The Legend of Jow Ngaw

The odd looking Jow Ngaw เจ้าเงาะ is worshipped as a deity of prosperity by some Thais. Jow Ngaw originally refered to a character in a literature by King Rama II - SangThong สังข์ทอง, the original work is in poem form but there are simplified versions for children and an animation was also made.
The story is based around a prince named SangThong. His mom was a wife of a King but when she gave birth to the baby, it came out as a conch shell so she (and her conch shell) had been expelled from the palace. She went to stayed with an old couple where she supposed to do the housework, but the place always mysteriously clean itself. One day she found out that there was a boy came out from the conch shell and do all the housework. This boy is SangThong.
So SangThong was growing up and the palace heard the news. King's current wife persuaded the king to get rid of both of them. So the mom and SangThong had been put to sea (on a raft) but the storm had split them up. Mom, later on, was found by a rich guy and accepted to work for him as a cook. Meanwhile, SangThong had some help along the way from a Naga, and was then picked up by a female ogre. Anyway, the ogre had magic powers like hypnotising. So Sangthong was under the hypnosis that the giant was a nice woman who took care of him. The giant really looked after him but she was afraid that if he knew she was a giant and eat wild animals, SangThong would run away. Anyway, while living with this ogre, there is a forbidden area in the place that SangThong was not allowed to go in. But in his curiosity, one day he broke the rule, went into that room & found loads of wild animal & human bones. SangThong realised his foster mom was a giant, but he also found silver and golden pools inside. So he had a dip in the pool and turn his body into gold, then he found (1) golden shoes that make him be able to fly (2) golden dagger (3) the Jow Ngaw armour/costume so when he wore it, nobody realise he has a golden body. Wearing the costume made him looks like Ngaw Pah เงาะป่า, & with all the other items, he fled the scene.

After SangThong fled the scene, the foster mom came back home and realised that he was gone, so she ran after him. When she saw him, he created a magical barrier that placed the ogre under a spell, such that if she passed through the barrier, she will die. So she cried and asked him to come back, but SangThong still really scared of her. She cried and cried until she died. While she was dying though, to show that she genuinely loved him as her son, she wrote a magical spell for him just in case it will be useful for him in the future. After the ogre died, SangThong realised that she really loved him and felt really really sorry for her. He arranged a really really big funeral (no pun intended) and then left their home.

Wearing his Jao Ngaw costume, SangThong arrived at the suburb of a town, He then stayed there and helped a villager looked after his buffalos. The children in the village also enjoyed playing with him.

One day, the king of this town invited all the princes from surrounding kingdoms to his palace for his 7 princesses to choose whom they want to marry. The 6 of the princesses each chose their own prince without hesitation. The youngest princess, Rojana, however did not like anyone. So the king invited all the men in his town to show up for his Rojana to choose. And among these guys, Rojana chose Jao Ngaw because she could see through his costume (somehow) and know he was a handsome guy with a golden body. But the king was so angry (don't forget that people saw SangThong as Jao Ngaw i.e. dark skin man with curly hair and wear red flower on his ears like a crazy person) with her choice that he expelled both of them.

Although Jao Ngaw and Rojana was expelled from the palace. The king was not satisfied and still want to find a reason to execute Jao Ngaw. So one day he arranged a kind of competition, where every one of his sons-in-law have to join. Let's called the other 6 sons-in-law together as the 6 in laws.

He ordered everyone of them to go into the jungle and hunt one stag. The person who can't bring a stag back will be executed. The king was so confident that all the six in laws were good hunters (in which they were) and Jao Ngaw was useless.

However, once they splited up in the jungle, Jao Ngaw took off his costume, revealed his golden body, used the spell (remember, the one that his giant foster mom wrote for him before she died) to call stags. And all the stags in this jungle came to him. Meanwhile the six in laws can't find any single stag between them. In the end, the six inlaws came to beg Jao Ngaw (whom they thought was an angel because he has golden body), so SangThong aka Jao Ngaw asked for part of their ears as exchange items.

So the king can't get rid of Jao Ngaw yet. Having no idea about the spell, he arranged another competition. This time he asked them to go catch some fish. Same thing happened, this one Jao Ngaw asked for part of their noses. Now the king ended up with six incomplete (body-parts wise) in laws and Jao Ngaw was still around. He did not give up and tried to think of new plan.

While the king was busy finding a way to get rid of Jao Ngaw, the king of the gods, Indra, knew what the king was thinking, so to protect Jao Ngaw, Indra came down to see the king and challenged the king for a game of polo (or something similar) in the sky (so you need to be able to fly), if the representative of the king lost, the king will lose his life.

So the king annouced looking for anyone who can be his representative and win the game, the person will reward with his throne and his wealth. No one turned up so Rojana's mom went to talk to Rojana and Rojana talked to Jao Ngaw to change back to SangThong (wearing magic shoes) to compete with Indra.

SangThong won, so the king apologised to him and gave him the throne and all but SangThong wanted to looking for his real mom first. So he went off, visited so many towns until one day he arrived at a rich man's house, who invited him for dinner. He recognised his mom's food, found her and brought her back to his town (Rojana's dad town).

So he became a great king and people talked about him until his name arrived at his birth town. His dad realised that SangThong was his son (whom he thought had been gotten rid of, regrettably). His dad came to apologise to both mom and the son. And they all live happily ever after.

(Story translated by TK)

----------

Why do Thai people worship Jow Ngaw instead of SangThong? Because when SangThong grew up, he wore Jao Ngaw costume all the time so when you say SangThong, Thai people have an image of the baby with the conch shell which was very small part of the story. For the most of the story, things happened when he was Jao Ngaw. Moreover, the most famous part of the story is where Rojana chose her groom. This part is often taken out to make a traditional Khon play, which was when he was Jao Ngaw, as seen on photo of traditional play above (Jow Ngaw is the one at the back obviously). So although Jow Ngaw is a fictional character, it is so deeply imprinted in the Thai people's minds that it eventually becomes an actual deity. This is no different from how some Chinese worship Sun Wukong, the Monkey God from the classic - "Journey to the West".

