The video below is about the origin of Six Syllables mantra , Om Mani Padme Hum. The Six Words Great Enlightening Dharani is considered as the essential heart dharani of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Kuan Yin Pusa) and the root of all mantras. This video is based on the Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra. Buddha said that reciting Om Mani Padme Hum, its merits and benefits are limitless and boundless. For example reciting the mantra can illuminate all wisdom and achieve perfect Bodhi and many more. For me after reciting Om Mani Padme Hum, I don't crave for meat and prefer vegetarian food. This mantra helps me to concentrate during meditation. At least I focus on reciting Om Mani Padme Hum instead of wandering thoughts; thinking about work or other things. Perhaps I have affinity with Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, every time I need help, I'll recite Kuan Yin Pusa and somehow I feel things get better.
When I was young, I didn't know that Buddhism is divided into two main Buddhist schools of thoughts namely the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) and Theravada Buddhism (School of the Elders). Mahayana Buddhism is based on the Bodhisattva path whereas the Theravada Buddhism on meditation to achieve self-enlightenment to be an Arhant. Growing up in a typical Chinese family in Singapore, we pray to Buddha, Kuanyin pusa or Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and other various Chinese deities like Earth god deity （土地公） and others deities. So my family is a typical Taoist family who also pray to Buddha and Kuanyin bodhisattva besides many Taoist deities. My parents are not able to explain to me the difference on Taoism and Buddhism so I started reading up on what is the difference. As I read more, I identify myself as a Buddhist. Instead of focusing on the differences of Mahayana and Theravada, I focus on the similarities which include the core teaching of Buddha which are the Four Noble truths, the Noble Eightfold path, observing the five precepts, three characteristics of existence, Karma, be mindful, meditate and just do good. After listening to both venerable masters Sheng Yen and Chao Khun Keng, both emphasised the importance of doing good and following on the precepts. I enjoy listening to Buddha's teaching from both Mahayana and Theravada venerable monks namely Venerable master Sheng Yen and Chao Khun Keng respectively. Sadly Master Sheng Yen passed on in 2009. But luckily there are many videos on Buddhism by Master Sheng Yen.
On the topic of karma, in the video, Do you want to be a ghost? by venerable Chao Khun Keng, he shared that a person who slaughter chickens for a living suffered from neck pain as he bent the neck of chickens before slaughter. After he stop selling chickens, his neck is no long in pain. In this life, I hope to share what I learned from the venerable monks with others on Buddha's teaching as it can help people just as Buddha's teaching has helped me. Since we do not own the current physical body forever, why must we hold on to anger and hatred forever? Just let go and send out good will and joy to others.
Master Sheng Yen on Mahayana and Theravada (Hinayana)
In Shakyamuni Buddha's time, Buddhism had not split into Mahayana and Hinayana, though Mahayana ideas were already circulating. The distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana and their later developments reflect the different ways of interpreting the Buddha's ideas and the precepts. While Hinayana Buddhism is a conservative form of Buddhism that adheres to Pali scriptures and the Buddha's original teachings, Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the Bodhisattva spirit in delivering senting beings and transforming the world.
Forest Monk Chao Khun Keng. I enjoy listening to his Dharmma talk
My ex-colleague shared with me a very interesting and inspiring video on a Dharma talk by Venerable Chao Khun Keng. Known as Phra Ajaan Keng, Chao Khun Keng is the first Singaporean ordained in the Thai Buddhist tradition and was conferred the ecclesiastical title of Chao Khun by the King of Thailand. I learned a lot from his interesting talk.
He is a humorous and engaging speaker and like typical Singapore, he uses mostly English with a mixture of Mandarin, Singlish and Hokkien (common Chinese dialect from the China Fujian province). He shared what he saw during his meditation and he why he has no doubt on the transference of merit.
I highly recommend that you listen to his talk as shared in the video below. I agree with him on the importance of meditation and not just read the sutras. I experienced the bliss of rapture joy during meditation and it made me realised one does not need much in life to be happy. Now I am happy sharing what I learned from dharma talks by Venerable monks who shared on Buddha's teaching. Buddha had selflessly spent more than 45 years on teaching the Dharma more than 2500 years ago.
I hope Venerable Chao Khun Keng is in Singapore and will conduct some more talks. I do have some questions to ask him.
Some quotes from this video by Chao Khun Keng.
When you meditate, then you can direct your mind from a very chaotic state and enter concentration. That is real. Enjoy the bliss of concentration.
With this support of concentration, are you able to see the truth of this five Skandhas your body, your feeling, your perception, your analytical mind and this consciousness?To say that this is not self, this is suffering if you are attached to it. And this is no self. Its not going to live forever.
Buddha always say We are our owner of our own action, heir of our actions, born of our action, related to action. Whatever we do for good or for bad, we must bear.
Its from your practise of meditation that you see through the eyes of the mind, the wisdom that arises from meditation.
Dhamma Talk at Singapore Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. This 2-hour video is a 1 hour talk and 1 hour question and answer session.
I enjoy listening to Taiwanese Master Lim Zheng Yi sharing on Feng Shui, Chinese metaphysics and Buddhism. I first got to know him from Taiwan variety talkshow and he is a very positive and knowledgeable Yijing master. In this video, he share Heart Sutra. He published a book on Heart Sutra with Buddhism painting. In this video, I learned one very important concept in Heart Sutra. To be a master of your life, you should observe your thought and not react to your thought.
It seems like there are people out there who are not happy to see others on vegetarian diet. They would say sarcastic remarks like there are monks who are also eating meat.
