Please don't wait until the last minute
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Please don't wait until the last minute to start a regime of spiritual cultivation practice. By that time, time will not be not their side and many will likely be too desperate to engage in any useful form of discipline to reach some kind of realisations.
Lately, i have seen too many cases of elderly people around me in dire straits. Many of them are not practicing buddhist and in the times of desperation seeks for whatever belief that will offer them a saviour. This is sad, had they been cultivating and reaching certain level of insights/realisation, death will not be such a fearful unknown.
What i was trying to convey is that a regimentation of practice inclusive of activities for concentration, insight practice and morality takes a long time to build up to see the results.
It can take years/decade to just get an intial glimpse of deeper reality or awakening. Please start the spiritual cultivation practice now. Don't wait.
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You mean by simple chanting? Praying?
Sorry bro....I am not sure.
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Hi Likeyou,
By whatever means that will bring one to the experience/insight of the true nature of themselves or deeper reality.
I have not used chanting so am not familiar with it.
For me, meditation is a must have practice. The first glimpse of pure awareness that i had was through the simple one-point meditation/concentration.
What i was trying to convey is that a regimentation of practice inclusive of activities for concentration, insight practice and morality takes a long time to build up to see the results.
Regards
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Originally posted by likeyou:
You mean by simple chanting? Praying?
Sorry bro....I am not sure.
Yes, chant Amitabha's name everyday (if possible) if you are practising Pureland. The master said it is very suffering (not everyone but most of us, some Buddhists passed away peacefully without sickness) when one is about to pass away, thus will be unable to chant or do not have the habit to chant.
If you chant everyday when you are well and good, you are cultivating the habit, so even when you are unwell, you will still continue to chant. Meditation is also an important practice.
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Best to strive of enlightenment. End of story.
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Great advice!
Never think it is too early or that you can delay spiritual practice for a later part of your life... you don't even know if today is the last day of your life! As Buddha said, your life is only as certain as your breath - if your breath stops then game over. Never assume, and never delay.... otherwise it's like having a perfect opportunity that comes ever so rarely, and then missing it.
Knowing the importance of spirituality in mind, there can be no lack of motivation. End all suffering, endless birth and death that has been going on for literally aeons of your lifetimes, in THIS life? How good can it get? Or do you want to miss this opportunity and continue suffering for aeons more to come?
Our human life is so short that even if we start practicing now (and I am now 20 years old), even if we are young, we probably still have a long way to go (in terms of practice) that continues into the future lives...
Of course this is not meant as a discouragement: it is still definitely possible to attain liberation in this lifetime. Even to attain an initial stage of awakening (e.g. sotapanna) ensures that you are on the 'conveyer belt' and that full liberation will be obtained in a few lifetimes to come. Those who do not attain awakening but are still very sincere in practicing has a high chance of getting a good rebirth and meeting the dharma in their next life, to continue their cultivation.
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Yes, very important to start practice immediately, time waits for no one.
For most people,
From 0 - 20, we are busy studying and playing, thinking we are young and don't practice.
From 21 - 40, we are busy looking for a spouse, making money to provide for the family, and no time to practice.
From 41 - 60, we busied ourselves with children's education and marriage, and making enough money for old age, and delay practicing.
From 61 and above, we busied ourselves with grandchildren, in ailing health some of us woke up and decide that we should start practice, but some still lull themselves with these illusions and dwell on the happy days of the past and how sad it is they are now old and weak.
At the time of death, unable to forgo their dream of their current life, not knowing where they will go next, they cling to what they love most, and plunged into the next birth.
Anyway... chanting of the Buddha's name is meditation.When we recite the Buddha's name, we must concentrate by listening clearly to the sound of the Buddha's name to the exclusion of all other thoughts. It is very important to have a daily session for recitation. And aside from the session, we also have to be constantly mindful of the name whenever there is no need to use mental thinking.
In PL practice, faith and vows are also a must have in order to end birth and death and be born in the Pure Land.
