四共加行

何謂加行

對佛法有興趣，並且願意信受奉行者，這令上師確實感到欣慰。而修行務必從基礎做起。

什麼是修行的基礎呢？藏傳佛教有一套嚴謹完整的修行方式與次第。

這一套修行次第並不是一開始就有的，而是經由很多祖師、聖者、成就者不斷精進，最後融鑄成一套修行方法，稱為「四加行」。

「四」就是有四種，「加行」就是準備進入佛法之流，轉凡心向道的先前準備工作。

就好像做蛋糕之前，必須要有面粉、蛋、器具，而最重要的是必須懂得制作方法，這些都準備好了，才能做出蛋糕，此譬喻就是「加行」的意義。


四共加行

在進入第一個不共加行之前，必須先修「共同加行」，此乃三乘共有，即小乘、大乘、金剛乘必須共同奉行的教理。

如果不修四共加行，就沒有辦法進入第一個不共加行。因此我們首先針對四個共同加行做討論。

四共加行主要目的在改變我們的想法，以糾正不正確的認知，進而堅固學佛的信心。

分別是

「人身難得」、
「生命無常」、
「業與因果」、
「輪回是苦」。

将心比心

有二个妇人在聊天，其中一个问道：“你儿子还好吧？”

 

另一个回答道：“别提了，真是不幸哦！”

 

这个妇人叹息道：“他实在够可怜，娶个媳妇懒的要命，不烧饭、不扫地、不洗衣服、不带孩子，整天就是睡觉，我儿子还要端早餐到她的床上呢！”

“那女儿呢？”

 

“那她可就好命了。”

 

妇人满脸笑容地说：“他嫁了一个不错的丈夫，不让他做家事，全部都由先生一手包办，煮饭、洗衣、扫地、带孩子，而且每天早上还端早点到床上给她吃呢！”

默想：
同样的状况，但是，当我们从我们自己的角度去看时，就会产生不同的心态。站在别人的立场看一看，或换个角度想一想，很多事就不一样了，你可以有更大的包容，也
会有更多的爱。

Valentine flower

 


A gift from MD's secretary. ...... 

Flat Hunting Requirement (update as 9 Feb 06)

Dear friend,

=======================================
Do take note that we are still looking for flat :-

1. Flat sitting North-West, facing South-East.
2. Flat sitting North-East, facing South-West. (example like Corner unit)
3. The door opening must open facing at South-East.
5. Prefer area like Woodland, Sembawang, Admiralty or Hougang.
6. 6th / 8th / 16th / 18th Floor.
7. 5 - 6 years old, resale 5 room flat.
8. Budget around S$280k.
9. Corner units if possible.

Jason & Regina
=======================================

I have gout. What types of food can I eat and not eat?

Question

I have gout. What types of food can I eat and not eat?

Answer

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the body. The uric acid forms crystals in the joints causing pain and inflammation These crystals can also form stones in the kidney and urinary passages. Painful attacks of gout are brought on by drinking alcohol or eating foods high in purine. Fifty perent of the uric acid in your body comes from the food you eat, the other 50% comes from sources within the body. General guidelines for gout are as follows:

Restrict meat/fish/poultry intake to 180 grams per day; Avoid alcohol; Lose weight if overweight; Exercise regularly; Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day; Eat plenty of fruits & vegetables (except the ones listed below) Have more starchy foods like rice, bread, noodles, etc. to fill you up; Restrict foods high in purine: Organ meats such as liver, kidney, heart, brain, etc. Selected fish and shellfish ie. ikan bilis, sardines, mackerel (including selar, tenggiri & kembong), herring, salmon, fish roe, cockles and mussels Meat & yeast extracts such as Bovril, Marmite, Vegemite, essence of chicken, brewer's and baker's yeast Meat soups & stock cubes especially Bak Kut Teh Game meat ie. venison, black chicken, pigeon, goose, etc. Beans & lentils such as tofu, soya bean, bean fillings, etc. Selected vegetables ie. spinach, rhubarb, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms & peas Strawberry, strawberry jam, durian, tomato & tomato products.

