Chow: Its really a pain that wisdom can only come in hindsight.
Old man: It is not necessarily so. You should be thankful that it came.
Chow: Well I don't really know what is right or wrong. Things which I used to think was right, turned out to be dead wrong. Or vice versa. Its all so confusing at times.
Old man: It doesn't matter.
Chow: I know. Its just a silly habit I guess, always wanting to do the right thing... I'm just going through the motions.
Old man: Mmm Mmm... *nods*
Chow: Mmm Mmm... *nods*
Both of them laughed together.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Little quotes
These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood. Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings, How much more so should you abandon bad states of mind! Conquer the angry man by love. Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness. Conquer the miser with generosity. Conquer the liar with truth. -The Dhammapada...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Little quotes
When we learn to deal directly with our complaints and difficulties, romanticized ideas about the spiritual path are no longer meaningful. We see that what is important is to take responsibility for ourselves, and to always be aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. - Tarthang Tulku...
A birthday post
Chow: Its my birthday!
Old man: Oh really? Well, what are you going to do?
Chow: I don't know. Am I suppose to do something differently today?
Old man: What does society normally do on days like these?
Chow: They normally celebrate with friends and family.
Old man: Why don't you do that?
Chow: Simple. I don't know who are my friends or family.
Old man: Well then why don't you just celebrate, with whoever that is in front of you?
Chow: But I don't understand, neither do I see the point in celebrating such an ordinary day.
Old man: Silly boy. There is no such thing as a special day or an "unspecial" day. You just celebrate for the joy of celebration itself. What else can you do?
Chow: Aye. If only I don't have so much to do, and so little time.
Old man: Are you sure you are not just finding excuses? Is there someone you are hoping to celebrate your birthday with that you are avoiding?
Chow: I don't know, old man. And even if I said "yes" or "no", I know you'd look right through me.
Old man: Well at least you admit that you don't know. That is perfectly fine. Go do what you think you need to do okay?
Chow: yes.
Old man: Oh, and one more thing.
Chow: Hm?
Old man: Happy birthday, my child.
Old man: Oh really? Well, what are you going to do?
Chow: I don't know. Am I suppose to do something differently today?
Old man: What does society normally do on days like these?
Chow: They normally celebrate with friends and family.
Old man: Why don't you do that?
Chow: Simple. I don't know who are my friends or family.
Old man: Well then why don't you just celebrate, with whoever that is in front of you?
Chow: But I don't understand, neither do I see the point in celebrating such an ordinary day.
Old man: Silly boy. There is no such thing as a special day or an "unspecial" day. You just celebrate for the joy of celebration itself. What else can you do?
Chow: Aye. If only I don't have so much to do, and so little time.
Old man: Are you sure you are not just finding excuses? Is there someone you are hoping to celebrate your birthday with that you are avoiding?
Chow: I don't know, old man. And even if I said "yes" or "no", I know you'd look right through me.
Old man: Well at least you admit that you don't know. That is perfectly fine. Go do what you think you need to do okay?
Chow: yes.
Old man: Oh, and one more thing.
Chow: Hm?
Old man: Happy birthday, my child.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Can I truly accept my fate?
Chow: Can I truly accept my fate?
Old man: Just look at your sentence, as long as there is an "I" then you can never accept anything.
Chow: But sometimes I can, and sometimes I can't. Why is that?
Old man: That is just a illusion of the mind. If you could accept it once, then accept it once and for all. Why do you accept it for a transient period of time and then forget the acceptance?
Chow: ...
Old man: You have never accepted anything to begin with. That is your problem. The illusion that you feel as though you have accepted your fate is all just part of the struggle not to accept your fate. It is very subtle. You have to pay attention.
*thinks for a while...*
Chow: No... Its not about accepting or not accepting...
Old man: Then what is it about?
Chow: Its really just about doing my time. To suffer and enjoy when I have to. There is no acceptance or denial.
Old man: You are correct. If you are aware of your acceptance, then you are in denial. True acceptance has no awareness of it. Remember that.
Chow: Thank you.
Old man: Just look at your sentence, as long as there is an "I" then you can never accept anything.
Chow: But sometimes I can, and sometimes I can't. Why is that?
Old man: That is just a illusion of the mind. If you could accept it once, then accept it once and for all. Why do you accept it for a transient period of time and then forget the acceptance?
Chow: ...
Old man: You have never accepted anything to begin with. That is your problem. The illusion that you feel as though you have accepted your fate is all just part of the struggle not to accept your fate. It is very subtle. You have to pay attention.
*thinks for a while...*
Chow: No... Its not about accepting or not accepting...
Old man: Then what is it about?
Chow: Its really just about doing my time. To suffer and enjoy when I have to. There is no acceptance or denial.
Old man: You are correct. If you are aware of your acceptance, then you are in denial. True acceptance has no awareness of it. Remember that.
Chow: Thank you.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Too hard on myself
Chow: Have I been too hard on myself?
Old man: That is a common mistake.
Chow: How can I prevent myself from doing it again?
Old man: You are still worried about it?
Chow: Ah! Still too hard on myself aren't I...
Old man: You poor silly child... you have come so far yet it seems as though you have not moved a single step. But what can I say? If I gave any indication that this was the right path to take, you will be too hard on yourself. Yet, if I gave any indication otherwise, you will cease all effort at once. There isn't a third indication, at least not one that you could understand.
Chow: Then why do you encourage me to keep doing it?
Old man: If not, how would you know if you have been too hard on yourself?
Chow: ... So where does that leave me?
Old man: Where you always have been.
Chow: I am very tired.
Old man: That is certain. You have been fighting all this while.
Chow: Have I? Somehow I always felt as though I've been putting in the least amount of effort.
Old man: Effort, no matter how small, when exerted, will tire. What is stopping you from ceasing all effort?
Chow: I don't know. Fear of the unknown perhaps. I really don't know.
Old man: There is no need to know anything my child. The only problem is timing. When the time comes, you will see. Until then, all your effort will be useless.
Chow: There are still things I have to do. Even though I know they are meaningless.
Old man: Meaningless or not, if you have to do it, then you must do it. Who knows? Maybe the time will come after?
Chow: I can only hope.
Old man: That is a common mistake.
Chow: How can I prevent myself from doing it again?
Old man: You are still worried about it?
Chow: Ah! Still too hard on myself aren't I...
Old man: You poor silly child... you have come so far yet it seems as though you have not moved a single step. But what can I say? If I gave any indication that this was the right path to take, you will be too hard on yourself. Yet, if I gave any indication otherwise, you will cease all effort at once. There isn't a third indication, at least not one that you could understand.
Chow: Then why do you encourage me to keep doing it?
Old man: If not, how would you know if you have been too hard on yourself?
Chow: ... So where does that leave me?
Old man: Where you always have been.
Chow: I am very tired.
Old man: That is certain. You have been fighting all this while.
Chow: Have I? Somehow I always felt as though I've been putting in the least amount of effort.