Corruption of the Chinese Sangha

The Vinaya mentions that:

"Should any bhikkhu — participating in the training and livelihood of the bhikkhus, without having renounced the training, without having declared his weakness — engage in the sexual act, even with a female animal, he is defeated and no longer in communion."

A recent study of the state of the Chinese Sangha in China's big cities revealed that almost 90% of its monks have violated major Vinaya rules in one way or another. These "monks" have wives, girlfriends, even children. In actual fact they have committed a Parajika (defeat) offence and must be disrobed immediately, but so far only those discovered to be married with kids were expelled. Many others with unofficial partners still continue living in a wrongful way unchecked. The situation is so widespread that it becomes almost impossible to censure so many of them.

The Buddha also said to the monks:

"And what is wrong livelihood? Scheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, & pursuing gain with gain. This is wrong livelihood."

And also to abstain from:

"running messages ... from buying and selling ... from dealing with false scales, false metals, and false measures ... from bribery, deception, and fraud."

Besides personal misconduct, the famous temples in metropolitan cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Tianjin, Yantai etc. are all well known for auctioning the rights for striking the Chinese New Year gong (a rite performed for good luck) to high ranking government officials, rich businessmen and even ordinary devotees for thousands of yuan per strike. The same auctioning process goes on for the rights to offer the first joss stick on Chinese New Year (another rite of good luck), which can be bid up to over 10 thousand yuan at least. Competiton among the different temples is fierce and politicking becomes inevitable. Temple accounts are also never revealed to the public and corrupt practices fester uncontrolled. All these commercial practices are considered wrong livelihood for monks and considered Dukkata & even Sanghadisesa offences. But again they are so popular & profitable that nobody really cares whether what they are doing accords with the Vinaya or not.

How did Chinese Buddhism come to such a state? Decades of religious suppression under Mao Zedong, followed by over 20 yrs of economic reforms set forth by Deng Xiaoping are to blame. Great strides in material progress transformed the minds of not only the ordinary people, but the monks & nuns among them as well. The pursuit of prosperity in modern Chinese society is so important that it becomes the norm, such that even religious beliefs are bended & moulded to fit into this all powerful norm. Some of these monks try to justify their misconduct by saying that they are merely adapting to the greater enviroment in order to survive, & if others are also doing it, how can they be blamed as individuals? This type of rationale, even though wrong, is very much understandable. For those few who do keep to the Vinaya rules, it is also impossible for them to influence the majority, so they have no choice but to leave the cities and go practice in some faraway mountain monastery that still remains untainted. Otherwise it will surely be a case of, "if you can't beat them, join them."

In the current Dhamma Ending Age, when the Vinaya & Dhamma is slowly eroding away, true Bhikkhus & Bhikkunis will become fewer & fewer, until a time where the monastic code might be forgotten altogether. Lay followers will no longer have a qualified Sangha to look up to, not to mention an Ariya Sangha. When the Vinaya is corrupted, the Dhamma cannot survive on its own as well. Woeful it will be for us to be born in a time where the right Dhamma can no longer be heard. Blinded like bats we will be, depraved of the light of the doctrine. The signs of such a time are already evident in Sanghas around the world, not just the Chinese Sangha. Let us try our best to work towards our own enlightenment while there are still some real monks & nuns around, & the correct path to Nibbana can still be learned. If we missed this opportunity as humans in this life, the next time we are reborn as humans will definitely be too late. Take heed!

Betel Tree Spirit in Penang

The New Paper on 15th Sep 2006 did a report on a certain human face which recently grew out of a betel nut tree in a Penang village. While droves of curious people went to see for themselves, some also harm the tree by cutting off its roots, which they believed had healing powers. The villagers are very much against this type of inconsiderate people.Look at how human-like the face is! Some say the face changes everyday, but it sure looks damn unhappy here. Maybe its those dumb people who are cutting the roots pissing it off. That's why they call it a "ghost tree". Chinese visitors also started to offer joss sticks & flowers to this ghost tree, praying for 4-D numbers. Some of the smart villagers also sell photos of the face to visitors for 2 ringgit each. I think they might as well get a bomoh to make amulets out of its betel nuts. Why hasn't anybody thought of it yet? This also reminds me of the tree shrine in Choa Chu Kang where they found a Lukkok. I wonder which Ajahn wannabe buried it there, of all places. When there's so many people praying there, someone is sure to discover his "baby"! Well now that its with the police, some people have put up a separate shrine there to make offerings to the baby spirit. Wierd stuff..

The Vinaya says that:

"The damaging of a living plant is an offence to be confessed."

The story goes that during the Buddha's time a certain Alavi bhikkhu was chopping down a tree. The devata living in the tree said to the bhikkhu,
"Sir, do not chop down my dwelling to build a dwelling for yourself."
The bhikkhu, paying no attention, continued chopping and injured the arm of the devata's child. The devata thought:
"What if I were to kill this bhikkhu right here?"
Then another thought occurred to her:
"But no, that wouldn't be proper. What if I were to inform the Blessed One of this matter?"
So she went to the Blessed One and on arrival informed him of what had happened.
"Very good, devata. It's very good that you didn't kill the bhikkhu. If you had, you would have produced much demerit for yourself. Now go, devata. Over there is a vacant tree. Go into it."

(The Commentary adds here that the tree, being in the Jetavana Monastery, was one of the choicest pieces of devata real estate in those days. Other devas coming to pay their respects to the Buddha also made a point of paying their respects to the devata living in this tree.)

People were offended and annoyed and spread it about, "How can these Sakyan recluses chop down trees and have them cut up? They are destroying one-facultied life."

This news report is living proof that there ARE Devatas or in this case, spirits that make dwellings out of any tree taller than a man. If we are not careful when dealing with these trees, these supernatural beings could very well harm or even kill us for destroying their houses. That is why we should not just respect animals, but all plant life as well.

