Some subjects of meditation

True meditation is not about sitting down with crossed legs and focusing on your breath as most people think. The Mahayana way of meditation is neither sitting or focusing on anything at all, for its purpose is to see your own Buddha-nature and realize enlightenment. In the past when Master Mazu sat in meditation, his teacher Huairang asked him what he was doing. Mazu replied he was trying to meditate and achieve Buddhahood. Huairang said nothing, but he took a piece of tile and start polishing it in front of Mazu. This time it was Mazu who asked his teacher what he was doing. Huairang replied he was trying to polish the tile into a mirror. Mazu questioned how could a tile ever be polished into a mirror? Huairang asked him in return how could sitting in meditation lead one to Buddhahood? Mazu was dumbfounded. Huairang went on to ask him that if a bullock cart refuse to move forward, do you as the driver whip the bull or the cart? And from there, Mazu realized what was the true path to follow. The cart refer to our body and the bull our mind - it is the mind that attains Buddhahood, not the body. And so the practice of Dhamma should be based in the mind and not on physical form.

Here are some Buddha Koans that can be used in your meditation, extracted from the "Pointing at the Moon Records":

1. One day the Buddha sat on the high seat getting ready to expound the Dhamma. So Ven Maha Kassapa knocked the pestle on the ground and declared: "The World-honoured One has finished his sermon!" At this the Buddha got up and left.
For this Koan, meditate on "when did the Buddha give a sermon?"

2. Once the Buddha took a colour changing Mani Jewel and asked the 5 Celestial Kings: "What colour is this jewel?" Each King saw a different colour and responded accordingly. The Buddha then hid the jewel and asked them the same question with an empty hand. The Kings replied: "There's no jewel in your hand, Lord, so how can there be any colours?" The Buddha said: "How deluded you all are. Earlier I showed you a worldly jewel and each of you told me of a different colour. Now I am showing you the true jewel, yet you do not know it!" At that moment, the 5 Celestial Kings all attained enlightenment.
For this Koan, meditate on "what is the true jewel?"

3. At one time the Brahmin Kala made an offering of flowers to the Buddha. The Buddha responded by saying: "Rishi (hermit), let it go!" The Brahmin put down the flower in his left hand. The Buddha repeated again: "Rishi, let it go!" The Brahmin put down the flower in his right hand. The Buddha repeated himself for the 3rd time: "Rishi, let it go!" And the Brahmin said: "Both my hands are empty, what else will you have me put down?" Finally the Buddha told him: "I did not teach you to let go of the flowers. What you should let go are the external 6 sense objects, the internal 6 sense organs and the 6 sensory awareness in between. When everything is let go, until there is nothing left to let go, that is where you can find your true self." The Brahmin realized the Unborn Dhamma upon hearing these words.
For this Koan, meditate on "what is left when there is nothing left to let go?"

4.There was a Rishi who have attained the 5 supernormal powers (Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Telepathy, Recollection of past-lives & Mind-body projection) asking the Buddha: "World-honoured One, you possess the 6 supernormal powers, whereas I only have 5 powers. What is the 6th power?" The Buddha suddenly exclaimed: "Rishi!" The Rishi answered: "Yes, lord?" Buddha: "That power; why do you ask me?"
For this Koan, meditate on "what is the 6th power?"

5. The Buddha was travelling with the Ven Ananda when they passed by the stupa of a past Buddha. The Buddha prostrated before the stupa, and Ven Ananda asked him: "Who does this stupa belong to?" Buddha: "It belongs to one of the past Buddhas." Ananda: "The past Buddhas were whose disciples?" Buddha: "They were my disciples." Ananda: "That should be the case."
For this Koan, meditate on "who is the Buddha?"

By meditating, it does not mean that you have to sit down all the time, but constantly contemplate on the answer to any of these Koans no matter whether you are sitting, walking, standing or lying down. When the time is ripe, this one thought of fluctuating ignorance will break through your fundamental ignorance and allow you the see your true Buddha-nature. This is the method taught in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, and also the direct path of the Chan or Zen school. May you have swift progress on the path to enlightenment, sadhu.

The Deluge of New Orleans

The Mangala Sutta says:

"Abstaining from evil thoughts, evil deeds and evil speech;
Refraining from taking intoxicants,
And being mindful of wholesome conduct;
This is the highest blessing."

Even as New Orleans is slowly recovering from the flood waters that destroyed the entire city, and with the memory of 9.11 fresh on their minds, Americans cannot help but wonder why such a disaster had happened right in their heartlands. Besides the known physical causes, some religious people speculate it is God's punishment to the Americans for making the Israeli government pull out Jewish settlers from Gaza. Others say it is punishment for US arrogance and unjust control of Iraq & Afghanistan. As for terrorist groups, they laugh at any sign of American misfortune. Secular analysts blame the city's inadequate evacuation system, non-repair of the dam, the apathetic people, the welfare state, the breaking loose of criminals from prison and the incompetent police for the total anarchy that ensued after the disaster. Whatever people say, it is only speculation and the true causes of any major disaster in the world lies nowhere else other than in the minds of sentient beings. When many beings in one place share similar thoughts and perform similar deeds, collective karma is produced according to the nature of those deeds. Good & evil seeds beget corresponding fruits and nobody except maybe the enlightened ones can escape this universal law.
What is the karmic cause of such a disaster? None other than the 3 Poisons within one's mind. In the past, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty in China, there was a Runzhou district in the Jiangsu province. The inhabitants of that district were mostly fishermen who made a living catching fish, frogs & shells. They were used to daily killing and there was also a terrible tradition of disposing of female offspring by leaving them out in the open to die, or by drowning them. Everyday they caught fish & frogs and the elders would teach the children how to slaughter these creatures. This became their habit and these people thought it was great to know the art of slaughtering.