Old man: Effort, no matter how small, when exerted, will tire. What is stopping you from ceasing all effort?
Chow: I don't know. Fear of the unknown perhaps. I really don't know.
Old man: There is no need to know anything my child. The only problem is timing. When the time comes, you will see. Until then, all your effort will be useless.
Chow: There are still things I have to do. Even though I know they are meaningless.
Old man: Meaningless or not, if you have to do it, then you must do it. Who knows? Maybe the time will come after?
Chow: I can only hope.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Silly me
Chow: My friends, do you not realize the moment you take life seriously, you become your own joke? Nobody is there to laugh at you, especially when everybody is in your shoes. But the universe laughs at you. As part of the universe, when will you realize the joke that has always been, which is you? Laugh! Laugh at your silliness! Laugh at your seriousness! Laugh your way to heaven...
^_^
^_^
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Where are you going to go?
Chow: Ahh... it comes again. It always does... no matter how hard I try to avoid it.
Old man: Why avoid it? Do you think you can avoid it?
Chow: No... I should face it!!
Old man: Why force yourself either? Do you think you can face it if the time isn't right?
Chow: No...
Old man: So what should you do?
Chow: Nothing?
Old man: Nothing!
Chow: But I feel miserable...
Old man: You only feel miserable when you are bent on doing or not doing something. Let go of that notion... Relax. Just relax. When you are looking at the sunset, don't run towards it. When the rain is catching up with you, don't run away from it. Where are you going to go? The sun will set, and you can't outrun the rain.
Chow: A feeling of helplessness...
Old man: Does it feel good?
Chow: Yeah, but its an acquired taste.
Old man: It takes time... just relax.
Old man: Why avoid it? Do you think you can avoid it?
Chow: No... I should face it!!
Old man: Why force yourself either? Do you think you can face it if the time isn't right?
Chow: No...
Old man: So what should you do?
Chow: Nothing?
Old man: Nothing!
Chow: But I feel miserable...
Old man: You only feel miserable when you are bent on doing or not doing something. Let go of that notion... Relax. Just relax. When you are looking at the sunset, don't run towards it. When the rain is catching up with you, don't run away from it. Where are you going to go? The sun will set, and you can't outrun the rain.
Chow: A feeling of helplessness...
Old man: Does it feel good?
Chow: Yeah, but its an acquired taste.
Old man: It takes time... just relax.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Where are we living?
We have 6 senses. The 5 of them being the bodily senses limited to our sense organs which are the skin (touch), tongue (taste), eyes (light), ears (sound), and nose (smell). And the one sensory apparatus that we have that none other living creature on this planet share is the mind. If the skin could pick up touch, the mind could pick up emotions. And the mind could generally pick up only 2 types of emotions, which are either positive emotions, or negative ie. pleasant or unpleasant.
But with the mind, although we rise above animals in terms of being able to pick up an extra modality, one must ask if its really useful? What is the mind for?
I believe the mind works best by being in service to us. But it becomes counterproductive when it acts as our master. One good look at the mind tells me that the mind could never handle or understand paradoxes or contradictions. Mind will forever seek certainty either by proving or disproving something. But when lingering in the middle, mind ceases to operate, almost having a life of its own, the mind starts to fight back, it starts to struggle and feel negative emotions. The mind is safe and comfortable at one extreme. And like a one way street, its either the mind moves forward or backward... it could never stay stagnant. Its either the mind is in the North or the South. It could never be in the middle. Because in the middle, the paradoxes are so complete and perfect it cancels out all thoughts. Hence in the middle, the mind ceases to function.
Gautama calls it the "middle path". And I guess thats why.
Where are we living?
There are 2 planes or dimensions of living if I might boldly claim. One is the conventional plane that most of us are living in and that is the plain of existence, and the other is the plane of reality. Contrary to what we believe, I believe that everything that exists are not real.
Bold claim?
Indeed.
Because if everything is unreal, then why should I bother when somebody steps on my toe? The pain is not real, the swelling is not real, neither is the bleeding or anything that happens to the toe. But having said that, I would be a fool to assume that this is the case without first testing it out. And as mentioned, I tempered a lot with my toes by walking out in the cold without shoes. At first it was painful especially if the roads are covered with frost and sharp little rocks and stones (not to mention shattered glass from beer bottles). Yet I paid keen attention to the mind and realized that while I was walking barefoot out on the streets, the mind tend to stray less away from the mundane errands we do in everyday life. All my attention were just focussed unto my feet to which I have so boldly claim it to be unreal just 2 seconds ago.
I have to admit, walking without shoes is great fun, but even after being able to figure out that the pain was unreal through an intellectual process, the fact that my mind was always focussed on my feet told me that I was merely playing an intellectual game. Why can't I dissociate from my feet? if the pain is unreal, if the body is unreal, then why should I think about it?
It then occurred to me.
It is our mind that keeps us stuck to the plane of existence. I call the plane of existence "unreal" because everything is really just a manifestation or maybe a mirror image of something else rather than an independent phenomena. Everything that ever existed, that can be perceived by our 6 senses, requires a comparison for it to be picked up and that might mean that we're all living under an illusion.
Just so as good can only manifest in the presence of evil, big can only be defined in the presence of the small, an object can only be identified in the presence of the non-object. And the world we live in, everything that we perceive to bear any meaning at all, turns out to be just a reflection of one thing or another. Its like looking into a mirror, and thinking that the one in the mirror is "you" rather the one standing in front of the mirror. Nothing is really, like what Immanuel Kant said, a "thing-in-itself".
And this concept isn't all that great at all and I'm sure its mentioned or implied somewhere in the Einstein's theory of relativity. Anybody could come up with such a concept... but to actually test it out and apply it into life is a whole different matter.
I feel as though we "humans" are limited to the limitations of the body and the mind. And it is these limitations that our miseries are being born. The body will age and die. And the mind will pick up positive and negative emotions whether you like it or not. It isn't up to you to filter whatever that is negative and to put it aside, the mind takes in whatever it could. Just like the eyes will see everything it could the moment you open them.
I have not attempted to filter out the negative emotions and focus only on the positive ones because my understanding of the principle of duality tells me that it will never work. Since the positive is only positive in the presence of the negative, it would be impossible for me to filter out the negative without removing the positive as well.
Thus the next rational move was to remove the mind altogether.
But is this possible? How long must one attempt to do before realizing that it is possible or impossible? If I believe it to be possible, then how long should I work on it? And if I don't believe it to be possible, then I would rather put a bullet through my head to end all this nonsense of positive and negative emotions.
The fundamental "flaw" with me is that I just could not accept the notion that humans are merely born into this world to live, experience joys and sorrows, and die. I just don't see a point in that. I've experienced joy, and I've experienced sorrow, what's next? So far the next that awaits are just more joy and sorrow without end. And not a day goes by where I do not feel as though I'm reliving the same scene over and over again, like a dejavu, and it is starting to raise some serious doubts in me as to whether or not there is an end to this cycle. I feel as though I've been here before, writing this article, in a previous life maybe, and I could distinctly remember just how helpless I would feel at the end of it because the conclusion would inevitably be the same as always.
