May You Be Happy

 

With Metta,

Da

Painful Situations

 

How often have we been in painful situations!  Here's a video that may help you.  Happy watching!

With Metta,

Da

Karma

 

Hope this video will inspire you to keep doing good!

With Metta,

DA

Keep Your Gifts

 

Buddha was seated alone one day, and later, some men gathered around him. One among them who did not like his teachings and the effect it had on the people, got up and started a tirade in very vulgar terms against him. 

Buddha sat smiling listening to all that calumny, without a single gesture of disapproval. The man got frothy in the mouth through rage, his vocabulary was getting exhausted fast, his tongue began to show signs of overwork, but, Buddha only asked him with a smile: "Brother, have you finished"? 

The man said: "You have no sense of shame; you do not even react when I abuse you. You are thick skinned; you are a log of wood."

Buddha asked him: "If a person does not accept a gift, what happens to it?" 

The man said: "It remains with the giver."

Buddha replied: "Well, keep these gifts of abusive words with you, brother! I do not accept and react."

With Metta,

Da

Your Thoughts

 

The Fish

Here's a little story with a great moral - Da

There was a bhikkhu who had great difficulty in keeping his senses and passions under control; so, resolving to leave the Order, he came to the Blessed One to ask him for a release from the vows. And the Blessed One said to the bhikkhu: "Take heed, my son, lest you fall a prey to the passions of your misguided heart. For I see that in former existences, you have suffered much from the evil consequences of lust, and unless you learn to conquer your sensual desire, you will in this life be ruined through your folly."

"Listen to a story of another existence of yours, as a fish. The fish could be seen swimming lustily in the river, playing with his mate. She, moving in front, suddenly perceived the meshes of a net, and slipping around escaped the danger; but he, blinded by love, shot eagerly after her and fell straight into the mouth of the net. The fisherman pulled the net up, and the fish, who complained bitterly of his sad fate, saying, 'This indeed is the bitter fruit of my folly,' would surely have died if the Bodhisattva had not chanced to come by, and, understanding the language of the fish, took pity on him. He bought the poor creature and said to him: 'My good fish, had I not caught sight of you today, you would have lost your life. I shall save you, but from now on avoid the evil of lust.' With these words he threw the fish into the water.

"Make the best of the time of grace that is offered to you in your present existence, and fear the dart of passion which, if you do not guard your senses, will lead you to destruction."

(From "Parables and Stories of the Buddha")

May I Be ....

May I be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit.

May I be safe and free from injury.

May I be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

May I learn to look at myself with the eyes of of understanding and love.

May I be able to recognize and touch the seeds of joy and happiness in myself.

May I learn to identify and see the sources of anger, craving, and delusion in myself.

May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy in myself every day.

May I be able to live fresh, solid, and free.

May I be free from attachment and aversion, but not indifferent.

Love is not just the intention to love, but the capacity to reduce suffering, and offer peace and happiness. The practice of love increases our forbearance, our capacity to be patient and embrace difficulties and pain. Forbearance does mean that we try to suppress pain.”

~Thích Nhất Hạnh ~

Start the Day With Love

Every single morning when you wake up, just wish may I be healthy, happy and free from suffering and may all beings in this world be healthy, happy and free from suffering.  

Start the day with universal love and kindness.

With Metta,

Da

Happy Chap Goh Mei

 

Happy 15th Night everyone!  It's the last day of the Chinese New Year, so let's end it by spending a few moments thinking of how we can be better living beings on this planet.  Here are a few gentle reminders:

Practise loving kindness.  Be kind to everyone you meet.   

Be sympathetic towards the sufferings and misfortunes of others. You may not always be able to help but at least you can provide a sympathetic ear.  As the Dalai Lama said, "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

Be happy for someone else's success especially if he or she has earned it.  Do not be jealous or envious.

Listen carefully when people talk and do not be quick to judge.

Be brave enough to apologise when you've made a mistake.

Accept people for who they are. 

Live simply and happily, be generous in giving, be righteous in conduct.  

May all be blessed with peace and contentment.

  May all my feline friends be blessed with peace and contentment.

With Metta,

Da

"Let one's thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world, above, below and across, without any hatred, without any enmity." - Buddha

Only One Match Stick

When a bird is alive, it eats ants.

When the bird is dead, ants eat the bird.

Time and circumstances can change at any time.

Don't devalue or hurt anyone in life.

You may be powerful today, but remember,

Time is more powerful than you!

One tree makes a million match sticks,

Only one match stick is needed to burn a million trees!

So be good and do good!

 

Thanks to "Inspiring Quotes".

With Metta,

Da

You Sow What You Reap

 

Loving greetings!  We live today in a world full of stress, ego, greed  and many other negative emotions.  Here is an inspiring short story of the Buddha to help us ponder over our thoughts and actions and become better persons.

Buddha and his disciples never stay in one place for a long time. Because it will be a burden to the villagers as they depend on villagers for their food.

One day Buddha went to a village he had never been to before. He knocked on the door of one of the houses in the village with his begging bowl. After some time, a lady came out. She became furious to see a monk with a begging bowl in his hand.

The lady started abusing Buddha, “You are looking fit enough to work. Instead, you want to have food without working”. And she kept on abusing him. But Buddha stood still, listening without any reaction and waiting for her to finish.

She paused to catch her breath. Then she asked, “Why are you standing as stone! You can say something.”

Buddha said, “Mother, if an offer has come and it is not accepted, to whom does it belong?”

The lady replied, “I offer you nothing. Just get out of my place”.

Buddha gently replied, “Mother, from the time I met you, you have been offering me whatever you have?”

The lady realized that Buddha was referring to the abuses. She asked “So, your question is, if the offer is not accepted, to whom does it belong.”

Buddha smiled back.

The lady realized her mistake, and she bowed to Buddha for forgiveness.

Buddha said, “As a mirror reflects an object and like a standstill, the lake reflects the sky, taking care what you speak and how you act is always good.  Every good thing you do, you will always get back goodness, and for every harm you do, you will always get back the same”.

She thanked Buddha and bought some food for him. Buddha thanked her and continued his journey.

So remember, whatever you give to others, you will get the same in return.

With Metta,

Da

(Story from winnersstory.com)

Lord Buddha and the Floor

Loving greetings!  With Wesak around the corner, here's another lovely story which I would like to share with you.

There was once 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 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 on 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, was laid on the floor."

Moral: We tend to complain of the present situation we are in and feel jealous of others' success.  Why not ask ourselves, "Are we willing to undertake the hardship and challenges needed for success?  The ultimate success is the attainment of Enlightenment.  Have we put in the required effort?  Let us not grumble about our present state.  We are the karmic results of our very own actions!

With Metta,

Da

(Story from "The Daily Enlightenment")

Suffering

 

“When I was a young monk, I believed that the Buddha didn’t suffer once he had become enlightened. Naively I asked myself, “What’s the use of becoming a Buddha if you continue to suffer?” The Buddha did suffer, because he had a body, feelings, and perceptions, like all of us. Sometimes he probably had a headache. Sometimes he suffered from rheumatism. If he happened to eat something not well cooked, then he had intestinal problems. So he suffered physically, and he suffered emotionally as well. When one of his beloved students died, he suffered. How can you not suffer when a dear friend has just died? The Buddha wasn’t a stone. He was a human being. But because he had a lot of insight, wisdom, and compassion, he knew how to suffer and so he suffered much less.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~anh ~

What is Anger?

A saint was asked,

"What is anger?"

He gave a beautiful answer.

"It is punishment we give to ourselves

for somebody else's mistake!"

With Metta,

Da