Buddhist Verses & Silent Readings For Reflection (静思语） - Part 6

[waterbright]

“When you see someone who has fallen on hard times, overwhelmed with hard times, you should conclude: ‘We, too, have experienced just this sort of thing in the course of that long, long time.’… When you see someone who is happy & well provided in life, you should conclude:

‘We, too, have experienced just this sort of thing in the course of that long, long time.’” — SN 15:11, 12

 

[plaingrain]

Hey I like this shifu leh! It's nice to hear a bhante teaching the dhamma in Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia, it's a refreshing change from the Thai language I'm used to hearing.

I saw this other clip in the same Instagram page, thought I'll share it too. Thanks for the introduction, I'm very happy tonight to just hear this brief talk!

 

[AUTUMN&WINTER]

1 min Dharma talk. Namo Amituofo.

 

[viethai]

【慈眼視眾生】星雲法師
你和人相處，用什麼樣的眼光看人呢？

有的人用懷疑的眼光看人；有的人用妒恨的眼光看人；有的人用藐視的眼光看人；有的人用成見的眼光看人。

社會上，有的人說「慧眼識英雄」；世間上的英雄很少，有慧眼的人也不多，真正能做到菩薩低眉「慈眼視眾生」，就算不錯了。

韓愈說：「世有伯樂，然後有千里馬；千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有。」伯樂的慧眼，也就是愛人、助人的慈眼。

父母用慈眼在看著兒女的成長；師長用慈眼在看著學生的進步；長者親人用慈眼在看著子孫的光耀門楣；國家社會用慈眼在看著全民的健全有為。

好的社區鄰里之間，用慈眼互相幫忙；好的機關團體裡面，用慈眼彼此互相提攜友愛。

人的一雙眼睛是肉眼，假如給人一點關注，給人一些尊重，那就是「慈眼視眾生」了。

眾生當中，有卵生、胎生、溼生、化生。在各類的眾生當中，就拿胎生的人類來說：有的人小氣，慳吝不捨；有的人閉塞，庸俗不堪；有的人狡猾，玩世不恭；有的人虛假，表裡不一。

儘管千百萬種不一樣的眾生，吾人應以慈眼來看他，總能促進彼此之間的和諧，增進彼此之間的互動。假如人人都能用「慈眼視眾生」的話，則世界的和平，種族的和諧，有厚望焉！

非常遺憾的是，世間人有時不用慈眼看人，而用覬覦的眼光看別人的財產；用無情的眼光對他人幸災樂禍。有的人用「看壞不看好」的眼光看人；有的用「看假不看真」的眼光看人。一雙美麗的眼睛，變成是刀、是劍，多麼的可惜呢？

《普門品》說：「觀世音菩薩遊諸十方國土，以慈眼視眾生。」所以觀世音菩薩慈悲的形象，能在每個人的家庭客廳裡，被高高的供奉著。「慈眼」是多麼令人嚮往啊！

在我身旁的人群裡，吾人希望他們用什麼樣的眼光來看我呢？

我們都希望我的朋友能用慈眼來看我；希望我的家人能用慈眼來看我；希望我的尊長能用慈眼來看我；希望我的鄉親能用慈眼來看我。但是，聰明的大家，我們以什麼樣的眼光去看人呢？

摘自《迷悟之間》第二冊 p.107

 

[viethai]

࿐人要學會轉念࿐

人活一輩子，
不怕路難走，就怕心難安。

很多時候，真正把我們困住的，
不是環境，不是命運，
而是我們心裡放不下的「執念」。

一個執念，可以讓人反覆痛苦；
一個轉念，卻能讓人柳暗花明。
命運的分水嶺，常常就藏在「轉念」這一刻。

同一件事，念頭不同，命運不同
有人遇到挫折，馬上怨天尤人：「為什麼老是我倒楣？」
有人遇到挫折，卻心想：「這是在磨練我，讓我更堅強。」

同樣的遭遇，心態不同，
一個陷在苦裡出不來，
一個卻越挫越勇，越走越順。

人生就是這樣，
你怎麼想，就會走向什麼樣的路。

轉念，就是轉運
很多煩惱，並不是事情太大，
而是我們太執著。

別人一句話，翻來覆去想半天；
一件小事，揪著不放，氣得自己胸悶；
本來可以一笑而過，卻偏偏鑽牛角尖。

心不放過自己，日子就過得沉重。

當你學會轉念，
「算了，這件事過去就好」；
「吃點虧，是我在修福」；
「他那樣對我，是他修養不夠」；
你會發現，原本沉重的心，立刻變輕。
輕的人，運氣才會越來越好。

