A Happy Reunion

 

How quickly the years go by!  Another Chinese New Year is here - this time it's the Year of the Horse - so another round of spring cleaning and de-cluttering and  finally, on new year's eve, we were able to sit down for a "reunion" dinner,  This is a very auspicious occasion symbolizing unity and family bonding and of course we think of ourselves as one big family!  

We had a wonderful surprise when two or three families from the river came to the temple and presented us with Mandarin oranges.  They were very appreciative of the sermons that APK had delivered during their "peace walk" and were showing their gratitude.  

Dinner was a simple but delicious meal of rice and various vegetarian dishes cooked by Head Nun.  As we ate,  we could hear firecrackers exploding with loud bangs together with the noise of heavy traffic outside.  We were so glad we were safely inside the temple away from all the din!

Of course the "Walk for Peace" monks were still very much in the minds of the nuns and APK asked Head Nun whether she had any news of them.  Head Nun is the only person in the temple who has a mobile phone but then it's only for emergency use.  Head Nun very kindly agreed to share some "footage" of the monks' journey from her phone and after that, she read to us one of the messages from their FB page.  It was about mindfulness -  a gentle reminder to us all to practise this teaching.  I am very happy to share this message below:

✍️" Words Born from Peace - The words we speak to others—to our loved ones, our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, to people we meet—are shaped by what lives inside us in the moment we speak them.

When we are mindful with our actions in daily life, when we bring peace to our inner minds by being present with our breath, something shifts. We gain clarity. We can see more clearly what words will help, what words will heal, what words will bring comfort instead of pain.

But without that mindfulness, without that inner peace, we lose our way. We get swept up in anger before we realize what's happening. We misunderstand people's intentions. We speak from hurt or frustration, and our words—without meaning to—create suffering for the very people we care about most.

How many times have we said something harsh to someone we love, only to regret it moments later? How many times have our words caused pain we never intended, simply because we spoke from inner chaos instead of inner calm?

When we are at peace, when we are present with our own breath and aware of our state of mind, we naturally speak differently. We pause before we react. We listen more deeply. We respond with care instead of impulse. We find words that build up instead of tear down, that soothe instead of wound, that bring understanding instead of creating distance.

It is such a beautiful thing to bring happiness to people with our words. To make them feel cared, valued, loved. To ease their suffering instead of adding to it. To speak in ways that heal rather than harm.

And it all starts with this: being mindful. Choosing peace for our inner minds. Noticing our breath. Paying attention to what we're feeling before we let those feelings determine what we say.

When we walk peacefully within ourselves, our words become gifts we can offer others with care and intention.

May we all learn to speak from that peaceful place. May our words bring more happiness and less suffering to everyone they touch.

May you and all beings be well, happy, and at peace."

We went to bed with this piece of wisdom to reflect on.  

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace.

Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

To all my human friends, Happy Valentine's Day!  Don't forget - the best gift you can give your Valentine is not a bouquet of flowers or chocolate but loving kindness straight from your heart!

With Metta,

DA

Cat Wisdom

 

Cat Wisdom

 

Cat Wisdom

 

Speak softly.  Speak kindly.

Before you speak, think:

Is it the truth?

Will it hurt anyone?

With Metta,

DA

May You Be Happy

I sit so still, I breathe in slow,

Hands together, heart all aglow.

I close my eyes, I smile inside,

Loving kindness is my guide.

May you be happy, may you be well,

May you be peaceful, my heart can tell.

Near or far, big or small,

Loving kindness is for all.

First for me, I gently say,

May I be happy every day.

May I be safe, may I be kind,

May calm and joy fill up my mind.

Now for my friends and family too,

Teachers, neighbours, old and new.

Even those who make me sad,

I send them love I know I have.

Like the sun that shines so bright,

Like the moon that glows at night,

My kind heart grows and grows each day,

Sending love in every way.

May all beings happy be

In the land, sky and sea.

With a smile and a caring call,

Loving kindness is for all.

With Metta,

Da

(Grateful thanks and loving kindness to the author of this song)

Thought for the Day

 

How many of us can practise this?

A Prayer for All

 

May loving kindness flow freely from your heart today and everyday.  

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace.

With Metta,

DA

Walking for Peace - Pt. 4

 "Today is the last leg of our journey, nuns," said APK when dawn broke.  Most of us didn't have a good night's sleep because of the orangey red eyes we saw but the thought of going home rejuvenated us.  We left our "camp" at 6 a.m. and headed for the river's estuary which would take about an hour's walk.

We reached the estuary in good time and were surprised to see a big crowd waiting for us there!  "OMG, how did they know we would be here today?" murmured APK.  The crowd started cheering and some gave us flowers and bottles of water. 

When the hullabaloo had died down, APK quietly addressed them and thanked them for their support. Some of them had actually come from upstream so that they could meet us again. APK then gave a short talk on peace and compassion and this was followed by prayers, ending in blessings for everyone.  

One of the nurses tried to call Head Nun to tell her we were on our way home, but she could not get through.  There was no connection - we were too far deep in the forest.  "Oh dear, I hope she won't panic if she doesn't hear from us," I thought to myself.

