We all wish that things are perfect in life, but they are not - life is never perfect. The only path to fully enjoy is to understand the innate nature of our life - imperfection, accept it and believe in a better future, by repairing our mind.
Why the life is imperfect? In Buddhism, this world is called 娑婆(suo po) world, and suo po means must endure. The reason we appear in this world is that we are not perfect, and our consciousness has affinity with this world. In Buddhism, there are billions of worlds in this universe, and each world attracts consciousnesses that bear similar type of energy. We come to this world that need to endure because our consciousness bear an imperfect energy - don't blaim your parents, our own consciousness chose the family and life path for us.
The first step in changing life for better is acceptance. When we complain about the society, the system or other people about how unequal, unfair, unwise things are, we will not focus on ourselves to look for improvement, and will not looks for any change. However, the real reason acceptance is important lies in the mind - if you don't understand what I mean, take a moment to imagine that you can complaining, and then imagine you accept your life, what is the taste of your mind in different state? Do you feel bitter, tension and pain in the first state, but feel settled and secure in the second state? Our mind is a strong energy that shapes our life. If our mind is in a secure state, life will follow.
Once we accept life is imperfect, it becomes much easier to live with it. As a matter of fact, enduring suffering can release passive karma that causes suffering, and endurance can lead life for better. Buddhism practice, such as reciting sutra, can reduce the passive karma from the past, and practicing Eightfold Path can avoid renewing passive energy, so that future will be different.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Life is Beautiful
It was just another Sunday, peaceful and happy. I started working on my project that I have harbored for long.
The effect of Buddhism on our life is mystic, we simply feel secure, peace and happy, and things simply roll out as in a fine dream. Even dreams are beautiful, less and less nightmare, for both of us. Is it from reciting sutra? Is it from chanting Amitabha? Is it from trying to do the right things? Is it from doing the right things? Is it from donations? Is it from helping others to know Buddhism? I don't know, but we simply enjoy this feeling. It is getting stronger everyday. Things are simple, isn't being happy as simple as choosing to be happy? It is!
This project I wished I could accomplish is to help Buddhism temples and non profit organizations with dynamic functionalities. I wouldn't be able to do it if I didn't leave a job, lose a job and get a job, which I am still struggling to do better. It carried out as if I knew the future. How did I step on my path without knowing it?
life is mystically beautiful, and we never know what is tomorrow going to give. I can't express enough appreciation for the salvation, for the mystic power guided me, for present and the even brighter future.
The effect of Buddhism on our life is mystic, we simply feel secure, peace and happy, and things simply roll out as in a fine dream. Even dreams are beautiful, less and less nightmare, for both of us. Is it from reciting sutra? Is it from chanting Amitabha? Is it from trying to do the right things? Is it from doing the right things? Is it from donations? Is it from helping others to know Buddhism? I don't know, but we simply enjoy this feeling. It is getting stronger everyday. Things are simple, isn't being happy as simple as choosing to be happy? It is!
This project I wished I could accomplish is to help Buddhism temples and non profit organizations with dynamic functionalities. I wouldn't be able to do it if I didn't leave a job, lose a job and get a job, which I am still struggling to do better. It carried out as if I knew the future. How did I step on my path without knowing it?
life is mystically beautiful, and we never know what is tomorrow going to give. I can't express enough appreciation for the salvation, for the mystic power guided me, for present and the even brighter future.
Monday, February 14, 2011
How to Control My Mind?
The first step in controlling your mind is simply to strengthen your consciousness against wandering thoughts. All the wandering thoughts are a manifest of your external objects, not your true self, as explained in Who am I?, your mind is simply a reflection of past experiences imposed on you, coupled with your current experiences. All experiences are external to you, not your true selves.
If you come to this article, you might have noticed it is hard to control your own mind, and it can cause real trouble in life. That actually shows your mind is not you. There are people who know they shouldn't use drug, shouldn't gamble, shouldn't drink, but can't help it - they have to follow their destiny to experience a tragic life. Addiction is a sever form of losing control of one's own mind.
Form Who am I?, you understood you are your consciousness, and you mind is a monster that your consciousness need to tame. You mind actually carries habits from both your past experiences in this life and your experiences in past lives, which explains why everybody is born with unique personalities, even in the same family. Why an inherited weakness is very difficult to change? It has been carried from many past lives. And finally, do you believe in spirits? Spirits are actually consciousness in different dimensions, which can interact with our mind if there is a reason. Some spirits try so hard to control your mind, to make you do things that satisfies them. All of these forces are controlling the way you think, so you are not your mind! Your thoughts can be injected by your enemy from past lives. Many people who have addiction are actually influenced by spirits from different dimensions, spirits that try to kill them by first isolating them from family and friends, then take their lives when there is a chance. Don't call them demons or evils though, they ruin people for a reason too. They are just suffering spirits same as human beings. People do the same thing, carry grudges and make enemies, makes other people's lives more difficult. When they die, if there is a chance to interact with their enemies' mind, they sure follow their hatred to do so! About Addition there are a lot more to it, which we will cover in Why am I addicted?
Why do we want to control our mind? For people who have addiction, it is obvious. For ordinary people, it is less obvious. Have you read the book The Secret? We may not notice it, our mind actually controls our fate, our lives are shaped by how we think, as explained in Do we have a destiny and How to change destiny. When you have full control of your mind, you can do anything as you wish - it is mind that made this world.
So leave out after life, just focus on this life, how to control our mind to generate the right thoughts, or simply eliminate thoughts? It takes practice. Many ancient practices, from meditation to Yoga, are both physical and mind exercise. There are all kinds of meditations, focus on different things, either a meditation sound, or your own breathing, or peaceful music, for the same purpose - control your mind.
As a Buddhist my favorite form of mind exercise is chanting the name of Amitabha. Amitabha established the pure land for after life, and if we chant his name upon death, he will meet us and guide us to the pure land. The daily practice of chanting his name is a mental exercise, so that the mind can focus at the last moments of this life. If pure land is not your drama door, you can chant anything that makes you happy, say your parents' name, or Jesus Christ if you are a Christian, anything that carries the message of kindness and compassion.
By the way, Buddhists are not involved in the discussion of which religion is a better religion - There are 84000 darma doors in this world, and in the history there has never been war at the cause of Buddhism - the religion that suits you and makes you a better person is a better religion for you, and it would be wise not to impose a personal choice upon other people, unless they ask for it.
No matter what you decide to chant, just make sure it is a positive word and makes you feel secure and perceful, not excitement or anger. For example, if you choose the word Get Rich Quick, you have made a wrong choice. The message carried in it is greed, and that ruins people's life, including yours. Just for comparison, the word Give to Others is also about money, but gives a different feeling. Try to chant ten times of each to sense the tension Money raised in your brain. That sense of greed is harmful and will make you poor - opposite to what you have thought. I don't want to contradict with what is explained in The Secret - if you look at money everyday you will get more money, only if you can do that with a relaxed mind with no worries.
You can chant anytime when you feel bored, say on the bus or on the train, so you can save money on smart phone and 4G services. Holding your purse in good position, you can half close your eyes and chant the word you choose. You can count too, every ten chants accumulates to one count, and compete with yourself see how big a number you can go.