會轉念的人，才是真正的智者
轉念，不是懦弱，不是逃避，
而是對自己的一種保護和提升。

因為你知道：
與其執著不放，讓心陷在苦裡，
不如換個角度，把傷變成成長，把痛化成覺悟。

人生沒有完美，
有的只是不断地轉彎和調整。
你能轉彎，命運就不會把你逼到絕境；
你能轉念，生命就能隨時翻盤。

轉念，就是修心
修心不是念經多少遍，
也不是閉關多久，
而是從日常的小事裡，
把「怨念」化為「感恩」，
把「不甘」換成「歷練」，
把「執著」放成「隨緣」。

當你會轉念，你的心量就大了，
心量一大，命運的格局就變了。

請記住：
轉念一秒，命運一新。
人最大的自由，不是外在的選擇，
而是內心能隨時轉動。

會轉念的人，不會被情緒困死，
不會被過去綁住，
不會被環境壓垮。

他們就像會游泳的人，
無論落入哪個池子，都能浮起來。

所以啊，
人要學會轉念。
這不是退讓，而是智慧；
不是認輸，而是轉運。

 

[viethai]

淨空法師：你會念佛嗎？
南無阿彌陀佛，這六個字的功德不可思議，前面統統講過。要會念，說老實話，修淨土的人多，會念這句佛號的人不多，為什麼？

他沒有把他的妄想分別執著念掉，他沒有把他自私自利念掉，他沒有把名聞利養念掉，他沒有把貪瞋痴慢念掉，就不會念，他不會。

會念的人怎麼樣？就像宗門大德所說的，「不怕念起，就怕覺遲」。淨宗提起佛號就是覺，我眼見色動了貪心，阿彌陀佛，歸到彌陀，貪心就沒有了。

第一念不怕，就怕那個念念相續你就造罪，第二句就是阿彌陀佛，這叫會念。

用這一句佛號，把所有的惡念打掉，把所有的雜念打掉，把所有不需要、不相干的念頭統統掃得乾乾淨淨，這叫會念。

那個念法，大聲念、小聲念、快念、慢念、什麼聲調，那個不相干，沒有關係。

關係是你真的把你的惡念、雜念念掉，那叫正念；念了一輩子佛，雜念都沒有斷掉，叫不會念，白念了。念佛也變成一種妄想，你說冤不冤枉？

 

[viethai]

財富只是一個數字 賺錢也需要福報
聖嚴法師

一切向錢看，這是我們這個時代的通病，一種不健康的風氣。每個人都要體認到：錢並不能代表自己的快樂、幸福、安全、健康或人格。財富多少只是一個數字，是虛幻的安全感；人真正需要的安全感，並不一定能由金錢中得到，比如：幸福、快樂、真愛、敬重。

如果把人生重要的目標，定位在追求“一億人生”，那就好象是在賽狗跑道上，追逐那只電動的兔子，它永遠跑得比賽狗快，賽狗再怎麼努力，終會發現兔子是永遠追不上的目標，除非這場比賽停止。

但我們想想：就算賽狗真的追上了那只電動兔子，又會如何呢？那是一隻假的兔子，又不能吃，追上了又怎麼樣呢？

人們追逐龐大的財富，追逐存款簿上的天文數字，就像賽狗追那只電動假兔一樣好笑。你拼命工作、拼命投資、拼命理財，也許達到幾百萬或者幾千萬元，幸運的，或者真的有了“一億人生”，但是這樣的人有多少呢？他們真的都很快樂嗎？