House mature .

Currently I stay in Hougang, and the mature of the flat will be these April.

 

Hopefully I can hunt an idea flat before end of year 2006.

 

Area that interest me are : -

 

1. Woodland
2. Sembawang
3. Ang Mo Kio
4. Seng Kang

So difficult to decide an area to stay. Wonder should I consider is it a PAP zone or Opposition Party zone as well  . ..

 

~ ~ Headache :(

Repetitive Strain Injury

My right hand is getting more painful when I crunch my fist. When I check up more on from the net, then I believe I'm should be suffering from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) or known as carpal tunnel syndrome. It is an manual injury associated with any repetitive activity such as hammering, piano playing and for my case, it is computer use (keyboard and mouse).

Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS), Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD), and Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD), are all equivalent expressions to RSI.

How it happen ? All because I rest my wrist on a hard surface, such as the keyboard or table-top, increases the pressure on my wrist and add on to a discomfort level.

When I 'twist' my forearms perpendicular to their natural handshake-like position (so that my wrist faces downwards) to use the conventional keyboard and mouse increases the strain in my forearms. Not only that, this risk developing a form of repetitive strain injury known as carpal tunnel syndrome.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Ailments affecting the wrist and hand are fewer but the risks are present all the same. Forceful, repetitive typing with wrists that are overly bent may cause inflammation, compressing the median nerve that extends into my hand. This may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition that causes numbness or pain in hand. In serious cases, hand muscles may even waste away.

 

 

How to control anger?

Anger is the only luxury one cannot afford. Good impressions gathered over lifetimes are mind's capital and the only source of lasting happiness. These may be burnt away in no time through fits of hot or cold rage. Buddha said that avoiding anger is the most difficult and most beautiful robe one can wear, and he gave many means to obtain this goal.

One very useful method is to be aware of the impermanent and conditioned nature of every experience, knowing that the difficult situation will change, and our anger will pass. Another beneficial approach is to remember the law of cause and effect (Karma). If an enemy provokes us, we should know that they are creating bad Karma for themselves, which will surely return to them. Instead of getting involved and creating even more negativity, we can feel empathy towards them. One may also use mantras, which allow unwanted emotions to pass without letting them reinforce any bad habits. By simply being aware of the feeling without acting upon it, the unwanted emotion is not given any energy. It will come less frequently and eventually stay away.

A good antidote to anger is patience, a quality one definitely requires to effectively work with the mind. Without enemies or difficult situations, there would be no chance to develop patience, and without patience, there would be no enlightenment. Therefore, we should try to be thankful for these opportunities. Reacting without anger to whatever appears will set free the timeless wisdom of body, speech, and mind.

Bangkok Trip - Part II

I just uploaded my Photo Album to my gallery module. The location of my photo gallery is http://www.edmw.net/gallery/

 

Here is the first photo that I taken using my old digital camera. Setting at "Fine" mode, 1200 x 1600 resolution.

 

 

 

Trip to Bangkok (22 - 25 Sep)

We are back from Bangkok, from 22 to 25 Sep. Throughout the trip. I only purchase 3 DZi Beads, all belong to 9 Eyed.

 

Here is some story about the Tibetan DZi Beads.

 

====================================

 

DZi Beads, a concise explanation of the origin and the legend.

DZi, zi, zee...  are the often encountered denomination of the Beads.  But let's hear the complete explanation from Laura Li.

Not long ago, international film stars Mel Gibson and Jet Li visited Taiwan. While they were there, both were given Tibetan dZi ("zee") beads reportedly worth millions of NT dollars. 

Three years ago the world was stunned when a China Airline plane crashed in Nagoya. The disaster, however, would prove to be a boom for the dZi bead market in Taiwan. One of the crash's two survivors, a Mr. Chen, speculated during a television interview that he may well have survived because he was wearing a "nine-eyed" dZi bead amulet. 