If you can chant and you can count, little by little you can strengthen your consciousness through chanting, and gain higher control of your mind.
If you come to this article, you might have noticed it is hard to control your own mind, and it can cause real trouble in life. That actually shows your mind is not you. There are people who know they shouldn't use drug, shouldn't gamble, shouldn't drink, but can't help it - they have to follow their destiny to experience a tragic life. Addiction is a sever form of losing control of one's own mind.
Form Who am I?, you understood you are your consciousness, and you mind is a monster that your consciousness need to tame. You mind actually carries habits from both your past experiences in this life and your experiences in past lives, which explains why everybody is born with unique personalities, even in the same family. Why an inherited weakness is very difficult to change? It has been carried from many past lives. And finally, do you believe in spirits? Spirits are actually consciousness in different dimensions, which can interact with our mind if there is a reason. Some spirits try so hard to control your mind, to make you do things that satisfies them. All of these forces are controlling the way you think, so you are not your mind! Your thoughts can be injected by your enemy from past lives. Many people who have addiction are actually influenced by spirits from different dimensions, spirits that try to kill them by first isolating them from family and friends, then take their lives when there is a chance. Don't call them demons or evils though, they ruin people for a reason too. They are just suffering spirits same as human beings. People do the same thing, carry grudges and make enemies, makes other people's lives more difficult. When they die, if there is a chance to interact with their enemies' mind, they sure follow their hatred to do so! About Addition there are a lot more to it, which we will cover in Why am I addicted?
Why do we want to control our mind? For people who have addiction, it is obvious. For ordinary people, it is less obvious. Have you read the book The Secret? We may not notice it, our mind actually controls our fate, our lives are shaped by how we think, as explained in Do we have a destiny and How to change destiny. When you have full control of your mind, you can do anything as you wish - it is mind that made this world.
So leave out after life, just focus on this life, how to control our mind to generate the right thoughts, or simply eliminate thoughts? It takes practice. Many ancient practices, from meditation to Yoga, are both physical and mind exercise. There are all kinds of meditations, focus on different things, either a meditation sound, or your own breathing, or peaceful music, for the same purpose - control your mind.
As a Buddhist my favorite form of mind exercise is chanting the name of Amitabha. Amitabha established the pure land for after life, and if we chant his name upon death, he will meet us and guide us to the pure land. The daily practice of chanting his name is a mental exercise, so that the mind can focus at the last moments of this life. If pure land is not your drama door, you can chant anything that makes you happy, say your parents' name, or Jesus Christ if you are a Christian, anything that carries the message of kindness and compassion.
By the way, Buddhists are not involved in the discussion of which religion is a better religion - There are 84000 darma doors in this world, and in the history there has never been war at the cause of Buddhism - the religion that suits you and makes you a better person is a better religion for you, and it would be wise not to impose a personal choice upon other people, unless they ask for it.
No matter what you decide to chant, just make sure it is a positive word and makes you feel secure and perceful, not excitement or anger. For example, if you choose the word Get Rich Quick, you have made a wrong choice. The message carried in it is greed, and that ruins people's life, including yours. Just for comparison, the word Give to Others is also about money, but gives a different feeling. Try to chant ten times of each to sense the tension Money raised in your brain. That sense of greed is harmful and will make you poor - opposite to what you have thought. I don't want to contradict with what is explained in The Secret - if you look at money everyday you will get more money, only if you can do that with a relaxed mind with no worries.
You can chant anytime when you feel bored, say on the bus or on the train, so you can save money on smart phone and 4G services. Holding your purse in good position, you can half close your eyes and chant the word you choose. You can count too, every ten chants accumulates to one count, and compete with yourself see how big a number you can go.
If you can chant and you can count, little by little you can strengthen your consciousness through chanting, and gain higher control of your mind.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
What Is the Purpose of Life?
We all have a predetermined destiny, but our purpose in life is a matter of personal choice. We came to life and followed a path driven by forces in the universe, but we also carry consciousnesses to choose the purpose of our own lives.
Our Lives Just Happen - Driven by the Forces in the Universe. Our birth and life experiences have been driven by the forces in the universe, just like rain drops fall when air can't hold them any longer. There isn't a purpose for rain to fall, it just happens. Sometimes I reflect on the animals we raise on the farm. Do they ever wonder what is the purpose of their lives? Do they try to escape their fate? There is a reason for us to raise them, but from their perspective, there isn't a reason to come to this world and suffer; their circumstance is a result of our will. As human beings, our situation is much better, but similarly, our lives are a result of the interaction of the forces in the universe external to our consciousness. Life just happens.
We Need a Purpose to Live For!
What is the purpose of Life - We cannot escape this question, and need to find the answer. There are two types of answers: one believes our consciousness will live on after life, so today is a preparation for the after life; and the other one believes the consciousness ends with us, so this life ends in itself. Apparently the first belief makes it easier to live on, however is there really an afterlife?
The existence of an after life cannot be totally clear to people who are living, although there are signs of afterlife. Even if we believe in an after life, we are still trapped and struggling in this life. So my resolution is to approach my own purpose in life as a compromise of both - doing things that benefit both this life and afterlife.
Life is Like a Stock Chart, of Karma
On the surface, life is impermanent. It is constantly changing. However, the accumulation of Karma is continuous, and Karma determines our future. If we accumulate positive Karma, we will have a brighter future, for both this life and the afterlife. Karma is the energy our thoughts and our behavior created, which we carry on with our consciousness.
So the purpose of my life is to cultivate positive Karma, what is yours?
Next Topics
What is Karma?
How to Cultivate Positive Karma?
Our Lives Just Happen - Driven by the Forces in the Universe. Our birth and life experiences have been driven by the forces in the universe, just like rain drops fall when air can't hold them any longer. There isn't a purpose for rain to fall, it just happens. Sometimes I reflect on the animals we raise on the farm. Do they ever wonder what is the purpose of their lives? Do they try to escape their fate? There is a reason for us to raise them, but from their perspective, there isn't a reason to come to this world and suffer; their circumstance is a result of our will. As human beings, our situation is much better, but similarly, our lives are a result of the interaction of the forces in the universe external to our consciousness. Life just happens.
We Need a Purpose to Live For!
What is the purpose of Life - We cannot escape this question, and need to find the answer. There are two types of answers: one believes our consciousness will live on after life, so today is a preparation for the after life; and the other one believes the consciousness ends with us, so this life ends in itself. Apparently the first belief makes it easier to live on, however is there really an afterlife?
The existence of an after life cannot be totally clear to people who are living, although there are signs of afterlife. Even if we believe in an after life, we are still trapped and struggling in this life. So my resolution is to approach my own purpose in life as a compromise of both - doing things that benefit both this life and afterlife.
Life is Like a Stock Chart, of Karma
On the surface, life is impermanent. It is constantly changing. However, the accumulation of Karma is continuous, and Karma determines our future. If we accumulate positive Karma, we will have a brighter future, for both this life and the afterlife. Karma is the energy our thoughts and our behavior created, which we carry on with our consciousness.
So the purpose of my life is to cultivate positive Karma, what is yours?
Next Topics
What is Karma?
How to Cultivate Positive Karma?