我年輕的時候有個好朋友，他天天看丘永漢的經營、理財的書。他興致勃勃地告訴我：只要門道抓對，就可以真的賺大錢。“你做和尚，我來賺錢，未來我支助你建道場。弘法利生，包在我身上。”他這樣告訴我。

現在，四十年過去了，我已經是個老僧，他也是個年近八十的老漢了。但是，丘永漢仍然是有錢的經營家，我的朋友卻仍然沒有成為富豪，理了大半輩子的財，仍然只夠養家活口。

我最近問他：“你賺多少錢啦？”他說：“錢找人容易，人找錢困難。錢滾錢容易，手賺錢很難。”萬事起頭難，你得先有機會，或者先有很多錢，才能夠錢生錢、錢滾錢。

為什麼會這樣？因為人有福報，你是不是有能力賺錢，還得有相對的資源來配合；如果沒有，財神爺在你門口走過，你也只能幹瞪眼。與其立志賺一億，不如發願：盡一生心力，奉獻社會，救苦救難。這樣的願望，是有錢、沒錢都能達成的，而且包管你快樂又幸福。

我並不是說，錢不重要，而是人要認清什麼是人生真正重要的，不要花了一生的時間，其實只在追逐一隻無關緊要的電動假兔子而已。財富多少只是一個數字，是虛幻的安全感；人真正需要的安全感，並不一定能由金錢中得到。

 

[heymee]

 

[waterbright]

“A being who has not been your mother at one time in the past is not easy to find.… A being who has not been your father… your brother… your sister… your son… your daughter at one time in the past is not easy to find.

“Why is that? From an inconceivable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries—enough to become disenchanted with all fabrications, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be released.” — SN 15:14–19

 

[plaingrain]

Heading down to Changi Airport in a few hours' time to catch a flight to Frankfurt. In the meantime am wide awake thanks to some Nescafe, so am checking out short Buddhist video clips. I particularly enjoy this simple teaching by Ajahn Brahm on contentment and nibbana. May we be content with few wants, and learn to count our blessings for what we have instead of what we lack.

Sadhu sadhu sadhu
Lionel

 

[AUTUMN&WINTER]

1 min Dharma talk. Namo Amituofo.

 

[sheamus]

Time never stands still—it is continuously passing. Seconds become minutes, minutes become hours, hours become days, days become years, and as time is passing in this way, you are travelling closer and closer towards death. Imagine an hour-glass, with the sand running into the bottom. The time you have to live is like these grains of sand, continuously running out...Hold your awareness for a while on the experience of this uninterrupted flow of time carrying you to the end of your life.

Life can end at any point: at birth, in childhood, in adolescence, at the age of twenty-two or thirty-five or fifty or ninety-four. Being young and healthy is no guarantee that a person will live a long time— children sometimes die before their parents.

No matter how much we have acquired or developed throughout our life—in terms of family and friends, wealth, power, travel experiences, and so on— none of it goes with us at death. Only our mind continues, carrying imprints of all that we have thought, felt, said and done. It is vital that when we die, we will have as many positive imprints—which will bring good experiences— and as few negative imprints—which will bring suffering—on our mind as possible. Also, we should aim to die at peace with ourselves, feeling good about how we lived our life, and not leaving behind any unresolved conflicts with people.

suman jyote bhante

 

[viethai]

人生中
不爭就是慈悲，
不辯就是智慧，
不聞就是清淨，
不看就是自在，
不貪就是佈施。

斷惡就是行善，改過就是懺悔，
謙卑就是禮佛，守禮就是持戒，
原諒就是解脫，知足就是放下，
利人就是利己。

海濤法師

 

[viethai]

認識五蘊
聖嚴法師

　 欲瞭解《心經》的「照見五蘊皆空」法門，首先，須先認識「五蘊」－「五蘊」是什麼？

　 一部分人將「五蘊」誤以為「五行」－「五行」，即是中國的金、木、水、火、土，它出自《易經》，是中國儒家哲學的基本觀念，後世道家哲學也廣泛採納其「陰陽五行」的思想。因此，也有人說「跳出三界外，不在五行中」，意即，離開金木水火土，離開了三界。