Guardians against evil, expellers of bad karma, bringers of health, wealth and good fortune. . . .What exactly are dZi beads? 

The controversy surrounding dZi beads stems from their mysterious origins more than a millenium ago and also from the beautiful legends that have been passed down about them over the centuries in Tibet, that ancient kingdom in the snow. 

Stories of stones dropping from Heaven can be traced back to a Buddhist sutra that records a Himalayan legend about an evil spirit who would from time to time descend to the world of men to cause plagues and disasters. Fortunately, a benevolent god took pity on the humans and cultivated its powers in Heaven, causing the beads to fall from Heaven. Those whose good fate it was to obtain one would thus be protected from misfortunes and all kinds of evil. Different variations on this same basic legend are found all over Tibet. 

Whether dZi beads are spiritual bugs or stones fallen from Heaven, they bring good karma to those who own them. Since having a dZi bead can bring good fortune, health and wealth, affluent Tibetans have long been avid collectors of these legendary jewels. As long as 1300 years ago, The New History of the Tang Dynasty recorded that Tibetans liked to wear dZi beads, "a single one of which could be traded for a horse." From this you can see the high value that was placed on them. 

Which are authentic?

If you put one on now, you'll start to feel thirsty after a while, which means that your metabolism and blood circulation are speeding up. Don't worry-after three days you'll have adapted. Then the bead will keep you healthy and even help you lose weight. 

* * * 

"Here we only sell 'new dZi beads' that have just been mined high in the Himalayas where the Earth is closest to Heaven," says a saleswoman wearing an elegant qipao gown. "Their magnetic field is particularly strong." With smooth motions she picks up an earth-sky-door dZi bead: "This bead has a magnetic field of 50 gauss. It can strengthen your physical constitution..." 

Can these new beads actually be considered real dZi beads? "Of course, the new ones are better than the old ones! After several thousand years of being worn by so many people, the old beads' magnetic fields are greatly diminished, and they're 'unclean.' You're best not to wear them," warns the salesclerk, with an appropriately alarmed expression. 

* * * 

The Dalai Lama's Compassionate Words -- Sept. 11, 2005

The Dalai Lama:

"When we are passing through a really difficult period, it is very important to try to keep calm, cool. Sometimes on the top of sadness, sometimes frustrations, anger… So try to keep your mind calm, and then, then most important, should not lose hope and optimism. That's important. We must keep our determination, our self confidence and look at more wider perspective. I think worldwide response, I think this is a sign of, I think, human compassion, human sense of concern. It's, I think good, in difficult experiences, as humans, I believe, become … more compassionate, at least when another human brother or sister is passing through difficulties. In our blood the seed of compassion is there, because we are a social animal. … One individual, above individual. His or her success, or happy life entirely depends on others. There is saying in Tibetan "Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength." I think, generally, where there's challenge we have the capacity to combat that challenge, I think, instead of sad or hopeless pessimism. When challenge is there, we must keep our determination, we must welcome that. That's important."

Bahasa Indonesia is the national language of the Republic of Indonesia

Good morning	Selamat Pagi
mid-day	Selamat siang
evening	Selamat malam
Good-bye	Selamat tinggal (if you're leaving)
	Selamat jalan (to someone who is leaving you)
Thank you	Terima kasih
You're welcome	Kembali or sama-sama
How are you?	Apa kabar?
Excuse me	Permisi or maaf
Do you speak English?	Bisa bicara Bahasa Inggris?
I don't speak Indonesian.	Saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia.
I don't understand.	Saya tidak mengerti.
Can you help me?	Bisa bantu saya?
Where is the bathroom?	Di mana kamar kecil?
Where is . . .	Di mana. . .
How much is this?	Berapa harganya ini?
I want this.	Saya mau ini.
I want to eat.	Saya mau makan.
My address is ...	Alamat saya...
Please take me to ...	Tolong, antar saya ke ...

The Way to Follow a Guru

Hard enough to know how to choose a Guru,
Not to mention being turned off by a sour one.
Be truthful to Bodhicitta and practice solidly,
Approach gradually with eyes open, and dedicate oneself to the Dharma!   from Yutang Lin

FATE.....