Observations at Ven Dhammananda's cremation

Ven Dhammananda (1919-2006), one of the most revered Theravada Buddhist leaders in South East Asia, passed away in KL, Malaysia on 31st Aug 2006. He was 87 yrs old. A wake was immediately set up at the Maha Vihara Temple in KL, where the Ven was the abbot. Devotees from all over Malaysia & Singapore flooded in to pay their last respects to this great teacher. On 3rd Sep 2006, his body was transported to the Nirvana Memorial Park in Semenyih to be cremated on a hilltop. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mr Ratnasiri Wickremanayake specially flew in to join the thousands of mourners who came to witness the cremation ceremony.On the way to the memorial park, raindrops which resembled snowflakes started to fall, a sign that even the Devas mourned the passing away of this Maha Thera. The above photo was snapped by one of the mourners and published in Malaysia's New Life Post paper. During the cremation in the evening (around 6.15pm), more miraculous signs started to appear. Devotees heard claps of thunder, after which they saw in the northern sky images of a great Stupa, as well as celestial Nagas protecting it. Some say this is a sign that the Heavenly King Vessamana, guardian of the North & often portrayed as carrying a Stupa, had came to receive the Ven's relics. The following morning, when the chanting ceremony started around 9 something am, everyone present saw a white light shining forth from the sky above the 3 storey high funeral pyre containing the Ven's remains. Within the light there appeared 2 clouds, one resembling Ven Dhammananda in a samatid posture (see above photo) and the other resembling a Bodhisattva (some say Guanyin) who has also came to receive him. This vision lasted for 5 mins and dissappeared when the chanting was over. Although the monks present told the devotees there not to take these signs too seriously and that they might just be natural phenomena, but everyone who saw them can't help but be filled with deep awe and renewed faith in the Dhamma. To see more photos, go to http://www.ksridhammananda.com/m3.htm

These miraculous signs indicate that Ven Dhammananda is by no means an ordinary monk, but an Ariya who has attained one of the fruits of Sainthood. The Diamond Sutra says:

"Subhūti, what do you think? Does a practitioner who has attained the level of sotāpanna think: 'I have attained the realization of the sotāpanna?' "
Subhūti said, "No, World Honored One. And why not? Because the name sotāpanna means 'stream-enterer,' and there is in fact no stream to be entered. One does not enter form, sound, odor, taste, touch, or concepts. Therefore one is called a sotāpanna."
"Subhūti, what do you think? Does a sakadāgāmi think, 'I have attained the realization of sakadāgāmi?' "
Subhūti said: "No, World Honored One. And why not? Although the name sakadāgāmi means to go and come once more, but there is, in reality, no going or coming. Therefore he is called a sakadāgāmi."
"Subhūti, what do you think? Does the adept who has attained the level of anāgāmi say, 'I have achieved the realization of the anāgāmi?' "
Subhūti said, "No, World Honored One. And why not? Anāgāmi means non-returning (to this world), but there is, in fact, no such thing as returning. Therefore this person is called an anāgāmi."
"Subhūti, what do you think? Does the arahat think, 'I have attained the realization of the arahat?' "
"No, World Honored One. And why not? There is, in reality, no such a thing called 'arahat.' World Honored One, if an arahat should give rise to the thought, 'I have attained the realization of the arahat, this would mean that he is attached to the notions of self, person, sentient being, and life span.' "

Therefore understand that to attain enlightenment means not attaining anything at all. All Dhamma are fundamentally empty and cannot be grasped to. If Ven Dhammananda still grapsed on to anything, we would not be able to see all those signs at his passing away. Therein lies the bliss of Nibbana, of which these signs act as inspirations for everyone. Let us work hard towards our own liberation, for noone can save us except ourselves, sadhu.

The 4 Noble Truths in Zen

Ven Xing Si asked Hui Neng:
"How do I practice, such that I will not fall into stages?"
Neng: "What have you been practicing lately?"
Si: "I don't even think about the Noble Truths!"
Neng: "What stage is that?"
Si: "When you don't even think about the Noble Truths, what stage is there left?"
The 6th Patriach was very pleased with his answer, and asked him to lead the disciples.

Every Buddhist know that the 4 Noble Truths are the core teaching of the Dhamma, for it is the very first sermon that the Buddha gave at the Deer Park in Benares to the 5 ascetics. But what are the Noble Truths according to Zen, which Ven Xingsi, one of the foremost disciples of the 6th Patriach rejected outright?

1. Suffering - what is suffering? The mind of love & hate, suffering & happiness, birth & death, existing & non-existing; such that all dual states of mind are suffering.

2. Cause of Suffering - what causes suffering? Avijja or fundamental ignorance. Being ignorant & blind to the true nature of the mind, grasping to duality as its reality.

3. End of Suffering - what is the end of suffering? Shatter Avijja & one passes beyond all suffering. This is Nibbana, Bodhi, Patience of the Unborn, Dharmakaya.

4. Path leading to the End - what is the path? The path is the 8-fold Path of which the most important is to establish Right View (which I have explained in one of my past articles).

When one developes Right View, one sees that the mind & all its conceptions are fundamentally empty. Duality exists only because of one's deep-seated grasping & discrimination. One chases after illusionary things in the false hope that they will lead to happiness, setting forth the wheel of Samsara. Abandoning all false thoughts, discrimination & grasping in your own mind, & this very mind is the Buddha. There is no other Buddha or Dharma except your own mind. This is the "esoteric teaching" that the Buddha silently imparted to Maha Kassapa, from Bodhidharma to Hui Ke, & from Hui Neng to all his disciples. The heart of Zen has been transmitted for 2549 yrs, but there are no other teachings except for this one. No special meditation instructions, no supernormal powers or any other exciting stuff. Do you believe it?

When one realizes this for oneself, the mind is completely calmed. It remains unmoved amidst all phenomena for the Cause of Suffering has fallen away. When the Cause of Suffering is no more, Suffering is no more. When Suffering does not exist in the first place, what more for the End of Suffering? When one crosses the river, one abandons the raft. The Path that led you here has served its purpose, now it no longer has any use. So why talk about stages? Thus the Heart Sutra says:

"No suffering, no cause, no end & no path."

This is also what Ven Xingsi meant when he said he no longer thought about the Noble Truths.