How to Keep a Happy Marriage?
When I was a young single girl, Love was the most sacred sentimental words in the vocabulary, and the pursue of my life. However, now I realized that language confuses us, if we replace love with the appropriate synonyms it becomes much clearer - desire and control, or mercy and compassion. A marriage is bond by mercy and compassion, and ruined by desire and control.
We have been cultivating desire and control all our lives - it is part of our human nature. Remember the gorilla and human genes are 98% identical? The trait is built in the design of every species, to prosper the species. It is selfish mindset because a species can only survive if every individual survives, and can only grow if the stronger win. Both our nature in gene and our society grow us to be selfish, greedy, desire to control, desire to win, and it is not our fault. It is the law of the universe.
However what makes a species survive is basically animal nature, and may cause human sufferings, may make a marriage miserable. What differentiates us from a gorilla is mercy and compassion. If we desire to live a happy human life, we have to apply the emotion that is unique to human beings to our spouse. Here we come to the eight words from How to be Happy again: I am always positive and helping other people. The first person to help is your spouse!
The happy couples are all similar, and miserable couples have their distinctive issues. The mission of a happy marriage is to help each other to be come a better person, to live better life. You and your spouse are both human beings and both have flaws, and if you ever noticed how difficult it is to change yourself, you can understand it is hard for your spouse to change. The only way to accomplish the mission is through mercy and compassion, understanding and patience, influence your spouse little by little without annoying him/her. Stay off anger, argument and finger pointing, those emotions and behaviors are generated by desire and control, will push your spouse away from you.
Mercy is the word I borrowed from Bible, Compassion is the word from Buddhism, both refers to a feeling we have for all sentient beings, same origin as our sympathy for poor people and abused animals, our pleasure watching happy kids and pets. The mild sadness when we observe suffering and the mild happiness when we observes happiness, when the subject is distantly related to ourselves. No matter where your spouse comes from, your spouse's life is not easy just like yours, is not perfect just like you, can't control own behavior and fate, just like you. After all the initial excitements of a big wedding and sentimental honeymoon, in the end you are just two people trapped in this planet under the same roof, trying to help each other to make each other's lives more livable, influence each other to be a better person which result in a better life for both. Think about what will make your spouse a happier person, and always focus on it, never focus on yourself.
To help another person to be happy, you have to be a better person first, you makes half of your marriage. If you are a happy person yourself, you will never criticize your spouse, always speak gently with understanding and patience, influence with your behavior. If you want your spouse to wash the dishes, wash them yourself and wait for the moment of change. If you want your spouse to change for better, change yourself first.
Every person is different and every marriage is different. When people are married, they are blind to see flaws in each other. After they are married, they are blind to see merits in each other. The society is cultivating a big ego for everybody since their birth, which resembles a balloon we carry around, when two people are so close, the balloon we each carry will squeeze each other and that is called conflicts. What is in our balloon? Our values, our viewpoints, our behaviors, our taste, our style, our blind definition of who we are including our bad habit, anger, desire, greed and ignorance. If you want to avoid conflicts, take a needle and poke your own balloon to deflate it, your spouse will feel much more happier than before, if the happiness of your spouse is all you are concerned about.
Wait a moment, where is yourself if you lose your ego? It is time you read Who am I? if you haven't got a chance to do so - Your ego is not yourself. Don't worry about what you will get from your spouse in return. After all you picked the one and only from the big crowd, I believe your spouse will do the just sensible thing - think about how to make you happy in return. It is the law of the universe - we receive what we gave.
If you want to delve more into the secret of marriage, Buddhism has a one size fits all solution - recite sutra. It is like casting secret spells in the household, you can be the only person who practice it but everybody in the household simply enjoys a smooth and happy life without knowing what is going on. If you think that is for you, you can explore further.
We have been cultivating desire and control all our lives - it is part of our human nature. Remember the gorilla and human genes are 98% identical? The trait is built in the design of every species, to prosper the species. It is selfish mindset because a species can only survive if every individual survives, and can only grow if the stronger win. Both our nature in gene and our society grow us to be selfish, greedy, desire to control, desire to win, and it is not our fault. It is the law of the universe.
However what makes a species survive is basically animal nature, and may cause human sufferings, may make a marriage miserable. What differentiates us from a gorilla is mercy and compassion. If we desire to live a happy human life, we have to apply the emotion that is unique to human beings to our spouse. Here we come to the eight words from How to be Happy again: I am always positive and helping other people. The first person to help is your spouse!
The happy couples are all similar, and miserable couples have their distinctive issues. The mission of a happy marriage is to help each other to be come a better person, to live better life. You and your spouse are both human beings and both have flaws, and if you ever noticed how difficult it is to change yourself, you can understand it is hard for your spouse to change. The only way to accomplish the mission is through mercy and compassion, understanding and patience, influence your spouse little by little without annoying him/her. Stay off anger, argument and finger pointing, those emotions and behaviors are generated by desire and control, will push your spouse away from you.
Mercy is the word I borrowed from Bible, Compassion is the word from Buddhism, both refers to a feeling we have for all sentient beings, same origin as our sympathy for poor people and abused animals, our pleasure watching happy kids and pets. The mild sadness when we observe suffering and the mild happiness when we observes happiness, when the subject is distantly related to ourselves. No matter where your spouse comes from, your spouse's life is not easy just like yours, is not perfect just like you, can't control own behavior and fate, just like you. After all the initial excitements of a big wedding and sentimental honeymoon, in the end you are just two people trapped in this planet under the same roof, trying to help each other to make each other's lives more livable, influence each other to be a better person which result in a better life for both. Think about what will make your spouse a happier person, and always focus on it, never focus on yourself.
To help another person to be happy, you have to be a better person first, you makes half of your marriage. If you are a happy person yourself, you will never criticize your spouse, always speak gently with understanding and patience, influence with your behavior. If you want your spouse to wash the dishes, wash them yourself and wait for the moment of change. If you want your spouse to change for better, change yourself first.
Every person is different and every marriage is different. When people are married, they are blind to see flaws in each other. After they are married, they are blind to see merits in each other. The society is cultivating a big ego for everybody since their birth, which resembles a balloon we carry around, when two people are so close, the balloon we each carry will squeeze each other and that is called conflicts. What is in our balloon? Our values, our viewpoints, our behaviors, our taste, our style, our blind definition of who we are including our bad habit, anger, desire, greed and ignorance. If you want to avoid conflicts, take a needle and poke your own balloon to deflate it, your spouse will feel much more happier than before, if the happiness of your spouse is all you are concerned about.
Wait a moment, where is yourself if you lose your ego? It is time you read Who am I? if you haven't got a chance to do so - Your ego is not yourself. Don't worry about what you will get from your spouse in return. After all you picked the one and only from the big crowd, I believe your spouse will do the just sensible thing - think about how to make you happy in return. It is the law of the universe - we receive what we gave.
If you want to delve more into the secret of marriage, Buddhism has a one size fits all solution - recite sutra. It is like casting secret spells in the household, you can be the only person who practice it but everybody in the household simply enjoys a smooth and happy life without knowing what is going on. If you think that is for you, you can explore further.
How to Change Destiny?