For more info on this dharma door
http://www.ymba.org/BWF/bwf0.htmThere is an intro course at kong meng san for intro to this dharma door, it started last week, but it was Basic Buddhism they haven't gone into the PL details yet, so still can go.
http://politics.sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/400341?page=1 -
Let me share with you guys the story of this lady whom I met in one of the temple. She had converted to Buddhist not long ago. She told me she and her husband had never given a thought for religion, they worked very hard and are well to do. Her husband had cancer and passed away at mid 40s. That was a wake up call for both her husband and herself but it was too late for her husband.
After her husband passed away, she quited her job (she can afford to) and went for Buddhist courses and concentrate on practicing till today. I hope not everyone has to wait till this kind of unfortunate thing to happen to be awaken. I remembered one of the master said don't wait till things happen then start to chant, chant now or it will be too late to chant. 把�当下。 Chanting and practicing will also bring blessing to the family.
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Rush, Hurry, It's Urgent!
by
Luang Por Sim Bhikkhu
Up-Dated Translation
by
Ajahn Sumano BhikkhuN.E. Thailand June 2006
The Buddha uttered, "turittunitam singhasingham"---Rush, hurry, it's urgent! Meditate on every inhalation and exhalation. Determine to practice right at this moment. If we don't the demons of thought and defilement will lead us away into old age and death. Even on your day of death you still won't have time!
The Buddha encouraged us to meditate. He directed us not to reach out towards the past or future. The past and future tend to captivate us. We don't get anywhere at all. But if we ground the mind in the present we can testify to the inner knowing that lies within us all. It exists and it is right in that knowing that lies virtue and accumulated purity. We meditate in order to condense the energies of the mind into this inner knowing. We put down thoughts and sense-consciousness, the defiled mind that goes out in search of distractions. We are obliged to contest the out-flowing stream of the mind. We give up thinking of friends and families, money, work, and all the relationships that lies outside of the present moment. It's all a flight of fancy. That which is helpful, that which leads us to Buddha-Wisdom is that which the Buddha called "tattha" or "in that place". "In that place" or "just there" refers to the knowing that lies within our mind.
Generate clear knowing in the mind. The mind can both know truly and the mind can be beguiled. That is, the mind can "know" while under the influence of dark factors. When we just allow it to blindly follow forms, sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects and ideas it is deceived day and night. This is a process that begins from birth and carries on into old age. And from old age until death. We can be fascinated by those things for innumerable lifetimes.
When we come to meditate, we put effort into eradicating the defilements in our hearts so that diminish and finally come to an end. Thus our effort is concentrated on this mind of ours. We keep reminding ourselves that apart from this knowing that is established in the present moment, everything be it past or present, good or bad, is all impermanent and therefore, unreal. There is nothing lasting to be found in the world of past and its comrade, the future. Everything outside of the mindfulness-awareness faculty is unsatisfactory and impersonal. Even the sacred knowing itself is impaired when the masses of defilement stampede and trample over us. Don't be bemused and betrayed by discursive thought. Don't be fooled into believing in conditions.
In the ultimate sense there is no real happiness. What people call happiness is just a delusion of the worldly. The Enlighten ones say that it's all just melodramas of Dukkha and unknowing. In order to enable oneself the Buddha's and their disciples practice calm insight meditation in every posture.
Whenever we are deluded or intoxicated with something, then we lose our self-awareness and thus there is pitch-black darkness. There is no path that will take us into such utter darkness as that of delusion. The deluded mind puts no effort into eradicating defilement in the present moment. It is engrossed in the pleasure derived from forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical sensations and mental states, taking them to be the source of happiness. But that happiness is bound up with materiality. It is hopeless. It is not true happiness. True happiness is in freedom...Nibbana.
"turittunitam singhasingham"-
Source : http://www.vimokkha.com
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Personal view: whatever one chooses to practise, do it with a genuine heart, else it'll not help much. It's the same with any other religion or forms of spirituality. One may feel better upon last breath, thinking all will be fine, but when he has crossed over, what sort of person he truly is or has been (not what he appears to be) will make a great difference on his next chapter of Life.
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life
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Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
Yes, chant Amitabha's name everyday (if possible) if you are practising Pureland. The master said it is very suffering (not everyone but most of us, some Buddhists passed away peacefully without sickness) when one is about to pass away, thus will be unable to chant or do not have the habit to chant.
