correct result from one's practice.

Therefore, happiness arises with such people.

There are different levels of such peacefulness,

And everyone is capable of experiencing the ordinary level if the intention and effort are put forth for these experiences to arise.

One should not overlook oneself, for this is a happy world, peaceful and worth living in, full of fun and joy."

- Ajahn Maha Boowa Nanasampanno




"Dhamma gives the world nothing but support and protection."

- Ajahn Maha Boowa Nanasampanno





"Dhamma is what will make this world an oasis of goodness."






"Dhamma represents/(is) The Truth.

If we relinquish all that is false, and hold only to that which is true,

Then both the people in our society and the monks (and nuns) who uphold the Sasana (The Dhamma - The Teachings of The Buddha)

Will live in peace."

- Ajahn Maha Boowa Nanasampanno





"Mettanca Sabba Lokasmin
Let thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world;
Manasam-Bhavaye apari-manam
Above, below and across (and beyond)
Uddham adho ca tiriyanca
Without any obstruction,
Asam-badham averam asa-pattam
Without any hatred, without any enmity."

- The Buddha, Karaniya Metta Sutta - The Discourse on Loving Kindness





"May the Dhamma last as long as my sons and grandsons;

And the sun, and the moon will be.

And may the people follow the path of the Dhamma

For if one follows the path,

Happiness in this and in the other world will be attained."

- King Asoka

What Do We Expect?

What Do We Expect?


People complain that the world is degenerating.

Well, what do we expect?

If we're all defiled, evil, wicked, selfish, stingy, greedy, lustful, immoral, unvirtuous, pretentious, sly, cunning, scheming etc,

Naturally, the world will be defiled, evil, wicked, selfish, stingy, greedy, lustful, immoral, unvirtuous, pretentious, sly, cunning, scheming etc.

What do we expect?


In 'The World' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/03/world.html, I said it all depends on each and every one of us to make a difference - To become a better person/being.

In 'The Boss' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2010/03/boss.html, I said we're in-charge.

We're the ones who make the world what it is today,

The state it is in today.

So, what do we expect?

Important thing is what are we going to do about it?

What can we learn from it?

So that we never repeat it.

Good or bad, it depends on us -

Each and every one of us.

If we want the world to be good,

Then we got to do more good, be good -

Ourselves FIRST.


* Read :

1) "Questions and Answers Part 3 - The Core Of Existence - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/12/questions-and-answers-part-3-core-of.html

2) "How Will We Know" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-will-we-know.html

3) "Life - The Ironies, What Truly Matters, And Its Purpose" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/07/light-ironies-what-truly-matters-and.html

4) "What are we going to do about it Part 1 : Our climate, Our environment, Our Earth and us" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-are-we-going-to-do-about-it-part-1.html

5) "What are we going to do about it (Part 2) : People Power" - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-are-we-going-to-do-about-it-part-2.html.




"If the hearts and minds of the people are evil,

The world will be evil;

BUT, if the hearts and minds of the people are pure,

The world will be pure."




"If ever people should be able to see plainly the results of evil and good kamma (i.e. volitional/intentional actions) as they see other material things,

They would most certainly be horrified at evil kamma and stay away from it,

The same as they dare not touch fire.

They would also be eager to do good which has the power of cooling, and which results in happiness.

There would NOT then be so much trouble and misery as there is in the world today."

- Ajahn Maha Boowa Nanasampanno






"When the ruler of a country is just and good,

The Ministers become just and good.


When the Ministers are just and good,

The higher officials become just and good.


When the higher officials are just and good,

The rank and file become just and good.


When the rank and file are just and good,

The people become just and good."

- The Buddha





"May I have no enmity,

May I have no hurtfulness.

May I have no troubles of mind and body,

May I be able to protect my own happiness.


Whatever beings there are, may they have no enmity.

Whatever beings there are, may they have no hurtfulness.

Whatever beings there are, may they have no troubles of mind and body;

Whatever beings there are, may they be able to protect their own happiness.

May I be at peace, May ALL beings be at peace."

- The Metta Chant






"Mettanca Sabba lokasmin
Let thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world;
Manasam-bhavaye apari-manam
Above, below and across (and beyond)
Uddham adho ca tiriyanca
Without any obstruction,
Asam-badham averam asa-pattam
Without any hatred, without any enmity."

- The Buddha, The Karaniya Metta Sutta - The Discourse on Loving-Kindness