We Change Our Thoughts to Change Our Destiny. However, it is hard to change our thoughts, and the change of our external experiences lags behind. The difficult part is to keep positive thinking through life before things turn positive.
It a loop. If everything goes well for you, you are happy, and if you are happy, everything goes well for you - a positive loop, a chicken and egg dilemma. However, if you are in a miserable loop, how to make yourself feel happy? You need to learn to maintain the happy mindset independent of your external experiences, since your experiences follow your mindset.
I Changed My Destiny, How Did I Make It? In Do I have a destiny , I mentioned I used to encounter hardships with career and relationships before I started practicing Buddhism. I was smart and hard working, however I felt I was simply short of the touch of luck. I was asking myself what's wrong with me, why I was simply short of luck? Now I realized I was in a negative loop, and negative emotions lead to negative behaviors, as well as negative outcome no matter how hard I tried.
There is a Chinese saying, whoever deserves sympathy must have some condemnable character. We all have different character flaws, which lead us to suffering. I myself used to be obsessed, angry and greedy, which hurt many people and shaped my fate.
My friend Warren handed me the book Changing Destiny (PDF), and the book changed my view point towards life and myself. Mr Yuan Liao Fan. Mr Yuan, a prominent high-ranking officer and administrator, born during the Ming dynasty in the 16th century, in Jiang-Su Province, China, went through the same experience as I did. He elaborated his experience in Liao-Fan's Four Lessons - Change Destiny. These lessons were originally written for his sons, to whom he related that through cultivation and practice of virtuous deeds, he had changed his own destiny. The principals of this book is illustrated in short video series Liao Fan (youtube video) and Liao Fan's Four Lessons (PDF) .
I still couldn't sense the change in my character after reading the book, although agree with all the points in the book. However, I started monthly donations to charities and templates for printing sutra. Later on I changed myself through reciting sutra - a core pure land Buddhism practice. Through cultivating good virtues and practicing good deeds, I turned my fate for better. Everybody has a different path in changing destiny, and everybody can do it although requires resolution.
First, Accept Suffering as Retribution for Previous Wrong Thoughts and Wrong Deeds. We need to accept our living condition before cultivating Change. I accepted my hardship, after my friend Warren convinced me of the existence of fate.
Consider one of the major obstacles in life - Poverty. Poverty is retribution for past stinginess and greed. Wealthy people are benefiting from their cultivation of wealth from the past, however, if they stop cultivating wealth through continuous giving, there can be one point they magically lose all the money. We receive what we give, if we failed to give wealthy, we have to accept the fact of poverty - blame nobody but ourselves for suffering
Secondly, Reduce Bad Karma Through Repenting. Sometimes we may not understand what did we do wrong, but as long as we understand suffering is always caused by our own fault, we can still repent. We don't know everything about ourselves, we don't know what happened in our past lives, and are forgetful about this life as well.
I start to remember that in my childhood, my brother and I used to catch dragon flies and other insects and kill them just for fun, and now I feel so scary about it. For that I am sure there is a passive impact on our lives, however it is hard to identify the suffering caused by killing dragon flies. But when I experience suffering, I repent for all the known and unknown bad thoughts and bad deeds. Repent is like cleaning up the poison our heart holds, so that a healthy change is possible.
Thirdly, Cultivate Virtue and Good Deeds to Change Destiny. Wealth is cultivated from generosity. If you think you are poor, gives money to others living in even worse condition, and you will grow wealthier over time. We can always find people wealthier than us, and people poorer than us. There are homeless people living on the street, or malfunctioned African kids, that you can help out.
The impermanence of our lives is reincarnation. Reincarnation happens at every moment, not just after life. We never step into the same river again, because both our external environment and ourselves are constantly changing, and changes can be a good thing if we understand how changes occur. Our present virtues and weaknesses determine both our next lives, and tomorrow.
Do you wonder what is your fate? Knowing your fate is not as important as you think, as long as you believe there is a fate which was made by your own past, and you can change your future for better by changing your present thoughts!
It a loop. If everything goes well for you, you are happy, and if you are happy, everything goes well for you - a positive loop, a chicken and egg dilemma. However, if you are in a miserable loop, how to make yourself feel happy? You need to learn to maintain the happy mindset independent of your external experiences, since your experiences follow your mindset.
I Changed My Destiny, How Did I Make It? In Do I have a destiny , I mentioned I used to encounter hardships with career and relationships before I started practicing Buddhism. I was smart and hard working, however I felt I was simply short of the touch of luck. I was asking myself what's wrong with me, why I was simply short of luck? Now I realized I was in a negative loop, and negative emotions lead to negative behaviors, as well as negative outcome no matter how hard I tried.
There is a Chinese saying, whoever deserves sympathy must have some condemnable character. We all have different character flaws, which lead us to suffering. I myself used to be obsessed, angry and greedy, which hurt many people and shaped my fate.
My friend Warren handed me the book Changing Destiny (PDF), and the book changed my view point towards life and myself. Mr Yuan Liao Fan. Mr Yuan, a prominent high-ranking officer and administrator, born during the Ming dynasty in the 16th century, in Jiang-Su Province, China, went through the same experience as I did. He elaborated his experience in Liao-Fan's Four Lessons - Change Destiny. These lessons were originally written for his sons, to whom he related that through cultivation and practice of virtuous deeds, he had changed his own destiny. The principals of this book is illustrated in short video series Liao Fan (youtube video) and Liao Fan's Four Lessons (PDF) .
I still couldn't sense the change in my character after reading the book, although agree with all the points in the book. However, I started monthly donations to charities and templates for printing sutra. Later on I changed myself through reciting sutra - a core pure land Buddhism practice. Through cultivating good virtues and practicing good deeds, I turned my fate for better. Everybody has a different path in changing destiny, and everybody can do it although requires resolution.
First, Accept Suffering as Retribution for Previous Wrong Thoughts and Wrong Deeds. We need to accept our living condition before cultivating Change. I accepted my hardship, after my friend Warren convinced me of the existence of fate.
Consider one of the major obstacles in life - Poverty. Poverty is retribution for past stinginess and greed. Wealthy people are benefiting from their cultivation of wealth from the past, however, if they stop cultivating wealth through continuous giving, there can be one point they magically lose all the money. We receive what we give, if we failed to give wealthy, we have to accept the fact of poverty - blame nobody but ourselves for suffering
Secondly, Reduce Bad Karma Through Repenting. Sometimes we may not understand what did we do wrong, but as long as we understand suffering is always caused by our own fault, we can still repent. We don't know everything about ourselves, we don't know what happened in our past lives, and are forgetful about this life as well.
I start to remember that in my childhood, my brother and I used to catch dragon flies and other insects and kill them just for fun, and now I feel so scary about it. For that I am sure there is a passive impact on our lives, however it is hard to identify the suffering caused by killing dragon flies. But when I experience suffering, I repent for all the known and unknown bad thoughts and bad deeds. Repent is like cleaning up the poison our heart holds, so that a healthy change is possible.
Thirdly, Cultivate Virtue and Good Deeds to Change Destiny. Wealth is cultivated from generosity. If you think you are poor, gives money to others living in even worse condition, and you will grow wealthier over time. We can always find people wealthier than us, and people poorer than us. There are homeless people living on the street, or malfunctioned African kids, that you can help out.