If you chant everyday when you are well and good, you are cultivating the habit, so even when you are unwell, you will still continue to chant. Meditation is also an important practice.
Thks, chant Amitabha or GuanSiYin PuSa...any particular time to chant? How long need to chant, is it in front of GuanYin? Or any where where I just sit on the sofa and chant?Sorry, I am blur and ignorant with this.
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Dumb advice, why change someone's mind at the last moment of their lives? Let them be and let them live their last moments in peace lah.�自而安。
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Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
Dumb advice, why change someone's mind at the last moment of their lives? Let them be and let them live their last moments in peace lah.�自而安。
You obviously aren't following the thread.
The thread is "Please don't wait until the last minute"
Whoever said about changing someone's mind at last moment?
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sound like preaching salvation or eternal hell...
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Originally posted by Rainbow Jigsaw:
Personal view: whatever one chooses to practise, do it with a genuine heart, else it'll not help much. It's the same with any other religion or forms of spirituality. One may feel better upon last breath, thinking all will be fine, but when he has crossed over, what sort of person he truly is or has been (not what he appears to be) will make a great difference on his next chapter of Life.
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life
No... Sir.
We are talking about a different matter here... different level. You are talking about Beings that will eventually reincarnate... temporary sojourn in the afterlife.
We are talking about seeing the nature of reality and that is also applicable in the afterlife as well.
IMO, there are experiences and opportunities that are applicable more so in the physical human existence that the astral afterlife cannot offer....good not to waste that precious opportunity.
According to my understanding, ...In terms of desires and yearnings, the 'afterlife' existence may not offer certain conditions for the deceased Beings. That is one reason why they eventually reincarnate to a physical existence... to fulfill unresolved desires/karmas.... This on a deeper level of insight, is also due to not realising the dream-like, no subject-objective nature of reality. Had they knew that all is not existing separately and solidly, they would not have blindly grasp for what they desire. So, in a way, insights/realisation will point towards the eventual resolution of our karmic grasping for certain things. This blind grasping and wanting certain things is due to not realising that these 'things' that they are grasping do not exist as they really are.
On a different note, i am not saying that one insight and poof no more karma. But it does give us a better understanding of what is going on.
Additionally, having a first-hand experience of our true nature as the indestructable Presence will allow one to not fear the absence of his/her beingness. This fear is of the ego-self... which is not really existing in a permanent manner... This fear is more like awareness being fooled by its own reflections.
On your website, you claim that you are already out of the reincarnation cycle long ago. Care to talk about it?
simpo/longchen
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Originally posted by likeyou:
Thks, chant Amitabha or GuanSiYin PuSa...any particular time to chant? How long need to chant, is it in front of GuanYin? Or any where where I just sit on the sofa and chant?Sorry, I am blur and ignorant with this.
You can chant either one, as you wish. For me, I chant Amitabha and GuanShi Yin Pusa on alternate days. It does not matter how many times you chant (3 times, 10 times or 1000 times). �缘念佛。What it matters is you must concentrate, it is better not to think of other things while you are chanting. Of course, this will happen but you must be able to bring your thoughts back to chanting, don't let your thoughts wander too far off.
You can chant anywhere except in the toilet and bedroom (out of respect). Of course you can concentrate better when you are chanting infront of any Buddha. You can chant Amitabha infront of GuanShiYin and chant GuanShiYin infront of Amtibaha, they are all the same. When you are unable to chant aloud, just chant in your heart.
There are few Buddhists like me who chant and experience something extraordinary. It happened to me once only, there was once I heard chanting of Amitbaha (all are male voice) coming from above (people around me did not hear except me, not CD for sure), and it lasted for about 5 to 10 minutes, not too loud and not too soft, soothing to the ear. I thought I had gone mad and hope that the chanting would stop. I dare not to tell anyone about this. Till lately, I understand from a Buddhist who also experienced the same thing. She told me she heard a master said this was 念佛的感应. If I have known I would not hope the chanting to stop then.
Anyway, I'm not attached to it. I share my experience here is to let anybody who experience this, do not be afraid. It is 念佛的感应. The chanting I heard must have come from the Pureland.