There was a scholar who was to marry his fiancee, but on the day of marriage, his fiancee changed her mind and married someone else. The scholar was devastated and fell ill. His family seek all kinds of medical treatment for him, but still he showed no sign of recovery. They were
about to give up hope on him when a wandering monk passed by. After learning about the scholar's condition, the monk walked to the scholar's bed and took out a mirror for the dying man to see.

In the mirror, the scholar saw a vast ocean, and the naked body of a murdered woman lay on the beach. A man passed by, looked at the body, shook his head and left. Another man who passed by saw the body, took off his robes to cover the body and left.

Finally came a man passing by who saw the body, dug a hole and laid the body carefully to rest before burying it. The scene in the mirror suddenly changed. The scholar saw his fiancee in a nuptial chamber and another man was lifting her wedding veil... The scholar blinked at the monk,
confused. Slowly the monk explained,

"The woman whose body you saw on the beach was your fiancee in her previous life. In your previous life, you were the second man who gave her his robes to cover her body. To repay your kindness in this lifetime, she loved you for a period of time and became your fiancee. However, ultimately the man whose favor she has to return for the rest of her life is the third man who
buried her. And that man is now her husband."

Enlightened, the scholar sat up and recovered from his dispression. It is truly amazing -- this thing called "Fate". There was a movie in which the theme song went like this: "You can say it is a big world, you can say it is a small world. But for the promise of this lifetime, we shall spend our entire lives to fulfil."

All of us are in this big grand masquerade, among the throng of people, we seek expectantly... in that electrifying moment when our fingers touch, the masks are removed to reveal our true selves. Before this moment, we were drifting aimlessly, not knowing what we really wanted. Till you meet this particular person, you finally realize what you really want is not what you have wished for in the first place. It amazes you that standing in front of this person is a different you! You without any mask!

Fate is not something meant to be forced upon. What is yours Will eventually come to your arms; what is not yours will never come to be. In any case, we should not lose heart and give up on our hopes for love that is true, good and beautiful. The value of life, in a certain sense, is
determined by the maturity of how we love. Of how we give and accept love.

Treasure what you have...
                     Time is too slow for those who wait;
                     Too swift for those who fear;
                     Too long for those who grief;
                     Too short for those who rejoice;
                     But for those who love...
                     Time is Eternity!

Fifth Lay Precept: not to use intoxicants.

Keeping the Precepts

Once upon a time a Buddhist lama was traveling in the steppe as a "badarch," a holy man that brings blessings to the nomad families in exchange for food and lodging. It was close to sunset, and he came upon a lone ger [yurt] and some livestock. 

As he approached the ger, a young woman came out to greet him. She was the only person living there. 

He requested hospitality and she agreed, but said he could stay the night only under one condition. He had to choose to do one of three things. He could drink alcohol, sleep with her, or sacrifice a goat. 

Now the last was taboo for lamas since only shamans sacrifice goats. Since all three choices were in some degree sinful, he had a difficult decision. He decided that drinking alcohol would be the least harmful. 

He drank the alcohol, and while he was drunk, fed up with its bleating, he killed the goat.  When he woke up the next morning,  he found himself in bed with his hostess. 

He then learned that drinking alcohol is a small sin but it can easily make a man do bad things under its influence.

The Worm

There is a wonderful little story about two monks who lived together in a monastery for many years; they were great friends.

Then they died within a few months of one another. One of them got reborn in the heaven realms, the other monk got reborn as a worm in a dung pile. The one up in the heaven realms was having a wonderful time, enjoying all the heavenly pleasures.

But he started thinking about his friend,

"I wonder where my old mate has gone?" So he scanned all of the heaven realms, but could not find a trace of his friend. Then he scanned the realm of human beings, but he could not see any trace of his friend there, so he looked in the realm of animals and then of insects. Finally he found him, reborn as a worm in a dung pile... Wow!