The impermanence of our lives is reincarnation. Reincarnation happens at every moment, not just after life. We never step into the same river again, because both our external environment and ourselves are constantly changing, and changes can be a good thing if we understand how changes occur. Our present virtues and weaknesses determine both our next lives, and tomorrow.
Do you wonder what is your fate? Knowing your fate is not as important as you think, as long as you believe there is a fate which was made by your own past, and you can change your future for better by changing your present thoughts!
Do I have a destiny
You have a destiny, even if you are not aware of it. Our lives are just like the falling leaves in the wind; if we know the exact wind condition, we know the shape and weight distribution of the leaves, we can predict the exact falling course of the leaves, through classic physics calculation. Similarly, your destiny is the result of predetermined forces, just like the wind which carries the leaves. However, your destiny can be changed, if you become aware of your consciousness as explained in Who Am I , and turn on your internal drive.
Have you tried been intrigued by palm readers, fortune tellers or others claiming to read the future? The fortune tellers may not be able to accurately predict your destiny, but that doesn't mean you don't have a destiny. After all reading the future is not an easy task - even predicting the course of falling leaves takes quite some effort. However, not believing in fate doesn't protect you against your fate, just like the leaves' ignorance of physics doesn't prevent them from falling to the ground.
Believing In Fate Allows You to Change Your Destiny. I started to believe in fate a couple years ago, when I encountered a lot of difficulties with my career and relationships and started to wonder why I simply didn't have luck? I was smart, hard working, but was lacking the touch of luck in life.
It seems all by chance that I stumbled into Warren, a Chinese Feng Shui Master and fortune teller, who offered me a reading by my birth time. He introduced me to Buddhism and set me on a path (though I was unaware at the time), that profoundly changed my destiny.
Even a rare fortune teller may predict some of your fate, nobody can change your fate but yourself.
As explained in Who am I , being connected to your consciousness is critical for affecting your fate.
If you have never been aware of your consciousness, your life so far resembles the falling leaves, carried by the wind on autopilot without a driver.
Why Everybody Has a Different Fate? The autopilot driving our fate is the forces in the universe. Your consciousness carries energy history accumulated from your past, in Buddhism terms this energy history carried from the past is called Karma, which determines your fate. Starting from the point you were born, up to this moment, you are adding to your Karma with every single thought and action.
Control your mind to change your Destiny. Positive thoughts add positive energy to your Karma, and vice versa. Since your brain has been programed by your past and present experiences, you have been following your fate. However, you can change your destiny by start using your consciousness, filling your mind with positive thoughts.
Changing destiny is as simple as changing your thoughts, but doing is more difficult than saying. If you want to control your own fate by changing your thoughts, proceed to How to change destiny? to learn to drive your own destiny!