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Originally posted by simpo_:
No... Sir.
We are talking about a different matter here... different level. You are talking about Beings that will eventually reincarnate... temporary sojourn in the afterlife.
We are talking about seeing the nature of reality and that is also applicable in the afterlife as well.
IMO, there are experiences and opportunities that are applicable more so in the physical human existence that the astral afterlife cannot offer....good not to waste that precious opportunity.
According to my understanding, ...In terms of desires and yearnings, the 'afterlife' existence may not offer certain conditions for the deceased Beings. That is one reason why they eventually reincarnate to a physical existence... to fulfill unresolved desires/karmas.... This on a deeper level of insight, is also due to not realising the dream-like, no subject-objective nature of reality. Had they knew that all is not existing separately and solidly, they would not have blindly grasp for what they desire. So, in a way, insights/realisation will point towards the eventual resolution of our karmic grasping for certain things. This blind grasping and wanting certain things is due to not realising that these 'things' that they are grasping do not exist as they really are.
On a different note, i am not saying that one insight and poof no more karma. But it does give us a better understanding of what is going on.
Additionally, having a first-hand experience of our true nature as the indestructable Presence will allow one to not fear the absence of his/her beingness. This fear is of the ego-self... which is not really existing in a permanent manner... This fear is more than awareness being fooled by its own reflections.
On your website, you claim that you are already out of the reincarnation cycle long ago. Care to talk about it?
simpo/longchen
I understand you're helping others to understand Buddhism better, so it's not appropriate for me to say certain things in reply here. My point was simply because too many people 'practise' a faith (not limited to any particular one), wanting to gain salvation, enlightenment, or hope for better after-life, etc, but actually have 2 totally different faces - a 'holy' one in front of fellow faith-followers, and the opposite type in normal times. I'm not sure what they will expect to gain at the end of the day, since nothing much has been learnt.
As for your question: again, not right for me to share here. There are many many people all around the world also back here on Earth at this special time to help, by voluntary choice. Many of these people have started their journeys eons ago, and have already long completed their 'compulsory' lessons and cycles. The reason for returning will be very very clear in next few years, even though what I can share may seem totally unbelievable now. :)
Actually, the core of any mainstream faith is to teach people to live their lives better and be more spiritual beings, but taught in different perspectives. As long as people don't get this, and just study/pray/meditate/chant by rote (and just hope to get some benefits out of it), but actually learning nothing, their cycles (of suffering or whatever) continue endlessly.
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life
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Simpo_ is emphasizing transcendental wisdom?
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life is emphasizing conventional wisdom?
or maybe im wrong cos no wisdom haha
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Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
You can chant either one, as you wish. For me, I chant Amitabha and GuanShi Yin Pusa on alternate days. It does not matter how many times you chant (3 times, 10 times or 1000 times). �缘念佛。What it matters is you must concentrate, it is better not to think of other things while you are chanting. Of course, this will happen but you must be able to bring your thoughts back to chanting, don't let your thoughts wander too far off.
You can chant anywhere except in the toilet and bedroom (out of respect). Of course you can concentrate better when you are chanting infront of any Buddha. You can chant Amitabha infront of GuanShiYin and chant GuanShiYin infront of Amtibaha, they are all the same. When you are unable to chant aloud, just chant in your heart.
There are few Buddhists like me who chant and experience something extraordinary. It happened to me once only, there was once I heard chanting of Amitbaha (all are male voice) coming from above (people around me did not hear except me, not CD for sure), and it lasted for about 5 to 10 minutes, not too loud and not too soft, soothing to the ear. I thought I had gone mad and hope that the chanting would stop. I dare not to tell anyone about this. Till lately, I understand from a Buddhist who also experienced the same thing. She told me she heard a master said this was 念佛的感应. If I have known I would not hope the chanting to stop then.
Anyway, I'm not attached to it. I share my experience here is to let anybody who experience this, do not be afraid. It is 念佛的感应. The chanting I heard must have come from the Pureland.
Hmm.. I think it is best to recite Amitabha facing Amitabha, and Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva facing Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, since we still like to discriminate unlike the Buddhas and bodhisattvas haha..
