Running on Karma (一念天堂，一念地獄)

Sometimes people wonder why evildoer escapes from their evil deeds and go unpunished in this lifetime and why good people suffer. Sometimes karma manifests in this lifetime, sometimes karma will just happen in next life or the next next life.  Just like seed, some fruit takes few months to ripen and some seeds take years to ripen.The movie Running on Karma is a film on Buddhist concept about Karma. Karma is simply cause and effect. 

This is the reason why the compassionate Shakyamuni Buddha spent 49 years of his life teaching people to avoid evil by following the Noble Eightfold paths: Right Speech, Right Action, Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. 

The protagonist is a Buddhist monk who acquired supernatural power of seeing a person's past life 天眼通 when he meditated for several days after his friend passed away. He could see what will happen to the person due to the person past life as he could see changing images on a person's face.  He gave up monkhood and went to work as a stripper after he realised he could not stop what will happen. He helped the police woman escaped death twice or thrice but later realised that it was the police woman who saved herself by her kindness. However in the end, the police woman who was a Japanese soldier in her past life who killed many people was killed in the forest as she wanted to help the monk. 

In another scene, the monk stopped an angry police sergeant who was beating the murderer by saying to him, "One thought Heaven, One thought Hell"(一念天堂，一念地獄). I recalled in a Dharma talk by Venerable Chao Khun Keng who shared that our mind is very powerful and we needs to be  aware of it. Therefore, we always have to be mindful of our thoughts as our actions are driven by our thoughts 一念之间，但下种的因。

Recently, I read a book Miracles Happen by Dr Brian Weiss. He shared a case of a lady who can see a person's past life when she 'see' people's faces change, and sometimes entire scene play out around them. What she saw is similar to what the monk in the movie see. Maybe, some people are born with the gift of spiritual eyes who can see other people's past lives while others who through meditation, acquire psychic eye. 

Dr Brian Weiss's sharing has further provided evidence that Buddha's teaching that there is reincarnation and how your action in past life will affect your present life and how your present life will affect your future life. Therefore we have to be mindful and observe the Noble Eightfold path which includes Right Thought and right action. 

Running on Karma 

This excerpt is from the book Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing Power of Past-Life Memories by Dr Brian Weiss.

How prajna-wisdom helps us in our daily life

Sometimes when I face unhappy situation, I applied Buddha's teaching to let go of anger. Everything is temporary. There is no point in holding on to anger. Just let go and you feel at peace. 

Spiritual practice lies in applying the Dharma in every minute and aspect of our daily life.

Inspiring Books by Haemin Sunim

Recently I came across these two beautiful books at Times bookshop. I brought these two books by a Korean Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim. I like that these two books are filled with inspiring Buddha's teaching with beautiful illustrations. 

I would like to share some inspiring quotes by Haemin Sunim from the book, The Things You Can See When You Slow Down.

How can you tell if someone is truly enlightened?

Shower him with both praise and criticism. 

If he shows signs of being susceptible to either,

then it means he has forgotten his enlightened nature. 

Life is like a theatre. You are assigned a role. If you don't like the role, keep in mind that you have the power to re-create the role you want. 

Stop worrying about what others think and just do what your heart wishes. Do not crowd your mind with 'what ifs". Uncomplicate your life and own up to your desires. Only when you are happy can you help to make the world a happier place.

Live your life not to satisfy others, but to fulfil what your heart desires. 

 

Cultivate Your Mind- Meditation

Ajahn Keng is now in Australia leading the tutong where they are walking from Melbourne Geelong to Sydney. Do good and avoid evil. 

You can watch the full dharma talk here.

Surangama Sutra 2

This is the second post on Surangama sutra. I find this sutra really informative. Buddha explained and corrected Ananda's wrong views. Buddha also taught about individual and collective karma, the origin of living beings and the world and six planes of existence. 

This 2h movie on Surangama Sutra specifically on how Buddha correcting Ananda's wrong view. The following interaction between the Buddha and Ananda (Buddha's cousin) starts from about 1h 35 min.

You can find many sutras in this website buddhanet here. You can donate to support them too. 

You can read Surangama sutra from here. 

Thus I have heard

The Buddha asked:“Great King, as you just said, you were older at twenty than at ten, and until you were sixty, as days, months and years succeeded one another, your (body) changed in every moment of thought. When you saw the Ganges at three, was its water (the same as it was) when you were thirteen?”

The king replied:“It was the same when I was three and thirteen, and still is now that I am sixty-two.”

The Buddha said:“As you now notice your white hair and wrinkled face, there must be many more wrinkles than when you were a child. Today when you see the Ganges, do you notice that your seeing is “old”now while it was “young”then?”

The king replied:“It has always been the same, World Honoured One.”

The Buddha said: “Great King, though your face is wrinkled, the nature of this essence of your seeing is not. Therefore, that which is wrinkled changes and that which is free from wrinkles is unchanging. The changing is subject to destruction whereas the unchanging fundamentally is beyond birth and death; how can it be subject to your birth and death? Why do you bring out Maskari Gosaliputra’s  (wrong) teaching on total annihilation at the end of this life?”

Upon hearing this, the king realized that after death, there will be (no annihilation but) life again in other transmigrations. He and the whole assembly were happy and enthusiastic at the Teaching which they had never heard before.

悟 by Andy Lau

This New Shaolin movie theme song lyrics is written by Andy Lau. I find the lyrics really meaningful. 