Nirvana

What is Nirvana? Why is there different kinds of Nirvana? What happens to the enlightened ones after they enter Nirvana & pass away? These are the questions that have puzzled many Buddhists & non-Buddhists alike regarding the highest goal of the Buddhist Path. Different traditions have different explanations of this concept, but it is the Mahayana scriptures that provide the closest answer.

Nirvana is best defined as "the unbinding of the mind from the mental effluents (asava), defilements (kilesa), the cycle of rebirth (vatta), & from all that can be described or defined. This term also denotes the extinguishing of a fire, & so carries the connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace."

In the Maha Parinirvana Sutra, Nirvana is described as possessing the 4 qualities of Permanance, Bliss, Self & Purity. Most who learn from the Pali Canon can understand why Nirvana is permanant, blissful & pure, but being so used to the concepts of Anicca (Impermanance), Dukkha (Suffering) & especially Anatta (No-Self), they find it difficult to grasp what did the Buddha mean when he said Nirvana is Self.

The Pali Canon also mentioned that the nature of Nibbana as being Viññanam Anidassanam, or Consciousness without Feature. In the Suttas, the Buddha was famous in his refusal to answer the query of what happens to Him after his Parinibbana or Final Nibbana. All that is mentioned is this "Consciousness Without Feature", nothing more. This term is best explained as being a non-active state of being so vast & subtle that it is beyond description.

This was why Ajahn Mun (1870-1949 a contemporary Thai forest monk who has attained Arahantship in his lifetime) was very disturbed by the visits from the Buddha and Arahants after his enlightenment. His immediate puzzlement was how a Buddha who has crossed over to Anupadisesa Nibbana (Nibbana without remainder) could possibly interact with our Conditioned Reality (this story is related in his biography, "A Heart Released"). Ajahn Mun's description of the Unconditioned (Vimutti) state is very similar to the Buddha's description of "Consciousness Without Feature" in the Kevatta Sutta.

The Buddha did not say what happens to him after Parinirvana bcos at that time the Kevatta Sutta was expounded, the listeners were not ready to accept the Mahayana teachings. But in the Maha Parinirvana Sutra, all these loose ends are explained in detail. What is called the "consciousness without feature" in the Pali Canon is none other than the Dharmakaya in the Mahayana scriptures, except that consciouness is already transformed into the 4 Buddha Wisdoms (Complete reflectivity, Perfect equanimity, Wonderous observation & Infallible success) and thus cannot be called consciousness any more.

The fact that Ajahn Mun could not understand how the Buddha & the past Arahants could still visit him after his enlightenment shows that the fruit of Arahantship is still far from that of the omniscient Samma Sambuddhas. What we understand from the term "anupadisesa nibbana" or nibbana without remainder is also not the true picture. Ultimate reality encompasses both the conditioned & the unconditioned, and thus cannot be separated into "with remainder" or "without remainder". That nibbana that can be separated is not the true Nibbana, but what the Mahayana Sutras described as an "illusionary city" for the Savakas (disciples) & Paccekas (solitary buddhas) to rest temporarily in because they do not have the aptitude to aim directly for the highest goal - Buddhahood.

When the Buddha talked about a Self, he was refering to the Dharmakaya, this ultimate reality, which is never apart from our own minds throughout all time & all space. This is the true Nirvana, beyond birth & death, coming & going, remainder & no-remainder, conditioned & unconditioned. It cannot be entered or exited because all the Buddhas never moved from it in the first place. So where are all those Buddhas now?

Right here in my closed mouth.

The Requirement of Zen

Homage to Ven Yuexi (1879-1965), the Buddha from Kunming.

The Zen Patriach Linji once said:

"It is most urgent that you seek real, true perception and understanding, so you can be free in the world and not confused by ordinary spiritualists. It is best to have no obsessions. Just do not be contrived. Simply be normal. You impulsively seek elsewhere, looking to others for your own hands and feet. This is already mistaken.

What I point out to you is only that you shouldn't allow yourselves to be confused by others. Act when you need to, without further hesitation or doubt. People today can't do this - what is their affliction? Their affliction is in their lack of self-confidence. If you do not spontaneously trust yourself sufficiently, you will be in a frantic state, pursuing all sorts of objects and being changed by those objects, unable to be independent."

In the lineage of Zen, if the student cannot reach his master's level, or even if he just reach the same level as the master, he still cannot be considered a true successor. Only when he surpasses his master in achievement, such that even the Buddhas & Patriaches can't do anything to tame him, can he be considered a fitting Zen master! Such a person is a lion among men, destined to bear the yoke of the Buddha's heart transmission & give the lion's roar. Ven Yuexi is one such person who firmly believes in this. If you do not have that kind of absolute confidence in yourself, then Zen is not the path for you. Therefore crush all self-doubt & recognize your own Buddha-nature, for the infinite treasures of the Dhamma is always ready for anyone brave enough to grab them.

About Near Death Experiences (NDE)

There's so much research done on NDEs today, that there's virtually no way to deny the truth about "life after death" & samsara. The common aspects of many NDEs include:

1. Seeing the spirit leaving their own bodies
2. Flying through a tunnel
3. Sinking into the void
4. Seeing their whole lifes flashing before their eyes in a matter of seconds
5. Seeing a powerful light & going through it

What are these things that people experience, according to the Dhamma? Let me explain a little:


1. The spirit is our delusional mind. Whereas previously the mind believed that the body belongs to itself, now it sees that the body is just a shell.
2. The tunnel is an illusionary space created by the mind in motion, which is pulled along by its own karmic energy.
3. The void is the form of Avijja or fundamental ignorance, which is actually where the delusional mind originated.
4. In the realm of the mind, space is unreal, time is equally unreal. What we believed to be "our life" is no more than a series of memories & impressions on rewind or fast forward.
5. The powerful light is your true self. Previously it was obscured by your senses but now it becomes clear because your sense organs have shut down.

This light has no form, but appears according to what a false mind is conditioned to see. When they go through the light, Christians see Jesus, Catholics see Mary, Jews see Jehovah, Muslims see Allah, Hindus see Krishna, Shiva. Buddhists see Buddha or Guanyin, Taoists see Lao Zi, the Jade Emperor etc. Those with no religion simply see whoever they held in high regard. Those who have not done much good in their lifes see Satan, the Devil, Lord Yama etc, and again those with no religion see whoever they fear most. This transformed figure will either send them back to their bodies if their lifespan is not up yet, or send them to the next existence if their time is up.