In the whole district there was only one old lady named Kong Po who abstained from killing and earned a living by weaving cloth. She would use her earnings to liberate lives and advice others to do so. Kong Po constantly admonished others to be compassionate towards living creatures and not to ignore any chance to perform wholesome deeds, no matter how small. Seeing the negative karma that her fellow villagers create everyday, she could not help but fear what kind of retribution they would reap in the future.

One night, some of the fishermen in the village saw an officer in black robes picking up a black record book from the river. Amazed, they asked who he was and what he was doing. The officer replied in this book lies the retribution for constant killing, and told them to stop killing immediately and practice liberating lives. After he finished his words the officer threw the book back into the river and disappeared. A few days later, the river embankment collapsed and the river waters flooded the entire district, sweeping houses away and killing many many villagers, much like New Orleans now. All except for Kong Po, who was with his grandson, praying to the Buddha on a hilltop monastery at the time of the disaster. This was proof that she had been blessed and protected by Devas as a result of her compassion, even as her fellow villagers suffered the unwholesome fruits of their collective karma.

Since time immemorial, whenever the people of any place commit too many sins, they were sure to be struck by some big disaster (natural or otherwise). This is not punishment from an Almighty Being, but karma created by the Craving, Hatred & Ignorance in their own minds. The law of cause & effect is clear for all to see yet sentient beings do not see it as they are blinded by their own ignorance. After the flood waters submerged the city of New Orleans, only then we see the true character of some of the surviving inhabitants there. No longer afraid of the consequences, they engaged in an orgy of looting, killing and raping, turning New Orleans into a watery hell as it is. Indeed, it was collective unwholesome karma that caused the disaster to happen, yet those lawless groups did not learn anything from it but go ahead to do more evil. How could these people be saved? Only the Hells awaits them. As for those who follow the Dhamma, they will always be free from harm, no matter what dangerous or disaster situation they find themselves in.

HK Stepmom: The Prison of Hatred

The Dhammapada says:

"Let a man conquer anger with love,
Let him subdue evil with good;
Let him overcome the greedy with generosity,
And the liar with truth."

Recently, there is a criminal assault case in Hong Kong that grips its entire populace with intrigue and pity; the case of 20 year old stepmom Hong Minyi hiring 2 young thugs to attack his 7 year old stepson, Cen Haoxian (Xian-zai) with cleavers, almost severing his arm and nearly killing the little boy. At the centre of the storm is the boy's father Cen Weicheng, who is undeniably the originator of this family tragedy.

What drives this young lady and a mother of a 2 month old baby (also fathered by Cen Weicheng) to mastermind such a cruel attack on a defenseless young boy? None other than the poison of hatred. Hatred is one of the most potent of the 5 Poisons of the mind. When hatred rages uncontrollably, binding the mind in a burning prison, it is the quickest way for anybody to enter Hell. Hong is very much a troubled young lady. On the one hand her husband and mother-in-law are consistently showing more affection to his stepson, such that she often perceives the young boy to be "bullying" her own baby.

On the other hand her once divorced husband, who by nature likes to flirt around, is still sticking to his old habits and not giving her the attention that she deserves. Provoked into jealousy and anger, Hong decided to hire a young delinquent to beat up the object of her hatred - Xian-zai. As the previous attack did not cause serious injury to Xian-zai, the crime was not reported to the police. It only made the family more protective of Xian-zai. Unfortunately, that made Hong even more peeved. She felt she needed to make an even stronger statement to draw the attention of her nonchalant husband. Hong took out her savings and hired 2 thugs to teach Xian-zai a lesson he would never forget. Wielding cleavers that could easily inflict fatal injuries to any adult, let alone a young boy, the 2 thugs struck Xian-zai while he was returning home from school with his grandma. Now lying in hospital and slowly making a recovery, he could only listen in bewilderment as people tell him how his stepmom and all suspected accomplices got arrested by the police one-by-one. Xian-zai could not have imagined himself becoming the object of sympathy of the entire Hong Kong in a single day. Celebrity well-wishers have been visiting him in hospital and consoling the boy with all sorts of gifts. Child-cousellers have been appointed to relieve him of his traumatic experience. As for Hong, she would be charged with attempted murder, which warrants a life-sentence. Under a jury system swayed by public opinion, the HK courts would no doubt convict the young lady and all those men she hired to harm Xian-zai. These are the unwholesome fruits of her jealousy and anger. For her this mental prison transforms into a physical prison - proof of the Dhamma that one's enviroment is shaped by the state of one's mind. It is also important to note that this family tragedy is caused by Cen Weicheng's thoughts of lust (much like Ah How in Singapore), which often drove him to sexual misconduct.

This directly broke up his first marriage and indirectly caused his second marriage to end up in that messy situation that it is now. The effects of broken families on children are far-reaching enough; Xian-zai is not just an innocent victim of his stepmom's burning anger, but more so of his father's moral failings. Hopefully he would learn not to repeat them when he grows up. Time and time again we see sentient beings in the world create suffering for themselves through their own craving, hatred, ignorance, egoism & doubt. Thus the need to educate people in the Dhamma is pressing indeed! Only through the Dhamma can we transform the 5 poisons into the 5 Buddha-wisdoms, and the burning prisons into jewelled palaces. May all beings find refuge in the Triple Gems, sadhu.

The Fate of Ah How

The scriptures say:

"Everything you sowed is reaped by yourself,
Who is there to blame when you suffer in hell?"

Although Took Leng How (Ah How) has been sentenced to hang for murdering Huang Na as most people expected, but the true damage of his crime will not only be felt by Huang Na's family, but by his own family long after his death. The family members who suffer the most is of course Ah How's wife and 2 year old son, who have to bear the shame of being the wife and son of a child rapist & murderer for many years. Of course, his wife could re-marry and nobody would remember her after a few years, but his son would not be able to escape being mocked & bullied by his peers throughout his growing years.