But it is true that one gets "bored" with something the moment one savors a particular experience. Just like how I would sing a song for 3 days everyday at home and suddenly became bored of it on the 4th. Not that the song was bad, I still listen to it every now and then, but the initial excitement that was associated with it seem to have disappeared.
Is it possible, that I am bored with life...? simply because I've been through all of it, the thick and thin, the ups and down, maybe a more than a million times? But how? I'm only 23 years old... I have not hiked the Everest, neither have I earned my first billion or dated a supermodel, yet all I want to do these days is just to throw everything out the window and meditate in silence. Is is possible that there are past lives which I am not aware of? As of now, I only have feelings as though I've done this before... unconsolidated, vague, inconclusive feelings that if I tried hard enough I'd probably be able to block out. It is these feelings that keep me from being a part of society... And it keeps coming back no matter how hard I try to block them out.
We are all living on the plane of existence where nothing is real. And I believe it is our sacred duty to make that journey to the other plane, the other shore of reality. Only problem is, my intellectuality will never allow me to do so. By wanting to get there I have effectively prevented myself from getting there. I believe now the transmigration of oneself from one plane to another could not be done with effort. It is moving from one dimension to another. And the only way to achieve that is by the process of elimination. The moment we realize, in totality, that this world and everything it ever stands for are unreal, we lose touch with it and whatever that remains... is the real.
By always thinking about what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, I have trapped myself in this cycle of misery. It is a very silly thing to do, but was this very stupidity that has brought about the idea that I've done all of these before, that gave me the impression that I'm not making any progress at all... Helpful?
Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, what do I have to worry about? Studies? My family? My friends? Myself? Why do I get this feeling that I've done all that already and I'm suddenly... bored.
Utterly bored.
I can feel it... so close, yet so far.
But with the mind, although we rise above animals in terms of being able to pick up an extra modality, one must ask if its really useful? What is the mind for?
I believe the mind works best by being in service to us. But it becomes counterproductive when it acts as our master. One good look at the mind tells me that the mind could never handle or understand paradoxes or contradictions. Mind will forever seek certainty either by proving or disproving something. But when lingering in the middle, mind ceases to operate, almost having a life of its own, the mind starts to fight back, it starts to struggle and feel negative emotions. The mind is safe and comfortable at one extreme. And like a one way street, its either the mind moves forward or backward... it could never stay stagnant. Its either the mind is in the North or the South. It could never be in the middle. Because in the middle, the paradoxes are so complete and perfect it cancels out all thoughts. Hence in the middle, the mind ceases to function.
Gautama calls it the "middle path". And I guess thats why.
Where are we living?
There are 2 planes or dimensions of living if I might boldly claim. One is the conventional plane that most of us are living in and that is the plain of existence, and the other is the plane of reality. Contrary to what we believe, I believe that everything that exists are not real.
Bold claim?
Indeed.
Because if everything is unreal, then why should I bother when somebody steps on my toe? The pain is not real, the swelling is not real, neither is the bleeding or anything that happens to the toe. But having said that, I would be a fool to assume that this is the case without first testing it out. And as mentioned, I tempered a lot with my toes by walking out in the cold without shoes. At first it was painful especially if the roads are covered with frost and sharp little rocks and stones (not to mention shattered glass from beer bottles). Yet I paid keen attention to the mind and realized that while I was walking barefoot out on the streets, the mind tend to stray less away from the mundane errands we do in everyday life. All my attention were just focussed unto my feet to which I have so boldly claim it to be unreal just 2 seconds ago.
I have to admit, walking without shoes is great fun, but even after being able to figure out that the pain was unreal through an intellectual process, the fact that my mind was always focussed on my feet told me that I was merely playing an intellectual game. Why can't I dissociate from my feet? if the pain is unreal, if the body is unreal, then why should I think about it?
It then occurred to me.
It is our mind that keeps us stuck to the plane of existence. I call the plane of existence "unreal" because everything is really just a manifestation or maybe a mirror image of something else rather than an independent phenomena. Everything that ever existed, that can be perceived by our 6 senses, requires a comparison for it to be picked up and that might mean that we're all living under an illusion.
Just so as good can only manifest in the presence of evil, big can only be defined in the presence of the small, an object can only be identified in the presence of the non-object. And the world we live in, everything that we perceive to bear any meaning at all, turns out to be just a reflection of one thing or another. Its like looking into a mirror, and thinking that the one in the mirror is "you" rather the one standing in front of the mirror. Nothing is really, like what Immanuel Kant said, a "thing-in-itself".
And this concept isn't all that great at all and I'm sure its mentioned or implied somewhere in the Einstein's theory of relativity. Anybody could come up with such a concept... but to actually test it out and apply it into life is a whole different matter.
I feel as though we "humans" are limited to the limitations of the body and the mind. And it is these limitations that our miseries are being born. The body will age and die. And the mind will pick up positive and negative emotions whether you like it or not. It isn't up to you to filter whatever that is negative and to put it aside, the mind takes in whatever it could. Just like the eyes will see everything it could the moment you open them.
I have not attempted to filter out the negative emotions and focus only on the positive ones because my understanding of the principle of duality tells me that it will never work. Since the positive is only positive in the presence of the negative, it would be impossible for me to filter out the negative without removing the positive as well.
Thus the next rational move was to remove the mind altogether.
But is this possible? How long must one attempt to do before realizing that it is possible or impossible? If I believe it to be possible, then how long should I work on it? And if I don't believe it to be possible, then I would rather put a bullet through my head to end all this nonsense of positive and negative emotions.
The fundamental "flaw" with me is that I just could not accept the notion that humans are merely born into this world to live, experience joys and sorrows, and die. I just don't see a point in that. I've experienced joy, and I've experienced sorrow, what's next? So far the next that awaits are just more joy and sorrow without end. And not a day goes by where I do not feel as though I'm reliving the same scene over and over again, like a dejavu, and it is starting to raise some serious doubts in me as to whether or not there is an end to this cycle. I feel as though I've been here before, writing this article, in a previous life maybe, and I could distinctly remember just how helpless I would feel at the end of it because the conclusion would inevitably be the same as always.
But it is true that one gets "bored" with something the moment one savors a particular experience. Just like how I would sing a song for 3 days everyday at home and suddenly became bored of it on the 4th. Not that the song was bad, I still listen to it every now and then, but the initial excitement that was associated with it seem to have disappeared.
Is it possible, that I am bored with life...? simply because I've been through all of it, the thick and thin, the ups and down, maybe a more than a million times? But how? I'm only 23 years old... I have not hiked the Everest, neither have I earned my first billion or dated a supermodel, yet all I want to do these days is just to throw everything out the window and meditate in silence. Is is possible that there are past lives which I am not aware of? As of now, I only have feelings as though I've done this before... unconsolidated, vague, inconclusive feelings that if I tried hard enough I'd probably be able to block out. It is these feelings that keep me from being a part of society... And it keeps coming back no matter how hard I try to block them out.