For those who do not know, the Theravada monks who go out for alms will eat whatever people offer which include meat. Whereas the Mahayana monks mostly from China, Taiwan and Singapore are on vegetarian diet.
However if you read one of the five precepts set by Buddha, one should refrain from harming living being. Buddha prohibited his disciples from taking life for meat. If you specifically request and pay for the meat, you are encouraging someone to harm another living sentient being so that they can earn money by harming the sentient being. The person will want to expand his business to cater to huge demand for meat.
For me, after practising meditation and chanting Om Mani Padme Hum mantra, I don't have much desire to eat meat. I felt like vomiting after I had some meat after chanting.( Does anyone has similar effect?)
Monks are different, they do not ask specifically for meat. They accept whatever is offered to them when they go on alms.
As for me, since I'm a lay person. I do not want to pay for a meal that cause another sentient being to suffer just because I crave for the meat. After meditation and thinking of animals suffering stop me from eating meat. Anyway, nowadays there are lots of delicious vegetarian food. If you think about it, it is not the meat that is delicious. It is just the seasoning coated on the meat that is delicious.
When I was young, the only Buddhist sutra is the Heart Sutra. I got to know about Heart Sutra from TVB channel when the drama featured Buddha's teaching. Thus, the title of my blog is Heart Sutra and Buddhism.
As I read up more on Buddhism, I realised there are so many other sutras besides the Heart Sutra. There are the Lotus sutra, the Diamond and Suragama sutra. Sometimes I wonder when I finish reading all the sutras.
For this, I am really grateful to Master Ananda, Buddha's younger cousin and disciple who remembered and shared Buddha's teaching.
Buddha is right, we can never satisfy our endless desire and material pursuit is not the key to happiness. Even though I have hundreds of pens, I still buy whenever I see new design.
I tried meditation because Buddha said the only way to be liberated from endless samsara is through meditation. When I sat in quiet meditation, I felt immense peace and joy. Sometimes I recite Om mani padme hum mantra during meditation. After few months, I stop eating meat. I just lost the desire to eat meat. Do you also have the same experience? Sometimes I just feel tired of the endless samsara. There are times when I wonder if others feel the same. Sometimes I ask what is the purpose of my life? My body is a vehicle for my soul in this human realm. Like all living beings, our body can at most last 100 years if you get to enjoy a long life but at 100 years old, the body will be old and weak. Nothing last forever. Only a clear conscience that you have done your part in this life, giving help when ever possible.
If someone ask me what is the greatest treasure in this world, I will say it is Buddha's teaching. He selflessly taught the Dharma which encapsulated what he knew to the path to enlightenment to many people. Thus, it is important to share his teaching to others and stop false teaching propagated by others. From Buddha "I have delivered all the sentient beings as I could and have planted the seeds of deliverance for those who have yet to be delivered. Let the Precepts be your Teacher, and my Teaching as your guide, and I will be you forever."
Buddha was born in Lumbini Nepal. This Indian drama production is a good summary of the Buddha's life from birth to parinirvana. Few months ago, I could watch the drama with Chinese subtitles. Sadly, the videos are blocked by youtube on copyright grounds in Singapore and I'm can't watch it.
Quotes from Buddha
Happiness and sorrows are the two sides of the same coin.
When the desire for happiness comes to an end, the fear of sorrow comes to an end.
I've found out that happiness and sorrow, days and. night, good and bad are game of mind and attachment. But there's a centre point in them. And that's the source of life. And it is in the consciousness of every human being, not anywhere outside.
According to the early Buddhist texts,[115] after realising that meditative dhyana was the right path to awakening, but that extreme asceticism didn't work, Gautama discovered what Buddhists know as being, the Middle Way[115]—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification, or the Noble Eightfold Path, as described in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which is regarded as the first discourse of the Buddha.[115] In a famous incident, after becoming starved and weakened, he is said to have accepted milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata.[116] Such was his emaciated appearance that she wrongly believed him to be a spirit that had granted her a wish.[116]
Following this incident, Gautama was famously seated under a pipal tree—now known as the Bodhi tree—in Bodh Gaya, India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth.[117]Kaundinya and four other companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become undisciplined, ceased to stay with him, and went to somewhere else. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he is said to have attained Enlightenment,[117][118] and became known as the Buddha or "Awakened One" ("Buddha" is also sometimes translated as "The Enlightened One").
According to some sutras of the Pali canon, at the time of his awakening he realised complete insight into the Four Noble Truths, thereby attaining liberation from samsara, the endless cycle of rebirth, suffering and dying again.[119][120][121] According to scholars, this story of the awakening and the stress on "liberating insight" is a later development in the Buddhist tradition, where the Buddha may have regarded the practice of dhyana as leading to nirvana and moksha.[122][123][119][note 13]
Nirvana is the extinguishing of the "fires" of desire, hatred, and ignorance, that keep the cycle of suffering and rebirth going.[124] Nirvana is also regarded as the "end of the world", in that no personal identity or boundaries of the mind remain.[citation needed] In such a state, a being is said to possess the Ten Characteristics, belonging to every Buddha.[citation needed]
According to a story in the Āyācana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya VI.1)—a scripture found in the Pāliand other canons—immediately after his awakening, the Buddha debated whether or not he should teach the Dharma to others. He was concerned that humans were so overpowered by ignorance, greed and hatred that they could never recognise the path, which is subtle, deep and hard to grasp. However, in the story, Brahmā Sahampati convinced him, arguing that at least some will understand it. The Buddha relented, and agreed to teach.