Anyway, just to add on.... it is very important to have Faith and Vows to acompany chanting practice, these 2 aspects must not be neglected for rebirth in Pureland.
It does not matter whether one experiences Gan Ying. Just keep chanting with firm faith and vows, keep the precepts very well and practice the 10 good deeds. -
Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
You can chant either one, as you wish. For me, I chant Amitabha and GuanShi Yin Pusa on alternate days. It does not matter how many times you chant (3 times, 10 times or 1000 times). �缘念佛。What it matters is you must concentrate, it is better not to think of other things while you are chanting. Of course, this will happen but you must be able to bring your thoughts back to chanting, don't let your thoughts wander too far off.
You can chant anywhere except in the toilet and bedroom (out of respect). Of course you can concentrate better when you are chanting infront of any Buddha. You can chant Amitabha infront of GuanShiYin and chant GuanShiYin infront of Amtibaha, they are all the same. When you are unable to chant aloud, just chant in your heart.
There are few Buddhists like me who chant and experience something extraordinary. It happened to me once only, there was once I heard chanting of Amitbaha (all are male voice) coming from above (people around me did not hear except me, not CD for sure), and it lasted for about 5 to 10 minutes, not too loud and not too soft, soothing to the ear. I thought I had gone mad and hope that the chanting would stop. I dare not to tell anyone about this. Till lately, I understand from a Buddhist who also experienced the same thing. She told me she heard a master said this was 念佛的感应. If I have known I would not hope the chanting to stop then.
Anyway, I'm not attached to it. I share my experience here is to let anybody who experience this, do not be afraid. It is 念佛的感应. The chanting I heard must have come from the Pureland.
When my grandma passed away, one of my relatives heard a lot of people chanting (apparently out of nowhere), one of them even saw Amitabha, and there were many other signs. In her last few years my grandmother did practice chanting, including Amitabha and Diamond Sutra.
Strangely, none of my other relatives at that time practice 念佛 (or at least I was not aware of it) but they had those visions. It only happened when she passed away. Might be my grandma really reborn in pure land.
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Originally posted by Rainbow Jigsaw:
Actually, the core of any mainstream faith is to teach people to live their lives better and be more spiritual beings, but taught in different perspectives. As long as people don't get this, and just study/pray/meditate/chant by rote (and just hope to get some benefits out of it), but actually learning nothing, their cycles (of suffering or whatever) continue endlessly.
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life
Actually, Buddhism does not encourage people to follow the teachings blindly - as stated in the kalama sutta. Besides teaching people to live their lives as a better and responsible person, it also teaches us to understand the nature of things.
By studying the sutras, we understand why is it we have to observe precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, and how the mind works. We do not just memorise them and chant them out, but study and to understand them and apply to our daily lives. Buddhism teaches the 4 truths - suffering, the cause of it, the cessation and the way to its cessation. Cultivating precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, is what Buddhist practice as the way to the cessation of suffering - and this can be experienced in the present life if one practices well, not after only after death.Many people also think that Buddhist meditation or chanting is just trying to get hypnotised or get some altered consciousness hence experiencing rare states, which is a serious misconception. Meditation, chanting etc. are part of the practice of samadhi, it is not rote practicing and just following what the books tell us.
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Originally posted by Rainbow Jigsaw:
I understand you're helping others to understand Buddhism better, so it's not appropriate for me to say certain things in reply here. My point was simply because too many people 'practise' a faith (not limited to any particular one), wanting to gain salvation, enlightenment, or hope for better after-life, etc, but actually have 2 totally different faces - a 'holy' one in front of fellow faith-followers, and the opposite type in normal times. I'm not sure what they will expect to gain at the end of the day, since nothing much has been learnt.
As for your question: again, not right for me to share here. There are many many people all around the world also back here on Earth at this special time to help, by voluntary choice. Many of these people have started their journeys eons ago, and have already long completed their 'compulsory' lessons and cycles. The reason for returning will be very very clear in next few years, even though what I can share may seem totally unbelievable now. :)
Actually, the core of any mainstream faith is to teach people to live their lives better and be more spiritual beings, but taught in different perspectives. As long as people don't get this, and just study/pray/meditate/chant by rote (and just hope to get some benefits out of it), but actually learning nothing, their cycles (of suffering or whatever) continue endlessly.
