I'm very happy with my new book purchase at Orchard Road today by Jet Li LianJie, Beyond Life and Death, Jet Li looking for Jet Li. Jet Li is a Chinese-born Singaporean who is successful actor, former 5-time Wushu champion. I hope there is a book signing event in Singapore. Even though this book is in traditional Chinese and has to be read from right to left instead of the usual left to right and Simplified Chinese, I decided to buy as I wanted to read immediately and the bookstore staff are not sure when the Simplified Chinese version will arrive in Singapore. Anyway, I can recognise the traditional Chinese characters which have more strokes.
In this book, Jet Li shared his quest for the truth and happiness. Like him, we have affinity with Buddha's teaching (佛缘). We find Buddha's teaching helpful in solving personal problems and clarifying many questions I had. I really enjoy listening and reading the dhamma. Why are some people so talented in certain field? In education, we talk about prior knowledge. Perhaps their consciousness still retain prior knowledge they acquired in their past lives. Our bodies are like hardware like mobile phone and it will break down and our consciousness are like the software or data that retain contents like knowledge and karma of previous hardware. It reminds me of the Heart Sutra verse, no birth no death, just transformation in states
Shakyamuni Buddha was born a prince with great wealth and power but he realised power and wealth can't end universal suffering of aging, sickness and death. He spent 7 years searching for the truth and end to suffering and he found it-the Noble Eightfold Path ( Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration) to end suffering and he spent 49 years teaching people using differentiated teaching to people of various abilities from the poor to the royalty. Buddha taught people not to believe him or supposedly by him but to investigate and find out if it relate to your experience. He only taught and shared his discovery on how to end suffering and anyone can also achieve if they practise what he shared.
Jet Li pondered why his billionaire friends are still so upset despite their wealth? No matter how rich a person is, he or she can't escape death. You only own the wealth temporarily. Poor and rich people still have worries and suffering. Poor people worry about 3 to 4 figures and the rich people worry about millions or billions of dollars. A rich person still strive to earn more and this 'greed' or insecurity make them even want more which lead to more craving and greed. There is also 无常 or impermanence as there is always change. Day by day, we change with age. Understanding this, I appreciate this moment. I'm currently younger than the next moment.
I know I have to go beyond the book knowledge. For now I meditate at home. I have to go for meditation retreat at a temple hopefully by next year.
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