We are all living on the plane of existence where nothing is real. And I believe it is our sacred duty to make that journey to the other plane, the other shore of reality. Only problem is, my intellectuality will never allow me to do so. By wanting to get there I have effectively prevented myself from getting there. I believe now the transmigration of oneself from one plane to another could not be done with effort. It is moving from one dimension to another. And the only way to achieve that is by the process of elimination. The moment we realize, in totality, that this world and everything it ever stands for are unreal, we lose touch with it and whatever that remains... is the real.
By always thinking about what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, I have trapped myself in this cycle of misery. It is a very silly thing to do, but was this very stupidity that has brought about the idea that I've done all of these before, that gave me the impression that I'm not making any progress at all... Helpful?
Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, what do I have to worry about? Studies? My family? My friends? Myself? Why do I get this feeling that I've done all that already and I'm suddenly... bored.
Utterly bored.
I can feel it... so close, yet so far.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Oh?
*sits on the couch*
Ego: Why are you sitting here?
Chow: Because I'm not standing there.
Ego: Why are you lazy?
Chow: Because I'm not hardworking.
Ego: Why...
Chow: I'm here because I'm not there. I'm alive because I'm not dead. I'm this therefore I'm not that. There is no reason for anything.
Ego: Then who are you?
Chow: I don't know.
Ego: Where are you going?
Chow: I don't know.
Ego: Where are you now?
Chow: I'm here. I'll always be here.
Ego: Why here?
Chow: Because not there.
Ego: ...
Chow: You idiot. You think you can just come here and ask me silly questions? Go away. I am not interested in wasting time with you.
Ego: Why are you sitting here?
Chow: Because I'm not standing there.
Ego: Why are you lazy?
Chow: Because I'm not hardworking.
Ego: Why...
Chow: I'm here because I'm not there. I'm alive because I'm not dead. I'm this therefore I'm not that. There is no reason for anything.
Ego: Then who are you?
Chow: I don't know.
Ego: Where are you going?
Chow: I don't know.
Ego: Where are you now?
Chow: I'm here. I'll always be here.
Ego: Why here?
Chow: Because not there.
Ego: ...
Chow: You idiot. You think you can just come here and ask me silly questions? Go away. I am not interested in wasting time with you.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Little quotes
The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances. - Atisha ...
Friday, July 11, 2008
Whats the secret?
Chow: Oh man this soup is good... what did you put in it?
Old man: Oh you like it? Go on, have more!
Chow: Oh you bet I will, but I want to learn how to make this stuff... I mean, this is good shit!
Old man: Hahaha! I've never heard of shit being good, but if thats what you think, then... *smiles*
Chow: You gotta teach me how to make soup this good. What do you put in it?
Old man: Hm?
Chow: Whats in it that makes it so good?
Old man: Nothing...
Chow: Nothing?
Old man: Nothing at all... ^_^
Old man: Oh you like it? Go on, have more!
Chow: Oh you bet I will, but I want to learn how to make this stuff... I mean, this is good shit!
Old man: Hahaha! I've never heard of shit being good, but if thats what you think, then... *smiles*
Chow: You gotta teach me how to make soup this good. What do you put in it?
Old man: Hm?
Chow: Whats in it that makes it so good?
Old man: Nothing...
Chow: Nothing?
Old man: Nothing at all... ^_^
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Subtleties...
Chow: *in meditation*
The mind brings up memory of the past and anticipation for the future.
ego: Why is she doing this to ME? Who is she to do this to ME? I don't deserve this!
ego: No I shouldn't do this.
ego: Yes I should do that.
ego: Its not my fault...
ego: Its all my fault...
ego: But thats because...
ego: I like this, I want to hold on to this thought because it makes me feel good.
ego: I hate, I'll use another thought to replace or to destroy this current thought.
ego: This is right.
ego: This is wrong.
ego: I am a victim!
ego: Its all his/her/their fault!
ego: I am right! They are wrong!
ego: They are right! I am wrong!
ego: *justifies thought will all other arguments*
Chow: *opens eyes* So this is whats really going through my mind.
Old man: Just watch. Watch. Its good that you know. Don't destroy the "I", don't even try. What are you going to destroy it with? It is a never-ending battle. Just watch. You can't destroy something that doesn't exist. You can't let go of something you don't have.
Chow: *closes his eyes again* ...
The mind brings up memory of the past and anticipation for the future.
ego: Why is she doing this to ME? Who is she to do this to ME? I don't deserve this!
ego: No I shouldn't do this.
ego: Yes I should do that.
ego: Its not my fault...
ego: Its all my fault...
ego: But thats because...
ego: I like this, I want to hold on to this thought because it makes me feel good.
ego: I hate, I'll use another thought to replace or to destroy this current thought.
ego: This is right.
ego: This is wrong.
ego: I am a victim!
ego: Its all his/her/their fault!
ego: I am right! They are wrong!
ego: They are right! I am wrong!
ego: *justifies thought will all other arguments*
Chow: *opens eyes* So this is whats really going through my mind.
Old man: Just watch. Watch. Its good that you know. Don't destroy the "I", don't even try. What are you going to destroy it with? It is a never-ending battle. Just watch. You can't destroy something that doesn't exist. You can't let go of something you don't have.
Chow: *closes his eyes again* ...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Is there no end to my stupidity?
Chow: Is there?
Old man: There is.
Chow: Where?
Old man: By asking that question, your stupidity perpetuates.
Chow: ...
Old man: Shut up! Be still... silent. Just watch. Hopeful yet hopeless. Watch your stupidity. It ends.
Old man: There is.
Chow: Where?
Old man: By asking that question, your stupidity perpetuates.
Chow: ...
Old man: Shut up! Be still... silent. Just watch. Hopeful yet hopeless. Watch your stupidity. It ends.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Little quotes
Ask yourself this; 'Are you a human being having a spiritual experience, or a spiritual being having a human experience? - Wayne Dyer, PhD...
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Idle chatter
Chow: Why was the Buddha so against idle chatter?
Old man: Please understand that the Buddha has nothing against anything. He forbids idle chatter simply because he understands that is a trick of the mind.
Chow: What trick is that?
Old man: The mind plays many tricks on you, He understood that and thus came with the precepts.
Chow: Abstain from killing, abstain from sexual misconduct, abstain from stealing, abstain from lying, and abstain from all intoxicants...
Old man: Yes. There are many reasons why a person may be distracted along the path to enlightenment, and the more subtle it is, the harder it is to pick up. The Buddha for one, who was fully enlightened, understood that these are the 5 basic distractions that people are most likely to succumb to.
Chow: And idle chatter? Doesn't seem to be in one of the precepts?