As for Ah How himself, waiting to be hanged on death row is probably an experience worse than being hanged itself. From now till his turn to die will probably take another 1 year. Everyday will pass slowly and painfully for him as his inner demons haunt him until the last moment, before the noose is tied around his neck. Ah How is already in Hell, though he does not know it yet. When he actually comes face to face with Yama, Lord of Death in the Halls of Hell, he would finally realize the true error of his ways. But by then, it will be too late indeed. If Ah How wishes to lessen his sins, he should stop appealing to be spared from death and accept the punishment for his crime calmly. He should sincerely repent for his evil deeds and seek forgiveness from Huang Na and her parents in China. If he is able to gain forgivenss from those he harmed, it will greatly reduce his suffering in this world and the next, not to mention the suffering of his own family, especially the wife and son.

May Ah How know what is best for him.

The Undecaying Body of LP Tong

The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

"Such as the True Thusness,
Which stays with its original nature,
Remaining unchanging throughout."

On 12.08.05 - 14.08.05 I made a pilgrimage trip to Had Yai, Songkhla Province in Southern Thailand. At one of the popular temples near Had Yai (Wat Pagor), I saw for myself the legendary body of Luangpor (Ajarn) Tong, whose physical body shows no sign of decay after passing away since the year 2000, at the age of 93. LP Tong looks as if he was sleeping, and other than the sunken facial features, one really cannot tell he has died for 5 years. According to the temple, his hair continues to grow and needs trimming every once in a while. This kind of phenomena is called "Flesh Body Buddha" in Buddhist terminology. Only monks of high spiritual attainment can choose to keep their bodies in samadhi after they enter final nibbana. This is usually to serve a special purpose, because the normal tradition is to be cremated (like the Buddha) and the remaining relics be placed in a stupa or pagoda. Reports say that indeed there is such a special purpose in the case of LP Tong. Before he passed away, he had already left instructions for his disciples not to cremate his body. LP Tong wanted future generations of Buddhists from the whole region to gain confidence in the Triple Gems after seeing the miraculous aspects of the Dhamma through his undecaying body. This alternative tradition is perhaps started by Maha Kassapa, the Buddha's foremost disciple who was also not cremated. According to the scriptures, Maha Kassapa flew inside Mount Kukkutapada (Chicken Foot Peak) and entered final nibbana there. His body will remain in eternal samadhi until the future Buddha Maitreya descends to Earth to teach the Dhamma many thousands of years later. Coming back to the subject, LP Tong predicted that this small temple would become quite propserous with the bus loads of followers & tourists coming to see him after his death. Today, these words are proven right - Wat Pagor is thriving with pilgrims from Singapore, Malaysia & Thailand, who come daily to pay respects to him and ask for various blessings.Besides LP Tong's undecaying body, I also got to see Maechee (Nun) Niam's skeletal remains. MC Niam was LP Tong's female teacher who had died decades ago. Out of respect for his teacher, LP Tong kept her body in a glass chedi to be venerated by himself and his followers. As I walked closer to take a look, I saw a dried yellowish skeleton in a seated position and garbed in the white robes of a non-ordained nun. Like the other countries of Theravada culture, Thailand does not have an order of Bhikkuni. Nuns could only take the 10 percepts and wear white robes instead of the saffron robes of the Sangha.Irregardless, MC Niam was known to be a compassionate Nun who observed vegetarianism throughout her holy life, although it was not required of monks & nuns in the Theravada tradition. She is said to be able to grant the wishes of the faithful who pray to her, but they must also develope compassion and abstain from eating meat for a period of time. Paying respects to both LP Tong & MC Niam, one could not help but be filled with a profound sense of bliss. One regret I had was that I did not manage to meet LP Tong's successor, Abbot Maha Pairon when I went there; but rest assured I will be back for a future visit the next time.

Reflecting on the undecaying bodies I've seen, I had an insight that although our physical body go through birth and death, happiness and suffering, sin and merit; our Buddha nature remains unmoving amidst all these. Everything we know, feel, experience, possess are ultimately unreal and does not belong to us. The Buddha is an illusionist turning an illusionary wheel of the Dhamma to teach illusionary sentient beings. If sentient beings attain any form of enlightenment, that is also unreal as there is nothing to realize and no suffering to end. What then is the absoulte truth, the true undecaying body which we cannot see? Meditate on this katha, especially the last verse, for the answer:

"Everynight I sleep with the Buddha, every morning it awakens with me. Whether sitting or standing it follows, whether speaking or silent it is there. Never leaving me for even an instant, it is no different from a shadow following the body. To know where this Buddha is, look right here in these words."

May you also see the true nature of your mind, sadhu.

Hungry Ghost Festival

zt The scriptures say:

"When the mind arises all kinds of phenomena arise,
When the mind dissolves all kinds of phenomena dissolves."

It is that time of the year again when Chinese Singaporeans burn all kinds of joss paper, including hell money, clothes, accessories, electronics, tv sets, cars and even houses to their deceased relatives in the nether realm. The seventh lunar month marks a time of offerings and celebrations for both the living and the non-living beings. This festival has it origins in the Mahayana Buddhist legend that on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, the Buddha's disciple Mogallana, at the advice of the Lord, made offerings to the whole Sangha community in order to relieve his mother from her suffering in hell. Because of this great merit Mogallana's mother was indeed released from hell and was reborn as a deva. The Buddha was very pleased with Mogallana's fillial piety and praised him extensively for it, thus starting the tradition of "Ullambana". On this Ullambana day, future Buddhists would also make offerings to the Sangha for the benefit of their dead relatives. The Taoists, however, believe that on the 7th month the gates of the nether realm (including the ghost and hell realms - Taoists do not make a distinction) are opened for the ghosts to come up to the human world for a visit, and the humans, especially relatives, must make offerings to them to provide for their well being in the nether world, until they go back at the end of the month. This is called the annual "Zhong Yuan Pu Du" ceremony. The practice of burning joss paper and other models of material things comes from the Taoist tradition and not the Buddhist practice, because Buddhists normally offer more practical stuff like rice, clothing and other daily necessities to the Sangha, as well as conduct mass sutra chanting ceremonies to benefit all sentient beings in the lower realms.