Actually whoever they see is a reflection of themselves - the mind seeing itself. When sentient beings are still deceived by their own Avijja, the true mind will spin along with outer phenomena. But when they become enlightened, it is the true mind that control how phenomena spins. No matter whether it follows or leads, the true mind always remains pure & untainted. For the enlightened ones who realize their own true mind, they are never apart from the "powerful light" that ordinary beings only see in NDEs. Everything, including both Samsara & Nibbana, is melted back into the Absolute. Birth & death is ultimately an illusion, yet apart from this illusion, what Nibbana do you hope to find? Remember this at the moment of death, & it'll be of great benefit to you.

Zen & Pure Land

Zen & Pure Land are the 2 most important Mahayana schools of Buddhism surviving in China today. Patriaches & masters from both schools often share a very close relationship with each other. Although many Zen masters extol the Pure Land after attaining enlightenment, but what many do not know is, before they reached that stage, they did not recite & meditate on koans at the same time, something which modern Buddhists tend to do.

We shoud know that Zen & Pure Land are 2 different schools & each has its own distinct method of practice. In the past, there was a Zen Master named Hanshan who taught people to try the dual practice of Buddha Recitation and Zen, taking the name of Amitabha Buddha as a Huatou or Koan, where you ask yourself "who is reciting Amitabha?" during Buddha Recitation. One who can practice recitation and then observe where Amitabha comes from and where He goes will, over a period of time, come to understand what Amitabha represents. This will allow his Panna or innate wisdom to flow forth. The method of meditating on "who is reciting Amitabha?" suggested by Hanshan may appear like a combination of both, but in reality it is a Zen method rather than a Pure Land method. It is a skillful means to teach those practitioners who are still unsure of which to follow. When I say this Hanshan is surely going to whack me with a stick!

While many scholars are correct to note that for the past few hundred yrs Chinese Buddhists have practice Zen & Pure Land together, but it is also precisely bcos of this that so few practitioners attain enlightenment in this era! Why? Distraction. If a person sometimes meditate on Koans, sometimes recite Amitabha, his time & effort is divided & cannot produce result. I can tell you for sure that those who did attain enlightenment by practicing Zen, they did not dilute their meditation with recitation; and for those who were reborn in the Pure Land through recitation, they certainly did not meditate on Koans as well!

"All wisdom comes from devotion", do not doubt the practicality of this great saying.

Can your Mind see itself?

The Parinirvana Sutra says:

"It cannot be seen, yet it is clear for all to see."

Mind seeing mind is Avijja itself!

Why? Because seeing IS the mind. Without the mind you cannot see. The former is the function, the latter is the body. In reality they are one - they are YOU. If in delusion you use another mind to see your original mind, then both minds are false. The same could be said for hearing, smelling & other sense functions.

In the same way the functions can turn back to the body but the body cannot turn back on itself; you can turn seeing, hearing etc back to the mind but you cannot turn the mind back to itself. If you can turn any of the 6 sense functions back to the mind completely, you will attain enlightenment right at that very moment.

*This is the Samatha path, 1 of the 3 methods of meditation taught in the 圆觉经 or Sutra of Complete Enlightenment, so remember it well!

Samsara & War

Why does Samsara exists?

Samsara exists because of the craving, hatred & ignorance within our own mind.
Samsara includes all the 6 realms & the 31 planes of existence.
We are stuck in Samsara bcos we do not see our true mind. All sentient beings are constantly being reborn into higher or lower realms according to the good & evil thoughts in their own minds.

Where did it all began?

Samsara is like a ring. Does a ring has a beginning or end? The root cause of suffering is not lust or aversion, but Avijja (fundamental ignorance). From Avijja arises all defilements that forms the wheel of Samsara. If our true mind is the sun, then Avijja is the dark cloud that obscures the sun. Disperse the cloud with the wind of the Dhamma, & the sun will be able to shine on all things once more.

When enlightenement is reached, we shall realize that for something that wasn't really there in the first place, what is there to "cease to exist"; to enter extinction? Only then would we truly understand what "Samsara IS Nibbana" means! By now, all of us have seen the Israel-Lebanon conflict in the news. War is cruel & innocent people are dying. Scenes of the dead resemble that of the torments suffered in Hell. Where does all this suffering come from?

The Middle East is transformed into hell because of the hatred that clouds the minds of the Israelis & the Arabs. It is this inner hatred that leads to war, destruction & death. But if the mind is pure, then the Buddha-land is also pure. Always remember - Heaven & Hell is in the mind, so is Nibbana. I sincerely hope the people in that region can radiate Metta (loving-kindness) towards all sentient beings, friend & foe alike every day. Only in this way can they remain invulnerable to all harm amidst the fierce fighting, sadhu.

To sit or not to sit?

During the Song Dynasty (around the 12th century in China), Chan or Zen Buddhism separated into 2 distinct schools; the 'Koan-contemplating' school of Ven Da Hui and the 'Silent-illumination" school of Ven Hong Zhi. They developed into the Lin Ji (Rinzai) & Cao Dong (Soto) sects, which carried on until today. Da Hui's method focused on contemplating Koans at any time or place, whereas Hong Zhi's method focused on formal sitting meditation. This was no different from the Sudden & Gradual doctrine divide during the 6th Patriach Hui Neng's time; the question of sudden or gradual enlightenment resurfaced once more, 4 centuries after being resolved. Up till now the question has still not been fully resolved for Zen practitioners: to sit or not to sit?
To answer this question I believe it is best to go back to the 6th Patriach, who had this to say:

"To be born I sit & do not lie,
To die I lie down & do not sit;
A bunch of stinking bones,
Why give chores to it?"