Old man: Idle chatter falls under the "abstain from lying" precept. I'm sure you have engaged in idle conversation... just take a look at how many times you have lied.
Chow thinks hard...
*************************************************************************************
Someone: Hello Chow how are you doing today?
Chow: Oh I'm good, how about you?
Someone: I'm great! So how was your weekend?
Chow: Its uh... boring.
Someone: Really? what did you do?
Chow: Nothing at all.
(which is totally untrue, because Chow went to the grocery store, studied at home, played some online games, meditate, and loads of other stuff. He just didn't bother talking about it because he didn't wanted to waste time talking about his weekend with someone he hardly knows. So here he made a little lie and said "nothing at all" instead of just telling someone straight in the face that he doesn't feel like telling him anything)
Someone: Oh c'mon, I'm sure you did something. I saw you at the library, what were you doing?
Chow: Oh I was just surfing the internet.
(Again another fallacy because he wasn't surfing the net at all, he was busy studying. But because he didn't want to come across as a "nerd" or a "KIASU" thus he said he was simply surfing the internet.)
Someone: Surfing the internet for what?
Chow: I was playing some online games, watching videos on youtube and such.
(Another lie on top of a lie. He simply wants to project a carefree image to his colleague thus he makes stuff up. He wasn't even on the internet to begin with, how could he have been playing games or watching videos on youtube?)
Someone: Sounds like fun...
Chow: What about you? Hows your weekend?
(He didn't wanted to stay and chat. He never had any intention to perpetuate his idle chatter but he did it anyway because he felt compelled to do so especially after someone had made such an effort to talk to him. He would feel somewhat guilty if he hadn't talk back in a similar fashion and that might come across as rude to the other party and he doesn't want that. So he is reciprocating that mannerism by asking questions like "how are you?"...)
Someone: Oh I went to this place... that place... did this... did that...
Chow: *zones out... wasn't paying any attention at all.*
(Because Chow had never intended to listen, his mind immediately shuts out the conversation. He looks as though he is listening, but he isn't. He looks interested, but he isn't.)
Chow: Sounds interesting.
(No its not.)
Someone: Yeah... anyway, I'll see you tomorrow at lecture okay?
Chow: Sure!
(another fallacy, anybody who knows Chow, knows that he never attends any lecture. He said "sure" because he didn't want to say something like "Um... I'm not going." because he understands that if he said that, he might prolong the conversation with someone asking "why don't you want to go to lecture?". So he lied, again.)
*************************************************************************************
Chow: You are right old man, I lie all the time. Why?
Old man: Because you want to protect your self image. A lie serves to hide the truth, like a blanket of mist that covers it. If you are lazy, you will lie that you are diligent. If you are ugly, you will lie that you are pretty. If you are angry, you will that you are calm. This is the purpose of a lie. It serves to project a false image of yourself, an image that you would like to believe is virtuous or beautiful. And you do it so subtly that not even you could pick it up. By and by, you start to believe that you are a calm person even though you are boiling with anger... A lie is a very dangerous thing. And you find a thousand lies in one idle chatter.
Chow: So I should always tell the truth?
Old man: What is there to hide?
Chow: That means that anybody can ask me the most intimate questions, and I must answer them straightforwardly, as honest as possible? I think that might be traumatic, don't you think I deserve to keep some information to myself?
Old man: First understand the precept. None of the precepts work without its context. It is not about "not lying" or "always telling the truth"... its simply about not covering the truth, not boosting the ego. It doesn't matter what you say or don't say, just as long you have no intention of hiding yourself from the world.
Chow: So it is the volition and purpose behind the speech that counts.
Old man: Yes.
Chow: But does idle chatter serves any purpose at all in this world?
Old man: In this silly world, it does. But you must be very careful with it. Its power of distraction is very strong and very subtle. Before you know it, you are already engaging in idle chatter, telling a thousand lies to the world about your day, your personality, and everything else that you wish to cover up. It can only serve as a conversation starter... to which you hope that it can lead to deeper and more meaningful conversations. Not everybody comes to me like you do, straightforwardly. So sometimes, for the sake of spreading the seed of truth, it is necessary to engage in a little idle chatter. But be aware! Never allow yourself to be carried away.
Chow: I understand now. Thank you.
Old man: Please understand that the Buddha has nothing against anything. He forbids idle chatter simply because he understands that is a trick of the mind.
Chow: What trick is that?
Old man: The mind plays many tricks on you, He understood that and thus came with the precepts.
Chow: Abstain from killing, abstain from sexual misconduct, abstain from stealing, abstain from lying, and abstain from all intoxicants...
Old man: Yes. There are many reasons why a person may be distracted along the path to enlightenment, and the more subtle it is, the harder it is to pick up. The Buddha for one, who was fully enlightened, understood that these are the 5 basic distractions that people are most likely to succumb to.
Chow: And idle chatter? Doesn't seem to be in one of the precepts?
Old man: Idle chatter falls under the "abstain from lying" precept. I'm sure you have engaged in idle conversation... just take a look at how many times you have lied.
Chow thinks hard...
*************************************************************************************
Someone: Hello Chow how are you doing today?
Chow: Oh I'm good, how about you?
Someone: I'm great! So how was your weekend?
Chow: Its uh... boring.
Someone: Really? what did you do?
Chow: Nothing at all.
(which is totally untrue, because Chow went to the grocery store, studied at home, played some online games, meditate, and loads of other stuff. He just didn't bother talking about it because he didn't wanted to waste time talking about his weekend with someone he hardly knows. So here he made a little lie and said "nothing at all" instead of just telling someone straight in the face that he doesn't feel like telling him anything)
Someone: Oh c'mon, I'm sure you did something. I saw you at the library, what were you doing?
Chow: Oh I was just surfing the internet.
(Again another fallacy because he wasn't surfing the net at all, he was busy studying. But because he didn't want to come across as a "nerd" or a "KIASU" thus he said he was simply surfing the internet.)
Someone: Surfing the internet for what?
Chow: I was playing some online games, watching videos on youtube and such.
(Another lie on top of a lie. He simply wants to project a carefree image to his colleague thus he makes stuff up. He wasn't even on the internet to begin with, how could he have been playing games or watching videos on youtube?)
Someone: Sounds like fun...
Chow: What about you? Hows your weekend?
(He didn't wanted to stay and chat. He never had any intention to perpetuate his idle chatter but he did it anyway because he felt compelled to do so especially after someone had made such an effort to talk to him. He would feel somewhat guilty if he hadn't talk back in a similar fashion and that might come across as rude to the other party and he doesn't want that. So he is reciprocating that mannerism by asking questions like "how are you?"...)
Someone: Oh I went to this place... that place... did this... did that...
Chow: *zones out... wasn't paying any attention at all.*
(Because Chow had never intended to listen, his mind immediately shuts out the conversation. He looks as though he is listening, but he isn't. He looks interested, but he isn't.)
Chow: Sounds interesting.
(No its not.)
Someone: Yeah... anyway, I'll see you tomorrow at lecture okay?