But can all the paper cash, cars, credit cards, condos (the 5C dream of Singaporeans) etc burned actually reach the dead relatives of those living people? And is the ghost realm no different from the human realm, as they still need all those material things?
According to the Dhamma, the burned offerings can indeed reach the dead, but only if their relatives are still in the ghost realm. If they are reborned in other realms, like for example the animal or hell realms, those offerings would become futile. At least they are only of use to other non-related beings in the ghost realm. That also answers the 2nd question, which means to say that the ghost realm is indeed structured closely to the human realm. Although newbie Buddhists are often taught that the ghost realm means only a place where hungry ghosts with swollen bellies and needle like necks are always looking for something to eat, in reality it is not that simple. Just as the human world has humans with bad karma who suffer from hunger all the time, the ghost realm also has hungry ghosts with bad karma whose hunger can nevered be satisfied. On the other hand, there are ghosts with good karma who become chieftains with great power, assuming responsiblity over a large number of other ghosts in various regions, as described in the Ksitigarbha Sutra. In the same way, humans with good karma also become premiers or presidents and take charge of millions of humans in their own country. The only major difference between the 2 realms is that the suffering expreienced in the ghost realm is more intense as compared to the human realm, due to the definitive strong craving that burns the mind of a ghost. Thus there is no doubt that ghosts still need to use money, but they can only do so if their karma allows them to. From this you can see the limited use of making such paper offerings.
If you truly wish to help your deceased relatives, no other method can be compared to making offerings to the Sangha (or the Triple Gems) and selflessly transfering all merit to them. Because this merit is so great, it can reach your relatives no matter which realm they are reborn in and no matter what bad karma they are suffering from. If they are in the lower realms they would be immediately relieved and if they are already in the higher realms they will be elevated to a even higher level of bliss.
On a deeper level, the spirit of Ullambana teaches the Paramita (Bodhisattva path) of Dana (giving). Giving away material goods to the physical Sangha may produce merit, but this merit cannot be compared to the merit of giving away all your internal 6 sense organs, external 6 sensory objects and 6 sensory awareness in between to the spiritual Sangha, which is one with the absolute truth. This merit transforms your father (craving) and mother (ignorance) from the past, present & future into Panna (wisdom insight) and Upaya (skillful means), ultimately fulfilling the virtue of fillial piety as all delusion is melted into the ocean of Nibbana - all is one & one is all. This is the true purpose of Ullambana.

The Dhamma of Food

The Chinese saying goes:

"Food and wine within the vermillion gates become rotten,

Whereas the man on the street dies of cold & hunger."

This saying describes the extreme gap between the rich and the poor and criticizes the starking social inequality of every society.

It is reported in the Shin Min papers on 18.8.05 that after the Shenyang Int. Food Festival in China was over, the Complete Banquet of the Man & Han races (worth 200,000 RMB) on display for 3 days were all thrown away like rubbish. This extravagant banquet of the past Qing emperors consist of 196 dishes and took 60 over cooks and workers days to prepare. Yet for all their efforts, they feel no pity when so much food is thrown away just like that. A recent survey in China shows that on average, each and every restaurant in China throw away about 50kg of food everyday as a result of left overs after every meal served. That amounts to about 600 billion RMB worth of food wasted in one year!

This proves that what I mentioned previously about decadence is true. The Chinese people in general have long developed the unwholesome habit of food wastage as a nation, a sure sign of decadence and corruption. Even my wife, who is from China, display such identical negative traits; behaviour which I constantly chastise her for. China was once poor also and the people there also suffered daily hunger before. But all that is forgotten, now that they have grown affluent after years of economic reforms. Another Chinese saying goes:

"When one is rich but not humane, he is no different from a fat pig."

Affluence corrupts the mind and breeds decadance when not tempered with the proper moral guidance and education. The rich gets richer while the poor tries to strike it rich at any cost; and so the whole nation is enveloped by the poison of craving. Having lost the traditional teachings of Taosim, Confucianism & Buddhism; after being suppressed by the communist governement for so many years, China is slowly, but surely trodding towards another woeful era, for the seeds of negative karma have already been sowed. Just think, so many other people in the 3rd world nations are still living in extreme poverty and hunger, especially in Africa, which is none other than the realm of the Hungry Ghosts manisfested on Earth. So anyone can see it is not wholesome at all for any nation to waste food on such a massive scale instead of helping those starving sentient beings. A wise man knows that the fortunes of nations are never permanant, rising and falling like the tide. The Chinese people are already trapped in the Prison of Craving, yet they do not know it. Although on the surface China is still doing very well now, I forsee that in my life time I will witness China suffer the fruits of its collective kamma.

May the Dhamma lead them out of the coming darkness.

Fountain of Beer

The Book of Great Learning says:

"Before the Yin (Dynasty) came to an end,
Its decadance was as high as Heaven;
Taking the example of Yin,
Know that it is never easy to maintain the Mandate of Heaven."