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life
Hi,
First of all regarding "a 'holy' one in front of fellow faith-followers, and the opposite type in normal times. I'm not sure what they will expect to gain at the end of the day, since nothing much has been learnt." - I would say this is a good advice.
However, you're also missing something here - the point of Buddhism is not merely to learn life lessons. The main point of Buddhism is to realize enlightenment and hence overcome afflictions, overcome ALL sufferings (even in this life), and get out of the cycle of birth and death.
In other words, if you have not overcome the Three Poisons of desire/greed, aversion/anger/hatred and ignorance, and have not overcome suffering, you cannot consider yourself as being outside the wheel of samsara. By your karma, attachments (to any form of material or immaterial existence), desires, etc etc, you will be pulled back into the cycle of rebirth. How many can say that they are not attached to anything whatsoever in their lives (and not be the least affected by the loss of their kins, possessions, etc)? If a person is as such, maybe he has overcome the cycle of birth and death - just maybe, it is not a confirmation. How many can say that he does not suffer at all in life and is 100% non-attached to anything whatsoever? Have they totally overcomed the tendency to identify with things as 'me' or 'mine' by deep realisation? Of course, owing to past karmas we all (including the Buddha and all enlightened beings) undergo physical pain and unpleasant life situations, but someone who is liberated does not mentally suffer *at all* in the face of all these. If one has achieved this, then, maybe he has overcome birth and death.
The point is this: you can learn a lot of worldly lessons in life, but unless you overcome *All* sufferings and attachments, you are not considered 'out' of the cycle of birth and death. And the only way to overcome all sufferings and attachments is by Realizing the true nature of mind and reality, which as simpo/longchen explained before, includes realizing the no subject-object division and no solidity of reality. And Buddhism provides the way to this realization, of course, and many did achieve this goal no matter how 'difficult' it seems (it is not difficult when you realize the empty and no-self nature of reality). This is not what worldly lessons can offer - maybe through a worldly lesson, we can learn to be 'less attached' to certain things, but it does not remove the root cause of the problem - the ignorance of the nature of reality causing us to grasp on apparently existing 'self' and 'objects' and thus grasping for worldly existence at a very fundamental level and keeps us trapped in samsara for beginning-less time.
As for 'rote chanting/meditating', as zero thought says Buddhists are probably the least 'blind faith' people among all religions. We understand what we are practicing, and we do it properly. Most importantly, if we do our practices properly, we will see the results - we will develop samadhi, and we will develop insights into the nature of reality and these will automatically make us transcend our afflictions and sufferings.
Important note: Meditation is not for the purpose of learning worldly lessons (even though it may very well yield some level of 'relative' insights). It is for the purpose of developing insights into the nature of reality, and transcending suffering.
One last thing... there are endless lessons to learn if we do not overcome our samsaric condition. That means, you learn a lesson today, but next day you may make another mistake... and so on and so forth. Then maybe 10 lives later you forgot and make the same old mistake again. I do not believe that lessons are accumulated on the long term (though on a short term perhaps so), precisely because sentient beings are ignorant, at the end of the day we don't really 'learn'. We may even - and most certainly will, someday in a matter of time on the cosmic scale - retrogress. Hence, 'evolving' into a higher state of samsaric existence no matter how good it is - is never our goal, for you can stay in that state for kalpas and aeons but still eventually fall back into a lower realm. We aim to get out of samsara altogether as soon as possible - and this is not through learning some sort of worldly lesson, but realizing the nature of reality that cuts out the source of self-grasping and desires that is the cause of all sufferings and rebirth.
Garab Dorje Rinpoche, "Even with 5 Wisdoms, the Buddha was unable to find happiness in Samsara."Ajahn Brahm:
Jatipaccayå Dukkha5 – ‘Suffering is caused by birth’.
As shown above, birth is a sufficient cause for suffering, that is, birth must
give rise to dukkha. Every being that is born will get old, get sick and die, and
experience the inescapable dukkha associated with that process. Thus birth is the
problem.This first link of Paticca-samuppåda is rarely given the attention it deserves.
