I finally visited Buddha Tooth Relic Temple at Chinatown Singapore this Monday. I decided to pray and also to see Buddha's relic. Also I wanted to try the vegetarian food at the temple basement 1. To my shock, there were many people eating during lunch time on weekday.
At level 3 there is a Buddha museum where you can read the history of Buddha and see Buddha's relics and the tooth relic at level 4. Some tourists tried to take photo of the relic despite the sign indicating No photography. Some tried to take photo of people meditating at level 4 and they had to be stopped by the security guard.
I revere the compassionate Buddha and his selfless teaching for 45 years to both humans and heavenly beings on how to end suffering. He also taught us not to accept anything at face value but to question and investigate and relate it to our own experience. May all sentient beings be enlightened and end samsara.
Opened in 2019, Hong Kong's Tsz Shan Monastery has a Buddhist art museum where you can see sutras and sculptures. Maybe next year I travel to Hong Kong to visit the art musuem and pray to Kwan Im and Buddha. In 2017, I travelled solo to Hong Kong to pray to the majestic Big Buddha at Tian Tan. I am grateful to Buddha who spent 49 years teaching the path to end suffering selflessly. Next year, I want to spend more time reading Buddhist books and practise Buddha's teaching.
Tsz Shan Monastery website Click here https://www.tszshan.org/home/new/en/visit.php
Tsz Shan Monastery. Image from Li Ka Shing Foundation here
Another interesting dhamma question and answer session by Ajahn Keng. I enjoy listening to his talk as he is humourous and make learning dhamma fun. If you understand Mandarin, I highly recommend you listen to this talk.
This is Lecture 4 of Heart Sutra from Venerable Guan Cheng from Canada. I find his explanation on the Heart Sutra really good. He asked when is the best season for your mind? It is when there is no obstacles in your mind. What are obstacles? They are mental afflictions like jealousy, greediness, anger, worries and etc. People have to learn how to have no obstacles in their mind. You have to first identify the obstacles, your problems and find methods to resolve it.
The Heart sutra helps me greatly. For example, most of the problems come from the five skandhas namely form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. For example, there are some people with not so good intentions and will just say unpleasant things. So if I know this person is not so nice, I just treat what they say as 'sound', nothingness with no meaning attached to it and not pay any attention to what that person said and redirect my attention elsewhere like reading. Do not attach to what is said and just let go. Watch the following Heart Sutra Lecture 4 video on the five skandhas. Some people got too attached to what they saw and felt and got addicted to certain websites which create more suffering for them and their families. So be mindful and observe.
There are a total of 28 lecture videos for the Heart Sutra. Basically Buddha taught people to eliminate suffering by becoming conscious of the five skandhas and how it affect you.
Experiential thinking has to be introspective. Getting inside your mind to see it. You have to know how you see things, then you looking at the process of seeing things, perception.
All living beings are made of the five skandhas of form, feeling sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness which accumulate to form the body and they are known as the five aggregates of clinging. The five aggregates arise through causes and conditions, therefore they are illusory and not permanent. Do not be attached to not pleasant feelings and thoughts, and just let go of not helpful thoughts. When we observe he five skandhas are empty, it doesn't mean it is nothingness. It means we have understood that it is the law of dependent origination and no longer cling to it. Everything is just arising and cessation.
Venerable Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarchof Chan (February 27, 638 – August 28, 713) was said to attain awakening when he heard a verse from the Diamond Sutra 应无所住而生其心. Without abiding anything, give rise to the pure mind.
When the Fifth Patriarch of Chan Venerable Hong Ren explained to him the Diamond sutra. Venerable Hui Neng was "suddenly and completely enlightened, and he understood that all things exist in self-nature.
应无所住而生其心，Without abiding anything, give rise to the pure mind
云何应住，云何降伏其心 When does the cloud abide, how does the cloud calm the mind
佛说应无所住而生其心 Buddha said without abiding in forms, arises the mind
即是说心即是佛,佛即是心 Meaning Pure Mind is Buddha and Buddha is Pure Mind.
他做了一首偈子Venerable Huineng came up with the following stanza when he understood the verse.
何其自性本自清净！What is self, it is intrinsically pure
何其自性本不生灭！What is self, it is neither born nor extinguish
何其自性本自具足！What is self, it is self-sufficient
何其自性能生万法！What is self, it can produces immeasurable dharma/ideas
From the Diamond Sutra
Subhuti, all great bodhisattvas should give rise to purity of mind in this way: they should not give rise to a mind that abides in form; they should not give rise to a mind that abides in sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. They should give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything.
Subhuti, a bodhisattva should turn away from all notions, and initiate the mind of anuttara samyaksambodhi. He should not give rise to a mind abiding in form, and he should not give rise to a mind abiding in sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. He should give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything.
When we contemplate the following verses from the Diamond Sutra, your mind should not be affected by forms which are transient, dependent on causes and conditions.
一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观
“All conditioned phenomena Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, Like dew and lightning. One should contemplate them in this way. “
All phenomena appear in the world is a combination of causes and conditions that is temporary by nature. It will pass. There is no permanent nature to form which is subjected to change due to causes and conditions, thus it is illusory.
A lot of suffering comes from the mind which is influenced by forms like sight, hearing, touch, taste or perception. When someone criticised us, we get upset, when someone own something we don’t have, we want it. We are always influenced by the three poison, greed, anger and delusion.
From the book, Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing by Dr Brian Weiss, “ Chinese philosopher Hui-neng (6thpatriarch of Chan Buddhism/Zen) wrote, “When we are free from attachment to all outer objects, the mind will be in peace. Our essence of mind is intrinsically pure, and the reason why we are perturbed is because we allow ourselves to be carried by the circumstances we are in. He who is able to keep his mind unperturbed (calm), irrespective of circumstances has attained enlightenment. “
A woman who went through a near-death experience shared,” I realized that life is like a dream”. She wrote, “ When you are born, you wake up into mortality in this physical body. When your physical body dies, you return to immortality.”
I realised what is 无我 no-self as our consciousness or mind changes identity in various body forms in our many reincarnations. Thus there is no permanent self-identity. Do not cling to anger and just let go.