In Harbin, China, the local "Happy" brand beer plant had recently used 90 tonnes of beer to build a great fountain right in the city's main recreation centre. This is the first "Fountain of Beer" in China (and perhaps the world) ever built. This monument had met with harsh criticism from the people of Harbin city as extremely wasteful and decadent.
This reminds me of the the last days of the ancient Yin Dynasty (around 1100BC), where the inhumane King Zhou built a Forest of Meat and Pool of Wine to frolic and swim in with his concubine Da Ji. Like the end of many dynasties, the last rulers were enjoying themselves totally without restraint whereas the people were starving and dying. Not long after that, the Yin Dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou Dynasty. Ever since that time, the Chinese idiom of "Wine Pool Meat Forest" has been used to describe the peak of decadence. Whenever any civilization reach such a stage, a revolution to overthrow it becomes inevitable.

China has came a long way since the first economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Now it is already a rising dragon, and its annual GDP surpasses every other nation in the world except for the US. But with such progress also brings a lot of negative and corrupt practices, which will over time, destroy the fabric of the nation itself. A good example is the massive waste of food and beverage by rich and powerful people in every part of China. Just take the above fountain with 90 tonnes of beer! Can you calculate how many thirsty mouths it can feed? People in other parts of the world are dying of hunger and thirst and yet this "Happy" plant is treating so much drinkable beer like sewage water. Woeful indeed is the wasteful and extravagant man, for he has sowed the seeds of poverty and starvation for himself. Such a decadent monument is merely the tip of the iceberg, signifying a small aspect of the unseen state of decay behind China's rapid growth. Rampant corruption and widespread unrest are also troubling the communist government for many years, but they only know how to clamp down on problems with an iron fist. They do not see what is the real root of their problems or how to treat it. History moves in a cycle and almost always repeats itself; if these trends are not checked, in less than 20 years the current government will very likely be overthrown, like so many other ruling dynasties before it. The worldly Dhamma is such that Devas and Humans alike hate the wasteful and extravagant and respect the thrifty and contented person, for this is a sign that the craving in his mind is well under control. So let us take caution and guard our minds against decadence; let us be content and thrifty always, sadhu.

Heng Shu the "Nun"

The Lotus Sutra say:

"All the 3 realms (of desire, form & formlessness) are houses on fire;
One who does not leave the burning houses quickly will be destroyed along with them."

Heng Shu (shown above) is a famous or perhaps infamous celebrity Buddhist Nun in Taiwan, who also happens to be the sister of veteran entertainers Zhang Fei (Fei Ge) and Fei Yuqing. What is so famous about her? Not much, except that she watches porn movies, play mahjong, rear dogs, eat meat, join online chats, do aerobics, yachting and play golf etc.. the list goes on. In other words, she does not look or behave like a nun at all, except for the shaven head and prayer beads.

Many people wonder why she behave the way she does; most criticize her for being at best, a sideshow or at worst, a heretic of the religion. She herself believes she is practicing what is known as the worldly Dhamma - meaning whatever she does is for the purpose of realizing the Truth. Although we all understand that the truth is omnipresent in all things, but unfortunately there are also many heretical teachers and religious con-men who abuse people's faith in a similar fashion, for their own selfish purposes. So how can we know who are the real Bodhisattvas and who are just servants of Mara (the evil one), out to destroy the Buddha's teachings?

The answer lies with only one thing - the analytical power of Panna. Real Bodhisattvas may utilize countless skillful means, even those that are against the basic percepts, to teach sentient beings the absolute truth. However, in the end they would still lead them to the Dhamma. For servants of Mara, they just pretend to use similar means, but when people are hooked to certain negative actions, they will leave them to face the consequences of their own actions themselves. Only one who has seen the Buddha-nature and attained enlightenment can use the appropriate skillful means. If a monk or any practitioner who is unenlightened tries to imitate, he or she will surely end up at the gates of hell for gravely misleading oneself and others.
All being said, it is up the the individual to decide what to make of Heng Shu. Her non-religious activites seem to serve no real purpose other than for her own amusement. If indeed all these reports are true, Heng Shu will be one of many deviant monks and nuns waiting in queue to enter Hell soon!

Fruit Spirits

The Vajrasekhara Sutra says:

"Estacy, Love, Contact, Embracing are all the Bodhisattva's path;
All defilements are fundamentally no different from the pure Buddha body."

A recent report from Segamat, Malaysia, tells us that "Fruit Spirits" are strange human-shaped fruits originating from the deep mountainous trees in the Northern Thailand and Laos border regions. Picked and consecrated by Dhutanga (Ascetic) monks wandering in those mountains, they are sometimes given to lay followers as an auspicious gift to be venerated at home. These Fruit Spirits are believed to bring luck and wealth to the faithful.

One of the owners of these fruit spirtis, Mr Deng from the Segamat Buddhadhamma Society related that the trees that grow such human-shaped fruits bear fruit only once in a few years. Most of the fruits are shaped like a woman and only a rare few are shaped like a man. Besides being woman-shaped, the facial features of these fruits (shown above) are also clear and distinguishable, and they even appear to be wearing holy robes on their bodies. Mr Deng was given 5 such fruits by a Dhutanga monk on a past occasion, and 2 of them (a man and a woman) have been brought back to the house of one of their members. Now they have only 3 left at the society. Although there have been people from other parts of Malaysia, and even Singapore asking to buy their remaining fruit spirits, Mr Deng have so far rejected all requests, prefering to keep them on display for the public.

Mr Deng also told reporters that according to legend, long ago there was a couple whose love for each other was thwarted by unfortunate circumstances, and decided to commit suicide together in the end. After their death, their spirits (belonging to the Ghost realm) continue to dwell in the trees where they died. As they cultivated their spiritual powers, they became tree deities and the trees in which they dwell started to bear such man and woman-shaped fruits - signifying their physical and spiritual union. These fruits contain the essense of their union and thus possess the ability to help lovers and people in trouble. After being blessed by the Dhutanga monks and converted to the Dhamma, they also become guardian deities for lay followers who have an affinity with them.