Chow: Sure!
(another fallacy, anybody who knows Chow, knows that he never attends any lecture. He said "sure" because he didn't want to say something like "Um... I'm not going." because he understands that if he said that, he might prolong the conversation with someone asking "why don't you want to go to lecture?". So he lied, again.)
*************************************************************************************
Chow: You are right old man, I lie all the time. Why?
Old man: Because you want to protect your self image. A lie serves to hide the truth, like a blanket of mist that covers it. If you are lazy, you will lie that you are diligent. If you are ugly, you will lie that you are pretty. If you are angry, you will that you are calm. This is the purpose of a lie. It serves to project a false image of yourself, an image that you would like to believe is virtuous or beautiful. And you do it so subtly that not even you could pick it up. By and by, you start to believe that you are a calm person even though you are boiling with anger... A lie is a very dangerous thing. And you find a thousand lies in one idle chatter.
Chow: So I should always tell the truth?
Old man: What is there to hide?
Chow: That means that anybody can ask me the most intimate questions, and I must answer them straightforwardly, as honest as possible? I think that might be traumatic, don't you think I deserve to keep some information to myself?
Old man: First understand the precept. None of the precepts work without its context. It is not about "not lying" or "always telling the truth"... its simply about not covering the truth, not boosting the ego. It doesn't matter what you say or don't say, just as long you have no intention of hiding yourself from the world.
Chow: So it is the volition and purpose behind the speech that counts.
Old man: Yes.
Chow: But does idle chatter serves any purpose at all in this world?
Old man: In this silly world, it does. But you must be very careful with it. Its power of distraction is very strong and very subtle. Before you know it, you are already engaging in idle chatter, telling a thousand lies to the world about your day, your personality, and everything else that you wish to cover up. It can only serve as a conversation starter... to which you hope that it can lead to deeper and more meaningful conversations. Not everybody comes to me like you do, straightforwardly. So sometimes, for the sake of spreading the seed of truth, it is necessary to engage in a little idle chatter. But be aware! Never allow yourself to be carried away.
Chow: I understand now. Thank you.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The paradox of our time - George Carlin
The paradox of our time in history is that we have
taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider
freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,
but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have
bigger houses and smaller families, more
conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment,
more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but
less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too
recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get
too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read
too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our
values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate
too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We've added years to life not life to years. We've
been all the way to the moon and back, but have
trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've
done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We
write more, but learn less. We plan more, but
accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to
wait. We build more computers to hold more
information, to produce more copies than ever, but
we communicate less and less...
taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider
freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,
but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have
bigger houses and smaller families, more
conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment,
more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but
less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too
recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get
too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read
too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our
values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate
too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We've added years to life not life to years. We've
been all the way to the moon and back, but have
trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've
done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We
write more, but learn less. We plan more, but
accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to
wait. We build more computers to hold more
information, to produce more copies than ever, but
we communicate less and less...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Little quotes
When you are chopping wood,
chop wood.
When you are fetching water,
fetch water.
-anonymous-
chop wood.
When you are fetching water,
fetch water.
-anonymous-
Thursday, May 1, 2008
You must be disappointed
Chow: Even after so much talk, I am still attached to the ego... You must be very disappointed with me...
Old man: How can I be proud or disappointed if I don't have any expectations?
Chow: What is an expectation?
Old man: An expectation arises from the ego. The only thing that can be expected out of any expectation is to feed the ego whatever it may desire, let it be a desire for pleasure or pain.
Chow: But if you don't have any expectation, then what drives you to help me?
Old man: First of all, do you feel that I've helped you in any way? As far as I know, the realizations you made are yours. I have absolutely no hand in it. At most I can tell you about the lies so you could be aware of it, but the truth, I can never tell... it is up to you to discover. I have no drive whatsoever to help you, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter because a drive doesn't help at all.
Chow: I understand now.
Old man: Don't be worried about the ego... being worried comes out of an expectation to be enlightened. And like I said, any expectation is to feed the ego. Drop your expectations, drop it utterly, and your enlightenment awaits.
Old man: How can I be proud or disappointed if I don't have any expectations?
Chow: What is an expectation?
Old man: An expectation arises from the ego. The only thing that can be expected out of any expectation is to feed the ego whatever it may desire, let it be a desire for pleasure or pain.
Chow: But if you don't have any expectation, then what drives you to help me?
Old man: First of all, do you feel that I've helped you in any way? As far as I know, the realizations you made are yours. I have absolutely no hand in it. At most I can tell you about the lies so you could be aware of it, but the truth, I can never tell... it is up to you to discover. I have no drive whatsoever to help you, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter because a drive doesn't help at all.
Chow: I understand now.
Old man: Don't be worried about the ego... being worried comes out of an expectation to be enlightened. And like I said, any expectation is to feed the ego. Drop your expectations, drop it utterly, and your enlightenment awaits.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Talks of love
Chow: Sigh... are we all not fools when it comes to love?
Old man: hm?
Chow: Since it is impossible to love without hate, the question now becomes which of the two do we choose to lean on day to day. Yet, even if we lean towards love, hate lingers behind the scene, and even if we lean towards hate, love lingers behind the scene. Madness... simply maddening.
Old man: hm... why are you saying this to me?
Chow: Its catharsis I guess.
Old man: Utterly pointless.
Chow: Even for self reflection?
Old man: Reflection is only possible when there is something to reflect upon. Now that you have catharted, what is there left to reflect?
Chow: But keeping it in destroys me.
Old man: Yet letting it out is just another form of escapism. Besides, how can anything destroy you?
Chow: ... at most it destroys my body, it destroys the ego, but it doesn't destroy me.
Old man: So what is the problem then?
Chow: Nothing... nothing at all.
*hits Chow on the head with a stick*
Old man: hm?
Chow: Since it is impossible to love without hate, the question now becomes which of the two do we choose to lean on day to day. Yet, even if we lean towards love, hate lingers behind the scene, and even if we lean towards hate, love lingers behind the scene. Madness... simply maddening.
Old man: hm... why are you saying this to me?
Chow: Its catharsis I guess.
Old man: Utterly pointless.
Chow: Even for self reflection?
Old man: Reflection is only possible when there is something to reflect upon. Now that you have catharted, what is there left to reflect?
Chow: But keeping it in destroys me.
Old man: Yet letting it out is just another form of escapism. Besides, how can anything destroy you?
Chow: ... at most it destroys my body, it destroys the ego, but it doesn't destroy me.
Old man: So what is the problem then?
Chow: Nothing... nothing at all.
*hits Chow on the head with a stick*
Monday, April 7, 2008
Little quotes
Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away.
Aitken Roshi ...
Aitken Roshi ...
Friday, April 4, 2008
Where is the "I"?
Old man: Where is the "I"?