　 但是，「五行」是否即等於「五蘊」？兩者之間的關係、界別究竟為何？

　 「五蘊」出自佛家的概念，代表構成「人」之生命的五個要素，即是色、受、想、行、識。

　 色，指的是有形的、具體存在的物質體。我們的肉體、鳥獸、山河、林木、屋宇、餐具……都是。五行的「金木水火土」皆可以涵蓋在色蘊之內。因為，都是物質體，物質的元素。

　 色，有粗有細，有具相與隱微的。粗的物質體，眼睛可以看見，耳朵可以聽見，可以用手觸摸，也可以以身體感知。但是，微細的物質體，則較難以肉眼察覺，卻仍具體而微地存在著，例如，微生物、病毒、細菌、原子……等。

　 受、想、行三者指的是心理的功能－「受」即感受、覺受的「受」。受苦受樂，感覺憂傷、恐怖或失望。「想」，即思考、思想、想象、念想、猜想。「行」，指的是心理的作用，心理的變遷、變化、與流動。　「行」的特質，即是「相續流轉」－就是不斷不斷地變動、流轉著，如後一水滴推動前一水滴一般，流轉、變動個不停。

　 自然，我們的「念頭」，也是「行」的一部分－因為通常是前念持續到後念，後念又被緊逐而來的另一念所蓋過。念念相續，念念不已，一波又一波，不住流轉，不住變動，如此一念一念串聯下去，組成一種既連貫，又變動的心理行為。

　 精確地說，「受」與「想」都屬於「行」的一部分－是流動的心理狀態中，更明顯，更容易被觀照、覺察的部分。

微細的「行」，自己無法察覺，唯有在禪定中，可以感知。那剎那、剎那，極深，極細的流轉、變動，了知這即是「行」的現象。

　 識，包含了三個層面－其一、是認識、認知；其二、是分析、辨別；其三、則指從前一生至這一生，從這一生到下一生，能夠收藏、貯存生命種種行為、印記的一個記憶的「藏庫」或「主體」。

 

[viethai]

Visitor: Please accept our deepest sympathies on the loss of your mother.

Than Ajahn: Thank you. My mother didn’t die. She went into another realm. She departed from her old body and she would come back with a new body. She’s actually doing some body transplanting. So there is no need to be sad. She’s right now in a state of sleep and is dreaming. If she had made a lot of good kamma, she would have good dreams. If she had made a lot of bad kamma, she would have bad dreams. Nobody can help her. This is the way it is. So, believe the Buddha and try to do only good kamma and stop doing bad kamma. Then, no matter whether you live or die, you will always be happy.

“Dhamma in English, Jan 23, 2019.”
- - - - -
Q: How to practise the 32 parts in order to get the most benefit possible?

Than Ajahn: You can use it for samatha or vipassanā. Samatha is to make your mind peaceful and calm. Instead of repeating ‘buddho’, you can repeat the 32 parts: hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, bones, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc. You just memorise it and repeat it. If you keep reciting these 32 parts, your mind can become peaceful and calm and you will have samādhi. This is one method.

The second method is for vipassanā, to see the true nature of the body. When we see the body, we normally only see five parts of the body and they are the hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth and skin. That’s all we see and we might think that the body is only made up of these five parts, so we are deceived into looking at the body as beautiful or attractive. This causes us to desire and be attached to the body, thus creating dukkha for the mind.

When you want a body, you have to go and acquire it and when you cannot acquire it, you will become sad. Even after you have acquired your body or spouse, you will one day lose it or him/her and you will feel sad again. If you see the body as the 32 parts then you will not become attracted to the body and you will not have any sexual desire towards that body, and this is one way of getting rid of sexual desire.

When you see the complete picture of the body, you will then see that the body is not attractive. The parts under the skin are not attractive, such as the lungs, the heart, the intestine, stomach, liver, kidneys and all the dirty stuffs that come out of the body. Once you see the body in its entirety, you can get rid of your sexual desire. This is one level.