It has enormous implications. Before the great insight into Dependent Origination
under the Bodhi Tree, the Bodhisatta, like most people, had lived in hope that
somehow He could attain perfect happiness in this existence or some future existence.Now He saw that all existence (bhava) is inextricably involved with suffering. There
is no perfect happiness to be found in any form of existence. As The Buddha said in
the Anguttara collection:
“Just as a tiny bit of faeces has a bad smell, so I do not recommend even a tiny
bit of existence, not even for so long as a fingersnap”. (AN 1, 18)A simile might help. A person born in a harsh prison, raised in that prison,
who has spent all their time in the prison, can only know prison life. They don’t even
suspect that anything beyond their prison can exist. So they make the best of prison.
Those who think positively, because they have gone to prison seminars, begin to think
that the harsh prison is instead a wonderful place. They even compose songs like “All
jails bright and beautiful … the good Lord made them all”! Others get involved with
social service, compassionately decorating the prison cells of others. When someone
gets tortured or otherwise punished in jail, they think something has gone wrong and
look for someone to blame. If someone suggests that it is the very nature of jail to be
suffering, then they are dismissed as a pessimist and told to “Get a life!”. One full
moon night, a prisoner discovers a door leading out of the jail and goes through. Only
then does he realize that jail was inherently suffering and you can’t make it other
wise. He goes back to tell his fellow prisoners. Most don’t believe him. They can’t
even imagine anything other than their jail. When he says that the jail is suffering and
the cessation of imprisonment is happiness, he is accused by one and all of escapism.Sometimes people rebuke me saying “You monks are just trying to escape
from the real world!”.I reply “Well done! At last someone else has understood Buddhism!”
What’s wrong with escapism, especially when one realises that the real world
is the harsh prison -
Daniel M. Ingram:
Motivation
Insight practices lead to two basic kinds of insight: relative and ultimate. Relative insights are what comes from getting to know our emotions, bodies, thoughts and hearts at the level of content: the stories, the specific qualities, the causes, the effects. These insights can be of great value but are only part of the story.
Ultimate insights refer to the stages of awakening, realization, enlightenment, or whatever you want to call it. These insights are not dependent upon the content, stories, dramas, pains, successes or failures of our lives. Instead, they are about some other aspect of awareness, of being, of consciousness itself.
Ultimate insights cause permanent changes in the relationship to reality and eliminate fundamental levels of suffering forever. Discussing ultimate insights is a very difficult thing to do. It tends to lead to descriptions that sound like paradoxes, fantasies, or nonsense. However, attaining the stages of awakening is highly recommended even if they are hard to describe. This is definitely possible with sufficient effort and skill. The insight practice presented here are one effective technique for awakening.
The attainment of both relative and ultimate insights is the motivation to do insight practices. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
When my grandma passed away, one of my relatives heard a lot of people chanting (apparently out of nowhere), one of them even saw Amitabha, and there were many other signs. In her last few years my grandmother did practice chanting, including Amitabha and Diamond Sutra.
Strangely, none of my other relatives at that time practice 念佛 (or at least I was not aware of it) but they had those visions. It only happened when she passed away. Might be my grandma really reborn in pure land.
For sure your grandma was reborn in Pureland because you said one of your relative had seen Amitabha. I heard of one case, the children of the deceased who were Buddhists did not see Amitabha but one of her child who was a Christian saw Amitabha came to fetch her mother.
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Originally posted by zero thought:
Hmm.. I think it is best to recite Amitabha facing Amitabha, and Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva facing Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, since we still like to discriminate unlike the Buddhas and bodhisattvas haha..
Anyway, just to add on.... it is very important to have Faith and Vows to acompany chanting practice, these 2 aspects must not be neglected for rebirth in Pureland.
It does not matter whether one experiences Gan Ying. Just keep chanting with firm faith and vows, keep the precepts very well and practice the 10 good deeds.I have both Faith (believe strongly that there is Pureland) and Vows to be reborn there but I always have doubt whether I am qualified to go there. Will my doubt affect my chance of going there ?