Happy Birthday Human Beings Ren Ri 人日

Today is the 7th day of Chinese lunar new year which is known as  Ren Ri 人日. Based on Chinese custom, it is said that it is the day human beings were created. 

Buddha said that among the six realms of rebirth , Human being is the most precious and it is rare to be reborn as a human being, rarer to be reborn in countries where you can hear the dhamma. Therefore we should not waste this human life. Use this human life to end samsara. 

Life is a gift and to be born as a human is very rare. Just look at the billions of animals around us from the sea, land to the sky in this planet earth alone. 

Buddha was a skilful teacher who was able to teach others with parables (I think he was the first teacher using differentiated teaching). To help his disciples to understand the rareness of being born as a human, he said that to be born as a human is like a sea turtle that comes up to the surface once every hundred years and the sea turtle's head passed through a small hole of a wooden plank floating in the vast ocean. 

According to Buddha, there are 31 planes of existence which include the lower realms like hell, ghost and animals and higher realms like human and other heavenly realms which include sensuous and immaterial world (form or formless).

Being born as a human besides being rare is also precious. It is the only realm where you  can do good deeds and cultivate merit. Only a human can attain enlightenment as a Buddha. Thus we should use this opportunity to do good deeds and help others. It is said that to be born as a human being, it must also be your past life good karma as you have cultivated many merit in past lives.

Thus we should use the opportunity to do more good, follow the five precepts or eight precepts set by the Buddha for lay Buddhists and hopefully be enlightened in this life.  

From Access to Insight here.

Scattered throughout the suttas are references to as many as thirty-one distinct "planes" or "realms" of existence into which beings can be reborn during their long wandering through samsara. These range from the extraordinarily grim and painful hell realms all the way up to the most exquisitely refined and blissful heaven realms. Existence in every realm is temporary; in Buddhist cosmology there is no eternal heaven or hell. Beings are born into a particular realm according to their past kamma. When they pass away, they take rebirth once again elsewhere according to the quality of their kamma: wholesome actions bring about a favorable rebirth, while unwholesome actions lead to an unfavorable one. And so the wearisome cycle continues.

Image from Fo Guang Shan website here

 Image from Access to Insight, The Thirty-one Planes of Existence

The practice of contemplating the five aggregates as empty: "Perception" for example

From the Heart Sutra, 照见五蕴皆空，渡一切苦厄. Clearly perceived the empty nature of the five skandhas (Form, Feeling, Perception, Mental formation, Consciousness)   And transcended all suffering. 

This "me" is changing constantly".“Perception” means notions, reflections and thoughts. It changes over time and space. Therefore, there is no need to be attached to it. When there is no attachment to impermanence, you let go of suffering.   

The True Meaning of Happiness by Master Sheng Yen

From  Master Sheng Yen

Whether one can live in peace and happiness has mainly to do with one's state of mind. Happiness is to be content and always joyful; happiness is to live fully in the present moment, to be mindful of our conduct and actions, and to face our own conscience truthfully; happiness is to count our karmic blessings and cultivate merit at all times.

Why Buddhist Monks Must Beg For Food (Alms round - Not Money) On The Street Daily? Ajahn Keng

Theravada monks follow the tradition of going for alms-round for food since Buddha's time 2500 years ago. Even though Buddha was a prince, he gave up his life of luxury to search for the truth of life. After his enlightenment, he lead the monks for alms round for food as it taught them to be humble, not to be greedy and give opportunity for laypeople to give dana and practise generosity. 

Do take note that monks only accept food and not money. 

If you wish to offer dana to the monks, you can find out more information from Singapore Palelai Buddhist Temple. 

Alms-round (Pindapata) (From Palelai Temple) https://palelaibuddhisttemple.org/visiting-palelai/#daily-schedule)

The daily alms-round, where monks (bhikkhus) gather alms-food in their alms-bowls while barefooted, is practised by the resident bhikkhus of Palelai Buddhist Temple. This practice allows the public to learn about the Theravada Buddhist tradition's monastic way of living and the mutual support between monastics and lay supporters. 

Anyone is welcome to offer only consumable and/or uncooked food requisites into the bhikkhus’ alms-bowls. The bhikkhus are accompanied by our volunteers to the alms-round that takes place at 8:15am to 8:45am at the following locations:

Monday           -       Blk 823 Tampines Market

Tuesday           -       Blk 85 Bedok North Street 4 Food Centre

Wednesday     -       Blk 216 Bedok North Street 1 Food Centre

Thursday         -       Blk 18 Bedok South, in front of Blk 16 Bedok South Market & Food Centre

Friday               -        Blk 511 Bedok North Street 3 Food Centre

Saturday          -       Blk 538 Bedok North Food Centre

Sunday             -       Blk 58 Upper Changi Road

Upon returning to the monastery, volunteers will re-offer the cooked food to the bhikkhus during the meal offerings of the same day. All uncooked food requisites will be utilised responsibly by the Kitchen to prepare the subsequent days’ meals

Reflection on Buddhism Blog

I have a few blogs, but I never monetise Heart Sutra and Buddhism blog as I believe one should not make money from religion. I realised suffering is from the mind thus I started another blog on Buddhism to share on Buddha's teaching in 2017 that I find helpful to me as I believe it can help others to minimise suffering. 