All sentient beings are fettered by thoughts of love and lust, which are manifestations of fluctuating ignorance. Yet in order to shatter fundamental ignorance and reach Nibbana, these emotions can sometimes be used as an expedient method of practice to clear obstacles on the path to Enlightenment. That is why all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and even Arahants have spiritual partners of the opposite sex assisting and practicing with them through the eons, right until they attain the ultimate goal. After they become enlightened, they will dutifully help their spiritual partners reach the same goal as they have, out of gratitude for their timeless support. Yashodhara, the Buddha's consort when he was still a Prince, is a good example of such a faithful female partner. She later became an Arahant also when the Buddha went back to Kapilavastu to teach the Dhamma to his family and kinsmen, the Sakyas. Taking the Buddha's example, and the example of the Fruit Spirits, we should always respect and be thankful to our spiritual partners, for without them we may never attain enlightenment.

Plague Demons on the loose again in China

There is such a Buddhist saying:

"Demons originate from one's own mind,
And they are also conquered by the same mind."

As we all know, currently there is a contagious virus spreading from pigs to human in Sichuan, China, and it is showing signs of expansion. This is reminiscent of the past SARS epidemic, which originated from civet cats to humans as well. What about the Bird Flu virus, which is still rampant in certain Southeast Asian countries? If not controlled properly, all these viruses could easily spread from animals to humans and to other humans, resulting in another great plauge that would kill many. What is the cause of such large scale negative kamma, one may ask? None other than the sin of killing.

In Buddhist doctrine, there is a Chieftain among the Ghosts, one of many in the Ghost realm, who is in charge of spreading plauge in our world. However, it is not this chieftain who decides who or when to punish humans with viruses, but rather human beings themselves. In other words, it is humans who create such negative karma and the chieftain merely delivers the fruits. Whenever the collective sins of killing in one place reach a certain level, the chieftain would send out the plague demons under his command to spread viruses among those people responsible for such unwholesome deeds. For those who refrain from killing, the demons would bypass their dwellings even if they live in the same area as those responsible. So it is no surprise that for the current plague in Sichuan, those who are struck down first are the pig butchers, followed by those in close association with them. In the past, during the SARS epidemic, those who died first were also butchers who slaughter civet cats and other wild animals in Guangdong for a living. Butchers kill animals everyday and the more they kill, the worse karma they create for themselves. In this life they suffer sudden and painful deaths and in the next existence they are reborn in the Hells to suffer more of the terrible suffering they imposed on other sentient beings. Naturally, people who enjoy eating freshly slaugtered meat would also share this type of karma. This is especially evident in certain regions of China, especially Guangdong province, where many animal related epidemics are known to have originated.

But putting the Chieftain of Plague and his demonic servants aside, what does the Buddha actually wanted to teach us? The teaching that evil comes from our own minds. Because of the thought of craving for fresh meat that arises in the mind, humans have slaugtered countless animals to satisfy their hunger since time immemorial. Those who are slaugtered hate those who butcher them and when they are reborn, they take revenge on their killers. This create an endless vicious cycle of kiling and getting killed. Thus war, plague and famine, all resulting in massive loss of lives, have never once disappeared from human history. All because of the craving to devour the flesh of other beings.

Realizing the cause and effect behind such death and destruction, the only way for human beings to gain lasting peace and safety in the world is to curb the craving for meat. When one developes compassion for the lives of other sentient beings, especially the animals, he will no longer kill and when the sins of killing are no more; the karma of war, plague and famine will also become non-existent. When that time finally comes, one will realize that the chieftain and his plague demons are really Bodhisattvas showing us the path of the Dhamma.

All sentient beings are one in the Dhammakaya (truth-body); all beings crave life and fear death, all seek happiness and shun suffering. So let compassion arise in your heart and transform our world into a Pure Land, sadhu.

Can Women become Buddhas?

During last year's World Buddhist Conference (2004) in Singapore, there was a fierce debate among some of the monks, nuns and lay people present on whether there was such a thing as a female Buddha, commonly found in the Vajrayana tradition. Naturally, those monks of the Theravada tradition could not accept this concept, but they were missing the point altogether. The best answer to that question lies in the dialouge between Shariputra, the chief disciple of the Buddha, and a goddess, who was actually an enlightened Bodhisattva. This is to be found in the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra:

Shariputra: Why do you not change your female physical form?
Goddess: For the past 12 years I have searched in vain for a female form; what do you want me to change? This is like an illusionist who creates an illusionary woman. Is it correct to ask him to change this unreal woman?
Shariputra: No, since it is an unreal form, what can it be changed into?
Goddess: Likewise, all phenomena are unreal. So why have you asked me to change my unreal female form?
At this point, the goddess used her supernatural powers to transform Shariputra into a goddess and herself into a man similar to him.
Goddess: Why do you not change your female form?
Shariputra: I do not know why I have turned into a goddess!
Goddess: If you can change your female form, then all women should also be able to turn into men. Like Shariputra, who is not a woman but appears in a female form, all women are no different. Though they appear in female form, they are fundamentally not women. Hence the Buddha said, "All things are neither male nor female".
The goddess then used her supernatural powers again to transform Shariputra back into his original male form.
Goddess: Where is your female form now?
Shariputra: The form of a woman is neither existent nor non-existent.
Goddess: In the same way, all things are fundamentally neither existent nor non-existent; and that which is neither existent nor non-existent is proclaimed by the Buddha.