Have you tried been intrigued by palm readers, fortune tellers or others claiming to read the future? The fortune tellers may not be able to accurately predict your destiny, but that doesn't mean you don't have a destiny. After all reading the future is not an easy task - even predicting the course of falling leaves takes quite some effort. However, not believing in fate doesn't protect you against your fate, just like the leaves' ignorance of physics doesn't prevent them from falling to the ground.
Believing In Fate Allows You to Change Your Destiny. I started to believe in fate a couple years ago, when I encountered a lot of difficulties with my career and relationships and started to wonder why I simply didn't have luck? I was smart, hard working, but was lacking the touch of luck in life.
It seems all by chance that I stumbled into Warren, a Chinese Feng Shui Master and fortune teller, who offered me a reading by my birth time. He introduced me to Buddhism and set me on a path (though I was unaware at the time), that profoundly changed my destiny.
Even a rare fortune teller may predict some of your fate, nobody can change your fate but yourself.
As explained in Who am I , being connected to your consciousness is critical for affecting your fate.
If you have never been aware of your consciousness, your life so far resembles the falling leaves, carried by the wind on autopilot without a driver.
Why Everybody Has a Different Fate? The autopilot driving our fate is the forces in the universe. Your consciousness carries energy history accumulated from your past, in Buddhism terms this energy history carried from the past is called Karma, which determines your fate. Starting from the point you were born, up to this moment, you are adding to your Karma with every single thought and action.
Control your mind to change your Destiny. Positive thoughts add positive energy to your Karma, and vice versa. Since your brain has been programed by your past and present experiences, you have been following your fate. However, you can change your destiny by start using your consciousness, filling your mind with positive thoughts.
Changing destiny is as simple as changing your thoughts, but doing is more difficult than saying. If you want to control your own fate by changing your thoughts, proceed to How to change destiny? to learn to drive your own destiny!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
求财与求福
想发财的人有福了，我的风水师父 Warren发现了安土地真言咒 是聚财的咒语。这是很正规的咒语，好像不必担心副作用。虽说衣食无忧，念念也无妨，有钱多了花不完就捐出去呗。个人生活以简单为好，吃饱穿暖就是福。我一直在修地藏菩萨本愿经，可是大家都知道，这部经大多是为今生免灾和避免死后下地狱落畜生道的，去业障最好，可是不好随时随地念，除非您能背下来。那走路时散念阿弥陀佛也可以，公用不同哦，全是上西天的资粮。安土地真言较短，可以随时随地念，而且念满百万遍，可以证如来心性，还可以去病聚财，何乐不为！我今天就开始修这个咒。可是注意，多的钱一定要拿出来服务社会或宣言佛法，不能自留太多。来的容易去的容易！
学佛以来，生活越来越简单化。好久不买新衣服了，是没有哪个心情了，有时间清净清净多好，非在闹市里撞。吃的很多是素，都买WHOLEFOODS，却比以前花费差不多，因为少吃肉了。 其它的，有什么花费，就是车和房。是随老公的意了，他的生活标准总比我多少高点。随缘怎样也好，穷过富过都是福，随遇而安，其乐融融。
二零零一 四月十三
我没有修这个咒，因为我念起来不如念阿弥陀佛的感应轻灵。机缘不到，还是念阿弥陀佛了。
===================================================
有朋友知道我在学佛，佛门里有很多咒，可以做不同的事，问我求财的咒。是有的，我是没有修了，也不知道具体规矩。可是其实世上最重要的是钱买不到的。
什么用钱买不到？健康，平安，安全感，幸福。正直2012大灾难的预言，我们现在还不看破，是不好有机会了。如果灾难来临，富人穷人一样。学佛不能学到自在往生也一样受劫，只不过去的地方比自己不学佛去的要好。没有灾难，就说幸福，我都学佛这么久了，还是感到幸福真难。虽然知道只要念经，心情就会快乐，以前各种的不快乐，还是会有时常的袭上心头。只是有自知了，会很快改变心态。改变自己太难了。改变自己就是改变自己的轮回。
人生轮回，实质是快乐不稳定，没有什么是可以预期的。活的时候快乐不知是否持久，死后自然更不能自主去哪里。人生就是随命轮转，活的时候活的也是轮回，不是说要死后才轮回的。很多人有时感受到失落，重的是DEPRESSION，怎会没有？生不由身，死不由己，明摆着的事实。
其实感受人生的无常还是需要智慧和福报的。动物不会有这种感受，智慧不到。感受到无常，又是痛苦的事。重要的是看到为什么无常，看到我的虚空。我的前一篇博客提到了无我，每个人都可以看到，这个实实在在的通常意义的我是不存在的，我就是这个世界。我们出生之前是没有这个我们以为是我的我的，我们死后也没有这个我。我是父母爱情的产物，我是父母的教育的产物，我是外界的所有影响的产物。如果我们真想自己的生命有意义，就要在世界上做些事，不只是为这个我，而是为这个世界，无我的世界，这样才真有意义。如果我们一定以为有我，一定要在这虚空的我的譬如朝露的生命里找到意义，才会有很多痛苦，才是真的不唯物。冷冷清清寻寻觅觅，到终还是随轮回命转。
当然从佛教的意义上，有一个我们没有意识到的我，就是那个轮回的我。从无我还有无境界的更高一层，连世界都是虚空的，因为世界只是每个人意识的幻化。我的意识只是宇宙意识的一部分。对于这一层，我只是从道理上悟到，真正有修行的人是可以切切实实的感受到的。没有修到感受到，还是会身不由己。