Another level is to see that the entire body has no person in it. The entire body only consists of 32 parts; for example, the hair is not you or me, the nails, teeth, skin are not you or me; they are just the parts of the body, so in this whole body there is no you or me in it. The whole body is just a composition of the 32 parts and it is not permanent; it is temporary, it is not lasting. One day it has to break up and when it breaks up it will return to the four elements: the liquid parts belong to water element, the heat in the body that makes your body warmth belongs to fire element, the parts that flow belong to the air element and the part that is solid belongs to earth element.

So this body is just a composition of the four elements. There is no person in that body: no father, no mother, no brother, no sister. The father or mother is in the mind and the mind doesn’t die with the body. The mind has to go to the next life when the mind still has desire or craving and it will be reborn according to kamma that it had performed. If it did good kamma, it will go to higher realm where there is more happiness than suffering, but if it did bad kamma, it will have to go to lower realm where there is more suffering than happiness such as the realm of animals, realm of hell (creatures), so this is the contemplation of the 32 parts of the body.

“Dhamma in English, Jul 14, 2016.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com
Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

 

[viethai]

࿐凡是傷你，都是在煉你࿐

人生中，沒有誰的路是一帆風順的。
總有一些人，讓你寒心；
總有一些事，讓你痛徹心扉。
但請記住——
凡是傷你的，都是來渡你的。

一、#痛苦，#是靈魂的淬煉

沒有經歷過傷痛的人，
永遠不會懂得成熟的價值。

那些讓你哭過的夜，
其實是在逼你成長；
那些讓你心碎的經歷，
其實是在磨你的心性。

修行不是離開塵世，
而是在紅塵裡，
被生活一次次磨礪，
仍能保有一顆柔軟的心。

二、#被傷的地方，#正是你該修的地方

別抱怨命運不公，
因為所有的境遇，
都是你心的投影。

你在哪裡被觸痛，
那裡就是你該修的業；
你在哪裡生氣、怨恨、執著，
那裡就是你該放下的地方。

痛，是轉化的契機。
當你願意覺察、願意改，
那一刻，你就不再是受害者，
而是修行者。

三、#人生沒有白受的苦

每一次被傷，
都是命運在告訴你：
「該覺醒了，該提昇了。」

痛苦不是懲罰，
而是提醒。

提醒你該放下驕慢、減少執著；
提醒你該感恩、該寬容、該柔軟。

當你學會不再怨、
不再逃、不再爭，
你會發現——
那些曾經傷你的人，
都成了成就你的“老師”。

四、#最深的煉，#不在外境，#而在心

真正的強大，
不是外表的堅硬，
而是心裡的柔和與清明。

外境越亂，心越要靜；
人越難對付，心越要穩。

當你不再被情緒牽動，
不再被他人影響，
不再因一句話起波瀾，
那一刻，你就煉成了。

結語：

凡是傷你的，不是來毀你，
而是來助你覺醒。

苦，不會白受；
淚，不會白流。

每一段破碎，都是靈魂重生的開始。
當你願意原諒、放下、感恩，
你就從煉獄裡走出，
進入真正的光明與自在。

 

[sheamus]

Life is short: hurry to meditate, study the Buddha’s teachings, and cultivate your mind before it’s too late.

Be mindful of the reality of your body, observing its impermanence and true nature — the waste it produces, its various secretions (saliva, nasal, ear, eye, genital, etc.), sweat, and the stench it emits. Stop being deceived by the fleeting pleasures it offers, such as comfort, sensuality, or vanity about appearance.

When the Buddha is present in our heart, we come to understand what we could not before, and we see what was previously unseen. But what do we truly understand, what do we really see? We recognize the defilements (kilesas) that stir our mind, shape our thoughts, words, and actions, enslave us, and cause suffering. There is nothing else to know, if you think you have realized anything more, let it go — only what pollutes the mind deserves attention.

A fully awakened being (arahant) no longer clings to the Buddha, the Dharma (the Buddha’s teachings), or the Sangha (the Buddhist community), as their mind is free from all attachment. At every moment, whether sitting or asleep for example, the mind remains vacant, detached from the body, sensations, memories, and thoughts. Whatever the circumstances, it abides in the state of Nibbana — free, pure, unchanging, and unconditioned.