- o -

The Buddha-nature is universal and genderless. Since all sentient beings possess this Buddha-nature, everyone can achieve Buddhahood regardless of sex. The term "Buddha" does not refer to a man or a woman, but to a completely enlightened mind. Although the male and female form is fundamentally non-existent, sentient beings cling to them as a result of being deluded by their flucuating ignorance, which originates from fundmental ignorance. Once we are able to shatter fundamental ignorance though correct meditation, concepts such as male and female will cease to exist, along with all other dualities. In the enlightened state, flucuating ignorance is absorbed by the Buddha-nature and transforms into limitless skillful means. This means that an enlightened person still thinks this and that endlessly like an ordinary person, but all these thoughts are now manifestations of the absolute truth, capable of leading other sentient beings to the shore of awakening. This kind of infinite Panna is beyond the comprehension of practicioners who possess small capacities and aptitudes. Those who cling to names and forms are truly sad Hinayanists (followers of the small vehicle) - for they will never be able to see the absolute truth, the real "Buddha".

The Wheel of Samsara

A Buddhist Master once said:

"All things are but creations of the Mind,
All existences are based only on Consciousness;
Happiness and suffering depends on oneself,
What have they got to do with the conditions we are in?"

In Buddhism, we believe all sentient beings are trapped in the Wheel of Samsara, of never-ending birth and death. This wheel consists of 6 realms of existence, consisting of the Deva (gods), Asura (titans), Human, Animal, Ghost and Hell realms. Driven by their own karma, sentient beings die and are reborn constantly in any of these realms. Those with good karma are reborn in the higher realms of Deva, Asura and Humans, whereas those with bad karma are reborn in the lower realms of Animal, Ghost and the worst, Hell. None of these realms are real or permanent and they originate from the fundamental ignorance of the Mind. Although they are not real, sentient beings will continue to perceive them as real until they could attain Nibbana. Because they perceive the 6 realms as real, the suffering they experience will also be real. It is like a person experiencing a nightmare; every horrible event seen in it will appear real and frightening to the dreamer. But when he wakes up, he realizes that none of it is real. The same could be said for good dreams - however pleasurable they are, they are unreal and impermanant. Once a person wakes up, nothing will be left and he will be left unhappy once gain. That is the true nature of our samsaric existence.

Many modern educated people and cynics question the truth of rebirth and of the 6 realms of existence. The most common dismissal is that nobody knows what happens after one dies. They say heaven and hell are merely superstition to make people do good. These people rather believe in the materialistic view that when a person dies, he becomes ashes or dust and existence stops there. However, that is a superstition in itself. Why? Because just as you cannot see heaven and hell, you also cannot see what happens to the mental components (consciousness) of a person after his physical body dissolves.

Know that the 6 realms of existence are not worlds that one can only see after death; but they are all here, in our human realm. These other dimensions are present in our current dimension, and those whose frequency is tuned right would be able to perceive them. How is this possible? Remember that all things originate from the Mind. The 6 realms are also in the Mind. Let me take you on a tour through all of them, right here, right now.

Close your eyes. First focus your thoughts on creating happiness for the whole world, through Loving-kindness, Compassion, Appreciative-joy and Equanimity. If your mind is always basking in such wholesome thoughts, then you are already experiencing the bliss of the Deva realm.

Secondly, focus your thoughts on working for the good of your family, your friends and relatives, and even the society and the country. If your mind grasp to these kind of wholesome thoughts, then you will find yourself truly happy in the Human realm.

Thirdly, focus your thoughts on envy for those in a better state than you are, on constant striving, whether mentally or physically, to be like them or even take their place. When the mind is constantly struggling to compete with others better off, you are living in the realm of the Asuras.

Fourthly, focus your thoughts on eating, sleeping and having sex. When one can think of nothing other than these base instincts, you are already one of the Animals.

Fifthly, focus your thoughts on how to satisfy all kinds of cravings, whether it is for food, money, power, fame, sex or pleasure. If the flames of desire burns your mind constantly, so much so you cannot gain even a moment of peace, you have become a real Ghost.

Lastly, focus your thoughts on anger and destroying all those things that stand in the way of the gratification of your desires. If your mind comtemplates violence and death upon other beings, you have just passed through the gates of Hell.

Now contemplate your mental journey through these 6 kind of thoughts. Do you finally see the 6 realms in their true sense? If so, the path of the Dhamma awaits you!

Ah How & Leong SC: The Prison of Lust

The Buddhist saying goes:

"One thought can lead us to become the Buddha, one thought can also lead us to become Mara (the Evil One)."

What drives seemingly ordinary men with wives and kids like Took Leng How (Ah How) and Leong Siew Chor to commit cold-blooded murder? None other than the craving of the flesh - lust. Lust is a burning prison just like the other poisons. The former man is young, possesses a high sex drive and living far away from his wife. The latter man is old, never had sex outside of marriage but lusts for something different.

For Ah How, his thoughts are constantly preoccupied with sex while working here in Singapore. These thoughts caused him to develop a perverted lust for a little girl close to him - Huang Na. Such feelings of lust grows stronger and stronger until they could not be contained. As a result, an evil plan formed in Ah How's mind and when the opportunity arrived (Huang Na's mother went back to China), Ah How decided to carry out his dastard crime on little Huang Na. Not wishing to be discovered, he automatically did the next worst thing - silencing the girl by murder. How he disposed of her body and escaped back to Malaysia is history.In Leong SC's case, having worked most of his life away for family and children like most Singaporean men do, a secret lust to expereince something different also grew in his mind. This lust found its place in the person of Liu Hongmei, a nubile young lady from China working under him in the factory. Liu gave in to his advances and Leong succeeded in gratifying his lust. Feeling somewhat satisfied yet guilty, Leong spent a large part of what little money he had to fulfill whatever needs Hongmei has. However things quickly got out of hand when Liu decided to end this sinful relationship. Frugal by nature, and not wishing to let go, another poison arised in Leong's mind - Anger. Filled with Anger, Leong stole Hongmei's ATM card to take back some of the money he had given her. But his anger was not appeased and Leong murdered her the next day. How he dismembered her body in his own house and disposed of it in Kallang River is also history.