Chow: I... I have exhausted my search. For years I have been so concerned about hurting "myself", unwilling to participate in certain experience, unwilling to venture, a coward. For years I have been so concerned with pleasing "myself", unwilling to give up certain pleasures, unwilling to detach, a big baby.
I have exhausted my search. Where is the "I"?
Is it my head? The thing I regard so much when having a migraine? This head of mine had caused me to fear the sun, to fear the heat, for everytime it meets the sun and heat pain arises. But then I asked, who is the sun hurting? At most it hurts my head, it doesn't hurt me. Where is the "I"? My head isn't it.
Is it my penis? The thing I regard so much when I'm experiencing lust? This penis of mine had caused me to hang on to sex, unwilling to give it up. I thought I was getting intense pleasure out of it but then I asked, who am I pleasuring? At most I am but pleasuring my penis, it doesn't pleasure me. Where is the "I"? My penis isn't it.
Is it my body? Is it my limbs?
Is it my ears? The one that hurts so much whenever somebody throws a harmful remark at me. At most, it hurts the ears, it doesn't hurt me. Where is the "I"? The ears isn't it.
Is it my eyes? The one that hurts so much whenever I see something I don't want to see. At most, it hurts the eyes, it doesn't hurt me. Where is the "I"? The eyes isn't it.
Is it my skin? The one that feels so much pleasure when I put on the smooth and silky clothes. At most, it pleases the skin, it doesn't please me. Where is the "I"? The skin isn't it.
For everything I did or didn't do, I did it for "myself", for the "I"... yet today I couldn't find the "I"...
Where is the "I"?
Where?
*starts to cry... T_T*
Forgive me old man, I don't know where is the "I"...
Old man: You have finally understood... The "I" has no identity, it could not be defined, it could not be found, because it never existed. No apology necessary, you have found a treasure more valuable than all the riches in the world come together.
Chow: I... I have exhausted my search. For years I have been so concerned about hurting "myself", unwilling to participate in certain experience, unwilling to venture, a coward. For years I have been so concerned with pleasing "myself", unwilling to give up certain pleasures, unwilling to detach, a big baby.
I have exhausted my search. Where is the "I"?
Is it my head? The thing I regard so much when having a migraine? This head of mine had caused me to fear the sun, to fear the heat, for everytime it meets the sun and heat pain arises. But then I asked, who is the sun hurting? At most it hurts my head, it doesn't hurt me. Where is the "I"? My head isn't it.
Is it my penis? The thing I regard so much when I'm experiencing lust? This penis of mine had caused me to hang on to sex, unwilling to give it up. I thought I was getting intense pleasure out of it but then I asked, who am I pleasuring? At most I am but pleasuring my penis, it doesn't pleasure me. Where is the "I"? My penis isn't it.
Is it my body? Is it my limbs?
Is it my ears? The one that hurts so much whenever somebody throws a harmful remark at me. At most, it hurts the ears, it doesn't hurt me. Where is the "I"? The ears isn't it.
Is it my eyes? The one that hurts so much whenever I see something I don't want to see. At most, it hurts the eyes, it doesn't hurt me. Where is the "I"? The eyes isn't it.
Is it my skin? The one that feels so much pleasure when I put on the smooth and silky clothes. At most, it pleases the skin, it doesn't please me. Where is the "I"? The skin isn't it.
For everything I did or didn't do, I did it for "myself", for the "I"... yet today I couldn't find the "I"...
Where is the "I"?
Where?
*starts to cry... T_T*
Forgive me old man, I don't know where is the "I"...
Old man: You have finally understood... The "I" has no identity, it could not be defined, it could not be found, because it never existed. No apology necessary, you have found a treasure more valuable than all the riches in the world come together.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Losing my mind!!
Chow: Arghh... I'm losing it! I'm losing it! Arghh... it hurts...
Old man: ...
Chow: Help me.
Old man: ...
Chow: Please?
Old man: ...
Old man: ...
Chow: Help me.
Old man: ...
Chow: Please?
Old man: ...
Friday, March 28, 2008
Little quotes
Why are you unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything you think,
And of everything you do,
Is for yourself -
And there isn't one. -wei wu wei-
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything you think,
And of everything you do,
Is for yourself -
And there isn't one. -wei wu wei-
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I'm tired of meditating
Chow: I'm tired of meditating.
Old man: Then don't meditate.
Chow: But how am I suppose to find the truth that way?
Old man: You already have it. How can you search for something you already have?
Chow: So are you telling me there's no need to meditate at all.
Old man: You are asking the wrong question. Doing or not doing has got nothing to do with walking the path of liberation.
Chow: I don't get you. Its either I do or I don't do, what is there left?
Old man: Non-action.
Chow: What is that?
Old man: Contrary to what you just said, to do or not to do connotes action. Non-action falls out of that category. Non-action is not an action, not a verb, it is a state that you be in. Being in a state of non-action is to be a witness... whereby you no longer react to your ego anymore.
Chow: So I meditate because...
Old man: You are meditating because thats what you were told to do. It is reassuring to the ego that you are doing the right thing when in fact you are no better than not meditating at all. Any action will only serve to reinforce the ego.
Chow: Even my thoughts?
Old man: Thoughts consist of the past and the future. Any form of thought is the ego. Even the thought of not thinking is the ego.
Chow: How do I get rid of my thoughts?
Old man: Again, you are asking the wrong question. There is no how. To ask "how" connotes action. You are asking me how to do nothing. I can only tell you how to do something, but I cannot tell you how to do nothing. To ask "how" to be enlightened is to fight an endless battle.
Chow: Why?
Old man: Because you are already there. You have always been, always will be. There is nothing else you could be. There is nothing to find, and no means to search for it either.
Chow: Then what is stopping me from realizing the truth?
Old man: Nothing.
Chow: Then why am I not enlightened?
Old man: Because you have not realized that there is nothing stopping you. You keep thinking about obstacles that are not there.
Chow: Why do I think that way?
Old man: I do not know.
Old man: Then don't meditate.
Chow: But how am I suppose to find the truth that way?
Old man: You already have it. How can you search for something you already have?
Chow: So are you telling me there's no need to meditate at all.
Old man: You are asking the wrong question. Doing or not doing has got nothing to do with walking the path of liberation.
Chow: I don't get you. Its either I do or I don't do, what is there left?
Old man: Non-action.
Chow: What is that?
Old man: Contrary to what you just said, to do or not to do connotes action. Non-action falls out of that category. Non-action is not an action, not a verb, it is a state that you be in. Being in a state of non-action is to be a witness... whereby you no longer react to your ego anymore.
Chow: So I meditate because...
Old man: You are meditating because thats what you were told to do. It is reassuring to the ego that you are doing the right thing when in fact you are no better than not meditating at all. Any action will only serve to reinforce the ego.
Chow: Even my thoughts?
Old man: Thoughts consist of the past and the future. Any form of thought is the ego. Even the thought of not thinking is the ego.
Chow: How do I get rid of my thoughts?