What is Zuo Chan or Zazen? Za means to sit, but it is not the body that sits, but your mind.
Zen means to contemplate, but there is no fixed form or pattern to contemplate with.
Not to be moved inside the mind is Za.
Not to be attached to forms outside is Zen.
Not to separate your mind from the Buddha-nature is Za,
To be able to discriminate all phenomena is Zen.

Such being the nature of Zazen, what is the point of sitting around all day meditating when all you're doing is really thinking delusional thoughts? If you truly understood Zazen, then there is not a single moment you are not sat. If you do not understand Zazen, then you can sit until you become a corpse, yet still fail to get even a glimpse of your own true mind!

So should we sit or not? It all depends whether you grasp this crucial teaching.

Take heed, do not follow the wrong path!

Tao & Zen

Taoism is the most ancient native religion of China, a path that teaches followers different ways of achieving physical immortality through union with Nature. When Chan Buddhism came to China, it adopted the use of some Taoist terms for convenience sake, so that it will be easier for the Chinese people to grasp. But this had led many to believe that Chan or Zen is merely an off-shoot of Tao. Although their teachings may appear similar in the beginning; but trust me, the final goal is totally different. If you only understand the teachings of Taoism, u'll not be misled to think in that way. The best way to illustrate this is through the story of the famed Taoist Immortal Lu Dongbin (above) meeting with Chan master Huanglong.

One day Lu was passing by Huanglong Mountain when he noticed a holy aura surrounding its peak. He knew there was an extraordinary person staying in this mountain, so he decided to pay this person a visit. Now it happened that Huang was about to give a sermon. Lu sneaked in among the followers to listen what he had to say. Huang knew that Lu had came, so he sternly shouted:
"I won't speak today as there is a Dharma thief among you."
At this, Lu bravely stepped out & asked the master:
"A single grain contains the world, a half-litre pan can cook mountains & rivers; what does this verse mean?"
"You corpse-horder!" (this was a sacarstic remark on the Taoist ideal of finding physical immortality)
"I have the pill of immortality inside my robe pocket!"
"Even if it lasts 80,000 kalpas, in the end it still crumples into nothingness."
Lu was shocked to hear this, so he mystically unleashed his flying sword upon Huang. Huang merely waved his duster as the sword flew towards him, & down it fell with a clang!
Lu immediately dropped to his knees & begged for instruction.
Huang said:
"I won't ask abt the half-litre pan, but what is the single grain containing the world?"
Lu was enlightened upon hearing these words.

What did Lu see? If you see what Lu saw you will also know your own true mind. Within this Koan lies the difference between Tao & Zen.

What do people do after they're enlightened?

The best way to answer this question is through a story. During WW2 in China, the revered Chan master, Ven Xuyun (seen above) held a Mass Prayer Ceremony for Peace in Chongqing city. The neighbouring city Chengdu's Buddhist council recommended that Ven Changyuan & Upasaka Yuan Huanxian (a respected lay teacher) to travel to Chongqing & invite Ven Xuyun over to give a sermon. Ven Changyuan could not make it, so eventually only Mr Yuan went over to Chongqing. At that time, the official in charge of such Buddhist matters was Mr Dai Jitao. Yuan asked Dai to make the request for him, but he replied that Ven Xuyun maybe too old to travel long distances. At this, Yuan, who was known for his sharp wisdom, remarked:

"Whether the Ven comes or not is up to him; whether or not I invite him or not is up to me. Since he has opened a shop, I have the freedom to go buy something from it. If the price is right, I'll pay; otherwise we'll each go our own ways."

So Yuan got to speak to Ven Xuyuan directly. He made the necessary salutation and asked:

"There are 3 kinds of people in Chengdu that needed to be saved. The 1st kind thinks that one needs to continue cultivating after enlightenment. The 2nd kind thinks that once you are enlightened, that's it. The 3rd kind thinks that to cultivate is not to cultivate, not to cultivate is to cultivate. Will the Ven master please enlighten them with your teachings?"

Ven Xuyun replied with a Chinese saying:

"All the crows in the world are black!"

But there was no further explanation of this as they both started to talk about other topics. Later Yuan wrote a letter to his friend Mr Jia Titao relating the incident. Ven Dayu, another Chan master with great insights from Hubei province was also there with Jia. He had this comment to make after learning what happened:

"Upasaka Yuan asked a very good question & Ven Xuyun gave a good answer. But as a leading master of his time, this answer is not as sharp as we would expect of him. If I were him, I would ask Yuan, which of the 3 kinds of people did HE belong to? Only in that way will they collide into each other on a narrow path & forced to present their naked minds!"

That ends my story. But what's the moral of the story? What do enlightened people do after enlightenment?

I can provide you with the answer but that wouldn't be fun. Instead I'm going to ask:

Which of the 3 kinds of people do YOU belong to? Yup, contemplate on that!

Mind & Intent

The Mind is the essense of all Dhammas. Mind is the body, Intent is the application. Mind & Intent is one, not two. When we are thinking, mind becomes intent; when we are not thinking, intent is the mind. They are 2 sides of the same coin. Thus the scrpitures say:

成一切相即心，离一切相即佛。
To become all phenomena is the mind,
To transcend all phenomena is the Buddha.

It is the same with merit & sin. When the mind is pure, the mind itself is the field of merit. All crops that grow on this field are not apart from merit. When the mind is impure, the mind becomes the field of sin. Similarly, all crops that grow on this field are not apart from sin.

However, the Buddha-nature is beyond purity & impurity, merit & sin. It is fundamentally empty. What is the Buddha-nature?

It is simply, "this". Do you know it?

To be a True Victor

The Dhammapada says:

"Victory begets enmity,
The defeated dwell in pain.
Happily the peaceful live,
Discarding both victory and defeat."

The Dao De Jing says:

"The Sage does not compete,
Yet the world cannot compete with him."

Life is a constant struggle. As sentient beings, from birth we are thrown in all sorts of situations where we need to compete & to fight for survival. Whether it is for that scholarship in school, for the affections of the opposite sex, for that medal in sports, promotion at work etc.. the list is endless. It is easy to lose oneself in the competition of life & end up even worse off than before one started. Even if we are successful, we have to fight to maintain the success or be quickly replaced by those more able than us. This is an undeniable aspect of samsaric existence. Where then can the Dhamma be found? How can permanant happiness be attained in this endless struggle?