So after bidding the crowd a quick farewell, we trudged back the way we came three days ago.  We would not be making any overnight stops but a straight journey home and if all went well, we would be able to reach the temple in the evening as planned.

It was about 6.30 p.m. when we finally reached our village.  A crowd was already there waiting for us and they cheered and clapped and followed us back to the temple. Head Nun and the other nuns were already waiting anxiously for us.

"They're back, they're back," shouted the nuns at the temple gate when they saw us coming.  With tears streaming down her eyes, Head Nun rushed towards us and hugged each one of us.  Everyone was talking at the same time and laughing and crying.  Oh, what a wonderful homecoming!  Then the nuns whisked us to the kitchen for some hot soup which we devoured hungrily.  The two nurses told Head Nun that it had been an incredible journey, one which they would remember all their lives

Head Nun gave us two days off to recover and the nuns thankfully escaped to their rooms to rest. My little basket was also ready for me with a new cushion sewn by one of the old nuns. It was so good to rest my weary body on it and go to sleep.

And so ended Day 3 of our Walk for Peace.

A few days later and after all the stories had been told, Head Nun gave us a shocking piece of news.

"Nuns, remember you said you spent a night at a place called "Bodhi Hut"?  Well, I happened to mention it to a friend from the village the other day  and she told me the place was burnt down two  years ago - and the owner died in the fire."

"What?" we gasped.  Come to think of it, we had wanted to say a quick "hello" to Ananda on our way back, but we couldn't find the place, it seemed to have vanished completely!

Head Nun then said, "I wonder whether you nuns realise that the Lord Buddha was protecting you all the way?  When you needed shelter, He gave it to you, and where do you think the dogs came from, then there's the miracle of the receding water, not forgetting the so-called "spirits of the forest"...."

"Head Nun," said APK.  "You couldn't be more right and  we are extremely grateful to the Buddha that we all returned safe and sound.  I only hope we have accomplished what we set out to do and given the people we met the gifts of peace, love and hope."

Head Nun smiled approvingly.  She had heard from the other nuns how well APK had conducted her talks during our peace journey and she was pleased that she (APK) had progressed so well.

Later that evening, I saw APK sitting in the garden looking dreamily ahead.

"APK, what are you thinking about?

"Vege Cat, I was just thinking that one day, I would like to walk round the world spreading the Lord Buddha's teachings ..."

I smiled but made no comment.  If APK makes up her mind to do something, she will certainly do it.  We only have to wait and see. 

Walking for Peace - Pt. 3

The next morning dawned bright and clear after the night's rain.  After a hearty breakfast, we said goodbye to Ananda and trudged on.  We were following the river of course and enjoying the scenery as well

The first few hours of our morning journey were uneventful and we stopped for lunch at about 11 a.m.  We were enjoying some sandwiches and tea when quite unexpectedly the sky darkened again and a sudden storm descended on us.  Heavy rain forced us to run for shelter under the trees and then we saw to our horror that the river had burst its banks and water was surging towards us in huge waves!  

It was so sudden that we didn't know what to do.  Just as we thought we were going to be swept away, the waves miraculously stopped at our feet, then receded.   We couldn't believe our eyes! By the grace of the Lord Buddha again, we were saved from being swept away and ending in a watery grave!  The nurses were in a state of shock and awe, they had never seen anything like this before in their lives!

As for the nuns, I must say they had fared very well despite all that had happened so far.  They had great faith in the Buddha and was confident nothing untoward would happen to them.  As APK said, "Sticks and stones may break our bones but we shall carry on until we complete our mission."

Then we came to this part of the river which we had never been to before.  There was a small community there too but unfortunately, they were not very friendly and looked at us with suspicion.  We heard remarks like "They're scammers pretending to be nuns" and "They only want our money", things like that.  It was most disheartening but APK like a good leader calmly and lovingly spoke to them and soon we had a small congregation at our feet!  As it turned out, they were thirsty for spiritual knowledge and begged APK to continue speaking.

We left that village some two hours later.  It was already late afternoon and we had to find a place to sleep for the night.  We looked around but there was nothing but wilderness. 

Fortunately the two nurses had brought along a tent which they had used in their camping days and amazingly, it was big enough for all eight of us!  So after some prayers and a simple dinner, we squeezed into the tent to sleep.  We were all tired because of the heat and soon fell asleep.  

Then suddenly screams came from one of the nuns in the middle of the night! She had got up to drink some water and taken a peep outside the tent....

Startled, we all sat up and looked in the direction she pointed.... and saw to our horror dozens of orangey red eyes staring at us in the dark!   One of the nuns started chanting "Ah Mi Tuo Fo" and the rest of us followed, our voices trembling.  We couldn't tell who or what they were - perhaps hungry wolves or coyotes - it looked like we were doomed! Frightened, we pulled our blankets over our heads and continued chanting loudly.

Then a voice spoke.  "Do not be afraid.  We are the guardians of this part of the forest.  We are protecting you and making sure you are safe."

We were amazed to hear that and cautiously peeped through our blankets.  The orangey red eyes had gone after assuring us that we would be safe and we went back to sleep, feeling much better.

And so ended Day 2 of our Walk for Peace.