Old man: Again, you are asking the wrong question. There is no how. To ask "how" connotes action. You are asking me how to do nothing. I can only tell you how to do something, but I cannot tell you how to do nothing. To ask "how" to be enlightened is to fight an endless battle.
Chow: Why?
Old man: Because you are already there. You have always been, always will be. There is nothing else you could be. There is nothing to find, and no means to search for it either.
Chow: Then what is stopping me from realizing the truth?
Old man: Nothing.
Chow: Then why am I not enlightened?
Old man: Because you have not realized that there is nothing stopping you. You keep thinking about obstacles that are not there.
Chow: Why do I think that way?
Old man: I do not know.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Little quotes
As long as there is a 'you' doing or not-doing, thinking or not-thinking, 'meditating' or 'not-meditating' you are no closer to home than the day you were born. "The Tenth Man" by Wei Wu Wei...
Monday, February 18, 2008
What is God?
David: So what are you?
Chow: I don't know.
David: Do you have a religion?
Chow: I don't understand what do you mean by a religion.
David: Say... do you believe in God?
Chow: God? What is God?
David: Its a being higher than you. The highest being ever.
Chow: A being? Do you know what is a being?
David: Um...
Chow: And what makes a "being" higher or lower than other "beings"?
David: Good question... I don't really know.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chow: What is a "being"?
old man: A being is everything that ever is or ever will be. A being is what the bible would like to call "the alpha and omega" except there is no such thing as "alpha or omega". Everything IS. There is no start neither is there an end. A "being" connotes the present in contrast to "becoming". Everything is a "being". A human being is real, a human "becoming" is unreal.
Chow: What makes a "being" higher than another?
Old man: Nothing.
Chow: Then what is God?
Old man: I am. So are you. And everything else.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
David: I think I know what you are.
Chow: What am I?
David: You are an atheist!
Chow: What is an atheist?
David: One who disbelieves in the existence of God.
Chow: Then I am not an atheist.
David: Why?
Chow: In order to disbelieve its existence, you must first acknowledge there is such an existence. Otherwise, what is there to disbelieve in? I do not lie in any of your categories. I do not believe in your "God" simply because I can't think of anything higher or lower than me. In order to be an atheist, I have to believe there is a supreme being which is higher than me, which I can actively disbelieve in. But that link is missing to me. How can I be an atheist?
David: Then are you a theist?
Chow: Not at all. A theist acknowledges the existence of a supreme being and simply submits to it. A theist and an atheist both believe there is an existing supreme being, just that an atheist refuse to submit themselves while the theists do.
David: Then what are you?
Chow: Like I said, I don't know.
Chow: I don't know.
David: Do you have a religion?
Chow: I don't understand what do you mean by a religion.
David: Say... do you believe in God?
Chow: God? What is God?
David: Its a being higher than you. The highest being ever.
Chow: A being? Do you know what is a being?
David: Um...
Chow: And what makes a "being" higher or lower than other "beings"?
David: Good question... I don't really know.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chow: What is a "being"?
old man: A being is everything that ever is or ever will be. A being is what the bible would like to call "the alpha and omega" except there is no such thing as "alpha or omega". Everything IS. There is no start neither is there an end. A "being" connotes the present in contrast to "becoming". Everything is a "being". A human being is real, a human "becoming" is unreal.
Chow: What makes a "being" higher than another?
Old man: Nothing.
Chow: Then what is God?
Old man: I am. So are you. And everything else.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
David: I think I know what you are.
Chow: What am I?
David: You are an atheist!
Chow: What is an atheist?
David: One who disbelieves in the existence of God.
Chow: Then I am not an atheist.
David: Why?
Chow: In order to disbelieve its existence, you must first acknowledge there is such an existence. Otherwise, what is there to disbelieve in? I do not lie in any of your categories. I do not believe in your "God" simply because I can't think of anything higher or lower than me. In order to be an atheist, I have to believe there is a supreme being which is higher than me, which I can actively disbelieve in. But that link is missing to me. How can I be an atheist?
David: Then are you a theist?
Chow: Not at all. A theist acknowledges the existence of a supreme being and simply submits to it. A theist and an atheist both believe there is an existing supreme being, just that an atheist refuse to submit themselves while the theists do.
David: Then what are you?
Chow: Like I said, I don't know.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Why won't you say it!?
Chow: Why won't you say it!?
Old man: Would you understand?
Chow: I probably won't, but I can try!
Old man: Try?
Chow: Yes. You have to at least try before knowing if its going to work or not!
Old man: If you require me to teach you, that means you don't understand. And if you already understood, then there wouldn't be a need to teach. So what is there left to talk about?
Old man: Would you understand?
Chow: I probably won't, but I can try!
Old man: Try?
Chow: Yes. You have to at least try before knowing if its going to work or not!
Old man: If you require me to teach you, that means you don't understand. And if you already understood, then there wouldn't be a need to teach. So what is there left to talk about?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
little quotes
The fundamental idea of Buddhism is to pass beyond the world of opposites, a world built up by intellectual distinctions and emotional defilements. - D.T. Suzuki...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Can you help me?
Chow: Can you help me?
Old man: No.
Chow: Why not?
Old man: Because that is not possible.
Chow: Why?
Old man: No reason why, simply because nature wouldn't allow it.
Chow: So are you just going to watch me suffer?
Old man: Yes.
Chow: Then why are you still talking to me? Why don't you just remain silent?
Old man: I talk because you don't understand silence. I talk simply because I have to. Talking to you indicates "action", it has no difference to "inaction" or "remaining silent" because inaction too indicates "action". I talk because I must. There is no desire to help you nor hurt you.
Chow: But what is there to understand in silence?
Old man: Everything.
Chow: And how do you know what needs to be done and what needs not?
Old man: With the dissolution of the false ego, what is left is reality. One who has attained that state would be living in accordance with nature instead of constantly trying to fulfill the needs of the ego. His actions are thus wholesome, he performs according to cosmic necessity.
Chow: So if you won't help me, then who will?
Old man: Nobody, except you.
Chow: I understand now.
Old man: No.
Chow: Why not?
Old man: Because that is not possible.
Chow: Why?
Old man: No reason why, simply because nature wouldn't allow it.
Chow: So are you just going to watch me suffer?
Old man: Yes.
Chow: Then why are you still talking to me? Why don't you just remain silent?
Old man: I talk because you don't understand silence. I talk simply because I have to. Talking to you indicates "action", it has no difference to "inaction" or "remaining silent" because inaction too indicates "action". I talk because I must. There is no desire to help you nor hurt you.
Chow: But what is there to understand in silence?
Old man: Everything.
Chow: And how do you know what needs to be done and what needs not?
Old man: With the dissolution of the false ego, what is left is reality. One who has attained that state would be living in accordance with nature instead of constantly trying to fulfill the needs of the ego. His actions are thus wholesome, he performs according to cosmic necessity.
Chow: So if you won't help me, then who will?
Old man: Nobody, except you.
Chow: I understand now.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
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