The answer lies in retuning the mind. Although we cannot avoid life's competitions, understand that the path to enlightenment does not lie in competition itself. To compete for first & last is the path of the deluded. To cling to victory & defeat is to fuel one's ego. With an ego like Mount Sumeru, how can one ever attain freedom from Samsara? You may even be invincible & defeat 1,000 warriors in battle, yet it will not bring you any closer to the end of suffering.

The only true victory lies in victory over yourself, over your own mental defilements like craving, hatred & ignorance. To overcome all duality like victory & defeat, birth & death, samsara & nibbana in the mind is the ultimate victory of the Buddhas. If you always remember this Dhamma during any competition, then you will always be the victor no matter whether you win or lose.

The Legend of Jatukam Ramathep

Once upon a time, many centuries ago (about 1700 years ago), it was a time of war and trouble. There lived a king and his princes in Central Siam. The elder prince named Jatukam and the other named Ramathep. After many years of war, the King finally conquered and managed to secure Sri Lanka into part of his Kingdom. There was a saying that the King possessed a sacred treasure, this was none other than the holy relics of Lord Buddha. Before the King began his journey to the newly conquered land, he tasked the protection of the relics to his two princes, & ordered them to guard it with their lives.

Some time later, the princes received information of plan by their enemies to capture the relics. They immediately informed the King in Sri Lanka. The King instruction was to quickly take the relics away by sea and head to Sri Lanka. Halfway through the journey, a thunderstorm struck and their ships were sunken. Except the two princes, the rest of the crew did not survive.

The two princes were washed ashore, but well. Without the sea transport, they could no longer bring the relics to Sri Lanka. They started praying sincerely to the relics, saying: “Dear Enlightened One! If this land we step upon is a holy piece of land, then please guide us let us live a new life here. With our people, we shall guard and protected your relics forever.”

Later the two princes built a temple on this holy land and with much hard work, they also establish a wealthy and strong city. They brought new hope and peace to all the people. In remembrance of the great deeds by the two princes, they named this place Nakhon Si Thammarat in their honour. This is now located in Southern Thailand at the present time. The temple that the two princes built for the relics is called Wat Mahathat - as it is known now.

Ever since then, after a few centuries, many people had travelled to Wat Mahathat to locate the relics that were buried by the princes. Finally, they found a stone carving and the relics buried at the Wat. The stories of the two princes were found engraved on this stone.

The two princes had done many great deeds and the greatest is by erecting the temple to house the relics. And they promised to guard the Relics with their lives. They had earned respect from both the heavenly and earthly beings. Later, the people combined the two princes into one and named him Tao Jatukam Ramathep when praying to him. Tao Jatukam Ramathep becomes one of the most respected and popular deities in the South of Thailand. In olden days, Tao was used to address noble ones. It is believed that those that pray to Tao Jatukam Ramathep will be blessed with fulfilling life and better in all aspects in everyday work. (End) Wat Phra Mahathat

The temple is located on Ratchadamnoen Road in Tambon Nai Muang, Amphue Meuang of Nakhon Si Thammarat province. This is one of the most important historical sites in Southern Thailand. The stupa, 55.78m high, has a distinctive Sri Lankan style. The top of the spire is entirely covered in pure gold. Inside the temple are many buildings of importance, especially the royal building which has beautiful architecture from the Ayutthaya period and the Sam Chom building, where the Buddha image garbed in royal attire - Phra Si Thamma Sokarat is housed. There are also the Phra Maha Phinetkrom (the equestrian image) building and the Thap Kaset building; while the Khian and Pho Lanka buildings are used to display artifacts donated to the temple by Buddhists from the whole region.

Over the doorway at the entrance of Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat, there are the statutes of Tao Kadtukam and Tao Ramathep, the guardian deities of holy relics of the Buddha. The name of one deity is Tao Kadtukam, which later people understand that he is none other than Jatukam.

There are many stories on how the City Pillar (Lak Meuang) and the first Jatukam amulets were made. One story tells of Police Maj Gen Sanpetch Thammikun, the provincial police chief during the 1980s, going to Wat Nang Phraya during a shamanistic ritual. The medium, a woman, told the policeman to come back. When he did come back later the woman wasn't there, but had been replaced by a new medium claiming to be the spirit of the military leader for the B.E. 17th century Nakhon Si Thammarat king.

The police general came a third time, and the second medium claimed to be yet another spirit - Jatukam, who instructed him to lead the construction of a city pillar. However, the spirit advised him that first he should consult with Police Maj Gen Khun Pantarakrachadej (also known as Ajarn Khun Phan), who was thought to be a master of Buddhist magical arts (Puttakom). This is believed by some to be the reason why Jatukam Ramathep was chosen to be a model for the amulet images when the campaign to raise funds for the city pillar was launched. The city pillar was partly completed in 1986, and the original Jatukam amulets were made in 1987. It was circular pendant a five-centimetres in diameter, and was priced at 49 baht. Now many are sold for more than 100,000 baht each. In the past only very few Jatukam amulets were produced, but after Police Maj Gen Khun Pantarakrachadej (Khun Phan) passed away recently at the age of 103 (some say 108), the amulets again became very popular. It may be significant that his death on Sep 5th 2006 was just two weeks before the military coup in Bangkok. Since the royal cremation ceremony of Khun Phan last February, Jatukam amulets have become even more popular. But how long can the craze last?

Do inanimate objects have Buddha-nature?

A Buddhist Poet once wrote:

"The green bamboo droves are the Dhammakaya;
The fragant yellow flowers are none other than Panna."

Taking this kind of expression literally, many later generation practitioners were misled to think that because the Buddha-nature encompasses all things, even inanimate objects possess such a nature. If Panna is the same as flowers, then doesn't that makes it non-sentient? If the Dhammakaya is the same as bamboo, then doesn't it becomes inanimate? So when we cook and eat bamboo shoots, are't we chewing on the Dhammakaya? What worth is there in seeking to attain these things if that is the case?