Many people think that happiness is when they "own" or "have" thing or people. However I realise many people suffer due to attachment to temporary things. After owning this thing, they continue to strive to attain another thing. Greed and craving will only bind one to this samasara of continuous rebirth. That is why Gautama Buddha stated that monks must follow the precept of staying celibate else one could not escape this samsara. That's why one cannot be happy if your happiness is dependent on temporary physical thing or people. 

Buddhism has helped me tone down though sometimes I still get frustrated by certain situation. That's why it is daily practice and not to stop. When I feel upset, I will go read the Heart Sutra and listen to dharma talk via youtubes.  

I mentioned this before, I never expect to continue to blog on Buddhism and Heart Sutra as I was wondering what I could blog on Heart Sutra with only 260 Chinese characters. But behind this short sutra, it has deep meaning. I appreciate this verse, 心无罣礙，无罣礙故，无有恐怖. One have fear because they care too much like losing something, thus they always live in fear. For example, someone who brought stock but is constantly worry about the share price will not live in peace. They are always fearful of losing the money. 

When you appreciate what you have now and just work on yourself, you be at peace. 随缘自在。

Below is feedback by my dharma friend, Mr Tay.

 1. I agree that one should not monatise on religion and that was why Buddha said the Dhamma must be given free

 2. People turn to Buddhism because they realise what the First Noble Truth when they experience dukkha themselves

3. There's happiness from material possession like money, wealth,  status, etc. But the Buddha points out a more superior happiness

心经

观自在菩萨，行深般若波罗蜜多时。照见五蕴皆空，渡一切苦厄。舍利子，色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色，受想行识，亦复如是。舍利子，是诸法空相，不生不灭，不垢不净，不增不减。是故空中无色，无受想行识，无眼耳鼻舌身意，无色声香味触法，无眼界，乃至无意识界。无无明，亦无无明尽，乃至无老死，亦无老死尽。无苦集灭道，无智亦无得。以无所得故，菩提萨埵，依般若波罗蜜多故，心无罣礙，无罣礙故，无有恐怖，远离顚倒梦想，究竟涅槃。三世诸佛，依般若波罗蜜多故，得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。故知般若波罗蜜多，是大神呪，是大明呪，是无上呪，是无等等呪，能除一切苦，眞实不虚。故说般若波罗蜜多呪，卽说呪曰：揭谛揭谛，波罗揭谛，波罗僧揭谛，菩提萨婆诃。

The Shurangama Mantra

The Shurangama mantra was based on the opening chapter of the Surangama sutra. It was said that Gautama Buddha transmitted to Manjusri to protect Ananda.

I can't explain why but I enjoy listening to this mantra.

From youtube Shurangama Mantra In Sanskrit

The Shurangama Mantra , 古梵音楞嚴咒 (房山石經) is a dharaṇi or long mantra of Buddhist practice in China, Japan and Korea. Although relatively unknown in modern Tibet, there are several Shurangama Mantra texts in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. It is associated with Tangmi and Shingon Buddhism.

The Mantra was according to the opening chapter of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, historically transmitted by Gautama Buddha to Manjusri to protect Ananda before he became an arahant. It was again spoken by the Buddha before an assembly of monks and lay adherents.

Agama Sutra

I came across the Introduction to Agama Sutra writing here by Thomas Tam on Introduction to Agama Sutra. You can read more  here https://aaari.info/notes/02-06-06Tam.pdf. I had been wondering long and hard what is nirvana and finally I found the explanation on Nirvana by Venerable Mahakasyapa helpful. Besides listening to dhamma talk, I also must meditate more.

Sariputra is known for his understanding of Sunyata. He was the Sariputra in the famous Heart Sutra. It is a measure of the stature of Mahakasyapa that Sariputra sought his advice on the question of whether there is life and death after nirvana. Mahakasyapa told Sariputra: "If you say there is life and death after nirvana, it is a material thing. If you say there is no life and death after nirvana, it is also a material thing… Nirvana means the end of all material things, when the mind is totally liberated… This is why the Buddha would not comment when he was asked whether or not there is life and death after nirvana…

In a different passage, Ananda asked the Buddha how to control one’s sense organs. The Buddha said:

"Listen carefully and think. I will explain it to you. When the eye meets the matter, and you become aware that the matter is desirable, then practice detachment. If, on the other hand, the matter is undesirable, then practice non-avoidance…In this way, you will know that your desire arises from your eye meeting the matter, and this realization will make it cease…like a drop of water on an extremely hot iron ball, it will evaporate in an instant…" [S-204]

Why shouldn’t we desire the world? The beautiful things? Our good feelings? Our joyful thoughts? The Great Buddha had much to say about this. The first sutra collected in the Agama Sutra is the sutra on impermanence. This may indicate the emphasis paid to the topic by the council of monks at the first gathering after Buddha had passed away. It appears that becoming an arahat and achieving nirvana is a relatively simple and easy matter. This is what the Buddha said:

"You should observe the impermanence in things. This is the correct observation. When you are able to observe them this way, you will be tired of the things and want to avoid them. Thus ends your craving for the things. Consequently, your mind will be liberated. Similarly for your feelings, thoughts, actions, and consciousness…" [S-1] "