有人说如果大家都做和尚，就没有这个世界了，那太好了，没有肉身就没有必要受苦，都在西方极乐世界莲花受生。地球一时半会还没不了，可是有一天是会消失的。凡事都有生灭。我们立志改变世界，实质是先改变自己的心，再影响家人,朋友和世人一起改变。
学佛以来，生活越来越简单化。好久不买新衣服了，是没有哪个心情了，有时间清净清净多好，非在闹市里撞。吃的很多是素，都买WHOLEFOODS，却比以前花费差不多，因为少吃肉了。 其它的，有什么花费，就是车和房。是随老公的意了，他的生活标准总比我多少高点。随缘怎样也好，穷过富过都是福，随遇而安，其乐融融。
二零零一 四月十三
我没有修这个咒，因为我念起来不如念阿弥陀佛的感应轻灵。机缘不到，还是念阿弥陀佛了。
===================================================
有朋友知道我在学佛，佛门里有很多咒，可以做不同的事，问我求财的咒。是有的，我是没有修了，也不知道具体规矩。可是其实世上最重要的是钱买不到的。
什么用钱买不到？健康，平安，安全感，幸福。正直2012大灾难的预言，我们现在还不看破，是不好有机会了。如果灾难来临，富人穷人一样。学佛不能学到自在往生也一样受劫，只不过去的地方比自己不学佛去的要好。没有灾难，就说幸福，我都学佛这么久了，还是感到幸福真难。虽然知道只要念经，心情就会快乐，以前各种的不快乐，还是会有时常的袭上心头。只是有自知了，会很快改变心态。改变自己太难了。改变自己就是改变自己的轮回。
人生轮回，实质是快乐不稳定，没有什么是可以预期的。活的时候快乐不知是否持久，死后自然更不能自主去哪里。人生就是随命轮转，活的时候活的也是轮回，不是说要死后才轮回的。很多人有时感受到失落，重的是DEPRESSION，怎会没有？生不由身，死不由己，明摆着的事实。
其实感受人生的无常还是需要智慧和福报的。动物不会有这种感受，智慧不到。感受到无常，又是痛苦的事。重要的是看到为什么无常，看到我的虚空。我的前一篇博客提到了无我，每个人都可以看到，这个实实在在的通常意义的我是不存在的，我就是这个世界。我们出生之前是没有这个我们以为是我的我的，我们死后也没有这个我。我是父母爱情的产物，我是父母的教育的产物，我是外界的所有影响的产物。如果我们真想自己的生命有意义，就要在世界上做些事，不只是为这个我，而是为这个世界，无我的世界，这样才真有意义。如果我们一定以为有我，一定要在这虚空的我的譬如朝露的生命里找到意义，才会有很多痛苦，才是真的不唯物。冷冷清清寻寻觅觅，到终还是随轮回命转。
当然从佛教的意义上，有一个我们没有意识到的我，就是那个轮回的我。从无我还有无境界的更高一层，连世界都是虚空的，因为世界只是每个人意识的幻化。我的意识只是宇宙意识的一部分。对于这一层，我只是从道理上悟到，真正有修行的人是可以切切实实的感受到的。没有修到感受到，还是会身不由己。
有人说如果大家都做和尚，就没有这个世界了，那太好了，没有肉身就没有必要受苦，都在西方极乐世界莲花受生。地球一时半会还没不了，可是有一天是会消失的。凡事都有生灭。我们立志改变世界，实质是先改变自己的心，再影响家人,朋友和世人一起改变。
Sunday, January 9, 2011
认识自己的办法
外面又下雪，老公没有出门的欲望，我正好在IPAD上看佛学文章。正看到这个非常有效的认识自己，忘掉自己的办法。
为什么要忘掉自己？这个我的概念的存在，是痛苦的根源，是轮回的根源。我们轮回转世，就是忘不了我，我前世的冤仇，我前世的行善要有回报。我要照顾我爱的人。因为这许多我的牵挂，我才会来世间。我思故我在，一点不假。看破无我，我们就当下解脱。
那要想无我，我们首先要找到自我。我们以为我们知道谁是我，其实没有那么简单。先把最外面的幌子去了，您有好的职业，手下管人，下属叫你老板，那如果你失业，你是谁？你有老婆老公孩子，如果孩子长大离开你，老婆老公不在身边，你是谁？你有钱，还要把钱倒来倒去，如果你把钱捐出去，你是谁？我们现在都能看到，钱财，工作，家人都是身外之物，那好，我们的身体和念头是我。那做了器官移植手术的话，还是同一个我吗？那好，现在只剩下我们的念头是我了。我们所念的是什么呢？今天念股市涨跌，明天念脸上生了个青春痘，那如果没有股市大跌的新闻，脸上又都平平的，什么是我呢？很多人在这时会觉得无聊寂寞，没事找事。如果你找到了我，在外境烟消云散时，会感觉自得其乐的，比休假期旅游还清闲。
我们心里的念头其实是外境的影子，不是我。喜怒哀乐都是外界在我们这个明镜心上投的影子。说是明镜心是打个比喻，我们一般人的心都没有明镜那么平的。本来没有人让我们不快乐，股市涨跌，只是一个事实，脸上有青春痘，也只是一个事实，没有好坏可言。我们的心反应出这些事实，却反应歪了，非要加上好或不好的感情，就情随境迁，丢掉了那个没有外境之前的自己。如果我们的心是平的，就只反射出真实的外境的影像。因为不平，所以影象就七扭八歪，这就是我们的思绪。把所有的外境影响都去掉，我们什么都不想，就会发现有一个可以知道我什么都不想的，那是我们的意根。意根是没有烦恼的，可是会产生所有的烦恼和念头。如果你感受到了意根，那是找到了我。
问：你在想什么？你感觉怎样？
答：我在想钱，我感觉痛苦。
问：关注那个知道你在想钱的你，痛苦吗？
如果能关照到，你就找到自己的意根啦！你的意根是没有痛苦的，可是产生痛苦！如果你把它看牢，就没有痛苦了！
那好，你可以练习守住意根了，可以静坐，或者念佛，都是有意根在的。没有痛苦，没有妄想，可是还有我在。意根是清清楚楚的自己呀！如果找不到意根，就要努力去除妄想，找到意根。守住意根，关掉妄想，就没有痛苦了。可还是有我在，就是那个清清楚楚的安静的我呀。
再把那个意根扔了，就无我了！你要先找到自己，才能扔掉自己的。所以，无我是先找到意根，就是我的最后大本营，然后再扔掉。这样感受无我只是在理上明白，知道我是因缘所聚，没有这个外部世界就没有我，我和世界是一体。道理上明白了，还需要同过禅定念佛，感受到本体，那就是明心见性啦。能修到那个程度，就可以了生死了。所以佛教其实没有什么神秘，都是讲理的，感受的到的。
我试着扔了扔意根，就解决了一个问题。我有个毛病，太神经兮兮，看不了电影里人与人相斗，连陪老公看足球赛，都不敢看。我试着把我扔掉，就可以看JETS和COLTS的最后临门一脚了！又刚陪老公看了我过去怎样也看不进去的电影，是警匪枪战。以前不知为什么，怎样也看不进去，现在能看了！这不是解决了大问题，我以前什么电影都看不了，不敢看那紧张的镜头，哪个大人看的电影没有打杀的镜头？！害的老公整天配我看儿童片。现在都能看了，其实电影是电影，就是那样的，它愿意怎样演都好，别往心里去就是了。人生也是这样吧，就是那样了，没有什么好坏的，有仇的报仇，有怨的报怨，这样想就自在了。别太在意，连看电影都往心里去，有的苦吃。
很有好处的意志训练。有意根的清净也很好，没有意根的也很好，都比陷在痛苦妄想里好。陷在妄想里，总是求不可得，是苦苦的味道。或者得而无味，乐而心空，是空虚的感觉。或者是无所作为，一无所求，是干干的感觉。陷在这些味道里，是久居其中，不觉其苦的。我们是迷失了自性，心总向不可得的外境找寻，找来找去还是找不到。要找快乐，要向内寻。寻找到意根，清凉如水的感觉，然后在清净上，知人生冷暖。人生像电影，过去了就没了，别往心里去。 守住意根，是清清凉凉的。意根的我都不要，感觉上好像更轻快，更包容。轻快总是更好的。
阿弥陀佛！
为什么要忘掉自己？这个我的概念的存在，是痛苦的根源，是轮回的根源。我们轮回转世，就是忘不了我，我前世的冤仇，我前世的行善要有回报。我要照顾我爱的人。因为这许多我的牵挂，我才会来世间。我思故我在，一点不假。看破无我，我们就当下解脱。
那要想无我，我们首先要找到自我。我们以为我们知道谁是我，其实没有那么简单。先把最外面的幌子去了，您有好的职业，手下管人，下属叫你老板，那如果你失业，你是谁？你有老婆老公孩子，如果孩子长大离开你，老婆老公不在身边，你是谁？你有钱，还要把钱倒来倒去，如果你把钱捐出去，你是谁？我们现在都能看到，钱财，工作，家人都是身外之物，那好，我们的身体和念头是我。那做了器官移植手术的话，还是同一个我吗？那好，现在只剩下我们的念头是我了。我们所念的是什么呢？今天念股市涨跌，明天念脸上生了个青春痘，那如果没有股市大跌的新闻，脸上又都平平的，什么是我呢？很多人在这时会觉得无聊寂寞，没事找事。如果你找到了我，在外境烟消云散时，会感觉自得其乐的，比休假期旅游还清闲。
我们心里的念头其实是外境的影子，不是我。喜怒哀乐都是外界在我们这个明镜心上投的影子。说是明镜心是打个比喻，我们一般人的心都没有明镜那么平的。本来没有人让我们不快乐，股市涨跌，只是一个事实，脸上有青春痘，也只是一个事实，没有好坏可言。我们的心反应出这些事实，却反应歪了，非要加上好或不好的感情，就情随境迁，丢掉了那个没有外境之前的自己。如果我们的心是平的，就只反射出真实的外境的影像。因为不平，所以影象就七扭八歪，这就是我们的思绪。把所有的外境影响都去掉，我们什么都不想，就会发现有一个可以知道我什么都不想的，那是我们的意根。意根是没有烦恼的，可是会产生所有的烦恼和念头。如果你感受到了意根，那是找到了我。