These cases again verify the Dhamma of how unwholesome thought leads to woeful karmic results. Although Ah How is still on trial and Leong still in remand, I dare say that both men would not be able to escape the gallows. After their deaths, they would be reborn in Hell to suffer further for their evil deeds. Immense suffering indeed, all caused by their own thoughts of lust. If only sentient beings fully understand the terrible suffering that such unwholesome thoughts bring, nobody would dare to think evil, let alone commit evil. Therein lies the importance of an education in the Dhamma.

TT Durai: The Prison of Egoism

The Anattalakkhana Sutta says:

"Thus, O Bhikkus, all of the 5 aggregates, whether past, present or future, internal or external, coarse or subtle, low or high, far or near, should be understood with the right knowledge and in its true nature - this is not mine, this is not me and this is not my Self."

We all know by now that the ex-NKF chief Durai has lost his position and became totally disgraced in the span of a few short days. He is but a victim of his own conceit.
In the Dhamma, there are 5 poisons that cage the Mind and bind us the to never-ending wheel of Samsara. These are namely, Craving, Anger, Ignorance, Egoism and Doubt. All of them are prisons that compels the Mind to create negative karma and increase the suffering that we experience. Of the 5 poisons, ignorance is the root and chief poison. All sentient beings are blinded by their own fundamental and fluctuating ignorance, and from there arises the other poisons. In Durai's case, ignorance cause him to believe the way he was running NKF and using its money are perfectly justified. Due to this wrong belief, egoistic conceit grew in his mind and cause him to think he was invincible. This unwholesome mental condition is not helped by the fact that he is backed by a supportive, but equally ignorant Board and continued donations from the public. Besides that, he had successfully sued fly weights in the past for exposing his erroneous deeds and made them pay damages. All these caused his mind to brim over with conceit, so much so that he foolishly challenged a heavy weight like SPH for doing the same thing. That was the beginning of Hell for Durai, and SPH's lawyer, Davinder Singh is his tormentor. Having abused the trust of the public and misused their donations for his own extravagances, the shame he suffers now is merely the least of the karmic fruits that he would bear as a result. Indeed, unless he repents and gives away all wealth that does not rightfully belong to him, his future existence lies in the animal realm. He would most probably be reborn as a buffalo or a horse, destined to slog his whole life until all the money he owes the people of Singapore is repaid. Such is the price to pay for conceited thought. We should thus learn from Durai's example and guard our minds from conceit, sadhu.

The Power of Prophecy

Why are those with meditative powers able to know the causes of events big and small, as well as predict the future? The scriptures say:

" Sentient beings are afraid of the fruits, whereas the Bodhisattvas are afraid of the seeds (of karma) themselves."

These seeds of karma, cause and effect, are the wholesome and unwholesome thoughts that form in the Mind, borned out of fundamental ignorance (avijja). Man is born to think. He thinks this and that endlessly from birth until death. These thoughts that concoct endlessly are called fluctuating ignorance. Those who practice the Dhamma are careful to watch over the mind, preventing unwholesome thoughts from being nurtured. Because one unwholesome thought leads to another, spreading quickly and eventually enveloping the Mind. When the Mind is totally seized by unwholesome thought, it would compel a person to speak unwholesome speech and do unwholesome deeds, resulting in woeful karmic results. This is true for one single person as well as many people. The Bodhisattva could perceive the negative thoughts that form in the Mind of one person, or similar thoughts in a majority of people. Through Panna (intrinsic wisdom), he is able to see what corresponding chain of events these thoughts set forth, and the chain reactions as a result. That is how the Bodhisattva is able to see the future of one person, one country or even the whole world. Inversely, when he sees the woeful fruits that sentient beings suffer, he is also able to perceive through Panna the original thoughts that lead to such a state.

Han Fei Zi, the Legalist philoshopher of the Warring States period , wrote in his book:

"In the past, when Ji Zi, the minister of King Zhou (the last ruler of the Yin Dynasty), saw him using ivory chopsticks, he immediately became very afraid. A retainer asked him why. Ji Zi explained that if the King start using ivory chopsticks, he would not be satisfied with clay plates and cups, but insist on plates and cups of jade. When he start to use jade utensils, he would not be satified with meals of vegetables and rice, but insist on being served meat from cows, elephants and even leopards. When he start to eat such exotic meats, he would not be satisfied with simple robes of cotton and hemp, but insist on robes of silk and satin. Wearing silk and satin robes, he would not be satisfied with eating in a straw hut but insist on eating in a dining room of a high pavillion. If things come to such a stage, then their country is in great danger. True enough, the Yin Dynasty was overthrown 5 years after Ji Zi said those words. That is why those who can read minute signs are considered wise."

Even past sages of the worldy truth have such powers of prophecy, how much more so for the enlightened ones, who sees the absolute truth?

What is the Dhamma?

The Sages say:

"Dhamma is the Mind, Buddha is also the Mind.
There is no difference between the Buddha & the Dhamma."

"Heaven & Hell is in the Mind, and so is Nibbana."

"All things originate from the Mind."

Thus one who sees the true nature of the Mind sees the Dhamma, and also the Buddha. This is known as Enlightenment, Awakening, the Absolute Truth, Bodhi, Nibbana; whatever you call it, they are only names. The truth cannot be described with words, understood by logic or reached by thought & sophistry. It is beyond all duality and mental conceptions. It is everywhere and yet nowhere; it is everything and yet nothing. Only the enlightened can know it.

So how can we reach enlighenment? Meditation is the door, and Wisdom is the key. This is the Path of the Dhamma that we will study here.