From https://baike.baidu.com/item/悟/7209721

歌曲：《悟》

演唱：刘德华

作词：刘德华(better music)

作曲：赵钦(better music)

制作：李安修/陈德建

无量心 生福报 无极限

无极限 生息息 爱相连

为何君视而不见 规矩定方圆

悟性 悟觉 悟空 心甘情愿

放下 颠倒梦想 放下云烟

放下 空欲色 放下悬念

多一物 却添了 太多危险

少一物 贪嗔痴 会少一点

若是缘 再苦味也是甜

若无缘 藏爱 在心田

尘世 藕断还丝连 回首一瞬间

种颗善因 陪你走好每一天

唯有 心无挂碍 成就大愿

唯有 心无故 妙不可言

       算天算地 算尽了 从前

算不出 生死 会在哪一天

勿生恨 点化虚空的眼

勿生怨 欢喜 不遥远

缠绕 欲望的思念 善恶一瞬间

心怀忏悔 陪你走好每一天

再牢的谎言 却逃不过天眼

明日之前 心流离更远

浮云霎那间 障眼 人心渐离间

集苦连连 不断的出现

无量心 生福报 无极限

无极限 生息息 爱相连

凡人却视而不见 规矩定方圆

悟性 悟觉 悟空 心甘情愿

简简单单 陪你走好每一天 [2-3] 

With English subtitles.

Past Life and Karma

Recently I read another inspiring book " Same Soul, Many Bodies" by Dr Brian Weiss, a Jewish American psychiatrist, hypnotherapist and best-selling author who used past-life regression to help his patients. Today I'm going to share about the core messages from "Same Soul, Many Bodies" and "Many Lifes, Many Masters". If you read Dr Brian Weiss books, he gave many examples of rebirths and karma. You can read on my earlier post on Many Lives, Many Masters here.

What is Karma? In Buddhism, Karma refers to intentional action which leads to future consequences and affect the rebirth in the six realms. There are 31 planes of existence. You can read it here. 

In Many Lives Many Masters, page 122, the Master Spirit shared that "Life is endless; so we never die; we were never really born." this this fear of death would dissolve. This reminds me of one of Heart Sutra verses, 不生不灭 or no birth no death. or neither arising nor ceasing. 

The Spirit from the lower level that spoke via Catherine, the patient that Dr Brian Weiss hypnotised said that" We have debts that must be paid. If we have not paid out these debts, then we must take them into another life... in order that they may be worked through. You progress by paying your debts. Some souls progress faster than others. When you are in physical form and you are working through, you are working through a life...If something interrupts your ability.. to pay that debt, you must return to the plane of recollection, and there you must wait until the soul you own the debt to has come to see you." 

We all have debts to pay. For example, husband has to pay debt to wife or vice versa or parents to children. In one Chinese article I read, a monk shaked his head when using his divine eye, he saw that the young man married his late grandmother who was reborn again. Before her death, the grandmother was upset she could not look after the grandson. There is a common saying in Chinese that your daughter was your past life lover. Indeed, Dr Brian Weiss's patient exclaimed that his current daughter was his wife in his past life. This life he has to take care of his daughter for not being a good father is his earlier life. 

In the book, Same Soul, Many Bodies, John a wealthy man was deeply unhappy despite his wealth so he went to see Dr Brian Weiss. During past life regression, he saw that in a previous life, he died in London great fire. He realised that he was slowly burned to death due to cruel actions he did due to an earlier life as a warrior raped the defeated ruler's daughter and set fire to a city filled with people and, bolting the gates closed behind him.

Evelyn another wealthy lady, a Jewish who felt strongly for Israel and hated the Arabs. During regression, she learned that she was a Nazi officer, a member of the SS who shot the Jews who tried to escape. Dr Brian Weiss shared that he discovered that the surest way to be reincarnated into a particular group of people, defined by religion, race, nationality or culture is to hate those people in previous life, to be prejudiced or violent against that group, Her intense pro-Israel stance in this life was a compensation for her anti-Semitism in her previous German life. 

Thought is energy. Regret, anger, pining, depending on the emotion before you pass on, it will decide on the next rebirth. 

This book is a confirmation of what Buddha, the awakened one who taught for more than 49 years more than 2500 years ago on karma and rebirth and the importance of observing the Noble Eightfold paths and precepts. Buddha taught that the action that you done in this lifetime will affect your next rebirth in one of the six realms. 

Thus Buddha taught sentient beings precepts and the Noble Eightfold path: Right View, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Meditation. Be mindful of your action. Do good and be compassion to all sentient beings. 

Karmic power and the unconscious by Master Sheng Yen. In terms of psychology, the unconscious is not something that we can control or are aware of, while karmic power, a Buddhist concept similar to the unconscious, is a kind of power produced by our actions in countless past lives, which we can change our karma by understanding its source and not letting it grow. This life is the result of causes accumulated in past lives. Master Shengyen shared that Karma this concept means that in countless past lives from beginning less time, life after life, we have performed all kinds of actions- bodily, verbal and mental actions. These actions produce a kind of power which persists through time and is concentrated in this life. This is called karmic power. Will all the karmic power of our past lives be manifested in this lifetime? Not necessarily. It depends on what kind of karma is the strongest. Also the type of karma which has the closest affinity with the circumstances of our current life. Shakaymuni Buddha taught us to believe the causality of the 3 periods in giving us guidance and explanation about our lives. I find the following quote by Master Sheng Yen really helpful. 

The four steps in dealing with any problem: face it, accept it, deal with it, let it go.  面对它， 接受它， 处理它，放下它。

How to reduce karma by Ajahn Keng