问：你在想什么？你感觉怎样？
答：我在想钱，我感觉痛苦。
问：关注那个知道你在想钱的你，痛苦吗？
如果能关照到，你就找到自己的意根啦！你的意根是没有痛苦的，可是产生痛苦！如果你把它看牢，就没有痛苦了！
那好，你可以练习守住意根了，可以静坐，或者念佛，都是有意根在的。没有痛苦，没有妄想，可是还有我在。意根是清清楚楚的自己呀！如果找不到意根，就要努力去除妄想，找到意根。守住意根，关掉妄想，就没有痛苦了。可还是有我在，就是那个清清楚楚的安静的我呀。
再把那个意根扔了，就无我了！你要先找到自己，才能扔掉自己的。所以，无我是先找到意根，就是我的最后大本营，然后再扔掉。这样感受无我只是在理上明白，知道我是因缘所聚，没有这个外部世界就没有我，我和世界是一体。道理上明白了，还需要同过禅定念佛，感受到本体，那就是明心见性啦。能修到那个程度，就可以了生死了。所以佛教其实没有什么神秘，都是讲理的，感受的到的。
我试着扔了扔意根，就解决了一个问题。我有个毛病，太神经兮兮，看不了电影里人与人相斗，连陪老公看足球赛，都不敢看。我试着把我扔掉，就可以看JETS和COLTS的最后临门一脚了！又刚陪老公看了我过去怎样也看不进去的电影，是警匪枪战。以前不知为什么，怎样也看不进去，现在能看了！这不是解决了大问题，我以前什么电影都看不了，不敢看那紧张的镜头，哪个大人看的电影没有打杀的镜头？！害的老公整天配我看儿童片。现在都能看了，其实电影是电影，就是那样的，它愿意怎样演都好，别往心里去就是了。人生也是这样吧，就是那样了，没有什么好坏的，有仇的报仇，有怨的报怨，这样想就自在了。别太在意，连看电影都往心里去，有的苦吃。
很有好处的意志训练。有意根的清净也很好，没有意根的也很好，都比陷在痛苦妄想里好。陷在妄想里，总是求不可得，是苦苦的味道。或者得而无味，乐而心空，是空虚的感觉。或者是无所作为，一无所求，是干干的感觉。陷在这些味道里，是久居其中，不觉其苦的。我们是迷失了自性，心总向不可得的外境找寻，找来找去还是找不到。要找快乐，要向内寻。寻找到意根，清凉如水的感觉，然后在清净上，知人生冷暖。人生像电影，过去了就没了，别往心里去。 守住意根，是清清凉凉的。意根的我都不要，感觉上好像更轻快，更包容。轻快总是更好的。
阿弥陀佛！
Sunday, January 2, 2011
禅净二永日心得
去年十二月二十七，二十八两日，纽约连降大雪，我正好是在法拉盛寺院里禅经双修。两天静修结束，走出寺门时，感觉心情一尘不染，正如万里无云的清净天。
这两天是做什么呢？是断掉一切外境的干扰，不能打和接听任何电话。不能看报纸。同修之间不能说话。断除和外界的一切关系。如果我们没有家庭，没有朋友，没有工作，没有一切每日魂牵梦系的种种，是以怎样的状态存在的？我们习惯了以外境来给自己贴标签，那如果把所有外界的标签去掉，我是谁？
佛教里并不认为我们有原罪，而是认为我们的所作所为所想都是遭业，善念造善业，恶念造恶业。现在的生活，是自己过去的造业的接果。过去造善业多，现在果报先前，就是享福。造恶业多，果报现前，就是受苦。如果想了断生死就要停止造业，停止胡思乱想，又名颠倒妄想。人生如梦幻泡影，要想梦醒就要停止颠倒妄想。就像电影Vanilla Sky或者Inception,不同的是在电影里，要牺牲梦里的生命才能梦醒。我们呢？要珍惜肉身停止颠倒妄想，才有梦醒的希望。那什么是颠倒妄想？一切想，除了佛念，皆为颠倒妄想。
那如何知道我们是在梦中呢？我知道我是在梦中，是从很多现象推理出来的。我知道我的一生命运，如果明天发生什么是订好的，人生大概不是梦就是电影。我知道回想过去是怎样的感觉，犹如黄粱一梦，一切都在变化中。我明白世上的实在的东西，都是人的思维幻化出来的，没有意识在先，事物也不会存在。俗话说孩子是父母爱情的结晶，我们每个人也是由情幻化而来的。爱不深不生娑婆，我们来在地球上也是因为我们爱念太重。爱其实是占有欲。所以不管基督教还是佛教，都换一个词表达宗教的爱。佛讲慈悲，基督教是MERCY。我们如果只是想占有和控制和我们在一起的人，会受很多苦。
人世是苦多乐少，乐不能永驻，所愿不达，虎头蛇尾，辛苦一生，什么也带不走，所以很可怜悯。我们不能看破红尘，非要抓，至少不能抓那实实在在的东西，因为东西是幻化而来，而是要抓那东西来的原因。比如，要抓婚姻幸福，不能约束对方一定爱自己或重视自己，而是要增益两个人的缘分，不能等缘尽了再后悔。我们都喜欢结婚，发誓海枯石烂不变心，以为这样可以有保障，其实世上没有任何事是有保障的。连那个发誓的都是虚幻。又比如，女孩都喜欢漂亮，各种化妆品用尽，要抓漂亮的容颜。其实，相由心生，如果心里整天快快乐乐，相貌自会悦人心目。我们若想远离这无常的人生，也要从心念下手，断掉带我们下生人间的颠倒妄想。有人觉得人生太痛苦，自残性命，那只会落更悲惨的处境。有人喜欢人间，不必念阿弥陀佛，要念地藏菩萨，再发愿留在人间，可以不堕三恶道，在人天往返。可是留在人天，还是难免有堕落的时候。
在佛教讲，我们是自性圆满的，可是因为染著了习气，丢失了自己。修行只是找回自己。无想是很难的，净宗善巧方便，教我们将妄想转为佛念。所以我在庙里两天所有的功课，都是念佛。大概是和闭关一个概念，只不过这比较短，要求较宽松。那两天的收获太多了，可万法规其一，就是清除杂念，时时刻刻，一直念佛。两天来，发现静坐真的是比睡觉还休息大脑，一定要从此坚持。还有，是发现了自己有时可以有觉，就是观望自己在想什么。再就是时时刻刻都可以念佛。师父领进门，修行在个人，一定要在日常生活中，时时体验。
这两天是做什么呢？是断掉一切外境的干扰，不能打和接听任何电话。不能看报纸。同修之间不能说话。断除和外界的一切关系。如果我们没有家庭，没有朋友，没有工作，没有一切每日魂牵梦系的种种，是以怎样的状态存在的？我们习惯了以外境来给自己贴标签，那如果把所有外界的标签去掉，我是谁？
佛教里并不认为我们有原罪，而是认为我们的所作所为所想都是遭业，善念造善业，恶念造恶业。现在的生活，是自己过去的造业的接果。过去造善业多，现在果报先前，就是享福。造恶业多，果报现前，就是受苦。如果想了断生死就要停止造业，停止胡思乱想，又名颠倒妄想。人生如梦幻泡影，要想梦醒就要停止颠倒妄想。就像电影Vanilla Sky或者Inception,不同的是在电影里，要牺牲梦里的生命才能梦醒。我们呢？要珍惜肉身停止颠倒妄想，才有梦醒的希望。那什么是颠倒妄想？一切想，除了佛念，皆为颠倒妄想。
那如何知道我们是在梦中呢？我知道我是在梦中，是从很多现象推理出来的。我知道我的一生命运，如果明天发生什么是订好的，人生大概不是梦就是电影。我知道回想过去是怎样的感觉，犹如黄粱一梦，一切都在变化中。我明白世上的实在的东西，都是人的思维幻化出来的，没有意识在先，事物也不会存在。俗话说孩子是父母爱情的结晶，我们每个人也是由情幻化而来的。爱不深不生娑婆，我们来在地球上也是因为我们爱念太重。爱其实是占有欲。所以不管基督教还是佛教，都换一个词表达宗教的爱。佛讲慈悲，基督教是MERCY。我们如果只是想占有和控制和我们在一起的人，会受很多苦。
人世是苦多乐少，乐不能永驻，所愿不达，虎头蛇尾，辛苦一生，什么也带不走，所以很可怜悯。我们不能看破红尘，非要抓，至少不能抓那实实在在的东西，因为东西是幻化而来，而是要抓那东西来的原因。比如，要抓婚姻幸福，不能约束对方一定爱自己或重视自己，而是要增益两个人的缘分，不能等缘尽了再后悔。我们都喜欢结婚，发誓海枯石烂不变心，以为这样可以有保障，其实世上没有任何事是有保障的。连那个发誓的都是虚幻。又比如，女孩都喜欢漂亮，各种化妆品用尽，要抓漂亮的容颜。其实，相由心生，如果心里整天快快乐乐，相貌自会悦人心目。我们若想远离这无常的人生，也要从心念下手，断掉带我们下生人间的颠倒妄想。有人觉得人生太痛苦，自残性命，那只会落更悲惨的处境。有人喜欢人间，不必念阿弥陀佛，要念地藏菩萨，再发愿留在人间，可以不堕三恶道，在人天往返。可是留在人天，还是难免有堕落的时候。
在佛教讲，我们是自性圆满的，可是因为染著了习气，丢失了自己。修行只是找回自己。无想是很难的，净宗善巧方便，教我们将妄想转为佛念。所以我在庙里两天所有的功课，都是念佛。大概是和闭关一个概念，只不过这比较短，要求较宽松。那两天的收获太多了，可万法规其一，就是清除杂念，时时刻刻，一直念佛。两天来，发现静坐真的是比睡觉还休息大脑，一定要从此坚持。还有，是发现了自己有时可以有觉，就是观望自己在想什么。再就是时时刻刻都可以念佛。师父领进门，修行在个人，一定要在日常生活中，时时体验。
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