The scriptures say:

"Able to well distinguish all phenomena,
Yet remaining unmoved in the utmost meaning."

Understand that the Dhammakaya is the result of eons spent in perfecting our Sila, Samadhi, Panna & the rest of the Paramitas. It is the true body of all Buddhas, timeless, unchanging, omnipresent & all-knowing. How can such an unequalled attainment be inanimate & non-sentient? If inanimate objects have Buddha-nature, then how come none of them ever attain Buddhahood? According to such theory, then it is better for all of us to die now & become corpses; because corpses are inanimate objects; wouldn't that make us closer to becoming Buddhas?

The Buddha is right in front of you, yet you spend kalpas looking for him. Your whole being is the Dhamma, yet you seek the Dhamma outside of yourself. How foolish that is!

Contemplate on the 5th patriach Hong Ren's katha:

"With sentience we come to plant our seeds,
From fertile ground we are born;
Without sentience we have no seeds,
Neither will there be nature or growth."

Therein lies the true location of our Buddha-nature.

Birth, Aging, Sickness & Death

The Heart Sutra says:

"Seeing the 5 aggregates as empty,
Going beyond all kinds of suffering."

When Prince Siddharta first saw the 4 sights of an old man, a sick man, a corpse & a recluse, he immediately realized that all sentient beings have to go through the physical sufferings of aging, sickness & death without exception. But in the recluse, he saw that they might be a way out of suffering by taking up the spiritual path. That marked the beginning of his journey towards enlightenment.

Although we all have to be born, grow old, fall sick & die, but are these things inherently bad? It might not feel pleasant to experience these changes, but some have observed that there are those who are able to grow old gracefully, enjoy their "golden years", & also accept sickness & death comfortably without any mental anguish. In fact there are times that this changes offer release from other forms of suffering for some people. What then, is the true nature of birth, aging, sickness & death?
If you contemplate on these changes, you will gain the insight that good & bad, happiness & suffering is all in the mind. It has nothing to do with birth, aging, sickness & death - these are only natural processes for the physical body, which is by nature illusionary. To give an example, for those old folks whose minds are happy & contented, old age is a time of relaxing & enjoying life. But for those who are bitter & dissatisfied, it becomes a time of anxiety & regret.

When the mind is gripped by Avijja (fundamental ignorance), and controlled by the craving, hatred & ignorance that arises from it, then all changes in the body causes suffering in the mind because we wrongly believe this body to be "ours". But when Avijja is broken, the 3 poisons are transformed into Sila (discipline), Samadhi (concentration) & Panna (wisdom), which are the innate virtues of our Buddha-nature. Birth, aging, sickness & death are all transformed into skillful means to teach sentient beings who cling to such delusions about Dukkha (suffering), Anicca (impermance), Anatta (no-self) & Sunyata (emptiness). If they realize the body & mind are not worth clinging to, then we teach them that even the Dhamma is just a temporary medicine & also not worth clinging to. When they realize all-encompassing emptiness, we teach them that this very emptiness is not worth clinging to as it is Avijja itself! Only when they shatter this Avijja do they realize that they have in fact gone full circle - for they themselves are Buddhas! Everything comes back to your own mind, but are you aware of it?

The Controversial Sangha Renpoche

The 5th Chan Patriach Hong Ren once said:

"If you are ignorant of your own true nature,
How can you hope to gain any merits?"

I just finished reading the famous Sangha Renpoche's autobiography, "I am such a Living Buddha" (see above). Interestingly, this book is recommended by many famous Buddhist leaders, intellectuals & celebrities alike. Sangha Renpoche, for those of you who are not familiar, is a young reincarnated Lama of the Kagyud tradition from Qinghai province in China, only 29 yrs old this year. He is controversial in the sense that he lives a double life, one as a revered Guru Lama & the other as a modern, fashionable & charisimatic yuppie. The Renpoche has openly admitted in his autobiography of his prolific lay life, featuring his sports car, branded clothes, pub-crawling & even his live-in affair with his Singaporean ex-girlfriend. Indeed, it is difficult to see how a person can expound beautiful Dhamma teachings to the multitude on the one hand, & yet live the high life of material enjoyments like any other rich young man on the other. Such behaviour may be unthinkable in the Theravada, debatable in the Mahayana, & might only be accepted in the Vajrayana tradition. After reading what the Renpoche has to say about the Dhamma as well as his inner struggles when faced with different choices in life (especially in the dept of love), I came to the conclusion that he is merely an ordinary man. He may be very well-versed with the Vajrayana teachings, & might have been reborn many times practicing the Dhamma; he may even possess a mystic aura & be respected like a living Buddha, yet he still has not seen the true nature of his mind. He is much like the U2 song: "But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.." Which is sad, actually. Sangha Renpoche says he is "a salesman of the Dhamma", & Buddhism is his "product"; so he has a duty to present it in its most upbeat & attractive image to his "customers". And what better way to advertise his product than to advertise through his own self? But such thinking is inherently problematic, because of the profound & inconceivable nature of the Dhamma. It is of course not a problem to walk freely between the sensual & spiritual world if you are enlightened, where duality is no more; but what happens when you are not? How can you confidently say sensual pleasures are empty & cannot taint your mind when you have not realized the supreme Dhamma? Remember the story of Kumarajiva giving a warning to his disciples? It is indeed a dangerous path to tread if you have not reached that kind of level. Judging from his writings, there is no doubt that Sangha Renpoche is still in the realm of duality. Even he himself admits that he is but a man, & enlightenment has not been reached.
The Renpoche explains that "all things arise due to dependent origination" & he cannot avoid those worldly trials due to past karma. If such is the case, why choose the path that is full of traps? Why not avoid this path altogether and stick to the safe shelter of the Vinaya? Only when you have broken Avijja can you throw away the guidance of the Vinaya, the Dhamma & all the scriptures, for by that time you will realize all the teachings are already present in your own Buddha-nature. Then you can choose to roam the world and live either the religious or the material life without any obstacles. To Sangha Renpoche, I only have this to say: stop creating the karma of birth & death; seek that which is beyond birth & death within your own mind. May he quickly reach the doors of the deathless, sadhu.