Luang Pu Thue Achalathammo
(หลวงปู่ตื้อ อจลธมฺโม)

 

[sheamus]

BUDDHA–RĀHULA CONVERSATION

Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove. Venerable Rāhula was staying at Ambalaṭṭhikā. In the late afternoon, the Blessed One, coming out of retreat, visited Rāhula. Seeing the Teacher approach, Rāhula prepared a seat and water for washing the feet. The Blessed One washed His feet, sat on the seat, and Rāhula bowed to Him, sitting to one side.

The Blessed One, leaving a little water in the pot, addressed Rāhula:
“Rāhula, do you see this little water left in the pot?” “Yes, sir.”
“That is how little of the ascetic’s nature remains in one who is not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie.”

Then He discarded the water:
“See this water now gone? That is how the ascetic’s nature is discarded by one who tells a deliberate lie.”

He turned the pot upside down:
“See the pot now empty? That is how upside-down and hollow the ascetic’s life becomes in one who tells a deliberate lie.”

To illustrate further, the Blessed One compared a royal battle-elephant: even a strong and brave elephant protects its trunk; but once it loses restraint in battle, there is nothing it will not do. In the same way, one unashamed to lie may commit any unwholesome deed.

Thus He instructed Rāhula:
“Train yourself: I will not tell a lie, not even as a joke. A lie is spoken only to create a false belief in another.”

So you should train like this: ‘I will not tell a lie, even for a joke.’ What do you think, Rāhula? What is the purpose of a mirror?”
“It’s for checking your reflection, sir.”

“In the same way, deeds of body, speech, and mind should be done only after repeated checking.

Before acting: Examine the deed of body, speech, or mind. Will it cause harm to yourself or others? If so, refrain. Will it bring benefit and happiness? If so, act with diligence and joy.

During acting: Maintain awareness of the consequences.

After acting: Reflect on the outcome. If unwholesome, confess to a teacher or wise companion and restrain oneself in the future. If wholesome, rejoice and continue training day and night in skillful qualities.

The Blessed One concluded:
“All ascetics, past, present, and future, purify their body, speech, and mind through repeated reflection. Therefore, Rāhula, you should train thus.”

Satisfied, Venerable Rāhula approved of the Blessed One’s words.

This sutta, though addressed to the young Rāhula, remains timeless: it guides all who wish to live with honesty, mindfulness, and ethical integrity, purifying body, speech, and mind in every action.

---with mettā
#AmbalaṭṭhikaRāhulovādaSutta #suttastudy #mindfulness #palitipitaka #buddharahula — feeling hopeful.

 

[heymee]

 

[waterbright]

Kamma & Rebirth​

The Buddha acknowledged that he was not the first to attain the jhānas or to use those states of concentration to attain knowledge of previous lives. However, he noted that it is possible to attain a limited knowledge of previous lives (and by limited, he meant even as long as forty eons of cosmic expansion and contraction (DN 1)) and still develop wrong views about the relationship between kamma and the process by which rebirth occurs. One of the reasons for these wrong views is inappropriate attention—asking the wrong questions—and another is the sheer complexity of how kamma works. Only through his more complete knowledge of previous lives, together with his application of appropriate attention, was he able to realize the general principle of how kamma yields results: that skillful acts tend toward happiness and unskillful acts toward pain. However, he also saw that the results of present and past kamma interact in ways so complex that the question of when and where a particular action will yield its results is hard to answer—so hard, that any attempt to do so would lead to madness. And, given the role of present kamma in shaping one’s experience of the results of past kamma, the intensity with which the results of past kamma will be experienced can’t be predicted at all. Still, the general principle underlying these tendencies is reliable enough to provide guidance in following a path of action that will, eventually, lead to happiness. Not only that, this general principle also proved sufficient to underlie a path leading even further: to the harmless and peaceful happiness of unbinding.

“Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, & intellect.” — AN 6:63