He thought: "I am going to help my friend. I am going to go down there to that dung pile and take him up to the heavenly realm so he too can enjoy the heavenly pleasures and bliss of living in these wonderful realms."

So he went down to the dung pile and called his mate. And the little worm wriggled out and said:

"Who are you?",

"I am your friend. We used to be monks together in a past life, and I have come up to take you to the heaven realms where life is wonderful and blissful."

But the worm said: "Go away, get lost!" "But I am your friend, and I live in the heaven realms," and he described the heaven realms to him.

But the worm said: "No thank you, I am quite happy here in my dung pile. Please go away."

Then the heavenly being thought: "Well if I could only just grab hold of him and take him up to the heaven realms, he could see for himself." So he grabbed hold of the worm and started tugging at him; and the harder he tugged, the harder that worm clung to his pile of dung.

Do you get the moral of the story? How many of us are attached to our pile of dung?

fertilityfriend.com

If an egg was fertilized, implantation (when the embryo implants to the lining of her uterus) happens, on average, about 7 days past ovulation.

 

It can happen as early as five days past ovulation or as late as twelve days past ovulation.

 

Now is in the phase of cycle where implantation may occur. Although implantation may be visible on her chart (triphasic pattern, dip and/or spotting) it is not always visible even on pregnancy charts. This is the most stressful waiting phase. It is generally too early to test.

 

 

2 days has gone

Since yesterday, I re-start my diet plan again. Below is the my menu.

 

Breakfast is a cup of milk tea with 1 bread that is near my office.

 

Lunch .... guess what. From a full bowl of chicken rice reduce to a small plate of Luo-Mai-Kei + milk tea.

 

Dinner ? ?  Slight smaller than normal meal.

 

Of course all meal come with heavy intake of nicotine which we call it "Cow-Boy" blue color, cost me $9.60 in a normal coffee shop.

 

Hope that when I report back for my ICT can reduce the weight to 64 kg again. I dun wan to be called by anyone  . . "Fatty".

 

Wish me good luck.

 

 

The Heart Sutra

The Heart Sutra

(The Prajna-Paramita-Hrdaya Sutra)

 

When Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practices the profound Prajna-paramita, he intuitively realizes that the five aggregates (skandhas) are of Sunyata nature thus securing his deliverance from all distress and sufferings.

Sariputra! Form (rupa) does not differ from Sunyata, nor Sunyata from form. Form is identical with Sunyata (and) Sunyata is identical with form. So also are reception (vedana), conception (sanjna), mental conduct (samskara) and consciousness (vijnana) in relation to Sunyata.

Sariputra, the Sunyata nature of all things is neither created nor annihilated; neither impure nor pure; and neither increasing nor decreasing.

Therefore, in Sunyata, there is neither form (rupa), reception (vedana), conception (sanjna), mental conduct (samskara), nor consciousness (vijnana); there is neither eye, ear, nose, tongue, body nor mind; there is neither form, sound, odor, flavor, feeling nor idea; there are no such things as the eighteen realms of sense (dhatus) from the realm of sight up to that of the faculty of mind (vijnana); there are no such things as the twelve links in the chain of existence (nidanas) from ignorance (avidya) with also the end of ignorance up to old age and death (jaramarana) with also the end of old age and death; there are no (such things as) the four noble truths and there is neither Wisdom nor obtainment.

Because of no obtainment, Bodhisattvas who rely on Prajna-paramita, have no hindrance in their minds, and since they have no hindrance, they have no fear, are free from perversive and delusive ideas and attain the Ultimate Nirvana.

All Buddhas of the past, present and future attain the Full Enlightenment (anuttara-samyak-sambodhi) by relying on Prajna-paramita. So we know that Prajna-paramita is the great supernatural Mantra, the great bright, unsurpassed and unequalled Mantra which can truly and without fail wipe out all sufferings.

Therefore, He uttered the Prajna-paramita mantra which reads:

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!

NKF petition

I had signed, how abt you ?

http://www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html